#renew rottmnt

[ravenwingdarkii]

I don't art but this moment from my fic, Eggshells wanted art.

Donnie accidentally turns Leo into a baby turtle, then proceeds to try and hide it from his brothers

“Yup. We will…have fun, I–we’ll just go,” Donnie said, motioning up towards the surface with his hands. 

“What are you holding there?” Raph asked.

Donnie started, realizing he’d stopped holding Leo behind his back at some point in the conversation. He startled, jumping a few inches in the air and shouting the first thing he could think. “OREO.”

“Ooh, can Raph have it?”

“NO.” Donnie yelled, running from the room. 

[biceratops7]

Guys look! There’s a petition to get rottmnt back!

It’s a bit old but it can still help, it’ll take two seconds to sign, it’s worth a shot!

[melancholypancakes]

Hey, so this is going to be a whole rant, sorry I've been gone.

Lack of internet and mainly my job i feel like a workaholic 😭

Anyway, so not many of you know but I've been a TMNT fan for most of my life.

I, unfortunately, grew up with the 2012 series, there are several reasons why that show went downhill.

Donnie x April, writing, the romantic trope is written, the turtles all having a romantic love interest, Leo crushing on Kirai ( his sister may i say) and honestly lost me after the love triangle with April, Donnie, and Casey.

except for Raphael and Mona Lisa, i love them as a couple i wish rise had them in the show or movie.

I have seen the 1980s movies and cartoon shows of TMNT through my dad who is an even bigger fan of TMNT but only the originals.

I'll explain more on, however, 2003 or 2007 i have never seen.

Honestly, I have never loved TMNT more than Rise, I'm in love with Leo and Donnie smart and funny guys count me in XD

I recently started watching the show and when it came out and 15 year old me, did not give it a chance.

At first, i thought it was dumb, i still think they look like frogs lol and i was still confused why April's skin color was changed.

I was used to seeing white April than black April and my dad does not see her as April but as a completely different character.

I'll get back to that later but oh boy i missed out on a good show, given it is still too kiddy for me.

But i love the humor, animation and yes, i believe Leo and Donnie carry the show with the humor :)

Just watching season 1 is making me happy, I'm super into it.

I just love it's the opposite of the old TMNT and less serious.

The old TMNT never really got me into loving the turtles like Rise i just liked them like heroes until Rise..

Usually, Leo is the serious older brother, and leader, Ralph angry fighter, and Donnie is an inventor genius while Mikey is the big pizza lover and fun kid.

While on the rise...

Raph is a giant softie older Brother, Leo is a dumb ninja, Donnie is genius still but autistic in this world which is confirmed and Mikey isn't a full-on pizza lover like in the previous media adaptions but an artist, a fun-loving kid who loves pizza like his bros.

I love the fact Shelldon's voice by the original Michelangelo.

I hope to watch season 2 and the movie soon, definitely won't see the movie til i see season 2.

I recently got into the Rottmnt fandom and made two OCs

Emily & Gwendolyn, i mention them because of the topic I'm going to bring up.

So as far as i will til i upload the drawings of my OCs.

Emily is a half-American half-Japanese teenage human girl, with a mysterious/dark past, best friends with April, and has a HUGE crush on Leo.

Emily lives with her aunt, uncle and cousins it is noting her father is not in the picture and confirmed he is deceased while the mother is a mystery for now.

It's a semi-canon Emily has a large dragon burn mark on her right arm

{...}

Gwendolyn or Gwen is Donnie's human online friend she is surprised that he is a turtle mutant but thinks it is cool, she is a geek, hipster, comic book lover, and mainly chill.

She is basically Ramona Flowers, with the chill vibe, hammer weapon, and dying her hair every day different color.

Gwen is a chubby, Hispanic teenage girl, she lives in New York with her family and is a classmate to April and Emily.

She is known as a smart gal, hipster internet blogger, and gamer.

She is a love interest for Donnie but is not confirmed until later on that they're dating (most likely early season 2 wise)

I recently heard that if you have a cartoon and you have a certain race that character has to be voiced by that certain race.

That kinda sounds like reverse racism, i would go into it but don't want to say anything wrong.

But if i were to choose voice actors for my OCs Emily definitely be voiced by 'Misuki' even though she is only a singer she would be perfect for Emily

Gwen probably would be voiced by Zoe Saldaña, i just see her voice like that :)

Now as for TMNT 2014 & 2016 Bayverse i did not enjoy as much the CGI was just weird and the first movie was alright but the second i wasn't into.

Once again one of the turtles had a crush on April, Mikey.

I dont mind mutant x mutant or mutant x human but it has become weird ever since 2012 Donnie had a crush on April 2014 Mikey had a crush on April.

And now mutant mayhem Leo having a crush on April. What's next Raph has a crush on April.

Personally, i think they should use a different female character to be shipped with the turtles other than April.

As some may tell i didn't enjoy the TMNT mutant mayhem movie, the humor was there but the writing and animation didn't make me fall in love with it, unlike Rise.

However, my dad or i suppose any old TMNT fan, doesn't enjoy the new adaption of TMNT as it become more childish than serious.

Well, from what i seen as an old TMNT fan my dad didn't enjoy the animation or new personalities of the turtles in Rise and the humor doesn't hit him as much.

It's just fun and funny to me him criticizing the show that i personally enjoy XD

I kinda do ship April and Cassandra, not going to lie thought it would be cute :))

Honestly, realized I'm the same age as Raph XD Oh shit, still ship Mona Lisa and Raph though.

This is all i had to rant about, i do love the ROTTMNT series more than the previous franchises before.

