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toy-powerhouse · 1 month

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Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Disappointments: A Brutally Honest Review of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the most disappointing thing since my son… And, my other three sons, my four sons who also happen to be teenage mutant ninja turtles. You know what they say: life imitates art. Much like my dissatisfying sons, I really wanted to like the series when I stumbled across it, but there was so much lacking in its execution that prevented it from reaching its potential (Editor’s Note: okay, Red Letter Media-esque joke over). Before its release in 2018, there were very vocal Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans who were skeptical about Rise of the TMNT and many of the changes the series made to established lore. Raphael is the fearless leader, instead of Leonardo; April is Black American as opposed to white like she is in most iterations; and the series is more comedic in tone, unlike other recent adaptations that have an even balance of comedy and drama. I welcomed all the changes to the TMNT formula, and I was eager to see it. Now that I’ve finally finished watching it, I’m left disappointed with it. Before we jump headfirst into why this series can be dissatisfying, I want to preface this to state that many fans treat this series with a certain level of reverence often to the extent of hyper analyzing it. Here, I’m going to give it that sort of treatment, but this time to analyze its shortcomings as a work of fiction.

Bad Comedy, Worse Drama

The major driving force of RotTMNT is its comedy (that acronym is unfortunately very apt). It’s arguably the most comedy-centric animated television series since the 1987 TMNT show. With comedy being the most important quality of the series, the biggest question then is: is it funny? Even ardent dissenters of the show say it’s somewhat funny. As for myself, I’m a person who can find humor even in media that I may otherwise dislike. I’m a simple kind of gal, if it’s funny, then I’ll laugh. With something like RotTMNT, that I did, initially, like, I’d sit patiently waiting for any of the slapstick or quips to make me laugh. Smiling politely at the screen, just waiting, only for me to not laugh or even chuckle before the end credits rolled. So, what’s the problem? Usually, there’s something off about the humor that stops it from being funny. The character’s expressions are too exaggerated or too subdued, sporadic insertion of weak meta or fourth-wall breaking humor, jokes running contrary to canon events or characterization, gags end too abruptly or continue for too long, poor timing of punchlines, poorly directed line deliveries or less than stellar audio mixing (e.g., characters’ speech being difficult to hear from speaking too quickly or quietly), and so on.

Something else that causes the humor to fall flat on its face, is the overreliance on subpar slapstick comedy with lots of pratfalls while mugging for the camera. Too much of Rise of the TMNT relies heavily on characters making goofy faces and acting buffoonish in place of carefully executed comedic scenarios or witty dialogue. There are many children’s cartoons that largely avoid resorting to overusing such low hanging fruit, so RotTMNT cannot be excused for its limited variety in comedic stylings in a bid to appeal to its young target demographic.

The character that best reflects all this bad comedy is arguably, and ironically, the funniest of the turtles: Donatello (no, why’d it have to be the overrated one). Jokes that tend to land often involve Donnie and his funniness seems to be confirmed in-universe when in Season 1, Episode 16, “Shadow of Evil,” Splinter refers to Donnie as being the “funny one.” Because much of the humor is flawed, many of the jokes or gags with Donnie at the center of them don’t stick their landing. Using Donnie, let’s briefly examine how something like inconsistent characterization can break a joke:

LEO: “And Donnie, where’s your . . . your thing, your – emotionless passion?"

DONNIE: "[Head down, speaks very quietly.] Here."

This joke doesn’t work because “emotionless passion” is not something that accurately describes Donnie. He’s a very emotional lad. Even in the context of this episode, he’s a very emotional lad. The very notion of Donatello being “emotionless” doesn’t make sense as it doesn’t align with his baseline characterization. Case in point:

Yup, baseline Donnie is totally emotionless. Look at all that no emotion.

As a result, what could have been a funny joke, is ruined by clashing with what’s been established about Donnie. Were Donnie a more reserved character, it could have been somewhat chuckle-worthy. As is, it's pretty unfunny. While this is only one example of how the humor is off, it’s still very indicative of this issue. Like, I could go on, but this review is getting long enough, and I get the feeling I’ll need to check on my own unfunny teenage mutant ninja turtle sons soon.

Anyway, the only thing worse than RotTMNT’s comedy is the drama. While the comedy of the series very occasionally has its merits, the dramatic cues virtually all fail. For dramatic points in any form of media to be developed successfully, they need time to be set up. In this series, finer plot points don’t get the opportunity to unfold properly and are mostly shoved into the finales. The rush to introduce new dramatic plot elements and quickly wrap them up really depreciates the value of moments that are meant to be heartfelt or intense. Premature cancellation aside, more could have been done to avoid this problem. If the first season had not wasted so much time with bad comedy, the series could have set up crucial stakes and important characters sooner rather than later. The season two finale is especially guilty of rushed, poorly set up melodrama with how they speedrun introducing a key character like Karai only to send her off before we as an audience really got to know her. Speaking of poor set ups, this segways perfectly into my next segment.

Overly Hyperactive Storytelling and Underbuilt Worldbuilding

A common complaint levied against RotTMNT by critics is how fast paced everything about it is, to the point of being downright incomprehensible at times. From the animation to line delivery, the show is HYPERACTIVE, caps locked and bolded for emphasis. This is especially true for fight and action scenes, where all sense of direction is easily lost by how quickly characters, props, and backgrounds move about. It can become grating having to rewind, pause, or even reduce the playback speed simply to understand what happens. Goodness, even my disappointing and rambunctious teenage mutant ninja turtle sons think this show needs to chill.

I’ve taken to referring to the series as being a “memory vampire.” I can watch an episode and almost immediately forget what I have just seen as if RotTMNT is feeding off my memories like a loathsome parasite. I can recall watching episodes from other TMNT adaptations that I saw nearly a decade ago, I remember even the smallest details with ease. But an episode of Rise of the TMNT that I saw last week: I got nothing. Because it’s so much of a whirlwind of pointless action and bad comedy where very little is usually accomplished. I’ve seen fans make light of how Rise of the TMNT is “ADHD the show,” and while true, it’s definitely not a good thing.

If that weren’t bad enough, we also must contend with careless worldbuilding. That issue of ill-advised worldbuilding being most apparent with the Yōkai and their world, the Hidden City. Possibly one of the greatest missed opportunities of this series is how underutilized and underdeveloped the Yōkai are. Despite their species namesake being lifted from yōkai, supernatural creatures from Japanese mythology and folklore, they lack any significant connection with that very specific lore. Most Yōkai we see in Rise of the TMNT, are generic monsters and anthropomorphized animal beings that don’t appear to have any direct relation to traditional yōkai myth. There’s Big Mama, who is a jorōgumo, a nefarious spider creature who often shapeshifts into a beautiful woman to lure in prey, and maybe Mayhem who could be the show’s take on a komainu or lion-dog, those lion-like dog statues positioned at the entrances of Japanese temples and shrines to act as protectors of hallowed ground.

Aside from Big Mama, Mayhem (maybe), and a few others (including one-offs like the dragon yōkai Boss Bruce and his posse and possibly Tummytello, that could be a take on the parasitic yōkai disease, oseichu), there isn’t much Japanese mythology that influences the portrayal of the Yōkai. As a casual yōkai enjoyer, it’s disappointing to see the crew behind the show not make full use of that rich history through explicit representation. Maybe there were concerns about mishandling Japanese culture, but then why invoke the yōkai name in the first place if cultural insensitivity was a concern? Maybe there are more explicit designs or references to Japanese lore that I’ve forgotten to mention, again this show is a “memory vampire,” but even if that were the case, there’s still too much plausible deniability to it all. Regardless, the Yōkai mostly being a hodgepodge of indeterminate ghoulies is distracting and fails to create a more cohesive, immersive world.

Various yōkai that don't seem to make appearances in RotTMNT. This is just a sample of what could have been.

Collective Characterization: Friendless Losers with Unearned Power (cool band name, idk)

This will be less of an in-depth character analysis as much as this segment is a general overview of how the series approaches two things: the turtles’ status as underdog superheroes and their social support network.

Besides disappointing, another word I would use to describe Rise of the TMNT is unearned. For much of the series, our protagonists tend to bumble about, causing almost as many problems as they resolve. In fact, just about every major problem the turtles encounter, is of their own making; from releasing the oozequitos that mutated the denizens of New York to unleashing the Shredder who has villainous ambitions of conquering the world, just about everything can be blamed on them. These aren’t heroes, they’re troublemaking buffoon clowns. These buffoon clowns ultimately get rewarded time and time again for blundering misdeeds that they fix at the eleventh hour. This especially becomes tiring when it’s all nestled in the series’ ad nauseam lesson: the turtles need to focus and take things seriously. Over and over again it’s the same lesson of “get your (pardon my French) merde together.” I’ve seen fans misguidedly try to spin this as the turtles being lovable cringefail, losers, which may have been the case had the series not tried to portray them very earnestly as the ultimate heroes, without a shred of irony or self-awareness. In that way, the show plays itself too safe and yet not safe enough. Instead of a cynical romp with mutant losers with even looser morals, or well-meaning mutants who try their damndest to achieve their noble goals, we get something awkwardly caught in between, unable to commit to either in a satisfying way.

Being the insufferable screw-ups that they are, it’s not surprising that the turtles lack a support network. Friends, allies, helpful acquaintances, or friendly neighbors; doesn’t matter, because these turtles ain’t really got ‘em. In actuality, the series is more about making fiends then friends as almost every character the turtles encounter becomes an antagonist. For a show that seems to pride itself in presenting more positive bonds between the characters, especially the turtles, it’s a little odd, isn’t it? In this regard, it’s hard not to compare Rise of the TMNT to other iterations, because it appears to be missing something inherent to many other adaptations. That something being the turtles desire to form connections with those outside their family unit and, seemingly against all odds, their ability to do so. A common theme throughout the franchise is their pining for meaningful relationships outside themselves and Splinter and how they manage to forge those relationships with other misfits. Rise of the TMNT has virtually no interest in engaging with this theme and, as a result, is left emptier for it.

While there are a handful of characters who do become allies, or even family members (e.g., the redeemed Baron Draxum), they’re largely kept at arm’s length with their loyalty to the turtles at times being, for lack of a better term, “dunked on.” For instance, in the season one finale, “End Game,” the following allies join April and Splinter to rescue the turds, I mean, turts: Bullhop (legit, forgot that dude existed), Frankenfoot (who deserves better than being a sentient punching bag), S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N (who, mind you, is basically Donnie’s son), and Todd Capybara (Splinter x Todd 5ever, fuck Draxum). Only for the quartet to be “humorously” captured immediately and never brought up again in the episode. RotTMNT is so strangely anti-friend/ally that the only relationships given any real weight are virtually all familial with April herself being upgraded from friend to honorary member of the Hamato clan by the end of the series.

The turtles lack a support system outside themselves and it’s not something they ever angst about or that poorly impacts them, despite how integral social deprivation tends to be for the turtles in other iterations. Even the Micheal Bay produced films portrayed that anxiety around being outcasts as worthy of attention, that the turtles are brutally aware of being misfits and that seeking acceptance from the outside world is important to them. This theme doesn’t need to be the focus of every adaptation. However, its absence in RotTMNT does strip from the characters an extra layer of depth and misses out on an opportunity to make them more relatable to members of the audience, especially those who’ve ever felt alienated.

