#thought about doing draxum but then thought of this

[familyofpaladins]

@tmaynt Day 27: Favorite Mutant/Alien Villain

There's so many good villains it was really hard to choose. So I decided to give a shout out to Tokka and Rahzar from TMNT II: Secret of the Ooze, because this part made me laugh SO HARD, I had to pause the movie and take a couple minutes to calm back down lol

bonus:

[qoldenskies]

actually genuinely depressing that when people write april's mom as an actual character she's just kind of a one note Good Caretaker Mom... and like i know why this happens (let the the mammy trope dieee) but i still think there's a lot of untapped potential. im not saying she has to be a BAD parent but there are infinitely more interesting things you can do with april and her relationships with her parent(s), especially because she's WROUGHT with insecurity and is shown to develop a close bond with splinter, who she seeks out approval from, not to mention the absence of her likely working parents is so loud despite it never being mentioned as a reason for her issues, really.

april can take on the front of confidence because she's excitable and courageous but she is so deeply insecure. her being so tenacious despite that doesn't negate it. she notices how she doesn't seem to get along with other people and desperately desires balance between her love of the weird and her need for normalcy. april will work hard to fit in and she'll never succeed (also i really do relate to the fact that the one "friend" she has at school before likely sunita is kind of a creep that she doesn't like, can we talk about that more), and she does seem to find it frustrating that her only actual friends dont understand how that feels. being in the in-between point. wanting the best of both worlds and not truly fitting in either.

i think these are problems that can come with having a bad social life at school even with great parents, but unintentional emotional neglect due to being working class would be interesting, and parallel with splinter in a really fascinating way (+ they do say she has parents but i do prefer the idea of her having a single mom, more to be done with that. maybe they're divorced? that'd add something).

actually april's dynamic with splinter is really unexplored in the fandom because i do think there's a reason she finds his approval so validating,,, i think april's strong personality is mistaken for genuine confidence when it's really not.

SHE THINKS SHE'S A FAILURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[greenlovescats]

I am bored. So bored. Very, very bored. Sooooooooooo imma think about like, how bad of a parent would Draxum actually be? The sep aus that max out the angst potential tend to make him much worse than he actually is. Which is fun(?) to think about, but considering Mikey got through to him in uhhhh….a few months at most, he probably wouldn’t have been too terrible of a dad. Granted, he’d definitely be worse than Splinter, and neither of them are particularly GOOD, but I think that he’d spend the first few years panicking over having kids and not like, full fledged mutant soldiers to train. (I don’t think Draxum was planning on raising children, I def subscribe to the theory that Draxum was gonna rapid-age them, train, and then deploy them as soon as possible.) Draxum is bad at emotions and clueless about children, and I think he’d also spend the first few years trying to whip whichever turtles he ends up with into shape for his plans, before realizing that they act like babies, they ARE babies, and to them he’s their dad. I think he’d calm down a bit after that. I also think Huginn and Muninn would be terrible babysitters, but better at kids than Draxum, and he’d have to rely on them a lot. Tiz sep au and the Catch You au strike me as closer to what he’d actually be like.

[untitled-tmnt-blog]

Hiii!!

For the TMNT ask game:

18) favourite villain?

I read your latest Draxum piece today (so flipping good oml ✨) and it got me curious!

18.) Who is your favorite villain?

Oh yeah, Draxum is definitely up there for me! I'm always unsure if he counts as a villain or an ally in these sorts of questions, because... he's like, both?

But when Draxum is a villain, he's a suuuuper good one! The fact that he was the one responsible for mutating both the turtles and Splinter just gives them such an interesting dynamic! Like, when he first meets them after believing they had burned up in the explosion 13 years ago, he's confused why they're not on his side. And when it becomes apparent that they're obstacles for him instead of allies, he has no problems just... dropping Leo off a roof. No attachment whatsoever. And then at some point that begins to change, and I could go on and on about Draxum for ages, so I'll just leave it at that!

(I also really like Big Mama as a villain, too. Rise has some REALLY good original characters! And Krang Prime in Rise is SO intimidating, I love it!!)

(TMNT Ask Game)

[tizeline]

TSAU!Donnie's Ninpō Explained!

The first ability Donnie unlocks is the ability to see mystic energy! Objects or people with with mystic energy has this colourful glowing aura you could call it, the more mystic energy the more brightly is glows. For example - Mikey already has a very bright aura naturally, which becomes even brighter when he is actively using magic! ..... All of this is to say, Donnie found that out the hard way when he used his mystic sight on Mikey when he was using magic and Donnie as a result got a little bit fucking blinded!

All yōkai and mutants are naturally mystic in nature, they always have a visable aura because of that. Humans are not mystic, so they don't have that aura. HOWEVER! Humans can learn how to use magic through certain means like, y'know, Ninpō for example! When a human uses magic, they do have mystic aura, but only while actively using mystic powers.

(Also Donnie totally accidentally discovered that the "teapot" had bad vibes because his mystic sight lol)

After a while Donnie is able to start making constructs out of his Ninpō. Initially however, he can't really form complex designs, it's mostly just blocks and walls, very simplistic shapes. But it turns out he can use these simpler constructs as effective shields! Which is good considering his soft shell as well as the fact that his battle shell in the AU wasn't built to be used as armour. Both he and April gets a lot of use out of the extra defense.

With quite a bit of practice Donnie is able to actually generate specific and more complex designs! Which means that yes, to the horror of friend and foe alike, Donnie can and will summon an entire arsenal of firepower, yikes. He's not limited to firearms though, he's able to generate all kinds of technology and machinery (drill!!!!)

To create these mystic contructs, it does require Donnie to have a good understanding of what it looks like, how it functions, etc. His imagination and his knowledge of technology are what sets a lot of the limits on what he is able to create, if he can build it in his lab then he can build it with his Ninpō. This particular ability requires a lot complex thought, if Donnie wasn't so smart he wouldn't be able to pull it off as well as he does.

Another limitation is that maintaining the contsructs is very energy-consuming, he'll quickly exhaust himself if he keeps them around. He'll usually only summon constructs very briefly for an attack and then immedietly dismiss them.