Also, I recommend these videos that goes into the deeper dive of TMNT & ROTTMNT all together to get what I mean.

https://youtu.be/bHVB6Ple0bI?si=JB5ump3eYFWFvn1w

https://youtu.be/iBBMxpyLp5E?si=5AqtJLimueLIS1vf

https://youtu.be/_fFXXF051ZI?si=b7jF4SeIJY0Achgm

[burnt-scone]

I want Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles season 3.

Thank you for listening.

[ravenwingdarkii]

don’t look at me I’m crying 😭

chapter 3 was hilarious so i made a comic

the fic is Eggshells by @ravenwingdark Eggshells - Chapter 1 - RavenWingDark - Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018) [Archive of Our Own]

his eyebrow 😦

[lex14cross]

WELP SEEMS LIKE KRITA JUST WANTED TO MAKE MY WHOLE WORK DISAPEAR- atleast I still have this ones, souuuu, ENJOY ♡♡

more under the bar

[luckyshinyhunter]

👑🚝🦟🗡️Lena really own voice acting in animation as well she does in live action🗡️🦟🚝👑

[yyadream]

This took longer to draw because of the flower (。-∀-).

[baalzebufo]

i hate this guy [one million photos of him fall out of my wallet] wait

UM nothing special to say just been thinking about warren again. still in my weird al hyperfix too so just... shoves my interests together. in my head warren would flirt like this and i cant decide if i love or hate it. both...

[funsizedcrow]

"Animation is only for kids" im going to fist fight you

[kirby-roth]

wtf it costs $100 to get SF6 with all the TMNT?

[jadethebluereblogs]

Pfft, you @plum-soda-reblogs

I’m so sorry but I really am NOTTT a big fan of Frida’s design I’m so sorry but I will absolutely not change my Frida to go with that one thank you very much I like my beautiful Frida Venus de’Milo and I am in fact a HUGE hater rn UGH

Look at my beloved Frida Venus, NOT a Hamato but still having a connection to them by being the first experiment and being thrown at by Draxum and taken in by big mama I love her I love her I’m ignoring canon Frida I love her I love her I love her this is the real one RB Frida is the real one she- ggrgrhrhrg

[biceratops7]

Rise fans, here’s how to ACTUALLY get the show renewed:

Ok gang, looks like the creator of rottmnt has hinted that if we make enough noise, renewal can creep back onto the table. As someone who’s spent the better part of a year in the Our Flag Means Death fandom and have observed organized tactics that actually worked to draw attention and get it renewed, I have some advice.

Whenever you tag #rottmnt, tag or @ Nickelodeon as well. I cannot stress enough how important this is. When you don’t do this the chances of someone from the team actually seeing your post drops exponentially. When we were grinding to get ofmd season 2, a hugely important part of that success was the organized effort to call out to HBO Max directly.

Likewise, find out which social Media Nickelodeon networkers, producers, representative accounts, etc are actually active on. Post there. Again, it’ll increase the chances of the campaign actually being noticed for the scale that it is. Posting #saverottmnt on sites that Nickelodeon simply doesn’t frequent is not pointless, but it really only serves to drum up hype and tell fans possibly in the dark about the movement. But as I said before, our most important target is the Studio itself.

Try to also hashtag #saveRiseOfTheTeenageMutantNinja Turtles. It’s a lot to type I know, but the show’s acronym may not show up in whatever systems the studio uses to track the internet presence of their content.

Watch the show and movie on it’s official platforms like you need it to breath. Watch it as many times as you have the whim to, turn it in in the background while you do chores, show it to your friends and family members, ANYTHING to help cause a noticeable spike in viewership. It HAS to be official platforms too or it doesn’t count. Ratings are king.

This one’s a little more involved but if even just a a few dozen or a hundred people have the means, it can make big waves. Send in physical letters. Especially in our near completely digital age, a real stamped, hold in your hand letter is not going to be buried. It is way harder to ignore something that showed up at your door rather than something you need to either be looking for, or be in the right place to see. If you can, write to Nickelodeon about what the show means to you, make appeals directly to them about why the show deserves to be renewed, and also importantly, why it would be profitable to the company. Your main incentive to have a paramount plus prescription is the turtles? Let them know you’ll cancel it when you get bored watching the same two seasons over and over. This show had a huge impact on your life at a time you needed it most? Share that!

The bottom line: campaigns are only as successful as their volume and audience. Make sure you’re not only making the right kind of noise, but make sure you’re talking to exactly the people your message is for. Alright everyone,

LETS GET ROTTMNT BACK!

[mira--image]

ROTTMNT EPISODE ORDER

We fans know how hard it is not only to access the show's episodes, but to watch them in order as well. I created this list when I was rewatching the show and noticing all the inconsistencies in the timeline. I went off the production codes for the base order, then rearranged it based on what made sense to me. I organised the plot into more consistent arcs. So this isn't THE order, but it's the order I watch it in and enjoy. Hopefully it's a useful resource for some of you too!

Some spoilers below, because I left notes for myself to explain the order. (Dm me if you wanna know where I watch the show 🏴‍☠️)

SEASON 1 

The Mad Dogs are born, and decide to start going on missions to help the city.

Mutant mayhem. Turtles, April, Draxum, Hidden City, and weapons introduced.

Origami tsunami. Inspired, the team decides to go on a hero mission. Foot clan introduced. Raph makes a full mystic body, only briefly.

Newsworthy. The team continues to do missions of a much smaller scale. First mutant introduced. Raph can make a full magic arm.

The turtles explore ways to better their new hero team in between living their regular lives.

War and Pizza. Donnie tries to use his tech for good. Raph fails to activate his ninpo.

Donnie’s gifts. Donnie tries to use his tech for good again, and it works this time. Too bad the team doesn't like it. Meat sweats introduced.

Down with the sickness. Raph and Leo’s leadership skills are explored. 

