#that being said if you personally loved it and hail it your favourite then thats fine! dont let me sour your view on this version!

[angelmichelangelo]

What are your thoughts on Mutant Mayhem/Tales?

i think now with enough time behind them both, i wouldn't say it's my favourite iteration of the ninja turtles..

that being said! i don't think it's bad! i enjoyed both the movie and the show and think they were both really well made! both seem to have a lot of love and care poured into them and i think that's always a good sign when the creators obviously are just as big fans as the viewers :)

but ultimately there's a lot missing from this verse that makes it hard for me to love it. for the most part i will say that the voice acting choice was/is excellent! getting real teens to voice the boys is so refreshing and fun - those four have a really fun chemistry and it shines through, especially in the movie (i have opinions on mikey's va but i always feel like im being too mean and nitpicky so i'll shelve that thought for now lol)

the show was a lot of fun when i watched it when it first came out but i haven't really found an urge to rewatch it again after that. same with mutant mayhem. i think this is just because to me it lacks a lot that to me, makes up the ninja turtles. yes the chemistry between the four of them is there, but there doesn't feel to be a great deal of individuality, and they kind of all blur into one another. i've always said that tmnt as a whole can sometimes suffer for having four main characters -- usually meaning more than one character often gets sidelined in favour of someone else having their moment (cough, cough donnie and mikey) but here, i guess they kind of decided to do a 180 on that but, it just missed the mark a little for me. they got along great together! but i missed my b-team moments. mikey teasing raph. donnie geeking out with leo. it felt a little empty without those moments to stand out that they're each other's best friends.

and with the show, they kind of repeated themselves a lot. singular centric episodes to highlights each turtles strengths and insecurities!! awesome!! first half of the season done? great, what's next-- oh. second half of the season is.. that.. again.. huh. okay. feels like we just did this but sure. guess they REALLY wanted them to have their character arcs checked off real quick. they could have done something different in that second half but chose to kind of just give us what we already just watched. it wasn't awful but a missed opportunity.

the whole thing as well as it kinda not being part of canon was.. an odd choice. i would have been alright with them just coming out and saying it wasn't canon, but having it in the show with the whole 'leo wrote this for a comic book' kind of ending was confusing to me. not sure what the angle was there, but not sure i loved it in full. even more so when they did it twice to us lol

and the jackie chan thing in tales. i aint gonna lie, chat. that kinda pissed me off a little bit. if they couldn't get jackie chan back for splinter for a mini series, fine. understandable. either take him out of the show entirely or just get a stand in, it would have been fine. but to have him speak rat and THEN have raphael's va dub over him AS raph? im just so confused as to what the point of that was. i guess if maybe the show had already been written with splinter in it and at the last minute he had to pull out, then maaybbbee?? it could be excused?? but again. just get a stand in at this point. listening to raph's bad japanese accent during some moments (especially during the parts where splinter was having more emotional moments) was kind of off putting, and i think i would have rather listened to him speak in rat talk lmao -- that's my only big angry grievance with the show where i will say i hated it lmao

i think as well the thing is, with the mutant mayhem/tales verse, we don't get any filler. filler, my bread and butter!! we see them fighting, and fighting, and kicking ass, and doing tasks and missions and fighting... filler is so integral imo when it's done right, to fleshing out characters a little more. remember them stealing from he bodega in the movie?! more of that, please !! boys being boys !! we know that mikey likes theatre but just through him constantly telling us about it! where's my filler eps that have him sneaking into broadway and causing havoc by someone thinking he's part of the set design!!

i will also say i am not a super big fan of the turtles being exposed to the outside world.... i adore plot lines where they yearn for a normal life, i think that's always interesting in any way (looking at bayverse quietly) but i was shocked at the end of mutant mayhem when they straight up were like. welp! turtles are off to school now! just normal kids!! don't know how i really feel about that since the intimacy of them having just each other and depending on one another is such a big draw as to why i love tmnt in the first place. found family and all that just tugs at my heartstrings and them just being part of the real world feels like that's kind of snuffed out a little bit. but i suppose we'll see how they deal with that in the sequel, since school wasn't at all included in the show. (again, i would have even preferred that over the repeated storyline we got)

with mutant mayhem and tales it felt like it was just about to scratch that itch and then pulled away at the last second. it was so close to being genuinely very near perfect, but for whatever reason fell short on a lot of points that unfortunately for me didn't make it re-watchable in any way, not with urgency at least.

i'll watch the sequel for sure! and whether they make a season two that feels a bit more fleshed out and weighty then i can get behind that. the verse overall, like i said, seems to have a lot of care put into it for sure. there's a lot i really do love about it that made it fun to watch the first time around, but i think that for whatever reason they're holding back on certain aspects, they need to just trust themselves and trust us to enjoy it and go the nine yards instead of hesitating.