The Cowabunga Conclusion: Let’s take a moment to enjoy our Hot Soup!

Not all of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is disappointing. There are good aspects of the series. The increased presence of female characters. Big Mama, Cassandra “Casey” Jones, and Sunita (Casey x April x Sunita = Caprisun, the best ship 5ever); I <3 these girls! Casey had the most satisfying, fully realized character arc of the series. The turtles get to be more emotionally vulnerable, which definitely is a welcome change. I love that Raph is a proud lover of plushies and other cute things, that’s so adorable. Mikey is explicitly artsy, and as an artist myself, I really appreciate that. It’s been confirmed by a show writer that Donnie is on the autism spectrum. Right on! Leo is gay (that’s not confirmed, I’m just being facetious). RotTMNT has brought a lot of good to the TMNT table. As a result, it breathed new life into the overall franchise and its fanbase. Post-RotTMNT, the wider TMNT fanbase has experienced a bit of a paradigm shift into becoming a more inclusive, safe space. Honestly, I’d say my return to the fandom was all thanks to RotTMNT and its rejuvenating effect on the franchise.

Nonetheless, the series itself is still a raging migraine. I’m only scratching the surface with this. I plan to explore other failings of this series more in-depth in other posts. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie… I’m coming for you… I got a bone to pick with how Draxum’s redemption was handled. The turtles’ deus ex machina mystic powers… Atrocious. The merchandise…

Sometimes a picture, of off-model action figures, is worth a thousand words.

I know I’m not the only one who thinks this series fumbled the ball big time. While executive meddling and lack of support from the network certainly contributed to RotTMNT’s downfall, a good deal of the show’s shortcomings cannot be blamed on those factors. Not the execs, not the airing scheduling, not the marketing, not the audience; the show itself is flawed and that in part led to its premature demise.

The series leaves me disappointed. Very disappointed. Like, Splinter is in “Insane in the Mama Train.”

RAPH: “Puppy dog eyes won’t cut it. [Splinter] isn’t mad, he’s disappointed. We need to make it up to him guys big time.”

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go check on my teenage mutant ninja turtle sons. I got a text from the unfunniest one, and it seems like they’ve accidentally doomed the universe like the cringefail losers they are. Oh, well. If they fix their mistake in time, I might treat them to some pizza rolls. Cowabunga, dudes and dudettes! 🐢❤️💙🧡💜🥷

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt

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melancholysway · 1 year

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hi!! i ummm wanna make a request for tk7 leo falling for a silly reader?? you know that kind of person who's doing silly things to the point of exasperation? but only leo thinks that way, everybody else is "meh" (originally i was thinking about donnie, but i think leo fits more in this... idk) anyway! have a good day!!!

hi! I hope this is what you were looking for or some degree of it! I tried a lot with this one lol

i also hc 2007 lovessssss dark humor idk why but its very fitting

TMNT Imagines: 2007!Leonardo x Reader: Comedic Genius

If its someone in this entire tmnt movie who needs to laugh- ITS LEONARDO

Because that man is so serious it irks me

Yes he has his lil laugh here and there but no

So a funny s/o is something he needs

It’s an absolute must

You click with Mikey a lot, constantly joking around with each other and fucking around with Raph to the point where you had to hide from him for a few

In the beginning, everyone seriously thought MIKEY would be in a relationship first, with the way you bounced off each other so well

But let’s be honest, there can only be one extremely funny person in the relationship before you both tire yourselves out

Plus, you never actually see Mikey like that. He’s a fun annoying little brother to you

Now, you had your eyes on Leo

Who, in the beginning, did not have his eyes on you.

When he first meets you, he’s kind, because that’s the kind of turtle he is

It’s actually Leonardo that saves you in the beginning- as he decides to divide and conquer patrol that particular night, and he (just in the knick of time,) saves you from being cornered by a few gang members demanding money

He doesn’t reveal himself, but you’re joking about the situation and he can’t help but ask how you can be so unserious in such a serious situation

“I must really be the main character, huh?”

You’re right. You ARE the main character.

You make Leo chuckle for the first time, and when the rest of his brothers find him, Mikey can’t help but befriend you.

It’s not everyday they become friends with such an accepting human, and if you were being honest, you’ve seen uglier things in New York City.

Big turtles were nothing

You develop a crush on Leo after a couple of months of being friends with the turtles. It may be that you became attracted to his endearing savior complex, or that he was seriously cheesy, or that his dad jokes were absolute shit that only made Splinter laugh a few times here and there, but whatever it was you fell for it.

You keep this crush on the DL, not even telling your good friend Mikey- Lord knows that boy has a big ass mouth

Anyway, Leonardo.

He’s not so good at being funny? It’s not really his thing

He’s honestly not sure, he thinks that he’s changed ever since coming back from his training.

Because a lot of the jokes you say don’t really phase him. If anything, he finds it slightly…irritating?

He’s endured Donnie’s strategically timed sarcasm, Raph’s dark humor, and Mikey’s shenanigans for years, but after all this time, he doesn’t really know where he lies on the funny scale.

Maybe it’s because he’s not that funny himself, but like Mikey and sometimes Donnie, your joke timing can be really…bad.

Like a “read the room” type of bad.

Mikey for one, loves your sense of humor. Donnie is unfazed most of the time, but throws in a laugh here and there. Raph is into some dark humor, so honestly, light humor or jokes don’t really hit his funny bone.

A lot of your shenanigans happen with Mikey, actually. It starts with pranking Raph, which does in fact make Leo laugh a bit. When you put his red masks in the dryer with white sheets, causing his masks to become pink. Or when you replace his protein powder with flour. Yeah, you make his life slightly miserable in those moments.

Leo endures your jokes, antics, anything that you do for a while. Until he…starts to become slightly dependent on it?

Like, he can’t go a day or two without you coming down to the lair with a new gimmick or one-liner to tell (although Raphael takes the cake for having the best one-liners,)

He thinks you have a crush on Mikey, until he makes a striking realization thanks to Donnie

“You do realize Y/n’s joking around so much to try and make you laugh or impress you, right?”

“No?”

“No? Next time they make a joke, see who the first person they look at right after.”

So, he does. And he realizes it’s him. You look at Leo for some sort of satisfaction or approval if you make him chuckle or even crack a smile. It’s not often, but when it happens, it’s seriously rewarding.

So, he tries to lighten up. Stop becoming irritated from the fact that you want to impress him with your humor

Wait, you want to impress him.

You like him

He comes to that realization when meditating one day. He’s thinking about what Donnie said and your mannerisms and how you blush when he talks to you and-

Bingo!

He just had to make sure. He’s never had anyone have romantic feelings for him before. He confides in Mikey. Big mistake.

“I don’t know but I can find out dude!” Mikey says despite Leo’s protests. He wants it to be on the DL.

It’s most definitely not on the DL. Mikey straight up asks you one day.

“So like, are you in love with Leo?”

He reports back to Leo that yes, you like him. The way you stumbled on your words from the sudden question, to the way you didn’t shoot down the idea and say ‘no.’ You like him

He admires you, appreciates you more. You actually like Leo- a mutant turtle.

So he falls for you. He finds your jokes funny, the countless Raph pranks, your unique laugh- everything.

“Mikey, why’d you ask me that? The Leo thing.” Although a few weeks back, Mikey remembers clear as day.

“Oh! Because Leo asked me to.” Lie…kind of. He didn’t actually ask Mikey…but he did insinuate that he wanted to find out.

Mikey also cannot keep his mouth shut.

You just look at your friend dumbfounded, wondering why Leo wanted to know. Until he walks by and glances at you, smiling.

“I think he likes you.” Mikey whispers (attempts to whisper)

So, you muster up the courage one day, and corner him. Like a little mouse in the dojo (no offense Splinter)

“Hey! Um…do you like, like me or something? I’m just asking…for scientific purposes.”

Leo is taken aback. He didn’t actually think you would straight up ask him if he had feelings for you. But, he likes it. He likes that you had enough courage to ask. It’s admirable.

“Well…yes.”

“I mean more than-” “More than friends, Y/n.”

“What is it? Is it my elite humor perhaps? Huh? Huhhhh?? Don’t be shy, tell me!”

“A little bit of everything, actually.”

He likes you for you. How silly you can be. How you became good friends with his little brother, making Mikey’s life a lot more comical. How you always come down to the Lair and spend time with them, trying to make them laugh. The Raph pranks. Oh my goodness, Leo loves the Raph pranks (don’t tell Raph this btw) How cute you are. It’s everything.

“Is this the part where we kiss like in a low-budget Hallmark movie?” You muse, and it makes Leo chuckle. “I think it is, Y/n.” Leo’s never kissed anyone before, so this is his first. But it can’t be that hard. It’s in human nature to know how to kiss, it’s natural. So, he leans in while you do the same, finally connecting your lips in a soft kiss.

You love it. Leo loves it. Mikey’s cheering in the back after stalking for a few, ready to tell the others and start joking and making kissy noises while he does.

Taglist:

@bee-1n-space

Masterlist

#teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt #tmnt 2007 #tmnt x reader #tmnt imagines #tmnt headcanons #tmnt fanfiction #tmnt leo #leonardo #leo x reader

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thatturtleleon · 11 months

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ROTTMNT birthday card headcanons

first off we got raph (funny pictures ik, haha im hilarious)

I feel like he would give a nice genuine birthday card

probably one with a nice design or with something the person receiving the card would like

he'd write "Happy birthday! Have the best birthday ever!" or something sweet like that (i love him sm)

he might write a longer note if the person is really special to him, but all in all he give vry wholesome birthday cards

next up leooo

he'd buy some stupid looking card with googly eyes or a funny pun

bonus points if its both googly eyes AND a funny pun

if him and the person receiving the card have some kind of inside joke he would definitely include that

probably would write "happy birthdayyy" *insert something funny*

overall it's a very "leo" card

mikey !!

100% making the card himself

why buy some boring card from a store when he can just make a cooler card himself?

will draw all the things the other person enjoys, and include lots of colors

it looks vry pretty, its like one of those cards you secretly keep because so much work and love was put into it

depending on the person its for, he'll write a paragraph or so of "happy birthdays!!!", memories, and nice things

the card would be rly sweet and colorful

donnieee

donnie's kind of hard i'll admit because i have a hard time relating to him

i feel like he would definitely get a nice card

he would make it himself only for a few specific people he genuinely cares about

he wouldnt really write too much, just a simple "happy birthday"

however, this would all change completely if he and his brothers were having a "who can make the best birthday card" contest (probably around aprils birthday lol)

then he goes all out to win

splinter doesn't give out birthday cards, he says "here is my presence, is that not enough of a gift already"

/hj

his birthday cards are similar to donnies i think

they're nice, but simple

(if he REALLY liked the person receiving the card he mighttt throw in some money in there)

april omg

she tries to make it herself but mostly ends up buying a card somewhere if she forgets

she's a mix of leo and raph, depending on the person she'll either go for funny or sweet

"happy birthday (name)!!!!" *insert smiley face or a cute little drawing related to the person getting the card*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRIEND !!!

all caps, nothing else.

its genuine though, we love cassandra <3

#tmnt #rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt leo #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt raph #tmnt cassandra #rottmnt cassandra #rottmnt splinter #rottmnt april #april o neal #casey jones #rottmnt hcs #rottmnt headcanons #tmnt headcanons #rottmnt birthday card headcanons

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imagionationstation · 1 year

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GONNA GET RANTY

You like my rants, do you?! You like my headcanons?! Hmmm?!