Shell in a cell. PBJ duo and leader duo navigate their dynamics. Ghost bear introduced.

Repo mantis. With their friendship renewed, Donnie and Mikey hang out. Todd is introduced, the turtle tank is acquired.

Hypno! Part Deux! While Mikey and Donnie are gone, Leo and Raph help April with a problem at school. April has no friends, her side plot of wanting to be normal is introduced.

Minotaur maze. Hueso and the mystic pizza restaurant are introduced.

The Fast and the Furriest. The turtle tank is completed.

Mascot Melee. Raph explores the surface.

The gumbus. Baxter Stockboy is introduced.

Bug Busters. The team tries to deal with the oozesquitos themselves. Big Mama is introduced, Baron Draxum lore, Leo’s strategy explored. Raph’s mystics improve.

The longest fight. The team is a bit reluctant to sacrifice their time for missions. Armor plot introduced.

Al be back. Satisfied that they seemingly stopped the foot clan, the team carries on with their lives. Stockboy returns. Alberto is taken care of. Splinter is shown to be musically inclined.

Mrs. Cuddles. Mrs. Cuddles only shows up here.

Nothing but truffle. Todd and Meat sweats return.

Stuck on you. Raph tries to get the Mad Dogs to improve their teamwork. The shell hogs are introduced. The armor plot is furthered.

Pizza pit. Bug buster suits and shell hogs are used again.

The purple jacket. The purple dragons are introduced.

Smart lair. After meeting the purple dragons, Donnie has a renewed interest in his tech. Donnie tries to use his tech for good. Shelldon is introduced.

Late fee. Ghost bear returns.

Mind meld. Donnie tries to lead a mission, and it doesn't go well. Donnie tries to ‘fix’ his brothers again using tech. The purple dragons are mentioned.

Hot soup: the game. Mikey goes on the team's first solo mission. Donnie puts more faith in his brothers. The foot recruit is introduced.

The Evil League of Mutants. The team goes on a mission again to stop crab men at the greenhouse, and it doesn't go well. They ask Splinter to train them again. The mad dogs aren't satisfied with Splinter's training, but Splinter teaches them to be more creative and improve without weapons. They get targeted by Baron Draxum. Baron Draxum backstory.

Bullhop. After seeing how many enemies they have, the team decide to fix at least one mistake and make a friend. Bullhop is introduced. The team carefully plans a mission together, but it doesn't go according to plan. Big Mama's web plot hits a dead end.

Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man. Splinter backstory mentioned. Big mama mentions how they stole her webs in bullhop. Warren doesn't wear the gauntlet all the time. Splinter vows to be a more attentive father.

The world becomes more dangerous, and Splinter begins formally training his sons.

Shadow of evil. Splinter pays more attention to April, and discovers a strange symbol on her shirt. Splinter and armor plots furthered. Splinter has to step up to meet his destiny, and promises to train his sons.

The ancient art of ninja hide and seek. Splinter makes good on his promise to train them. He trains them to improve without relying on weapons again. Lou jitsu and big mama lore.

The purple game. The mad dogs go to a sci-fi convention, except Donnie, who gets addicted to a game. The purple dragons are involved.

Jupiter Jim ahoy! Day two of the sci-fi convention. Splinter talks about being Lou jitsu. Jupiter Jim introduced.

The mutant menace. Baxter Stockboy causes mutant panic. The team needs to lay low for a while. Leo's portals grow in size and maximum distance, but struggle with going to the right location.

Warren and hypno sitting in a tree. The armor plot is furthered.

Portal jacked! Leo's portals send his brothers to the wrong location without him. The Hidden City is explored, Leo’s magic improves. Captain piel is introduced, Hueso and Leo grow closer.

Mystic library. The team finds another mystic location. Mystic library introduced, Raph’s magic improves.

Operation normal. Sunita is introduced, April's friendship plot and armor plot are furthered, Leo’s portals improve.

How to make enemies and bend people to your will. Draxum and armor plot furthered. Foot recruit returns.

Man vs sewer. Raph gets lost in the sewers. Leo’s leadership improves as his brothers don't take it seriously.

Sparring partner. Raph finds training a bit too easy, and rescues a paper ninja. With more free time and less of a power dynamic since Draxum became leader, foot recruit and foot lieutenant grow closer.

You got served. Huseo gets Leo and Mikey to be waiters for one night.

Snow day. Leo is using portals reliably. Ghost bear mutates.

One man’s junk. Donnie and Mikey go on their own mission to collect mystic metal, but aren't trusted in their decisions. Leo’s portals improve. Repo mantis’ cat introduced.

Cloak and swagger. Splinter tries to train the boys in the woods, but get stuck indoors. Sunita and April hang out. Shelldon is like Donnie’s son.

Todd Scouts. The mad dogs aren't taking training seriously. Splinter and the boys actually go to the woods this time. Donnie uses sign language, Todd reveals his mystic power.

Insane in the mama train. The boys choose to give themselves entirely to training. The armor plot is almost finished.

End game. The boys decide that being themselves is more effective than what they learned while training. Continuation of insane in mama train. Shredder introduced.

SEASON 2

Many unhappy returns. Continuation of end game. Lou jitsu backstory. Leo’s strategy improves, but he fails to communicate and coordinate with his team. Mikey’s powers improve. Raph’s powers improve (both in size and his first raph clone limb).

Goyles, Goyles, Goyles. Turtle mutation flashback.

After facing such a foe, the appeal of being a hero team fades a bit. Only Raph seems to be interested in continuing training and missions.

Flushed, but never forgotten. Mikey is playing the hot soup game. Buddy the paper ninja is there. Splinter says ‘you only learn lessons the hard way’, which I interpret to reference the harsh lesson from Todd scouts. 

