#rise! splinter is not my favorite and I really dislike him

[maddys-nerd-blog]

ITS RESCUE TIME FELLAS

Only this is gonna have to be a two partner cuz apparently this was too long so I edited this to split into two parts 😅😂

This is the one I’ve been most excited to share!! We get more Danny and Leo bonding, and we catch a glimpse of Danny’s past trauma with his own father that led him down the slippery slope of crime. I really wanted to establish the father-son bond that grows between these two in the final installment of the Familia story. I feel like over the grand course of the story, it’s Danny’s fatherly bond with Leo that grows the strongest, much like Mondo’s bond with Katie. Also I am NOT a fan of Rise Splinter, can you tell 🤣

General warnings of torture, blood, heavy cursing and violence!

NOW ON WITH THE STORY!!!

Ransom 4.5

A TMNT Crossover Short Story Fanfic

Part Four: Ultimatum

Three days passed before Danny knew it. Three full days of being stuck in this stuffy room with nothing to do but sit in a chair and stare at the same walls he’d been looking at this whole time. And three days of boredom that sapped him of all energy— he didn’t know how much longer he’d have the patience to count every crack and crevasse in the ceiling or hum ‘One hundred bottles of rum on the wall.’ Being tethered to one place for hours at a time didn’t help his already weary bones or bruised ribs. Danny’s arms yearned for freedom— they were stiff as a board, bones rigid, muscles tense, aching from being bound all day. His head was pounding nonstop, stress and anxiety festering throughout his brain. He was irritated and tired. He was hungry. He was exhausted.

But at least Leo was providing conversation.

“—and then Mom flipped the guy into the table like a WWE star!” Leo laughed. “It broke in half like a toothpick! She knocked his lights out! Pretty sure he had a hernia too.”

“Did she?”

“Yeah, but her comeback was weak! She was like, ‘I watch Jackie Chan on the regular!’ It was so lame! I could’ve thought of better!”

“Oh yeah? Tell me then. What would you have said?”

“Uuuuh… oh! ‘Better watch your fall!’ Or ‘Get dunked on!’”

Danny snorted, stifling a laugh. “Get dunked on? Really?”

“What? That’s such a badass line! I should know! I come up with cool taglines all the time!”

“Then ya gotta find yerself some new material. Ya sound like one of th’ Three Stooges.”

“I’m actually not offended by that. They were geniuses.”

He smirked. “They were. Best of th’ best, if I had a say so.”

“Do you like any other kind of comedy?”

“What kind we talkin’ about? Chaplin or Sandler?”

“UUUUUGH WHY DO OLD PEOPLE BRING UP CHAPLIN?”

“Hey! I’ll have you know Chaplin was a MASTER at comedy, there will never be anyone like him in our lifetime. Also, again, I ain’t old!”

“How old are you?”

“Forty-three!”

“I rest my case!”

The kid knew how to make him laugh despite everything, that was certain. Leo was true to his word about being a chatterbox— he didn’t know how to stop once the ball got rolling, rambling about adventures they’d gone on in Danny’s absence. It gave them something to do instead of wallowing in silence if the gags had been bound back in place. He was grateful for the conversation. It was helping him stay sane. Chatting about anything other than their current situation was better than stewing in the bitter quiet of this rickety building or continue to count cracks in the floor.

“What’s so funny?”

“Just— haha! Jesus, kid, ya really know how t’ make people laugh!” Danny cackled. “Yer Ma must love your jokes!”

“She does! She calls me ‘bromista’ but I’m not far enough in my Spanish to know what it means.”

Danny paused to catch his breath, ears twitching at the word. Straightening in his chair he translated. “Prankster. It means prankster.”

“You know Spanish?!” He could almost hear the excitement in Leo’s smile. “Wait, do you know it fluently or are you also learning?”

“M’ still learning. Italian’s more my style. Kat’s taught me enough t’ hold a conversation,” Danny tried to turn to properly look at his fellow captive but the ropes binding his torso sank into his chest, causing him to flinch. Mother fuckers. Pushing the pain aside he decided to continue. “She been teaching ya long?”

Leo hummed, thinking. “For about a year. I think Casey’s the only one who’s been making progress though, but I think it’s cheating cuz he’s been learning it already since he’s the only one who goes to school.” The slider tried to look at the yōkai, this time with eyes that shined with interest. “Hey, do you think Mom gives all of us different nicknames?”

Danny grinned. “I don’t see why not. She gives me all kinds of names.”

Snorting with bemusement, Leo asked “Like what? Cheese addict?”

Laughing softly at the jab Danny shook his head. “Not all th’ time. I’ll give ya points for creativity. She usually calls me Amor or Corazon.”

“Corazon… that one means heart, right?”

“Mm-hm. Amor means love.”

This caused Leo to giggle. Danny could see his shoulders start shaking from laughter. “You guys are so corny.”

“I’ll take corny over ‘cheese addict.’” Danny lightly teased.

“I thought you liked my puns!”

“I do, but cheese addict is a bit overplayed in my world. Ya got any fresh material?”

“Well, other than rodent based jokes I’m all out. If Don-Tron were here he’d…”

When the slider went quiet, Danny became confused. Momentarily he wondered if he’d said something wrong or hurt his feelings. That hadn’t been his intention. He looked over his shoulder to gauge if the kid was alright. “Everything okay?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Just… lost in thought I guess.” Leo responded, his voice turning flat. “Haven’t been missing this long before.”

Ya shouldn’t be missing at all, Danny thought with sympathy. Clearing his throat he spoke again. “Homesick?”

Leo paused. Three minutes went by before he answered in an even quieter voice. “… yeah.”

“Try telling me about your family, your real one. We came from the same dimension, right? Ya mentioned ya got brothers? A Dad?”

Leo went quiet again.

“Kid? C’mon, talk t’ me, don’t let yourself stew in those bad thoughts. It’ll kill your motivation.”

The slider was still for a minute, holding his tongue. Contemplating over what he was going to say next, Leo took a deep breath to better compose himself, then decided to try, “I do. An older brother, a little brother, and a twin. He’ll never admit it though. Back home we always try to stop crime and do some good in the city. There’s a human we’ve known since we were little, her name is April. She’s basically like a sister to me. I go to her for fashion advise, we bail her out of mischief: a win-win scenario! Sometimes we go out on the town just to cause trouble. Mike’s an incredible artist; he redid the entire lair with all this killer graffiti. Don’s always building something that could get him arrested and I pick on him for it, but…” he paused, tone getting lighter as if remembering his family fondly. “He’s probably the only person that understands me most days. They’re probably wondering where the hell I am. They probably think I got eaten by the Krang… if they haven’t been thinking that already.” He slumped into his chair, shoulders shaking slightly. “My Pops… he wouldn’t even notice I’m gone.”

“Ya can’t believe that,” Danny’s brows shot up, shocked. “Don’t you and your Dad get along?”

Leo’s staggering silence caused Danny to stare at the teen with gnawing empathy. “Leo… do you and your father not talk?”

“… I don’t have much of a relationship with my Dad.”

If nothing else got to him, Danny was damn well sure that did.

“I mean… my big brother is more of a father to me. Pops never did anything with me growing up. I can only think of one or two times he actually remembered which one I was. Everything else was just Raph taking care of us when our dad forgot we existed. Don’t get me wrong, there were good times here and there. But ninety percent of my life my own father pretended we weren’t there. We weren’t his problem.” Leo sounded so downtrodden it broke Danny’s heart. “Raph made sure we were fed, that we had enough to eat, that our home was safe when Pops wasn’t awake to check, that none of us got left out. I was such an ungrateful idiot to him about everything before I ruined our lives by freeing the Krang. ‘When are you going to start trusting me?’ That was the last thing I said to him before…”

Danny remained quiet, letting the teen vent. But things took a turn when the slider started to get emotional; he’d begun choking up. “I just… damn it. It’s all my fault our world got wrecked by the Krang! I was so selfish and ignorant, I almost got my brothers killed! I made it about myself and my ego when I should’ve put my brothers and our home first! Things never would’ve gotten so bad if I didn’t screw up. Just like back home. Just like in space when we got captured by Zanramon, just like when Mom told me not to go out to the surface, just like Raph back at the lair. I don’t ever learn. My dad was right… all I do is screw everything up. If you never chased after me you wouldn’t be here. I…” Leo’s voice began to tremble, a sob squeaking out miserably. “I’m so sorry I got you into this. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.”

Silence took hold of him in wake of the kid’s weeping. What could one say to such a raw confession? Leo was young— only fifteen. How did he carry all this tremendous weight on his back? How could anyone let him do this to himself? How could his father not be there for his kid? He’d only known the teen for the better part of a year, but he’d already sacrifice his life for him. To think that this boy’s father wouldn’t do the same…? After all he’d done to prove himself?

Sour memories of his own childhood came to mind; Of a daunting presence towering over him as a boy, lecturing, scolding, half-empty bottle of cheap wine in hand. Hollow eyes staring right through him with bare hatred. A scowling face that almost looked like Danny���s, only his was more callous, detached from the young rat he’d carelessly neglected. It was an image that made him bristle, his fingers clenched into fists. Without thinking he spoke to break the silence. “I don’t have a good relationship with my Father either.”

Leo sniffled, the chair and his ropes creaking from a slight shift in movement as he attempted to look at the yōkai. “Y-you don’t…?”

“Nah.” Danny shook his head. “My father and I never had a stable relationship when I was your age. Ma passed when I turned twelve and it broke something in him. Told me I looked too much like her t’ ever speak t’ me. I didn’t wanna go into th’ family business, so he resented me for it. I always had bad role models growing up— I wanted t’ be like Clyde Barrow. I wanted t’ be rich and live a life where I had control of myself, be what I wanted. Truth be told I used t’ dream about bein’ a performer, one of those Fred Alastair types. My father never understood. Said I was delusional. Especially when I told him I was getting hired by Big Mama t’ make it big,” he scoffed under his breath, a light smirk playing at his lips with mirth. “He just about blew a gasket. Told me I was an embarrassment, I wasn’t th’ son he raised, I was better off dead than working for th’ competition. He told me ‘If yer gonna make this family look bad, ya ain’t welcome here.’ So… I left. And I never looked back.”

Leo, having grown silent to let Danny finish his story, sniffled as he piped up, “How old were you?”

“Seventeen.”

“… how long has it been since you saw him?”

“In person? Thirty-six years.”

Danny could almost feel the empathetic eyes of the slider peering over his shoulder. He didn’t need to look at Leo’s face to know that he was stunned. “I’m so sorry…”

“Isn’t a big deal t’ me.” Danny reassured. “I knew it was coming so I wasn’t too upset.” A somber chuckle escaped from him over the thought. “It made me laugh afterwards.”

“But…” Leo’s arms twisted around, trying to move, wanting to better look the man in the eye. “Did you ever regret it?”

He shook his head. “I kinda knew when I left that he wouldn’t give a damn once I was gone. He never made th’ effort t’ phone me or look for me. It was a part of myself I had to let go of if I wanted t’ move on. There were times where I thought I could give him a call, but… I’d get cold feet.” Danny sighed, long and hard, giving a small shake of his head to clear the resentment. “I found a better family in all of you, anyway.”

“I probably ain’t th’ best person t’ take advice from given my record, but I know one thing.” Danny looked back at the kid, trying to offer a kind smile. “Yer stronger than yer dad if he don’t see how important ya are t’ yer brothers.” When Danny didn’t get a reply straight away, he continued. “Ya wanna know something? When I met Kat, she would talk ‘bout how proud she was of her boys. She would tell me everything about th’ kids she was looking after. How brave and adventurous they were, how they kept fighting even when th’ odds were stacked against them, how they saved her from herself.”

“… she really talked about us that much…?”

“‘Course!” Danny twisted himself around as best he could manage, the ropes biting and pulling stubbornly into his arms from the motions. “You guys are th’ center of her world! It’s nothing but high praise! I could write up an entire novel’s worth of compliments she gives you. Ya might not realize it but yer mom loves all of you so, so much. If ya asked her for a thousand bucks she’d bring you diamonds. Ya ask her for a house, she’d buy you a castle. I bet if she could, she’d hang th’ moon and stars for you. All she wants is t’ make you happy.” The yōkai grinned, recalling the pride in Katie’s smile when she told him about the kids, about their achievements and their accomplishments. If there was any mother in the world that could be more proud of her children, she’d be the living example.

Leo giggled, a small sob stifled behind it. He swallowed, hesitating, gathering himself to properly breathe. “I-I didn’t think… I didn’t know we mattered this much to her.”

“You kidding?” Danny couldn’t help the incredulous tone in his voice. “I won’t be surprised if she breaks th’ doors down t’ this place t’ get you back. If there’s one thing we both know ‘bout Katie, it’s that she’ll stop at nothing t’ bring ya home. She’s gonna be here soon.”

The slider spared a small glimpse over his shoulder to look at the man, eyes beginning to dry. Gratitude painted his features as the grin on his face warbled. “… thank you, Dan.”

Danny offered the kid a gentle nod. “No problem.”