THEN LET’S GO BECAUSE I SUDDENLY REMEMBERED THAT I HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT THIS!

Two words. Fungus. Humongous.

*screams into pillow* *wrenches self back up*

OKAY. Let’s get ‘er done.

It’s not the episode itself that I don’t like. It’s just one premise of it that I refuse to accept. And as it’s already been established that Donnie is the fav, I THINK IT SHOULD BE CLEAR WHERE I AM GOING WITH THIS

Or maybe not. Because this became canon, so a couple writers must have been blind to it. So let’s get a move on, shall we?

So. Their fears.

April’s makes perfect sense. Her dad’s been turned into a mutant that she can never be certain isn’t going to decide that she’s his meal instead of his daughter. She knows that he’s her dad, but he’s also become something else. That has to be scarring and terrifying, especially since he kidnaps her whenever they meet. This girl has some serious trauma, and her fear is of her dad turning against her- him hurting her. Especially after he’s spent his entire life obsessively protecting and caring for her.

We’re introduced to Leo’s fear early on, which is him failing his brothers. He mentions that he has nightmares about things happening to them, and him not being able to do anything about it. Not only does he have big brother and instinctual mama bear vibes, but now he has leader responsibilities on top of it. He’s terrified that he’s going to be the reason they get hurt.

And I know what you few Leo-shouldn’t-be-leader fans are thinking, and NO! I do not support fanfics where the brothers are like “Sensei gave this to you when it was to much for you to handle, so you shouldn’t be leader anymore”. LEADER IS EVERYTHING HE WANTS IN LIFE! LEADER IS APART OF WHO! HE! IS!

His father didn’t up and decide that for him! Master Splinter was just trying to help lead him to being the best leader he could be!

Of course it’s stressful! He’s out there saving the planet and keeping his family safe! Besides, what worthwhile thing in life isn’t?

We’ve already established that Casey has a thing about rats, and who knows if it originated or was influenced by the story about this ‘Demon Rat?’ Super curious about that lore, btw.

In conclusion, perfect sense. Irrational/chronic fears are not fun.

Also, Casey, bro, look me in the eyes and tell me that you haven’t subconsciously shaped the Demon Rat to look like Master Splinter this whole time, because I believe nothing! 🤣 (Not a jab at Splinter, I just like how brains make connections without our consent. Like how dreams work, yk?)

Mhmm, mhmm, I completely believe that somewhere in Raph’s mind, he’s secretly terrified that the Spy-Roach- *looks at mental notes* -otherwise knows as Chong (*WHEEZE*🤣)- will come back. His irrational fear transformed into a weaponized creature that’s only life’s mission is to hunt him down and end him, and in turn, will happily end his brothers along the way. Two terrifying prospects in one. This fear checks out.

Again, past mutant trauma that I wholehearted believe haunts Mikey because of their first battle! He never had the irrational fear, but he does have the spooky tunnel attacks and almost drowning at their hands in the back of his mind. They start out tiny and cute and suddenly they’re purple and trying to kill you! No way to tell until it’s too late! Seriously, it’s played off as a joke (a funny one, mind you), but I wouldn’t trust squirrels either!!

And now.

What you’ve all been waiting for.

“Don’t touch me! Get away from me! You make me sick! Mutant! Weirdo!”

“April! What’s wrong with you??”

“You nerdy- three-fingered- FREAK! I hate you! You mutated my father! I never want to see you again!”

YEEEEEE- CAN I JUST SAY HOW MUCH I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS! The way the scene is acted out is a little cringe, but you look past that and EVERYTHING THEY ARE NOT SAYING BUT ARE ABSOLUTELY SAYING?!

“Don’t touch me!”

HELLO?! THE MUTATION SITUATION ANYONE?!

“Don’t! Don’t touch me! You keep away from me! I never want to see your faces ever again!”

“What am I to April, anyway? I’m worse than a nerd. I’m a freak! We’re all total and complete frea-!”

People, this is all being made up by his subconscious. I don’t think I’m reading into this when I say that he is absolutely dealing with intense insecurities and this cringe scene is so much more than him fearing his crush disliking him. April is the first female human he’s ever met; the first human kid his age that he’s ever come in contact with! I’m not surprised that he attached himself to her, or that he’s placing every inch of self-respect on whether or not she can see past him being a ‘freak’.

I think if they had left this here; I would have been in love with this ep. This would probably be up in the favorites, and I’d watch this as obsessively as I watch “The Broken Foot” and “The Creeping Doom”.

Unfortunately…

THIS IS THE ESCALATION SCENE?! THIS?!

YOU KNOW WHAT THIS DOES?! THIS TRIES TO UNDERMINE EVERYTHING THE FEAR PORTRAYS! THIS TURNS IT FROM A DEEP AND BURIED TRUTH, TO THE OBSESSIVE CRUSH! I CAN STAND THE CRUSH ASPECT AT TIMES, BUT THIS IS PUSHING!

BUT I REFUSE! I. REFUSE.

NO WAY! NU-UH! NO WAY! NOPE! NADA!

There is obviously some serious Mutant Dysphoria going down, and I’m willing to bet it’s been there for as long as this kid has known the truth about the human world. This should have escalated into his brothers hating him or being mobbed by humans or just her yelling at him some more- literally anything would have been better than this!

Oooooh, maaan, I am so high strung right now. Should probably walk away before I snap. As you can see, I’m so normally attached to this show and this boy. Nothing concerning or unreasonable about it!

If you disagree with or dislike anything I said, leave a factual comment explaining why I’m wrong! I totally could be! Or you could not know something that unintentionally makes you wrong. Either way, turtle education is shared! Tis the best kind~ 💚💜💙🧡❤️💚

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non-bionical-mecha-dude · 2 years

Note

Leo x gn!reader in which reader plays guitar but is shy about playing for others, and Leo comes to surprise visit but stops outside their open window because they're playing, and gets flustered by how good Y/N is 🤗. You can decide an ending :3

THIS SOUNDS SO CUTE, This'll be fun to write 💅🏻✨

All Dialogue is colored to the corresponding mask of the turtles and Y/N's Dialogue is Pink (Regardless of gender) This is to help those with reading disabilities and reading difficulties to better understand what is being said and who is saying it. I HOPE YOU ENJOY

Also, the song referenced is called Tough, by Charlie XCX I think

ROTTMNT LEO X READER WHO PLAYS THE GUITAR

Leo had heard over a conversation one time that you play the guitar, now, being a mutant with only 3 fingers, that didn't really leave much room for any musical involvement with instruments, so hearing this astounded him. He constantly asked for you to play, time and time again, and each time you refused, saying how you weren't good, or how you didn't play infront of others. Although he very DESPERATELY wanted to hear you play, he respected your decision and tried with all his might to quite bothering you on the matter.

~Time skip, a couple days later~

You had been let out of school early due to a school faculty meeting. And sure, you could be doing homework, or that book report due in a week, but now wasn't the time. You wanted to try some more playing at your guitar, as embarrassed as you were about playing it in front of others, you enjoyed learning and playing new songs, sure, they took a lot practice, looking over note sheets, and understanding the fingering of each note, but it was all usual worth it. You had been hooked on this one song you knew both you and your boyfriend Leo knew, it wasn't a romantic song or anything, but it was a song you both seemed to enjoy. The song even reminded you of Leo, and the personality he had behind the jokes and smiles, but you would never tell him that. And maybe, you thought to yourself, maybe when you finally perfect it, you would play it for him. Help you get out of your shell as he would say, pun intended. You raced home, opening the door, running to your room, and getting your guitar out of it's case. You felt of the dark wood and the thick, yet fragile strings the instrument was laced with, strumming a few notes to warm up your fingers. You took out your phone, clicked the song you were hoping to play Leo some day, plugged your headphones in, and began to practice strumming the guitar to the song, using the song itself as a reference to each note that was needed to be played.

The lair was boring around this time, Y/N was still in school, Raph was training, Donnie was doing some nerd thing, Mikey was probably making some sort of graffiti somewhere, and Splinter was just sleeping on the chair as usual. So, Leo thought of the only thing a sensible person would do when they're bored. And that's breaking into your lover's apartment and waiting until they get home from school :D. As soon as 2:00 struck, he raced his way out of the sewers, and onto the roofs of New York. He took his sweet time walking to your house, sure, he could run, but if he ran, then he'd have to wait in one spot for longer, so, taking a small stroll wouldn't hurt. He got to your house at about 2:31, he counted each window and story to make sure that he got the right window (he had accidentally came to your house with flowers one time, but went to the wrong window and had to pretend to be some blind grandma's great grandson visiting from Saudi Arabia, it was actually kinda funny).

Quietly opening your window, he was about to step in, when he heard the most beautiful thing. Music. Oh, but this wasn't any type of music, it was music that YOU we're playing. He looked inside, seeing how you finished some sort of song. Your face looked so focused on your guitar as you sat criss crossed on the floor with your guitar in your lap. You didn't seem to notice Leo in the window. You played a couple of the last notes you had messed up on, before you started the song again. Then Leo recognized it, it was a song you both liked. The way you played the first notes was so beautiful, he had to lean against the window sill because of how weak in the knees he is from this. Getting the best idea ever, he smirked to himself and thought, Well, a little duet would never hurt nobody. He softly cleared his throat, waiting for you to get to the part of the song with the lyrics. The song was a nice song, one you could even slow dance to if you had the determination to do so, along with the lyrics being one's you had to think of to understand. Leo's not even sure how you both came across this song, but this song just made you both feel so happy together. He could fill a book with how many things this song reminded him of you, but he had to focus on singing the part we wanted to sing if he wanted to continue this.

🎶Maybe it's cause your mom never kissed you🎶

🎶When you wipe tears you wipe with muscle tissue🎶

🎶You bench pressing more than me's not the issue🎶

🎶I know you're honestly weaker than that🎶

🎶Let's open up and get deeper than that🎶

You zipped your head to immediately look at the turtle perching in your window, your cheeks beet red with embarrassment, you wanted to stop, but the second your fingers started to slow, Leo made a motion with his hands and wordlessly said the words,

"Don't stop"

You complied and nodded, taking your headphones off, taking a deep breath and continuing to play as Leo sang.

🎶 You're not so tough🎶

🎶I know that night lights on when you sleep🎶

🎶You're not so tough🎶

🎶Yeah you watch, eat, pray, love and repeat🎶

🎶And I'm sure you'd win in an altercation 🎶

🎶But you're still insecure to me🎶

🎶Oh so mess me up🎶

🎶I know you're not so tough 🎶

You ended the song there, and sure, it wasn't the actual ending of the song, and you would have loved to hear Leo keep singing, but it was a good place to stop and you had to talk to him. You gently lay your guitar on the ground and ran over to hug him, hiding your blushing have in his shoulder.

"So, what was that? You saying before how you weren't good at playing?" He teased, coming fully through your window and spinning you around.

"Oh please, i-it wasn't even that good" Leo looked stunned, speechless. He gave a dramatic gasp.

