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briangroth27 · 7 years ago

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) Season 5 Review

This was a great show! I discovered the series on Hulu just before Season 5 aired and was immediately drawn to its fun, exciting, off-kilter personality. Though I grew up on the 1980s animated series and movies of the 90s, it’s an extremely close toss-up between this version and the current IDW comic for my favorite version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; I think the brilliant mix of science and the supernatural in the Turtles’ comic made for their best origin story, but this show’s characters and overall storylines probably put it slightly ahead. I loved that it fully explored the scope of the Turtles mythology and had several ongoing, engaging plots while taking the time to do some really fun and/or bizarre one-off adventures. The action was always riveting and the cast was perfect. However, I think the final season was a bit uneven.

I was really impressed that they took the risk of killing off both Splinter (Hoon Lee) and Shredder (Kevin Michael Richardson) at the end of Season 4 and I was excited to see what the Turtles would be like on their own, particularly how Leonardo (Seth Green) would handle leading since this show has been so good about putting him through his paces in that area. Season 5’s first arc didn’t disappoint, even though I was wary about immediately trying to bring back Shredder (and Splinter) so soon; this arc would've been at home in midseason or as a series finale too, after we’d had some time to breathe without each side’s leaders. Tiger Claw’s (Eric Bauza) use of a demodragon named Kavaxas (Mark Hamill) to resurrect the Foot’s late leader worked as a compelling plot despite my misgivings and I was thrilled when it didn’t go the way Tiger Claw wanted. Zombie Shredder naming Kavaxas his new second in command instead of Tiger Claw was a perfect, fun twist. Kavaxas later turning on everyone to rule both the living realm and the Netherworld himself was foreshadowed pretty clearly, but his ghost/zombie apocalypse was a lot of fun and became a great excuse to get our heroic terrapins into a Ghostbusters riff (they even included Ray’s Occult Shop and Vigo’s lines from Ghostbusters 2!). This arc was a cool way to showcase the supernatural side of the series, with a great (if brief) demonic villain in Kavaxas, brought to life with an awesome performance from Mark Hamill. Kavaxas was so powerful and ruthless—like when he pulled the soul out of Tatsu (Michael Hagiwara) without thinking twice—that he could’ve worked as a season-long enemy.

Regardless, this arc was a great, exciting, and touching kick off to the season. I do think it would’ve been a bit stronger to have Tiger Claw summon Kavaxas for his own purposes instead of to resurrect Shredder though; what ideas for leadership does Tiger Claw have? That would've been something entirely different for the Turtles to face. He was always a major threat to the guys and could’ve at least tried to lead the Foot rebels himself before resorting to summoning demons and bringing back Shredder. Given the release of souls in the arc, Shredder and Splinter could've come back as a side effect of summoning Kavaxas anyway, still allowing the Turtles to briefly reunite with Splinter and Karai (Kelly Hu) with Shredder. However, it still worked as it played out. That the guys got to say a real goodbye to Splinter was touching and a great use of his ghost, while zombie Shredder ultimately dragging Kavaxas back to the Netherworld was a nice touch. I’m very glad the writers resisted the impulse to permanently bring back either Shredder or Splinter: we’d seen enough of both of them and their return would've hampered the progress of the Turtles. I also don’t know how any plot with Shredder could’ve topped the epic final battle at the end of Season 4.

The character development and side stories that came out of the Kavaxas arc were good too. I liked Leo looking to Splinter’s shrine in a moment of doubt about his leadership skills. Donnie’s (Rob Paulson) grudge against Don Vizioso (Brian Bloom) was a great bit of character development, especially as it briefly made him the “Raph” of the team, running off on a vendetta that screwed up things for his brothers. Karai vs. her old, blind teacher Hattori Tatsu was a great look at a different part of her past. I really wish we’d learned more about what she wanted to do with the reformed Foot and this battle for the rightful ownership of Shredder’s Kuro Kabato would’ve been the perfect time to explore that. Does she want them to be a force for good in the city; a network of ninja vigilantes fighting crime? Or does she have other plans? Either way, Tiger Claw calling a ceasefire between the Hamato and Foot clans because of their team-up against Kavaxas was a nice touch and an unexpected way to end the threat of the rebel Foot for good. With no more Foot to lead, I suppose he returned home after that. Likewise, Fishface (Christian Lanz) bailing on the Foot to return to his old life of low-stakes crime after giving the Turtles a heads up about Shredder was perfect. Rahzar (Clancy Brown) was always a lot of fun, so even though his brief resurrection didn't make much of an impact on the show or characters, it was good to see him again one last time. Falling into the Netherworld was a solid way to undo that resurrection. It was also nice to get a brief return of Ho Chan (James Hong) and closure for even minor villains like Don Vizioso and Hammer (Eric Bauza). They must’ve pushed the censors to their limit by giving Vizioso Shredder’s actual heart! Yikes. Tiger Claw’s mutate underlings having been mutated by Super Shredder’s mutagen leftovers, thereby giving them all a sliver of his mind/personality, was a cool (if brief) new wrinkle to the Foot. I also liked the introduction of the latest 2D animated parody show, Space Heroes: The Next Generation. That was a nice full-circle choice.