They sat in relative silence for five minutes. Leo started breathing easier, much to his relief. The turtle slowly raised his head, looking up as best he could to meet Danny’s gaze with a genuine grin. “Mom really cares about you too.”

Danny chuckled softly. “I know she does.”

“You love her?”

Danny’s smile turned softer. “With all I have.”

“… what’s it like? To be loved?”

There was no true way to properly convey his befuddlement. He never imagined he’d have this kind of conversation with anyone, let alone the kid he was looking after. It was a complicated topic depending on the person… and not everyone understood the gravity of it. Knew what it meant. Knew how powerful it could be.

So, with that in mind, Danny leaned back in his chair with a puff of air escaping him. “Sheesh… how do I explain? It’s… freeing, I guess. When ya find th’ person or people that accept all o’ who ya are as a human, mutant, yōkai, whatever… when ya find that connection with them, keep them close and never let them go… ya feel like th’ mystery of life is solved. It don’t gotta be romantic either. Platonic is th’ same. Bein’ loved by yer partner is one thing, but when a parent loves their kid…” the image of Katie hugging all her boys with one fell swoop of her arms, clutching them all tight, laughing as they returned the grand gesture instantly popped into his head. “They’ll die for them if it means they’re gonna be okay.”

Leo turned as best he could to look at the yōkai, teary eyed with a small, hopeful grin. “You think… I’m… worth being loved?”

“Kid,” Danny gave him a reassuring nod. “You’ve got a helluva family that loves you more than anything already. You’re pretty damn lucky t’ have them.”

“… hey, Dan?” Leo chirped.

“Hm?”

“… is it weird if I say you’re more of a father figure than my real dad?”

In three seconds, his heart sputtered with an emotion he hadn’t known in ages.

Danny thought he’d heard it all. He’d had all kinds of labels thrown at him over the decades. Freak. Animal. Thug. Hoodlum. Monster. Bastard… failure. His entire life he never thought he’d be the one to get out. Get away from his past. Clean the slate, stare anew, make something of himself. Hell, he never dreamed he would be in a place where a woman loved him, where her tsudo-kids accepted him, where he belonged in this ragtag group of people. Ever since he’d left Mama’s gang he thought there’d be nothing else for him out there. Nothing but cheap booze, a circus or a pauper’s grave.

But this…?

This, here, where this kid needed a stable father-figure in his life after his own let him down?

After he’d been hurt so often that he didn’t HAVE that kind of support?

… what kind of a man would he be if he were to repeat his old man’s mistake?

“No.” Came his steadfast response. He prayed Leo couldn’t hear how thick with tears his voice was. “No it ain’t.”

Behind him Leo went still, sobs trickling into a gentle rhythm of breathing. Despite growing quiet the slider seemed more at ease. Settled. Calm. Then his hand grabbed onto his fingers, holding on for dear life. “Thanks,” Leo murmured in the darkness. “For everything.”

His fingers gripped the mutant’s in return. Eyes burned with heavy tears that didn’t fall quite yet. “You’re welcome,” Danny swallowed down a sob. Clearing his throat the yōkai murmured back the the teen, “Try getting some sleep, ‘kay? Yer Mom will be here soon. I promise.”

Leo seemed more than happy to do so. He couldn’t get comfortable in the chair, neither of them could, but he did his best to stay upright enough to prevent his neck from cramping. “Can do,” the teen yawned. As he began to doze off Leo looked over his shoulder to the best of his ability, catching the subtle shake of Danny’s arms. With one more squeeze to the rat’s hand, the slider whispered something Danny would never forget.

“… thanks, Dad.”

**********************

A furious shout was what woke the two an hour later.

As sleep finally claimed the weakening barriers of his psyche it was robbed of him just as quickly. Jolted out of their stupor by the unexpected noise Danny was alert instantly, eyes darting for their prison door as it was swung open just as heavily, striking the wall with unforgiving force. Hun stood in the doorway to greet them, Leo’s phone clutched in one meaty fist, but the way he was holding it suggested he was making a call. There was a female voice screaming at him on the speaker.

It didn’t take a genius to know WHO was on the other end of that phone.

But his heart still skipped all the same, her name falling from his lips in one subtle breath. “Kathrine.”

“Guess who decided to give me a call and wake me up at three in the morning?” Hun grumbled, holding the phone ten inches away from his head as it started piercing his eardrum. “I didn’t know your bitch was so frustrating to deal with.”

Danny held his tongue. Perhaps Hun didn’t realize the opportunity that presented itself to the two of them— he hoped he was stupid enough to miss it. But Leo wasn’t. Thank the lord he was just as clever as his mother. One slight look over his shoulder— one undisguised glimmer of hope caught in the slider’s eyes— and he knew Leo understood.

A plan.

Giving Leo an approving nod the teen smirked— mischievous, sly, all the makings of the spitfire rebel— before he reeled it back and replaced his bravado with a timid expression, appearing meek and nervous in the presence of the gang leader. “C-Can I talk to my Mom?”

Using the quivering voice approach, nice touch, Danny internally applauded.

Hun glared at the prisoner, annoyance in his gaze. “And why should I let you?”

“Cuz… I miss her,” Leo shrank in his bonds, sounding pitiful. “And… and I wanna talk to her. To my brothers. Please…?”

Danny didn’t miss how the boy still latched tight to his fingers behind him, trembling, the mask an unsung truth behind their scheme. But as he had done before the yōkai gripped his hand back to convey his confidence in the kid.

Ya got this.

Hun cocked a brow in bewilderment. The screaming on the phone only grew louder to the point Danny could almost hear the distinct sound of Spanish cuss words being slung at the criminal. He was grateful Leo couldn’t grasp a majority of the language yet, because the words that came out of that woman’s mouth almost made him turn scarlet. Damn, Kat, ya really were raised in New York.

When Hun wouldn’t budge, Danny decided to give the kid some backup. “His mother’s probably worried sick ‘bout him. Ya really can’t let her hear his voice t’ give him peace of mind?”

Leo’s hand squeezed his in gratitude.

Weighing the phone in his palm, frowning deeper the more Katie’s screams pitched into the air, the brute groaned angrily. Holding the device up, Hun gave the two of them a cautionary hiss. “Don’t even THINK about trying to warn her,” he whispered through grit teeth amidst the screaming rage of Kathrine. “You do, you die.”

Hun placed Leo’s phone on his leg— Danny had to wager a guess, he still couldn’t get a clear view over his shoulder. But it didn’t stop Katie’s verbal rampage from rushing through the phone in a tirade of oral vengeance.

“—Maldito hijo de PUTA! Cuando te ponga las manos encima, te romperé las rodillas y te romperé el cráneo—!”

“Mom…?” Leo chirped.

The screaming ceased outright.

There was a pregnant pause.

“Leo?” Katie asked, voice above a whisper.

Leo went stiff. Danny could barely see Leo’s expression, but he saw the way the poor kid’s eyes started to go glossy. “Mom,” he swallowed. “Mom it’s me.”

Any semblance of hesitation was shattered as the woman reacted. “Leonardo!” Katie gasped, sounding close to tears. She fought to control herself— he could almost feel the unbridled relief coming through the phone. “¿Mi hijo? Cariño, ¿estás bien?”

“Si,” Leo confirmed with a tremor in his voice, struggling to keep his composure. “Si. I’m fine. I’m okay,” he sniffed. “I’m so sorry, I was such an idiot, I never should’ve run away—“

“Leonardo, honey, it’s okay. I’m not mad. I’m just… I’m so glad to hear your voice,” Katie soothed him with ease. Danny was amazed by how gentle and comforting she sounded, how effortlessly she managed to keep the teen calm despite her own anxiety skyrocketing. “I’m here. I’m here, hon, I’m right here.”

Any kind of restraint the turtle showed previously went out the window the moment his mother’s consoling words reached him. Leo’s hands shook under Danny’s as the tears finally prickled his eyes. “You’re alright,” the man assured in a whisper. “Take your time, keep talking.”

Leo’s hands squeezed his hands so hard he felt the bones crackle. But, encouraged, Leo continued. “A-Are you okay Mom?”

“I’m the last person you should be asking that to, sweetheart,” Katie reassured softly. “I’m fine.”

“Is… Donnie?”

“He’s okay too. We got his medicine. He’s still sick as a dog but he’s breathing steadier now.”

Leo breathed a massive sigh of relief, sagging into his chair. “Thank god!” He breathed. Danny couldn’t help but grin, an extra weight lifted from his shoulders. That was one good piece of news to know. “What about Raph? Mike, Case, Jay?”

“Everyone is okay. We’re safe,” Katie soothed. “Are you hurt?”

“Kinda,” Leo sheepishly answered. He chuckled afterwards to lighten the mood. “But that’s nothing new given my track record.”

“Oh honey…” Katie sounded heartbroken. “I’m so sorry.”

Leo gripped Danny’s hand tighter. “That makes two of us…”

“Bromista, where’s Danny? Is he with you?”

Danny’s heart started hurting. Hearing her say his name was like honey to his ears. It had been a mere three days but it felt like three months— how could such a small thing make him emotional? “Yeah. I’m here,” he called. There was movement as Hun took Leo’s phone and brought it over to Danny, only now the human turned the speaker off and put the devise on his shoulder, Danny cradling it there as he pressed it to his cheek. This was harder with his arms tied.

Suddenly his chest started hurting even more. This was ridiculous, he shouldn’t be so nervous to speak to her. But at the same time… would she be cross with him? Would she blame him for getting the both of them captured? What was going through her head?

“Daniel?”

… There it was. One moment, one isolated moment between the two of them, it was almost enough to render him a hopeless pile of flesh and bone.

“Daniel?” Katie tried again. “Hello? Danny?”

“… hi, Kathrine,” he sighed.

Only she knew how to get him misty eyed.

“Dios Mio,” Katie breathed— if she hadn’t started crying whilst talking to Leo, her voice shook and wavered dangerously close to teetering over the edge. “Daniel, holy shit…”

“Hey hey, it’s okay,” he shushed, blinking back his own tears. “Please don’t cry. If ya start crying then I’m gonna cry, Leo’s gonna start bawling; we’ll all be emotional messes.”

“Hey!” Leo blubbered through a wry laugh.

In his ear Katie actually snorted. “Jackass,” she whimpered.

“Good t’ know I can still make ya laugh,” Danny smirked under his breath.

“You always do…” she sounded like she was trying to collect herself. “You always do.” Taking deep, calming breaths to steady herself, Katie swallowed down what sounded like a sob. “You okay?”

“I’ll live. You?”

“I’m fine.” Katie sighed heavily. “Just… fuck, Amor, are you hurt?”

“Just th’ usual on my end. Leo’s…” his gaze swiftly flickered from Hun to gauge if he were paying attention to his conversation. “… pretty much okay. Just misses th’ hell outta you.”

Katie took another shaky breath. “I miss the both of you,” she said after a moment of pause. “If Casey’s info is as solid as he says then we’re close to finding you. You guys will be home by sundown.”

“I think that’s th’ best thing I’ve heard in days.” Danny smiled. He closed his eyes to collect himself, to breathe deep and center his focus solely on her voice, picturing her face in his mind clear as the sky. “Leo’s gonna be happy t’ hear that.”

“What’s Hun doing? Has he tried to hurt you? Has he hurt Leo?”

“Not too much. Just me.” Danny briefly looked at Hun— the man was glowering at the yōkai with a certain level of quiet unbridled anger that could rival Mama on a bad day. His face was stuck in a permanent sneer, his hands clenched into fists as though prepared to start pummeling him if he’d begun saying the wrong thing. Hun was chewing at the bit, probably hoping Danny slipped and spilled his ulterior motives just for the excuse to knock his teeth out. Being watched like a hawk made giving Kat the clues she needed near impossible.

But he knew how to improvise.

“… baby,” he muttered softly. “Ya remember those Spanish lessons ya gave me?”

“‘Course, but what…” Katie paused. Then, with a sudden realization, she hummed slyly. “You slick bastard.”

“Ya get me?”

“Yeah.” Katie affirmed. “Have a handle on it enough to give me some information?”

“Alto y claro,” Danny spoke in Spanish easily— the puzzled expression on Hun’s face almost made him laugh.

“How many of them are there?”

“Tal vez doce.”

“What kind of place are you in? Does it look new, old?”

“Un almacén lúgubre. Quizás reconstruido a partir de un negocio textil.”

Hum squinted, suspicious. “What’re you saying?” He hissed.

“He feed you?”

“Sólo uno vez.”

“Do you know what he’s going to do once I get there?”

“The hell are you saying?“ Hun snarled, louder. He stormed over to the yōkai and got close— inches away from his snout as he bared his teeth. “WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?”

“I said yer a dumbass bitch with no taste,” Danny bluntly lied.

Thwack! Hum backhanded him hard across the mouth. The phone clattered to the floor.

