#rottmnt almost dragons

[onejellyfishplease]

Anyone ask for a pseudo-dragon rottmnt au? no? well too bad you're getting one.

None of them are full 100% dragons, but like they're dragon-esque.

Also funny little ideas i had:

Slightly younger Mikey hanging out around Aprils neck like a really large snek

Donnie acting out multiple parts from musicals at the same time. boy can harmonise.

Leo acting as a very aggressive alarm clock. will scream in your ear.

Raph having absolutely no spatial awareness about how big he is and constantly smushing people up against the wall. One time he sat on Mikey.

April realising her life is batshit insane cause her best friends and basically brothers are massive lizard-dragon things. It hits her like biweekly.

here's them being eepy.

(they seem like they could very efficiently form a tower. I should draw that.)

[wirtsauce4020]

The final background drawing of the year is completed, thus concluding my quest to learn more about drawing environments

I'm honestly surprised at myself for completing so many of these. I've still got a lot to learn, but I am proud of what I accomplished

[ghostytoad]

* Fun n' Games *

ROTTMNT Boys x GN! Leo-esque reader who enjoys drama, making jokes, and being overall awesome

Summary: The Hamato brothers unexpectedly fall for the smug, but genuine, fun-loving reader despite their egocentric habits Headcanons for: Donnie

GN! Reader; Romantic; Fluff || Words: 1.6k

Raph | Leo | Mikey | Bonus!!

Donnie:

his first thoughts upon meeting y/n is that literally nothing could be worse. he could be boiling alive in one of meatsweat's fancy culinary stews and be less bothered by that than having to endure not one, but TWO LEOS

there goes the fleeting days of being able to complete his work in peace and quiet; o call back yesterday, bid time return

really tho, all his eye rolling and indifference is just an act that he refuses to let up on (he has a REPUTATION to uphold after all!!)

it doesn't take much time for donnie to warm up to y/n though; he's more or less used to his twin's antics and smug behavior and with y/n being almost exactly the same, it's like they've known each other their whole lives

he chalks it up to being comfortable with the familiar, but his brothers can definitely see it for what it is: a crush

he enjoys the competitive tension between y/n and him, it keeps him on his toes and gives him a boost when he feels out of it and needs the motivation

doesn't much care for the whole ego thing, but it doesn't bother him as bad as leo's does; at least y/n has good reason to be as cocky as they are. they're funny, they're charming, they're cool, they're incredibly perceptive

in fact, he's secretly made a list of all the good qualities y/n has and all the things he likes about them… it's like a whole 10 spreadsheets worth of data

to be fair, he does keep a similar list for his brothers and april, so it's not like he's stalking y/n or anything; it's just his way of "bonding" with his loved ones

but y/n's list is a lot longer than anyone else's; there's just so much to like about them. it only makes sense that their list of good traits happens to match up pretty well with his list of "things to look for in a potential mate" (a secret list that he will take to his grave)

whenever they go on missions, he makes sure to fit y/n in all his latest gear he's made them for their protection; they might talk big game, but donnie still has to take precautions!

he may or may not have taken y/n on a few purple dragon-related missions - AKA "let's go put whipped cream in all of their hard drives and cover their hideout in tinfoil wrapping just to fuck with them"; turns out that the police do not find it funny

"let me just say for the record that nothing's illegal unless it can be proven beyond reasonable doubt. and you can't prove that y/n and i were there so…"

y/n ain't no snitch, so don can trust them to keep their mouth shut if anyone ever gets suspicious of their misdeeds; this also makes them his go-to for some of the more emotionally heavier things that he can't talk to his brothers about

yeah, donnie's not great with emotions, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel them - he genuinely finds y/n to be a comforting presence, especially considering their amazing emotional perception and how well they can read him

he finds it much easier to work when y/n's hanging around the lab with him; they don't have to interact much, all it takes is a visit from y/n and he's hit with a burst of motivation

gets more work done with y/n around than he usually does and takes advantage of this productivity by making y/n stay with him for literal hours even if they don't actively take part in his work

he's even made them a little corner with all of their favorite things in the lab so they can keep busy while he works; they might be good for motivation and all, but he knows better than to leave y/n alone with one of his inventions considering their… impulsive behavior (rip stun-bo feature, we hardly knew ya)

"w-what, leaving? you can't leave yet! i've only just started on this upgraded micro-transmitter for the tank and i need your help! what do you mean you just sit there for hours doing nothing? that's entirely false, you are helping me out immensely! now sit right there and don't touch anything until i tell you to-"

their easy-going nature really complements his more rigid and particular personality; together, they are an unstoppable and wildly chaotic duo

he might be the funniest turtle of the group, but y/n has him in tears with their lame little jokes and one-liners; he mostly only laughs at the roasts and teases directed at his brothers though

overall, his brothers have an ongoing bet over how long it'll be before donnie finally realizes he has a MAJOR crush on y/n; leo has his bets on "not in my lifetime", april predicts it'll be sometime after casey jr's time, mikey's a little more generous and says "maybe in the next decade or two", and raph is just fed up with it and wants it over with NOW

The buzzing and whirring of various tools occupied the otherwise silently uneventful lab as Donatello worked away on his latest project, completely absorbed in his work. Tucked away in the corner, sitting snug in the soft embrace of a plush beanbag, Y/N busied themselves with another round of Smash Bros on their purple (totally not Genius Built branded) Switch. Most days in the lab were spent in comfortable silence, as the purple coded brother did his best work when there were minimal distractions. But for Y/N, that meant keeping all audible cries of excitement or groans of defeat to a minimum while gaming. And sure, that was a reasonable request for a while, but had it really already been four hours?! As Y/N glanced down at their phone for the time, they let out a loud, heavy sigh as boredom overwhelmed their usually active mind.

"Don, how much longer do I gotta sit here? I'm practically dying of boredom. I'm terminal now. Terminal!" They slumped themselves back over the cushion, causing it to wheeze under the shifted weight.

"Just a few minor adjustments left and we'll be as good as gold." Donnie hadn't even looked up from the tester bot he was tinkering with, something which Y/N met with a frustrated scowl.

"And by a few, you mean…?"

"I still need to work on recalibrating the external displays to account for the large-"

"UUUGH, no, how long! I've been here so long that my leg's've atro- asta-… ASTROFIELD!"

Donnie could hardly contain the snort that sounded from under his welding mask.

"I think the term you're looking for is 'atrophied' and no, I seriously doubt that the mere act of sitting is enough to deteriorate muscle tissue."

"Whatever. I'm dying here and you wanna lecture me on-"

They were interrupted by the soft thudding of approaching footsteps, the unmistakable sound of Raph entering the lab.

"Heya, D. Y/N. Sorry to barge in on y'all, just wanted to check in and see if y'guys needed anything. It's been, uh… A while and it's gettin' dark so-"

"Raph, will you tell Dorkie here to quit holdin' me hostage and let me go? He's been keeping me prisoner here and I haven't even gotten my one phone call!" Y/N teased. Their moniker was successful in tearing Donnie's attention away from his desk across the room to shoot them a bitter glare.

"Heh, y'know Y/N, you could leave anytime you wanted, right? It's not like he's actually gonna trap you here. Er… Right?" Raphael's playful expression tinged itself with a hint of concern as he, for a moment, considered the possibility of a hostage negotiation with his little brother.

"Nah, I'm actually good here. I just want something more to DO when I'm here. I can't just be here for moral support, y'know." They stuck their tongue out at the softshell as they rolled themselves off the bag and plopped softly onto the tile floor.

The eldest mutant scratched at the back of his neck with a chuckle. Of course Donnie would tell them it's for 'moral support'.

"Uh, Y/N. You do know he only really keeps you in here because he's got a thing for you, right? That whole moral support thing's a load of crock."

It was at that moment that the ambient hum of tools stopped and tense silence flooded in its place. Y/N propped themselves up on elbows and craned their neck towards Donatello who sat faced away from them with tense shoulders bunched up.

Sensing the awkward situation he'd now put them in, Raph let out a small hiss of regret between his teeth and slowly shuffled his feet back towards the door.

"Riiight… So, you guys good? Yeah? Yeah. I'm gonna just-"

And with that, he practically bolted for the door, leaving Y/N and Donnie to stew in the thick air of their own embarrassment.

"D-Donnie…" Y/N could barely squeak, their eyes fixed to the empty doorway as if they were pleading for Raph to come back and take the awkward with him.

Donnie took in a sharp breath and in one swift motion, pushed his work chair back and spun to face his companion with only his iron-will keeping him from running out of the lab himself.

"I-" He started, his face dark red and his lip quivering with anxiety as his mind parsed through the many scenarios in which this sort of confession could've gone.

"I knew it couldn't have been just for my good looks." Y/N's smug grin and flirtatious wink did little to alleviate the mutant's humiliation.

"Huh?"

"For the record…" Scooting up to Donnie's hunched form, Y/N gently took his hands into theirs and kept their gaze locked to the floor as the faintest blush dusted their cheeks, "I have a thing for you too."

Out of every scenario he'd managed to file through, this one was one outcome he didn't anticipate. But one he would happily accept.

[datesinredink]

Ranking the yandere rottmnt boys by how likely they are to kidnap their darling

Just a little crumb to keep myself from losing my mind while staring at google docs this late at night. Sorry if this is super bad, it's way later at night than I'm used to staying up and election night stressed me the hell out.

Donnie.

I have absolutely no doubts that he's going to at least try very very hard to kidnap you. And honestly, I doubt it would be too hard. He's a highly trained, mystic wielding, tech inventing, mutant ninja turtle. And on top of that, he's very fond of planning absolutely everything. And to finish it all off, I think it would be once in a blue moon that he actually treats his darling as an equal. He already thinks he's better than almost everyone, and when he gets obsessed, he has to make himself feel better about it somehow, so he decides to cope by thinking you need him instead of it being the other way around. As a result, he treats you a bit like a very glorified songbird, and songbirds.. well, aren't they usually put in cages anyway? You won't even care after a week or two of adjustment! (He will get upset if you aren't content with being kidnapped by then, by the way.)

2. Raph

The only reason Raph is behind Donnie on this list is because I think he would take longer to justify it to himself. He thinks you're fragile, that you need to be protected from the harsh world! I mean, he barely trusts his youngest brother, who is also a highly trained ninja, to do a simple mission on his own. How do you think he'll treat you after the obsession sets in properly? Not really as an equal, I'll tell you that. He's much nicer to you than Donnie would be, but he still doesn't respect you enough to let you handle yourself, even if that's not how he sees his behavior. At the same time though... isn't he supposed to be a hero? Do heroes kidnap their darlings? Or would this make him the dragon... In the end though, he'll decide that he's fine with being the dragon so long as he knows that the rest of the world won't be able to run their metaphorical (or maybe literal, depending on how unpopular you are in the area) pitchforks right through your heart.