I liked that Mona Lisa (Zelda Williams) and Sal Commander (Keith David) got to return—along with the Newtralizer (Danny Trejo) and Lord Dregg (Jeffrey Combs)—to wrap up the outer space segment of the series. I love how dense the universe this show built for the Turtles is and the fact that this season revisited every part of it was a smart decision. Raphael’s (Sean Astin) reunion with Mona Lisa was great and I really liked that they subverted expectations of their courtship with him being completely dumbfounded by her and bashful in her presence. Given his role in the space segment of the series, it felt like Casey (Josh Peck) should’ve played a big role in this mini-arc. Still, this arc maintained the epic scope of the space segment of the series. Dregg’s invasion and plan to use humans as larval pods for the Vreen was exactly as long as it needed to be, with the exception of one plot point. That stumbling block was Mikey’s (Greg Cipes) “death,” which was a total shocker (pun absolutely intended). I had no idea how they were going to write themselves out of that, so to have him just…be OK, just briefly electrical-powered all of a sudden was a letdown. Even so, I liked that this was a fast-paced wrap-up of the space stuff and it was cool that they found a way to even close off Lord Dregg and Newtralizer this season.

The Turtles’ journey to Miyamoto Usagi’s (Yuki Matsuaki) anthropomorphic alternate world was a solid adventure, but I would’ve liked to see more development within the Turtles along the way. Specifically, I would’ve liked something about the guys looking at this world and thinking they could make a real life out in the open here. They wouldn’t have to hide ever again and this doesn’t really cross their minds as something they might like? Their inability to live without pizza or TV would be a totally acceptable argument for them going home, but it could’ve at least been a discussion. I was expecting Kintaro’s (Evan Kishiyama) supremely annoying nature (they did a great job at making him a brat) to bounce off Mikey’s shenanigans more than they did too; how does Mikey handle suddenly being the more mature one? Kintaro’s brattiness could’ve been a wake-up call that he might need to grow up a little bit. Also, did any of the Turtles look at Usagi and see Splinter or a future version of themselves? Leo bolstering Kintaro’s confidence was a good moment for his development as a leader, though. I also really liked the world-building that went into these episodes: they did a great job of establishing Usagi’s world and making it feel lived-in and old. The opening scene of Usagi’s first battle with Jei (Keone Young) and his story about the death of his master General Mifune went a long way to give it a sense of history. I liked the use of the mischievous Japanese spirits and the spiders were super creepy; even though it took place on an alternate world, this mini-arc gave the Turtles a brief exposure to the culture Splinter instilled in them (though I wish at least one of them had come away wanting to actively practice and live it more). Starting the episode from Usagi’s point of view, introducing the Turtles as pawns of Jei, and making the focus Kintaro’s growth rather than the Turtles’ (even if it would’ve been stronger to have them also changed by their adventure), was a cool way to make this mini-arc distinctive and to change up the episode formula.

The flashback to the earliest days of Splinter raising his turtle sons was a nice one-off adventure, but didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the arcs that wrapped up plots or just went big this year. Maybe it’s because I know the Turtles’ origin so well, but I didn’t need to see this show’s variation on how they came to live in the sewers or get their weapons/names. This flashback to the early days didn’t shed much if any new light on the Kraang (Nolan North), but did serve its function as a nice way to touch base with where the show started in the midst of arcs about everywhere it went. Splinter’s realization that the Turtles have given him a second chance at fatherhood (he still believed Karai was dead at this point) was the biggest and best moment of the episode. While a solid episode that would’ve been fine in an earlier season, I felt like this slot could’ve been put to better use as part of a bigger story.

“Raphael: Mutant Apocalypse” was my least favorite arc this season. It was a fun and definitely original idea—I never would’ve thought of putting the Turtles into Mad Max’s world—but it overstayed its welcome and if it’s meant to be the canon future of this world, why? Why kill April (Mae Whitman), Casey, and nearly everyone else we know for this depressing apocalypse? My head-canon is that this is just one of the ten dimensions (and every synopsis I’ve read states that it’s an alternate future, but it would’ve been nice to confirm that onscreen). Mira the Meerkat (Jessica DiCicco) was a fine character, but it felt like she was there more to introduce the map plot than anything else. Still, it was nice to see Chompy (Dee Bradley Baker) continue to grow and that Ice Cream Kitty (Kevin Eastman) had survived. The Honey Badgers were threatening enough to be legitimate obstacles, but not really distinctive from the villains the Turtles faced on a daily basis.

I felt like “Mutant Apocalypse” went on for an episode too long and despite the fresh setting, didn’t really do much interesting with the characters. Raph becoming a hardened, grizzled scavenger, Donnie Metalhead, and Mikey a new age desert sage certainly made sense as outcomes for those characters, but they also felt like the most obvious directions for each of them to go. What if instead, Donnie rebuilt Raph as Metalhead to keep his brother going, replacing him piece by piece as his brother was continually worn down in fights? Losing parts of his body to mechanics and being unable to depend on himself to fight would affect Raph far more than tech-obsessed Donnie. What if Donnie was losing his mind in the desert and the only thing keeping him focused and lucid was tinkering; keeping himself going by keeping Raph and their van going? Losing his memory like Ralph was also would’ve been a greater tragedy for Donnie, since his best weapon is his mind. What if Mikey were the one that became the serious, hardened road warrior in the absence of Leo? The death of his brother (and the world) could’ve been a wake-up call that this wasn’t a game and the loss of his innocence would’ve been a tragedy in itself. If you’re going to flip the whole world upside down, why not take the characters to unexpected extremes as well? Leo turning out to be Maximus Kong was the only real surprise (I bought that he was dead at first)—and a nice connection to the parallel universe Space Heroes: TNG episode that revealed the hero characters we’d been watching were the bad guys—but “hero driven mad” doesn’t really resonate when Leo never gets a chance to truly reflect on what he’s done. Will Leo ever have to answer for the horrors he and his army inflicted on the world? It doesn’t seem so. Instead, as daring a development as it was, the lack of consequences made it feel like nothing more than a way to make the mysterious enemy important. If there had been any indication in the normal timeline that Leo could go bad, Maximus Kong would make more sense, because it’d be something inside him brought to the surface by the mutagen bomb. However, making him just angry/confused and accidentally evil pulled the rug out from everything he’d done. I did like the reversal of Leo and Raph’s relationship, though, where Leo was the one overcome by anger and instinct and Raph had the more level head. There’s also a good moment of the surviving brothers mourning Leo before they find out he’s still alive.