“Hey!” Leo cried, struggling in his bonds at the sound. “Listen, jackass! You better leave him alone or I’ll—“

“Do what?” Hun challenged, cackling at the turtle. “Attack me? You can’t even lift a finger in your state!” With one hand he plucked the phone from the ground, turning the speaker back on to let Katie hear him. “All you muties are is a waste of resources and precious time! You pretend to be human so you can fit in! You’re not even normal enough to pull that off!” He circled the bound captives, a lion stalking his helpless prey. “Just pathetic excuses for fancy house pets that never learn their lesson.”

“Don’t talk to my son like that you ugly bastard! Leo, don’t listen to him—“

“Awww, what, you gonna start crying?” Hun put on a sing-song voice, taunting the poor kid behind him. Leo’s hands curled into fists beneath Danny’s hold, trembling terribly; signs of the steel-like resolve beginning to waver.

Danny looked over his shoulder to match Hun’s gaze, his expression shifting into a dark mask, baring bloodied teeth and showing off a set of fierce canines that appeared razor sharp under the dim light. His golden eyes glinted murderously, daring the bastard to test his patience. “They’re more human that you.”

“You think they’re human?” Hun sounded appalled. “These freaks are carnival sideshows! They’re monsters!” He gestured to the two prisoners with Leo’s phone. “They ain’t got a right to stick their noses in business that don’t concern them! The moment shit hits the fan, these things create more chaos! More problems! If it weren’t for them, we’d all be honky dory!”

“If it weren’t for these kids we’d all be fucking DEAD, moron!” Danny finally yelled. “Did ya all get selective amnesia?! Or did youse collectively get dropped on your heads?! They stopped an alien invasion! They saved thousands of people! They saved this city! I didn’t see YOU step up and fight back! They’re more human than all of you combined! THIS kid,” he nodded to the silent Leo. “Is th’ living example of bravery! Yer a sorry slab of skin that never contributed anything meaningful in yer life, so ya take it out on kids t’ make yourself feel better! Ya ain’t a real man— you’re a fanatical bully with a power trip kink!”

“HE’S AN ANIMAL!”

“HE’S A HERO, YOU FUCKING TWAT!”

Hun’s beady eyes looked as if they were turning red with rage. His hands twisted the cellphone furiously, thin lips curled into a maddening grimace. Good, let him get angry, let him focus his anger on him. Bide your time, maybe someone outside will hear the commotion and call the police.

“What?” He pressed his buttons again, trying to find a weakness. “Did I hurt th’ Big Bad Hun’s feelings? Guess ya ain’t as cutthroat as ya claimed t’ be.”

Hun put the phone down. The scumbag rounded on the yōkai, slowly reaching for something out of view behind him, his wider build making it hard to see what he was grabbing. “You’re gonna regret ever pissing me off.”

Danny blinked, dread rising. “Th’ fuck do y—“

CRACK!

Something hit him across the head.

Something hard, something metal. Heavy as bricks and being swung with the force of a battering ram. It happened so quickly he couldn’t see it.

His brain exploded with agony. Something in the side of his temple shattered, he was certain. Blood came flying out of his scalp and tangled into brown fur.

CRACK! It struck his back next, fracturing the bottom left of his ribs. His world fell sideways. Hun sent Danny toppling to the floor with a resounding crash, the chair crushing his bound arms underneath him with agonizing force. He couldn’t understand what happened to him.

“DAD!” Leo screamed.

“Leo?! DANNY?!” Katie exclaimed over the speaker.

Hun started kicking him in the depths of the stomach. He tried to curl into a ball to hide from the worst of the blows but they were unforgiving and brutal, coming one after the other. Stomping down hard on the chest and abdomen, as though he were trying to create as much internal bleeding as possible. Danny’s vision became a blur of distortion; everything warped and shifted off its axis, colors danced between a thin line of monotone. In the hands of the gang leader he held a long metal bar with a curved, sharp end. A crowbar? When did he bring—

CRACK! The next blow struck him on the collarbone, several more being delivered to his right eye. In mere moments it started swelling— Danny preyed he wouldn’t go blind. Blood erupted from his nostrils, clogging them, making it harder to take a breath without risk of choking. He could taste it in the back of his throat.

Katie was screeching at the top of her lungs venomously, chaotic static warping the high pitch of the phone on speaker. Leo sounded as if he were hyperventilating. The crowbar was brought down into Danny’s shoulder. The arm popped at the socket, dislocated. The next strike hit him square in the stomach. Then the knees. Then the clavicle. He grit his teeth painfully tight, trying not to give in to the anguish that ripped him in pieces. He sank his fangs into his tongue to in the point where he morbidly wondered if he was going to bite clean through and drown in his blood. Don’t scream don’t scream don’t scream don’t scream don’t scream don’t scream DO NOT SCREAM.

“DAD, NO!” Leo sounded ten miles away despite sitting above him, fighting like wild in his bindings. “HUN, GET AWAY FROM HIM, IT’S ME YOU WANT!”

“Not so funny now, huh?” Hun huffed, kicking the rodent yōkai in the diaphragm. “NOT SO CLEVER NOW, AREN’T YOU?!”

Danny returned that visceral bark with his own matching glare. Through bated breath he worked out the words, “B-Be hhere… allll… we-eek…”

With a dismissive click of his tongue, the human sadist weighed the crowbar in his hand, tapping it methodically in the palm with slow, calculated motions. Danny’s blood slathered the thick metal, the curve of the tool drip, drip, dripping in tandem with his heartbeat to the dirty floor. The scenery was eerily familiar. “Such a pity you didn’t last as long as I’d hoped. Since you’re so eager to get a head start on the REAL fun, I’ll let you choose. What should I break first, rat?” Hun hummed casually in thought. “Your back? Your ribs? Your legs? Your arms? Or,” Hun pointed the long metal bar at Leo. “His shell?”

Danny had never known such a bloodcurdling rage. He’d never felt something so guttural, so primal, so inhuman that began to ebb its way throughout his torn veins. The kind of strength that overpowered him in that moment as Hun pointed the crowbar at the turtle was so fierce it would’ve been enough to give him the power to rip himself free. But being so bludgeoned and battered, his willpower would have to suffice. “D-Don’t… you… daaare… touch… m-myyy… son!”

Hun, splashed with dark red blood across his face and shirt, pushed him onto his aching back, a foot planted on his chest to keep him pinned. His eyes stung with hot, burning tears. “Still not catching on. You don’t get to make those decisions. I do. You’re nothing but a mindless animal that can talk back. And animals that start to misbehave deserve to be shown. Their. PLACE!”

Danny squinted against the haze of moisture that clung to his eyelashes, watching as Hun raised the crowbar over his head with a sickeningly masochistic grin.

It came down too fast.

C R A C K!

It struck the top of Danny’s tail near the base of his tailbone.

Bone crumbled beneath the skin like sand.

And Danny finally shrieked like there was no tomorrow.

The sounds he made were animalistic in nature. He writhed, broken tail thrashing and kicking in vain, arms yanking against the ropes tying him down, tearing into his wrists and turning them bloody, screaming every swear in a hodgepodge mix of Italian and Spanish, cursing these pigs for doing this to him, how dare they, how dare they—

“LEAVE MY DAD ALONE! PLEASE!” Leo pleaded, sobs hitching within his throat from afar. “DAD, GET UP!”

Hun tossed the crowbar aside, his horrific work done. It clanged against the ground near the wall farthest from Leo. “Got nothing else to say, rat?” Without hesitation— or mercy— he ground the heel of his shoe into Danny’s broken tail. It only served to make the yōkai scream louder.

“STAY AWAY FROM THEM!” Katie roared. “I’M GONNA KILL YOU, HUN! YOU HEAR ME!? YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD!”

“You want them?“ Hun shouted loud enough for Katie to hear him, barking out a disgraceful laugh. “Come get them! I’d more than happy to get rid of your precious pets!”

Danny’s heart pounded hard and fast in his ears. Blood roared like an ocean in his veins. Despite being beaten within an inch of his life, despite his hearing being spotty, he caught those words and hung on like a vice.

Hun was baiting her. He was anticipating her razor thin temper going off.

He was using Danny’s pain as ammo to fuel her fiery fury and catch her off guard.

Hun would have Katie and the kids within the hour.

Without regard for his safety any longer, Danny hollered at the top of his lungs. “KATHRINE! ¡NO VENGAS AQUÍ! ¡ES UNA EMBOSCADA! ¡TIENE CHICOS CON ARMAS ESPERANDO A TI Y A LOS NIÑOS! OBTENGA A LEO, OLVÍDATE DE MÍ—“

Hun kicked him with unforgiving force in the throat, cutting him off; the windpipe crushed under the blow he coughed out blood this time, splattering across the man’s foot. Blind with pain the yōkai thrashed against his bonds with a renewed fervor but it was no use. Nothing he tried worked. He was trapped.

Helpless.

Useless.

Weak.

Pathetic.

“Come to the Harrison Textile Warehouse by eight o’clock tonight!” Hun shouted. “And bring all your freaks with you! Otherwise, I’ll skin the rat alive and use his fur as a new lining for my coat! And I’ll turn the terrapin into a hood ornament!” Hun marched over to Leo’s phone, where Katie still screamed for the mammoth to stay away from the two, and crushed it beneath his foot.

The silence following the call’s end was deafening.

Danny lay on his back in the chair, choking on blood that became too thick in his throat, filling his mouth too fast. His body twitched and shuddered in anguish, his hands unable to tend to any of the fresh gashes or bruises. But through all the immeasurable turmoil his body was currently experiencing, Danny glared ruefully at the human with a kind of darkness he’d only felt once in his life— when Katie had been mutated by Draxum, when that crazed monster had put his hands on her. Spitting the blood from his mouth the yōkai shakily growled, “Y-You d-du-mb f-fuck… Sh-e’ll nnnnever… fall… fer yer… b-bull-shit…”

Hun scoffed. “Sounds like she’s already got the memo.” He crouched down to Danny’s level, hands painted red as they sat on his knees. “And you two are going to be SCREWED.”

Leo struggled with a vengeance, fighting desperately to break loose of his ropes, vivid tears streaming down the kid’s cheeks. The slider grit his teeth furiously with vile rage as he yelled at the human. “YOU’RE THE WHO’S GONNA BE SCREWED WHEN I GET OUTTA HERE! I’M GONNA TELEPORT YOUR SORRY ASS TO MARS FOR HURTING MY DAD!”

“I’d like to see you try.” Hun smirked cruelly. Reaching up to his ear he pressed a finger to it and gave a command. “Someone come drag these pests downstairs to set up for the woman’s arrival! We’re gonna be having a family reunion!”

Danny blinked slowly, thin lines of red trailing down the side of his face imitating a ghoulish tear. He weakly turned his head to look at Leo, who still fought the confines of the chair and shouted threats at Hun. The edges of his blurred vision were tinted with fog so much he worried he was starting to succumb to a probable concussion… that, or something far worse. Brain bleed? Hemorrhage? No, he couldn’t leave Leo behind, he couldn’t allow him to get hurt, he’d break his oath to Kat if he passed out now.

He stretched his neck upward, grinding his teeth in excruciating anguish when he attempted to move despite being bound. Nobody was going to lay a hand on that kid. Not if he could still breathe. Not if he could still fight back to some extent. He’d rather die first that let these bozos harm his boy. “‘Eee-ooh…” he groaned in vain, straining his voice to try and reach the teen.

Leo froze, his face wrought with all types of emotions: panic, despair, terror, confusion. Every ounce of grief he’d had for the boy intensified once he noticed the kid weeping for his sake. “Dad…”

More blood gathered into his mouth. Gurgling the man spat it to the side to the best of his ability, head swimming with internal trauma. “M’… rrright… h-here…” he choked on the words, sputtering as air hitched into his lungs, struggling for the chance to breathe. “Nnnnott… go-goin’… nowhere…”

But something lurked out of the corner of his eye. Leo caught it. His eyes widened, struggling tenfold. “No, NO! D—“

Danny’s consciousness was robbed of him when the metal bar came down across the back of his head with the power to shatter bone…

And the world around him went black.

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

DANNY IS NOT HAVING FUN 😂😂😂

Don’t worry for long, cuz Katie is coming to save them! IN THE SECOND PART 😅😂

Stay tuned!!

@queen-with-the-quill @tending-the-hearth @figuringitoutasigoalong @goldenflowerdragon @lameboobah @wasted-and-ready

[indieyuugure]

I know I'm a bit late to comment about this and I don't know if anyone's mentioned it but this scene feels really authentic and like the perfect mix of Rise! Splinter and 2012! Splinter.

He starts of talking in a more harsh tone like 2012! splinter would however once he sees the looks on his son's faces he has a look of realization and softens his tone, suggesting that they just play there video games and says he needs alone time. Which I think would definitely be something Rise splinter would say when he's worried and his turtles wanna do something dangerous against his orders.

And the look on the turtles faces. Especially Leo and Mikey. They all nervous and very uncomfortable at splinters tone and they all show it on their faces. But the differences in their expressions really tells you exactly how they handle being yelled at. They all clearly dislike it but raph is better at hiding it. Not even mentioning the look of horrified realization on splinters face when he sees the turtle's faces.

This also feels very much like a interaction real parents and their children could have with each other.