"Not good?! Baby, that was the best music I've ever heard!!! You NEED to play more often!"

"It was only good because I had the best back up singer ever to go with it!" You flirted back. You knew this would fuel his ego up later, but you didn't care.

"You know it! We could make the best band together! We can even call it, NEON LEON and his most wonderful, most beautiful/handsome, most talented, most smartest, most other things I can't even think of, Partner!" He said, pecking your cheek between each compliment, making your face turn a brighter red.

"Stoppp, Leoooo," you whined, trying to hide yourself against his shoulder.

"Nope! The compliment train has just begun, and there is no stop!" He continued to go through the night, complementing your guitar skills, flirting and teasing until your would get as red as you could. Pecking your cheeks, rubbing his face against you (red eared sliders do that to show affection) and wrapping his arms around your waist and spinning your around till you both got dizzy.

Maybe you should play infront of him more often!

#headcannons #fanfiction #rottmnt #fanfic #save rottmnt #self insert #tmnt #rottmnt headcannons #rottmnt leonardo #rottmnt leo #rise of the tmmt #tmnt leo #tmnt leonardo #rise leo #rottmnt leo x reader #rottmnt leonardo x reader

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larsthefishoil · 2 years

Text

Hi :)

Okay so I'm contiuing with my thougths regarding April and Casey. I tried doing this last night but ended up actually starting a fic on accident so yeah.

Starting with 12 first, I think it would be really cute and funny to see the first episode go down how did but with the added bonus of the *~language barrier~*. Imagine April sees her father getting kidnapped by strange men that all look the same. And while they're in the process of trying to capture her too, four mutant turtles jump down from a rooftop and start fighting back. But they keep on arguing in Japanese to one another. She would try to talk with them later when they agree to be friends. Leo and Raph would know the most, but Leo kinda talks like how April imagined old news casters would talk in the 60s. He would get super excited when she points out how he talks, and he would gently pull her towards the ratty old tv in the pit, put in a VHS and pull up an episode of Space Heros. She thought it was a funny show that seemed like something her grandfather would like to watch, but she indulged him anyways because none of the others would.

They would teach each other just for the sake of making conversation easier. One day, April was in the dojo with Splinter, though she often felt strange and awkward being in there, this time, she got too entranced with the beauty of the long paintings that stretched along the walls to be concerned with how she didn't fit there. The master stepped up next to her and offered a smile that showed encouragement. Though most of her communication with the Hamato family was with wide gestures and pointing until the point had gotten across, April often spoke in English around them anyways, though it wasn't useful at all. "These art pieces are really pretty." She said to the man and pointed to the wall panel in front of her. She smiled back as respectfully as she could. Splinter nodded quietly. He responded to her in a full sentence, but the most he wanted her to get out of it, and the only thing she really picked up was "yūgen." Later, when she was in the pit and watching Space Heros with Leo because it made him really happy when she did, April leaned over to Raph and pocked his arm. "What does yūgen mean?" She asked. He looked up from his comic and blinked before answering. "Means subtle grace," "Oh," April said. She twisted her mouth around debating how silly she would feel saying this. "You're dojo walls are very yūgen." She said finally. She giggled at her butchered pronunciation, but when she looked up, Raph rolled his eyes and chuckled, but he nodded all the same looking appreciative.

Out of all the turtles, Donnie knew the least English. Leo had his Star Trek knock off, Mickey had his music, Raph had a concerning amount of classical English literature on his bookshelf, but Donnie never needed spoken language for his science. And though April knew he often wanted to impress her, she also got the feeling that he wasn't used to being bad at things, and really didn't like it when he was. He often gave up on English conversations before they could get started. His brows would pinch, mutter something along the lines of how English sounded like hissing snakes, they all often joked about this, then sulked on his computer for a half hour. But one day, they were sitting in Donnies lab, doing and activity that required no frustration on either party: sitting in companiable silence. April actually liked it a lot more than she would have expected. She was reading a chapter of A Tale of Two Cities for her English lit class (ha), while Donnie was sitting next to her sketching out a blueprint for some crazy invention. Donnie breathed in a long breath, then pocked her knee to get her attention. April looked over at him and offered a "hi-how-are-you-doing" smile. Donnie quickly gave one back, then hesitated. His face scrunched into a frustrated look. Then, through a thick accent, Donnie poked her cheak and said, "I think you are very pretty." He dropped his head and laughed selfdepricatedly like she often did when attempting Japanese. But April was stupid happy he was trying, plus most boys that were her friends and started likeing her just ended up staring at her more than being her friend. April smiled a smile full of appreciation, and poked his cheak back saying, "I think you are very pretty too." She wasn't really sure what she ment by that while she said it, but said it none the less becuase Donnie's minde and self were pretty if she knew anything.

BRO!! These are getting longer ack-

I think Imma start a tag for this thing. Imma call it the TMNT language au. yuhhhhh. And I didn't even get to 12 Casey ughhhh.

Again: thoughts, opinions.

#tmnt 2012 #tmnt #tmnt language au #rottmnt #rambles #I've posted this once before but no one saw it so lets see how it does now lol

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weregreatatcrime · 9 months

Text

I'm sick and rereading Two Halves and I know I leave a lot (A LOT) of stuff in the end notes but there's actually lots of stuff I still never mention or talk about so here's a long sick (no longer at 4am) ramble about things I didn't get the chance to talk about but wanted to (in somewhat of an order reminded by rereading) or at least just some lines I particularly enjoyed

On to Chapter 4

"Feelings, plans, goals, even injuries are just tools to manipulate for your own benefit. Karai is not afraid to use her own pain as a tool." This is part of the chapter summary, not in the actual fic, but I still love it for how great it points out how little Karai cares about herself beyond basic survival

Karai didn't PLAN on coming across the turtles today so she was all for 4v1ing them until they provided prime manipulation fodder

It's funny to me that Leo understands Karai's loyalty to Shredder despite his crappy morals more than Raph, who is THE most loyal to the family. Then again Raph puts his family on a different level than anyone else too

I think this is where I made Raph’s favorite word "bastard" without meaning to hsvdhwgf

Karai was intentionally letting them see clues about her injury, but Mikey was the one who noticed first, yes to that one reviewer, as he is the most empathetic of the lot. He also made Several leaps in logic to get to the Shredder hurting her, but he hit the nail on the head. In all honesty even if she HAD been hiding it, it's possible Mikey might've sussed her out anyways

Karai is so twitchy (stabby) being the center of attention like this and Leo notices so makes everyone back off hfsvhfhe

I literally spent paragraphs in fic with Donnie and Mikey talking about the extent of her injury, I REALLY don't need to ramble about it here too, but lord am I tempted. I'm a huge medical and anatomy nerd if my constant First Aid rants in he end notes hasn't clued yall in yet lol

Karai acknowledged Leo saying nobody would do this to someone they cared about. She does in fact agree, because the only person she cares about here is Miwa. But she doesn't honestly believe that's normal (and tbh, it's not, their connection makes her kind of utterly obsessed) so she doesn't wanna talk about what humans consider caring about each other

The running joke of Donnie giving Karai ice packs, whether he knows it's her or not

The small funny of them all looking away when she pulls her suit off the shoulder, because Splinter raised some fucking gentlemen, even if he never expected his boys to ever actually meet girls before.

Karai’s angry rant was triggered by being called Miwa, but was shut down when she almost said something about her cover. She came reeeeal close to saying some shit that could've gotten her killed for revealing

"All it would take was one soft gooey lie and he would lead the worst of enemies right into his home." <- shout out to Canon where he did just that lol

Karai stocked the place with a lot of basic supplies, including real food (or at least, frozen and non-perishables) but Stockman doesn't know or care to know how to cook so. Lots of it ended up either going to waste or Karai ate it. Stockman watched her eat bags of frozen solid food and nearly vomited, especially when she ate raw chicken that was still frozen in the package. It's crunchy!

Karai sad she didn't keep the chemical ice pack because she could've eaten it later

A LOT of Karai’s thoughts actually revolve around food, tbh. She survived a long time on the knifes edge of starvation. She is Always thinking of food

Stockman, while scared of Karai, isn't afraid of her *presence* so he lost all formality with her after he saw her chewing on a broken phone casing like it was a chocolate bar. He's pretty irreverent with her, unless she's actively intimidating, in which case he obligingly shows that yes, he's still very very scared of you Karai, don't worry!

This is peak changeling behavior. She has accidentally gotten him into using changeling behavioral tactics. Holy fuck

I totally just "Yes, and" my whole way through Stockman’s tech and I'm glad it apparently sold well

Stockman trying very hard not to scream when Karai keeps literally mauling herself in front of him. He did not sign up for this. What the fuck

Karai actually DID make a major miscalculation here. She's never been injured for very long. If she was in changeling form, her changeling trainers had someone magically skilled on staff to heal her. If she was in human form, she had the best doctors (and again, healers, to subtly boost her healing to get her back in shape so she didn't go mad from being stuck in one form) She was NOT prepared for the magical ramifications of shapeshifting with a decent injury

Unstated but I think the way she triggers her transformed is she reaches out towards Miwa and it feels like wrapping herself in a "hug"

Karai considers any cost to herself worth it to get Miwa back. Don't worry, that'll get fixed eventually (mostly)

I love making a running gag of Karai fucking with Leo's vision, even if it's on accident. This time was very on purpose lol

I winced writing Raph hitting her. Not because her shoulder or because she slammed into a wall, but because he kicked her in the chest, and chest armor or no, tit hits are awful. Splinter has not had reason to teach them that that's a "dirty move" on women, yet

Raph: *feeling guilty for hurting her injuries worse*

Karai: don't fucking look at me like I'm WEAK

(At least one or two of her soldiers were DEFINITELY killed for "letting her" be so injured, to Karai’s complete annoyance)

Changeling Karai is a lot more "respectful soldier" than Canon Karai, which does please Shredder greatly. She thinks this is normal. Honey...