It was cool that they also took the time to wrap up Renet (Ashley Johnson) and Savanti Romero (Graham McTavish), and taking a mini-arc to revisit the time travel aspect of the Turtle universe was another inspired way to make this season a true exploration of everything this series was. I love the classic Universal monsters, so to see so many of them translated here (right down to the episode title cards!) was awesome! I liked the Halloween invasion by the legion of monsters, and while I wish Casey and April had been given more to do, making them vampires was definitely creepy. I was impressed they made Dracula (Chris Sarandon) so evil and loved every second of it. They also did a great job giving the Mummy (Grant Moninger) some real power. Frankenstein and his Monster (both played by Grant Moninger as well) fit into the story perfectly, and the fight throughout Frankenstein’s lab was a particular standout. The Turtles’ disguises and excuses for what they were (trolls, goblins, etc.) throughout Europe in the various time periods were a lot of fun, and Leo’s Van Helsing dig was especially funny. Vampire Raph was another really fun use of the monster storyline and I was surprised by how long they let him remain a bloodsucker. Mikey’s bond with Frankenstein’s Monster was great and Mary Shelley’s classic creation was a cool connection to our similarly misunderstood heroes.

I enjoyed the final arc, but it also left me a little disappointed since it was the series finale. The 80s Shredder and Krang (Pat Fraley) showing up was an OK idea—I especially loved Krang sitting in a booster seat at a diner: that was brilliant!—but it felt wrong to give this show’s finale to a retread of a team-up we already saw earlier in the series. It felt like they went for nostalgia instead of making a final statement about this show, and that was a shame: the characters and world of this show are exceptionally strong and should’ve been honored with their own finale. As big and classic as Shredder and Krang are as Turtle villains, going back to that well at this point was underwhelming (particularly when you’re dealing with intentionally less-dangerous versions). I was also disappointed Mona Lisa wasn’t with the Mutanimals in the finale. They set her up to join them in her return this year, but then didn’t even mention her absence here. That said, there were some great moments in these episodes. It was cool to see our Turtles train and toughen up the 80s guys; I was surprised at how far they took the original show’s Turtles not using their weapons for actual combat (“Someone could get hurt!”). Our April’s “Do reporters in your world wear jumpsuits?” was another fun line. Shredder and Krang being so surprised at how efficient our Bebop (J.B. Smoove) & Rocksteady (Fred Tatasciore) were was also fun. Karai meeting an alternate version of her “father” was cool, but I feel like they could’ve done more with it. Our Bebop and Rocksteady reforming is such a fun idea that I wish they’d given it more time to breathe. Would the Turtles help mentor them? Get tired of their antics and accidentally drive them back to crime? What if Bebop & Rocksteady accidentally became wildly successful as public heroes, maybe even getting paid for their services? How jealous would the Turtles be that these fools found a way to come out of hiding and be celebrated for their heroics? I wish this arc had been the opening storyline of the season, allowing Bebop & Rocksteady’s evolution to continue over the course of the year.

The Turtles being bored after defeating all their enemies was a solid idea—and I love that the show had actual endings for their villains, not never-ending back-and-forth struggles—but I would’ve preferred more forward momentum in harnessing their own destinies. Some effort at getting out of the sewers and making a real change to their status quo would’ve been great and totally new. In a season full of mini-arcs about where the guys had been over the course of the series, I would’ve loved an exploration of where they’re going. Will people ever accept them? Will their personalities always bring them to this configuration of the team (Leo leads, Mikey’s a party dude, etc)? Raph made great strides to overcome his rage on this show, but will he ever find real inner peace? What will Leo do when/if the guys don't want to fight anymore? Are their new students for him to train somewhere? Would he lead the Foot with Karai? Might Donnie become a reclusive tech mogul and/or video game designer? What does the future have in store for Mikey? Could he become a X-Games contestant? Party-animal DJ? Chef? All of the above? What about the guys’ love lives? I definitely thought it was past time for Donnie to be over April and I would’ve liked to see her and Casey get together while Donnie moves on to a new love interest. It felt like that triangle had been settled already and to hint that he still had those feelings for her felt like a step backward. In addition to exploring those questions, I really wish we’d seen much more of April, Casey, Karai, and Shinigami (Gwendoline Yeo) this year. All four of them seemed to largely vanish this season and that’s a shame. What do April and Casey want out of their lives beyond helping the guys fight crime? The two of them are major characters and their lack of focus here felt wrong. What are Karai and Shinigami going to do with the reformed Foot? I’m glad that so many villains got wrapped up, but are there new threats on the horizon? Will there be a resolution to the existence of mutants in New York; will they become an accepted part of daily life, get cured somehow, or will something entirely different happen?