Sorry for the long message. It's just your take on TMNT is really good and is practically a blend of all my favorite iterations. You convey emotions very well, the character designs are great, and the characters seem like a blend of the best parts of every iteration. Plus the story so far has been great.

I wish you the best of luck as this comic continues, because so far it's definitely one of my favorite TMNT comic series/fan projects ever.

It’s never too late to comment on anything 😂

THANK YOU!! I’m so glad you liked how this scene turned out! I wanted to make it seem like a real parent-child reaction.

The turtles’ reactions are meant to show how Splinter doesn’t yell at them a lot—or at least not often anymore—which is why their faces are a mix of shock, fear, and mild confusion.

I wanted to show too that Splinter didn’t mean for his words to come out so harsh, but the subject of the Foot Clan triggered deep memories and feelings that made him yell. That’s why when he sees his sons’ faces he catches himself and realizes that this is to sensitive of a topic and goes to cool off.

I’m really happy that you are enjoying this comic so far! I’ve been greatly enjoying making it and sharing it with you guys! I hope you continue to love it! :]

[crowsandturtlesandbatsohmy]

Okay y’all, so I know I’ve been predominantly a Haikyu!! account for a little while now (and there’s still more of that to come once I have the emotional stability for finishing season 4) but we’re gonna switch gears and talk TMNT 2012 for a change!

No season 1 Wrap-up, partially because I have 4 episodes to go and partially because it’s been months since the last time other than today that I sat down to watch it, but I do want to talk about my thoughts on each turtle, as well as April and Splinter. I’ll also rank them among the other versions of those characters to give you a better idea of my general feelings on them, with 1 being best and my fondness decreasing from there. I think it would be fun to repeat this every time I finish a season, so I’ll plan on that! :)

Splinter

I know there are a lot of people who don’t like him. But I honestly can’t see why? I love this Splinter. As far as I know him he’s exactly what my ideal Splinter would be! No spoilers, I want to go into this with as little prior knowledge as possible. But yeah, I like Splinter!

If I had to rank the Splinters, where would I put him?

2012 Splinter

Mutant Mayhem Splinter

80’s Live Action Movies Splinter

Rise Splinter

April

I’m not entirely sure what to make of her? I don’t necessarily dislike her, but I can’t say I’m super fond of her either? I think I need to give her some more time.

Where does she currently rank among the Aprils?

Rise April

Mutant Mayhem April

80s movies April

2012 April

Leo

I love him your honor. He’s such a dork in the best way possible! He was tied for being my favorite character for a while, although now he’s settled into a comfortable and consistent second place. I relate to him a lot more than I expected to, which was really cool!

Where would I rank him?

2012 Leo

Rise Leo (just barely behind 2012. They’re essentially tied.)

Mutant Mayhem Leo

Batman V.S. The TMNT Leo

80’s Movies Leo

Raph

He had to grow on me, but I love him now! Most of the time. I think he would probably benefit from more boundaries and some alone time in order to help manage his anger, but I also realize that’s not exactly possible and he’s kinda doing the best he can all things and stressors and inputs considered. Also the point at which I found out he was voiced by Sean Astin??? WHAT??? Mind blown.

Where do I rank him among the Raphs?

Mutant Mayhem Raph

2012 Raph

Batman V.S. The TMNT Raph

Rise Raph

80’s Movies Raph

Donnie

Yeah okay we all knew this was coming, but surprise surprise, Donnie is my favorite. I just love him to death! The whole April thing is admittedly irritating, and I tend to like Leo more in those episodes, but Donnie is overall my favorite because I love watching him come up with things, and I love how he genuinely seems concerned about others (Leo has this as well. I don’t really see it very much in Raph and Mikey?). Also I feel like he’s carrying a lot more weight than he ever gets credit for. Also I found out his voice actor, Rob Paulson, (who I already thought was really cool prior to this and apparently voiced my childhood) played Shreako in Scooby Doo Meets the Boo Brothers. Literally my favorite character from one of my favorite childhood movies!! This didn’t have any effect on my opinion of Donnie, of course, but it was just so neat to see my childhood interests and current interests linking like that! I love recognizing voice actors from other shows they’ve done :) [ask me about Jeffery Combs sometime. I’ve got a story to tell there!].

Anyways, back on track, where would I rank him out of all the Donnies?

Rise Donnie

2012 Donnie (again, barely behind. They’re practically tied.)

Batman V.S. The TMNT Donnie

Mutant Mayhem Donnie

80’s Movies Donnie

Mikey

I’ll be honest with y’all. I don’t really vibe with him. I love chaotic goofballs, but there is a limit, y’know? It’s gotta be combined with depth. You gotta back that chaos and goofiness up with the ability to be serious when needed, and there’s gotta be more to the character than just the goofiness. And he has yet to show signs of any of that? It feels like being silly is his only trait, and it’s kinda irritating. It makes him really one dimensional. And I want to like him! I know there are a lot of people who love him to pieces! I want to be able to see what y’all see. But I just don’t. What am I missing? (Again, no spoilers.)

Where do I rank him among the Mikeys?

Batman V.S. The TMNT Mikey

Rise Mikey

Mutant Mayhem Mikey

80’s Movies Mikey

2012 Mikey.

I really hate ending this on a sour note, so because I can I’m gonna list the iterations I’ve seen and my favorite turtle, and we’re gonna play “How many times is Donnie Crow’s favorite?”

Rise: Donnie

2012: Donnie

Mutant Mayhem: Raph

Batman V.S. The TMNT: Donnie

80’s Movies: It’s been long enough I don’t entirely remember, but it’s a safe guess to assume it’s Donnie.

Alrighty, this concludes my introductory 2012 TMNT post! If anyone has questions about my opinions on more specific things related to TMNT (not just 2012, any of the iterations I’ve mentioned are fair game), feel free to ask! I don’t bite :) I’d be happy to go more in depth!

[b00tyyyshker9000]

I know Donnie is your favorite so I am curious what’s your opinion on Raph? /gen question

The thing about rise is that I looovveee the brothers all very close. Sure Donnie is my favorite, but they are all right next to each other.

I LOVE RAPH! Theres nothing to dislike about him! He’s a great big brother, and very responsible. Splinter wasn’t there a whole lot when they were kids, so he had to step up big time. That’s one of my favorite things about him! He’s never afraid to step in for his brothers.

This is very off topic, and might sound a bit cringe, but I like how similar he is to Luisa in Encanto! (I don’t even really like that movie…) Everytime I here the song surface pressure, I always think of Raph.

Another big thing I LOOVVE about rottmnt Raph, is how he’s the leader. Many people think it was a bad thing, but it was definitely the best decision.

Overall, Raph is a character, and I love him deeply. I’m sorry if it seems like I neglect him too much😅

⚠️PLEASE SEND ASKS LIKE THIS! I LOVE ANSWERING THEM!⚠️

[angelmichelangelo]

Following on from your previous post regarding what you said about you disliking non-human Splinter origin stories, which Splinter would you say is your favorite?

i mean, i wouldn't say i disliked them as so much as i just... didn't care for them as MUCH per say. like 2003 splinter, i hold very high in regards because i think he's a good, well written character without bringing attention to the pretty hilarious backstory that he was a pet rat that learned ninjitsu BEFORE mutating like... that's just straight up hilarious and crazy but it works yknow

and i'll be so honest, rise splinter took me a while to get used to. i liked 2012 splinter for his flaws (i love me a good Daddy Issues underlying plot) but again like i said, rise + 12 do such a good job at fleshing their characters out into something so much more than just the turtles sensei. 2012 took off with that concept and rise ran with it and i appreciate that.

and i really love mutant mayhem splinter! again, don't super vibe with the rat first route buuuut they take it in a pretty fresh direction with his fear of humans so it gives him booster points from me. and its always so refreshing when a splinter acts like a father first rather than just a teacher, which we seem to be getting more of since 2012 and rise :)

i don't really have a favourite just because i think his character all round is interesting. i don't have much to say about bayverse splinter just because i genuinely can't remember much about him. 2007 splinter didn't really do much either really in his movie, and idw splinter can go to fresh hell! lmao

idw splinter would be my only least favourite haha

[yellowhollyhock]

1,2,3 for 87 Raph. 7 and 8 for any 03 turtle :)

ehehehehe

ehehehehehehehehehehe

okay here's 87 Raphael

1 Why do you like/dislike this character

Okay so when I first watched 1987 it was in the context of having seen 03 and rise and knowing a little about mirage because of this turtle documentary I had watched. So as soon as Raph came on screen and started snarking I was just.. it was just such an interesting take on one of my favorite turtles while also being a quintessential example of a character archetype that I enjoy for completely separate reasons. Raphael would be worth 10 seasons by himself if the rest of the show weren't great (which it is)

One of the first things that stuck in my head forever was when they had Baxter Stockman tied up asking him who he works for and Raph pulls out his sai and threatens to "get sarcastic," cue the light hitting the sharp point. Stockman immediately tells all and Raphael says with this charming grin directly to the fourth wall, "Nothing beats cutting wit"

and I was like ALSKDJRIWOWIB they they because Mirage Raph is the 'crazy one' who goes off by himself on wild adventures and always wants to help everyone 03 Raph is the 'angry one' who pushes back against Leo's decisions to keep them balanced rise Raph combined those by being the stressed older brother-- I would never have anticipated Witty Raph Sarcastic Raph Fourth Wall Breaker Raph but it makes so much sense this is the perfect missing link

And it was very fun to watch him develop more and more into his own Funny Man personality. I love how when he doesn't have a quip he's usually just watching. Probably because it's hard to write clever quips all the time akdjdhsj but being a quiet watcher until he isn't is such a Raph thing and yet in the way it's done in 87 it's so uniquely Raphael.

Also I think he's a great brother. He's so supportive of Leonardo. He goofs around with Michelangelo. He and Donatello are constantly ripping each other apart verbally and also would die for each other in a heartbeat and also would kill each other for the last slice of pizza. I like how it's really impossible to get an age order with them, and Raphael especially I feel milks being the youngest when he can and lets the other guys do the responsible things but also will Older Brother them if the opportunity presents itself

Like he will be goofing off during training all the time, and one day Splinter splits them up Leonardo and Donatello (taking it seriously) vs Michelangelo and Raphael (not taking it seriously) and I love him in this episode so much. It's the fact that he's always doing this but when pressed he has this angsty teenager answer like "it's not like this training is intense enough to prepare us for Shredder anyway." But split into teams, now he's invested, and that's very unfortunate for him because Michelangelo isn't alsjdhajs. So Raphael is trying to hold his own against Leo and Don while also trying to convince Michelangelo to put the hammock away and help him. It's a very good episode for an example of Raphael being Baby when he can but also not when he doesn't feel like it.

Plus there's something down-to-earth about Raphael compared to his bros. Maybe it's the dry humor. Maybe it's the way he actually wants to run away from danger instead of towards. But he just strikes me as so... idk how to describe it, but out of all the turtles in the multiverse 87 Raphael is Just Some Guy. I mean in the zaniest way possible but idk how else to describe it. I think he's neat

also also he threw a couch at Donatello, what's not to like?

2 Favorite canon thing about this character

He loves disguises! It's a hobby he got into because he felt like he needed a special thing to contribute to the team 😭 He's so silly I love him so much

3 Least favorite canon thing about this character

umm.. huh. uhhhhh

The fact that raphibians (raph x mona x genghis) isn't canon

(or is it 👀)

(just kidding it is not)

Aaand I'm answering for 03 Donny because he's my favorite

7 something fandom does that I like

I like how the fandom gives him lasting consequences from all the craziness he went through. Headaches and emotional trauma from the mind probe, blaming himself for Honeycutt's temporary death, Kirby's disappearance, his second mutation... and especially SAINW. I love when he is dismissive of his own pain only for it to bite back hard down the road.

8 something fandom does that I don't like

I'm pretty chill generally, and I haven't come across characterizations that I find horrible, certainly not consistently. I also feel like he's a very, i guess balanced? character and thus hard to mess up. Like if you make him a soft little guy who just wants everyone to get along, you are right he is like that. If you make him a crazy scientist who just wants to see how far he can go without much thought to the consequences, you are also right he is like that too. If you make him totally logical and out of touch with his feelings I am kissing your forehead I love you so much, if you make him deeply emotional and very aware of it and coaching others through their feelings I am also kissing you you are so right I love you.

Okay I thought of something, I don't like when he's shipped with April. It's generally pretty easy to avoid but I do come across it once in a while.

[monkeymindscream]

everybody's favorite blue turtle with issues, Leo

How I feel about this character:

...very, very protective.

I like to think I'm pretty reasonable when it comes to how other people interact with my favorite characters. If they don't like them for whatever reason, that's fine, everyone has different tastes. If they have a different interpretation of the character, that's also fine. If it really bothers me, I'll go bitch to a sympathetic friend in private, and then move on with my life. If they put that character into Situations that aren't to my tastes, that's - again - also fine! It's not like they can hurt them, they're not real. If it bothers me to an intolerable degree, the back button exists for a reason! And again, going to bitch in private cures a lot!