Lair games. Leo’s strategy improves. Leo gets on Donnie's bad side.

The hidden city job. Leo tries to get back on Donnie's good side. Leo goes to the Hidden City with Huseo. The shadow fiend is mentioned, the upcoming battle nexus mentioned.

Repairin’ the baron. Baron Draxum becomes an ally, and gets a job.

Pizza puffs. Raph is the last one still taking heroing seriously. The first villain is kidnapped.

Sidekick ahoy! Jupiter Jim returns. Raph is the only one acting rationally at first, then he too gives in.

Air turtle. Leo becomes a basketball mascot. Leo is still not a good communicator and fixes the problem himself.

Breaking purple. Shelldon is 13. Donnie tries to 'fix' Shelldon through discipline (he learned his lesson from Mind Meld not to mess with his mind), but learns his lesson not to forcefully change others once again, this time for real. The purple dragons are back.

Always be brownies. Foot recruit tries another way to gain power. Splinter bonds with her and April. More kidnapping.

Mystery meat. Draxum likes his job. He grows closer to the turtles.

Raph’s ride along. The team goes to the Hidden City for a holiday.

Donnie vs witch town. Donnie reveals that he wishes he had mystic powers. He learns that tech and mystics can work together.

Hidden city’s most wanted. Baron Draxum and Splinter grow closer.

Bad hair day. Leo has a spa day.

Fists of furry. April becomes a more integrated part of the family, and practises ninjutsu.

The clothes don’t make the turtle. Movie makeover montage! More kidnapping.

The Mad Dogs are forced into fighting once more.

Battle nexus New York. Kidnapper and shadow fiend revealed.

Finale part 1 & 2.  Splinter’s memories are explored. Shredder returns. Karai is introduced, and lost. The lair is destroyed.

Finale part 3. April is accepted as a Hamato. The Mad Dogs unlock their ninpo.

Finale part 4. The final fight against the shredder. Cassandra Jones switches sides. Leo is made the leader, but he hasn't yet learned to be a good communicator and not do everything himself. How will he lead the team after seeing how dangerous this life can be? Does he double down like Raph would, or pull back and encourage fewer, safer missions without giving a reason?

[afreakingdork]

Attempted Execute of Non-Executable Memory - Chapter 10

RotTMNT Michelangelo x Kendra

We're peeling out in this week's chapter art by @dryad-druid

Rated: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings/Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Revenge, Falling In Love, Love, Romance, Dating, Aged-Up Mutant Ninja Turtles, Love Confessions, Human/Turtle Relationships (TMNT), Step-Parents, Neglect, First Kiss, First Generation Immigrant Kids, Acculturation, Loss/Removal of Cultural Identity, Incarceration, Prison Time, I flesh Out Kendra’s Character, Character Exploration, Character Study, I Give Kendra a Backstory

Synopsis: After hitting the lowest of lows, Kendra has carved out a simple life for herself. She’s content enough to live this way until opportunity walks through her place of employment in the form of an orange turtle mutant. She just needs to get close enough to him to plant a virus in his infuriating brother’s servers, but will she be infected long the way?

Also available on Ao3

First 🧡 Previous

“Illegal or not illegal?” Mikey asked as soon as Kendra walked up to him.

She reviewed where he was sitting on a curb wearing a backpack that had two skateboards strapped into it. “Which part?”

“Where I teach you to ride.” He smiled up at her.

She was getting far too used to the warm feeling that inspired. “What else goes into that choice?”

He was prepared for the secondary question. “Do you want people to see you wipe out or not?”

“It’s like that, huh?”

“Yeah. One of those sports.”

She debated quietly. She supposed there was no mood of hers that was good enough to want to partake in humiliation. Falling was sure to conjure that, but if it was a given when it came to skateboarding then it was also unavoidable. The little study she had done online hadn’t amounted to much. Tutorial videos were painfully belittling and often had literal children as their dummies to learn. The entirety of the sport itself, if it could be called that, did not hold her interest and she had moved on with the mind that this would be a one-off thing. “If it wasn’t me you were teaching, where would you bring some rando?”

“Hamilton Bridge.” He spoke instantly. “Good flat areas off to the side. Nice vibe. Brooklyn Banks, maybe, depending on where we were.”

She hummed lightly and debated sitting down.

“Thanks for doing this.”

“We’re kind of past the point of running off your energy.” 

“Eh, I always got some of that to spare.” He finally hopped up to his feet.

“One of those for me?” She gestured to the boards.

“Yup!” He turned to show her. “Guess which one!”

She spun the cyan wheels of one and could sort of see scales on the board itself. “Hm, I wonder.”

“Dragon warrior, heads up!” He turned back around before she could glimpse his.

“How are you moving your exalted one?” She asked with a turned out finger.

“Public transport or if you wanted… something really wild…?” He had a playful air.

She should have thought twice.

She had the forethought.

‘Something wild’ and that of the ‘really’ variety by Mikey’s definition was bound to be something she didn’t care for.

She was also trying.

Trying to take her next step.

Trying to embody her new self.

Trying to find renewed interest.

He was part of that vision.

She was inclined to trust that much.

“Break it down for me.” She demanded and unfurled her fingers.

In a blur, he twirled the backpack to his front, flipped the flap, and dove down into it to reveal a helmet, which he slapped into her palm. “I’m gonna go all in on my razzmatazz. We’ll get from point here to point there while doing a freestyle street skate routine. That’s aerial stunts, showing off, the feel of flying, falling, and almost crashing, except I would never let you actually fall. At least not yet. Not from like a building height.”

She turned the helmet over since it landed upside-down and it appeared utilitarian for what she expected of Mikey.