I know it seems like I’m being hard on this season, but I still had a lot of fun with it and this show in general. It rekindled my love of the Turtles and I’m really sorry to see it end so soon after discovering it. I’m eager to check out the tie-in comics from this show, but there are TV elements comics can’t replicate. All the actors were perfect for their roles; these are the voices I’m going to hear when I read TMNT comics for a very long time. I loved the character designs, the personalities of the characters (these are also going to be the definitive versions for me for a long time coming), and that the action was always kinetic and exciting. The arcs each character got were great (even if this season stumbled a bit in that department), and this show definitely made the best use of April yet. I loved that the show was willing to go dark when the story called for it (without ever forgetting to be funny or downright silly) and loved even more that it was willing to go WEIRD. “Pizza Face,” man. The homages to sci-fi of the 80s and 90s were right up my alley, so they were very much appreciated. The new theme song incorporating just enough of the 80s theme to feel like the Turtles while still being something new made it instantly catchy and a perfect summation of this series as a whole. It’s probably even better than the classic 80s version and I wish they hadn’t changed it this season (though this lyric-less version wasn’t bad).

I’ll miss this show a lot, but I know I’ll revisit it often down the road. Despite a few missed opportunities for character development and plot progression this year, these Turtles still have it and are definitely worth checking out!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

#teenage mutant ninja turtles

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tmnt-fangirl101 · 8 years ago

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To the ends of the Earth 2k14 Leo x Reader Fic

This is a story I made up myself. A Leo x Reader Fic. Hope you all enjoy it. :)

Summary: You were trying to find a story to write for the News Paper Article for work and well you met a very interesting group of characters who are Mutant Turtles? One starts developing feelings for you but will you return them? Find out. :)

Warnings: slight cursing

Notes: Y/N- Your name

L/N- Last name

A/N- Actor name

M/N- Movie name

I don’t own any of the turtles and you belong to you.

“Oh great.” You told yourself thinking how could this night get any worse. You had just been taken captive by some foot clan people and held hostage. You were on the ground with other hostages trying not to make any wrong moves. Karai was the one in charge of the whole hostage situation.

“Show yourselves. We know you’re out there.” She yelled loudly in the bus station. “If you don’t surrender, we’re gonna start killing hostages.” ‘Crap what am I gonna do?’ You think to yourself. At this moment there was only one thing you could do. You pulled out your phone and started recording the whole thing still on the ground trying not to be noticed. You thought this would make a great article for the paper right? Your job was to get something news worthy and this situation was definitely news. You then hear an older woman next to you not to do that in a low voice and Karai heard you. “You!” She pointed her gun at you. “Stand up!” She commanded. She’d be dammed if you got any intel on them and made her look like a fool.

As if on time the lights go off on the bus station and the next thing you know 4 giant figures come out from the tracks. They start attacking foot clan members and knocked everyone out including Karai. As you’re witnessing this you notice they look… ‘wait, are they green?’ you thought. Like lightning, they then retreat up from the ground and made their way to the roof tops. Everyone including you used that opportunity to escape, but you on the other hand had a mission to set out on.

As you were making your way to the roof you started hearing voices. You could barely tell from afar but they looked like giant looking humanoid animals, with a shell. You took out your camera phone again trying to get a better shot.

“Great elbow Donnie!” Leo praised him.

“Yea did you see that guy I knocked out? He’ll be drinking from a sippy cup for a week.” Donnie gloated.

“Yea this is our city these are our streets!” Raphael said.

“That’s what happens when you step into the woo.” Mikey said.

“Ah that’s what i’m talken bout brothers like shadows in the night completely unseen!” Raph gloated.

They all come in for a high three when suddenly they saw a flash of light and stopped dead in their tracks. You started to look really nervous. Had they spotted you? Then they start to whisper to each other.

“What was that?” Asked Mikey quietly.

“It’s a camera flash.” Donnie said nervously.

“We know it’s a camera flash.” Leo stated.

“Who’s behind the camera flash?” Raph asked a bit irritated, demanding to know.

“By my calculations it’s a girl.” Donnie said.

“Are we gonna kill her?” Mikey asked.

“What?!” Donnie stated a bit nervous at his younger brother’s antics.

“With kindness.” Mikey said as his last comment was a joke. “We’ll buy her some flowers or chocolates. He said.

“I got this.” Raph said.

“No no wait Raph!” Leo begged his brother.

While you were climbing down from the roof, the next thing you know you were being dragged up on the roof by chains attached to his sai’s and landed on your face. Lucky for you you didn’t get a concussion from that land. Still on the ground you were looking around your surroundings desperately trying to find who was there. Suddenly a giant man looking turtle landed right in front of you startling you a bit.

“Gimme tha camera.” Raph demanded.

“Oh look he’s doing his ‘Batman voice’.” Mikey said in a joking way. You slowly looked up at him in awe disbelieving this was really real right now. “She’s so hott I can feel my shell tightening.” Mikey sounded a bit horney but it was a joke.

“We can hear you!” Raph said a bit annoyed to his brother. You got up slowly from the ground still scared. Raph took out his sai and pointed it to you in a threatening way.

If you don’t gimme the camera…i’m gonna-

“ENOUGH!” Leo shouted and jumped up in the air and landed on the edge of the roof. “Back off Raph!” Leo commanded his brother.

Raph held his hands in the air and backed away. “I only saw Batman once.” “Ma'am hello I apologize. My colleague here forgot to say ’please’. So would you please hand over the camera?”