Leo is - in more ways than one - an outlier in regards to the characters I usually fall in love with. I still haven't broken my streak of not bothering innocent people who are just enjoying interpreting a fictional character in ways that are fun or compelling for them (nor do I ever intend to), but a little bit ago I saw someone say "I don't like Rise!Leo >:(" and I gave an involuntary little gasp of pure offense. And then blocked them.

Not the pettiest reason I've blocked someone (I'll block people just because they harmlessly post in a tag about something I don't care about too often, it's never personal), but it was definitely the most... emotionally charged reason I've blocked someone in a while. The individual this person dislikes is fictional, but the offense I felt on his behalf was very very real. XD

So yeah I like him a lot.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Krang One (after Leo's an adult - I'm too tired to have to deal with people lobbing bad-faith attempts to police me in my inbox, thank you). I'm a proud slut for Enemies to Lovers (and then to sweeten the pot they basically end up as each other's archenemy by the end of the movie), and the compare/contrast ratio for how they're similar to how they're different from each other is just [MWAH] fuckin perfect. There's an immaculate dynamic here just waiting, you just have to dig a little.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

His brothers and April (as if there could possibly be any other answer for this question).

My unpopular opinion about this character:

So I know that this is going to come across as very biased considering my answer to the first question, but nonetheless: This turtle deserves a fucking break. And I don't mean in terms of all the trauma he gets put through (trauma is basically how fans show love, no one knows this better than I, by all means continue); I mean that the fandom is just really mean to him. He gets dunked on constantly.

If a post centers around Leo and doesn't involve something angsty, there's a 90% chance it involves Leo being used as the butt of a joke. And it's extremely common within that 90% for the post to involve him making an ultimately harmless joke himself (or in some cases, just acting like a bit of an airhead), and for one or more of his brothers to physically assault him for it in some way. And having them react this way is played entirely for comedy.

(In retrospect, I'm starting to wonder if this is the reason why I'm so protective of Leo.)

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

More of what I wish hadn't happened: I wish they hadn't dropped the line at the end of season 2 about Leo being the leader now. I know it was because Nickelodeon was insisting that Rise uphold the status quo and have Leo become leader at some point (or at least that's my understanding of the situation), but I hate what that single line does to Splinter's character. And later Raph's. And what it turns the whole situation of the movie into. It's too long a rant for this post, but the short of it is that it turns Leo being a little dilweed (which was the intent) into the poor guy trying to cope the best he can (which is Depressing).

I reiterate, I'm very protective of this fictional turtle.

[thenerdy-artist]

1.) What was your first exposure to TMNT?

3.) What was your first impression of ROTTMNT?

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

5.) Which iterations are you familiar with?

7.) Which iteration is your favorite?

8.) Which turtle is usually your favorite?

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

10.) Which version of Leonardo is your favorite?

11.) Which version of Raphael is your favorite?

12.) Which version of Donatello is your favorite?

13.) Which version of Michelangelo is your favorite?

14.) Which version of Splinter is your favorite?

15.) Which version of April is your favorite?

16.) Which version of Casey is your favorite?

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

18.) Who is your favorite villain?

19.) Who is your favorite ally?

20.) Which theme song is your favorite?

21.) What is your favorite story arc?

22.) What is your favorite kind of pizza?

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

29.) What is one headcanon that you have?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

40.) Do you give the turtles tails?

OMG SO MUCH TO ANSWER /pos

TYSM!! I love yapping about tmnt!!

What was your first exposure to tmnt

-When mutants mayhem trailer first come out and people were mad at April’s design lol n TikTok, not the best first impression but what can you do :P

What was your first exposure to rottmnt

-Edit I kept seeing on TikTok and fanart I saw on Instagram lol

when did you became a fan of tmnt

-When i finish the rottmnt show and movie but in August of last year

Which iterations are you familiar with

-I’ve watched rottmnt, Batman vs tmnt, tmnt 2012 and mutant mayhem. I’m in the process of watching tmnt 2003, and 1987 (I’m on season one for both😔). I’m also planning to watch the bayv movies in the future but tbh those movies kinda scare me /hj

which is your favorite iteration?

-Definitely Batman vs tmnt! I don’t know little to nothing about Batman but it’s still a good watch, it’s criminally underrated and I personally recommend it

Which turtles is usually your favorite

-Mikey and Donnie :D

who is your favorite version-specific turtles

-A hard one to answer, it’s a tie between rise!Donnie, 12!Raph, Batman!Donnie, and 87!Raph :P

Favorite iteration of Leo

-Probably rise,12, and mutant mayhem/tales of tmnt

Favorite iteration of Raph

-12 and 1987

Favorites iteration of Donnie

-Batman and tmnt donnie and rise

Favorite iteration of Mikey

-Batman vs tmnt (rise!mikey is a really close second)

Favorite iteration of Splinter

-Probably rise, idk my opinion on him is really confusing

Favorite iteration of April

-Rise, mutant mayham is a close second :P

Favorite iteration of Casey

-Probably 12, they did him so dirty in season 4 and 5😔

Favorite iteration of Shredder

-idk honestly, but if I have to pick then probably 2012 or 2003

Who’s your favorite villain

-idk, probably big mama from rottmnt :P I also really like Stockman

Who your favorite ally

-Renet probably, idk I like her personality in 12

Favorite tmnt theme song

-2003 and 12 (rise is a close second)

Favorite story arc

-The barn arc in 12 it had some problems (the big foot episode is a big example) but I like it

Favorite type of pizza

-pepperoni pizza, it’s basic but it’s good

What’s one thing you would like to see explored more in turn art/fics

-That 12!Casey does graffiti (or at least I think he did?? Idk I haven’t watch 12 since October), I think that’s all :P

One headcanon that you have

-I have a lot of tmnt hcs but one of them is that 12!leo is autistic, I got this hc thanks to one of my friends

A common headcanon that you reject

-idk, I agree with common tmnt hcs

What’s is one piece of tmnt canon that you dislike/ignore

-most of the stuff that happened in 12 tbh, but if I have to pick one then the whole love “Triangle” between 12!April, Donnie and Casey, that’s the main reason I ship them as poly

What was the first thing you’ve made for tmnt

-I drew rise!donnie as human while I was watching the series, I still like that doodle even if it’s pretty old now lol

What your favorite thing you’ve made for tmnt

-idk if this counts but my tmnt fan iteration/au, if that don’t count then the paper dolls I made of my au Donnie and Mikey awhile back

Which character do you write/draw most often

-Probably Donnie, more specifically, donnie as a human for some reason

Which character relationships are your favorite to write/draw

-maybe April dynamics with the turtles in rottmnt, don’t get me wrong I love a good ship as much as the next person, but I have a soft spot for platonic stuff

Which character do you have the hardest time drawing/writing

-Figuring out how to draw the 12!turtles is a pain, also rise!raph kinda

Do you draw for one specific iteration, or multiple

-I draw multiple, but I mainly draw rottmnt, however currently I’m obsessed with my own fan iteration so I’ve been draw/talking about a lot of that recently

Do you generally stick close to canon, or diverge from it

-I think I stick close to canon, i change it one or 2 stuff (mainly it being hcs and designs) but yeah

Do you give the turtles tails

-yes

AAAA ONCE AGAIN TYSM FOR ALL THE ASKS!! Sorry if i miss any, there were a lot of questions but I loved answering them!! <3

[samanitamuscaria]

finished the first season of 2013 tmnt (as someone who’s only seen Rise) and I would like to share my thoughts (in the form of a list bc i suck at organizing my thoughts otherwise)

Humor: The show’s jokes def land less often than Rise, at least for me, but I can still appreciate the humor and a lot of jokes DO work (even tho I already saw the submarine scene as a clip before I started watching the actual show, the punchline still got me).

Animation: Obviously not as pretty and some of the models (cough - April - cough) weird me out but the turtle bros look super cute and everything still looks nice

Plot: I do enjoy how plot-focused 2012 is most of the time. Like Rise’s foreshadowing is UNPARALLELED but 2012 def has a much more focused narrative

Characters:

April: She’s like. Fine. She has some pretty funny lines and I was cheering for her when she went after Splinter during the finale but she just isn’t as fun as April in Rise (in my opinion). From what I’ve heard she gets way worse in later seasons but for now she’s perfectly decent. She looks super weird tho like what is she wearing, why is it literally skintight, and why is her mouth so tiny

Raph: LOVE HIM. ADORE HIM. HES SO MEAN AND SILLY. He’s also the most reasonable turtle on the team like I can’t tell u how many times I yelled smth at the screen and Raph said the same exact thing right after. Short angry boi my beloved (I do wish he was slightly less mean to Mikey but they’re ALL disproportionately mean to Mikey so I think I need to take that up with whatever writer had a vendetta against orange boy)

Mikey: SPEAKING OF ORANGE BOI. He’s very silly I like him a lot. ngl sometimes he deserves the bullying but the show DEFINITELY did him dirty. Wish he got to be actually competent more often. Pretty sure there’s nothing going on in his head and I love him for that

Leo: he is such a NERD I love it. What a dork. Raph is correct for bullying him he’s very bullyable (affectionate). Wish his mask didn’t look exactly like Donnie’s in most lighting but eh what can u do. Also MY GUY. CAN WE TALK ABOUT YOUR SAVIOR COMPLEX. GET THIS BOY A THERAPIST. (Side note but the tv show he watches is literally the funniest part of 2012 every time it shows up I know there’s about to be a hilarious joke)

Donnie: I wanted to love him. I did. But I underestimated how much of his character would be just… him being a simp. NOT THAT I DISLIKE HIM I DONT. He’s very funny and has a nerd voice and MUCH autistic swag but like. DANG so much of the stuff with him pining after April is straight up uncomfortable

Splinter: HISSSS HISSSSSS HISSSS. RISE SPLINTER WOULD NEVER. CRUSTY OLD MAN WITH HIS GROSS STRAGGLY BEAR I WANT TO SIC A GIANT CAT ON HIM. HE GIVES RATS A BAD NAME. EVERY TIME HE’S ONSCREEN I AM FILLED WITH IMMEASURABLE RAGE. STOP BEATING UP YOUR SONS FOR NO REASON CHALLENGE - IMPOSSIBLE. HE’S SO MEAN TO THE TURTLES AND SHOWS SUCH BLATANT FAVORITISM TO APRIL I WANT TO BITE HIM AND SHAKE HIM LIKE A CHEW TOY. the flower pattern on his robes is cute tho

Karai: She’s pretty cool ngl. I enjoy her she’s the most interesting thing about the foot clan/shredder. Wish Leo wasn’t constantly trying to get with her (especially with the whole… Sister thing). Her makeup’s nice and her armor’s cool. She’s so mean for no reason and I love her for that. Rip gram-gram but 2012 Karai is a lot more fun

Krang: uhhhh they’re fine I guess. Nowhere near as intimidating as in Rise but ig that’s to be expected. Their speech patterns are pretty annoying but sometimes the jokes with them are really funny so I don’t mind too much. Krang prime was a disappointment tho ngl. It looked like a mix between the aliens from Home (the animated movie) and the villain from Sharkboy and Lava Girl. 2012 has managed to make some pretty intimidating characters (Leatherhead and Shredder for example) but Krang Prime was kinda stupid lol. That might just be a problem with this season tho I guess I’ll see

Shredder: ngl I don’t give a single crap about this guy. He’s just… an old man. A dude. The scariest part about him (other than his design which quite honestly DOES kick ass) is that he’s an incel. He’s a jerk and intimidating but other than that not super interesting.

Baxter Stockman: Look idc if he’s not important he’s important in my heart. He’s a loser with extremely petty motivations and I love him and his stupid little sweater vest. Rise definitely managed to capture that same petty energy with Stockboy but I think Stockman kinda wins out bc we have more time with him than with Stockboy. Stupid man <3

Ok and that’s pretty much the main stuff so here’s some minor nitpicks/thoughts:

Sorry Rise but the 2012 theme song SLAPS I listen to it EVERY time

Hate how the turtles’ skill levels are super inconsistent from episode to episode depending on what lesson the show wants them to learn

DONNIE WHAT IS YOUR STAFF MADE OUT OF????? WHY DOES IT SNAP SO OFTEN THERE’S NO WAY THAT THING IS MADE OF A HARD WOOD LIKE A BO STAFF IS SUPPOSED TO. I swear splinter’s setting him up for failure

Can’t speak too much on the combat bc I know essentially nothing about martial arts but I do miss the creativity of Rise’s fight scenes. It really does feel like the turtles use the same moves in every fight in 2012

where’s Casey :((((( where’s my boy where is he :((((

anyways that’s all thanks for listening to my ramblings about turtles 👍👍

[ordinaryschmuck]

Why I (Want to) Love Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Salutations, random people on the internet who most certainly won’t read this! I’m an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons. I also LOVE the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Whether as a kid, or an adult pretending to be a kid, this franchise is one that I’ll always revisit no matter how old I get. So when I heard that a new version of the series was coming out in 2018, titled as Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I was excited about it. Then I watched the series...and most of that excitement went down the sewer drain. 