The way that Donnnie's Ninpō manifests itself is already very technology-oriented, because of that he can interact with ordinary technology through his Ninpō. Personally I haven't figured out the details of what exactly that can look like, but there's definitely a lot of possibilities to explore here.

One thing though, as Donnie's Ninpō grows more and more powerful overtime, a side-effect of that is that if he gets really pissed off or otherwise very emotional, he'll accidentally make the technology in his near viscinity go haywire lmao. (This has the risk of making him even more angry, which just worsens the problem, and so on haha)

I really like the idea of Donnie being the second most powerful mystic user out of his brothers, after Mikey of course. And because he's mostly self-trained, he doesn't have the best understanding of how to properly control his powers, which evidently can become a bit of a problem. Donnie eventually agrees to let Draxum help him get a better grasp on his mystic abilities after the Hamatos and the Draxums become more friendly with each other.

So uh. About how Donnie kinda accidentally infused Shelldon with mystic energy while creating him which caused the robot to develop a kind of soul? Yeah so because of that Shelldon's mystic energy if linked to Donnie's, which means that Shelldon more or less gains access to the same abilities as Donnie does! He's not quite as powerful as Donnie, and he still needs to practice to fully get a grasp on these powers as well. But point is, that's how Shelldon gains acess to Ninpō in the AU! (He also notices their fucked up "teapot")

----------

Anyway that basically summarizes it! A lot of these ideas are headcanons I have for canon!Donnie as well honestly, the AU is just an excuse to explore these concepts. Donnie's ability to summon fucking firearms and military equipment is also something I've thought about, I wanted to try to think how it would work for him while also putting some limitations on it. ANOTHER THING I like the idea of Donnie's tech constructs basically being the same ability as when Raph creates constructs of himself. The difference lies with that Donnie is a massive nerd so his first instinct is to recreate his own tech with the Ninpō. While Raph being someone who is already so physically strong would naturally use his Ninpō to recreate his own greatest weapon, which is himself. (Donnie uses his brain, Raph uses his brawn, who would've guessed)

[our-happygirl500-fan]

Something that I have kind of noticed is that Leo often sometimes seems to be the one trying to keep his family on track with whatever task they are trying to accomplish.

Leo: So where’s the dog thingy?

Something that I kind of noticed was that as early as the first episode of Rise 'Mystic Mayhem', Leo has sort of been the one that seems to try to keep his family on task, with Leo asking about Mayhem when April & the Turtles first discovered the Hidden City as helping Mayhem was one of the reasons for the Hamato Clan's first adventure in Rise.

Leo: Yeah, yeah. Mistakes were made. Lessons were learned. We got a video game to play. So vamos hermanos.

It also kind of seems that Leo seems to try to keep his family on track even in the Turtles more 'day to day' adventures as during the episode 'Hot Soup: The Game', when Mikey & Raph are clashing over Raph's over protective nature & Mikey's need for independence, Leo interrupts their argument by pointing out that they originally all just wanted to play a video game in the first place.

Leo: Hey, so Gram Gram, it is Gram gram right? We thought we were getting a weapon from the Twilight realm and not a... you?

Something that I kind of wonder about is if Leo's tendency to try & keep his family on track might possibly be a kind of form of compartmentalisation as during the episode 'Shreddy or Not' even when Leo is reacting to Karai's sudden appearance in the lair with the rest of the Hamato Clan & asking if Karai being their ancestor makes Karai their 'Gram Gram', Leo also seems to be the one to remind the family that they had originally been trying to find a way to defeat the Shredder before Karai appeared.

Leo: Hey April, cool if you don't, but do you still have that orb with all the people of New York in it?

Something that I have also kind of been wondering about is that Leo sometimes being the one that seems to keep his family on track of whatever task they are trying to accomplish might possibly have something to do with Leo's ability to keep track of multiple different things happening around him at once, that we usually see when Leo uses his portals in battle, as during the episode 'Anatawa Hitorijanai' even though the Hamato Clan had to deal with the fact that both Draxum & Splinter had been captured & also had to deal with trying to figure out how to defeat the Shredder, Leo also took the time to ask if the people of New York were still okay as well.

[lactoseintolerentswag]

Rise Characterizations

Last month I did an in-depth re-watch of rottmnt s1 to take some notes on writing the characters of rise from their perspective and such. Figured I'd share what I found, but I'm also posting this bc my docs have a nasty habit of blipping out of existence.

We'll start with Raph bc he's the oldest of course, but I'll post the others sep. bc this is gonna get long!!

Raph Character Notes

Language Habits:

Catchphrases: "like a boss", "smash"

Verbalizes his attacks such as "smash", "knuckle sandwich", "power smash jitsu", "tonfa power jitsu", "mystic punch jitsu"

Uses older song titles for surprised exclamations or in place of cursing, most notably "jumping jack flash!"

Uses aave/bae, For example: 'em instead of them, 'ey instead of they, 'cause instead of because, forgoes the g in ing words (going becomes goin')

Uses less and less grammar the more he's stressed, and his voice will come to a higher pitch

Will speak in a softer tone to his little brothers if he's concerned about hurting their feelings. Aka babying them

Mixes up both metaphors and idioms. Would be one to say how the turn tables unironically

Does say "hero" a lot, lost count, especially in phrases like "hero town"

Refers to his brothers as "boys" or "fellas"

Refers to Splinter as "pop(s)" most often

Refers to strangers he's directly talking to as "bubs" or "hoss"

Personality:

Protective of his family

Plays up the hero act/has a strong sense of duty and justice

Impatient, rushes in without a plan (pre-movie), doesn't finish books until the end, falls asleep during "boring movies"

Oblivious, doesn't read into things beyond surface level. Struggles with empathy when something is beyond his understanding, but is still very emotional

Center of responsibility for his brothers, but also has a reckless sense of fun. As long as it's him doing the stupid unsafe thing it's fine

Carries the weight, in a literal sense he piggy backs his brothers, but will also use his body as a shield from danger. Unfortunately this also means he takes his brothers a little less seriously (Mikey the most common victim), and will try and either protect them from everything or as an oldest sibling everything has go "his way"

Doesn't do well in solitude. Needs to be looking after people to feel functional, and needs to be around people to feel safe