You looked even more scared as he came approaching you and backed up but into something as Mikey jumped behind you. “Whoa whoa whoa chill, it’s just a mask see? Don’t freak out.” He took off his mask. “Right?” He smiled as he showed you his mask.

You tried to hold yourself together but you were freaking out so much inside that you fainted in front of them.

“Oh I think that went well.” Donnie stated sarcastically.

You start to open your eyes slowly as you heard voices.

“Make sure she’s stabilizing.” Donnie said.

“Why are we still here playin doctor?” Raph asked a bit annoyed.

“She may have a head injury.” Leo told him.

“Correction she’s a hott chick who may have a head injury, which makes it our sinic duty to-” Mikey was interrupted by Donnie.

“Ma'am ma'am can you hear me? Do you know what city you’re in? Do you know where you are?” Donnie asked.

“Have you seen that video where the cat plays chopsticks with the chopsticks?” Mikey asked being his cynical self.

“Can we focus here?” Leo said as he shoved Mikey out of the way and got a bit closer to you make sure you were alright.

“Guys please c'mon give her some air.” Donnie said.

“What are you?” You asked looking at all of them.

“Well miss um…we’re ninjas.” Leo said as he did a little bow with his fist in his hand.

“We’re mutants.” Raph said.

“Technically we’re turtles.” Donnie stated.

“Oh and we’re teenagers. But we can still have ‘adult conversations.’” Mikey said in a bit jokingly manner.

You got up slowly. “So wait…you guys are…ninja, mutant…turtle, teenagers?” You asked still a bit hazy from fainting.

“Well when you put it like that it sounds ridiculous.” Donnie said as he can’t believe you said it that way.

“See she’s lookin at us like we’re freaks! I bet that’s why you took our picture wasn’t it? Show your friends?” Raph said.

“Bro that’s a good thing, maybe she has hott friends!” Mikey said sounding a bit excited.

“Lookin fa this?” Raph asked holding up your phone.

“No don’t break that. No no no please.” You begged him.

Leo suddenly snatched it out of his hand. “How many times do I have to tell you? We don’t break things, we fix them. Donnie already wiped the phone genius. Problem solved, moving on.” He stated.

“And who put ya in charge?” Raph said as he pushed his brother back a little.

“You know who did.” Leo said to his brother looking like they were gonna go toe to toe.

“Whoa tension, it’s been thirty whole minutes since you guys had this argument.” Mikey said.

“Leonardo, we wanna make it home before master we gotta hustle.” Donnie told him in a more urgent tone.

“Leonardo…” you whispered as you looked up at him.

Leonardo turned around and looked at you and held out the end of his katana and pointed it to you almost in a threatening way.

“Do not say a word about this to anyone. If you do, will find you (Y/N) (L/N).” He said in a more serious and threatening tone.

‘How does he know my name!’ You asked yourself. You looked at him. You should be scared but for some reason you weren’t. You don’t know what it was but there was something about Leo that was just mesmerizing to you. Maybe it was his voice, or maybe how skilled or strong he was. It could be how calm and collected he was. Or maybe it’s his eyes. You stared into his eyes, those deep gorgeous deep blue eyes of his. The one thing you found attracted in anyone was their eyes. It said a lot about that person. They suddenly took a hold on you. And you wanted to know more about them. About him.

“We’re on the move Raphael.” Leo said to his brother.

“Raphael…” you said as you looked at him twirling his sai’s in a showoffy way.

“Yeeaaa we’ll find you…(L/N)” Mikey said trying to sound intimidating. “I’m sorry that come across super creepy…we will find you though.” With that all four of them flipped off of the roof and they all started howling and screaming. You quickly reached into your pocket and pulled out your phone and took one last picture of them before they disappeared into the night. Once you took it you zoomed in on Leo.

“Leonardo…” You said to yourself. You were interested in getting to know more about him.

*************TIME SKIP**************

Months have passed since the whole, Sacks, Shredder and mutagen incident. Also since you’ve met the boys. You got to know all of them. You even got to know about Splinter. They loved and cared about you. They treated you like part of the family. You had lived in New York for almost a year and had no friends or family. The boys and Splinter were the only family you had. You helped them out a lot on their missions and patrol nights. You were a vital part in their lives and they were lucky to have you in their lives. You were lucky to be a part of it. But a certain turtle has grown feelings for you.

Leonardo was in the dojo meditating. Well he was trying to anyway. He was thinking about you. He doesn’t know why, but he’s been growing feelings toward you for some time now. He was imagining you in his arms and him holding you tightly. Planting kisses on your head and- 'No stop!’ He told himself. What has gotten into him? He knows he shouldn’t be thinking of you like this but he couldn’t help it. He was falling for you hard. 'Why am I thinking of her this way? I can’t do that. It would never work out. She’s a human, and beautiful, stunning, strong, smart and kindhearted. And I’m a well…a big grotesque, ugly mutant we’re never meant to be together. We’re just two different people.’ He said to himself. The boys have low self-esteem issues and have always felt they will never find true love anywhere unless it was with a mutant like them. As he finished up his meditation session he got up and left out the room and went in the living room where everyone else was. You just happened to be there watching tv with Raph and Mikey.

“What are you guys doing?” Leo asked.

You guys turned around and saw him. “Oh hey Leo, we were just getting ready to watch a movie, would you like to join us?” You asked.

“Oh um sure, I guess that sounds nice.” He said as he went over to you guys. “Found it!” Mikey said as he brought out the movie.