She gave a hopeless grin at it.

She looked up to find him admiring the headgear. “Kill me and I will figure out whatever mystic bullshit I need to haunt you forever.”

“I’ll draw up the spell!” He closed the backpack.

She put her helmet on and he got his board free. “Show me that.”

He flipped it to show her the deck. “New board! I painted an updated version of the design I had from when I was a kid. Sentimental junk. It’s an awesome turtle skull that’s on fire!”

“What happened to your old board?” She pulled her chin strap tight.

“Oh, I broke it.” He tucked his board under his arm and helped her adjust the straps on the side.

She stared at him dully.

“I broke a lot of boards. I’ve been skateboarding since I was like 10.”

“Same time you met April?”

“Probably!” He shrugged a little too nonchalant.

“You’ll kill me. I’m going to die. I’ll be dead.” She cursed herself in a haunt.

“No, no!” He feigned a fuss and put his board down. “So…?” 

“Fine! Yes. Hurry up!” 

He chuckled. “We feeling loose? Wanna stretch?”

“I want to live.” She rolled her shoulders regardless.

“You will. You’ll never feel more alive. Better than jetpacking. I’ll top it all.”

“Brag much.”

“You’ll see, just watch.” He positively gleamed and bowed to offer her his skateboard.

She moved toward the board, but didn’t step up.

He put an authoritative foot on it and took her waist while urging her on.

She pretended to be put out when their hips met.

“Come on, you gotta get up here to be ready.” He downright purred.

“Yeah, yeah.” She pushed him lightly.

“Hold on for me?”

“For you. Not to you?”

“You’d do that anyway.”

She turned her head away as she pressed closer to him.

She blindly felt into his form and delicately skirted his shoulders until she found a grip around his shell.

In a light hop, he lifted her up onto the board.

“Knees bent helps with balance.” He instructed.

She flexed slightly.

He adjusted both their footings on the board before he kicked off.

They picked up speed quickly and he led the movements. From weaving around pedestrians, he used both his hold and their pressed bodies to indicate to her which way to lean. It was only when she was almost doing it on muscle memory did he kick off the curb. They landed in the street and she felt a flare of wariness as they dove into traffic. They maneuvered lights at a rapid pace and she keenly felt the moment his core clenched.

She went from holding his shoulders to nearly wringing his neck.

He kicked back up a curb, a mailbox, an awning, and finally a fire escape before his body revved with energy. In a tug with his free hand, he grabbed the very air before it turned into glowing chains. They had a hollow look in the daylight, but they still sparkled as he used them as a whip. Metal hit metal and with a roll of his wrist, he caught the length and they shot into the sky.

It was just as he described.

The feel of flying.

The threat of falling.

Only the force of the wind kept his board to their feet and his angles to keep it there showed how many times he had done this. Instead of doing actual calculations, he felt out physics in its natural state. Each twist and curve was painted in exact paraboles and he knew just when to throw out another length of chain. It connected to whatever distant object would keep them moving without ever dropping their momentum. 

She could tell he was holding back. While they flew from building to building like some neighborhood arachnid poster boy, Mikey was obviously telegraphing his moves. She knew it was for her sake. With his history of duping her under the guise of surprise, it was a sort of welcome action. At the same time, Kendra knew her aerial limits and he wasn’t even close to the adrenaline she had conjured on her own time.

“No-!” She fought the wind as they skated down a rooftop. “No tricks!?”

“Tricks?” He chirped into a grind.

“Yeah.” She squeezed him and leaned to kick off to the next building. “Afraid to up the ante?”

“Me?” He had them leave the board for a moment.

Her stomach flew into her throat with the thrill.

They landed and Mikey wove side to side. “Watch this!”

With a slight bump, he physically asked if she would move.

They were still in motion and Kendra was a little creaky in stepping back. It was the only direction she could go since she had been perched on the nose of the board. There was limited time with the current roof running out, but she managed to slip behind him before the edge came up. She readied for one more, but flailed into another as Mikey kickflipped to change direction. She secured her arms around his waist as they headed straight for a roof access door. This time, he bent his knees to show her when and she was ready with a tight squeeze when he jumped the board onto it. There he engaged all his muscles in a fit of control and kicked off the door so hard that they both shot out horizontally.

Kendra thought the board was a goner, but Mikey twisted. It subverted her world and it turned further upside-down when Mikey caught the ledge they almost flew over with a single arm. For one solid moment, he held them there and she noticed how his other arm had brought the board with them. With clear intent, he made sure the board was adjusted just so before he kicked it like a hacky sack. Building up momentum, he bounced his foot one last time and sent the skateboard straight up into the air. She didn’t have time to watch it as they began to lower. With all his strength in a single arm, he bent at the elbow and she felt the small slack in her helmet give along with all the blood to her brain. 

In a single flex, he flung both of them up in the direction he had sent the board. 

A delighted cackle erupted from her throat as they made contact and spun. Mikey’s mystic energy burst with sparks and they rotated an amount of degrees that she lost count of. Gravity then caught hold and pulled them down with Mikey crouching as he got the board underfoot again. She followed along, glued to him, and he caught the nose of his board to aim. They hurtled downward where a few pedestrians glimpsed them and screamed.

“EAT YOUR HEART OUT!!!” She yelled as they soared past the onlookers. 

They hit a sloped skylight with a force that shattered the windows. Her laughter tinkled along with the glass and they rode down the metal casing before clacking onto another roof. From there it was a few more jumps and flips before they neared the river roads. It was a stepwise dropping process to get them safely to the ground and they skated in a cool down among the sidewalks.

The concrete soon ran out and Mikey turned the board to grind to a halt. The moment she perceived they were safe, she jumped to bowl him over. “Mikey!”