Shredder used to be very obsessed with making sure Karai didn't "ruin" her mother's beauty with scars, so any wounds she got, were very carefully tended to to minimize scarring or pain. This is definitely weird creepy projecting he did thinking of her more as an extension of Tang Shen than actual concern. Now he's just too bonkers to care

I found a typo hdvdjwgfje something autocorrected "contrite expression" to "contrite excision" and I'm mad about it shfvshdg

The people around her serving as caretakers are very aware that Shredder isn't doing a good job at being a father, whop. But they're too scared of Karai and her twitchy (stabby) ways to try and fill any of that gap

#my stuff #trollhunters #my writing #two daughters au #tmnt 2k12 #2012 karai #rai internal review #commentary #long post #whoops i keep forgetting that post

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a-dumb-sarcastic-bisexual · 1 year

Text

More ROTTMNT headcanons: cause I spent 6 hours cleaning my room and I’m still not done

The boys all wear makeup (cause I said so)

Donnie is amazing with eyeliner

He can do those crazy intricate looks that take hours

Which is why he hates putting his mask on

He’ll take it off any chance he gets so his brothers can witness his art

Leo wears shiny eyeshadow and owns more highlight than any person could ever need

He has every single color in the damn rainbow it’s honestly impressive

And both the twins use concealer to hide the dark circles under their eyes

Mikey does face paint more than anything (think meicrosoft on Instagram)

It’s honestly crazy impressive and he comes up with new ideas every single day

Raph does pretty simple makeup looks

He’s given up on learning any kind of precisions when it comes to makeup

But he makes up for it by being his brother's Guinea pig

At first, they thought Splinter would be mad at them for wearing makeup

But the only thing he was mad at is how much they butchered it in the beginning

He’s learned a lot from his makeup artists and he refuses to let his sons spit on their names by blending blush incorrectly (I mean come on Mikey was using a tissue when he found him for god's sake)

Because I have to clean my room and I was thinking about the boys I was thinking: how often would they clean their room

Raph: He cleans a little bit every single day

There is a place for everything and everything is in its place

The only time his room has gotten dirty is when he’s too injured to move

Leo: Never

He doesn’t clean his room until it gets disgusting

He’s got old cups, snacks, and wrappers in his room

And when he finally gets the courage to clean his room someone says some shit like “your room is filthy” and then he loses all motivation

Donnie: He makes a robot to clean his room for him

He’ll pick up small things here or there but if the mess is massive he’ll force one of his robots to clean it for him

Mikey: He cleans occasionally (once a month)

He wants to be like Raph when it comes to cleanliness but he’s more like Leo

The only reason why he cleans his room is cause he can’t think when his room gets messy

I was also thinking about how they would laugh

Raph: He has a belly laugh

It's deep and loud and he throws his full body into it (think Chris Evans)

Leo: He cackles

It doesn’t matter how funny the joke was he’ll cackle

It’s so loud that it hurts some people’s ears and they’ve asked him to keep it down multiple times

(It hurts his feeling a little bit but he never admits it)

Donnie: His laughs are quite

More of a chuckle if anything

It’s kind of awkward and clunky and if he thinks something is really funny he’ll snort

Mikey: He has a very breathy laugh

He wheezes and sometimes he sounds like a car that refuses to start

Now time for me to force my “Asian culture” onto you

Splinter uses Vicks as a cure-all

Any time the boys had a cough or a stuffy nose Sprinter would slather them in that shit (and the crazy thing is it works)

Donnie and Raph hate the smell cause they associate it with being sick

And Mikey and Leo love it cause they associate it with childhood

Every single pot and pan they own in is their oven

Donnie had to build a new one just to fit them all

And you might be asking “Roo can’t they just put them in the cupboards”

And to that I say “awe my silly non-Asian friend… no they can’t cause that would be impractical”

They all do the Asian squat

Raph can’t go that far down but they still call it the Asian squat

Raph does it when he’s cleaning

Leo does with when he’s tired of standing

Donnie does it when he’s trying to concentrate (Leo always says he looks like he's taking a shit (and he’s not wrong)

And Mikey does it when he’s painting

They all fight to pay the bill

Even when they don’t have that much money on them

It’s a full-out brawl

Hueso ushers customers out of the restaurant when he sees the boys are done eating

Cause he knows that someone will get hurt

#rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #save rottmnt #rottmnt headcanons #rottmnt leo #rottmnt raph #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt splinter #i love projecting onto the disaster twins #it's cheaper than therapy

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umbrastar · 1 year

Text

ROTTMNT rewatch S1 episodes 1-5 notes

I’m rewatching ROTTMNT to get a better understanding of the characters. I’m going 5 episodes at a time to pace myself and so that these posts don’t get too long.

Here are some notes and thoughts I wrote on the characters:

Leo:

“What? I can’t make a joke in the middle of the craziest thing ever That’s how I cope” (Mystic Mayhem)

The one to grab splinter’s medallion (Mystic Mayhem)

Rejects all the dangerous looking missions and start acting heroic over stopping a paper thief. (Origami Tsunami)

And then creates a plan of making a paper shop (Origami Tsunami)

Realizes that they are getting nowhere fighting paper goons and wants to take out the source (Origami Tsunami)

His jokes get booed (Donnie’s Gifts)

Wants matching unicorn onesies for the “must say yes” stage (Down with the Sickness)

Names the “must say yes" stage (Down with the Sickness)

Assigned by raph to smooth talk interrogate when turtle tank is stolen at the pizza place (The Fast and the Furriest)

Came up with a plan where mikey held on to meatsweat’s truck while he portaled MS’s acid behind him. (The Fast and the Furriest)

Thoughts so far: Leo is pretty clever and comes up with several ideas. He’s also pretty theatrical and enjoys playing the hero, though he can sometimes have enough sense to figure out when things are over his head. Makes a lot of puns, though his joking is definitely a coping mechanism as well. He’s pretty self aware about this.

Donnie:

The funniest, according to splinter. (Mystic Mayhem)

“yeah, jury’s in. that was imitation crab” –right after a guy gets mutated. Everyone looks at him weirdly, even leo. (Mystic Mayhem)

Doesn’t take magic weapon (Mystic Mayhem)

“and that’s why I like fighting the old-fashioned way: with impossibly futuristic high-tech weaponry “ (Mystic Mayhem)

Leo describes donnie’s emotionless passion as his thing (Origami Tsunami)

Tries to fix his brothers through passive aggressive gifts (Donnie’s Gifts)

Afraid of beachballs (War and Pizza)

April calls on him whenever she needs something fixed (War and Pizza)

Tries to improve albearto so he can dazzle (War and Pizza)

“oh you’re so cute, but so mean! Why do I always go for your type” (War and Pizza)

Donnie is more immune to Todd’s niceness, though eventually he decides to build a new place for the puppies to stay (Repo Mantis)

Wants Uranium for the “must say yes” stage because it’s useful (Down with the Sickness)

Let raph have control of the turtle tank (The Fast and the Furriest)

“purple is a monster. He will fry my tv so all I get is educational shows” -splinter (The Fast and the Furriest)

About to blow up the tank with his dad in it (The Fast and the Furriest)

Has a crush on atomic lass, a tv character (Mascot Melee)

Thoughts: Donnie is pretty funny with a dry sense of humor. Sometimes his jokes are inappropriately timed. Trusts his technology over his ability to use magic weapons. Described as emotionless and isn’t easily moved to sympathy. Tries to mechanically fix and improve things and people. Likes bad girls.

Raph:

The one to notice Mayhem first and go to help (“animals love me”, mayhem doesnt) (Mystic Mayhem)

“don’t worry. Raph will pull it off! Cause if he doesn’t we’ll lose our best friend forever” “Mikey don’t say that. You know he cracks under pressure” “Leo, don’t say that. He’s more self-conscious when you talk about it. And then you can smell his fear” (Mikey + Leo + Donnie) (Mystic Mayhem)

Doesn’t always think thinks through or realize the implications of things, Donnie gives him a gift to fix his recklessness (Donnie’s Gifts)

Very obviously doesn’t like donnie’s gift but doesn’t want to say so donnie’s feelings aren’t hurt (Donnie’s Gifts)

Hes not good at making plans (Donnie’s Gifts)

Doesn’t know what he wants in the “must say yes” stage (Down with the Sickness)

Drives the turtle tank (The Fast and the Furriest)

Allergic to peanuts (Mascot Melee)

Don’t make fun of his teddy bear (Mascot Melee)

Thoughts: The oldest and the leader. Under a lot of pressure and freaks out if this is brought to his attention. Generally takes things the most seriously. Straightforward; his solution is often punching things and he isn’t a planner. His brothers rely on him and follow his lead, regardless. Very sweet and considerate but has a temper that can go off on occasion. Does not always know what he wants for himself.

Mikey:

Able to recognize the M on the wall matched the symbol on splinter’s do not touch cabinet (Mystic Mayhem)

“How about you let the artist of the crew take it?” (Mystic Mayhem)

Perfectly imitates the M symbol. (Mystic Mayhem)

Razzmatazz. Likes to flip around. Donnie is a little worried that his stunts will hurt him. (Donnie’s Gifts)

“Does Donnie really think I’m a crazy kangaroo who needs to wear a padded suit so I don’t hurt myself?” (Donnie’s Gifts)

The only one to if warren stone is ok when he is cut in 2 (Newsworthy)

Described as too soft to be tough (Repo Manits)

Likes puppies and doesn’t want to betray todd (Repo Mantis)

Wants a brick oven for the “must say yes” stage (Down with the Sickness)

Thoughts: Mikey is generally carefree and fun-loving. He is artistic and displays great visual memory. Enjoys flipping around fancily. Sympathetic. HIs brothers are the most overprotective and gentle towards him. He takes offense to how Donnie is worried that he’ll hurt himself with his fighting style.

Has the keys to a pool to enable the turtles plan (Mystic Mayhem)

Explores the city thing under new York and finds the weapons room (Mystic Mayhem)

Just runs in with a weapon to try and break mayhem out of a cage (Mystic Mayhem)

Job hunt (War and Pizza)

Is a very good singer (War and Pizza)

Lmao when they accused her of stealing the turtle tank she kicked them out (The Fast and the Furriest)

Thoughts: April is very quick to jump into action and explore. She is pretty fearless and multi-talented. There is a running gag where she looks for jobs. Big sis. The turtles enjoy hanging out with her and she calls them when she needs them.

Splinter:

Does not want to lend tv (Origami Tsunami)

Calls boys by color (Origami Tsunami)

Steals the vehicle and doesn’t want his sons finding out (The Fast and the Furriest)

Fears donnie’s punishments (The Fast and the Furriest)

Rides in a vehicle with meatsweats who tries to cook him (The Fast and the Furriest)

Wears a tattered-up robe (Mascot Melee)

Loves the robe the turtles give them and decides to save it for special occasions (Mascot Melee)

Thoughts: These first few episodes establish him as neglectful to his kids and willing to take advantage of them. He doesn’t call them by name, he sits in front of the TV often watching Lou Jitsu, and he steals the Turtle Tank and rides with Meatsweats because he doesn’t want to get caught. Doesn’t seem to take care of himself either judging by his robe.

#umbras rottmnt rewatch #rottmnt #tmnt #umbrastar #text #save rottmnt

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ducknotinarow · 7 months

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[2k3 - just some jealous before they get together Casey don't mind him :'D]

Yikes, so this is what heartbreak felt like huh? Hard not to blame himself, after all, all Casey ever did was longingly stare Raph's way - too stupid to open his mouth and take a risk at asking the guy out. Though, he didn't exactly know if the feelings were mutual or not. Hearing Raph and that Yvonne girl call each other babe though? Well, hard not to jump to some conclusions there. It hurt, sure, but, Casey was Raph's best friend, so, he swallowed down whatever jealousy he felt and did his best to not let it bother him; which was easier said than done, considering everything bothered Casey Jones. When Raph was alone, Casey walked over, as casually as possible,

"Sooo...." He began, quirking his mouth, "Yer an' Von huh?" He questions, trying to make a joke, "Guess yer finally got over that fear of bugs then?"