“Did ya find The Dark Knight?” Raph asked his younger brother.

“What? No dude we decided we’re watching a comedy this time, White Chicks, remember?” Mikey said.

“Are you kiddin me?! We watched a comedy the other day, it’s action movie night now!” Raph said.

“Dude we just watched something actiony yesterday with an alien in it remember?” Mikey told his brother.

“That was a sci-fi movie and it was Donnie’s pick. I don’t watch those sci-fi movies Mikey.” Raph said to Mikey.

“It still had action in it though didn’t it?” Mikey teased.

“Mikey we’re watchin The Dark Knight. End of discussion!” Raph said a little annoyed to his brother.

“Sorry bro but it’s a comedy movie kind of night tonight deal with it!” Mikey teasingly told his brother.

“Mikey don’t make me do that thing you don’t like!” Raph threatened his brother.

“Bring it bro I’m not scared of you anymore!” Mikey said still taunting his brother.

“MIKEY!!!” Raph roared in frustration.

Leo was just looking really annoyed with both of his brother’s antics. He let out a frustrated sigh. “Sorry about them. They can be a real pain.” He said looking at you and he giggled.

“No don’t be. They’re funny. That’s just how they are.” You said looking at him.

“But um while they are deciding on what movie to watch you wanna do something else?” He asked you.

“Sure like what?” You asked looking up curiously at him.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to get off my chest.” He said a bit nervously putting his head down.

“Yea sure let’s go someplace private.” You said as you two left the other brothers deciding what other movie they should watch.

You both went in the dojo where Leo goes to train and meditate. That’s the most personal private place for him to go to other than his bedroom or the bathroom since rarely anyone is in there other than for training or Master Splinter is in there. He uses it for meditation for when he’s having a bad day or needs to concentrate on something. Think of it as his 'sanctuary.’

“So what was it you wanted to talk to me about Leo?” You asked.

Leo had always been your favorite boy to hang out with. Though you loved and cared about all the brothers. There was just something so special about Leo that you really liked. You two were best friends. You could tell each other anything. You called each other, texted even hung out with him more at the lair when he wasn’t meditating, training or out on patrol. He even takes you back to your apartment at night and makes sure you get in safely. You could tell him anything and he wouldn’t judge you at all. Maybe it was his leadership or maturity. You were never one to care about looks because if you were you wouldn’t take out the time to be in the sewers with any of the boys or their giant rat father and would think they’re ugly, gross or scary. You also wouldn’t find any of them attractive. But you did. You thought Leo was extremely handsome for mutant turtle. He always had that charming spark to him. But you also liked how he took care of his brothers and their father. How he would always be ready to do anything to stop bad guys. He was fearless after all. Raph didn’t give him that nickname for a reason. You liked him a lot. Heck you might even say you were in love with him. But it could never work out if you two started dating. You were both from completely different worlds. You belong above the surface and he belonged in the sewers and stayed in the shadows. Plus, you knew he would probably never feel the same way anyway…could he?

“Right I um…I-I uh…” Leo started to stutter. This has never happened to him before. ‘This is it, just say it. Teller how you really feel you coward.’ He thought to himself. Usually he always knew what to say but at this moment he felt his heart stop and his brain not working right and felt weak in his body. He maybe fearless when it comes to fighting but when it comes to expressing his feelings, thats where he’s scared of the most. He’s scared to get hurt and turned down by a gorgeous human such as yourself. “Well there’s um something I um…I’ve had this on my mind for a while now and um…well…”

“Yes Leo?” You asked a bit anxiously to know what he’s going to say. “You can tell me anything remember?” You said reassuring him it’s okay.

“Well I know we’ve been best friends for a while now but…I feel there’s something a little more that I’ve been feeling for you. I can’t explain it and I don’t know or when it even all started or happened. But I do know that I like it and I don’t want it to stop.” He said looking at you.

You felt some blush creep across your face. That was the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to you. Your past boyfriends you’ve had have never said anything like that to you. But yet here’s Leo who has more charm and more romance than any of your ex’s will ever have. You know it’s sad when a freaking mutant turtle has more class and charm than any human male.

“Leo…that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.” You continued to blush and your face was red as a beat.

He sighed in relief and returned the smile back to you. I’ve been in love with you for a while but never had the courage to tell you my true feelings. I was afraid you wouldn’t return them.“

"Oh Leo there’s something you should know as well. I’m in love with you too.” You said as you scooted close to him.

“You are?” He asked in surprise still looking at you.

“Yes I always have had a crush on you. I never thought I could develope feelings for a mutant but I have and I’m glad I did.” You continue to smile at him.

“You’re very important to me (Y/N), I never want to let you go.” He said as he wrapped a strong arm around your waist.

You leaned in for a kiss and he happily returned it and laid your head on his plastron and held you tight around your waist. You two stayed like that for a good solid 10 minutes.

“So does this mean we’re officially together romantically.” You asked him a bit eagerly.

He then laughed and smiled at you. “Yes we are officially.” He said as he kissed your forehead.

You blush and you both got up and went back to the Livingroom to see if Raph and Mikey worked out their movie problems. Of course being who they are they were still arguing over the movie and that’s when you steeped in.

“Okay guys listen up! I have the perfect solution for the movie I brought over.” You said as you looked up at them.

They both stopped fighting and gave their attention to you.

“Oh hey Angel Cake’s yes please help us with a movie, that would be nice.” Mikey said looking at you.