Don’t get me wrong, there were some elements that seemed like there was some definite promise for a good series, but other aspects...I’ll have to explain. 

But keep in mind, I am going to be spoiling a lot about the series. So if you haven't watched it yet, I highly recommend you do so to form your own opinions. Because while it may not have grabbed me as much, that doesn’t mean the same can’t be said for you. With that out of the way, let's get started with--

WHAT I LIKE

The Animation: If anybody ever tells you that Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has awful animation, they are objectively wrong. Rise of the TMNT has some of the best, if not the best, animated fight scenes I've seen from any action series in recent memory. Probably because the show understands the number one rule of action animation: Good animation is a requirement. Not an exception.

For an action-oriented animated series, the audience needs to feel the impact whenever characters punch, block, or dodge in each fight. Yes, even dodge. Because if you can feel even the tiniest gust of wind that passes by a character's face after a punch, then you know the animators are doing something right. And trust me when I say that is present in the majority of most fights in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Are there moments when the movements are slow and rigid? Yes...during the dialogue and comedic scenes. Moments where good and quality animation isn't really all that necessary. You see this same technique in most modern anime: The animation is rigid and cheap for the dialogue-heavy scenes so the animators can give extra attention to the epic action set pieces. Not a single person complains about this happening in their favorite anime of the week. But when Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles does this, apparently it's a bad thing? Explain that logic to me!

The animation is phenomenal in this show. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise because those people are either blind or insanely stupid. Either works.

It’s Pretty Funny: And that's about it. It's nowhere near one of the funniest shows I have seen, and previous iterations of the franchise did a much better job at balancing humor and heart, but Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did a great job at getting a laugh out of me from time to time. It has a very random sense of humor that works well with its manic energy, similar to what Star vs. the Forces of Evil did early on in its first season. Even if one joke fails, about ten more take its place, most of them funnier than the others. There may be an occasional issue where a joke spoils a dramatic moment, but Rise of the TMNT is one of the few shows where that issue doesn't happen often. Besides, the series sets itself up as more of a comedy than other reboots and reiterations, so it wouldn't look good if it wasn't funny. Thankfully, it is, and in a way, the show is a success because of it.

It Tries to be Something New: This is what I respect most about the series. The downside about a reboot is that writers have to find a way to tell the same story but with adjustments that make it seem different. That's the same way Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles operates as a franchise. The original concepts of the stories and characters are always iconic, and I'll love them with my whole heart, but I will admit, there's a point where the same thing over and over again can be a little tiring. Then there's Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which makes changes where other shows would ask "why," this is the one that asks "why not?"

Why not change the personality and backstories of characters that still fit with the spirit of the original?

Why not change the genders, races, and possibly sexualities of these iconic characters?

Why not make something new?

Now, some have argued that the show is a little too new. Which I can kind of see the point of. After all, what's the point of changing characters and concepts so drastically when you could just make an original series? But even then, most of the changes are pretty clever, that I think it’s worth remembering for future iterations. Like making Casey Jones a female. Casey is a gender-neutral name, and I legitimately thought this series would do it for that reason alone. So I feel bad that the writers never got a chance to allow the series to reach its full potential with ideas like this due to Nickelodeon screwing them over (Seriously, never pitch a show to Nickelodeon. It rarely ever works out, and it's not worth the risk). I can see how these ideas could result in an incredible show that might cement the series as one of the best iterations of the franchise. But I can't base a story on potential. I can only judge what I see, and what I see are brilliant changes that impress me from time to time.

The Creators Are Still Fans: Despite making something completely different, you can tell that everyone working on this show loves TMNT as the rest of the fans do. There are dozens of references to previous versions littered throughout the series. Whether it's shoutouts to the 90s cartoon to bringing back voice actors from the last one, there are moments where the crew behind the series emphasizes how much they care about the franchise. There are also times when a reference has such a deep cut to it. For example, the series has the previous VA for Splinter to voice the current version of Shredder. I shouldn't have to explain how that is a brilliant idea, especially given Shredder's relationship with Karai...which I can't fully explain due to it spoiling TMNT (2012). This might be a whole new experience, but it is clear that history is not ignored when it comes to Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The Cast is Colorful: It's not precisely a diversity win to have half the Turtles voiced by black VAs, but it is unquestionably some good sign of progress. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are...accurately what they are called. So they are not defined by the skin tone of the VAs themselves. So having half of them be voiced by people of color makes me hopeful that maybe future reboots would consider more colorful castings. Hell, maybe one day we'll have a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot where all of them are POCs, to the point that we'll have an all-Asian casting for these timeless heroes (which makes way too much sense to me).

And it's not just the casting of the turtles that impresses me. Because the series making April O'neil black is an idea that I'm more than ok with. It's implied that she's black in the original comics by Keven Eastman and Peter Laird, so it works as another deep-cut reference that proves how big of fans the crew is. Plus, who cares? I mean, if we're still having issues of changing the race of a character who was originally white, all I can say is grow the hell up. You can complain if they don't grab you, but if the issue is because of one decision that shouldn't negatively affect anybody, I don't see the problem. Besides, at this point, a character being white is basically the base plate for someone in the future to change their race at another time.

Also, let’s give the people behind the casting a pat on the back for casting Asian VAs for characters who are, well, Asian. It’s the bare minimum of common courtesy and avoids the trouble of having white VAs do asian accents that have become quite culturally insensitive nowadays. So it’s a pretty cool decision if you ask me.

Diversity is never an issue, especially since representation always matters for people who demand to be heard. It's definitive proof that anybody can be anything, whether it's a hero in fiction or the voice of that hero behind the scenes. And you can't really do that when everyone is so white that it's blinding.

Donatello: This is the best character in the series. Not only because Donatello has the most consistent personality (more on that later), but also because I'm a sucker for the cynical super-geniuses. These types of characters always have a quick and dry wit that never fails to get a laugh out of me, and this version of Donatello became my favorite just for that factor alone. Most of the credit goes to Josh Brener, who does a phenomenal job at his performance and comedic delivery. As for the emotional bits, he's...fine, but the drama isn't the show's best strength anyway, so it doesn't matter as much. Because the fact that it's Donatello who earns the spot as best character in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot is an impressive feat in itself that any criticism offered for him is moot in the process.

WHAT I DISLIKE

Leonardo: I'm willing to make half of this a personal issue because I have grown to despise Ben Schwarts in the last four years. No offense to the guy, I'm sure he's a really great person in real life...but he has done nothing but play the same character in FOURS YEARS! Whether he's Leonardo, Dewey Duck, Sonic the Hedgehog, or even M.O.D.O.K.'s son (yes, that's a thing), Ben Schwarts has practically played the exact same character each time. The highly energized, dimwitted, and egotistical character who slowly tries to learn to be a better person in the end. AND SOMETIMES, NOT EVEN THAT! I'm sick of it, as it always breaks the immersion of the series as all I hear is Ben Schwarts and not the character he's voicing. But it's not just the voice behind Leonardo that frustrates me. Because the thing is, I can see how this version of him can be incredible.

It doesn't take a genius to know that this version of Leonardo is meant to be more childlike and carefree so he can morph into the more mature leader we all know and respect him as. The issue is that the writers barely do anything with that idea. Sure some episodes make this Leonardo more like, well, Leonardo, but they're far and few between the ones where he's the same Ben Schwarts character that I've grown to hate. Even when he is at his most Leo-like, as seen in the episode "Man vs. Sewer," it's so drastically different from how he usually acts that it feels less like character development and more like inconsistency. It's a shame too because I really love this idea. With a little more polish, it could work out. As is, it's just a huge chunk of wasted potential.

Raph’s Too Good of a Leader: This is a similar issue to what I've mentioned about Leonardo. Because, again, I love this idea. Raphael, in multiple iterations, complained about how he should be the leader and just as frequently learns why the job rightly belongs to Leo instead. So starting with this role reversal should be a well-executed idea that gives Raph what he wants while eventually giving the fans what they want. And it would be if not for the fact that Raph seems to be too good at his job.

I get it. If Raphael was too incompetent, the turtles would have gotten nothing done, and it would get too tiring too quick as Leonardo constantly proves why he should lead and why Raph should follow. This actually happens from time to time, and it is already tiresom. The issue is that the intention was to make Leonardo the leader in the end. So why spend so much time showing how Raphael is capable at the job and barely any time showing why Leonardo is a better fit? There are even times when Raphael seems like he really is a better leader than Leo, which I feel as though it is contradictory to the point the writers are trying to get across. In the end, it's nothing more than another really great idea met with insanely poor execution.

Master Splinter (Early Season One): ...Did anybody like this version of Master Splinter in the first half of season one? Because this character was atrocious, especially compared to the previous Splinter from TMNT (2012). We went from what is easily the best interpretation of the character to what was, at the time, the worst. He was lazy, selfish, and emotionally distant with his sons to the point where he only acknowledges them by the color of their bandannas. I understand that the writers needed a more comedic version of the character due to leaning extra hard into comedy, but I don't think I laughed once with his antics in the first half of season one. Thankfully, he's been gifted with a softcore reboot during the second half and onward. This Splinter is awesome, serious, he works well as a straight man, and he has a backstory that's easy to follow while still being kind of heartbreaking. It's a tremendous improvement from what we've been given, but it still doesn't change how downright painful he initially was. I won't complain about the results, but I do have the right to complain about what we got beforehand.

Characters are Inconsistent: A common complaint you'll hear about Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is that the main characters are the same. That's not true because there are definite differences that separate each one apart from the other...the issue is that the writers are not consistent with those changes. I've touched upon it with Leo, but the truth is, everyone in the main cast suffers from inconsistency with their personalities. If Raph is supposed to be the meathead with a good heart, why are there times when he acts like the smart one who occasionally enjoys violence? If April is supposed to be as wild and carefree as the rest of the guys, why are there episodes where she seems to be the sane one? If Mikey is supposed to be kind yet somewhat stupid, why are there episodes where he's selfish and more intelligent than Leonardo? Even Donatello, who is the most consistent out of the whole cast, still suffers through moments when he isn't as clever and cynical as he usually is. These inconsistencies are annoying, and at times, it feels like their personalities are dependent on what the writers need for a joke or for the episode. Characters are the most essential aspect of any story for any medium. If audiences don't care about the characters, they'll find it hard to care about anything else. And how can we care about anyone if we're not one hundred percent sure what their personalities are in the first place?

The Pacing: I sort of expected this when it was announced that this reboot was swapping the franchise's usual half-hour runtime for a ten-minute one, but in all honesty, it isn't that bad. It is slightly fast at times, but that's just as quick to get used to. However, there is one strange phenomenon about this show that I can't let go of.

You see, this series somehow has worse pacing with extended episodes and specials than it does with its usual ten minutes. I don't know how this is possible either. Because despite having as much time as the writers want to establish each plot point, it still feels like they fly through them a little too fast than they regularly would. It makes no sense, but it's constant in every extended episode, especially the series finale (which, to be fair, is partially Nickelodeon's fault. AGAIN!). So keep that in mind when watching.

The Characters Are TOO Overpowered: It feels weird complaining about this. Because making the characters capable of doing anything and surviving much more leads to some of the most epic action sequences in animation history, not just the series or the TMNT franchise as a whole. Despite that, though, there is one crucial thing that is always missing from those fight scenes anyways: Tension.

To fully explain why tension is required in action, I'll have to use Samurai Jack as an example. You see, the titular character can, at times, be just as invincible as these versions of the Turtles and survive even worse. But regardless of him being victorious after nearly every episode, no matter how high the deck is stacked against him, there was always a sense that he fought hard, literally and figuratively, for those victories in the first place. Jack losing articles of clothing or getting cut up gives the illusion that he might not win in the end. He still does, and he always does, but showing the audience that he can and will get hurt makes seeing that victory feel earned. The only times the Turtles, April, or Splinter get hurt is either for comedic slapstick or because the story says so. This is why I consider Shredder destroying the lair is the best fight scene in the entire series. The second he starts destroying their weapons, it gives the tension required to believe maybe, just maybe, not everyone will make it out alive this time. Because if the characters aren't careful, they will face intense consequences as a result. Thus making an adrenaline-pounding moment in the process. Unfortunately, this is the one and only fight scene where that happens. Every action set piece is still epic, don't get me wrong. But there's a reason why writers make even Superman seem less invincible than typical in a fight.

Baron Draxum: THIS is the biggest issue that I have with the series.

As a villain, I didn't give a s**t about Baron Draxum. He was a dull antagonist with a generic evil plot, but other than that, he was perfectly serviceable for a series like this. Even getting a few chuckles now and again...but then the writers decided to make him REDEEMABLE!?

This guy?

The maniac who wanted to commit genocide on human beings, all because of insufficient proof that they'll do it to his species first?

Didn't we already learn how that's awful reasoning after Steven Universe?