Clumsy, "takes horrible pictures", isn't very good at hiding, he's a big guy so it probably took a lot of time to find balance

A sweet guy who still won't shy from making fun of his family. Leo tends to be the brunt of his teasing since he is the most annoying, but he will also poke Donnie on his dramatics

Likes cute things!!! Has a teddy bear collection and loves animals. It's so cool how this isn't played off as a joke and he's still just as masculine for liking pink and cutesy stuff

Likes fighting!!! Gets a lot of energy out defeating bad guys (where he directs his anger towards), the one who is shown to train the most, and also weight lifts in his spare time

Doesn't do well under pressure, here the anger comes out the most. He gets stressed when it's all on him, especially since he tends to mess up the most in these moments

Miscellaneous:

Second to unlock mystic powers

Nicknames/codenames: "raph-a-doodle" by leo, "red rover" by april, "red king" by donnie

Teddy bear names: Doctor Huggenstein, Captain Snuggles, Cheech

Stinks: fear stink, amazement stink, sneaking up on people stink, victory stink

Seems to be less afraid of rabbits and more afraid of puppets

Went on his first solo mission at 13

Cannot lift a bus, at age 15

Thought about discussing fighting style, but I'm not as familiar with that concept and I've seen a couple posts dissecting such topic. So we'll end here for now. Hope this was helpful!!! I'll post the rest of the boys later and link here

Leo is up!!

Donnie is up!!

Mikey is up!!

Splinter is up!!

April is up!!

Cassandra is up!!

Baron Draxum is up!!

[sibillascribbles08]

Big Ol' Rottmnt Fic Rec List

Hi, I've needed to do this for a while, so here's a big bundle of fic recs from me !

I've broken it down between one shots, chaptered fics, and series. I'll try to mention what the character focus is along with a brief summary and some personal thoughts. If you need more details I encourage you to check the fics summary and tags for yourself! I will only include an author's tumblr account if it's easy for me to find haha

One Shots

Mama's Boy - ashtreelane: Technically two chapters but it feels like a one shot. Casey Jr. angst, involving him finding out that maybe you can fix kraang infections and that he failed to save his mother. I love when people really pile the grief on Junior after all the fighting is over and the fic does it so well.

Forget-Me-Nots - GibbousLunation (AKA @klunkcat ): Hi, oh my god??? Leo and Mikey centric angst, in which saving Leo from the prison dimension has an insane ripple effect. Mikey dying? Nah he's going to start getting erased from every timeline and Leo slowly watches it happen (and refuses to do nothing about it). I utterly adore how this fic handles this concept. You see almost all of it from Leo's POV, noticing the little changes but writing them off as memory failures, because of how subtle some of it is.

Fight or Flight - pickledcarrotsandradish: Leo centric, post movie, Leo keeps waiting for his family to start lecturing him about all the dumb stuff he did during the invasion, and they aren't, so it's getting to him. A very neat narrative about how self loathing can warp our perception of how others see us. A++++

The Friend Zone Sounds Pretty Good, Actually - Cryptvokeeper: Eating this, eating this. You probably already know I love aroace Leo and this fic is an INCREDIBLE exploration of that. Even as just an ace person it hit SO many notes where I was just like "Oh god... I've been there buddy". And as a bonus the dynamic between Leo and Yuichi is v sweet. Love this a lot I've read it like five times.

Pink in The Night - unnamedmystery: Incredible April/Sunita fic. Like seriously this author wrote April's crush so well I think I was starting to fall in love with Sunita. Just incredibly cute all the way through, and great April writing, adore it.

《 until then, matriarch 》 - chiangyorange: HI OH MY GOD A nice chunky oneshot about Karai, about her being a leader, and it's phenomenal. It hits and hits and does not miss, really going in depth about her emotions involving her father turning into something wicked and having to destroy him, and how it ruins all of her good memories.

The Kindness of Collision - SpoonerizedSwiftness (AKA @splickedylit ): Hi I still remember the fic and the art suddenly showing up in the tag and then I was thinking about it for the next like five weeks aslkdjf A very interesting idea that when the turtles reach the age they were in the doomed timeline before things got reset, all the memories of their other life more or less hit them like a train. All of them have to comb through that information and it's a wonderful and emotional ride.

Chaptered Fics

Hamartia - Punable (in progress): Hi this is one of my all time favorite rise fics, mainly because in a way, it helped me come to terms with my chronic pain. It's Donnie centric and smack full of angst in all the best ways. Shorthand summary, an explosion in Donnie's lab almost takes him out (or kind of DOES take him out) and the recovery is not only long and agonizing, it may only go so far, and Donnie doesn't cope well with that.

Kick It Up a Notch - Brokenpitchpipe (completed): Hi this is my other all time fav rise fic. Donnie centric separated AU in which Donnie is raised by Draxum. My love for it stems a lot from the characterization of Donnie though, and even Draxum in this case. Not to mention that in a lot of cases it matches the vibes of the show. And in spite of all the humor, there's a few really gut wrenching moments. 10/10 will re-read.

Lightning in Our Fingertips Today - DaFlangsLairde (AKA @daflangstlairde-art) (completed): Leo and Donnie centric, mostly angst, with body swapping between the twins which results in Donnie finding out that Leo's ninpo hurts him. Love love love the character writing in this, and also how the swap is written.

Under Pressure - ParvumAutomaton (completed): Not sure this is a single character focused fic, but basically April goes cave diving and is out for a while, and the turtles get worried and go looking for her. This might be personal bias but as someone who gets really into caving stories, this fic hits the spot for so many reasons. A really great emotional ride, and if you wanna see April go through it then I super recommend it.

Nothing Haunts Us (like the things we don't say) - mad_and_thick_as_theives (completed): A lot of great fics by this author btw, but this one personally stood out to me. It starts of silly and light only to sweep in with the emotional weight. Turtles are all cursed with a truth spell, basically, but I think my favorite bit is who gets out of it first (and why). V sweet.

Creation of a Philospher's Stone - IgnisCanis (completed): Whoooo boy, if you want some Draxum centric character exploration this is a great one. It really fleshes him out as a morally grey character and also does a fantastic job at writing Mikey when he finds out.