3. Mikey

Mikey wouldn't just.. outright kidnap his darling, I think. I think it would start with a fun sleepover at the lair! Then he insists you stay just one more day! You're having so much fun, after all! Don't you wanna hang out with your best friend for a while longer? You agree, of course- him and his brothers have been nothing but nice to you ever since you met them, and their company is always a delight, so it's worth a shot, isn't it? Then suddenly, the weekend is over, and school's ready to chew you up again, so you do leave. Then it's finally the weekend again! You've heard of a fun game from your school friends, so you plan on trying it when you get home this afternoon- it's friday, after all- when you get a text from Mikey in the group chat with his brothers. He wants you to come over again- and, of course, you say "sure". Not like you can't just play the game on sunday, or when you go home saturday. The sleepover flies by, but you're a bit weary by the time you're pretty sure you're supposed to go home- but here's Mikey, and he's so sure that you promised you'd stay at the lair until sunday again! So, you give in. There's always next weekend, right...? I think you get the pattern, but eventually, he'll be keeping you at the lair 24/7, and you'll be rubbing at your weary eyes wondering how you got into this mess. Sometimes you can even see his brothers shoot you worried looks.

4. Leo

Leo would only kidnap his darling as a last resort, and I think it's because of two reasons. One, he's the brother who sees you closest to being an equal (Donnie and Raph constantly go against your personal autonomy and Mikey puts you on an extremely restricting pedestal), though to be fair, that's not a high bar to pass- and two he much prefers to have some sort of interesting conflict to be present because he finds it entertaining. His life is a weird, morally incorrect soap opera at this point, and he's the number one viewer. Kidnapping would only really happen with him if he thought you were either seriously leaving him (moving or getting into a serious relationship with someone else) or if the circumstances around him got too stressful and he needed something to cling to for any semblance of support outside his brothers (who, at that point, would probably also be super stressed). Think post movie, when the city is still recovering. Man, he was probably freaking out thinking that you might've died to the kraang.

[dysfunctional-doodle]

TMNT FIC RECS

I got someone asking to recommend some angst TMNT fics so I decided to make a list of my own! I’ll recommend some of my favourite fics then a few of mine for those that haven’t read them :)

NOTE - I’m such a Mikey fan that almost all of these are Mikey-centric angst, my bad. Still very very good. Top tier shit:

Ok so I’m going to cut this because this list is massive, please keep reading!!

NOT MY FICS:

Feed Me Poison ‘Til I Drown (TMNT 2007, All Media Types)

Summary: Mikey’s tired of not being taken seriously by his brothers. Karai is very persuasive. As such, Mikey joins the Foot clan…mere months after Leo is sent away for training.

Notes: This is wonderfully written. A what if based on a cancelled TMNT 2 sequel where Mikey joins The Foot due to him feeling unappreciated and a burden. I personally love a unreliable narrator, and this captures that perfectly - you don’t know whether Mikey is being manipulated, or whether his actions (and how antagonistic they get) are of his own free will and not brainwashing. Chefs kiss. (Ao3)

All works by Justalittleobsessed.

All of them are perfect angst ranging from mild injury to absolute gut wrenching angst. Please check all of them out, they are some of my favourites for sure. (Ao3)

Radio Silence (All Media Types)

Summary: Mikey isn’t answering his shell cell, which isn’t like him, prompting his brothers to go look for him; Mikey has no idea what’s going on, but the rain is making nice sounds and moving hurts and there are noises coming from his shell cell that he should probably pay attention to.

Notes: Less angst and more hurt in this one, but still brilliant on capturing exactly how it feels to wake up from a serious injury, alone and confused. Perfectly describes shock and has a decent dosage of comfort after. (Ao3)

Missing Comedic Relief (TMNT 2003, All Media Types)

Summary: Michelangelo is the light of the family, he's always cracking jokes no matter what situation they're in. His family doesn't realize it, but his jokes help keep up the team moral. They always break the tension and make it easier to do what they need to do. So when Mikey isn't part of a mission, his family can't help but notice how empty their team felt. To make matters worse, the reason Mikey isn't part of their mission was because he was missing.

Notes: I love this one because the amount of emotional angst from the brothers not knowing where Mikey is and missing what he means to each of them is just amazingly written. The brothers don’t know where Mikey is but know he’s hurt and in trouble, and it largely follows their point of view as they search everywhere for him. Mikey himself suffers quite a bit too (cage fighting against a bunch of Purple Dragons, not fun) and it ends with comfort! Huzzah! (Ao3)

The T Subjects (ROTTMNT)

Summary: Mikey and Don face their worst fears when they're separated from their brothers by ruthless scientists.

Notes: If you want angst, this is the place to go, seriously. Explores the terrifying reality of what would happen when any of the turtles get captured by scientists who want nothing more than to study them. It’s heartbreaking reading about how Donnie is trying to keep it together for Mikey, but ultimately fails when he is separated from his youngest brother. And Mikey - god, he goes through it too much. His childlike faith in Donnie and genuine fear is written so well.

I will note that this is private, so you can only read it if you have an ao3 account.

I’ve Been Afraid of Changing (TMNT 2007, though can be read as general)

Summary: “You can’t make me go,” Mikey blurts, too loud. “I won’t. I don’t want to.”

“Jesus,” Donnie mutters, rubbing his forehead. He’s already so fed-up with Mikey after like three seconds of conversation that Mikey can feel his eyes start to sting. “The last thing I want to do is fight with you, Mike. I thought you liked Cowabunga Carl.”

It’s not fair. Donnie’s so smart. He’s tired and overworked and unhappy, but he’s smart. How can he get this one thing so wrong? How can he not know Mikey as well as he used to, like all of those years of being each other’s best friends and co-conspirators and secret-keepers from where they were relegated to the “B Team” aren’t as intrinsic and important and fundamental to him as they are to Mikey? How can he look at Mikey, right in the face, and not understand him at all? Something breaks.

Notes: a kind of AU of the TMNT 2007 movie where Mikey develops depression/has a mental breakdown due to how the other brothers have drifted apart. His birthday is forgotten, Donnie and Raph keep fighting, he hates his job - and he can’t take it anymore. It’s horrible reading Mikey’s breakdown, but it ends on a much happier note! If you want emotional angst this is FULL of it. (Ao3)

Nothing is Ever Simple (TMNT 2003, All Media Types)

Summary: When breaking up an arms' deal goes bad, Mikey is taken and Raphael is on the trail of his brother's kidnappers. You don't mess with family.

Notes: Mikey gets kidnapped and Raph is left following a small trail to find him. This fic is one of my favourites because of the way it focuses a lot on Raph and his own personal demons, and how much Mikey means to him. Also, Mikey gets tortured in a twisted way, and seeing him never give in is always a plus in the old angst book. Overall, though it seems it’s about Mikey it’s mostly about Raph. His own reflections, fears and loyalties to family. (Ao3)

Never Really Over (ROTTMNT)

What appears to be another routine Purple Dragons bust takes a devastating turn when one of the brothers gets infected with leftover krang sludge. Or; kraangified Mikey

Notes: what can I say about this one apart from Mikey gets kraangified. It’s peak angst, I promise. Absolutely amazing, read it. (Ao3)

That’s where the blood is supposed to be! (ROTTMNT)

Summary: Sometimes, you just get hit a little too hard (aka: mikey blames everything on low blood sugar for ~4K words)

Notes: Mikey is seriously injured but doesn’t tell anyone due to the high tensions between Raph and Leo. Come on - physical and emotional angst? Sign me up! Very good and accurate descriptions of injury and gore, and the build up of this one is just perfect. You know something is horribly wrong, and it’s torture. Poor Mikey. (Ao3)

A Change In Outbreak (TMNT 2003)

Summary: Shredder showed us that there are there infinite number of realities, thousands of dimension and each of them differ from the last when it came to the turtle brothers. This one is no different then the one we've known our Turtles to be part of, however there is one little detail, one small thing that's different. Instead of Donnie getting mutated, it's Mikey.

Notes: long time fans probably all know about this fanfic, it’s a classic! Based on the original idea that Mikey would be double mutated in the Good Genes arc rather than Donnie, it retells the events if Mikey had indeed been infected. It keeps it fresh by adding new elements and plot points, as well as a lot of angst surrounding the brothers after seeing their youngest and heart be reduced to a monster. Plenty of emotional and physical angst all round, it’s perfect. (Ao3)

Heated Arguments Don’t Warm a Frozen Family (TMNT 2003, All Media Types)

Summary: “He’s gotta be around here somewhere, I just kno-“ he suddenly tripped over an object buried in the snow.

“GaH!” Leo shuddered, pulling himself up quickly and brushing off the cold substance.

“Leo???”

Looking back to see what it was that caused his fall, his heart nearly launched into his throat. “Oh no.”

“Leo, what’s wrong?!” Raph’s voice echoed again from the phone.

Leo got onto his knees, ignoring the cold snow that he initially was avoiding. He anxiously brushed away a few inches of loose fluffy snow to see the familiar pattern of a shell. “Shit-“ He muttered under his breath “Get Donnie and come to my location now!”

“What’s going on?! We’re on our way now!” Raph sounded like he was already running.

“I found Mikey.” Leo’s voice cracked as he hung up the phone before Raphael could respond.

Notes: one of the first fics I read on this fandom and still one of my favourites. Lots of emotional and physical, Mikey centric angst in this one! (Ao3)

Everything by BrightLotusMoon

Seriously, they got me into this fandom from a casual watcher to artist and fanfic writer! Full of Mikey angst, and creator of the Empath! Mikey head cannon that lives rent free in my head and has inspired many of my own material! Read them all, they’re all bangers.

Revenge Always Tastes Sweet (But the Aftertaste is Bitter (ROTTMNT)

Summary: Actions have consequences and they come back with a vengeance when it's least expected. A trip to the Hidden City gives one of the brothers a taste of just how deadly making enemies with a yokai can be.

Notes: What, not Mikey angst?? Not this time - Donnie gets the full angst attack when he gets poisoned from an unknown enemy. Lots of well described hurt, end it has a happy ending! (Ao3)

Hyperactive Hyperthermia (ROTTMNT)

Summary: Snow day ruined for the second year in a row! They had expected a break, but they really couldn't ever catch one. How could they have known mystic fire was so uncontrollable?Maybe standing on the ice lake was the first bad idea.

---

OR: The brothers go out for a snow day, but it quickly goes south after multiple avalanches and other shenanigans leaves Mikey without any winter clothing and trapped with Donnie under the snow.

Notes: this one…this one is heartbreaking, honestly. You have to read about Donnie being trapped with a freezing Mikey, and he knows this but is helpless to do anything but watch it happen. The emotional angst in this kicks you deep in the gut, it’s terrible I love it. (ao3)

Nowhere Boy (TMNT 2003, can be read as general)

Summary: He was twelve years old, and he realized that his dreams were always the same. Every single one. "We need you. We'll find you," those indistinct figures would say, their eyes glinting in the darkness, shadows stretching out to him like hands. But he always woke up before they reached him.

Notes: I LOVE this one. It has lived with me ever since I read it, something about it is so heartbreaking. It explores the feeling of being lost despite not knowing why, and how much you miss someone despite never knowing them. It actually inspired a fic of my own, which I will link in my own fics list. I don’t want to spoil it, but please read it. Mikey centric angst heaven (ao3)

Unfamiliar Familiar (ROTTMNT/TMNT 2012 Crossover)

Summary: What the hell is Michelangelo supposed to do? Having woken up in a strange world with new brothers? Why is everyone here so nice? Why won’t they let him leave? The Rise brothers stumble upon a traumatized Mikey, and when they learn the reason behind all that trauma, there is no way they’ll let him experience that again.