He stumbled off the board and tried to wrangle her.

She crawled over him to keep out of his grasp. “That was great and I do not compliment people!”

“Is that so!? Let me enjoy it! Stop moving!” He couldn’t get his hands on her.

“We have got to do that again! Take me swinging through the city! No wait! Better yet, let me make a jetpack and together-!”

She stopped and he instinctively did the same.

“Or… you can take me. Yeah…”

“Kendra…” He finally got her around to his front.

“I forgot for a second. It’s fine.”

“I don’t think it is.”

“There’s nothing to do about it.” She pulled away.

He let her and only took one sidestep to get the board.

“Can’t do tech. It’s a slippery slope. I fix things sometimes, but that’s it. It’s not illegal, but you get it.”

“Sure, but-”

“Trust me.” She gave him a serious glance from her profile.

He was momentarily stunned and nodded.

She hopped a few steps. “That was good! Ugh! I missed that feeling!! The rush!!”

She gave a yell to the hill they were about to descend.

Mikey continued to watch her.

She breathed out like she hadn’t in a long time.

“Feels good. I feel alive!”

“Gonna feel real good when you nail one of those tricks yourself.”

“That won’t be the same.” She spoke breezily.

“No?”

“How could it?!”

Mikey hummed as if he knew something.

“You spike my wheels or something?”

“No!” He leapt ahead so he could walk backwards in front of her. “It’s that satisfaction of doing it yourself! I have a feeling…!”

“What?”

He continued his silence with a bobbing of his brow ridge.

“What?!” She picked up the pace.

He made it obvious that he would run.

She felt good enough to chase after him.

He let her catch him at the gates of the skate park and she added on the treat of a giggle as they hugged. He clucked happily and his expression was warm enough to toast s’mores on. She held out, but couldn’t keep looking as she surveyed the people here. There were several groups of lanky twenty-somethings. A few parents with kids and some rogue teens that put on the most egregious aura. Kendra knew their type as she had been one and planned to steer clear.

Mikey squeezed her to attention.

“Ready?” She told him as if she hadn’t been canvassing and broke free to enter. “Hurry up!”

“Mhm.” He teased as he followed after.

She jogged over to an open space that was a good distance from other patrons. “What will I accomplish in one day? An Ollie? I read about the mechanics of the typical tricks.”

“First things first…!” Mikey set the backpack down and unlatched her board. He then dug into the bag itself and produced a set of black and teal objects. “We gotta get you into the top priority… Safety!”

She placed that they were pads. “No.”

“You’ll want them when you fall the first time.” He walked them over to her.

“I’m not five!”

“Kendra…”

“You never put on a helmet!”

“I have this whole situation.” He swept a hand over his body. “And kneepads! I’ve been wearing kneepads the whole time! I made kneepads a fashion statement back when you were working that little French hat!” 

She gasped full offense. 

He smirked. 

She outright snorted her dismissal and returned to the subject at hand. “Whatever! They look dumb!”

“Think of your joints!”

“Think of how stupid I’ll look!”

“Dumber when you get hurt…!”

“Ugh!” She snatched them from him. “If I get called a dork one time!”

A quick inventory separated the pad sets and she correctly shoved one arm through the necessary padding. Mikey came around to harmlessly help, but she rebuffed him. Since she was doing what he asked, he let it slide and switched to pulling out her board from his bag instead. He lined it up with his and waited out as she got both knees strapped in.

When she stood, she felt like she hobbled.

She must have because he suddenly chewed his lip.

She seethed.

“I’m taking them off.”

“No! You’re so cute!!” He withered toward her.

She didn’t dodge and let him fall against her. “Idiot.”

“Your idiot.”

“Unfortunately.”

He smiled wide. “Let’s get on those boards.”

Without holding her hand, he led them over and talked her through the process. He wasn’t demeaning, which she never outwardly thanked. She instead gave him her attention, something she found to be a far more precious commodity, and followed his guidance. She was soon walking the board around, which gradually gave way to her being able to glide on it. The ride then took her to turns and that morphed into the side to side weaves that she had seen him do during his roof stunts.

Her pads didn’t allow her the right range of motion.

They capped her knees where she needed to bend to get the right level of stability.

They hindered her arms where she needed those to act as her true ballast.

“I think you’re ready to go down a bank!” Mikey kicked up his board into his hands.

“Sure, but first…” She got a steady foot on the ground before she ripped the Velcro off one of her pads.

“Uh…!” Mikey wandered towards her.

“I’ve plateaued. I won’t progress like this! They’re in the way!” She went for the other elbow pad.

“That’s not how that works!” He complained.

“I’m fine. I haven’t fallen yet.”

“Again, that’s not-!”

“Which bank?” She eyed the parts of the park available.

“Uh, that one…” Mikey feebly pointed.

She knew the mechanics of kicking the board up as he had, but didn’t have near the same amount of effortless skill. Instead of leaving a mistake up to chance, she simply stepped off her board and ducked down to yank it off the ground in a fluid motion. She grabbed the trucks and hoisted the board up.

He was immediately on her and blocked her with his body. “Oh, hell no!”

“W-what?” She squawked against him.

“That’s called a mall grab. Don’t do that. Only posers do that.” He pulled her board from her.

“What? Why?”

“It means you probably got your stuff from the mall and you’re showing off. I made your board custom.”

“Custom?” She pushed on the wood in his grip to glimpse it.

She had long noticed the colored wheels, but the graphic on the deck hadn’t caught her eye. For the dragon warrior he described her as, the bottom of her board was a series of scales that represented said creature’s body. Now flipped up to the light, she could see an iridescent sheen to the paint and the faint shape of brush strokes.

“How… custom…?” She appreciated the detail.