The Ol Switcheroo - radishhqueen (AKA @radishhqueen) (completed): Haha not going to lie I have a few by this author (so I'll only tag them once) but MAN. Hands down my favorite take on future leo coming to the past, and maybe I'm biased because I like when those fics actually explore Junior's character in the process buuuuut I love it. Junior's already struggling to adapt himself to the present, and after getting caught up in a foot clan spell which summons his sensei to the present too it really doesn't get any easier.

Vigilantism for Fun and Profit - radishhqueen (completed): The Cassandra Jones fic ever. Zero contest. If you're uncertain about writing Cassandra because she had so little development in the show I encourage you to read this for inspiration (I know it inspired me a lot). It does such a great deep dive into her character post show and a bit of the movie too. Honestly anytime radishh has a Cassandra fic I am clicking.

Tried to Grow Up Good - Sroloc_Elbisivni (AKA @sroloc--elbisivni )(completed): The Casey Jr. fic ever. CRAZY in love with this post movie take on him. It's messy, it's fun, it's so so real and you get a good chunk of Casey Sr. in here too. Adore it.

Hold On (Or Three Times Donatello's Soft Shell Almost Killed Him, and One Time it Saved His Life) - dunk_on_em (AKA @spockazilla )(completed): If you ever want a bit of angst involving Donnie's shell this is my go to. Every chapter has an emotional swing, even the positive ones. And shows something most people might see as a disadvantage as a good thing, actually.

Atlas, My Brother - swampcryptid (AKA @the-name-is-rizzotherat)(in progress): Get your Raph angst, specifically involving him always shielding his siblings, this time via a curse. My guy is already going through it and I think it'll get worse if a solution isn't found.

I've Got You Under My Skin - Cass_Phoenix (in progress): More Raph angst, and some Donnie, a truly chilling exploration of the possible consequences to connecting with the kraang. This fic constantly has me on the edge of my seat, and constantly stressing for Raph.

What We Leave Behind (How We Start Anew) - iam57311 (AKA @iam-57311)(in progress): Any Baronjitsu fans here? An alternate take on canon in which Draxum and Splinter co-parent the kids since they're first born (made?) Hilariously while I love the Baronjitsu content in here, I think some of my favorite parts are actually with the sisters, Big Mama, and Draxum's sister who is so so cool I love her.

Proof of Redemption - iam57311 (complete): Another one of theirs! A short and sweet lil close to canon fic about Draxum steadily gaining the trust and affection of the Hamatos, with each chapter focused on a different character. I love how they're all paced out from each other, really hits how some are much slower than others to trust Draxum hehe.

No Crime* Only Brooches - OllieTheScribe (AKA @olliethescribe) (in progress): Well I have to get THE HypnoWarren fic in here. Such a fun take on these characters, I love love love the backstory they built up for Warren too, plus the dynamic between these two and the turtles after (eventually) become friends haha.

Minor Interference - bambiraptorx (AKA @bambiraptorx) (in progress): What can I say? This fic is delightful. Between the hilarity of the turtles going with Draxum just to mess with him, the lore additions for yokai and the Hidden City, HoH Donnie, and their slowly building dynamic, always eager for a new chapter with this one.

Series

A Butterfly with a Mechanical Wing - Amethyst_Goldenwind (AKA @amethystgoldenwind ): Donnie centric series about being a non-verbal autistic. I'm always fond of non-verbal/mute explorations of characters, and so far I really like how, because his family has grown up with it, all of it is very normal for them. The various forms of communication are delightful. Excited to see further entries.

Analogous Hues - alwerakoo (AKA @alwerakoo): It's a separated AU with similar titling themes as my own, needed to check it out. The titles are just about all they have in common though! This AU focuses a lot on the turtles (Raph and Leo with Splinter and Donnie and Mikey with Draxum). I love how this explores not only the dynamics of the two groups and how different they are, but also the dynamics between each of the siblings, also how some magic sibling connections can influence that. Not to mention the different home life in more ways than one. If you're into separated AUs that really dig into the turtles dynamics try this one out !

[cupcakeslushie]

Do you like good dad drax? Or well morally grey. He loves his sons but he still messes up

Just the same as it is for Splinter’s relationship with the boys…it depends on what I’m feeling.

I love good dad Drax…but sometimes I also want to see some angst. So I also love horrible, nightmare dad Drax. I also just like plain old, canon Draxum—mid, cringe—new dad, who’s trying to keep up with having four boys forcing him into their found family.

For my AU specifically, I fully admit at the very start, I did pick Draxum as a means to an end—a villain to help further Donnie’s story, but as I read other takes on his relationship with the turtles, and thought about it more, the more I wanted to develop him past the corner I’d shoved him in. And eventually, I started to think how much more devastating it would be for Draxum to start on the path to being a good dad, but still somehow forced into becoming that Villain we know from canon (or well…maybe worse than canon 🤣).

So, basically because of the Empyrean poisoning, I get to have both! Evil dad Draxum, and later a Redeemed Dad Draxum!

[sara-the-wizard]

I had another story about Leo DIEING after the invasion?!?!??!

(I tell ya, I make too many stories...)

Hello! I just found yet another rottmnt fan fiction I wrote about a year ago in my files! I'm gonna share it with you if that's okay!

Warnings! 💔

Tw implied death. Tw implied choking. Tw implied drowning. Tw Implied grave robber/robbing.

Story is under the cut! Hope you enjoy! 💙⬇️

{Fall and Rise}

Sirens wailed in the distance. The sky was stained. And three mutated turtles wept over one of their own. After hours of crying, they took Leo home, laid him in a bed, and placed the sheet over his head. They all stood in the living room, unsure of what to do next. Draxum comes forward and speaks.

"I created him. It is only right that I would bury him."

They all agreed. Knowing that none of them would have had the heart to prepare him for burial. Soon they all attended the funeral they had made for him. There were many tears that fell as the casket was lowered. As months passed. His whole family visited his grave until it was just Donnie. Donnie walked through the hidden city. (Leos grave was in the hidden city right outside of Draxums old lab.) Donnie bought some flowers from a vender. He practiced his speech as he made his way to Leos grave.