TLDR: Rise brothers adopt 2012 Mikey

Notes: I am a sucker for slight 2012 bashing and this one fulfils it without being overly mean. 2012 Mikey has been traumatised by his brothers and his enemies, and finally gets the chance to heal and start again when he is thrown into the rise universe. Very popular fic, I highly suggest you read it despite it not being complete. So much emotional angst I swear. (Ao3)

Going under (ROTTMNT)

Summary: “Have a pleasant swim, little turtle!” they snicker.

Mikey’s eyes widen.

“NO!”

Then, he feels weightless.

He’s falling.

And falling.

And then —

His body hits the water with a loud splash and his vision flashes white.

Notes: Mikey almost drowns. Peak angst. (Ao3)

Sunshine in the Rain (ROTTMNT)

Summary: After a mission gone wrong, Michelangelo is taken by a government scientist named Bishop, how will he respond to this new environment, and more importantly, will his brothers be able to save him before he breaks? Let the game begin.

Notes: Mikey sacrificing himself to save his brothers from Bishop? Yes please, and thank you author. Seriously, this has it all - introducing Bishop in the rise universe, and Leatherhead! Of course, lots of angst in the form of experimentation. But that’s what we’re here for, right? (Ao3)

Quicksand (All Media Types)

Summary: Trapped in darkness, no one can hear you, no one can see you, no one knows where you are. The cold lingers, the fear rises, who will help us? Who even knows we are down here? The only people who might know are probably dead. Help us, someone please help…

Notes: Mikey and Donnie get trapped in a collapsing lair when earthquakes year apart their home. Leo and Raph are the only ones that can get to them, but the snow storm is stopping them. This is so brutal in the way NO ONE gets a break, the angst just keeps coming. Everyone gets it. I love it. Read it (fanfiction.net)

Ghosts of New York Past (TMNT 2003)

Summary: The turtles and Splinter have been transported 100 years into the future through Cody Jones' time window. Future New York is a lot to take in. But when the dust settles and the sun goes down, the big unanswered question is still there: how are they supposed to fit into a time that doesn't belong to them?

Notes: light angst, exploring the more emotional and wise side of Mikey that we don’t see often in the show. (Fanfiction.net)

Questioning Choices (TMNT 2003, All Media Types)

Summary: A fun family trip to the beach turns ugly when Michelangelo is injured and his brothers have to make difficult decisions that go against their morals in order to save him.

Notes: I don’t know why but I love this one too much. Mike’s slowly getting worked whilst the brothers have to go against their morals and steal from an ambulance? Perfection. (fanfiction.net)

Suffered to Slumber (All Media Types)

Summary: "Breathe quick, breathe slow, put the gun in your mouth and pull the trigger. Any way you like, you're gonna die down here."

Notes: this one is also BRUTAL. Mikey getting buried alive? It’s all the angst you think and somehow more.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (TMNT 2003)

Summary: What was supposed to be a pleasant Christmas Eve with family and friends suddenly turns to one of terror and uncertainty for the turtles. Will they make it through this Christmas together? Or will one fall?

Notes: one of my favourites. Mikey can’t keep out of trouble on Christmas Eve, and ends up paying the price this time. (Fanfiction.net)

It’s Much More Complicated (All Media Types)

Summary: After a late night patrol, Mikey falls ill. At first it's nothing to worry about, but something that seemed to be harmless turns into a race of life and death.

Notes: we love our favourite character getting deadly sick

An Agonising Secret (All Media Types)

Summary: Mikey tries to hide an injury from his brothers, but soon discovers that it wasn't as harmless as he thought it was...

Notes: more hidden injury? Yes please. I highly suggest look at this authors other works as well, lots of angst

Underdark (TMNT 2003, can he read as general)

Summary: He's hanging upside down in the middle of the great underdark, weighed down by a half hysterical turtle in the middle of a bunch of pipes and water and rock that are conspiring to kill us both off, and Leo still manages to sound like he Has A Plan.

Notes: do I need to even introduce this classic? Everyone knows it, it’s amazing.

MY OWN FICS

Helpless (TMNT 2003):

Summary: “No one comes. No one swoops in at the last second, nor does he manage to break the cuffs at the perfect moment. Instead, there is a collective shriek from the beasts below him as they all lunge forward in a hungered wave, their curled claws scraping against his scales and hideous jaws dripping with froth and drool.

Heart racing, Michelangelo hisses at the rodents. However, his warning is ignored by their destructive hunger. The hiss cuts off into a yelp when the first rat bites down on the exposed area between his skin and his shell, its grimy paws digging the pink flesh underneath away.”

What if, in the episode I, Monster, Mikey didn’t get out of the restraints in time? What if he was left, helpless against hoards of rats with no one to help?

TLDR: Mikey gets attacked by rats. It doesn’t end well. What can I say, I’m in a horror mood.

I’m Lost (But I Don’t Know Why) (TMNT 2003)

Summary: “He is mourning the loss of someone he never knew, doesn’t know, but it hurts all the same. He thinks back to the nunchucks, and the orange tape wrapped around them. The comic books hidden under the couch. The extra plate that he sets up everyday, has been for the past three weeks. The gap in their formation.

Missing, missing, missing, his mind chants, but he can’t know what. He’s lost, and can’t remember why.”

There have always been four of them - Donatello, Raphael, himself and his father. Or at least, that’s what Leonardo had thought. But something is missing. They are mourning the loss of another they have never even known. They are lost. But why?

TLDR: a curse makes everyone forget Michelangelo. Leonardo knows there’s something missing, but he doesn’t know why.

All I Ever Wanted (TMNT 2003)

Summary: Donatello vowed that the future he had seen would never occur. He wouldn’t let it. But he’s failed. He’s failed, because Mikey is bleeding out beneath him, his arm severed under a stormy sky. And no help is coming in time.

TLDR: Perhaps the future will not repeat itself, but it can rhyme. How Mikey, despite Donatello’s efforts, loses his arm in the cannon timeline.

Hunted (TMNT 2003, can be read as general)

Summary: What starts out as a late night adventure in the woods beside the farmhouse turns deadly when a group of hunters catch Mikey off guard. Alone and wounded, Mikey struggles to find his way to safety.

TLDR: Mikey is chased by a group of hunters with no way to contact his brothers.

The Shoebox (ROTTMNT)

Summary: Post “Snow Day”, Mikey tearing his coat has drastic consequences that result in him freezing and slipping into brumation.

TLDR: Box turtles, when hibernating, can have no detectable pulse or heartbeat. None of Mikey’s brothers are aware of this and believe that they have just watched their youngest brother die.

Don’t Wander Off (Stay Where You Are) (ROTTMNT)

Summary: Box turtles will keep walking in attempt to find their home if they ever get lost, even if they die doing it. Mikey shares that same instinct.

When he gets lost, he keeps walking. He finds home.

TLDR: Mikey centric angst where he keeps walking despite growing weaker.

Promise (ROTTMNT)

Summary: After the events of the movie, Mikey discovers that, with the increase in his mystic power, he gains the ability to see the future. However, every time he does, he forgets some of his present.

Year after year, a gift twists into a curse, crumbling the relationships between brothers and ultimately ending in a terrible price. But Mikey made a promise all those years ago, and intends to keep it.

TLDR: Mikey sees the future until he forgets everything of his present.

Vs The World (ROTTMNT)

Summary: The Kraang almost-invasion has been hard on the entire family. Michelangelo knows this, and knows he needs to be the one that keeps them all together, like stubborn orange glue.

But his brothers aren’t talking. They aren’t leaving their rooms, trapped in their own traumas. Mikey tries - so, so hard - but the silence is suffocating. He leaves the lair, only to find a stray cat left for dead. And suddenly, he isn’t alone anymore. But he is still breaking, slowly.

TLDR: Mikey find Klunk in the Rise universe whilst dealing with trauma and depression. I am bad at summaries, so give it a quick read if you want.

Wow, this is long. Happy reading @nat06cas, @brightlotusmoon and @sparklingsunkissedsoul and everyone else!

[astral--horrorshow]

Around-The-Clock Shadows

Platonic Yandere ROTTMNT x Reader

Info: This will be a full-length fic including multiple ROTTMNT characters, the main storyline revolves around the Mad Dogs.

Fic Summary: You sure are likeable, aren't you?

《Chapter 1》

Chapter 2: Juice-Induced Short-Circuit

Characters: Donnie, Leo, Raph, Mikey

A/N: Chapter 2 is here! I'm going to try to write a bit more to get chapters out faster, (dw i'm not burning myself out, i literally sit around at home most days) so ya'll have that to look forwards to!

Tbh I did my most productive writing while listening to video game fan music, maybe it just has magical tendencies from good it is.

If you want to be added to a taglist, just say the word! If you want to draw fanart or make anything based off of this, I would be literally honored. Please don't be shy, I will love whatever you make! If you have any questions about the fic, feel free to ask!

TW: Stalking, kidnapping plans, toxic relationships, Donnie has a bit of an ego, ruining of clothing

I do not condone any of the behaviors found or done in this fic. This story is purely for entertainment purposes. If you or someone you know is being treated like this, please contact the authorities.

Please Reblog writer's work!

Chapter Summary: Donnie gets rid of a tracker in a way that Leo doesn't like very much, and Raph goes over a plan with his brothers.

Word Count: 1176

☆~☆~☆

"Don't let me hear the robins sing above,

What good's their song if I've no one to love?"

You leaned your head back against the porcelain of the bathtub, watching the steam from the water curl up towards the ceiling. The silky-double vocals of Leslie Gore crept beneath the door and echoed throughout the tiled bathroom.

You leaned forwards and pulled the plug to the drain, watching the water swirl into the pipes.

"Don't let that dreamy moon come out, come out tonight,"

You lifted the needle off of the record, slipping it back into its case and strolling back to your bedroom. You snuggled under the warm covers, your wet hair dampening the pillow. Your eyelids were getting heavier with each second, warm water always did make you sleepy.

A hand landed on the outdoor windowsill, pulling the body attached to it upwards, revealing Donatello. He froze for a moment when you stirred in your sleep, but relaxed again when you merely turned your sleeping face to the wall.

Donnie pulled open your window, and slipped inside almost silently. He scanned around the room, before the spot of red light he was looking for pulled him to the jacket it was coming from.

He plucked the tracker the Purple Dragons had planted and glared at it with distaste. How dare they disrespect your privacy like that? He knew that they didn't care about you, not like he did. He wants to protect you, they want to use you. He wouldn't let that happen, over his dead body. Donnie's trackers are for protection purposes, so you need them. You need him, you need the rest of your new family to protect you from people like Kendra.

Now, what to do with the tracker? He obviously couldn't bring it back to the Lair, but he didn't want to leave it on you. He couldn't place it somewhere else, there were still things to prepare for your arrival and they would still see you at school, much to his displeasure. He thought it over, finding no good options even within the deepest depths of his intellect.