At the look, and response, he's given Casey gives a faint huff,

"Look, I know I'm stupid but I aint blin' or deaf Raph," Casey argues when there's no fight to be had, "Yer obviously datin', why else woul' yer be callin' each other 'babe' an' whatever else," Someone sounds a little defensive, "Kinda wished yer mentioned it t' me, seein' we're frien's, that's all."

| Muse Interaction

Raphael wasn't per say introverted or not much for other people. He was no where near as a social butterfly Mikey was seen and known to be either, but better than the shut in Don could be and not as stand offish as Leo could be even. But he still wasn't exactly a people person still. Could keep the amount of people he stop what he was doing just to say hi to, below five. Heck five even and it didn't included family well outside Donatello. But Raphael's favoritism between his brothers was always obvious in the end after all. Outside that? It was April because well it was April, and then Casey. His best friend he stop anything the second the big dork made himself known to the rest. Unless Casey decided it was time to suddenly jump him and playfully wrestle him to the ground and mess around instead of a normal hello. Least yeah normally the second Raphael knew Casey was around they had his attention but for once Raphael missed when they had come into the lair. The third person he now would make an effort to greet was currently holding it.

Raphael was hanging over the back of the couch talking to Yvoone in a rare occurrence rest herself as Don was in the kitchen refreshing his own coffee well getting one for her. So Raphael took a moment to stop and speak with her. The conversation was pointless really just bantering between the pair some harmless snark being traded back and forth as they were catching up. Before Donnie came back Raph offered a wave to her as she got up and went to get back to whatever they were working on. A trade off of 'see ya later Babe' said between them.

It never really crossed Raphael's mind how anyone not in the loop might think when hearing them call each other that. It was a slight inside joke between them. In that when asked it was explained but no one else really followed on why it was funny. Had to be there type of deal he figures. Not that everyone seemed to have gotten this tid bit of information however.

"Sooo...."

Raphael moved to turn around finding Casey walking over, "Oh hey Case when didja get here? Normally Splinter starts the noise complaints before you step foot inside." He ready to tease but his playful grin fades as he note the way Casey seems to be caring himself in the moment. Moving to lean back against the couch. "Experiencing a though tfor once there?"

"Yer an' Von huh?"

Raphael just sort of cocks his head to the side well lifting up one side of his brow. Looking over towards where Von and Don had gone off to before shifting his attention back to Casey. Safe to say he wasn't following what Casey was trying to get at here. He knew Von a bit as well as some mutant Raph ran into one night and would hang around the lair time to time. So? what was with this weirdness now?

"Guess yer finally got over that fear of bugs then?"

"First off, I ain't scared of 'em" he sung this lie so much it may as well be a catchphrase for him. "second what the fuck are you on 'bout?" Raohael slightly raises his voice as he speaks not quit liking where this is going. He feels almost accused of something. Of what? He has no idea, but he still didn't like it. Listening to Casey huff just then as if they had the right to be annoyed here.

"Look, I know I'm stupid but I aint blin' or deaf Raph,"

"Least we agree on one thing here." Raphael states in response to the argument here.

"Yer obviously datin', why else woul' yer be callin' each other 'babe' an' whatever else,"

"Me and..what!?" Raphael dropped his arms down as he tried to follow that just then. Granted sure calling her 'babe' wasn't exactly something he would do with just any other friend but still. To right away assume he was dating her because of it? Was that any reason to get defensive over?

"Kinda wished yer mentioned it t' me, seein' we're frien's, that's all."

Raphael could be expected to react to this in a number of ways, but the reaction Casey was getting? A look that had Raoh staring at Casey as if he suddenly grew a second head, followed by the sudden eruption of laughter. "Me and?" He could bearly get a word in between the fits of laughted throwing an over the back of the couch as he doubled after and laughed harder over the mere idea. Likely not going to be appreciated by Casey but he couldn't help his reaction.

Of all things he ever been excused of, this had to take the cake for sure. Raphael jad started to laugh hard enough for tears to form in the corners of his eyes he couldn't wrap his head around such a idea or thought to him. Him and Yvonne dating? That had another set of fresh laughter coming out of him before he finally punched Casey in tje arm as he regained control of his breath.

"Ah yeah, circle back to ya bein' stupid Case" He says between breathless words as he swears his sides litteraly are killing him in that moment. Lifting his head up to finally look at them hard to understand the look on thier face but he guess he can pitty them a little.

"Bone head I aint datin' anyone especially Yvonne 'hat be weird. It's jus' a dumb joke between us numb skull." Because Raphael never was one to show affection through the typical means like pet names that way. No his terms of endearment? Wete something Casey got more than anyone else ever has. Righting him self up still a trialing laugh in his voice. As he seemed to clock into something here.

"Wait? Oh are ya jealous?" He smirks he's not actually picking up on anything here more trying to make this whole thing worse for Casey. "Aww didja 'hink some chick stole ya best friend a second there?" Because he couldn't let Casey keep some dignity here. "Aww poor Case ya really 'hat lonely?".okay that's enough.

Moving the more gently tap his knuckles against Casey's stomach. "

Cool its Case 'his why ya shouldn' think dummy." He moves to lean back to prech against the back of the couch. Thinking over the last remark as he looks them over a moment. "But nah ya ain't jus' my friend Casey. Ya aint jus' anyone ta me" He considers this a moment he's still unsure about that other night. "Ya my best friend afta all."

When Casey, he claimed he might love him and even kissed him. They acted like it never happened and try as Raphael did he just couldn't tell if that was a drunken mistake or a ture confession. Of course. He hoped the latter but.

"Ya 'ight friend especially one's 'ike us should. There is someone 'hat caught my eye." He wishes he could tell them. "But I dunno 'bout 'em. Hard ta tell how they feel. Sometimes I 'hink they might others?" He shrugs his shoulders. "But there is someone I jus' don' wanna screw anything up there." He looks up at Casey of course he dosent expect them to get the hint. "Cause they ain't just anyone ta me. Guess that makes me a tad scares to act." He moves away from the couch now moving to pip his neck and slam a fist into his open plam.

"But nuff 'bout feelings an' shit. Wanna get outta 'ere? I wanna test out my ride been messin' wit' her some more an' I know 'll have yous eattin' my dust now for sure."

#muse| hamato raphael #madamkezzie #aflockoffeathers #[ if you jumped of a bridge its only cause i did first -aflockoffeathers]#[03 verse]#muse interaction #ic reply #stay queued #((super old but I happened across it in my drafts uwu and IF YOU CAN DO SO CAN I))

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love-killed-the-superstar · 7 months

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Since you’re doing a 03 rewatch. What’s your opinion on the main four characters

i love them!! They're my sons and I care about them so much.

Leo: Watching with a vague recollection of the series in its entirety is a lot of fun - for instance spotting early signs of Leo pinning his self worth to his role as leader/protector and how quickly he crumbles when that is thrown into chaos. I keep seeing little things jump out and thinking, "ooh, that's foreshadowing!" I value his character so much more than I did the last time I did a full watch. I used to find him annoying when I was younger but now I feel like I understand his character better, and I love him and want him to be happy. He's just such a dork!!! A clueless dork who never knows what's going on and says "grinditude" unironically while riding a scooter. This is our fearless leader everybody. I haven't made it to the battle nexus arc yet but I'm very excited to watch Leo have a romantic awakening in real time. 🙏🙏🏳️‍🌈

Raph: I forgot how FUNNY Raph is. His sense of humour is so dry and just roasting his brothers constantly and it really makes me laugh. I think I relate to Raph the most because I too have a short temper 😔😔 and my little sister manages to get under my skin the EXACT way that Mikey does to Raph so I understand the need to just whack him in the head 😭 I feel like he lays on the Mikey roasts a little thick though lol. I really love the twin energy he and Donnie give off in 2k3 as well, they're so fundamentally different but have a really natural dynamic that I love. To this day, I still don't understand how Raph immediately knows how to ride a motorcycle though!! One last thing: lone raph and cub was an amazing episode, easily one of my favourites from season 1. Really enjoyed him getting to be a mentor figure to a kid even brattier than him lmao.

Donnie: He's so gentle!!! Having just recently finished Rise, it's super jarring. Even when he shouts his voice is soft 😭 I'll admit it's really funny when the plot calls for an invention and he's immediately like "check out what I made earlier you guys!" Like Donnie. My guy. You have an insane amount of plot armour and it's hilarious to me. His dynamic with Splinter is really sweet - I love how Splinter praises his accomplishments and in the next breath is like Keep It Out Of My Fucking House. Also watching him try to do that stunt with the bo staff and just swinging around and falling was painful to watch but it made me laugh SO hard. Finally, the Kirby episode was really fun. I agree with Donnie, why can't the other guys learn to do basic things like flip a breaker switch or fix a sink? Someone teach all of them basic mechanic skills so Donnie isn't always having to pick up the slack 😭

Mikey: oh, my baby boy. I adore him. Mikey was my favourite turtle when I was younger and I remember him being my favourite the last time I rewatched. I'm in a place now where it physically pains me to choose a favourite turtle, it's like choosing between your kids 😭😭 but I do have a soft spot for Mikey because his natural talent coupled with no focus or drive is SO me when I was a teenager. I hope he doesn't ever develop gifted kid burnout because it will hit him like a train. I love how artsy and idealistic he is. It broke my heart when the other three were making fun of him in the turtle titan episode of s1. Like, why are yall bullying him for having a dream???? As I said before I haven't reached the battle nexus yet but I can't wait to see my angel take the crown. HE DESERVED TO WIN. END OF DISCUSSION. Lastly, he is Extremely Gender. I love that for him so much. From fully embracing drag to Donatello saying "gentlemen... and mikey"... 2k3 look me in the eye and tell me this wasn't for jokes I KNOW he's genderqueer!!! I know he is!!!!

Didn't meant for this to get so long but I just love them all so much!!! Besides the fact that I feel like they dunk on Mikey disproportionately, I adore their dynamic. They care for each other so much and it shows 😭😭

#hannah watches tmnt

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blueberrypossum · 3 years

Text

A Date Down Under (GN Reader x Leo)

OH MY GOSH IT’S BEEN FOREVER SINCE I’VE POSTED!!

If you guys are wondering where I’ve been I write more on A03 with two original fanfics in the making! But, my tumblr account deserves some love too! This fanfic has been siting in my file for a long while and I originally wanted to post it when I was deep in the ROTTMNT fandom (still love it and miss it man). So, I decided to take out my oc in it and make it a reader fanfic so everyone can enjoy! @bootyyy-shaker9000 I know how much you love Leo so have some of the wonderful boy in blue!!

When Leo asked you if you wanted to celebrate your Friend Anniversary in the Lost City, you couldn’t refuse.

The feelings for the turtle though were getting tougher and tougher to maintain. Leo was always the flirt, and you tried to not let him play with your heartstrings, but now a blush would creep around your face whenever he would fire a one-liner or when he would push the physical contact to the extreme.

You weren't used to so much affection, nor letting the addiction of being touched take over you like a drug.

But you have seen the way Leo fake flirts with others, and just believed that he was just doing the same thing to you, because you were just friends, right?

You were brushing your comb through your hair when your phone started to vibrate on your desk. You brought it up to your ear as you got comfortable in your seat.

“Hello?”

“Knock knock.”

“Who’s there?”

There were a few knocks on your bedroom window.

“Me.”

You giggled and walked over to the window and pulled back the blinds to see the one and only Leonardo Hamato, a sly grin on his face as he hung up on the phone. You placed your phone into your pocket and unlocked the window to reveal yourself to him.

The blue bandana turtle looked a little taken aback as he took in the sight of his best friend. With the season turning colder, you wore something that suited the chilly wind yet sunny season, the cloth clinging to you gently. What caught him off guard the most was the dazzling smile you presented to him, the pure excitement of seeing him causing his bandana to feel tight around his head.