i think that's why, from my perspective, it kind of just, faded into the shadows (pun intended) whilst a show like rise that was cancelled still gets a lot of hype and noise. heck, 2003 and 2012 have been done and finished for 15+ years and still probably get more engagement than a tmnt 'verse that's still very much fresh and active. it's telling, and maybe that's just a result of me not following the right people but it does feel like overall it's missing something big to make it better. and i just hope that going forward they find it and don't balk out on giving it their all next time.

i like the game, though. not sure if it's canon to the main storyline but i have fun playing it when i can be bothered lol

i will say this 'verse will gain instant million points to me if they add woody. i will take back every bad point i made about this if he shows up in the sequel. i'll delete my blog buy a hat and then eat it. if they wanna do something crazy like putting them in school then they can add niche idw character woody dirkins and make me happy lmao

[sweetiejunie]

Cupid’s Arrow

Summary: all it took was a few shots and a phone call

Genre: fluff / angst

Yeonjun x reader (ft. Best friend! Kai)

Warning: swearing • drinking, pls drink responsibly 🍻

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

An arrow is said to be shaped as a concave quadrilateral. Unlike a knife, it makes it harder to be removed once you’ve been hit. It causes you to bleed out. Putting an end to the misery and inevitably, your life.

That’s exactly how yeonjun felt when he first saw you. You had shot cupid’s arrow at his heart and no matter how hard he tried there was no way for him to remove it. A perfectly crafted arrow that ensured it hit its target, him. The only difference in this case was that there was no end to his suffering or pain. Whenever he saw you talking or laughing with his other members, that arrow only got deeper making his heart twist and hurt more.

He had met you through Kai. You were in the same class and one day Kai had invited you to their dorm to work on an assignment you had. And ever since, the boys had been inviting you over more and more often.

The moment yeonjun laid an eye on you, he was gone. The way you shyly smiled and greeted them just made his heart race. You were probably the cutest thing he’s ever seen.

He’s never been brave enough to tell you how he’d fallen victim to one of your fatal arrows, he just couldn’t. In his mind you were the huntress and he was your prey. And a huntress never gets hit by their own arrows, do they. There’s no way you fell for him.

To him, you were some untouchable prize he couldn’t even dream of achieving, the one with the bow and an impenetrable heart. Little did he know, your heart had been hit. And by who? The answer would really surprise him.

It’s been a year since he’s been hit, but the arrow still stuck with him, as painful as it’s ever been. A year of all the pent-up frustration, jealously and love. Throughout that time, he’s tried multiple times to tell you how he felt, and every time he backed out at the last minute, in fears of rejection. He was about to explode and on that one faithful day he finally did. All it took was a couple shots and a phone call.

Yeonjun had tried and attempted many times to get over you. Whenever he failed to confess, he immediately wanted to give up on you in general. He assumed being friends with you enough for him but time and time again he proved himself wrong.

He always drank when he felt the pain, drinking just enough to help numb his heart. A feeling he’s gotten accustomed to.

Today, the stinging in his chest was worse than ever. He had overheard your plans with Kai to go to a some new ice cream parlor. How he wanted Kai to say no and for you to have asked him instead.

Thats how he ended up here, at McClaren’s bar, the only person spending time with him was a little birdie called jack daniel, someone he considered a close friend by this point. He took a shot, cringing as the alcohol slide down his throat, burning, but no pain could compare to what his heart was going through.

Earlier that day he saw you entering the practice room as their practise was coming to an end. In his heart he hoped you were there looking for him but instead you greeted him and the other boys and turned to Kai. He knows you and Kai were best friends, but it still hurt how he wasn’t your number one choice and probably would never be.

He remembered how you had showed Kai a picture of the parlor, the way your face lit up as you talked about how excited you were to try it. He took another shot.

He remembered how you waited for Kai to end practice. He wished you had been waiting for him instead, taking another shot.

The way you and Kai left the building together, laughing and chatting about god knows what. With each shot he took, he felt his frustration build. But that didnt last long. A wave of sadness crashed on him and he realised there was no way he could stay mad at you, no matter how drunk and/or sober he was. He just cared and loved you too much.

As the alcohol started to take effect, yeonjun felt his negative thoughts, along with his sobriety, fade away. All his thoughts, except one, you. In a way he was glad all he could think about was you, but he despised the jealousy and pain that came with it.

“Why can’t she just realise how i felt about her? I’ve been trying so fucking hard to make it obvious, why is she so ignorant?” He rambled, to no one in particular.

There was no one close enough to hear him, hell, it was too early for anyone to be at a bar, but he still continued mumbling to himself. He was depressed, or maybe it was anger? He didn’t know anymore, all his emotions were numb, creating a mess in his mind. A few more shots through his soliloquy and suddenly everything went black.