"Hey Nardo! I guess you know, today is our birthday! ... I know you can't get me a gift, but I brought you some flowers! And-"

Donnie cut himself off. He looked over at Leos grave in shock. He dropped the flowers on the ground. --- Donnie rushed home and burst into the room.

"He's gone!!" Donnie shouted in concern.

Everyone looked at Donnie with confusion and concern.

"What's wrong, Donnie?" Mikey asked.

"The grave, not there! Gone!" Donnie sputtered in a panic.

"Woah, Donnie. Slow down! Take it from the top."

Raph placed his hands onto Donnies shoulders.

"I went to Leos grave, but he's gone!" Donnie shook his hands.

"You mean Leo?" Raph creased his brow.

Donnie nodded his head.

"Leo's gone?!" Mikey jumped.

"Do you think it was grave robbers?" Raph shook his fist.

"How disgraceful!" Splinter huffed.

"Who would do such a thing?!" April held out her hands. --- Donnie busted the door open to an apartment.

"Draxum! Where is he?!" Donnie shouted.

Draxum sat on a couch sipping on some tea.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Draxum huffed.

"Leos grave is dug up and... Leo's gone!" Raph commented.

"We suspect it to have been grave robbers." Splinter insisted.

"Yeah! So you gotta help us find them and make'em tell us where-" April was cut off.

"It was me." Draxum said, casually sipping his tea.

Everyone was dumbfounded by his statement. "YOU?!?!" They shouted. Splinter growled.

"I've seen you do pretty low things, Draxum. But never have I thought you would stoop so low as to-" Splinters sentence was cut short.

"I know how I can bring your brother back to life. Correction, how WE can bring your brother back to life."

Draxum said while getting up from the couch.

"Come with me." Draxum said as he walked out the door. --- They walked through Draxums old lab. It was a bit messy. Some ruble still laying on the ground when the laboratory blew up.

"I never thought we'd be back here again." April whispered to Raph. Raph sighed.

"Draxum, where are you taking us?" Raph huffed. Somewhat impatient.

Draxum turned to look at the group behind him. He raised his hand and waved it over a secret panel. The wall started to glow with glowing magenta markings. The wall began to shift. It opened to them, revealing a secret tunnel. They walked down the dark and Erie passageway.

"This was where I did my more, "dangerous experiments"." Draxum cleared his throat.

"Draxum? What are you up to?" Splinter looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I have already told you." Draxum huffed.

Soon they made it to another wall. This wall too started to shift. When it opened, shock ran down everyone's faces. Leo floated lifeless in a tube of water. Many wires were attached to him in various places. An oxygen mask was put on over his mouth.

A few days ago:

Draxum dug up Leos grave with the help of his loyal gargoyles. After the gargoyles were done braking their backs, Draxum used his mystic tentacles to take Leo out of his little bed of eternal rest. Soon he brought Leo inside. There was this pattern drawn on the floor with chalk. Leo laid in the center. Draxum sat above him. And the gargoyles hovered around the bottom.

"Are you sure you trust us to do this, boss?" One of them said.

"I don't have much of a choice." Draxum sighed.

"You can count on us sir!" One snapped its finger.

"You won't regret it boss!" The other gave an optimistic air punch.

Draxum squeezed the bridge of his nose. "I'm already regretting this."

The gargoyles then started the memory spell. Draxum was sent into Leos memories. --- Suddenly Draxum appeared in the sewers. He watched as the four turtles floated down the stream on their tubes. Draxum raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, blue floating petals flew around him. Startled, He looked around to see where they came from. He followed the trail. Right when he's about to turn the corner. Something jumps at him from the darkness. Draxum raised his hand to block the incoming attack. It was Leos subconscious self. Pure black with glowing white eyes. Leo backed away and tried to hit him again, but Draxum blocked him.

"Move me to another memory!" Draxum shouted.

Suddenly, he was face down in the snow. He looked around and saw the turtles building a snowman. Then the blue petals flew by again. This time they carried a voice.

"I don't want to be alone!" The petals echoed.

Draxum widened his eyes. But before he could follow it, multiple shadows jumped down from the trees. Draxum looked up and quickly jumped away. Dodging most of the swings. Suddenly a sword grazed past his face, and he was knocked to the ground. He felt his cheek where the sword had hit, and looked up at the petals floating away.

"Please, don't forget me!" The petals continued to echo.

The realization knocked in like how that sword hit his head.

"Quickly! You must move me to-"

Then he appeared in a room. Mikey sat on a throne with Donnie and Leo waving palm leaves. Draxums eye twitched.

"What in the world have they been through?" Draxum thought to himself.

suddenly Draxum was free falling from the sky.

"No! I want you to-"

Draxum was then falling in a very long dirt tunnel. The turtles were riding their bike, complaining something about, 'Why does this pizza week have to be so hard?!'

"Ugh! I ment- oof!"

Draxum landed in a very dark place. There was a checkered floor. A single spotlight lit up. Draxum turned around to see what was there. Leo had his back turned away from him. He sat on the floor, cradling himself, repeating-

"I don't want to be alone! Please!"

The blue petals danced around Draxum and Leo. He walked up to Leo and stopped behind him.

"Leonardo?" Draxum called.

Leo didn't answer. Draxum then came around to the front of Leo and knelt down. He gently placed a hand onto Leos shoulder. Leos breath hitched. He slowly looked up to see who was touching him.

"Leonardo." Draxum said in return, as if he was addressing him.

"B-Barry?" Leos eyes began to tear up as whimpers escaped his lips. "Please, I wanna go back home!" Leo blubbered.

"That is why I'm here." Draxum said with a stern tone. --- Blue petals started to float around them. They swirled round the edges of the chalk circle. The gargoyles were a bit in a panic and surprise. This glowing blue orb started to form in the center, floating above them all. The gargoyles watched In aw. Just as all the petals found their places in this orb. The sphere then quickly started to drop.

"Uh oh! It's falling!" One of them said while waving his arms.

"It's gonna break!" The other said, pressing his hands onto his cheeks.

Just then, A magenta mystic tentacle grabbed the orb just when it was about to hit Leos chest. Draxum slowly brought it over to himself and placed it into his hands.