Leo almost lost his balance as he hopped into your room, sweat growing on him as he tried to find anything else to look at other than you.

“Hey, how's your fever?” He asked, his voice drowned with no confidence, his heart still pounding as he finally glanced over.

You were picking up your bag and you frowned at the question.

“Hum? What fever?”

“Oh, yeah, you just look hot to me,” he replied, pressing a confident smile on his lips as he hoped that you didn’t catch him almost slipping up.

Your cheeks went pink and you playfully slapped his arm.

“Oh hush up and let’s go, we’re burning daylight.”

“That’s not the only thing that’s burning.”

“Oh my gosh, get going, Red Kamon.”

The tall turtle chuckled and pulled out his sword, swiping it around the room until a portal was created. Leo moved to the side and bowed his head towards you.

“After you,” he purred and you rolled your eyes at him and took a step into the portal and was led right at the center of the Hidden City. The colorful and mysterious city was weird to say the least, nothing but weird creations and magic lingered in the air as yokai walked past you. Leo stepped through the portal and was at your side as you both walked over to the city map.

Leo used your shoulder as a rest while you gazed over at the map.

“Where do you want to go, shorty?” He asked as your eyes scanned the different areas and pointed towards the Witch Town.

Your mind seemed clouded from the close contact and you pointed to the spa.

“What about here? Sounds interesting.”

“Can’t do. My idiot and less attractive twin got us turtles banned there,” Leo commented and soon his arm snaked around your neck and was completely over your shoulders, bringing you close enough that you could feel his breath over your cheek.

“What about here?”

“Nope. They banned me there.”

“How did you get banned from a spa?”

“My dashing good looks were just too much for them.”

You let out a gust of air and knew the real reason, Donnie told you the whole funny scenario of Leo needing hair to get into the spa, totally backfired and threw him in jail.

“What places are you not banned from, blue?” You asked, turning over to him with your arms crossed.

He gave you his signature smile and leaned down till you were face to face, his beak just a few inches from your nose.

“Here, just those two places. Your heart? Never.”

“Then what about the Pirate Bazaar?” You mumbled, your heart almost leaping out of your chest as Leo’s eyes widened with excitement.

“Ohhh, I’ve been there! But only for a little bit, let’s go!” He squealed and took your hand and led you through the crowd of animals and other subjects of yokai. His three-fingered hand was cold against your warm one, and you knew Leo and his brothers like closeness to you and April since you were the only warm-blooded creatures; Splinter was too but hugs were hard to get from him. Still, the hand holding made others look over and gush at you two, as if you were a couple.

If only.

He didn’t let go as he took you into lesser crowds, bringing you closer till your arms were touching. You then realized he wasn’t wearing an outfit, but then remembered most of the yokai’s were clothesless as well. His muscles bounced as he walked and you had to do everything to not wrap your fingers around the growing muscle.

STOP STOP STOP THINKING LIKE THIS! HE DOESN’T LIKE YOU LIKE THAT!

His thumb started to brush against yours as he turned to you and you swore you saw a red dash against his cheeks, and it wasn’t his stripes.

“You’ve been friends with me for a whole year! Please, do tell how great it must’ve been to be called my best friend,” he said slyly, wiggling his non-existent eyebrows, causing you to laugh. The joyous melody made Leo weak in the knees.

“You mean, me always having to save your shell from dangerous bad guys, having to endure all your jokes, and then the constant-CONSTANT- marathons of Jipiter Jim and Lou Jitsu to the point all I could do was speak quotes from the movies.”

“Oh yeah, may I remind you that you would text me excited about every movie date? Didn’t someone make their signature hot chocolate just for me when I showed this specific someone their now favorite movie? Ring any bells?” He replied back.

“Pffts, you know what? Your one-liners stink.”

The sword yielding turtle let out a gasp and grasped where his heart would be over his plaston as if he had been shot as he looked down at you.

“My one-liners stink like Raph’s victory stink!”

You laughed and took back his hand and Leo felt his heart flew as your warm hand was gripping onto his cold one. You took the lead and finally made it to the entrance of the pirate grounds. There were booths of stuff that were related to the pirate theme of the area and some were just random selections of things to sell. The smell of seafood and other fried foods drifted into your nose and you led Leo to the entrance.

After getting Lost City Cash at a money machine, you both took a selfie at the front entrance, Leo bringing you close and him having to lean down due to your height.

There was a goblin looking woman in the booth at the entrance and the woman took your money and gave each of you a bracelet to get on rides and such.

“For an extra 20 dollars, you can have a custom pirate outfit that you can switch on and off with ease,” she explained and you and Leo shared the same look, giving the worker a simple nod. She pointed to where single bathrooms were after she got the money.

“Last one there is a rotten turtle egg!”You challenged out as you raced over to the bathroom stalls, the mutant turtle schoffing and charging after you.

With a little bit of magic, you were able to think up your very own pirate outfit with a second band around your wrist so that you could switch it off and on with ease. Leo picked the same outfit he had when he first came to the pirate utopia with Hueso, but didn’t pick an eyepatch this time since he didn’t want to trip in front of you.

You quickly raced out of the changing room after saying thank you to the worker who helped you and looked around, your eyes trying to find the mutant turtle in the crowd. You spotted the long strands of his bandana and felt yourself shudder at how good he looked in a pirate outfit, how the white shirt clung to him and how he had his sword hung against his side instead of over his back. You swallowed the saliva that was swimming in your mouth and quickly dashed over to him, clearing your throat before you spoke in the worst pirate accent.

“My, my, isn’t ye the best booty I’ve ever seen in these vast oceans!”

The red slider turtle quickly turned around but you moved out in front of him.

“Aye, wanna shiver me timbers?” You laughed, throwing another one-liner at him and he turned, his eyes going wide as he almost told you that if you were a pirate, you would be the most beautiful treasure that no man or woman could handle or capture. If you were a pirate he could definitely walk the plank.

“Those jokes are so lame, that they need a peg leg,” he replied, almost hating himself fully for using one of Huesos jokes instead of his own. But you flashed him a smile anyway and motioned him to follow as you made your way through the crowd.

The teenage turtle felt his heart leap after you and gave chase as you made it to the center of the pirate theme park.

Once in the middle, you pulled out the map the woman at the booth gave you and started to read over the activities that you could do.

Leo leaned down close, still a little out of breath, but his confidence had awoken him as he said: “Ya certainly put a shiver in my timber!” he said in a deep pirate accent. You booped his beak away from your face and he blew a raspberry on the index finger.

“So, there is a treasure adventure we can go on, a booth section of stuff to buy, a pirate show of a reenactment of pirate history-Oh! They have timed dances throughout the area! And you can join in!”

“Are you going to join in?”

“Maybe. I could finally dance with someone who doesn’t only do fortnite dances and dabs.”

“Hey, my moves are almost like a work of a pirate ship.”

“Old and needs remodeling?”

“What?! No! Unique and cool.”

You rolled your eyes and wrapped your arm around Leo’s and led him to the show since it was the closest.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You stood on the pier as ships and flying creatures dashed by, the glowing lights of the underworld turning into a creamy orange to signify that the day was coming to an end. You leaned your arms over the railing as you scrolled through the photos that had been taken throughout the day. You couldn’t help but smile at seeing your goofy pictures and would scroll past the ones you took specifically of Leo without him knowing.

Speaking of the turtle, he leaned in close to your shoulder as he noticed that your attention was not on him.

“Whatcha lookin at?” He asked, his head slowly getting closer. You felt your body grow warm and quickly turned your phone.

“Bruh,” you giggled and he gave a quiet chuckle and tried to snatch the phone.

“If you’re looking at something, then as your best friend I have a right to see.”

“Fine, hang on.”

You quickly saved the single photos of him into a secret file and moved the phone between them, his head still on your shoulder as he scrolled through the photos, both of you laughing at the one where you fought the pirates and failed.

“What about you? I know you took photos of today for your social,” you commented as you placed your phone into your bag.

Leo took out his phone and hid it out of sight since his home screen was a picture of them together at an abandoned skatepark and he had you in a piggyback ride and he just had to capture the moment. He handed his phone without thinking and started to go through your bag due to boredom.

You scrolled through the photos until you stopped at a specific one. You didn’t remember him telling you to pose for this photo; it was when you had stopped to eat dinner and you happened to watch one of the kids getting a fake pirate hook from a vendor. Your head was supported by your hand as a breeze caused your hair to ripple around your face in an alluring photo. A blush rushes to your face as if you had been hit and soon you started to scroll faster and found more photos of just you; of you waiting in line, in your pirate outfit, several were taken of you during the pirate treasure hunting, when you grabbed a candle from one of the booths in excitement, he even got a cliche photo of you holding his hand while you led him through the crowd.

You felt your heart stop in your ribcage and looked over at the ninja turtle, who was still looking through your bag as if he was hunting for treasure. You didn’t want to snoop, but you couldn’t help but exit out of his camera roll and looked through his folders on the right side; there was a folder for comic books, shopping, epic moments, even a puns list, then found it at the bottom. It was labeled with a first letter of your name and a heart, and with twitching fingers, you opened it. It wasn’t many photos but enough to where you almost dropped his phone into the water below. There were pictures of you whenever you both hung out, and some he probably got from your social.

Holy Hot Soup, he liked you.

“Okay, now you really look like you have a fever,” Leo commented as he reached for his phone, causing you to swallow and quickly turned off the device and handed it back to him.

“But don’t worry, Doctor Neon Leon will help you get all better,” he said in a baby voice and wrapped his arm around you and brought you close.

“Maybe you need some Vitamin ME,” he whispered and you laughed at yet another ridiculous one-liner made by him. He grinned at the sight of you laughing and rested himself against your side, taking in your scent and warmth.

“Maybe I do, where do I get my prescription Aka Kamon?” You asked slyly, a shit eating grin on your face as Leo blushed. Whenever you could, you would fire back a one-liner and was overjoyed to see him be the one to get flustered and a stuttering mess.

“ Oh, um, well,” he stuttered and mentally kicked himself as he couldn’t think of something to say back and then a question he always wanted an answer to.

“Are you ever going to tell me what those words mean?” He asked.

“Are you ever going to open a book and find out for yourself.”

“Ha! Jokes on you, I don’t know how to read. And also, there are phones now, boomers.”

“Then look it up.”

“JuSt GiVe Me A hInT.”

You released a sigh and gave him a look while he returned to you his huge puppy dog eyes look and placed his hands together as his bottom lip wobbled as if he was trying to get out of trouble.

“Finnnne, but only because it’s our best friend’s day.”

You poked the red stripe against his face and then pointed upward, a smirk growing on your face as he gave a confused one.

“WHAT KIND OF HINT IS THAT??”

“A pretty good one in my opinion.”

The red slider turtle let out a large groan as he crossed his arms, his face growing tight as he tried to think of what the hint meant.

“Are you just calling me stripes but in Japanese?” He said with a groan.

“Leo you insult me, it would be kind of stupid to call you stripes in both English and Japanese.”

He mimicked your talking right as you finished and he received an eye roll as he continued on thinking.

So, it wasn’t the stripes, maybe the color? Or the shape?