“I didn’t carve it out if that’s what you’re thinking. I could if I wanted, but there’s all this layering and pressure sensitivity things so keep them safe. We didn’t have that much time, so I did some mental math, eyeballed your measurements, and got a board your size and did all the detailing.” He rubbed down the design. “You know, striping whatever was there before, a devil head I think, and sanding and painting.” 

“It’s pretty tame…”

“I didn’t want to assume. The designs are personal. Not to show off, but for you. You can build it up. Put stickers on it or I can paint something else. It’s totally yours.”

“Mine?” 

“Mhm.” 

“I didn’t plan on making skateboarding a recurring thing.” She revealed lamely. 

“So?” 

“So what else am I gonna do with this?” 

“It’ll make pretty cool wall art!” He gripped the edge of the board. “You hold it like this by the way. Grip tape out.”

 She nodded and did as he instructed.

He was quiet for a second. “That… none of this makes you a poser though.”

“I know. I’m a noob.”

“You’re doing great.”

“Save it for when I really am.” She headed toward the closest bank.

He trailed after.

She felt echoes of other times.

It wasn’t like she had been to a skate park before, but she had once been taken to an empty parking lot. Under the guise of getting donuts, her dad had gone around to the trunk instead of the shop. Even at age six, she had tried to correct his folly, but found him pulling out a bike. He set it down and gave it a pat to the seat and hadn’t needed to say more. It had been a sweet gesture and a nice day when he taught her to ride. The glazed rings tasted all the sweeter knowing she had hit some milestone.

She was on the platform of the bank and Mikey had been rattling off instructions beside her. The slope was barely 15 degrees. Looking down it was a joke for how much he was talking. This was patently a ramp for beginners and she had acknowledged she was such. She would do this as many times as necessary to make the movements stick and move onto something else.

There were easy to visualize steps.

“Want me to hold your hand going down the first time?” Her partner asked genially.

“This is shorter than a curb and you didn’t hold my hand when we were hurtling through the sky.” She glimpsed him.

“No, but I was leading then and this is you; it’s new.”

“I’ve got it. Assume the stance.” She demonstrated how she knew to stand with her feet perpendicular to the board. “Knees bent.” She squatted lower. “Ride down.”

“Sure.” He stepped back. “Of course.”

She readied herself and prepared to kick off.

It was a quick change for her feet.

She would need to rotate and get into that stance.

She played how to do so several times before chancing it.

She celebrated when her feet hit the board perfectly.

She cheered at the speed she achieved.

She readied her body with her knees bent to take the drift.

The skateboard tipped with a click and went down the slope.

She rode it until her center of gravity leaned too far back and in a quick slide of the wheels, they soared out from under her. Mikey yelled and her elbows made contact with the bank before he could reach her. The slick surface was worn smooth and she slid the few feet down to where a metal band lined the edge of the bank. Her ass bounced on the metal as it brought her to a halt.

“Kendra!” Mikey slid down to her on his kneepads. “You okay?”

“Don’t!” She flinched away from him.

“I’m not…” His protest was gentle.

“You are! I saw! I know what I…” She winced as she tried to glimpse her elbows.

They weren’t torn, but there was a heat rash from the slide.

Instead of weeping, they just shined up with blood that would never drip.

She clicked her tongue away from it.

“Go ahead.”

“I’m not going to.”

“’I told you so.’” She said it for him.

“I wouldn’t.”

“Why not!?” She turned to him. “It’s so easy! Low hanging fruit.”

“Then it’s boring.” He said simply.

She frowned deeply.

He stared back.

She disengaged because she had no choice.

He sat with her as she folded her legs up.

“This isn’t like riding a bike.”

“There is BMX.”

“Not what I meant!”

He quieted.

“You don’t fall.”

He was ready with a retort that she could tell was saying he could.

She hadn’t.

She never had.

Her dad was there.

The utility of her bike had run out when her mom had gotten sick.

It wasn’t the same, she reasoned. Nothing that reminded her of those times ever was. Falling off a skateboard was nothing like losing her mom and she knew the recurrence was just part of some grieving process. Mikey and all the research she had done were all clear. You fell when skateboarding. You fell; that was learning how to ride. This sport had a prerequisite of ground time to develop one’s skills.

Was it disheartening because that self-fulfilling prophecy came true?

Was it frustrating because Mikey hadn’t been the fall back she thought?

Was it her damned insistence that she didn’t need a safety net?

Like she never had.

Because she always stupidly acted before thinking of the consequences.

She was goal-oriented in the positive sense of the word.

A buzz worthy note to be picked up by resume software.

She adjusted her helmet.

She would sting and she would get back up. She would be sore and she would try again. She would survive this and reach success, but not on this bank. This slope was a joke and she needed higher. Kendra spied one that was at least twice this height and made that a goal. There was also dropping in, but that felt a little lofty for her first day.

“Is it too late to put the pads back on?” She asked quietly.

“Nope. I got alcohol wipes in my bag.”

“Get them?” She asked without looking.

“Course.” He tapped her to signal he was going.

She used the time alone to talk herself up to her feet. Mikey helped wipe her elbows off and she powered through the nettles of the disinfectant. She then got the pads back on and he complimented her battle armor. She liked the change in perspective on the objects and felt the horn sound to signal a charge.

In time, she was skating down the slope with ease. Her issue had been her body. While she accounted for the weight distribution, she had neglected to keep her body level with the shifting angle of the board. It was all about following through and she needed to lean forward where forces pushed her back. She knew that all too well and how to face them head on. 