——————————————————————————

“What! You jumped on a glass coffee table?!” Kai exclaimed, bursting into a fit of laughter as you told him the story of how you wanted to test a glass table by jumping on it, breaking it in the process, obviously.

“Hey! Its not my fault it broke okay!”

“Yeah, right. The table came out of no where and got in your way right?”

“Exactly!” You said sarcastically, folding your arm in a defensive manner, “you get me. But there’s something you need to know about me Kai-”

“That you like glass coffee tables?” He intrupted with another round of laughs.

“No. It’s that I’m just really dumb,” you reponded, and with that, the entire street was filled with your laughters. Thankfully, the street was practically empty at that hour.

It was nearly 11pm as you and Kai made your way back home. The past few hours you spent with your best friend had been fun. After getting ice cream, you headed to the nearby park to walk off the calories. However, you both somehow ended up at the playground playing on the swings, with Kai pushing you, of course. You had fun, but eventually the sun had to call it a day and so did you.

It was a beautiful night, stars filled the sky and the moon hung brightly beside them. You’ve always loved stargazing and one day you hoped to be able to lie in the grass, stargazing with your favourite person.

“So... you planning to confess anytime soon?”

You chocked at Kai’s sudden question, “what?”

“Oh, dont pretend. You know who I’m talking about and i know you’re thinking of him right now.”

Blushing at how obvious you were being, you replied, “no way, he doesn’t like me. Ill just be digging my own grave.”

As if on cue, you felt your phone ring in your back pocket.

“Hold on Kai,” you paused, retrieving your phone.

‘Yeonjun 🥴💓’ you heart fluttered as the screen lit up, revealing the caller. ‘That’s weird, why would he be calling me?’ You thought.

No doubt, Kai saw the name and was now teasing you about it. Kai was the only person you trusted enough to tell about your crush on yeonjun, you didnt know him long at the time, but something about him just drew you in. You hit Kai’s arm and answered the phone, signalling Kai to be quiet.

“Hey yeonjun! What’s up?”

Kai blew a kiss in your direction and you responded by rolling your eyes and shaking your head.

You heard someone at the other end of the line but the voice that replied didn’t belong to the blue haired boy you knew.

“Um hi, is this y/n?”

“Yes, that would be me.”

“Oh hi, um so your friend here passed out and he’s been mubbling your name a lot, so i figured you were the person i should call,” the stranger said, letting out a dry laugh at the awkwardness of the call.

“What? Is he okay? Where is he?” You asked, panic overtaking you.

“Yes, he seems fine, he just had a bit too much to drink. He’s at McClaren’s.”

“Alright, thank you! I’ll go pick him up now!” With that, you hung up.

You turned to face Kai, who was looking at you with the face of confusion, “come on we have to pick up yeonjun, he’s at the bar.”

——————————————————————————

You hailed a taxi and you both jumped in. Your mind flooded with worry as you wondered what could have made yeonjun drink so much. He was fine when you were at the practice room earlier, did you miss something when you left?

The moment you arrived, you rushed into the bar, leaving Kai to pay for the ride. When you stepped in, a mixture of alcohol and smoke filled your senses but you couldn’t care less. Your main goal was ensuring yeonjun was alright.

Your eyes scanned the scene until they fell upon the boy slumbering at bar counter. An open bottle of whiskey rested infront of him. He must have had at least five to six shots. Your eyes soften at this realisation and you made your way over to him. Seeing his sleeping face, you couldn’t help but give a small smile. He just looked so... breathtaking.

Gently nudging him, you tried waking him up. “Yeonjun, wake up, we need to get you home.”

“Y/n?” He said groggily, lifting his head as he slowly woke up, smell of alcohol in his breath.

“Hey, yeah it’s me.”

“You’re not y/n, she’s out with Kai. There’s no way she cared about me enough to come here.”

Hearing this left you at a loss for words. You didn’t care about him enough? It hurt your soul knowing that’s what he thought. The only thing you cared about was him. More than anything.

“It’s been a year and she hasn’t even noticed how much i love her. I love her to point it hurts me so fucking badly. I love her more than Kai ever will. But she always asks him to hang out instead of me. I wish i was her first choice, not him,” he continued, laying his head back down on his arms.

His sudden confession left you speechless. ‘Did he mean it? Or was it just the alcohol talking.’ A million thoughts ran through your head until Kai intrupted them by coming in to look for you.

“There you are, what’s taking so long? Let’s get him and go. Help me get him up,” Kai said, not wanting to stay in the bar any longer than required. After making sure yeonjun had all his belongings, Kai slung Yeonjun’s arm over his shoulders and lead him out of the bar and into the taxi.