You reached into your bag and pulled out the movie. “Have you guys heard of (M/N)?” You asked them.

“I think I have just never seen it, is any good?” Raph asked.

“Ohhh is it that movie with (A/N) and (A/N)?” Mikey asked.

“Yes it is you’re right Mikey. And to answer your question Raph its really good. It has just the right amount comedy and action. It’s also one of my all-time favorite movies. I recommend it to anyone. Here watch it let me know what you guys think.” You hand them the movie.

“Well I guess I can give it a shot. I mean how bad could it be?” Raph said. “Sure anything for you Angel Cakes, since you recommend it.” Mikey said flirtatiously to you.

“Alright you guys enjoy them movie.” You said as you went back to Leo.

“You’re not gonna watch it with us?” Raph asked.

“I’m gonna hang out with Leo.” You told them.

“Aww alright, I guess Raph and I will watch it together.” Mikey said sounding a bit sad.

Leo was relieved when they finally settled down and started watching the movie. He was very impressed how you were able to shut them both up like that. You definitely were a keeper. You and Leo both spent the rest of the evening in his room cuddling, kissing and just talking about life.

“I’m glad we’re together Leo.” You said as you looked in his eyes.

“I’m glad we’re together too.” He said looking deeply back into yours.

“I love you with all my heart.” You told him.

“I love you too. I will protect you to the ends of the earth.” He told you as he kissed your lips.

You stayed in his arms until you fell asleep. This was going to be the beginning of a very beautiful relationship he could feel it.

The end.

Notes: Yes, finally done with this story. It took me a while to come up with the plot and have make everything fit. Anyway I did used a lot of dialogue from the first 2k14 movie. Just from the roof scene though nothing else. I hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know what you guys think thank you. :)

#tmnt #tmnt 2k14 #tmnt 2k16 #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt out of the shadows #tmnt leonardo #tmnt raphael #tmnt donatello #tmnt michelangelo #tmnt splinter #tmnt april o'neil #tmnt casey jones #tmnt shredder #tmnt fanfiction #tmnt fanfic #tmnt leo x reader #fanfic #fanfiction

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midnightroseprincess · 8 years ago

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Your fandom is... TMNT! :D

Woot woot! A peep has sent me what was probs my first and most enduring fandom. Answers down below.

Be warned that though I’ve read so many of the comics and seen a lot of all the different incarnations, a lot of these answers are gonna be answered with examples from the 2003 series, the 1990 movies, the classic comics, and the IDW comics, since those are the ones I grew up with (and thus more attached to) and in the comics’ cases, more familiar with/knowledgable of.

Also please forgive any typos.

Give me a fandom and I’ll tell you…

Favorite Male Character

Leonardo Hamato has been and always will be my favorite. Even when I was little, I could sympathize with Leo because we both had fears of failing and were burdened by the pressure to be perfect. Seeing Leo overcome these things inspired me to stick it out and overcome them to an extent, too.

He’s also just such a good character. An encouraging older brother who would do anything (within reason and his principles) to protect and guide his family. A level-headed and strategic leader who is one of the best ninja of his generation. A humble, honorable warrior who gives opportunities to former enemies to redeem themselves and get out of abusive situations. A dork who can drop his serious brooding to goof off with his brothers and friends. His benign, deadpan sense of humor. His so-proud-of-you-even-if-you-worried-me-into-frustration pride in his little brothers. His trust in April and Usagi to the point that he allows himself to be vulnerable around them. On that note, his moments of weakness that are so realistic. He’s such a multi-layered, engaging character and I adore him.

Also his character development helped me grow as a person… more details on that below, under Saddest Moment.

I’ll add that my favorite version of him is the 2k3 version.

Favorite Female Character

April O’Neil, no contest. April is a freaking delight. A professional technological programmer and hacker with knowledge of antiquities to boot. No matter what incarnation of her you pick, she’s such a likeable, reassuring presence in the TMNT universe. She grounds the turtles in a reality they were previously alienated from (aka the human world). She’s their family, and has fought tooth and nail for them (15/10 would do it again).

I adore her relationship with the Hamato Clan. She’s this mature presence that can sit with Splinter and just say “Kids” together with him at the turtles’ antics. She’s this bird of a feather with Donatello, who has an equal in intelligence to talk to and work with. She’s this amazing older sister to Michelangelo, who answers all his questions on the human world and doesn’t expect him to keep optimistic all the time. She’s this amazing confidant to Leonardo, who can’t pull the big-brother-card on her and is so thankful that he can’t because it means he can talk to her about anything. She’s this strange mix of sister and mother to Raphael because she doesn’t shy away from his struggles with his inner demons and helps him through them. Her romance with Casey, though different in every incarnation, manages to be heartwarming and hilarious.

My favorite version of her is also from the 2k3 series, since it let her keep her technology skills. IDW April is super precious though.

Least Favorite Character

Hm… Hard to say. The villains and secondary characters come and go, and even the most annoying villains can have a really good, terrifying episode or comic issue dedicated to them.

All that comes to my mind are the Ninja Tribunal (who were freaking jerks) or Cousin Sid from the 2k3 series and Walker from the third live-action movie. When I think of the comic characters, all the villains and secondary characters had pretty amazing arcs at one point, so I’m cool with them.

Favorite Ship

Capril (April O’Neil/Casey Jones) in any incarnation, pretty much. As for the others… I’d say I lowkey ship Raphael/Mona Lisa. Leonardo and Usagi go back and forth between a brotp and an otp for me.