Actually, that's not fair...because Steven Universe has a better explanation behind wanting to redeem the Diamonds than Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles does about Baron Draxum! And I'm not kidding! For Steven Universe, the characters believe that it's better to end things peacefully than killing anyone, even if they're the worst criminals. It's a flawed mentality, sure, but it's one you can grasp and understand. What's the reason for redeeming Baron Draxum? It's because he's the reason why Splinter and the turtles are a family...F**k all the physical torture Splinter went through on top of the social ostracization he experienced because of it. No, no, it totally validates the decision to forgive and forget...Oh, wait, no, it doesn't. BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE INSANE!

Who in the f**k honest to goodness thought that would be a good idea? I'm all for finding silver linings in a bad situation, but that is just flat-out lunacy! Because it's the equivalent of saying, "Yeah, this person was a complete a-hole, but they're still the a-hole that made you who you are today." But that is a very dangerous lesson to preach to kids. Because here's the--Hey *snaps fingers* Here's the thing: If a person treats you like garbage, you don't owe them anything for who you are. It's one thing if a person inspired you or cheered you on, but if someone basically ruined your life and physically harmed you and others, don't forgive them. They don't deserve it. ‘Cause f**k Baron Draxum. And whoever thought this was a good idea, you seriously need some help.

Man, is this how it feels to be Lily Orchard? IT SUCKS!

IN CONCLUSION

And that's what I think about Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

It's a fantastic series! I just like everything except for the execution of ideas, most of the characters, and the overall pacing of it...that means it's not a good series, is it?

Yeah, it's a real shame that I don't like this. Because I want to. I really want to. The pieces are there, and I can see how this could be a great and memorable version of a series I loved since I was a tater-tot myself. But I don't. I'm sorry, but I just don't consider this to be an A+ series. It's a solid C, for sure, because it's mostly just style with very little substance. I still respect the amount of effort everyone put into this reboot, but for me, it just never had its chance to fully rise to the occasion.

[the-magic-typewriter]

OC Ref: Hamato Diana Shen

This is one of several references for the @tmnt-universal-fanfic-comp​‘s Call for Characters.

Character info under the cut, if you don’t like tcest or the pairing RLR, please move on. You may want to blacklist the tags #turtlecest #tcest and #RLR if you enjoy other media from me but not that.

@nyanbacon-art​

Story:

Usually Aggressive Empathy in the Abyss verse but also sometimes other ‘verses, such as my up-coming highschool AU Forever. She hasn’t made her debut yet, however.

Where to Find my Content:

Mostly on Ao3 under PrincessGemma12 but I also have a FF.net account, WattPad, InkBunny and DeviantArt under the same name. I have another Tumblr that I won’t be linking but if you find it say “Hello.”

Abbreviations: H. = Hamato

Description:

The second generation of Teenage Ninja Turtles. She wields twin sai, as well as an odachi sword when the mood strikes, and has a black mask. Typically Raphael and Leonardo’s daughter, however, I have incarnations of her where her bearer is another OC. She’s generally sixteen when I work with her and is the unofficial leader of the kids her age (Saheth, Y’Gynumi, Gralzak, Jones Ken’ichi, Jones Kyoshi, H. Natsuko).

Parents:

H. Leonardo, H. Raphael.

Siblings:

H. Akira, H. Kaito, H. Atsuko.

Other Family:

H. Donatello, H. Michelangelo, H. Miwa (alt. Oroku Karai), Casey Jones, April O’Neil, Shinigami, Slash, Mona Lisa, Leatherhead, Renet Tilley - Uncle(s)/Aunt(s) and “Uncle(s)”/”Aunt(s)”

Tang-Shen, H. Yoshi/Master Splinter - Grandparent(s)

H. Margaret, Saheth, Y’Gynumi, Gralzak, Levena Tilley, Jones Ken’ichi, Jones Kyoshi, H. Natsuko, others - Cousin(s)/”Cousin(s)”.

Physical Description:

The spawn of mutant turtles, so… second generation mutant turtle? That’s… not a mutant? She’s about five-foot-four, with an inverted triangle shape: broad shoulders, small hips, thin (think Rise!Mikey, honestly) thighs, no butt, no bust. Rise!Mikey has greatly influenced her design, so she has his build and shell, but the 2012 TMNT color pallet. Her eyes are the same color as Raphael’s and she has a similar temperament, but moves and carries herself more like Leonardo. She has a scar on her plastron, it’s kinda an oval shape. She has wraps around her feet, same kind of belt as Raph, but also a strap across her plastron like Donnie, for her sword. She doesn’t wrap her hands or wrists but does wear a black-beaded bracelet. She paints her nails black. All of her gear is black, she is the goth-styled child.

Personality:

She has a temper almost worse than her fathers’, but she uses meditation and training to balance her emotional state like Leo does. Overall, though, she’s very chill, real relaxed, albeit over-protective of her younger siblings and friends but she’s a ninja turtle-spawned ninja turtle, so we expect that, right? While not as big of a Space Heroes fan as Leo, Diana loves sci-fi and fantasy, The Twilight Zone and Netflix’s Black Mirror being some favorites of hers. She spent a lot of time with Uncle Mikey growing up, him training her to be Dr. Prakenstine’s minion, so she’s inherited his knack for practical jokes and crazy shenanigans. She hates the taste of jasmine rice, which has Leo fuming, but loves bacon and Rice Sides. She can’t cook but makes a mean sponge cake when prompted.

Important Likes:

Fantasy and sci-fi shows, movies, books, comics, video games and graphic novels.

The Twilight Zone

Black Mirror

Fable

Iron Man

Captain Marvel

Death Note (the anime)

Knitting

Cheesecake

Plain cheese pizza (also with bacon as a topping)

Saheth

Jones Ken’ichi

Important Dislikes:

Dr. Tyler Rockwell

Cockroaches (or really any bugs)

Jasmine rice

She has a peanut allergy

Scratchy fabrics

The cold

Orange juice

Eggs done over-easy or fried

Sugar cookies (she does, but Mikey makes them with too much sugar for her and April only bakes them around the holidays)

Other OC refs:

Hamato Akira, Hamato Kaito, Hamato Atsuko; Saheth, Y’Gynumi, Gralzak; Jones Ken’ichi, Jones Kyoshi; Hamato Natsuko.

The list above will be updated with links accordingly.

[bushy-tailed-menace]

2018 Mikey and Leo?

Okey-dokey let’s do this! Thanks for the ask~

2018 Leo

How I feel about this character: I adore him! He’s so relaxed and I love his one-liners (seriously though, why does everyone hate them?? they’re beautiful), he’s so funny and I love his design!!! He’s really cool, he’s a good brother. But I kinda dislike his big ego (’Shell in a Cell’ episode, I’m looking at you).

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Like, none? If there was Usagi, maybe, but no, i don’t ship him with anyone

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Mikey & Leo team-up is my favorite in Rise!!! I call them team-C (for Chaos), I really like their relationship as the youngest brothers. ‘The Gumbus’ is my favorite episode about them, they’re just so cute in it! Also, April & Leo dynamic is pretty cool, I love imagining them, just joking around and making stupid puns together AND doing all the make up and nail polish!

My unpopular opinion about this character: Uh, I dunno? But I actually think he might be a great leader. There are a lot of moments, especially in Origami Tsunami, where Mike, Don and Raph give up on catching paper thieves and Leo tries to cheer them up. Like, if Raph the leader, how could he give up so easily? That’s kinda wrong of him.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I kinda wish there was/will be an episode with Splinter actually giving Leo the role of the leader, maybe some arguments between him and Raph and then their happy reunion. That would be sweet and would explain a lot, I guess.

2018 Mikey

How I feel about this character: I LOVE HIM, MY BEAUTIFUL BABY BOY, BEAN!!! Actually, I absolutely adore all Mikeys, but this one’s pretty much my favorite. His artist attitude, his love for his brothers, his exclaims!!! (HOO-HA!!) and his bright nature!! His anger also, I have mixed feeling about it. Like, it’s a cool character thing, his ‘Dr, Delicate Touch’ side is so hilarious, honest!! But, sometimes I miss my pure loving boy. My pouty child,,,

All the people I ship romantically with this character: UH EXCUSE ME he’s thirteen! And also I just don’t ship him with anyone, nope.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Team Chaos as well (their hug in ‘Hot Soup: The Game’ just killed me), my favorite cinnamon buns! Also, love him with his big sis Ap, they’re so adorable together, the way he clings to her. I like thinking that they do make-overs as well and that he’s doing her hair sometimes. Also, dress-ups! AND my favorite B-Team, the way Mikey can lighten up Donnie with some idea or just has some influence on him with his optimistic character. I love their interaction in ‘Repo Mantic’ episode, my dorky-nerdy boys,,,

My unpopular opinion about this character: The RAGE. I really like that personality trait in him, it’s weird and sometimes confusing, but he can stand for himself, that’s for sure. Also his STRENGTH, the kid can carry Leo AND Raph on his shell, and also the way he crashes Big Mama to the floor with his kusari-fundo in the intro, it’s amazing.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: MORE MIKEY-EPISODES!!! Also, I need more Mikey-acrobatics. Actually, I wish he would get hurt or/and captured and his bros would be there to save him/take care of him. More angst, please, I need it,,,Ещё раз спасибо за вопрос!~

[greenreticule]

A weird combo of things to love in the new Rise of the TMNT but:

Donnie’s romantic tendencies and parental issues.

First: Romantic Tendencies

Usually this wouldn’t be a thing that I looked at and went: “Yes. I am glad that is there.” I flee romance like the plague, especially in characters I relate to.

But his crush on the TV character Atomic Lass was... kind of a relief?

I know Apriltello wasn’t really a thing until the 2012 version, and I didn’t mind it, but it was yet another in a long list of creators looking at my favorite male characters and going: “Uhhhh I don’t know how to do anything interesting with them. Quick! Love interest!!!!”

Happened with McCoy in Star Trek: The Original Series and novels.

Happened with Murdock in The A-Team.

Happened with Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Clone Wars (the one example on this list that I do not dislike at all because Satine is [angelic chorus]).

Happened with Odo in Deep Space Nine. 

Happened with Donnie (and Leo to a lesser extent) in TMNT (2012).

In Rise, Donnie’s crush on Atomic Lass is treated more like a flavor text, and actually a really nice one at that? Not objectifying at all? And perhaps a touch of hero worship? (All four them boys have a LOT of hero worship for ladies in this show and it’s great). It’s clear he likes-likes this fictional character, but he calls her “my hero” and his childhood fantasy was doing a superhero team-up with her. And he’s not shy about it at all.

This Donnie doesn’t seem like he’d fall into the Nice Guy(TM) pining if he were ever to fall for April, which, SIDE NOTE:

I would be on-board with Apriltello being explored again in Rise for three reasons:

A black girl gets the chance to be the love interest.

They already have a close friendship that could naturally grow into a relationship instead of the pouting infatuation from Donnie that we saw in the 2012 version. (I feel like I should note that I do very much like 2012!Donnie, but the pining got...ugh)

April’s VA, Kat Graham, yelling across the room at Donnie’s VA: “HEY BRENER!”

Anyways, Donnie is clearly not void of romantic tendencies, and he’s clearly not conflicted about reciprocation or lack thereof. So, if/when the show decides to start diving deep into the Turtles emotional state, I don’t think this Donnie is going to join the ranks of my other male faves, where the writers don’t know what sort of emotional journey to give them so they “HARK! A LOVE INTEREST!” story out.

Insteeeeaaaad, what looks to be playing in that field is, in my opinion, a lot more interesting:

Parental Issues

There’s already been two episodes that make it really clear that Donnie wants a parent, and then a few scattered examples in other episodes hold up this theory.

Splinter in this show is... unique. In “The Fast and the Furriest,” Donnie actually takes on a bit of a parent role with Splinter; he’s the one who lectures his dad about irresponsibility and even whips out a dad-ism that Splinter had taught him. It’s mostly played for laughs (and it is hilarious), but also I felt kinda sad for Donnie. He shouldn’t have to be the one who to take on the responsibility for his dad. He’s just a kid.

And he’s also shown trying to “dad” his brothers as well. “Donnie’s Gifts” were hella passive-aggressive, but they also were a result of him trying to protect his brothers too (especially Mikey). In fact, he falls into this a lot with Mikey. And then he’s also had a lot of moments trying to keep his brothers responsible and/or focused, and is there frequently for April too. He even installs a malware block on her phone (though that crosses a line in that he did not get her permission to do so).

It’s kinda like he’s trying to fill the role in their family that Splinter is thus far leaving empty. (Raph also does this, but in his own way.)

Donnie’s parental issues then became super overt in “Bug Busters” when it’s revealed that he completely eats up Big Mama’s flattery because it was the first “positive reinforcement I’ve gotten from a parent-aged adult!”

I keep seeing notes around about the show that Splinter is going to start taking their training more seriously when he realizes the threats that Big Mama and Baron Draxum pose. We haven’t seen that yet, but I’m really curious as to how Donnie would react to that.

Relief that his dad is finally stepping up? Annoyance that Splinter stepping into the “dad” territory that Donnie might now consider his space in the family? Resentment that it took this long for him to actually have a dad? All three?