“Man, this is hurting my brain, this best friend day sucks.” He said as he stuck his tongue out at you.

“Okay, okay. The two words are a color and a shape. Is that better?”

“Yes. Yes it is.”

You continued to watch as Leo tried to put the pieces together and you wished you could get this on video, but it would be too obvious, so instead you painted it into your mind.

“So, the color is totally red, but the shape I’m lost at. Why did you point at the sky? Is that a clue? Why did you make this so difficult?”

“Because I’m a difficult person.”

“I do like a challenge.”

“One more hint, it’s the shape of something in the sky.”

Leo looked up at the fake Lost City sky and squinted as the fake sun started to set and the moon would start to rise.

“Red Moon?”

“Close. It’s Red Crest.”

The blue bandana turtle searched the horizon for an answer for why you called him that as you looked away due to embarrassment.

“Why?” He simply asked as he looked over; he could always tell when you were nervous, your eyes would always dart around and your left foot would start to shake. You rose to a tallen stance though and looked over at his hands.

“I just find your marks...alluring. In Japanese culture, the red moon is respected due to its power. I just thought you deserved to have a nickname that represented you.”

Leo felt his face go completely red that it could put Raph’s mask to so much shame that it would go bland. All this time he thought you were just calling him something insulting in Japanese, but it was a nickname that you made up for him. Not like Raph’s, Donnie’s, Mikey’s or April’s, it was one you made up for him and only him.

“Stop looking at me before I throw you off this dock so I can live the rest of my life without this embarrassment,” you laughed nervously as your fingers combed through your hair and let out a shaky breath.

Leo started to get his little shakes as he let out a confused laugh.

“All this time I thought you were calling me a stupid turtle or somethin in Japanese, whoa oh boy was I wrong.”

You both looked away from each other and the atmosphere became heavy.

Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, I still don’t know, you thought, but then you felt his finger poke your elbow and looked over at him, and the soft expression on his face almost made you melt.

“But how can I stop looking at you?”

Your breathing immediately hitched.

“Are you blushing? It’s a good feeling to know that I do it.”

You could only cover your face as you leaned against the railing on your elbows and looked between your fingers at him. You hated being so flustered up, but with Leo dripping with confidence, it made you want to curl into a muttering mess.

Leo watched you with amusement and went to touch you, but then fell back. He remembered how he started the physical touch between you two, holding your hand, always leaning on you, every movie night you would be his cushion. But you two couldn’t kiss, couldn’t cudde too close, he couldn’t tell you he loved you more than just a best friend.

He hated how the day went by so fast and now he wanted to do what he has wanted to do for months. But he couldn’t work up the courage, he had a ton of one-liners to ask you out, to ask if you returned the feelings, even though he was mutant turtle that lived in the sewer and fought enemies that could destroy the whole world and wholly Ōdachi he can’t ask you to be a part of that life.

But, the way you would smile at him and how you always gave him credit for the growth into someone you wanted to be. How you saw something in him that he didn’t even see, and he wanted to keep being whatever you saw.

He just wanted you.

So, he worked up the courage, tried to make the sweat stop rolling down his body, and looked at person he had fallen for

“Y/N.”

You tensed up, you had never heard Leo sound so serious in his life.

“Yeah?”

“With this being.....I mean if I’m wrong. Would you consider this a date-date?” He spilled out, and he wanted to climb into his shell like Mikey and never come out. He let out a gust of air and didn’t look over at you, his fingers messing within each other. It was silent between you, the city life buzzing around them as yokai’s came and went. You wanted to scream out in joy and say yes a hundred times, but you also had to be careful, along with if Leo was being a bubbly mess, you wanted to take advantage of it as long as you could.

Spotting a red and blue flower with a bright yellow center growing on the side of the deck, you wrapped your fingers around it and pulled it from its roots. To Leo’s surprise, you pushed your way under his arm until it was back over your shoulders. The blush on his face was noticeable and with being against his chest you noticed his uneven breaths.

“I do. And I would like more of them, if you want to.” You answered and handed him the flower. He shakenly took the flower in his hand and his confidence came crashing back to him, knowing that the feeling was mutual. As quickly as you gave him the flower he leaned over and placed the flower over your ear. Your eyes widened with surprise and quickly averted them away, a nervous but sweet chuckle escaping your lips. But the Red-eared slider never averted his gaze away from you.

“I would like that too,” he answered back.

You both stood there for a while, your head curled into Leo’s chest as his own head rested on yours. You were used to being close, but this was different, this filled you up with knowing and it made the physical connection much more warmer and scarier. Little lights started to flicker around as the city started to get dark, even with no sun or moon. Leo brought you closer and buried his face into your hair, a long sigh escaping his lips in content, his mind slowing down for once and just taking in this moment.

But the moment went quicker than expected as a low yawn escaped your mouth and the red slider turtle remembered that it was getting late.

“Alright, sleepy head, I think it’s time to raise anchor and set sail for home,” he joked as he lifted himself off of you and then held out his hand. With a roll of your eyes, you gladly took it and let him lead you back to the entrance of the Pirate Bazaar. He could just use his sword, but he wanted to juice out every moment with you.

The hand hold was different in some way, you gripped his hand tighter and when he came to a stop you would use your other hand to lightly touch his biccup before continuing on.

You gave the booth teller their costume bracelets back and walked a few feet ahead before Leo pulled out his sword and created a portal.

He once again bowed his head as he moved to the side.

“After you.”

Through tired eyes she gave him a smirk as she was halfway through the portal.

“Thank you.”

He followed you through the portal and took the step onto your apartment’s fire escape, the flashing lights of New York City spilling over your side as you opened your bedroom window; throwing your bag inside before turning to Leo. You both turned to each other and then quickly averted eye-contact with each other.

“I had a lot of fun today, Leo. Thanks for being a good fri-” you stopped yourself since you didn’t know if you two were still just friends, or more.

He let out a laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah, chief, it was,” Leo said and then let out a groan at the terrible execution.

You knew that you had to make the first move now or else you both would accidentally place yourselves into the “friend zone”.

“Leo, can you bend down a little bit?”

“Why? Tired of being the only short one?”

“You can say that.”

He bent down till he was on your level, a smug smile on his lips. You let out your form of a chuckle as you curved your fingers under his chin. The teenage turtle instantly felt weak in the knees and thought that his legs would give out from under him and became a stuttering mess as you both made eye-contact.

“Um, haha, is it hot or did you know that, uhh,” he mumbled as you tilted his head to the side and placed a small kiss against his red stripe, instantly making his whole body, for once in his life, burning.

Your lips were soft against his skin and he stood there as you leaned away and climbed back into your room.

“Goodnight, Leo,”you mumbled, your hands shaking against the window.

“N-night.”

You closed the window and walked away while Leo stood there, his mind racing a hundred miles an hour. He got a kiss from you, from you. He never felt so much adrenaline rush through his body and all he wanted to do was go back in time so he could’ve moved his lips over.

He took a step towards the window and then took that step back. What should he do? What could he do? Were you both dating now? Or were you two at the very edge of the line of a relationship?

He wanted to call his brothers or April for advice, especially since she would slap some sense into him. His shakes were coming back.

He let out a grunt and rubbed his eyes as he tried to decide what to do. He looked back at the window and saw that you had turned on your lights. He walked up to the window and knocked.

You had just gotten out of the bathroom when you heard the light tap against your window and your heart started to race faster than it already was. You were already shaken up by having enough courage to kiss him but if that was him then what if he didn’t want the kiss?

The knock came again and you took a few deep breaths before you moved the curtain aside and there he was, his face all flustered up as he gave a small wave as she opened the window.

“Yes?” You questioned as you leaned your hands over the window seal. You hoped that the silky night of the sky hid your flustered face.

“I honestly didn’t think this far ahead,” he spilled out as he let out a nervous laugh as he leaned against the window.

You looked up at him and Leo blinked several times in wonderment at the startled expression that crossed your face. Leo took a deep breath and gave you his signature shit-eating grin.

“Knock knock.”

“Wow, you’re doing jokes in the same place now are ya?”

“Just do the joke.”

You giggled and fluttered your eyes mockingly at him.

“Can I who?”

“Who’s there?

“Can I?”

“Can I...Can I kiss you?”

Even though it was a terrible joke, you felt like you could throw up all of your guts for how fast your heart rate was. Kissing him on the cheek was a challenge but at least you didn’t have to worry about his lips against yours. Do turtles have lips? Or beaks?

The word yes slipped out before you had a second thought.

Before you knew it, Leo’s hands were slipping into your own, the tip of your fingers shaking but Leo reinsured you with a stroke of his thumb You looked up at him and was taken aback at how handsome he was, how his stripes glowed in the moonlight and his blue bandana flew behind him as he leaned down.

Oh you were glad he didn’t have his lips puckered or drool hanging out of his mouth like in the cartoons.

Swallowing any other signs of panic that were trying to build in your body as you leaned in.

The city of New York continued on around you both as the kiss ended; it was soft and sweet, not a full one, but it left both of you speechless. You felt as if your stomach was falling apart and Leo thought he could slip off the stairway. He was still holding your hands before you both departed, but with your free hands, you grabbed his face and brought him in once again. The red slider turtle’s eyes went wide as moons as this kiss much more, more than he could ever dream of.

He wrapped his arms around your waist and slightly lifted you up, burying his face into yours under the moonlight. He tangled himself around you as your hands wrapped around his neck and Leo felt his stomach flip at the actions. Your shirt was warm against his chest and he tried to focus in on that instead of the worry of messing this up. He leaned more down as his hand slipped into the back of your neck. Due to the lack of experience, the kiss was sloppy and messy and anxiety swam between the connection between the two of you.

But it was a tender memory of a kiss between the two of you, to remember as your first.

You both finally separated, your chest heaving as you tried to get your feelings under control. His arms were still wrapped around you and your hands had slipped down onto his plaston, the hard material rising and falling under your fingers. Leo felt himself lean back, the shock setting in that he just had his first kiss and it was that deep and romantic and that….

The teen turtle felt his shell bump against the railing and you quickly latched onto him to stop him from falling, a horse laugh coming out of your mouth.

“Guess you can say that you’re falling for me?” You asked, Leo knew now that he had to have a fever for how hot his face felt. He let out a few breathless laughs as he tried to calm himself down, longing and fear still lingering in his heart.

All he could do was pull you into a hug and whisper out, “I just want to stay here and kiss and hold you and Y/N I can't feel my heart.”

He buried himself into your neck as he once again slightly picked you up, hoping that your warm body would calm him down, but the organ in his chest raced on as you hugged him back, your arms barely going around his shell.

“Leo, will you be my boyfriend?”

My boyfriend. My boyfriend. My boyfriend. My boyfriend.

The words rang in his head like chimes as he slightly pulled away to look at her, the harsh blush on her face giving him an ego boost as he grinned at her.

“Being called a boyfriend, eh? Neon Leon already has so many cool names, but boyfriend is probably the best name to be called, especially if it’s only you saying it.”

“Probably? I guess I should just give the boyfriend title to someone else, then.”

“What?! No, no, no. I already called it, I’m your boyfriend capiche? Now come here.” He pulled you into a tight hug and gave you a little spin, a laugh escaping your throat as you held on.

“Leo! We can fall, and my back cannot handle cement like yours!”

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