They moved embankments and skated together. Mikey wove expertly around her and encouraged her. She chased after him for speed and was cut off by those teens. It caused her second fall, but this time, she saw nothing but red as she stopped herself with her palms. She used the rashed digits to lash out, but Mikey was already berating them before her claws could land. He took their fight to the battle ground they were in and skated circles around them. They were soon praising him and asking for lessons, but he turned them down in favor of his star pupil that, he warned, they would soon have to watch out for.

They visibly gagged at the display, but Kendra clung to him for the sake of making them sicker. It ran them off and then she stayed close because she was already there. Mikey reminisced about when he used to challenge his brother to skateboard offs to settle disputes. He never used to win due to their larger size so he was forced to get creative. Where they had power, he trained his balance. His ‘one with the board’ mantra was something he spent hours perfecting. In a quick flip, he demonstrated how he could balance on the board on one finger while it was only on two wheels and said his family hadn’t dared to pick a fight with him in years. 

She appreciated crushing one's foes and offered him her sense of pride. 

It made him smile and she spied a faint teeter.

As if the ground itself betrayed him, the board shot out from his person and he flopped into a heap that only made him laugh. “See!”

She knelt down to help him up.

“We all do it. It always happens” He took her hand with great care. “Even to me.”

Instead of up, she pulled him to her lips.

He languished against her for a moment and broke apart with the spark of an idea. “Let’s do a kickflip!”

“Sure.” She shook her head at him.

Again, all the physics made sense on paper, but hitting those necessary points with the precision she wanted came with muscles she hadn’t used. Over and over the board whacked into her knees pads and she rued the wood for trying to get through them. Mikey was amused by her gloating and helped her in the hop. He would lift her up like a dancer and she kicked the board. It took another dozen tries until it landed how they both wanted and he dropped her right down onto it the moment it did.

She skated away with her arms up and pumping.

It threw off her gravity and she flayed, but stayed upright.

This took learning.

There was no immediate greatness.

One practiced.

One refined code.

A perfect program wasn’t born without trial or error.

With time wearing on, dropping into the bowl was chosen as her last task for the date. They discussed options for what to do after and decided to start with tea. There was a place with fruit ones nearby that seemed alright and helped offset the daunting nature of hooking her board at the edge of the precipice. She was familiar with this sort of drop as she longed to hurl herself over them, but without her usual bravado, it seemed especially deep.

Mikey stood stoic beside her and made it clear that he wasn’t going to attempt his until she did hers.

He would chase her.

She wasn’t going to crash this time.

He would be there and ready.

Her weight was on the back of the board to keep it level, but she got that preparatory foot ready to push forward.  

Mikey did the same.

She bent her knees.

He mirrored her.

She readied herself with a small wiggle.

Mikey chuckled softly to himself.

There was no call to action as she let her weight drop.

She only kept herself parallel to the board.

She had to steel herself to stay in line.

In a rush and bottoming out of her stomach from the speed, she skated straight into the bowl with Mikey right beside her.

She went partially up the next ramp, but didn’t bother giving it a kick of momentum. She slid right back into the bottom and ran straight off the board in her excitement. She saw glimpses of her little self cheering for riding without her dad’s hand and she turned to Mikey who similarly scooped her up to celebrate. He propped her on his shoulder to show her off and one of the teens from earlier who had stuck around joined in the congratulations.

Kendra blamed adrenaline for her warm cheeks as she was sat down.

“Now that!” Mikey shouted. “Was amazing! You can’t take that from me! First try! That’s my girl!!”

She swatted him lightly, but leaned into him. “That deserves a treat.”

“Oh! Treat time! Tea? You ready?” He kicked up both their boards.

Kendra caught hers and Mikey rounded her with excited screams to hype her up more.

She laughed.

He ate up the sound as he came back around to her front.

“Martabak would be good.”

“What’s that?!” His attention popped.

“Kinda… like a pancake? It’s sweet and special… I guess. I learned it from-I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. It’s like the only thing I can cook. That and basics: ramen, scrambled eggs, fried rice, sandwiches.”

“You can make that!?” He leaned too far into her. “Not the other stuff, but that martabak thing?” 

She pushed his excitement down. “I guess!”

He dropped to his knees to beg. “Make it for me.”

He hadn’t even said please and she was sort of impressed. “They aren’t that good.”

“I don’t care! Cook for me!”

“Mikey!”

“I will do this all the way to the tea place.”

“Mikey!!”

“For weeks if I have to!”

“No!”

He inhaled a single time, not enough for what he prepared to do, and immediately began to say ‘please’ over and over and over.

“Stop! No! Fine! Whatever! I’ll make them! You’re not allowed to complain when it’s mid!”

“Yes!” He twirled up into the air to make a video game-esque power pose. “Wait! No! It won’t be mid and oh!”

“What now!?” She tipped her board to grab his bag.

“Cooking show date!”

“What?!” She reared incredulously.

“Yes! Let’s do it! It’s perfect! I need pictures of you anyway and videos are like pictures that move! I feel like I’m missing out! We’ve been on so many dates now and I will start forgetting and I don’t have evidence of all the tricks you did today! Your first time skateboarding!? What am I even doing!?”

“You are not going camera dad on me.”

“I’ll get all your good angles?” He rounded her while making a rectangle with his hands.

“Pain in the ass.”

“Does it still hurt?” He lowered his pseudo-lens.

“Kiss it and make it better.” She sneered and got hold of his backpack. He had a blush to him that was knocked clean off as she chucked the object at his midsection with all her force.

🧡 NEXT 🧡

We got a big 10-4 check on betas @tmntxthings and @unrestrainedhotsoup that means Chez Dork is doing well!

[happilyghostlyarie]

Nothing quite like reading future rottmnt fics after reading the Cass apocalyptic series and being genuinely confused as to why they strayed from the canon.

The canon being the Cass series.

It has taken over my brain and renewed my rottmnt hyperfixation.