...this is a highly comedic show that I’m probably reading into waaaay too much. But the 10-min format has me expecting the show to Steven-Universe it up and drop all sorts of emotional bombshells on us out of nowhere, and I'm just trying to preemptively protect myself from the feels. (also I suppose it’s because I over analyze for fun. That is how the Greenie do.)

[000marie198]

As someone who also didn't like the series early on but loves it now, I must add my own two cents.

The problem with Rise series was that people judged it too early, especially the already existing TMNT fans, and most of them stopped watching it after only the earlier few episodes. It felt like they had taken out every signature character trait from their beloved characters; Raph wasn't angry, Leo was clumsy and irresponsible, Splinter felt like he was obsessed with nothing but tv and seemed the exact opposite of the Splinter we've always known, so it all felt majorly out of character with respect to what we all were used to and fans of characters which were changed didn't like it and stopped watching it. I was one of those, being a Leo fan, I didn't like that they made him clumsy and all and didn't watch it. Until I read a fanfic by one of my favorites authors and didn't know most of the elements and characters in their story. Wanting to keep up with the lore and stuff, I decided to give it a chance and I gotta say, it was the best decision ever.

Rise series is Really, REALLY GOOD! People who hate it still now are those that either haven't seen it fully or are just being that way for the sake of sticking to their point. It was judged too early and that's the only problem which caused fans to dislike it.

The only thing I can say about it without spoiling it is that it is more than meets the eye. It's a good series, if you wanna try watching it then trust me, you won't regret it.

Now I gotta ask as someone who fell out of the tmnt fandom for a while why you love the Rise series so much.

So I lost touch after the 2012 series and didn’t know they made another one till later but there were many fans who felt it was one of the worst because of character execution or storyline. I try not to listen to that but it’s hard when they’re constantly saying it. So I ask you, what makes this series and this upcoming so great? Tell me the good stuff that I never hear about

Well for me personally, I wasn't always so positive about the show either. I remember when they first announced that they were making a new 2d ninja turtles cartoon and feeling kinda bitter about it, mostly because the 2012 series had yet to officially end its 5th season and they were already replacing it with another show? Yeah, that left me pretty bitter.

But jump forward to almost a year later, after the voice cast, concept art and first ever trailer and new theme was revealed, it still didn't hook me. It looked....fine? It had alot of bright colors, it was goofy, the animation was very smooth and fluid like butter at certain points But I still didn't see the potential it had at that you usually see in a show like this and I just let it go after awhile.

It wasn’t until I started watching it on my own time and got to the 2nd half of S1 where I realized, "oooh, so they're planning to do this by presenting this huh? Okay...okay I can get with that." I really began to see what they had planned for this iteration of the show and were trying to make it into their own, and I was actually liking it for once.

Rise is pretty much a prequel of sorts, exploring the turtles before they became the all poweful ninjas they are know they are known for. They're basically carefree, rowdy teenagers that have already explored the topside of their sewer home, they're already friends with April, even their ages are distinct from each other with Raph now being the oldest child, Leo and Donnie are basically the middle kids while Mikey is the youngest sibling other than just being the immature, goofball. How they're origin story of how they were all mutated connects to multiple branches that ends up connecting with each other in due time.

Even with Master Splinter, which everyone HATED what they did to him and constantly said it was such a downgrade compared to 2012!Splinter, he managed to get quite a change in his backstory as well and it made me like this new version of him even more than I anticipated.

Granted I was a little late to the game since I didn't tune in weekly and just binged watched the episodes I missed one day and finally saw it, they were trying something new and it actually works.

It felt like a nice change of pace than what we're used to seeing and it got me intrigued to see what the crew and writers had up their sleeves to make this new show unique in its own right.

It's probably not much of a reason to go and check out the show based off this answer, but it was for me and I'm just glad I got into it when it did cause I'm seriously loving it.

[brigdh]

Yuletide recs, for fandoms A-M! I have just barely gotten this in before author reveals, and clearly still have half the alphabet to get through. Ah, well. First off, my own gift!! Water Lens Benjamin January, gen, 2.4k, Teen. “The good widow couldn't dump you in the fast section of the river, apparently,” January said. “It had to be the mud.” “If she'd only panicked five minutes earlier,” Rose agreed with a sigh. “We were on the bridge then – although given the state of that particular river I wouldn't necessarily put money on it being that much cleaner.” All my all favorite story tropes are here: bathing together and playing with hair and the OT3 and Rose doing science and there’s even a mystery to solve in here too! It is wonderful and I love it and everyone should give the mystery author more kudos. And here are my other favorites: so come home 12 Dancing Princesses fairy tale, gen, 21.5k, G. A detective is called to a space station to solve the mystery of whether--and how--twelve astronauts are accessing the surface of a forbidden planet. A very well-written sci-fi murder mystery, with great worldbuilding and characters. Recruits American Gods, Mr Wednesday and Mad Sweeney, 4.2k, G. The Norse god of battle and a mad Irish king walk into a bar. This is not a joke, my son: except in a sense, it is. They are Old Gods, it’s the New World, and the game must be kept going. Really great backstory on the gods in WWI. The Locust And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side - James Tiptree Jr., 2.2k, Mature. Letter of Fr. Francisco Nadal to Fr. Bartolomeo Strozzi, 1588. The original short story is about the horrifying effects on humanity of alien sexuality; this fic translates it into Imperial Spain and makes the different cultural setting really work. Because everyone needs some terror on Christmas! And on the seventh... Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian, Jack/Stephen, 11k, G. This decision might be considered the luckiest, as standing near Jack meant that Stephen was not alone in his fall overboard. Or it might be considered the unluckiest, as standing near Jack meant that Stephen was foremost in the splinters' path, when the ranging shot abruptly found its range. Desert island fic with H/C, angst, kissing in the ocean, and new species of birds. AKA, everything good in fic. And for that riches where is my deserving? Benjamin January mysteries, Ben/Rose/Hannibal, 1.8k, Teen. If Ben was honest with himself, he suspected that one day Hannibal might simply vanish from their lives. He desperately hoped that this was not the day. Delicious Hannibal whump plus the OT3! What more could anyone want out of the tiny fandom of my heart? Family Gathering Books of the Raksura, Moon-focused, 2.8k, G. After some of Jade and Moon's first clutch are confirmed to be Royal Aeriat, Pearl wants the fledgelings brought to her bower. Ember thinks Moon should be there too. Really adorable baby-fic, with some lovely Pearl characterization. Home Books of the Raksura, Consolation gen, 4.1k, G. It turned out that living like people instead of monsters required all sorts of skills and tools. Cleaning required soap, and some inkling of how to apply it. Consolation’s flight, having been raised by monsters, not people, had none of the requisite skills. This is the post-canon fic about how Consolation learns to be a person that was my greatest wish for Christmas, and it's everything I could have hoped for. Mordre, She Wroot Canterbury Tales, Wife of Bath-focused, 8k, G. At least one pilgrim will not make it to Canterbury. Yes, you ABSOLUTELY DO need the Wife of Bath solving murders in your life. Just trust me on this. Underworlds: The Life and Afterlife of Richard Upton Pickman Cthulhu mythos, gen, 3.7k, G. Explore the life, works and enduring influence of Richard Upton Pickman, a controversial artist of the early 20th century. This exhibition includes several paintings never before displayed in public, including all of Pickman's graphic, unsettling "horrors" currently remaining in North America. The Boston Globe called Underworlds "stomach-turning food for thought"— but decide for yourself! Young children may find Pickman's paintings frightening; parents are advised to consider carefully before allowing them to proceed. This program serves as a guide to the exhibit. Audio versions for your mobile phone are available at the Parrington museum website. Such a well-done pastiche of a museum guide to a series of horrifying paintings. What Is Begotten The Eagle of the Ninth, Marcus/Esca, 7.5k, Teen. Esca learns the Latin word by accident, from Stephanos of all people. Soul-mate. A soulmate AU with an absolutely lovely take on the canon. Of Devils and Other Fine Things Fallen London, The Wistful Deviless/Zee-Captain, 1.1k, G. Wooing a devil can only end in tears. Really fantastic interpretation of what a relationship with a devil really means. head above water Gattaca, Jerome-focused, 1.2k, G. “Do you know,” Jerome’s mother asks his coach, “how Jerome first started swimming? Did he ever tell you that story?” Absolutely wonderful backstory for Jerome. Suspect Gattaca, Anton Freeman-focused, 1.8k, G. Five things Anton thought upon seeing Vincent was a suspect for murder (and one thing he said). Lovely character study on a minor part of the movie, this feel so right. Attempt #534: The One With The Bees The Good Place, Chidi/Eleanor, 8k, Explicit. “Eleanor!” Chidi looks even more upset as he blurts out, “The universe doesn’t want us to have sex, okay?” Eleanor chokes. “I’m sorry, what?” In which Eleanor and Chidi repeatedly try – and fail – to have sex. Totally hilarious, and also hot. Care and Feeding of Your Janet The Good Place, Janet-focused, 1.2k, Teen. Please read this guide carefully before activating your Janet. So, so, so funny. Operation: Seduce Michael The Good Place, Michael/Everyone, 2.3k, Teen. If at first you don't succeed, send a different cockroach. Really hilarious fic about the plan to seduce Michael, with pitch-perfect character voices and humor just like the show's. so slip your hand inside of my glove The Handmaiden, Hideko/Sook-hee, 2.6k, Teen. Hideko lets Sook-hee teach her how to distinguish sapphire from spinel and obediently bites the gold Sook-hee brings back to her. Hideko and Sook-hee, after. A post-canon fic that is beautiful and just perfection. Who's Got Who The Hateful Eight, Chris Mannix/Marquis Warren, 6.7k, Explicit. Warren makes inventive use of Mannix's sheriff star. And, for that matter, inventive use of Mannix. He thinks that will be the end of it. You know, as much as love Hateful Eight, I never expected to begin shipping Mannix/Warren. What can I say but that this fandom has some damn good writers? And they know their porn; good lord this one is hot. As Ice in the Desert Historical RPF, Richard I "The Lionheart" of England/Saladin, 2.3k, Teen. Saladin visits Richard's sickbed with fruit, and a question in his eyes. Gorgeously written, really some of the most beautiful descriptions I've read in quite a while. Two people on the opposite sides of the Crusades in a moment of peace. all the nameless that keeps us rising despite IT, Stan/Richie/Beverly, 4k, Teen. When Stan went over to Richie’s house after dinner to tutor him for their math test tomorrow he thought he knew exactly what he was signing up for. Beautiful depiction of loss and love and a game of spin-the-bottle. Epilogue Jane Eyre, Jane-focused, 3.4k, Mature. Not everything, Jane learns early on, is real. Deeply creepy alternative interpretation of the canon. I love this possibility. How Else Would Sailing Ships Ever Have Navigated? Jeeves, Madeline Bassett/Honoria Glossop, 2.3k, G. “Do you think,” Madeline said to Honoria as the more impressive parts of nature gradually crept up upon them, “that all daffodils are the daughters of sunlight?” Absolutely adorable fic for some minor characters with a pitch-perfect tone for the canon. the worlds that spin beyond our atmosphere Jupiter Ascending, Jupiter/Caine, 7.8k, Teen. When Jupiter woke up, there was a small metal sphere on the pillow beside her. She blinked at it, because it certainly had not been there when she had gone to bed the night before. Then Aunt Nino began to stir and grumble as she too woke up and Jupiter snatched up the sphere, lobbing it hastily into her half-packed suitcase on her way to go and make the coffee. In which Jupiter is propositioned by a space travel agency (but fancier!) and introduces Caine to her family. Gorgeous worldbuilding and wonderful expansion of the canon. I love the descriptions of other planets in here. Damsel King Arthur (2017), Arthur/The Mage, 3k, Teen. In which there's a girl, a dragon, and a castle, and Arthur resolves not to let the truth get in the way of a good story. Totally hilarious and a great fit with the canon. Those parts, which maids keep unespy'd Kushiel's Legacy, Phedre/Joscelin, 1.9k, Explicit. There are few things Phedre has never done. There's one she's never done with Joscelin. Wonderful hot and sweet fic. Het anal, which is rare to see in fanfiction, but so very well-done here. Midwinter Queen The Lion in Winter, Henry/Eleanor, 1.6k, G. Christmas at Chinon, 1183. Conversation gambits keep the Christmas fires burning. Cynical and regretful and funny and heavy, this story does a better job of capturing the voice of the canon than almost any I've read. By Degrees Mansfield Park, Mary Crawford/Fanny Price, 16.6k, Mature. Her conscience had been disturbed, and she could no longer dislike Mary Crawford enough to be safe from her, if such a thing had ever been possible at all. Really excellent slow-burn for one of my favorite Austen ships, and the Fanny characterization is just ideal. Canada Gold Mean Girls, Regina George/Janis Ian, 3.9k, Teen. Regina joined the CIA to catch bad guys. Unfortunately, this time, that meant she had to work with Janis. Yeah, so it turns out that the thing that's been missing from my life is Mean Girls f/f rival spies future-fic. I am so, so glad that this story exists because it's amazing.