The love interests from the comics, I’m neutral on, because the classic TMNT writers weren’t actually all that interested in exploring the turtles’ sexuality and romance. The only one I can think of is Radical (Leo’s love interest) and her characterization was… slightly problematic. In the IDW series, they have a character named Alopex and I do like the ship tease between her and Raphael, but I’m waiting to see where it goes.

Leorai (Leonardo/Karai) is the classic, star-crossed ship, considering one is the dutiful son of Splinter and the other is the daughter of The Shredder. I did ship them when I was growing up with the 2k3 series, but then, well, Karai tried to kill Leonardo’s entire family while he was out of the country and very nearly succeeded and destroyed their home. Talk about a ship sinker. She eventually sort of redeemed herself at the end of 2k3 but like had a romance going with Chaplin, a scientist of hers. So… I don’t know where I stand on it right now. On one hand, their dynamic is still incredibly interesting and on the other, a situation where they’d work in a healthy way would have to be an AU or the like. So I’m neutral on it a majority of the time.

Favorite Friendship

Gosh, any of the turtles’ friendships with April, as detailed above. Otherwise, any of the kindred-spirit friendships the turtles make are all equal in my eyes. Mikey with Leatherhead, Donatello with Professor Honeycutt, Leonardo with Usagi, or Raphael with Casey. All are amazing.

Favorite Quote

“In this life, we only have each other. If one of us goes down, we all go down. So focus.” – Leonardo. It sums up their family extremely well.

Worst Character Death (if any)

Oh man.

SAINW. Same As It Never Was. From the 2k3 series. Just… SAINW. Everyone except April died or is presumed dead in that alternate universe by the end of that episode. On a minor note, Nano. Both times. Poor robot baby.

From the classic comics, Splinter’s death is up there, along with the death of Klunk, Mikey’s pet cat.

From the IDW series, the turtles’ death in their previous (human) lives – getting executed via beheading by The Shredder in front of Splinter (Yoshi Hamato).

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment

The moment in the 2k3 series in Return to New York Part 1, where Donnie can’t hack into the Foot Clan’s HQ because Baxter Stockman designed the security and April just: “Too bad you don’t know anybody who used to work for Stockman,“ with that raised eyebrow of hers. Donnie just smiles back and allows her the chair to sit at the computer, she cracks her knuckles, and then hacks it in under 5 minutes. Not many of the Aprils get to keep her classic comic-self’s computer skills and that moment was SO. GOOD. The turtles even mention in following ‘previously-on’ segments that they’d have never been able to get through the building without April’s skills.

Any time Mikey shows he’s not JUST the goof but is actually the MOST interpersonally AWARE and INSIGHTFUL of all of them. An example from the 2k3 series in which he sticks up for Leo: “I think all of you should just lay off the poor guy. I mean, it can’t be fun, being the responsible one. And we’re the ones who really benefit. Raph’s free not to think ‘cause Leo does all the thinking for him. Don’s free to dream, and I’m free to take it easy, all because Leo’s busy being responsible enough for all of us.”

The moment in the 1990 live action movie where Mikey and April team up to take down a Foot Clan ninja and it’s cemented that she’s family to the turtles. “You’re a natural, Sis!” “Thanks.” Also the turtles reactions post-battle to the Big Damn Kiss between April and Casey in the same movie. “All right April!” (Raph) / “All right Casey!” (Mikey) / “9.95!” (Donnie) / “Yeah, that’s the way to go!” (Leo). The turtles ship them so hard, you guys.

Saddest Moment

Gosh… from the 2k3 series… the moment during his solo training where Leonardo just breaks down from the aftermath of the Exodus episodes. “I’m sorry. I’m… I - I did the best I could. I DID THE BEST I COULD! There wasn’t any more I could have done!!” and the Ancient One asks, “Then why do you blame yourself so?” And it… clicks for Leo. And at that same moment, it clicked for me too. And I started to work to get healthier coping methods for my own anxiety. Sometimes you have to realize how low you are to start building yourself up. I learned that as Leo did. It’s weird how the timing ended up working but… it did.

In the classic comics when Raphael is turned into a normal turtle and just… everyone’s reactions to it. Especially when they go off to battle and hopefully find a way to return Raph to normal and he can’t go with them.

In the IDW comics when the turtles realize that not only was Casey (who they’ve recently taken in out of an abusive home) nearly killed by a gunshot at the ambush at the docks, but that in the commotion of escaping, Leo was captured by their worst enemies.

Favorite Location

Tough one. I love their second lair in the 2k3 series that has the cool cone shaped interior with cool tech makin it up that leads to the garage upstairs. They have purified water along with a working plumbing system, a sweet television set-up, enough room for everyone to live and hone their skills… it’s one of the sweeter set-ups for a layer they’ve ever had in any incarnation, which is why it was such a shame to see it destroyed. The following Reservoir Station Lair was okay but not as cool.

That said, I still really love the underground, abandoned, and antique subway station from the second live-action movies. I adore the idea of Splinter taking the ticket station as his room and the turtles picking from the carriages. I imagine that that center carriage car is like a guest-room/sitting-room for their human peeps but the other cars are like walking into a different world based on which turtle’s room it is. The stain glass windows and antique tech lying around, the cool stairway…. the place, once free of cobwebs, is an awesome lair.

This got REALLY long, whoops. Kind of to be expected though given how many versions of the TMNT there are. Thankies for sending it though.

#Midnight answers a cool meme #TMNT #gdi-elaine

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