"Woah, what is it?" One of the gargoyles asked.

"It's his soul." Draxum replied.

Present day:

Leos soul is placed in a special spot just below Leos water tank.

"But the only way to get his soul back into his body, is with a lot of mystic energy." Draxum explained.

"So your saying, that you need our mystic energy to power your machine?" Mikey asked.

"Yes. But there is a chance it could take all your mystic energy, leaving you powerless." Draxum crossed his arms.

"Who cares! Let's do it!" Donnie stomped his foot.

"Woah, hold on a second Donnie. Did you not hear him? Our mystic abilities could be taken away!" Raph held his hands out.

"Raph! This is about our brother! This is about Leo!" Donnie stammered.

"I know! It's just..." Raph gestures with his hands.

"Fine if you're not going to do it, then I'll do it all by myself!" Donnie growled.

"That would be unwise. The amount of mystic energy required is much more than you can possibly handle alone. The decision must be unanimous!" Draxum commanded.

Everyone went to stand next to Donnie and looked at Raph, waiting for his answer. Raph closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then nodded with a sense of determination. --- Donnie looked down at the metal clasps around his wrists. He looked around to see his other brothers leaning on purple control boards with their wrist locked down tight. For a moment Donnie thought maybe this was a bad idea. Then he looked over at Leo in the tube and hardened his emotions.

"Okay, are you all ready?" Draxum turned to them.

They all nodded. "Yes!" "As ready as I'll ever be." "Let's do this!" "All set!" "Let her rip!"

Draxum then reached over and grabbed a lever.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. This might hurt a bit." Draxum hummed.

"Wait, what?- aaAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Donnie screamed as the machine turned on and the terrible stinging sensation went through his whole body.

Everyone groaned and cried in pain. The energy traveled up the swirling lines and entered through Leos soul and into his body. Almost immediately, Leos body started to flinch. His eyes shot open with a blinding bright blue glow. Donnie painfully turned his head to look at Leo.

"Guys, guys! It's working!!" Donnie shouted.

They all looked up to see. Leo looked down at them with his glowing eyes. Leo slowly reached a hand out of concern for his brothers.

"C'mon Mad Dogs! Keep... going!" Raph strained.

Splinter looked up at Leo. Leos behavior was strange. He kept trying to take deep breaths but could never get enough air each time.

"... Something is wrong!" Splinter stated.

Suddenly a small alarm sounded.

"Error! Error!" The computer repeated.

"There's a malfunction in the oxygen system!" One of the gargoyles cried.

"Oxygen levels are at 27%!" The other said as it read a small panel.

"What!?" April squealed.

"How much longer till the procedure is completed?" Draxum demanded.

"Still 30% to go!" The gargoyles answered.

"There is not enough air! He is not going make it!" Splinter said with concern.

"We have to get him out of there!" April exclaimed.

"No! If we stop now, his soul will shatter from all the energy built up in it. Then there will be no chance of bringing him back!" Draxums voice thundered.

They looked at each other nervously. They continued to push harder and harder. Then suddenly, Mikey began crying.

"I... I can't take this much longer!" Mikey sobbed.

"You've got this Mikey!" April tried her best to encourage him.

"It is just a little longer!" Splinter confirmed.

Donnie grunted. Raph looked at how everyone was in such pain. He then turned his gaze onto Leo. Leo didn't look like he was being resurrected, he looked like he was dying!

"3% left to go!" April stated.

A beeping sound came from one of the panels.

"Boss! Oxygen levels are at 0%!" The gargoyles scrambled.

Raphs heart rate quickened as he watched Leo choke on his final breath and slowly pass out in the water. He couldn't control himself. Raph powered up his Ninpo and broke the clasps around his wrists.

"Raphael, what are you-" Splinter cried out.

Raph ran towards Leo and smashed the tube open with his mystic fist. The glass shattered everywhere as the water spilled out onto the floor. Leo fell forwards into Raphs arms. The machines turned off and the clasps opened. Donnie and Mikey fell to their knees.

"You fool! What were you thinking?!" Draxum shouted at Raph.

But Raph was silent. He stared down at the sopping wet and unconscious Leo in his arms. Leos whole body was shaking something fierce. Raph placed his fingers into Leos neck.

"There's a pulse... Leo's alive!" Raph shouted, with a hint of relief in his voice.

Draxum softened his gaze. He quickly rushed over. But there was something obviously wrong with Leo.

"It will be a short lived revival, if he doesn't breathe!" Draxum said with concern.

Raph looked back down at Leo. His shaking turned into slight twitches. Raph placed a hand onto Leos cheek and gently patted it.

"C'mon Leo, C'mon! You can do it! Just breathe! Just breathe..." Raph shivered slightly with fear.

The others gathered around to look at Leo. But it was just silence. Then suddenly, Leo hiccuped! This caught them off guard. Leo hiccuped again! And again. And again. And again! Leo groaned after each one.

"Hiccups?" Donnie titled his head.

"Leos got the hiccups!" Mikey giggled.

They all made soft cooing sounds and laughter of relief and pity.

"Aw, you poor thing!" Raph pulled Leo in closer.

"You just came back to life, and what you get is the hiccups!" April said as she gently stroked Leos head.

Leo hiccuped and whined loudly.

"Shh, shh! It is okay! Just take deep breaths, can you do that?" Splinter said as he placed a hand onto Leos chest.

Leo proceeded to take many shaky breaths in and out. When they thought they were gone, Leo hiccuped once more! They couldn't hold back their snickering. Leo groaned with annoyance.

"It's okay, just keep breathing, alright?" Raph smiled.

Leo sighed and nodded his head. They all gently embraced Leo in a group hug, Draxum included. Mikey refused to leave him out.

_______

Hope you liked the story! Have an awesome day! 💜

[trilobitepunch]

Inktober(ish) week 3?! Chill out, October!

Okay, these prompts took a dip again...

Day 13: Spiral/Raven

I really enjoyed doing this one. Based off a thought of how a Japan arc would've gone with these boys. ...terrible by the looks of it.

Day 14: Hollow

Was kiiind of a follow-up of the previous but I don't know where it was going from there XD

Day 15: Blind

Also kind of going with the Japan experience I guess??