Throughout the entire journey back, yeonjun slept peacefully in the back seat and you didn’t mutter a single sentence, his words still on your mind.

Being your best friend, of course Kai noticed something was wrong but he didn’t want to say anything since yeonjun was around, and who knows what he will remember when he sobers up.

After reaching the dorm, you thanked the taxi driver and got out. You opened the dorm door for Kai as he dragged the drunked inside and threw him on the couch, letting out a heavy sigh from all the exercise he’d just done.

Kai followed you into the kitchen as you prepared an aspirin and water for yeonjun when he woke up the next day.

“Okay, what’s wrong? You didn’t say a single thing the entire ride back. What happened before i found you in the bar? And don’t lie to me,” he said, using his arm to lean against the door frame, blocking the exit, preventing you from leaving till he gets a satisfactory answer.

You hesitated, “i... yeonjun... he confessed before you came in. But I’m sure that was just the alcohol talking. He also said he’s hurt by how you’re always my first choice and how I didn’t care enough about him.” You let out an awkward laugh, the glass of water making it obvious how badly your hand was shaking.

Kai’s eyes widened in shock, “that’s great, isn’t it? You like him and, revelation tonight, he likes you. You could ask him again tomorrow if you want. I doubt he’ll remember any of it.”

There was silence as you tried to process everything that happened tonight.

“You should stay here tonight, it’s really late, you can borrow some of my clothes. I’ll take care of him for a while, alright?” Kai continued, taking the glass of water out of your hands.

——————————————————————————

The next morning 8am

Yeonjun woke up, head pounding, throat dry. He couldn’t remember a single thing that happened the previous night. He remembered being angry, then sad, then... nothing. He didn’t even remember how or who got him home.

The dorm was quiet, the other boys hadn’t woken up yet. It was quite early, earlier than yeonjun was used to waking up. Sitting up, he noticed the water and aspirin sitting on the coffee table.

‘Who left this here?’ He wondered, knowing his members definitely wouldn’t do that. They would have been kicking and swearing at him for making them carry him home.

Along with the pill, he downed the glass of water and stood up. He wobbled a bit, legs still asleep but eventually regained his balance and made his way to the kitchen. He heard footsteps approaching him, but he figured it was just one of the boys.

“Oh yeonjun you’re awake, how are you feeling?”

He spun around on his heels, surprised to hear your voice, a voice he would recognise before he even saw your face.

“Y/n- good- good morning,” he stuttered after getting the air knocked out of his lungs. You looked adorable, hair messy, wearing an oversized tshirt that belonged to... Kai. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.

“I didn’t know you stayed over. Massive headache, but I’ll get over it.”

“Drink a lot of water okay. Why did you drink so much yesterday?” You asked as you made your way to pour yourself a glass of water.

“Oh... i just... didn’t know my own limit i guess.”

Lies.

You let out a ‘hm’ in reponse. “Well, you said some funny stuff last night. Do u remember any of it?” You looked to the ground, not daring to make eye contact with him.

He shook his head.

A dry laugh escaped you lips as you contemplated if you should continue. “Well, i guess you... kind of confessed to me...” you trailed off as you felt a blush creep up to your cheeks.

Yeonjun’s mouth hung open as he looked for the right words to say. Millions of things running through his mind. Should he lie or should he just admit to it? I guess there was no point hiding his crush now, was there?

“Shit... I’m sorry if i made you feel awkward,” he looked down, hand scratching the back of his neck. He took a deep breath and continued, “I’ve liked you for almost a year now. I know you don’t see me that way and I’ve been trying to get over you for a while now, but i just can’t. Since the day i saw you, there’s been an arrow in my heart. I’m sorry.”

You dont see him that way? Gosh, he couldn’t be anymore wrong and it broke your heart. Without thinking, your arms were around him, engulfing him in a hug.

“Don’t be sorry. Don’t ever think i don’t care about you, because i do. I care about you more than anyone, because... i like you too... so much, since the day i met you.”

“Oh, thank god,” he let out in a breath, hugging you back, hiding his face in the crook of your neck. “You wouldn’t belive how many times I’ve tried telling you and how many times i imagined you would say that.”

You stayed like this for a while, both too happy to say anything.

“You know, there’s a new cafe that opened recently. Would you want to go with me?” You asked, looking up at him, breaking the silence.

“Of course i would,” he replied, resting his forehead against yours. He was grinning like a cheshire, he had gotten his wish.

“Maybe i should have got drunk a long time ago,” he joked, making you giggle.

Just like that, yeonjun felt the arrow in his heart disappear. The once permanent scare was now gone, and he was happier than ever. All it took was a few shots and phone call.

.

.

.

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

So this was a bit longer than i usually write. But i really enjoyed writing this, and hope you enjoy reading it!

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