Suddenly, he thought of the most intelligent idea. He would spill something on the jacket, so you would throw it in the wash! The tracker would be destroyed! Those horrible, deceiving nerds wouldn't suspect a thing! He applauded himself in his mind, basking in his own intellect.

He was so busy praising himself in his mind that he didn't notice the electric blue portal materializing out of thin air behind him until Leo was right behind him. Donnie jumped nearly a mile out of his skin when Leo's hand landed on his shoulder.

He jerked around, expecting you to have woken up somehow and discovered his presence, but deflated when he saw that it was just his brother, and glared at him.

"What are you doing here, Leo?" Donnie said, crossing his arms with an annoyed look on his face. He could believe that his brother could do what he was doing, but he really wished he wouldn't.

"I'm visiting, of course," Leonardo flipped the ends of his bandana over his shoulder like it was hair, "Also, Raph sent me to look for you. You didn't come back after you left."

"That's none of your business."

"I think it is. If you're here, then it's all our business."

"You'll just do something rash."

Leo put on a half-mocking, half-serious pout, "Nuh-uh!"

"Scoff."

"If you don't tell me, I'll tell Raph and Mikey something is wrong."

Donatello clenched his fists and teeth, glaring even deeper at Leo. "Fine. The Purple Dragons placed a tracker on them, and I'm going to get rid of it."

Leonardo brought a hand up to his chest and gasped dramatically like a woman in a black-and-white movie, his eyes widening. "No!" He said it less like an exclamation, and more like a woman gossiping with her friends.

"Yes. Like I said, I'm going to get rid of it. Now go away."

Leo sassily put a hand on his hip, "No. I'm going to stay here and look after them."

"Fine," Donnie snapped, "But if you wake them up, you're going to regret it."

He walked to the kitchen, taking a carton of juice out of the fridge before returning.

Upon re-entering the bedroom, Donnie gritted his teeth yet again upon seeing him sit on the edge of your bed, his three-fingered hand gently petting the top of your head.

“What are you doing? Get off of there before you wake them up!” Leo pouted at his brother’s demand, but sat up anyway. He cocked his head in curiosity upon seeing the juice in Donnie’s hand.

“Juice?”

“Yes. This is how I’m going to get rid of that awful tracker.”

Leo launched forwards, attempting to grab the juice. “Don’t do that! You’re going to ruin a perfectly good jacket!”

Donatello jerked his hand back before Leo could grab it. “The whole point is that they’re going to wash it, dumb-dumb.” Upon hearing his brother’s plan, Leo didn’t try to grab the juice anymore, but put a hand on his hip again. “And what happens if it stains?”

“I’ll buy them another one,” Donnie turned back to the jacket, screwing the cap open.

Leonardo made no further attempt to stop his brother, but looked away as Donnie poured the liquid over the fabric. In his refusal to watch him disfigure clothing, he looked over to you, still sleeping soundly even with all the noise they were both making. You really were a deep sleeper, how cute.

“Done,” Donnie announced, interrupting Leo’s thoughts. He turned back to him, trying not to focus on the stained fabric on a hanger behind him. “Let’s just go,” Leo said, sulkily. He didn’t want to leave you so soon, but he couldn’t stand another minute in the awkwardness of the moment. They both walked to the kitchen, checking on you one last time to make sure you were still sleeping soundly. Donnie put the juice back in the fridge, then stepped into Leo’s portal.

☆~☆~☆

The Turtle Tank sped throughout the backstreets of New York City, leaving scattered papers and humans in its wake. Raphael pulled the tank into an isolated alleyway, beckoning his brothers to join in a circle.

"Okay," Raph said, putting his arms on the backs of Leo and Mikey, who were next to him in the circle, "We have everything prepared? Donnie, you have the tranq gun?"

"Of course I do, Raph," Donnie said with a slightly exasperated tone, "We've been over this."

"Okay, fine. Everyone knows the plan, right? We sneak in, get them, and take them home, like a boss!" Upon saying his catchphrase, Raph pumped his fist in the air, hyped up.

His energy spread to his younger brothers, and they put in their words of excitment and encouragement. Raph drove the vehicle out of the alleyway, and sped towards your home.

☆~☆~☆

A/N: Apologies if this chapter drags on a bit! I wanted to focus more on staying on one scene because of all the jumping back and forth in the first chapter! Also sorry that Raph and Mikey aren't very active in the story right now! They'll be a lot more starting in chapter 3! The first two chapters are more focused on the stalking aspect, which I tend to assign to Leo and Donnie. Raph and Mikey are more caretaker-esque, which you'll definently see very soon!

Taglist <3: @yandere-toons @yanteetle @ssak-i @oleander-nin @averagerottmntsimp

[the-ninjago-historian]

Hello Everyone

How are you all? Good I hope! :)

You may have noticed I've been posting less. This is because of a few different things came up that have been getting in the way. However, just to be clear, I'm not leaving. Never in a million years. Things might have to change a bit though. So, let me answer the question

What Happened?

The first thing that happened was the release of Dragons Rising Season 2. I wasn't expecting so much discourse to spawn from it. And as a person who uses this space as a way to escape negativity in the real world, that was upsetting for me. And I didn't want to be involved in any of it. So I decided to take a break for awhile. That started a chain reaction of me not being as timely with my release of leaks, news, fun facts and general posting. In addition, I also ended up shortly afterwards getting a huge case of burnout.

Thankfully, both the discourse and the burnout has died down a bit. (Although admittedly, I'm still scared to go anywhere near the Ninjago tag.😅) But to my surprise, something else came up. One of my other side blogs started taking off. I wasn't expecting it too. I had planned to keep it small since I was already working on many things here. But one thing lead to another, and now I'm frantically juggling two blogs that both need attention.

Hopefully I can get this all sorted out. I have a few idea that should work. Now, finally I can answer

What Happens Next?

Well, first and foremost, my projects. I should be very clear, none of the them are being shelved! Production will continue as usual, albeit a bit slower. In fact, the first episode of Ninjago: Rough Riders is almost ready for release! It just needs some finishing up and proof reading. And Ninjago: Into The Deep is coming too. However updates for these projects will no longer have a set release date and content will be released for them whenever I feel it is finished. This is merely for the sake of my own mental health and a way to keep myself from being burnout too quickly.

Other smaller projects such as the ROTTMNT x Ninjago AU, the NeverRealm Analysis Video, and various articles I had planned will have to be put on the back burner. Still coming. But later. News, trivia, and leaks may also come a bit slower. But I'll try my best to stay on top of that at least.

And that's it! Thank you to anyone reading! And I hope that I continue to provide the Ninjago fandom with plenty of fun and enjoyment for many years!

Have a wonderful day/night!💖💖💖

Sincerely, Ink Dragon

Inky✒️🐉

[gaybananabread]

@pocky-dragon Hello there! First of all I really enjoy your fics and headcannons and I was wondering if you have any headcannons/thoughts on Casey from rottmnt?

(I'm dumb and deleted the ask again-)

🏒Casey Jr Tkl Headcanons💚

~AN: Eergejehhesh my BOOOOOY! Pocky you have no idea how long I've been wanting to do something for this mans- Now that events are done, hopefully I can get back up and running! Thank you for requesting!~

Gen:

Things weren't totally serious, totally crazy all the time in his timeline

Before Raph and Donnie���moved on, everyone was fairly optimistic. I mean, sure, it was the apocalypse, but they had hope.

When Casey was little, all four brothers would take turns playing with him. While each one had very different interactions, they all universally loved doing one thing: tickling him.

After all the sadness, Big Leo still tried to keep things uplifting for the boy.

He rarely full-on tickled him, but a few light pokes or squeezes here and there were the perfect thing to put a smile on the teen’s face.

Big Mikey would abuse his powers and sneak up behind Casey, squeezing his sides or teasing his neck.

Occasionally, when the boy was really down in the dumps, holding his arms while Big Leo cheered him up with some tickles.

Lee:

Let's all be honest here: he's a lee. No matter how hard he tries, he always ends up getting his ass handed to him.

Not that he doesn't adore it, of course.

He sees it as a fun way to bond with his new family, even if they do tease the shell out of him.

Worst spots are his hips, belly button and armpits. He likes all of them, though his melt spot is his palms; the best snorty-giggles stem from there.

Bushiest boi, will turn red as fresh cherries if you tease him right~

While he loves tickles from the whole Hamato fam, his favorite lers would have to be Raph and Leo.

He never really got to know Big Raph, but young him is a giant, compassionate teddy bear. A teddy bear that also happens to have a night job as a professional tickle monster!

As for Leo, he'd always felt close to the blue-themed turtle. Besides the obvious connections to his Leo, the guy’s just fun to be around.

The jokes get him giggling, and he feels safe around Leo.

Reigning loser of every tickle fight ever.

He's won maybe twice. Once against a very sleepy Leo, and again with a partner.

Self-conscious about his laugh, but the fam works daily to try and help him jump that hurdle! -♡

Little pill bug: his first response to anything tickly, from pokes to full-on tickled, is curling up into a tiny ball.

Adorable to watch, and even cuter to hear his little squeal when you get to his spots anyway!

Ler:

Rarely happens, but he's still not bad!

Really giggly ler, likes to laugh with his lee.

Definitely gets flustered when someone asks to be tickled by him.

Again, rare, but it does occasionally happen.

He's afraid of hurting them, so only the gentlest of tickles and little scritches unless/until they ask for more.

When he does tickle someone, it's usually Leo, Mikey or April.

Leo is a sorta-undercover angst lord, and Casey likes to hear him laugh when he's bummed or overthinking things.

Mikey is just playful. He'll annoy Casey, mostly on purpose, and get what's coming to him. Other times, he'll be attempting to help the artsy turtle with his makeup and tickle him with the brushes. Intentional or not, I'll let you decide…

With April, it's almost always circumstantial. Dragged into a random tickle fight, Raph asking for backup, Donnie needing someone to do his dirty work.

April tickles him more than he ever gets her. Very few times does it happen, but he's capable of giving revenge tickles.

Doesn't usually tease, but he will compliment his lee's laugh and/or reactions.

“I love your laugh, it's so happy!” “Hey, don't be ashamed of the blush. Red's a good color on you!” “Was that a snort? No, don't hide it, that's adorable!”

It took a while to get to that point, but with self confidence and a whole family of support, he can finally start putting himself out there. Even if it is with something as goofy as tickling.

[catcake24]

Okay so I’m only kind of into Rottmnt and tmnt 2012, but I came across some old discourse and so I wanted to share my opinion no one asked for lol

Basically a lot of fans argue that the Rise turtles would be more powerful or better fighters then the other continuities, because they were created to be great warriors and were able to become heroes even without a lot of training, with the addition of their ninpo which allows them to basically have magic. However, I disagree. (Explanation under the cut)

In martial arts movies and anime, one thing that is repeated a lot is that martial arts technique, skill, and training, always overcomes raw power. Dragon Ball Z shows this brilliantly in its early arcs - Goku fought warriors from other planets who had superior power used power levels as a way of determining strength, but beat their asses because he was a better fighter in martial arts technique and trained more. He wasn’t more powerful, but instead put in the work to be a better fighter.

So the way I see it, turtles like the TMNT 2012 (or almost any other continuity really) would be overall better fighters than the ROTTMNT turtles. It wouldn’t be EASY, and they definitely wouldn’t win the first time they fight since they don’t know what they’re going up against, but they trump the ROTTMNT turtles with sheer experience, skill, and training. It’s shown in the 2012 show that they put effort every day into their skills by training against one another and learning new skills, and it takes April a long time before she even starts approaching the turtles in skill, and they have fought (and beaten) magical/more powerful opponents before.

Meanwhile the Rottmnt turtles have much more situational skill, and their ninpo helps a lot, but are shown that their training is much less rigorous and that they often win because of their enemies having a weakness or some other outside advantage rather than overcoming them on their own. It’s why the finale hits so hard, they are out of other options and need to tap into their own inner power to win. I’m not saying wither show is better or worse for this, just how I see it and how writing conventions of both shows would play into this.

The Rottmnt turtles would go into this overconfident and loose, to comedic effect, while the 2012 turtles tend to be under confident and win by using their skills and teamwork.

Also the whole ROTTMNT vs TMNT 2012 “rivalry” is dumb and I hate it (and was why I left the fandom, it just became too common to see in fanfic and got really toxic). Just let them be friends after beating eachother up like every other action show crossover.

[1cat200]

Rottmnt au ideas

I've been thinking about what other rottmnt aus I could do while working on my current rottmnt Tiger Sister au and I have a few ideas.

Growth spurt au: this happens before the events of the rise of the tmnt movie where basically Mikey gets a weird yellow chemical spilled on him while helping Donnie out in his lab. The next day he is almost as tall as Raph and Mikey, Donnie, Raph and Leo think that Mikey is having a really big growth spurt until Mikey grows 50feet tall during the night and is stuck in the lair until Donnie can create a cure to turn Mikey back into his normal size.

Mythical turtles au: this happens after 1 year after the krang invasion when the turtles, April and Casey are chasing after a wanted criminal witch yokai who curses them into mythical creatures. Casey is turned into a vampire, April becomes a Banshee, Leo is a mermaid, Raph is a dragon, Donnie becomes a Harpy and Mikey gets turned into a werewolf. They have to find the witch yokai before the curse becomes permanent by the second red moon.

Ninja kids au: my rottmnt oc Cathy is in this au. And it is also based on one of my potential rottmnt episodes ideas for season 3. Casey, Cassandra, Cathy, April and the turtles get attacked one night by a mysterious man who looks like the Shredder and even calls himself the new Shredder and the crew get accidentally telaported into the new good future by their future kids who explain to them that the man was their timelines villain who is also the leader of the new Foot clan. The turtles and their allies and kids work together to save the world and stop the new Shredder.

Howl au: this is also another au inspired and based on one of my potential rottmnt episodes for season 3. This is when Casey is walking back to the lair after going on patrol by himself at night when he is suddenly attacked by a werewolf and gets bitten in the process. After the incident, Casey starts to have weird visions of himself running in the woods and acts really weird and has cravings for raw meat. He doesn't known what's going on until his first full moon and destroys half the lair and badly injures Leo. The turtles explain and tell him that he is now a werewolf. Casey gets scared and runs away and ends up in the woods and meets another werewolf named Axel who teaches him how to control his wolf side while the turtles look for a cure. This is an au that I will do for Halloween.

Till the end of time au: this is also another au featuring my oc Cathy from my current Tiger Sister au. This is the idea that Cathy had a kid of her own in the bad future where Casey was from. Cathy's son was named Makoto and he was a human and mutant tiger hybrid. He and Casey are cousins and grew up like brothers but unfortunately 2 weeks before Casey was sent back in time, Makoto sacrificed himself to save Casey from a pack of krang hounds and was persuaded dead. Now in the new timeline, Casey feels empty and alone without his best friend. That is until Makoto suddenly shows up,injured and Casey is both shocked and relieved to see Makoto again. Now he helps Makoto to adjust to the new timeline and keeps his promise to always be there for Makoto.

I really hope that you guys like these rottmnt au ideas! Let me know which one is your favourite/s in the comments below. I might get to work on one of these aus after finishing the fourth or third chapter of my rottmnt Tiger Sister au. Stay tuned for now!

(P.S. reblogs are very much appreciated!)

[randomfandoms234]

Rotmnt Brianrot is real so Just a thought of a rottmnt au what if they were younger when they were younger when the show started perhaps kids?

They’re not long after leaving the sewer it would start with them meeting April and go on some low stake adventures before the show officially starts

Draxum perfected the ooze sooner and sees his creations again I don’t think he would give up so easily about recruiting. Them their just kids right?

When it comes to the villan of the week episodes some villans go easier since their kids (hypno for example) while other villans don’t care, some characters will also be de aged like the purple dragons April and Cassandra

It will be including all of the scrapped episodes of season 2 except the turtle tot episode as they’re already kids.

Here’s a general consensus of how I think the first chapters would go if I decide to write this

Chapter 1: Raph is seven Donnie and Leo are 6 and Mikey is 5 Rhys sneak out because their running low on food and get distracted playing in a playground they are targeted by some bullies and before they could fight back are saved by April but Donnie’s gets a scare because his shell was almost harmed they go back to the sewers with April who wants to hang out with her cool new friends

Chapter 2: Donnie sneaks out to gather a bunch of metal scraps and April tags along April asks what he wants with all the metal and he tells her what it’s for but are sneaking around avoiding the man who owns the junkyard

Chapter three: a couple of weeks after chapter 2 April convinces the turtles to come out to play this is where the boys worry splinter will disapprove but go along anyways cause their bored

Chapter 4 Leo and mikey centric it’s where Leo gets his love of magic after the and mikey sneak out giving raph a scare after they see a magic show he and Mikey sneak above of a set of a cooking show and mikey discovers his love for the cooking arts.

Chapter 6: Raph centric Raph starts going out with his brothers more after encouragement from April as he worries to much and wants to keep them safe splinter gets suspicious again when Raph makes and excuse

Haven’t though of anything else yet but I do know I want to make so they all get awhile before they can safely and easily use their powers

What should I call this au?

[thrandilf]

Episodic, Serialized, Mixing the Two, and "Filler"

Been dwelling on what I personally find effective in media and what's been grinding my gears about when things flatline for me and I'd rather sit down and write about it than continue to pace while doing the Italian finger pinch thing

First off, filler is technically about when an anime goes beyond what a manga has completed and because they got ahead, they started to just screw around while waiting for more manga, so while I acknowledge that origin of the phrase, the way people often use filler now is for episodes disconnected from the main plot

And a lot of people miss "filler"/what they mean is more chill or self contained episodes, and while the concept of them doesn't usually appeal to me for pacing reasons, there's a way to do it well that I wish more shows did

So, my bias/preference is fully serialized shows which is usually harder to find in western animation, The Dragon Prince being one of the few I've ever found that's never had a full episode of Nothing because there's always an overarching plot and tension to be found. There are "filler" moments where characters on their journey have some downtime which is used for bonding and/or world-building, but they don't dedicate whole episodes to it to break the pacing, which I appreciate. However, most shows don't do this

On the other far end of the spectrum you have something fully episodic and formulaic like Phineas and Ferb where every episode is its own thing with occasional callbacks to other episodes, but it is a sort of watch in any order whenever show and I find that this actually works for me as well- when it's the expectation from the start

Some shows go for a mix of the two, and usually that's where I get tripped up.

They're shows that I like/think are Good beyond a doubt, but to give examples, Gravity Falls and RotTMNT both start off with an episode that gives you a concept of an overarching plot, a mystery to solve or otherwise a big bad, respectively. Now, I understand that a lot of shows are still under the parameters of needing to be able to be viewed in any order by people tuning in on tv (although with streaming I think this is falling by the wayside/writing this way no longer makes sense to me) but it does make sitting down to watch them a tad infuriating, because then you're waiting for a continuation of this main plot you're hooked on, but a lot of the episodes you watch right afterwards don't fundamentally matter.

Sometimes they matter- a standalone episode with character development or a new piece of information is nice, but sometimes even that isn't there, and why it gets to me while PnF doesn't is just the initial expectation set that we're going somewhere and then totally dropping the plotline or a sense of progress for awhile. In GF we get hints as time goes on/other people have numbered books, but you have to dial back your expectations/adjust to just enjoying the day to day adventures (which are enjoyable!) and shelve the main plot. PnF never led me to suspect there was a bigger picture plot to worry about, so it doesn't hang over me/leave me unsatisfied. It does what it set out to do

However, a mix of the two can work

AtLA is good at the episodic bits still mattering, but beyond that I'd argue Lego Monkie Kid is the best at it. Although the show is almost exclusively episodic in season 1, more mixed in season 2, and then gets to be pretty much all serialized in 3 and 4, season 1 managed to be episodic while still holding my attention.

No LMK episode is a "skip" from me due to even the self contained monster of the week episodes still revealing new information such as more of MK's powers so there's a sense of progress, giving character info, introducing new characters, and/or new lore.

Most importantly, the lore and character details we get matter- 1x03 is the only time we see Mei's parents, but her relationship with her family is an ongoing thread through the rest of the show. 1x05 was a goldmine of characterization and how people in MK's life don't act, with the concept of a "perfect world" being something we touch on in the s3 climax. 1x06 introduced the peaches of immortality. 1x07 hits on a character flaw MK doesn't get over in just one episode, 1x09 is arguably the most important episode in all of S1 due to introducing Macaque and giving us a lot more information about the depth's of Wukong's past, which raises questions the show then delivers on later.

It all establishes something relevant to enhance later episodes

And all in the background, right from 1x01, we get hints of other intrigue developing as the Demon Bull Family finds LBD's prison and plans to spring her

Season 2 is especially effective with still coming off as rather episodic but the heroes spend the entire season unknowingly losing while LBD and SQ gather materials, and we also have whatever Wukong is up to piquing our interest. The tension only grows even if almost every S2 episode is self contained. 2x04 doesn't involve the main villains, but it does set up Pigsy and MK's relationship more as well as how important Pigsy's sense of family and tradition is, which again comes back later in S4

A lot of effective, seemingly off topic "filler" winds up not being filler at all, but was working to build something later. Sometimes, a show is better on a rewatch for reasons like that,

but when it feels like the ball is dropped and relationships weren't enhanced or we didn't learn anything from it, or characters acted like there may be consequences for something and then nothing happened nor was it acknowledged and now we're moving on forever, it's like well, what was the point of that then?

This is all to say that episodic storytelling can really work, and I get frustrated when we don't tap back into a main plot even for a few seconds or there wasn't anything new. The fun beach episode can still give me character development or even pan back to the villains at the end to give me the sense that something's coming to keep tension up (I'm not far in it, but Amphibia seems to have a good sense of this too where I have a lot of questions and I gradually get answers/hints that answers are coming as well as character flaws/developments being established)

TLDR:

The questions an audience are meant to be asking should be answered at some point, and even though they should be paced out and given time, when it feels like a show forgot about them entirely before making a sharp swerve back (or worse, never addressing the threads it introduced), it can make people feel like there was no point in paying attention.

Episodic shows that want to tie into a larger plot can still work by keeping a background sense of tension and building in new information, which I wish was done more often instead of being majorly episodic Or serialized, where only a few episodes in a show fully tie together which makes the shift from episode 1 plot, nothing, and then OH GOD FINALE PLOT really jarring to me

I also bring this up because as a writer, it's what I try to keep in the back of my mind for my own writing, and seeing what does and doesn't work for me and why is helpful

Also yes, this is a Monkie Kid endorsement ty for coming

[emaginations]

HAPPY (late) HALLOWEEN!!!

Here's my gift for @gemini-forest for the @rottmnt-secret-gifting!

This is also going to be cross posted to AO3, so it can be read or bookmarked over there too!

The story, "The New World Is A Treat", can be read under the cut or in this link!

Leonardo was a soldier. He wasn't always that, but it's what he was forced to grow up as. When the Krang ripped themselves through that portal years and years ago, he had to let go of all his past dreams and childhood wishes. Then when the people around him started to slowly dwindle, he had to harden up and become the leader everyone left needed.

What Leonardo became was someone worthy of trying to fix his mistakes, someone that his family would be proud of. Someone who could actually be forgiven.

Now here he is, in a healed past, staring in a mirror and wondering if a sheet was too weak of a costume for trick or treating.

Yeah, he was going trick or treating at the ripe old age of forty. The things you do when you get yanked twenty odd years back.

It's his fault, really, that he agreed to this. It was already bad enough that all of his brothers walked up to him one afternoon last week with big pleading eyes. Then they roped CJ into this, weaponizing the face Leonardo literally watched grow up since he was an infant. Then he caved.

Now the night is here. Spirits, this feels so stupid.

Resigning himself to hiding under a sheet the entire night, Leonardo throws one over his shoulder and walks out of his room.

As expected, everyone is gathered in the lobby as they put on the finishing touches. Well, almost everyone. Leo and Donnie, who are already dressed up in Anakin and Spock outfits respectively, are too busy arguing to help out elsewhere.

"Star Trek attempts to replicate what technology would look like in the distant future based around actual science! The entire franchise is built upon science! Star Wars just makes up their own rules whenever they need some new random plot device when they’ve run out of ideas again."

Leo scoffs as he swings the lightsaber on his shoulder. “What you don’t understand is the fact that Anakin is top tier as a character and him existing is why you're already wrong."

Leonardo walks over to Mikey and Raph, who are finishing up the dragon tail to Mikey’s costume? “They're still fighting about this?”

Raph, already fully decked out in a complete Elvis costume, snorts at the question. "Are ya kidding? I don't think they've ever stopped about this. They just put it on pause."

"THEY ARE NOT "BASICALLY THE SAME THING" GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE NARDO!"

“Annnd there they go.”

As expected, Donnie runs after Leo, who has jumped behind Leonardo, the second living shield in the Hamato household. Leonardo grabs Donnie by the shell as he runs by, lifting him up as he still kicks in the air.

“Hey,” he says. “Weren’t you taught to not murder your brothers?”

Donnie looks up in thought as his kicking ceases. “Hmm, I don’t think so. Put me down, maybe?”

Leonardo gives him a tilted smirk. “Yeah I’m not that dumb you little twit.”

“You’re only defending him cause you are literally the same person!” Donnie once again thrashes in Leonardo’s grip towards Leo. Leo, the conniving little culprit that he is, snickers from the safe-zone still behind Leonardo.

“Nah,” Leo says, stepping back, “it’s cause we’ve got equal tastes.” Leo’s eyes find the white cloth over Leonardo’s shoulder. “Oh speaking of, is that what you’re wearing tonight?! Is it a Princess Leia dress to match!?”

Leonardo raises an eye as he looks down at Leo. “If I were to match you, I’d dress up as Vader.”

Leo nods slowly. “Truue.”

At that moment, Raph finally finishes helping Mikey with the dragon tail, leaving Mikey to swish around the room as he stands.

“Well, what is the costume?” he asks.

Leonardo grimaces as the attention is now fully focused on him. He would have preferred showing the costume when it was too late to turn back, but he’s still new to being ganged up on by a bunch of teenagers.

“Oh it’s just uh…” Leonardo puts down Donnie and unfurls the sheet, throwing it over his head. The sheet covers him up until it ends at his knees. He throws his arms up as if he were standing like a scarecrow. “This.”

He can’t see out of the sheet, but the silence he gets in return is very telling.

“Okay,” Leo starts. “I take back what I said about equal tastes. His are rancid.” Leo emits a small “ow”, likey from Raph smacking him for being rude.

“That’s what you’re wearing!?” Leonardo grimaces as he lifts the sheet up to face an appalled Mikey. “And after all the effort that I put into my costume?! I can accept laziness but this is just wrong.”

“Oh come on,” Leonardo complains. “It’s a classic costume!” An idea pops into his head. “Plus! CJ’s never seen costumes like these, it’s good for him to understand what older costumes looked like!”

“Hm,” Donnie activates his ninpo and makes a ninpo megaphone in his hand. “Let’s get Junior’s official opinion then.” He turns it on with a screech. “ CASEY JUNIOR! YOUR FATHER IS MAKING BAD LIVELIHOOD CHOICES! FIX HIM!”

Leonardo rips the sheet off, face heating up. “Again,” he hisses, “I am not his father. I just helped raise him after Casey died. We’re not even similar biologically.”

Leo snorts. “Says the guy who was raised by a rat.”

“That isn’t the same thing!” Sure, he raised the kid, but he knew CJ didn’t actually consider him a real father figure. He just took over for Casey Sr when she died. He ran the kid ragged when they were surviving through the end of the world, he wouldn’t be surprised if there was some discontentment running around in CJ’s head.

The curtain for the tv room parts, revealing Splinter in a king’s costume, complete with a robe and scepter and everything, and CJ dressed up in a green witch’s hat and cape.

“What was that about ‘bad livelihood choices?’” CJ asks.

Leo gestures angrily at the sheet. “This lame excuse of a turtle was planning on going out wearing just a sheet as a costume!”

“It’s a good costume!” Leonardo looks over to try and salvage his lazy choices, but he loses all hope when he sees the appalled look on Splinter’s face.

“What son of mine chooses to wear something so tasteless!?” Leonardo’s face heats up in unexpected shame, and he’s pretty sure he hears snickering behind him.

“Oh, come on,” he says “It’s a classic! Case,” CJ straightens his back slightly, and Leonardo feels his chest grow tighter, “c’mon, what do you think?”

CJ pinches his mouth then sends him a pitying smile. “It’s… less than I was expecting.”

“What.”

As the rest of his younger family starts cackling behind him, CJ gestures to all of them. “Well, I remember you telling me when I was younger that you guys dressed up in really detailed costumes that you spent weeks making or preparing.” CJ points at the sheet. “And I’m pretty sure you just pulled that out from your laundry.”

Leonardo scowls at him and finally shrugs off the sheet. “How come you didn’t forget stupid stuff like that like a normal child?”

A heavy arm lands around his shoulder and Raph pulls him into a side hug. “Hey, cheer up! I got a spare outfit from last year you can borrow for the night.”

“Can’t I just put on one of your flannels, call myself a lumberjack, and we call it even?”

Mikey jumps up on the back of his shell. “Nope! You know the rules. We all have to wear a costume when we’re trick or treating!”

Leonardo sighs. “Alright. Show me what you got, Raph.” Great. This is just great.

-

Once Leonardo was forced into a cowboy costume of all things, everyone grabbed their pillowcases and hiked up to the surface. They made their way over to the MOMA where they met up with April, dressed up in a surgeon’s outfit, and Casey Sr, donned head to toe in all the gear of a famous female wrestler that Leonardo forgot the name of.

There was a delay in getting to the nearest apartment sector of Manhattan since Casey and Raph had a wrestling competition upon seeing each other. Leonardo thought about breaking them up but CJ kept cheering on Casey, so he let it go.

Keeping CJ happy was the reason why he even agreed to go up, so he’ll focus on just that for the night. That was worth every moment of embarrassment from being seen in a costume.

As they kept moving, Leonardo found that it wasn’t a hard feat to accomplish. The second they turned a corner and spotted groups of kids running around in costumes and decorations like intricate jack o'lanterns set down on porches and fake spiderwebs all around, CJ’s eyes lit up. Everything’s filled with orange and red, probably the two colors Case knew best, but the environment isn’t oppressive at all. It’s warm, inviting, comfortable, things he only had fragments of when growing up.

And the kids. Leonardo had never considered himself the type to be fond of children, but the sheer number of children that flooded the streets wearing silly costumes makes everything more alive. The apocalypse felt so dead when their numbers were already dwindling, but now he’s recalling the days when Cassandra first found CJ, forcing them all to experience a breath of life for the first time in years.

Then Leonardo has to do a double take, because are some of these kids…?

A little girl in a poofy pink dress runs by on their right yelling with glee and carrying a candy bag almost bigger than her. She almost trips over the sidewalk with a yelp, but Raph catches her just before she hits the ground.

“Whoa, I gotchu kiddo!” The little girl’s eyes are shut tight, but she opens them as she realizes that she never hit the ground. She turns to look at Raph. “You gotta watch yourself with it being dark out here and all.”

The little girl nods with a fanged smile. “Sorry mister!” She wiggles in Raph’s hand and he puts her back on the ground. “I’m not used to a big dress like this. It’s so big that it’s covering my tail!” The little girl lifts up the dress slightly enough so that a definitely-connected-to-her-body reptile tail can be seen sliding back and forth on the ground.

Raph gasps with extra emotion. “You have a tail?! So do I!” Raph turns around and brandishes his tail, the behemoth it is in comparison to her’s.

“NO WAY!”

Leonardo shakes his head fondly at the little yokai girl’s interactions with Raph. “No way.”

Donnie looks up at Leonardo. “I’m guessing there wasn’t much of a yokai-human bond in the future?”

“Not in the beginning,” Leonardo elaborates. He watches as CJ swoops in and helps direct the kid back to her group of yokai friends. “As the years went on, the humans started to realize that we existed and were trying to fight for our lives back, so we decided to form an alliance with them.” The little girl high-fives another kid in the group, a human boy in a superman costume. “I never expected it to happen here.”

“Yes yes, the miracles that spawn from an unforeseen until time-travel-shenanigans alien invasion, or something. Yin and yang, the good you find in the evil and that jazz.”

Leonardo scoffs. “I always wanted a normal life for him, one where he could actually live up here and go to high school and find his own way in life and be happy.”

Leo suddenly slides into the conversation in such a way that makes Leonardo narrow his eyes. “Oh, you wanted the best life for Casey?”

“Stop.”

“That sounds like something a DAD WOULD WANT!”

Leonardo leans down over him. “I know what you are.”

Leo tilts his head innocently. “Anakin Skywalker?”

“A JACKASS!”

A thwap on the back of Leonardo’s leg forces him to cut the conversation short. He looks down and sees Splinter rubbing his tail.

“Could we please not argue when we could be spending this time trick or treating?!” Splinter complains. “The one time of year we get free candy and you boys are wasting it!”

Leo rolls his eyes and holds up his hands. “Fine, but I'm not done with you, old man!” Leo runs off before Leonardo can argue with him or attempt to wrangle his head.

It takes a few more minutes for them to finally reach their first stop, an apartment with a skeleton wreath hanging over the door. It’s a quaint spot, but Donnie likely already knew the contents of the candy inside; peanut free, optional gummy option, possibly a handful of fidget toys. Leonardo would never forget how his Donatello would go the extra mile to track the best neighborhoods in New York. They always came back home with more candy than they (sans Raph) could carry.

Mikey starts to run up the steps with extra energy, but he freezes halfway up. He turns around and grins at CJ.

“Cmon Casey!” He shouts.

CJ’s eyes widened. “Wh-” Case looks back and forth from everyone around him. “Are you sure? I don’t even know what to do.”

Mikey rushes back down, grabs CJ’s arm, and drags him back up. CJ looks back at Leonardo with a fearful expression, but Leonardo just lifts his hands up in surrender with a smile. He laughs when CJ scowls back.

Mikey stops CJ at the top step. “Just ring the doorbell, wait for the person inside to open the door, then shout trick or treat! Sometimes you don’t even have to say it, they’ll just give it to you anyway.”

CJ looks back and forth from the door to Mikey. "They'll just give you candy?" Mikey nods. CJ looks back at the door and takes a deep breath. "No tricks? No payment?" Again, Mikey nods. CJ looks back to the door. His hand rises slowly to press the doorbell, just about to press it.

CJ pauses. "What if I mess it up?"

Donnie whips around CJ and presses the doorbell for him.

Mikey gasps at him. "Donnie! This was a learning moment for him!"

Donnie rolls his eyes. "Oh please, we'll do this at least twenty more times. He'll have his moment at some point."

As shadows move behind the door, CJ suddenly straightens his back and goes stock still.

It feels a bit ridiculous, but seeing CJ get nervous from something as small as this makes Leonardo’s mind cloud up with the need to go up there and pull him back to safety. This is the safest they've ever been. They're surrounded by the best warriors they've ever met who also just so happen to be their direct relatives. They're living in a world, a time where they're finally free, but Leonardo can't help but fear for him.

The door opens to a young Hispanic woman in a messy bun and a detailed gothic vampire outfit. A large orange bowl is full to the brim of different brands and flavors of lollipops and suckers.

CJ stutters for a second before shouting, at the top of his lungs, "TRICK OR TREAT!"

Everyone flinches at the volume, except for Casey, who applauds. CJ turns toward Mikey with an innocent grin. "How was that?!"

Still wincing, Mikey gives him a thumbs up.

The woman laughs and rubs her ears. "Damn kid, that was loud! I feel like I should let you guys get extra for that."

CJ gasps with childlike delight. "Really?"

Leo runs up the steps and nudges him aside with an awkward laugh. "Maybe don't encourage him? He'll probably shout at every door like that if you do."

This comment leads to the woman sending a knowing look towards CJ. "First Halloween?" CJ nods sheepishly. She leans in closer with a devilish grin, dropping a handful of candy in CJ's bag. "Then here's a tip for you. A new guy moved in a few doors down about a week ago, and I saw him carry a whole box of king sized candy bars inside this morning."

Donnie snatches at the candy she offers next. "I'm adding it to the map and we will head over immediately. Oh and uh, thank you!"

As everyone else quickly grabs their own handful of candy, CJ stands to the side and stares into his own bag.

When they all start walking towards the next stop, Leonardo slows down to walk in step with CJ. "How's the first haul?"

CJ looks up at him with a smile. "She gave us all so much! Are all houses like this?"

“Basically, yeah,” Leonardo says.

CJ goes to say something else, but then he seems to notice something and pauses. "Wait… didn't you get some?"

Leonardo scoffs. "Nah, I'm too old for that."

"Too old?"

"Yeah. Halloween is more of a kids thing. Some people in college go to parties, but us adults don't do much besides follow our kids around or hand out candy." Leonardo sends a dirty look at a grinning Mikey when he says that second part.

CJ frowns at his answer. “That seems like a stupid rule to have.”

Leonardo shrugs. “I don’t have much of a sweet tooth these days, so I’m not complaining.”

The comment does not seem to satiate CJ. “How about this,” CJ reaches into his bag and pulls out a fist-full of candy. “Once we’re done, you can have half of my candy!”

“Whoa hold on Casey, this is your haul. I’m not going to take it.”

Instead of listening to Leonardo, CJ forces his left hand open and shoves a handful of hard candies into his fist.

"You're going to enjoy this night just like I am," he says with a tone of assertiveness. CJ runs off to the rest of their family, leaving Leonardo to stare at the handful of jawbreakers he was given.

-

For whatever reason CJ had knocking around in his head, he kept handing Leonardo half of the candy he got. At one point he even tried to shove it all in Raph's bag (making sure to not put in any peanuts), but then CJ would catch him and send him those pleading eyes again. So, he got a bag.

Incidentally, him getting a bag led to him taking the opportunity to confiscate anything he deemed bad. Most of it was candy with nuts that somehow slipped through Donnie's radar. At one house he had to confiscate a baggie of chocolate covered espresso beans from Donnie and Mikey before they could try it out. They did not need any more energy than they already have. For that matter, who thought espresso beans were a good thing to give to children!?

Thankfully, before Leonardo can rip his nonexistent hair out, Splinter suggests they rest up at the nearby entrance to Central Park.

The kids unanimously decide to circle up and trade different brands amongst each other. CJ, bless him, doesn’t know most of what he’s been given, so it eventually becomes a showcase of CJ trying each piece that’s offered to him.

Leonardo watches their antics from a nearby bench. He’s thankful that they didn’t try to drag him into their little circle, he’s not sure what they would have done if Leo started to dump all his butterfingers in Leonardo’s bag. If Leo didn’t like them, then what makes him think that Leonardo would?

He’s brought out of his thoughts when Splinter sits down on the bench next to them with a sigh.

“You have no idea,” he says, “how difficult this gets as you get older.” He stretches his back. “I swear, you kids just keep getting more and more energy as the years add up.”

Leonardo gives him a halfhearted chuckle as he adjusts his hat. “I am having more fun out here than I thought I would,” he admits. “But I’m not much of a kid anymore.”

Splinter hums. “True. But then again, you will always be like little baby turtles to me. You four were so small and adorable!” He sighs. “I remember the first few days I had you and your brothers. They were the worst nights of sleep I ever had! Always making your little turtle noises and crying when it got too cold.”

Leonardo can’t help the snort of laughter that escapes from him. “I can believe that.” He looks over at CJ. “When Casey died, CJ was only two years old. He still needed someone to raise him, and I was really the only person around that could actually take care of Junior. Don was always working on our defenses, Mikey had to take care of anyone that got hurt, and Raph was already…” Leonardo’s voice catches and he coughs to release it. “Anyway, babysitting duty just so happened to land on me. I thought I wasn’t getting any sleep before, but when I had to deal with Case? I became a living zombie.”

“Babysitting?” Splinter scoffs. “I could hardly call raising a child for fifteen years through the destruction of your world babysitting.”

“Again with the-” Leonardo exhales sharply, then releases it in a heavy sigh. “It wasn’t just me that did it. It took pretty much the entire resistance to raise that kid. Everyone was basically his aunt or uncle at one point or another. Donnie was, Mikey was, April too. Heck, even Draxum pitched in a couple of times!”

“You say that,” Splinter says, “but that kid looks up to you like any child would to their father. I would know, that’s the look you would always give me. It’s the look you still give me.”

That catches Leonardo off guard. He looks back at Splinter, already giving him a knowing grin. “You may think that he doesn’t see you as a father, but he does. Just as much as I can tell that you see him as a son.”

Then, CJ shouts something that almost causes Leonardo’s brain to short circuit.

“Ojiisan!” Leonardo’s head snaps towards CJ, who doesn’t seem to notice anything off with what he’s said. “Did you want any candy? I’m offering now before Casey starts hoarding it all.”

“DON’T GO GIVING AWAY MY CANDY, GIVE AWAY YOUR OWN!” The two of them then dive into a mini wrestling contest.

Leonardo blinks. “What-” he shoots up to his feet. “What did he say?”

“I believe he called me his grandfather. And in Japanese, no less.” Splinter hops off of the stool with a snarky look that he knows he inherited. “I wonder what that makes you?”

Leonardo can’t find anything to say to that, so Splinter pats his leg with a chuckle before making his way over to the kids and requesting some kit kats.

There’s not much Leonardo can will himself to do besides watch as CJ escapes Casey’s hold and hands Splinter a pile of kit kats.

When he was wrangling with CJ as he grew up, he always thought that CJ didn't deserve a parent like him. He deserved someone that actually knew what they were doing when it came to kids. Casey literally worked with little brownie scouts to create an entire brownie empire. If there was anyone that deserved to be the parent, it was her.

But Casey is sitting right next to him now, and she's more of a big sister to him now than anything else. CJ's looking at Leonardo now, waving him over for a seat in the circle on his other side.

He looks down at the bag of candy in his hand and he can feel a smile begin to form on his face.

Leonardo hauls the bag over his shoulder and goes to sit down next to his son.

“So, got any more of those jawbreakers you feel like handing off?”

[melancholypancakes]

(disclaimer: this is all fanart and fanmade and my OCs aren’t canon to TMNT or rottmnt)

Emily Mochizuki (エミリー 望月) is a teenage girl with short blonde hair, best friends with April and a dark secret past.

Emily grew up in Japan, Kyoto with no father, she was raised by her mother Kayda leader of the Dragon clan.

Emily wasn't fond of her classmates due to being Hāfu (half Japanese-half American in her situation)

Being raised in the dragon clan, she was homeschooled and taught Kuji Kuri, Taijutsu, Shurikenjutsu, Kenjutsu, Sōjutsu, Bōjutsu, and Ninjutsu.

The teachings were brutal and Fierce, almost to the point of abuse.

Emily was one of the few Kunoichi including her mother.

All Emily's life she was taught discipline, concentration, caring for others was a sign of weakness, and yōkai (mutants) were enemies.

Emily couldn't see that, however, they weren't hurting anyone and the yōkai had normal lives just like humans...so how could they be our enemies?

Emily had thought they were doing good for humanity, she thought her mother held justice and morals but it was all a façade...

Her life was a lie, her mother, her goals, they weren't doing good with humanity.

They were killing innocent people yōkai or not, her mother was evil, selfish and only cared for herself.

Emily couldn't kill anyone, nonetheless a helpless yōkai child.

At the age of thirteen, Emily abandoned her clan and fled her homeland.

With a few deals, she managed to get to New York City where her estranged aunt and uncle lived.

Her arrival was not expected, as Katsuki and Haru did not know having a niece.

Katsuki, her aunt was an identical twin to Kayda.

Her aunt was the exact opposite of her mother, she was a chubby woman who owned a tea shop, sweet, kind, and caring towards others and her children.

When Emily introduced herself and told her situation, Katsuki wasn't surprised at her sister's manipulation tactics but shocked at how Emily was treated.

Katsuki left that life behind much like Emily, she was willing to have Emily live in her household and knew she loved America and her cousins.

Who knows maybe she'll make some friends...

At the start of freshman year, Emily was really nervous about meeting people nonetheless talking to other kids she didn't know.

Her cousins often teased her but mainly her eldest cousin, Asuka.

"weird", "loser", and "noob" were little words for fun to tease her even though Emily had no idea what half of that meant.

Since Emily only knew Japanese she was taking English in school.

She ended up befriending April O'Neil when they bumped into each other on the first day of school.

Emily was really shy but managed to talk to April and asked if she could help her around the school building for directions.

Emily is a love interest and best friend to Leonardo, Emily has a HUGE crush on Leo, they don’t act on their feelings til late season 2 & movie.

{…}

However, as for Gwen Aguirre she is a Hispanic teenage girl and a online friend of Donnie and only appears in late season 1 & season 2

She lives in New York with her parents brothers and sister, not much is known about her.

Gwen is a hipster, gamer girl, comic book geek and has a long history of toxic ex boyfriends and girlfriend.

Gwen is a love interest for Donnie but doesn’t get with him at least til mid season 2

Facts: originally Emily was going to Hispanic, an alternative version of Irma, April’s friend from (1987) version and she was going to be a damsel in distress instead of a female ninja with a dark past.

I did the opposite of turtles having a crush on a human girl like April, on other media plat forms of TMNT. Instead it’s Emily who has a crush on her mutant turtle friend Leo and honestly it’s cute 🥰

Gwen is basically Ramona flowers from Scott pilgrim vs the world ;) dyes her hair every other day

[nights-flying-fox]

☆ ROTTMNT AU MASTERPOST ☆

☆ TMNT Blog: @eughboi ☆ ok to reblog ☆

✭ Dimension Hopper Leo AU: Leo managed to escape the Prison Dimension, but now he is in an alternative universe almost same as his. He has to go through many portals, trying to find his way back to his dimension.

[leo-centric] [MASTERPOST]

✭ Where You Belong: Mikey is the only turtle growing up with Splinter. When he becomes 13, he accidentally learns he actually had brothers. He and April try to connect to them once they find them with none other than the people trying to kill him for some reason.

[mostly mikey-centric, but POV changes often] [cw: abusive/manipulative parent]

✭ Let's Grab a Slice Together: Leo, Mikey, April, and Casey Jr end up time traveling all together. They are too late to find the key though, and now have to help their past selves to get it back and stop the Krang.

[cw: war themes, even if not detailed it is the bad future so beware; character death; temporary character death (?); injuries] [multiple povs, focused on the bad future fam]

✭ Last Hamatos Standing: Mikey is the only one escaping from the technodrome. Krang Prime has caught Leo and Donnie, and got Raph back in control. Now he and his family have to figure out to save the brothers and stop the Krang.

[cw: mind control, torture, hallucinations, manipulation, war themes, grief, body horror, loss of limbs (?)] [mostly mikey-centric]

✭ The Furthest Shores: After escaping from Draxum's lab, Splinter doesn't return to New York City, instead he hides in the Hidden City. He ends up in the Pirate Bazaar and meets with Piel. Seeing that Splints is just a poor guy with four babies he decides to give him a chance, inviting him to join his crew. Eventually the family grow up as pirates...

✭ We Ride at (Alien)Spawn: Apocalyptic AU except it somehow takes the turn of the cowboy concept- the boys become sheriff somehow (nobody questions mutants after being saved, especially since not many people are left). Join the new cowboys who ride Krang Hounds and a Krangfied train as they try to survive against Krang.

✭ Believe Me (I'm Warning You): Things turned out differently with the last fight against the Shredder. The Hamatos and Cassandra Jones never became friends. However, in the future a boy named Casey Jones Jr. is tasked to stop the Krang by Leonardo Hamato. How can he convince them, when no one believes him?

[casey jr-centric]

✭ Are We Pokémon, Dad? : Everything is same, except they are in the pokemon world... and maybe because they are in the pokemon world, everything is not the same...

✭ A Turtle Like You: A Separated AU inspired by the classic Barbie movies, that was a joke. Now it is about how the twins change roles for fun but things go bad, and how Mikey wishes to be freed from Draxum's lab, and how Raph and April accidentally discover the Hidden City and three turtle mutants.

[cw: manipulative/abusive parent] [mostly disaster twins-centric, but other have major focus too]

✭ Too Little Too Late: Donnie years ago watched his own Leo sacrifice himself and get trapped in Prison Dimension. For years he searched a way to bring him back. Now as he continues his studies, he is also making sure no other Leo suffers the same fate by traveling to any timeline that may need him.

[cw: hallucinations] [disaster twins-centric]

✭ Hopelessly Surviving: They saved Leo, but it was too late. As the family was still not accepting what happened, hours later Draxum shows up, and somehow he has the help they need. Now Leo is back to life, but something is different. Something is wrong and Leo has to figure out what is true and what is not to win this battle (with the help of his family).

[cw: temporary character death, hallucinations] [leo-centric]

✭ Future Genius vs. the Past: Donnie manages to go back to the past from his future accidentally. He can save it all by changing the events that lead to the apocalypse, but what about his family in the future?

[donnie-centric]

✭ Literally Purple Dragons: Aside from his twin being the most annoying brother ever as usual, the day was going well for Donnie. Until he found Kendra right out of the manhole as a mutant komodo dragon, asking for help from him.

[donnie-centric]

✭ Stuck: Mikey and Draxum practice mystic powers to get stronger against the Krang. Something goes wrong, and Mikey is now stuck in a timeloop and has no idea how to escape.

[cw: time loops, but in the worst way ever; depression (?)] [mikey-centric]

✭ [to be named]: Draxum succeeds. He raises the four brothers as warriors and Lou Jitsu is kept as a prisoner until he decides to join him (he believes one day the man will see the right path). Things go much differently than what the yokai expected. After all, Lou wouldn't let anyone suffer like that- not even turtle mutants.

✭ The Mummy inspired Kendratello (crack) AU: What the title says. Nothing serious, I just think it would be silly thinking them in situations like in the movie.

[non-bionical-mecha-dude]

Hello! I saw that your requests were open I think. . . Anywhizzle. I have asked this to a few people already but I wanna see what different people will think and write. Could you write a Rise tmnt x gn yokai reader where the reader is maybe a dragon or some reptile with scales but the readers scales are always itchy? How would the turtles treat that? Also it was my birthday on the 25th and a lot of my friends forgot that. It would be a nice present is all I'm saying. Idk if you did a request just like this or anything already but I'm bored so ima follow you now. Bye for now!

HI! I know it's been like, idk, a year since I did one of these?? I'm sorry, I forgot Tumblr existed! Also, I'm very very sorry that you're friends forgot! And I'm very sorry, but, HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY! Anyway, let's get this started! (I'm gonna assume since you didn't say, Headcannons, I'm sorry if you wanted a one shot. Also, this idea was creative and cool!

ROTTMNT BROS X REPTILE ! READER

❤️❤️Raph❤️❤️

He totally understands

At first when he saw you get super itchy, he thought you were itching cause you were nervous or something, but that ain't the case.

When he later figured out that your scales needed some sort of moisture, he bought like, 10 bottles of different kinds of lotion

Boy didn't want his lover to be all itchy and uncomfortable, but he didn't know what kind/brand was best

Constantly reminds you to moisturize your skin

He drags his fingers along your scales sometimes, which is kinda sooth tbh

Sometimes his skin gets uncomfortable and dry and itchy (since he's a more aquatic type turtle, his skin needs a lot of moisture) he'll borrow some of your lotion

One time you were itchy, and just started rolling on the carpet cause that was the only thing that was helping your itchiness...but Raph almost stepped on you and shrieked before he did

It was kinda funny, but ever since then, he's banned you from any carpet rolling.

Sometimes he boops his beak against your scales, everytime you ask why, he dodges the question

He knows exactly how many scales are on your body (not in like a creepy way, more like a "I find myself gazing at you so often that I've found myself unconsciously counting your scales.)

Would definitely let you use his shell spikes as a back scratcher.

💙💙Leo💙💙

This dude is super confused as to why you keep on violently scratching your scales

At some point, he just kinda starts scratching your back, like, you'll both be sitting on the couch on your phones, and he'll just put his hand on your back and scratches in small circles.

Eventually he learns about your whole skin thing, and he tries to set up a skin care routine for you

(you CANNOT tell me this fruity ass turtle doesn't have a skin care routine)

Man hooks you up with the best lotions and moisturizers

He reads to you each of the French brands of lotion he has, but he isn't pronouncing any of them right

Helps you put on the lotion in hard to reach places, like your back

He finds it excellent bonding time to talk about whatever while you both do your skin routine thing

He likes to tap your scales, feeling the texture of each of them.

You bought yourself a back scratcher and he immediately stole it

"Is that my back scratcher?" "Ok, in my defense, have you EVER, tried to scratch the back of a TURTLE SHELL??? YOU CANT REACH BACK THERE!"

Yeahhh, took you a while to get it back

You had to buy him his own

💜💜Donnie💜💜

He definitely understands

As a soft shell turtle who needs moisture on his shell from time to time, he can understand the uncomfortable-ness it comes with your skin/shell drying out

Has his own special moisturizer he uses for his shell, and most likely won't share

But he will recommend you a lotion to use

Sometimes he'll hold your arm in his hand, examining your scales

DEFINITELY FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES AND DEFINITELY NOT BECAUSE HE LOVES YOUR SCALES, ABSOLUTELY NOT (wink wink)

He has S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N remind you of your moisturizer

One time before he knew about your itchy skin, saw you almost scratch yourself to the bone and was very concerned

He definitely makes you some sort of mechanical back scratcher (that definitely doesn't have a flame thrower build into it, that would be crazy (wink wink))

He asks you a hundred questions when it comes to your scales, like, are they water proof? What kind of tissue/material is it made of and do you have to eat specific foods to get the nutrients to continue to take care of said scales, ECT ECT

He'll find himself sub consciously staring at your scales and denies anything if you catch him

Whenever you start to itch, he sometimes looks away, cause just seeing you itchy makes his shell feel itchy and it is not a good feeling.

🧡🧡Mikey🧡🧡

Is very very worried when he sees you scratch yourself so violently

At first he thinks you've got fleas or lice or something, but when he figures out your scales make you itchy, he totally understands

Dude tries to hook you up with some good lotion (the first time he accidentally almost gave you bacon grease and mistook it for lotion, it was kinda funny)

Sometimes when he's bored, he'll ask to paint on your scales using body paint (if your scales are very irritated)

He makes simple stuff on them, painting sunsets, gradients, sometimes little icons or patterns, whatever keeps him busy and happy

He'll scratch your back for you sometimes, and at first it was ok, until his arm started hurting from scratching you for so long (it was only five minutes) and he had to stop, still, the thought that counts.

Will go Doctor Delicate Touch on you if you refuse to use your lotion/moisturizer for whatever reason

Will run your scales on your arms if it makes you feel better

And sometimes he'll nuzzle his face on them.

He tries to count your scales while you try to count his spots (he gave up lol)

If you say you're itchy, he'll try to distract you by doing something with you, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.