Day 16: Tar Fang

And now for something totally different and not at all terrifying!

Day 17: Twisted

Something something about built in hunter instincts in Draxum's genetics for an ultimate warrior + exposure to something that happened to mutate into some kind of virus that set all that stuff he forgot about, off. 8];;;

Day 18: Eye

I see you...

Day 19: Visceral

Can't forget to play with Mikey now, can we?

*flails around*

[goodlucktai]

16 for the dialogue prompts?

dialogue prompts

16. “God, I’m so sorry, it’ll be over soon, I promise.”

@dandywonderous im so sorry about this in advance 🥹

x

When they were little, and they started wearing masks because Mikey wanted to be like the heroes he watched in Saturday morning cartoons, Donnie asked Splinter to cut the tails of his short so they wouldn’t get in his way.

Leo thought that was a crazy decision, because if the tails were short they wouldn’t match Raph’s. 

“So?” Donnie said, unscrewing the bottom panel of the oscillating fan he stole from Splinter’s room. 

“So what?” Leo said. 

“So what if I don’t match Raph? I don’t have to,” Donnie pointed out, a seven year old at his most reasonable.

His twin blinked, then his striped cheeks puffed out, brow furrowing, fully not understanding the question. He wanted to do everything Raphie did, but denied it when anyone told him so. 

This certain proof of that behavior made Donnie smile, quiet and indulgent the way he only ever was for his other half, but only when it was just the two of them. 

Leo whined and kicked his feet but Donnie wouldn’t tell him what was funny. 

Those long blue mask tails are sodden and heavy as Donnie shifts them out of the way, leaving a sickening trail of red where they drag against Leo’s neck and shoulder. 

They’re pinned down, what’s left of the tunnel groaning and shifting around them, at least three Technodromes filling the sky outside. Donnie can feel the hum of impending doom in his teeth. 

“Hush, Nardo,” Donnie whispers, hand clamped over Leo’s mouth hard, even though it cuts him to have to do this. “You can’t scream, mellizo. Hush.”

His twin writhes, digging at Donnie’s grip with desperate fingers. His chest is heaving, eyes wild with pain. The rosy glow of Raph’s ninpo is all they have to see by as the projection hovers above them in case of another collapse. In the dim light, Donnie can almost pretend it’s mud he’s kneeling in, warm and slick and pooling at an alarming rate from the slab of concrete that Leo’s right arm has been crushed under.  

The safe zone has been compromised. It’s devastating, but not at all surprising. Two of their scouts didn’t report in when they should have, baseline humans who didn’t have a hope of resisting the Krang’s method of interrogation, so it was only a matter of time before the enemy came knocking. 

April, Mikey and Cass have been evacuating their people and transporting supplies in and out of sunny orange portals all morning while Draxum, Hob and Usagi guarded their every move with eagle-eyed vigilance. 

Donnie, Raph and Leo were holding the Krang at bay for every extra second that they could, but they stayed out there a second too long. 

Now Leo is bleeding and the Krang hounds are prowling, their horrible faces scraping the ground as they sniff out that rich source of life, and Donnie’s mind is blank with panic. They’re trapped, and if he lets go then Leo will scream and bring death down on them, and if he doesn’t then death will come anyway, with teeth and venom.

“Shhh, Lilo,” Donnie tries to soothe, imagining Leo’s sweet, bright ‘shhh yourself, Dodo!’ in place of the uncomprehending whine he gets in response. “God, I’m so sorry. It’ll be over soon, I promise.”

Maybe we should pray, he thinks wildly. Not to god, because that would be a spectacular waste of breath, but to one of the people who left the party early and might be willing to toss a miracle or two in their direction. Papa, or Gram-gram, or April’s mom. 

The red projection surrounding them begins to shrink. Slowly, making sure the rocks above and around them won’t shift, until the ninpo is just a warm glow beneath Raph’s skin. Donnie feels a rush of relief and anticipation—Raph has a plan, Raph will tell him what to do. 

Raph puts one arm around Donnie’s shoulders and cups Leo’s face with his other hand, stroking his cheek with the pad of his thumb. Blood smears beneath his fingers. His expression is hard to read in the dark underground. 

“You’ll be alright, big man,” Raph murmurs, all conviction, as if he can make it true out of sheer love. If anyone could, it would be him. Then he says, “Donnie, can you cut him out?”

The question makes his stomach lurch with nausea, bitter and acidic, but it’s a question that he can answer. After fighting in a three-turtle team for the better part of two hours, Donnie’s ninpo feels like coffee dregs left in the bottom of an empty pot. He has enough strength left that he could summon a tool for an emergency amputation, but only that. 

“Not quickly,” he says pointedly, “or quietly.”

Raph nods. He just sits there for a minute, holding them. They don’t have a minute and Raphie knows that but he’s just holding them. Donnie’s heart begins to race in a brand-new direction, some frightened thing in his very center sitting up and taking notice. 

Donatello has always been an incredible number of things, not all of them good or noble or worth bragging about, but above all else, at the end of each and every day, he was Raphael’s little brother. 

Donnie didn’t imitate him when they were kids—didn’t wear his mask tails long or find reasons to follow him around—but he was every firm hug Donnie needed to keep his skin from itching when life got too loud. He was an attentive, listening audience when Donnie had to talk about the things pingponging around in his mind without being interrupted or he’d scream. He was the large hands that held Donnie’s, the snaggle-toothed face that smiled in encouragement, when Donnie learned to walk. 

Donnie knew him fundamentally. Intrinsically. A textbook he never had to study, knowledge that grew up with him from the first moment he opened his eyes to the big, bright world. That’s how he knew what was about to happen the second before it did. 

“No,” Donnie says hoarsely. “Please don’t.” 

“Raphie’s gotcha,” Raph says warmly, the last steadfast and solid and remarkably kind thing left in the apocalypse.

He reaches down and presses the panic button on Donnie’s gauntlet. The alert activates with a bright pinging sound effect, echoing twice in their little disaster-made cavern as it’s received by Leo and Raph’s comms, and the Krang hounds nearby whine and bark in excitement. Their claws churn up earth and rock as they start to run.

Raph spares a second to press a kiss against Donnie’s temple, and another to Leo’s forehead, and then he’s gone. The light goes with him. Donnie shakes like a leaf, unreasonably cold, unable to think. 

Leo is half out of his mind by now, sobbing and jerking at his trapped limb, but all his agony is soundly drowned out by the brutal battle Raphael is leading far away from them. 

“Hush,” Donnie whispers, eyes stinging so badly he can hardly keep them open, tears dripping endlessly down his face. “It’ll be over soon.”

[qoldenskies]

Do you have any crumbs of wwww!Donnie to share? I miss him

ah... one of the four wwww likers ... honestly its very rare anyone asks about them so i just dont talk about them much

anyways ... little update to how i feel wwww!donnie operates. i do think to an extent that the very unaffected(?) front that he has on is him masking, at least a little. draxum, while being a parent who tries, was/is very impatient and volatile, so it was donnie's way of "handling" it, especially because he was raised to think... professionally. draxum has never been secretive about how they were created to be weapons of war, and donnie took that very seriously. he was always the stickler growing up. draxum's as much of a boss as he is a parent, honestly i think he has a more traditionally "parental" relationship with those gay ass gargoyles. he has THREE dads

leo wasn't the same. when he was a lot younger, there used to be a lot of shouting matches between him and draxum, but eventually in the late preteens draxum improved and their relationship mellowed out. but it still has an effect on how donnie acts, mostly being a witness and being someone who's so sensitive. i also think the way he acts was partially influenced by leo's advice of "never let them know your next move"-- big mama as well, they look up to auntie. technically both of them are putting on poker faces, they just express it differently

he's still very donnie, and he doesn't actually make an effort to lock down his feelings at all. he's just not super expressive. i think he'll end up unmasking and being more comfortable expressing excitement when he lives with the other half of his family, but also i dont think going from -.- to O-O is much of an improvement personally. the starerrrrr

[brain-rot-tmnt]

I was thinking about Draxum today and I have some thoughts.

Namely, Draxum is not evil, he never was.

And that's why he makes an excellent villain.

Draxum does evil things because he loves too much. He loves his people, the Yokai, to the point of insanity. He can and will do everything within his power to protect them from what he perceives to be a threat. He will do truly abhorrent, monstrous things in the name of his love.

And crucially, the moment he realises he was wrong, the absolute second it becomes indisputable that the humans are not a threat, he stops.

He doesn't stop caring, no far from it, but he stops attacking. He steps back, settles down. And yes it could be argued that he only does so because the Shredder steals his power, but let's be real. Draxum is a genius, the definition of a mad scientist. If he wanted to, if he really, really wanted to keep attacking the humans? He would absolutely find a way. But he doesn't.

Instead he picks up a day job, one that despite being "beneath him" he throws himself into wholeheartedly. He loves the school, and his students, and his coworkers, and his job. He becomes the absolute best lunch lady he knows how to be.

And when the real threat, the Shredder, attacks the turtles? He steps the eff up. He's the one who stays behind with Splinter to fend off the shredder and keep the boys safe. Because he was wrong, and now the mutants he created to keep the Yokai safe, and the man whose DNA he used to make them, they're not tools to be used, they're family. And like everything Draxum does he does it with his whole heart. The moment he accepted the hamatos as family that was it, he will put himself directly in harm's way for them, he will die for them if he needs to.

Because Draxum isn't evil, he is love. Misguided and flawed, as all love is sometimes, but still love.

[dianagj-art]

OH MY GOSH Oneion should hug One and One can't do nothing about it cause...he's small

Oneion wouldn't tho, cause he knows One a little bitch, he would sit on him tho

(Old art omg 😭 Oneion doesn't even have the head stripes)

You have unlocked a short ramble about them because they are everything to me, you don't understand

Look, at first sight, One would be so excited to see Oneion, why wouldn't he? Look at him! And *that *is him! At first sight, Oneion is everything One wants to become, everything Draxum hoped and expected from him. But the moment Oneion interacts with his brothers (or on the crossovers with Sprout and Poptart) all of that comes crashing down, because No. WHY??!!

One is still deep in denial about having friends, because Draxum pretty much forbade that as he grew up, he grew up isolated in their home most of the time, and was tought to be a soldier and pretty much a weapon for war, friends were for normal yokai, and he was not that, friends were a distraction from his purpose and his training, a weakness to have

So then Oneion comes in and he has a family and friends and he loves them so much and he gets along with humans, which he was supposed to destroy and he is constantly going against so much that One was thought and who One perceives as who he is

Oneion has gone thought years of growth and character development, he's not the piña coloda of mental health by any means, but he's certainly in a better place than One is

All this frustrates both of them so much

and they certainly bring out the worst on each other, but! Once One starts to shift, once he starts to take the first steps in his redeption, he's gonna start seeing Oneion in another light, he'd be able to understand him more, and Oneion would gladly be there for him when the worst comes.

[tizeline]

Haha yeahhhhh no so it exploded. Because what else would you expect. Not the worst situation for the Draxums though, they still managed to get the oozesquitos, and they were gonna release them anyway. Still, gonna be annoying to clean up the mess....

And also everyone managed to remain unharmed from the blast..... hold on though are we not forgetting anyone?

In all the chaos Donnie, April and Mayhem managed to regroup and they understandibly teleport out of there as soon as possible because fuck this whole situation. So YAY they managed to escape! :D But also aw man Long Lost Little Brother ran off... :(

(and don't worry about Huginn and Muninn they're alive!..... probably)

And GODDAM that's the final part! Finally got episode one of the AU over and done with yippee! :D

Of course, we do still have some plotpoints left we need to adress. For example, dunno if anyone has thought about this, but Donnie never got to explore Draxum's fancy mystic weapon room in this version fo events, which means he never got that mystic crystal! And if he doesn't get that crystal, then how is he gonna get the ability to detect mystic energy, I wonder 🤔🤔🤔

Also, Donnie's only gotten one side of his Secret Backstory and he's gotta go get some answers from Splinter, but either way we'll get to all of that in future updates!

<- Previous I << First

Family Secrets part 1 (follow up comic) ->

Mini epilogue lol: