I think a lot about Leo’s tendency to push his way into the spotlight despite clearly being a natural in the shadows. Hell, you could argue that his worst moments are when he’s forcing himself onstage, and his best are when he does things no one notices until it’s already been done.

Statistical Analysis for Fun

This is entirely self-indulgent, so feel free to scroll past in whatever tag you found this in, but I made some pretty graphs about my fic if you want to look at them or, if so inclined, take notes and do something similar for your own work, because this was actually really neat and potentially helpful to calculate and plot out visually.

Most of what you are about to see is based on the premise that Gamera vs. the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a story with multiple character POVs. The data were collected by finding the word count for each line-break-separated section of the fic and adding them up according to the characters they belong to. This is not necessarily an accurate representation of each character’s actual presence and plot importance, as characters may still get significant page-time while the narration is following another, but it more-or-less represents a bare minimum of how much each character is in the story.

I’ll further note that these data were calculated using the original versions of the chapters, not those posted publicly on AO3, and may vary slightly from the AO3 word count because, when posting, I tend to do minor cleanup things like reword sentences so a paragraph doesn’t have a single word on the last line. There is an additional margin of error of 27 words, as when I added up each character’s individual word count and compared that to what I calculated by adding up the individual chapter word counts, there were 27 words missing and I don’t know where they went. This is still smaller than the smallest data value (42).

So, here are those character word counts, compared:

Gamera’s point of view is a special case, as all of these 12,157 words are from one extended sequence in Chapter 5. Moving next down the line, we immediately see that apparently I just really like Donatello... which I guess shouldn’t by surprising considering I made a post called Statistical Analysis for Fun. Donnie gets a lot of his word count from Chapter 3, where he does most of the actual work during the underground city expedition.

In the next five spaces, Karai, Raphael, and Baxter Stockman are all characters whose scenes early on are kept brief, mostly because I didn’t want this story to get too dark and depressing, but they all become much more directly present in the chaotic grand finale of Chapter 6, which grants them most of their points here. Ayana and Asagi, in contrast, are spaced more evenly throughout, being the major perspective characters for their protagonist groups and having a lot of important thoughts about their imminent or ongoing reunion.

Then we have Mai, which is kind of surprising, since she’s one of only two characters on this list not involved in the main action set in New York. She stays in Japan, and only gets two scenes in the whole fic - one in Chapter 2 and one in the epilogue. She does get very existential and has a long-winded internal monologue, so that probably contributes.

Mikey and Leo are in the middle, and it’s not that Mikey is less important so much as a lot of his scenes go to Donnie, likewise to some extent for Leo and Raph. Being honest, Leo is probably my weakest turtle, as a lot of what I’ve written for him feels like rehashed ideas from canon and his own personal story is minimal compared to the other three, but one thing I wanted to make sure I did was have him eventually participate in banter and get a few moments to just goof off, which is something I love about the early seasons of 2003.

...I was not expecting Traximus’s ending cameo to score this high.

Nor was I expecting Yukino to have so few perspective scenes, but I guess this is a case of Asagi getting the narration more often than not. In reality, they’re always in scenes as a pair and have about the exact same real page-time. And if you add the 4,933 words from the prequel short, then Yukino has 6,678 words and gets 4th place, between Karai and Raph.

For similar don’t-make-it-too-dark reasons, the only time the Shredder gets perspective time is when something about the other character in the scene needs to be hidden from the audience. Even beyond that, he has very little page-time overall with most of it being during the Chapter 6 fight scene.

Of the last five, Shinigami is the only real surprise, for how important and present her character is, but I tend to default to other characters (mostly Ayana and Karai) for her scenes. Not only does Shini have an aura of mystery that makes her perspective mostly just a guess, she’s bonded to Gamera for Chapters 4-6, and how that situation looks to the person bonded isn’t really explored at all by the movies. Sydney, April, and Casey are just in the fic for less time, and have fewer opportunities for perspective sections. And then we have a singular mouser robot, which gets one forty-two word paragraph in Chapter 5 to foreshadow Stockman’s knowledge in Chapter 6.

Moving on, we have what I like to call the “What is this Story About?” graph, and no, this is not new data, this is just the characters’ word counts rearranged into categories:

(Gamera: Gamera | Turtles: Leo, Raph, Mikey, Donnie | Shipping: Karai, Shinigami, Asagi, Yukino | Redemption Arcs: Ayana, Stockman, that damn mouser | Supporting Cast: Mai, Sydney, April, Casey | Villains: Shredder | Cameos: Traximus)

This is mainly the result of me wondering how fics’ content is interpreted when there are tagged ships, or in this case, when there are tagged ships and also the title refers to characters who are not in the tagged ships. In all honesty, most of what I write is going to have lesbians in it, because that’s what I don’t usually get from canon, and whether you call it f/f or wlw, it’s underrepresented even in most fandoms. It’s basically a required condition for me to actually commit to writing something, but it won’t necessarily be the only thing in the story because, if that was all I was looking to write, I’m sure I could find a more popular fandom to do it in. Instead, here I am necromancering TMNT characters from 6-20 years ago and Gamera characters from 17-28 years ago.

I’m actually surprised I wrote so much of the turtles. In the beginning, I felt like it was going outside my usual comfort zone to write them as main characters, but what I now feel like I’ve discovered is that the turtles are just one of those big, fictional exceptions, where they share experiences with just about anyone who writes fanfic for any reason. The LGBT+ community is only one of the many things for which they work well as a metaphor, and they’re really the best kind of superheroes, often capable of being fun, compassionate, and upbeat in spite of the shocking darkness of the villains and the world they’re presented with. Combined with Gamera, just under half the fic is written from the POV of one of the title characters, which I think, averaging with what Gamera’s screentime usually is compared to the movie as a whole, more than fulfills what the title promises.

The shipping category also includes the time spent developing the characters in the pairings, not just the actually shippy scenes, which are there but kinda spaced around the story like romance usually is in a movie or show (and doesn’t get past kissing, there’s no smut in this, the M rating is for subject matter). Of course there’d be nothing wrong with writing a story just about Karai/Shini and Asagi/Yukino with the turtles in the background, but since I haven’t seen anything like this done before, I decided to specifically script this like it was a big deal crossover movie, with maybe just a little more focus on the leading women than any real crossover movie would probably have.

And speaking of which, we also have Ayana, of the redemption arc category, despite it being arguable whether she actually needs one or has in fact gone through it prior to the main events of this story. She’s not in a ship, at least not a main or endgame pairing that we know of (though she does get one of the kisses...) and rather, I just really wanted to write about her and kinda set her up for her own possible later adventures. Stockman is here too, because what he goes through in canon deserves a portrayal where it’s not treated like a joke, and I really, really wanted to put him and 2012 Karai in the same universe so they could basically keep each other sane (why has no one else done this?).

Next up, let’s see exactly (well, subjectively) how much of this fic is Gamera and how much of it is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

...not bad. I was aiming for a sort of even-ish split, but I acknowledge TMNT by nature comes with more major characters, and if anything, the most obvious path would be for them to completely overtake the role of the ‘humans’ in this and be our perspective characters for the entirety of the story.

Sadly I don’t think a lot of people would even consider bringing the human characters from a kaiju film franchise into a crossover, or really consider them major characters at all. But these days I’m at a point where I enjoy these films, at least the classic ones, for the human stories just as much as for the monsters themselves - there’s something about them that can often feel many times more progressive than modern Hollywood films, and a whole lot of them just feel genuine, from the heart, in ways that are hard to explain but always keep me coming back to watch them again and again.

Taking the Gamera elements of this fic by themselves, it’s a tale about Asagi, now in her mid-twenties and in a secret relationship with her best friend, not only finding out Gamera has returned but that Ayana is also back in the picture and has something do with it. It’s a tale about Ayana paying Gamera’s unexpected kindness forward, dreading a reunion with Asagi only to discover she’s forgiven and accepted, and figuring out what she’s supposed to do next. It’s a tale about Mai, realizing she now has the rest of her life in front of her, meeting all the women who’ve stood in her shoes before. And it’s a tale about Gamera, at war with himself between his purpose and his compassion in a world that fights him on both fronts, and his reunion with Asagi that provides the needed reminder that he is truly making a difference.

Taking the Ninja Turtles elements of this fic by themselves, it’s a tale about a family on the verge of falling apart - Leo withdrawing into his sense of responsibility to the point of obsession, Raph drowning in anger out of a misguided attempt to protect his brothers from the truth, and Mikey and Donnie beginning a slow process of healing by bonding over a new and exciting mystery. It’s a tale about Karai and Baxter Stockman finding, if not the mental clarity to save themselves, the innate drive to save each other. And it’s a tale about Shinigami, with the longtime support and encouragement to take initiative, still struggling with her own protective anger to the point of near-disaster and ultimately seeking out help from those she once thought of merely as being in her way.

For the next graph (because that’s what this post is about, if you forgot, I know it went deep there for a minute), I took that previous one and split it up a little further, to the best that the available data can really represent:

This graph is a little misleading, because the “Gamera” and “Turtles” sections can’t really be worked out by word count, so we’re looking mainly at the top two slices and the two in the bottom right, which split up all the non-turtle characters according to the iterations of each fandom they hail from. For TMNT we have Karai, Shinigami, and Shredder from the 2012 CGI animated series totaling to about even, word-count-wise, against Stockman, Sydney, April, Casey, and Traximus from the 2003 2D animated show. For Gamera we have Asagi, Yukino, and Ayana from the 90s Heisei trilogy outweighing Mai, the one character from 2006′s standalone Gamera the Brave.

There’s a lot going on beyond the characters, however - we have other parts of the story like the setting, where most of the TMNT aspects are based on the 2003-verse and most of the Gamera apsects have to do with the smallest slice here, Gamera the Brave (those two being more or less the present-day anchors, as they’re contemporaries of each other). And then we have the five turtles themselves, which are actually composite characters, to a greater extent than any of the others featured here.

For the turtles, they’re still mostly based around the 2003 versions, as those are the versions I’m most familiar with, but I definitely did let some 2012 get in there while writing, and if you really wanted to read them with the 2012 voices (or probably the voices of some other iterations, like the various movie turtles, as well) I think it would mostly work. Perhaps it’s my own bias, but I always feel like it’s the Donnies that are most different, and in particular, this Donnie has a physics-overlay moment during the underground city fight and a bit of a science rant in the epilogue that I felt were leaning a little in the 2012 direction (and of course, I couldn’t resist just one “Fibonnaci!” when they’re all using the Rise powers). Raph in this story was also Nightwatcher like his 2007 version - and yes, Mikey was also Turtle Titan, in the same universe, which is another thing I’m genuinely shocked I don’t see done more often.

Lastly, this story establishes Gamera as the same character across the events of all his films, occasionally reincarnating into a new body. He’s now a more grown-up Gamera the Brave Toto, and appearance-wise, he’s described and depicted similarly to Guardian of the Universe Gamera with a few of Toto’s characteristics, but not only does he have aspects of both of these Gameras character-wise, he also has aspects of Showa Gamera, which become prominent with some of the moves he uses during the fight scenes. A dreamlike sequence involving memories from Gamera’s past includes references to Showa, Heisei, and the Brave, all as one long history that goes into how I’ve interpreted Gamera as a character.

So anyway, that’s pretty much it for now. Another chart I couldn’t find a good place to put is one that compares the chapter lengths, and aside from providing some context for the word counts of characters I’ve described according to chapter prominence, all it really says is that I can’t keep my chapter lengths consistent, but I already knew that:

Yes, the epilogue is longer than Chapter 2. And I believe this final chart should be self-explanatory:

Actiontoongorlz's Top 8 Canon x OC Ships 💖💖

I've been looking at OTP/Couples memes for a while and decided that it's time for me to make my own! For an extra surprise I'm not putting Ben Tennyson x Jora Holiday on this list because I focus too much on them anyways & I want my other OCs & their loves to have the spotlight for a change. The timing couldn't be more perfect as we're close to Valentine's Day!!! If you don't support canon x oc or find my ships displeasing then move along because this is a Happy Place! 😁😁 Again these are couples that I consider my personal OTPs in regards to canon x oc. That and making more content with my ships in general! Be warned the text is long and contains spoilers for certain shows and such!!

Clarify: these are my own ocs so there's not going to be anyone else's oc/canon. I might have to save that for another post in the future! 💚 But yeah these are characters that I came up with :]

Alright I'm done ranting, let's get started!

1. Sonic x Lani: I never quite gave much thought into this pair as I should so I promise to do something with them in the future! I promise! What I appreciate about SonLani is that there's little drama, like everything is super chill because both parties are chill. It's not a big deal and they don't need grand gestures to show how much they care about each other. Unlike Preboot Archie with its carts full of poorly written romance and strangely OOC moments on Sonic's end, SonLani had a lot of time to grow, while keeping his established personality in check. They actually communicate with each other, and stick by each other thick and thin. Lani loves Sonic for who he is & has no plans on changing him. Likewise Sonic has someone he can rely on when things get tough; not to mention he can really be himself around her without going all "iLl sLOw dOWn fOr U." Plus the ship name I gave them is a huge nod to the games ^_^

2. Jason x Vanessa: A recent pair due to Vanessa being a new creation but I'm honestly in love with them right now. In-universe they are regarded as the prime example of 'Opposites Attract' in Odyssey. They didn't get along very well in Jason's first couple of months in town due to his hardheaded self and her aloof demeanor. But through events such as Blackgaard and Novacom they gradually learn to trust one another. They see each other in a different light, Vanessa realising that Jason is a lot more thoughtful than he lets on, and Jason discovering her hidden fun side and kindness. Vanessa provides challenges and a sense of normalcy Jason can enjoy away from spy business. Meanwhile Jason fulfills her thirst of adventure & simultaneous desire for a peaceful life as well as spirituality. They're a equals, regarding each other as such and not to mention the BANTER! Hard to believe a former nun can keep up with a secret agent both physically and trading barbs XD. There's also the Forbidden Love factor of Vanessa being the duaghter of Regis Blackgaard, Jason defending her because he KNOWS she is nothing like her old man. Their friendship and romance overcome so many obstacles. I can honestly say that if Vanessa was canon she'd be the type of person Jason would like to be with especially over Jillian Marshall *gags*

3. Kaysha Wallace x Leo Hamato: Now here's a ship that I want to get more into 😁😁 Honestly I love the idea of this pairing: the serious leadee x bubbly spirit! Kaysha is very perky yet understands Leo's feelings on shouldering so much responsibility (she being the oldest child in her family). She's very willing to support him because she doesn't want to see him get all weary from burden. Likewise Leo can be himself around her, and teach her to be more responsible. He doesn't doubt her potential and sees her as an equal even during those periods where she was not on par with the other ninja. Kaysha shows Leo it's okay to relax and let other people help him out and not shut everyone out. When Leo expresses his ability to give her a safe life she simply laughs it off; the way she sees it him simply there in her life is enough. The most interesting facet is their dynamic varies between shows, so you'd see different scenarios and reactions as well as similarities and differences in their romance subplot.

4. Artie x Rhodanthe: Another couple I seriously need to give more attention to, they're meant to be is the foil to Shrek and Fiona in several ways. Artie and Rho may come from different social classes but they're both searching for a purpose to prove their haters wrong. Artie lacked confidence while Rho was overconfident believing she didn't need help. Together Artie learns to stand up for not only for his kingdom and loved ones hut also for himself; Rho's pride gets tempered by Artie's kindness and willingness to compromise. Another thing I like is that Artie has someone who loves him for him not because he is attractive and of royal blood. Likewise Rho has someone who respects her in spite of her social standing & shares her beliefs in making life easier for the poor & outcasts. While both lacke the physical prowess of Shrek and Fiona they rely on each other's resourcefulness and strategic thinking to get by. Unlike Shrek and Fiona they don't get married at the end of their focus movie, resolving to figure out where to take their relationship next. They still have their own life goals and don't want to rush into a relationship which sends a pretty good message. However they have their disagreements - in fact they got a huge argument that became a plot point in Shrek Forever After - but through it all they rediscover the things that made them fall in true love with each other. I'm really loving the subplot I have planned where they forget their memories and slowly fall back in love again.

5. Finn x Alma: Surprise! Yes8 I have a Cars OC (that was originally a fanon Disney Princess) who is the niece of Tow Mater in my verse and she enters a relationship with Finn McMissile. The thing I love about this pair is that it allows Alma to use her skills to flourish, treating amd healing injured spies. She's also into travel and adventure so she can pretty much keep up with Finn. Likewise Finn realizes she is more than just a pretty face or a one-off fling but someone with the passion to face challenges head on; Finn seems to love a good challenge! But overall they'd make a nice pairing, Finn showing Alma the world and Alma showing Finn some of the more simpler things in life.

6. Alexander Paine & Qiu Jin: Well well well look at what the cat dragged in? If it isn't our first villain pairing? XD Just kidding only one half is a genuine villain. What makes this couple so unique in that their storyline goes way back to before the events of the show, he being a agent and she a mechanic. They loved each other deeply, even to the point of starting a family, but forced apart due to some troubling events. When they do get back together it's not so much a bittersweet reunion as Paine became a full villain and Qiu Jin had spent years in&out mental institution before being released There's visible pain & regret, Alexander desperately wanting a semblance of what they once had. He seeks power not just for himself for to heal her. But Jin refuses to go along with his schemes wanting nothing more than to move on and see their children. Jin is a huge Mortality Pet for him, but his own selfish desires for power is a major obstacle their love can't overcome. It's the more bittersweet of my pairings but an important one nonetheless.

7. Bruce Wayne x Nicola Holden: Ok the Brooding Guy/Gentle Girl trope is a mixed bag these days but I really like this trope in regards to Brucola. Like with Artie/Rho, Bruce and Nicola come from different social classes but has that same compassion and drive to help others. Nicola is someone Bruce can trust but at the same time she lets him know there are boundaries (aka don't use my weaknesses as a contingency plan). I also feel like Bruce needs a sort of normal love interest, while he has canon normal girlfriends most of them were pretty boring. At least with Nicola she has has a life outside being a love interest her own goals and motivations. She also loves Bruce for him, not because of his money and good looks. It's a generally healthy dynamic built on honesty & empathy. Another reason why I find this pair adorable is that it actually matches with the rest of the Trinity; you know, like how Superman is with a journalist and Wondy is with a soldier/agent. Nicola & Bruce having different ways of pursuing justice while still sharing similar moral codes. It helps that Nicola is actually a hero rather than an antihero/villain/straight villain (Bruce dating a villan would only make him look like a hypocrite). Nicola sees all facets of Bruce's life and makes the choice to stay; provides some much needed light not just in his life but also the rest of the Batfam. In turn Bruce has another connection to the normal world that is willing to be in his life and see him genuinely happy. They're mature adults who ground each other and build each other up.

8. Optimus Prime x Malina Lovelace: Okay is it just me or do I think TFA Optimus Prime needs more love? What's funny is that at first Malina didn't like the thought of being outshined by newcomers in her superhero career. Spending time with Optimus makes her realize that there's more to being a superhero than fame. Optimus doesn't look down on her, and is more than willing to work with her and appreciate her work. She becomes touched by his friendliness and aceepts him and the other Bots. At the same time Malina reminds Optimus that it's okay to make mistakes and move on, and that it's okay to cut toxic people out. I even wrote a noncanon ficlet where Malina calls out Sentinel and Blackarachnia for the way they treat Optimus. OptMalina is a romance built on respect despite the obvious differences. Not to mention they have each other's back, and they learn about each other each time. And just like with KayLeo and BatRose there's different continuities which means unique versions of the Optlina pair. The Bayverse *chortle* and Prime versions are a few I'd love to explore in the future!

Miscellaneous

- Chad Charming x Soraya Nedakh: Essentially snobby rich kid who learns to be self sufficient and see past appearances through a positive influence. Soraya helps Chad to understand that being royalty isn't just pretty clothes and parties but actually using that status to help others. And Chad actually has his views challenged: Soraya doesn't back down easily.

- Jetta x Zane: The concept of JettaZane (or A Touch Of Snow/IceMagic) is that the robot teaches the human what it's like to be human. Jetta started out as an extremely cold person and a loner, but her time with Zane - the literal ninja of ice - gradually melts her heart & she becomes more caring and accepting. So the robot programmed to be human helps the human raised to be a cold machine unlearn her toxic traits and reclaim her humanity. Also Pixane is kinda boring imo, like they're only together because they're both robots. Not very compelling if you ask me.

- Brian Crown x Kelly Arbol: The wellmeaning goofball and the beatnik poet are something I rarely see much of, but that pretty much sums up their ship. Brian may be a bit self centered but he has a heart of gold and through Kelly's influence he becomes more confident in being a worthy successor to his dad. Meanwhile Brian respects Kelly in and out costume and teaches her how to have fun. Not to mention Kelly interacts with someone outside her circle, which is a welcome change from the trope of only dating someone within your circle.

- Janus Lee x Lenora Rose: Another pair from the same show as Paine and Qiu Jin, there's not much to say on them other than it's one of the most tragic couples. Lenora died a long time ago due to circumstances beyond her & Mr. Lee's control and it's her death that was the catalyst to his gradual descent into evil. As the show goes on we see glimpses of their life together and realize that Lenora is more than the Ghost, she was someone with her own dreams and motivations. She and Janus were outcasts who found companionship in each other, and were able to build a life together using their hard-earned resources to help others. Even in the last few months of her life she didn't go down without a fight, wanting her legacy to be one of love and hope. It's her memory that may be the key to redeeming Mr. Lee in the future of A.T.O.M.

- Ben Florian x Paige: Again not much else to say but they're the antithesis of Mal x Ben. One thing that bothers me about Mal & Ben is that they are supposed to be equals when it's pretty darn obvious from the scenes they were not. With PaigeBen it's clear that they ARE equals who respect each other. Ben's agency isn't reduced to just love interest, he has someone he has good communication with and wants to see him succeed. Paige has someone who shares her interests and see her more than just that One American Newbie. They LEARN to work together without love potions involved. Plus we haven't had a commoner Disney Princess in a while so Paige fills in as someone who works her way into high status then uses that status to help others with Ben at her side.

That's enough of my Canon x OC OTPs! I hope to explore them more throughout the year :) I work hard to flesh out my OCs and their romantic storylines as if they're real 💚😌

I do have KayLeo week planned for Feb 14 to Feb 21 so don't be shocked when I start posting rottmnt stuff or art of Kaysha! Anyways these are my personal ships that I enjoy despite the lack of content I made of them, so hopefully I have the creative juices flowing to make more stuff! Final note I'm working on a platonic oc x canon meme to show that love doesn't have to be romantic. A

TALES OF THE TMNT #13-14 JULY - AUGUST 2005 BY STEVE MURPHY, PETER LAIRD, RICK REMENDER, MIKE MANLEY, KIERON DWYER, DARIO BRIZUELA AND JIM LAWSON

SYNOPSIS (FROM TMNT ENTITY)

In some weird Astral Plane, the mystical monkey-man, Pai-Doth Noor is nearing death. He has lived a long time and done many things, but fears having it come to an end. So, remembering a debt owed to him by Leonardo, he summons the Ninja Turtle.

Leonardo, meanwhile, is 8 years-old and living in the sewer lair. At a ceremony, Splinter tells him that he has finally graduated from his wooden practice sword to a true blade. Childishly enthused, he plays with the sword late into the night until he vanishes at Noor’s beckoning.

8-Leo finds himself in the Astral Plane alongside three other versions of himself plucked across the timeline: a 15 year-old Leo, a 45 year-old Leo and a Leo that’s over 100 years-old. Noor tells them that they are to fulfill their debt by taking a “gift” (a crystal) to the Cynocea who lives in a castle in ancient Egypt. 8-Leo is frightened, 15-Leo thinks the adventure sounds totally rad, 45-Leo is suspicious and defiant and 100-Leo seems to be the only Turtle to recall how things played out, but is keeping tight-lipped on the subject.

Noor sends the Turtles to the banks of the Nile in the dead of night, where a basket containing a baby floats gently by. 45-Leo sees a crocodile about to bite the basket and leaps in to save the baby. As the baby floats away to safety and the crocodile flees, 100-Leo reveals that they just saved Moses. Suddenly, a group of Egyptian warriors working for the Pharaoh attacks. 15-Leo defeats them all with ease, sending them into retreat. The warriors quickly return with back-up and the Turtles flee.

After losing the warriors, 15-Leo calls for a time-out. He thinks the very idea of walking and talking with versions of himself is weird and doesn’t understand why his two older selves aren’t saying anything. 45-Leo tersely explains that seeing what they were and can never be again is pretty damn depressing.

The Turtles eventually spot a towering castle and city behind a moat and wall on the horizon. They decides to make camp for the night and continue on in the morning. At the campfire, 15-Leo thinks life is going pretty great and wonders why 45-Leo is so surly. 45-Leo simply explains that things will be changing very soon for him. Meanwhile, 8-Leo follows 100-Leo, who has gone to mediate by himself. 8-Leo sees his older self hovering off the ground by sheer force of will and marvels at just how awesome he’s going to become in the future.

The next morning, the Turtles approach the city and find the villagers outside the wall pleasant and friendly. 100-Leo explains that in these simpler times, mankind is closer to nature and thus do not fear the strange quite so much. 45-Leo shakes his head, knowing that in a few generations, White Men will come and destroy the peaceful African civilizations and enslave the gentle locals.

By nightfall, the Turtles arrive at the bizarre and silent city, cross the moat (where 8-Leo has to contend with a man-eating fish) and scale the wall. Inside, the place reeks of cat urine and the markets appear to have been hastily abandoned. 45-Leo goes on ahead to scout and is attacked by two sword-wielding cat-people. He knocks one out, but the other gets the jump on him, slashing him across the shell.

Before the cat-person can strike 45-Leo down, 15-Leo intercedes, only to get knocked away. More cat-men arrive and 100-Leo, having long ago vowed to never take another sentient life, takes one out with his high-tech bokken. 15-Leo asks what the bokken’s deal is and 100-Leo explains that it channels his own bio-energy via willpower and delivers a powerful debilitating shock to his enemies (and it was a gift from Donatello on his hundredth birthday). Together with 8-Leo, they take down the cat-men.

Suddenly, a cat-woman with a chained gorilla-man named Mon-Ghat attacks. 100-Leo attempts to sway the enslaved gorilla to their cause, but the cat-woman has his family held hostage. The Leonardos are forced to surrender and are bound and taken before King G’Dello. G’Dello asks why they have trespassed into the conquered kingdom of Feenosia and 100-Leo explains that they’ve come to deliver a gift to the Cynocea. G’Dello laughs and takes them to the Cynocea.

The Cynocea is actually the title of the true ruler of Feenosia, before G’Dello invaded and killed the previous ruler, Macqou-Doth Noor. Macqou’s infant son, Pai-Doth Noor, now resides in the nursery/prison cell, being looked at by a host of gorilla-women. G’Dello leaves the Turtles to spend their lives in Pai’s cell, not thinking that their gift (a gem stone) is of any value worth seizing. After he leaves, the monkey-woman Luschea places the gem in Pai’s mouth. The mystical powers allow Pai to escape his dying body in the Astral Plane and sends his fully-formed consciousness into his infant body.

Pai exclaims that he has found the key to escaping death; by reincarnating himself through a “loop”. The Turtles are confused and Pai explains his origin story. After G’Dello seized Feenosia, he kept Pai alive for political reasons, but left him a prisoner in his own castle. Pai developed great mental and spiritual powers, eventually escaping to the Astral Plane. From there, he was allowed to journey through mystical and intangible realms and observe other worlds, but could never again return to the physical plane. The Turtles, though, helped him finally achieve his dream and he thanks them by unbinding their hands and returning their weapons.

The Turtles make their escape and are immediately barred by more cat-men and Mon-Ghat. 100-Leo repeats his offer and Mon-Ghat accepts, helping them take down the cat-men. Eventually, they succeed in overthrowing G’Dello and returning the rule of Feenosia to Pai. Pai happily sends them all back home, though he assures them they’ll have no memory of their adventure. 100-Leo, however, has a bad premonition and asks to stay behind a while and help Pai. Pai refuses, thinking he’s won the day and cheated death. Shortly after he sends his pawns home, the army of the Pharaoh, on the trail of the Turtles that saved baby Moses, discover the kingdom of Feenosia and attack en masse.

Returned to his proper time, though not proper place, 8-Leo finds himself in the Egyptian wing of a museum. Staring before him is a huge stone relief picturing Egyptian soldiers toting the corpse of a four-armed monkey behind them. 8-Leo quickly forgets the significance of the image and escapes before a guard sees him. Likewise, 15-Leo and 45-Leo are returned to their proper times with no memory of the event, recalling it only as a recurring “day dream”. 100-Leo, however, remembers it perfectly. He contemplates how Pai risked his life four times in a foolish quest to cheat death. 100-Leo remarks that no one can cheat death, not even a turtle.

REVIEW

I have certain respect for Leonardo. It is easy to figure out the other Turtles, but Leonardo is not an easy character to write (you could say he is the “straight guy” of the group, the fearless leader, but there are different sides to his character).

In this story we get to see four different sides of Leonardo and they are all in character. As very old Leo says, you are not your age, you are all the ages you had, and that is pretty much what happens here. You can see Leo’s wisdom in the old Leo, but we’ve already seen this on him. At the same time, we see a more immature, 8-year-old Leo, a cynical one and a teenager one. I think the biggest hint as for the future of the Turtles is how old Leo won’t take a sentient life. I feel glad for him, as this has been very inconsistent throughout the years. Leo can become a cold blooded killer and then tell you not to take a life ever. And the way it is explained here makes some spiritual sense.

Apart from that, the story itself is not easy to follow. I am not sure why four Leonardos were needed exactly, it could have been the full set of Turtles.

There is also another “Obligado” story. Not much to it, not sure why it was so popular with fans.

I give the issue a score of 5.

Glowing

Tmnt x reader

Pt 1

TMNT reader insert- first of a longer story- but i think I'll write it as a master post and not a series

Basically me writing my ideal version of TMNT, just because I have no paitience, but works with any version of the turtles... except maybe 2k18....

Anyway, if you guys like it, i would love to actaully make it seem more reader focused, this first part is still pretty void of any turtle x reader lol

FEEDBACK MAKES IT MORE FUN FOR BOTH OF US

Anyway....

The Ninja turtles run into a human like mutant who is after the same kind of ooze as them, but when they keep crossing paths, they realize they have a lot more in common than that.

There was one thing that made mutants hard to identify- other than the fact they were so good at hiding. Sometimes, there were ones lucky enough to seem human at a glance.

You were one of those mutants- and right now, you had a problem. That problem was plural; other mutants- who looked much less human than you.

Turtleish actually.

You landed hard against the roof, shoes scraping against the old cement as you tucked into a roll. The glowing can of ooze was warm against your side, pinned between your torso and your arm. It made it much harder for you to run, which was probably the only reason you hadn’t outmaneuvered your pursers yet.

As you sprinted across the moonlit rooftop, you could hear the silent movements in the shadows, the deft patter of feet following after. If you had been anyone else, that probably wouldn’t have been possible. The movements of your pursuers were as quiet as you had ever encountered, and it didn’t help that you were in the middle of New York City. They seemed to know how to stay hidden- and they were gaining on you.

You chanced a brief look behind you as leaped over an air vent, head snapping back forward for your eyes to land directly on one of the mystery mutants.

Yeah- it was a turtle.

Your eyes widened at the tall, muscled figure a few yards away from you, brain quickly digesting the red mask, sai’s, and aggressive stance. He was blocking your path.

You rolled your eyes and pulled out one of your guns from your chest holster, pointing it at the dark green turtle, still running. The red-masked mutant’s eyes widened and he immediately dodged out of your way, bracing himself for gunfire. You simply kept running, leaping off the edge of the building that the turtle had been guarding. Sounds of dismay and annoyance rang out from your other pursues followed by a loud exclamation you couldn’t exactly make out.

You made it to the other side of the next roof, glaring down at the large gap between the next building and yours. The way you had taken to get here had been much easier, but now the canister of ooze you had under your arm made it harder for you to just walk through the street with the civilians. You bounced on the balls of your feet impatiently, trying to run through and pick an option as fast as you could. The only ways of getting away with the chemicals seemed to be getting down the street and hoping no one thought you were suspicious enough to call the cops or fight.

You decided to take the easier option.

You placed one foot up on the ridge of the building, but then suddenly a whistle cut through the air and you rolled backward, just barely avoiding the sturdy bostaff that slammed down where you had been standing. Pressing the ooze more closely to yourself, you watched as the taller turtle moved the staff to face you, a small smile on his face. He was clad in heavier equipment than the last- and seemed to have goggles strapped to the front of his head.

“Hi.” The purple-masked turtle offered, pointing the bo staff in your direction, staying low in a crouch.

You didn’t respond to his greeting verbally. You lunged forward and grabbed the staff, yanking hard and pulling it toward you. The turtle let out a yelp of surprise as he stumbled, and was probably just as shocked when you kicked him across the face.

Having moved him out of the way, you again went for the building’s edge, when a chain wrapped around the edge of the ooze canister, tugging you backward. You held on tightly, rolling backward into the pull and through the next pursuers legs, pulling hard. The orange-clad turtle was flipped onto his back, arm dangling on the other end of the nunchucks. He was staring up at you with big eyes, much less angry than you would’ve been. All that came out of his mouth was an excited giggle of surprise, one that you could barely hear as you ran once again for the building edge.

You jumped over the ridge and slammed down onto the fire escape, beginning to flip down through the metal bars as the three turtles began yelling at each other. You smirked slightly, knowing they couldn’t be crazy enough to follow into the view of civilians, and once you hit the open streets, you would just hitch a subway ride and be home free.

Suddenly, another turtle swung in from outside of the fire escape, kicking you against the wall. You grunted as you hit the bricks, ducking quickly as the blue-masked turtle punched where you had just been standing, surging forward and jabbing your shoulder into his plated stomach. He likewise slammed back against the staircase, looking at you in a new light. After that brief second of rest and sizing up, you lunged for the next set of stairs, which the turtle blocked with his arm, stopping you each time from passing under or over him. You weren’t going to be able to beat him with one arm. You groaned in frustration and tossed the metal canister into the air, the turtles focus immediately on the ooze, which gave you the opportunity to grab his still slightly outstretched arm and judo flip him, slamming the turtle down against the ascending staircase. The canister landed between your feet and you let out a breath, pushing the (h/c) strands of hair out your face as you picked up the container.

You scrambled down the rest of the fire escape, landing loudly on the dirty cement below. The alley tucked just a few feet away from the bustling street and you rushed toward it, hopes rising as you neared the human packed area.

Those hopes were dramatically crushed in the same way you were, slammed down into the pavement by large feet. Your skull brushed against the pavement as your arms were pinned under you, the cannister popping out of your grasp.

“No-” You grunted hazily, your vision swimming as you attempted to get up.

“Mikey!”

“What?”

“You- you can’t just jump on people like that!”

“It stopped her didn’t it?” The turtle exclaimed, a sense of indignation in his almost surfer like accent. The other voice scoffed, and you could feel three other pairs of feet hitting the pavement.

“You could have crushed her.”

“I didn’t.“ The turtle- Mikey- replied, leaning down and turning your head to the side, “I didn’t crush you did I?”

You groaned in response, one hand reaching out to your head, pulling away and looking at the dark blood that was now smearing your hand. Mikey seemed to take the response well, nodding up at the others.

“See? She’s fine!”

Mumbles of disagreement rose up from the turtles as they stared down at you, the tall purple one reaching down and picking up the ooze. Your eyes widened, cloudy brain clearing as you realized you had lost the canister. You surged upwards, Mikey yelling in surprise as you threw him off of you. But before you could reach the turtle, the red and blue turtles both had their weapons pointed at you, keeping you from the other.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The red-masked turtle growled, his voice unmistakably accented. Your eyes leveled with the two weapons, sizing up your four opponents. You might have been able to take them all on at once before your head had cracked against the pavement- but now? There wasn’t much of a chance… but you needed that ooze. It didn’t matter how little of a chance you had.

Your arms snapped up to the holsters at your ribs, fingers wrapping around the handles of your guns, which was met by a katana pressing close to your neck. You froze, glaring at the blue-eyed turtle. He stared back, knowing you had nothing else to do.

“Let go of the guns.”

“I need that canister.” You snapped back, eyes hard as you glanced between him and the ooze.

“So do we.” He replied simply, taking in your black military grade outfit.

You shifted on your feet, fighting the urge to rush forward, even with the katana in your way. They didn’t understand and you didn’t have time to deal with them. You needed those chemicals.

“Raph, take her guns.”

“No! Hey- don’t-” You let out a loud groan as the guns were wrestled from your sides, Raph smirking down at you as he tossed the weapons around in his three-fingered hands.

“Okay… Mikey do you still have those bungee cords?”

“Aw- not my bungees Leo, you know I was going to try to use those!”

“Would you rather she follow us?”

“No…” Mikey replied, grabbing your shoulder as Leo kept the sword close to your head.

Panic was beginning to build in your chest, realizing that they were going to leave you there, and you weren’t going to be able to…

Your gaze snapped up to Mikey, and you raised your hand, grabbing his arm. A loud yelp rang out from the shortest turtle and he stumbled away from you, his arm swinging uselessly at his side.

“Mikey!”

Your hand glowed softly, the mutagen in your veins pulsing. You stumbled backward, ready to run, but was stopped by the crushing grip of the red turtle.

“Let me go!”

“Not after what ya just did ta my little brother-”

“Oh, he’s fine! Just let me go!”

“Raph!” Leo hissed, rushing forward. “They’re going to hear her!”

“Well, what am I supposed ta-”

“Help! Help, I’m being k-” The tallest turtle lunged forward past Leo, his hand slapping over your mouth, muffling your screams. You wiggled in Raph’s grip, body brimming with frustration as they yelled over your sounds of the struggle.

“Donnie don’t touch her! You saw what happened to Mikey-”

“I’m touching her face! Raph is holding her off the ground- what difference does it make?”

“I don’t know! I just-”

“AH! She’s licking my hand!”

“Donnie. Donnie- don’t you dare let go. It’s just-”

“It’s wet!”

“I know! Just wait till I-”

“My hand!” Donnie exclaimed, “I can’t feel my hand!” Just as he was saying so, Donnie’s hand grew limp, just as Mikey’s arm had. You laughed in triumph, shaking your head free of his now lifeless hand.

“Woah- her tongue is glowing!”

“It’s kinda gross,” Raph said.     

“You mean cool.” Mikey quipped back as you began to yell again, which was muffled by Leo placing a ripped bandage over your mouth. You screeched as Donnie duct taped the bandage to your face, struggling to do so with one working hand.

Eventually, the turtles had you duct taped and tied down to the fire escape ladder, arms behind your back as you struggled to get loose of the bungee cords.

“You don’t think she's going to break those is she?” Leo asked warily, looking at his youngest brother.

“No way! I was going to use those to bungee off the empire state building. If they could hold me, she won’t be able to break them.”

Your eyebrows furrowed at the comment, wrists working feverishly to break through the cords.

“So we’re just going to leave her?” Donnie asked, still nursing his hand.

“We have to, she’s too good to not just follow us,” Leo replied,  staring down as you shook your head.

They couldn’t leave you-you needed the ooze! You screeched as they began to climb back up the fire escape, about to disappear into the night. Mikey suddenly stopped, looking down at you for a moment, his brows quirking up in sympathy. And then as fast it had come, he smiled down at you and waved. You stomped your foot as the last turtle hopped up onto the roof and out of sight. You strained against the bungee cord, waiting to see if any of the turtles would change their minds. It would’ve just been easier if one of them stopped to ask you what was wrong.

Instead, you had to follow them now. You sighed, standing up straight and pulling your wrists apart, the bungee cord stretching to a point where you slipped one wrist out, and then the other.

They really should’ve checked how stretchy the bungee cord was. Because now, you had to go and find their hideout. You needed that ooze. And you were going to get it no matter what.

Mama's Big Boy - A Rise of the TMNT AU ft. Venus de Milo

This AU was originally thought up by @ninja-cake-bicht. And as such the following story was inspired by their genius. Meanwhile my friend @leeleearts simply adores the Jonatello pairing. So I thought; "Why not do both?". Which is what I did! Before I tell the mini story, let me explain a few things.

First and foremost in this alternate universe Donnie was adopted by Big Mama. The origins of which I'll cover very soon in the story. Now don't worry - the heroes in green aren't a member short. They are still a quad squad because Venus de Milo, who's headcanon voice actress is Victoria Justice, takes center stage! The species of turtle I picked for her is the diamondback terrapin. I felt that this species best suited Venus's aesthetic and over all look. Lastly Casey is depicted as a Latino American as I have depicted him in my other Jonatello stories.

Now that we have those details stated for the record, on with the backstory of the Mama’s Big Boy AU~

🐢💜🕷

In the underground mystic city just beneath New York City, everyone knows who Big Mama is. A Jorōgumo yokai who is a generous matriarch to her citizens. She is also very glamorous in appearance despite her undisclosed, and “frankly none of your bloody damn business” as she says, age. Of course this mother to her people is no pushover. Should you break her number rule or threaten her people you can expert to get quite the deadly spanking from Big Mama. But even with all of her power, wealth and esteem there was one thing the spider yokai wanted most that she didn’t have…a child.

You see while it is her name, or at least an alias she uses in place of her real name, Big Mama isn’t a literal mother. She is sadly unable to have children due to a run in with her old enemy Baron Draxum, a mutant yokai scientist who constantly tries to usurp her rule, that left her wounded internally. While she survived it all but destroyed her uterus. And for such a family oriented person like Big Mama she may as well have died. This meant that she would never have the one thing she always hoped to have. Never have that precious little bundle snuggled up in her arms. And to lose that gift made her hate Draxum even more. For a long time Big Mama only put on a brave face for her people while she cried tears over her personal loss alone.

Then one day she decided to pull herself out of this rut. How? By getting a pet. However she didn’t pick just any animal to be her critter companion. Being a woman of unique tastes Big Mama got an animal that likely not many women would consider having. It was a male soft shell turtle. She named him Donovan but often called him by the loving nicknames of “Donnie” or “Big D”. She had adopted Donnie when he was just a baby soft shell, and after he turned four years old Big Mama got a rather big idea; she could turn Donovan into the child she always wanted. And that’s exactly what she did. Utilizing her powerful yokai magic Big Mama transformed the normal little turtle into a not so normal bipedal mutant turtle. The changed soft shell turtle, who Big Mama noticed had gained very thick sable black haired eyebrows after the transformation, blinked his eyes a few times as he adjusted to his new form. Big Mama then walked over to Donnie, knelt before him as a mother would her child and greeted him.

“Hello, my little silk thread. Do you know who you are? Do you know…who I am?” Big Mama asked carefully, afraid of what the kind of answer she would get.

Without hesitation the little mutant boy spoke up.

“Sure. I’m Donnie, and you’re my mama.” Donnie replied in a cute voice with a smile.

After that any prior feelings of fear or sorrow the Jorōgumo had were thrown out the window. And they were replaced with feelings of elation and motherly love. She hugged Donnie like he was the life line she was seeking out for so long and sobbed happy tears. That became the start of a new life for the both of them.

But, this wasn’t the only new life that began. At the same time someone else going through a new life change under different circumstances. Up on the surface of New York a man named Chung I, a retired shinobi master who lives in the Chinatown District and spends his days running an artisan store he owns, was going about his usual business. He had just left the local market after buying food for his dinner. Chung hummed a little tune to himself as he walked down his usual street, but noticed that up ahead the neighborhood on again off again couple were having yet another public and heated argument. Not wanting to get in the middle of things Chung cut down into an alley that was a short cut to his house. And doing this actually turned out to be a blessing. Not for him…but for someone else.

As he was in the stretch to getting to his abode Chung heard something. A sound, specifically crying. Not from an animal but from a little child. This did not surprise the retired master because, sadly, orphaned or abandoned children are a dime a dozen in New York. So honing his keen ears he listened for where the crying was coming from. Eventually it led him to a bunch of potted plants left out behind the florist shop because they were wilting. Chung peeked behind the dying flora and started to ask the crying child what was wrong. But his question was caught in his throat when he saw just who, or rather what, the child was.

It was…a humanoid turtle child that appeared to be no older than age six. They had chartreuse green skin and, by the look of it’s shell pattern and coloring, the child was of the diamondback species. As Chung examined the child he saw that they had cuts and bruises all over their legs and arms. Some were old and some appeared fresh, caused by both animals and people. Chung said nothing at first as he watched the child cry for a moment more. Then he finally spoke up and the diamondback terrapin whipped it’s head around to face him. This motion allowed Chung to see that the child also had freckles on their cheeks and as well as more injury marks. At first the child backed away in fear, grabbing a piece of old wood to hold up as a makeshift weapon in their defense. The child nervously told the retired master to go away, and by the sound of the voice Chung could now tell the child was a girl. Though he was shocked by the fact that the humanoid turtle could speak he wasn’t afraid. Regardless of her odd appearance this was still a child. And Chung could not simply leave her alone. So, with a kind smile he spoke to her.

“What is your name, small one?” Chung asked. For a while she didn’t speak to him until she finally did.

“I…I d-don’t have a n-name.” The girl turtle replied with a nervous stutter.

“Hm. Well, we’ll just have to change that won’t we? But first I’ll tend to your wounds and give you a nice meal. It’s just as well, too, since I always hate to eat alone.” Chung said.

“…Do you m-mean that?” The girl turtle asked with less of a stutter, lowering the piece of wood she was holding as she gazed at the human man in surprise.

“Of course. Even when retired, a shinobi helps those in need small one. And I want to help you. If you’ll let me at least.” Chung said with a sincere tone and a smile to match.

The diamondback terrapin said nothing. She just continued to stare at Chung. But then she tossed the piece of wood and rose up to her feet. Then she ran straight at Chung…and hugged onto his waist. She began to cry again but not with the same sadness. This was more a cry of relief. Chung smiled down at the child and patted her head then led her back to his home. They ate a hardy dinner together, and the girl turtle seemed to really love the plum sauce. She also appeared to be quite energetic. Given that Chung was able to come up with a name for her - Mei Pieh Chi. “Mei” for plum, “Pieh” for turtle and “Chi” for energy.

The turtle girl seemed to like that name and stuck with it. Then as Chung began to teach her new things, including various artworks, Mei learned about a particular famous sculpture of a woman with no arms. Immediately gaining a great fascination with the statue she adopted the nickname Venus de Milo, which eventually became her new preferred name. Chung had asked Venus where she came from to which the girl replied that she lost her memories of whatever prior life she had. But that was okay since it meant that she and Chung could make new, happy memories as father and daughter. A year into the forming of their unusual yet loving little family Chung took his daughter to Manhattan and introduced Venus to an old friend of his and his three sons.

This friend was a rat mutant named Splinter, and his sons were actually mutant turtles much like Venus. There was the oldest snapping turtle brother Raph, the red eared slider second oldest named Leo and the box turtle youngest boy named Mikey. The girl turtle was thrilled to not only have new friends she could talk to but also ones of her own kind, even if they were sub-species. The turtle brothers likewise took an immediate liking to Venus and declared her as their cousin. And as another year went by they gained a new human friend named April O’Neil. So while Venus’s life didn’t start out the best way, and much of her life is still a mystery, she’s very happy with how things turned out all the same. Though her home is the Chinatown District with her father she often goes to stay in the Lair within the sewers of Manhattan that her cousins call home.

(So now you all know how Big Mama came to adopt Donnie and how Venus is introduced into the mix. I hope that you especially enjoyed that, @ninja-cake-bicht. But it doesn’t end there. Oh no. For now we get into the origins of how the heroes in green meet Big D/Donnie in my alternate. And also of course how Casey is introduced which will involve some Jonatello goodness. This part goes out to you, @leeleearts ~)

🐢💜☠

Over the next several years, Donnie grew under the tutelage of his beloved parental figure Big Mama. She taught her boy everything she new from how to handle a business to how to fight and of course how to properly maintain one’s appearance. But of all the talents Donnie picked up his real specialty had to do with technology. Turns out Big Mama’s big boy was very intelligent and could take bits of scrap and turn it into advanced futuristic like tech. Big Mama was very proud of her son even though his evil genius tendencies concerned her a little. Donnie’s skills with machinery and computers also helped her own business advance on a grand scale, allowing her to run a more modernized city. This came in handy whenever emergency situations came up - like the one they were having right now. Three days ago Big Mama sent one of her lesser yokai spies, a Fu Dog yokai who had no name, to see what Baron Draxum was up to. Though young and new to the business the little yokai was quick on his feet and had the power to teleport. But the little yokai had yet to report back in the past day and a half.

Big Mama had a very bad feeling that Draxum or one of his lackeys were responsible. Using her magic Big Mama tried her best to locate where the small yokai may be. And to her shock he wasn’t even in the underground city…he was up on the surface in Manhattan, New York. While she could go up there and investigate she had to maintain leadership down here. So Donnie offered to venture up top and find the Fu Dog yokai himself. Naturally the spider yokai was a bit hesitant with allowing her son to go on a potentially dangerous mission. Especially since he’s only been up on the surface a few times. But after Donnie had assured his mother that he would be fine and stay in contact with her the Jorōgumo was finally convinced. And so, using the magic crystal embedded in his high tech goggles Donnie changed his form from turtle mutant to the look of a regular human teenage boy. Though Donnie was more partial to tech than magic he never the less learned some magic spells. In particular the spell of shapeshifting so that he could venture to the surface world undetected. After giving a parting hug to his mother Donnie went on his way.

Meanwhile, as the small yokai was being chased by Baron Draxum’s disguised goons, an actual human teenage boy was talking on the phone with a friend on the opposite side of town. The name of this fifteen year old boy is Amador Basilio “Casey” Jones, a friend of April’s back at her school and aspiring hockey player. April has been trying to officially introduce Casey to the turtles but all previous plans either got interrupted or something came up on Casey’s end which made him unable to meet April’s “other mystery buddies”. But tonight she was determined to have them meet. Which was actually what they were talking about on the phone. April told Casey to come over by Rucker Park in order to properly meet her friends and the Latino teen luckily had no other plans so he agreed. After setting a time Casey hung up and decided to stop for a slice of pizza before he headed to the park. He went to a local pizza shop that sold individual slices and intended to order his usual - black olives with grilled chicken and extra red pepper flakes.

Then as the chef turned in Casey’s direction and asked what he wanted, he was surprised when someone else echoed his order. Casey whipped his head around to the left to see who had made that same order. And when he saw who it was he was left speechless. It was a tall Native American teenage boy around his age with mocha tan skin, shoulder length sable black hair with a silver streak that was in an undercut style and had a few braids in it, very well groomed eyebrows, freckles going across the bridge of his nose, a swimmer’s physique and sunglasses with one lens that was colored red and the other lens tinted blue. He also had a rather unique clothing style, which seemed to be business casual mixed with techno punk, that was predominately purple in color. But whether it was his appearance or his looks Casey knew one thing for certain…he was struck with a case of the Crush Bug. After the teens stared at each other for a moment more the handsome boy spoke.

“Hi there.” Said the teen, snapping Casey out his stupor enough to reply.

“Uh, hey. So…you like pizza too?” Casey asked and mentally scolded himself for giving such a lame greeting while asking an equally lame question.

Fortunately the handsome boy wasn’t put off and actually chuckled a bit before responding yes. So together the teens got their similar pizza slice orders and headed outside, eating their slices as they sat at the patio table in front of the restaurant. As they chatted Casey found out that the mystery teen was named Donnie, who said that he arrived from downtown where he lived to look for his missing pet. And that after a while of fruitless results he stopped here to get a slice of pizza. Casey understood and after the two finished eating he offered to help Donnie look for his pet for a while before he had to go to Rucker Park. The handsome teen considered the offer for a moment before agreeing. And so they left the pizza shop and went down the next alley together. Little did they know that their encounter would lead to something much greater.

Later that night Raph, Venus, Leo and Mikey all partake in their weekly Cannonball Night in which they leap off a massively large building and make a literal splash in the rooftop pool. Their friend April of course snapped pictures of their epic dive and afterwards told the foursome that they will at last get to meet her friend Casey. Excited by this the group immediately head over to Rucker Park, with April getting a lift on Venus’s back as she uses her Zhiyuan/kite that her human father crafted for her to fly, but Raph stops mid leap to the next rooftop when he notices something. An unusual looking yet very cute dog like creature, shivering with fright. Naturally he goes over with the other turtles and April to investigate. But they’re not the only ones who come onto the scene…

A few moments before Raph spotted the spy yokai, Donnie was calling out to the creature by using a code phrase that it would know. He allowed Casey to help since he figured he had nothing else to lose. And it’s not like he would be around long to see exactly what his “pet” actually looked like since he said he was going to meet friends at Rucker Park. Even still Donnie kept asking himself why he allowed the human to help in the first place. Maybe he thought it was logical to get help. Or maybe he wanted some company for a short while. Or maybe…he found the human so cute he wanted to enjoy as much time as they could get. Immediately after that thought hit him though Donnie shook his head violently to knock it out.

“No, focus Donovan! Mom sent you on an important mission. You don’t have time to think about boys. No matter how cute, funny and fascinatingly edgy they are…Gaaaaggh!! Stop that!!” Donnie mentally yelled to himself.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn’t realize Casey was talking to him until he felt a tap on his shoulder. The disguised mutant turned to the real human who said that he may have found his pet, and pointed beyond an opening in the fence that went right into a construction site. Donnie looked through the opening and saw the familiar backside of the yokai. Elated to see that he was alright Donnie immediately ran through the opening to go and get him, and Casey ran after him.

This led the pair to encounter not only April holding the little yokai…but the other mutant turtles. At first Leo, Raph and Mikey tried to act like they were humans in costumes, Casey was stunned and April was trying to awkwardly explain that these were the friends she’s been trying to introduce him to. However the only ones who remained calm were Venus and Donnie. In fact they were more curious then surprised by one another. Venus said to Donnie that while he looked human his aura did not have an average mortal essence. Donnie grinned, impressed at the diamondback’s perceptiveness and confirmed that she was right - he wasn’t actually human. Casey asked what Donnie meant and before he could answer the disguised goons of Baron Draxum show up. They reveal their true forms and battle Mikey, Venus, Raph and Leo which results in the turtle brothers’ weapons getting destroyed. Luckily Venus’s own ch’i infused Emeici/Emei Daggers survive the fight. Donnie tries to fight them himself along with Casey’s help but they end up knocked to the side. The goons then grab the little yokai and take him along with April, plus an oblivious Chinese food delivery guy, right through a magic portal!

Raph, Venus, Leo and Mikey regroup along with Casey and Donnie and explain to the human who and what they are. Afterwards everyone turns to Donnie to ask who and he really is. Seeing that there’s no point in hiding it now the disguised mutant dispels his human form and reveals himself to be a mutant soft shell turtle. Raph, Venus, Leo and Mikey are left shell shocked(pun intended, and I nailed it) while Casey is left even more love struck than he was before. Donnie goes on to explain some of his backstory and that Big Mama sent him to find the little yokai that was taken along with April. And now he wants to help them save them both.

Agreeing to this the five turtles and single human first try to figure out how to open the magic portal again. Donnie would do it but he has yet to learn how to use such powerful magic. As luck would have it they actually do have a way to open it - by using an old Japanese compass like artifact that the father of the turtle brothers Splinter possesses. Fortunately Leo manages to grab it without incident after giving him a bit of milk and cake.

The moment the portal opens the group of six go down and behold the glorious magic city that Donnie calls home. Even better they run into April, who is then formally introduced to the soft shell. When asked what became of the Fu Dog yokai April points to a castle which Donnie glares hard at, saying it belongs to the enemy of his mother - Baron Draxum. They stealthily sneak in and watch as the mutant yokai takes a vial filled with some type of ooze from the little yokai and uses it to fill up a giant hoard of mosquito like creatures. They continue to watch as Draxum takes one of the insect like beings and has it sting the food delivery guy and inject him with the ooze. The young man goes through a painful transformation from human to a fish like mutant. Baron Draxum praises himself at the success of his experiment then tells the Fu Dog yokai that he will deal with him next. Donnie and April refuse to let that happen, but only the former and Venus have weapons while the brothers are without any. Luckily for them though April managed to find an armory filled with them. This leads to Leo getting an Ōdachi sword, Mikey getting a Kusari-fundo and Raph getting a pair of tonfa. Venus isn’t interested in a mystical weapon herself, though she does take a sack of magic powder that catches her eye.

Armed with new weapons Raph and his brothers lead the way to take on Baron Draxum. Thus begins a battle royale with the five turtles going up against a giant mutant while Casey and April fight Draxum’s two gargoyles Huggin and Muninn. Though it’s a hard fight the turtles manage to take down the giant mutant, albeit on a somewhat accidental level, while April and Casey finally beat the gargoyle duo. And thus the group ends up fighting Draxum. The scientist makes short work of April and Casey by cocooning them in some kind of organic material, leaving only the turtles left. Unfortunately though Mikey, Leo and Raph have a hard time getting the hang of their new weapons and Venus tries to help each of them out. This leaves Donnie to face his mother’s enemy on his own. And after taking a close look at the soft shell mutant Draxum’s face takes on a new expression. One of contempt mixed with mild awe.

“So, you are that pestilent arachnid’s mutant son she turned from a pet turtle. I believe you go by the name Donovan?” Draxum asked with an eyebrow raised in mock curiousness as he and Donnie slowly circled each other.

“That’s Big D to you, Draxum. And my mother is no pestilence. She’s approximately seventy seven times the ruler you could ever aspire to be. And she’s not as cruel as you are to actually mutate a whole city.” Donnie stated with a glare as he twirled his staff.

“Not cruel, young turtle. I am changing this world into a utopia for all mutants. I am helping the humans unleash their true selves. And once this entire state is mutated I will move on to the next state, and then the state after that. Soon all the world will be filled with beings like you and I. A great feat that I will be praised for accomplishing.” Draxum explained.

“Over your dead body, you sorry Satyr ripoff. I’m going to stop you.” Said the teenage mutant with a challenging snap in his voice.

“Ha! Please, don’t make me laugh. As you can clearly see your friends can barely stop themselves.” Draxum said, gesturing to the turtles were still struggling the foul-ups of their respective weapons. “What makes you think that you will perform any better, son of the web?”

“Well our fighting styles, for one thing. Though I find nothing wrong with magic I prefer to fight the old fashioned way. With impossibly futuristic high tech weaponry!” Donnie exclaimed and then proceeded to attack the self-proclaimed baron.

The two had a very intense fight, and Donnie nearly had Draxum on the ropes. Unfortunately Mikey and his out of control Kusari-fundo bumped into him, then into Venus and they all ended up tumbling about. Draxum then trapped them, Leo and Raph in the same cocooning material. But just before he could do anything more Donnie pointed out that Draxum’s containment machine with all of his Oozequitoes was at critical mass and about to blow up. Sure enough the big machine began to break apart, with one piece of structure falling on Draxum. Luckily this freed the Fu Dog yokai who was able to teleport everyone to safety. And while they ended up breaking Splinter’s artifact they none the less defeated their enemy, at least for the moment. But not all is good as the Oozequitoes managed to slink into the surface world just before the portal closed up. Donnie groans at this and finally calls Big Mama to report the good news and the bad news of the situation. Naturally she is concerned and intrigued about the Oozequitoes but she’s more happy that Donnie and the little yokai, which April just named Mayhem, are safe. Mayhem then asks Big Mama if he could stay with April since he’s taken a shine to her. Surprised by this but not opposed the spider yokai agrees so long as Mayhem gives regular reports on how things are going.

Donnie then makes something of a similar request, asking if he can visit the surface every once in a while to help out his fellow turtle mutants and their friends. But while Donnie says that Big Mama notices her son’s eyes settle on one person in particular - Casey Jones. And sure enough she can see through the screen of the magic communicator that the human boy has his eyes settled on Donnie. Giving a knowing grin Big Mama gives her son permission to help the turtles and humans. She also slips in this little bit of motherly wisdom…

“Just remember, my little silk thread, when you ‘help’ your new male human friend no kissing unless you’ve had at least three dates.” Big Mama said with absolutely no shame.

“Oh my vanilla wafers, MOM!!” Donnie exclaimed in embarrassment with a blush on his face while the turtles and April giggled and Casey had a smaller, yet still noticeable blush on his face and a goofy smile to boot.

Big Mama then has a portal open at Donnie’s location and he bids his fellow turtles and the humans farewell. At least for now. But before he goes Casey gives him something…his cellphone number. Donnie smiles brightly and says he’ll call him tomorrow. And of course Casey gets no end of teasing praise from the turtles and April. Likewise the soft shell cannot escape his mother’s gushing over her big boy’s first ever crush.

All in all though, it was a fun night out. And it would be the starting point of many adventures to come for the mutant turtles and humans.

Whew! Gol-ly that took way longer than I expected it to. But never the less I was happy to finish it. And I hope that you all enjoyed reading it. Please let me know what you think of the origin story I made for Venus as well as how I depict Donnie’s change of origins in this, the Big Boy AU. And of course don’t forget to thank @ninja-cake-bicht for coming up with this headcanon! Also be sure to check out the illustrations of @leeleearts because she’s really good at what she does. Also I want to provide three extra bits of confirmation. One, when Mayhem was speaking to Big Mama he wasn’t speaking in an English language. He was speaking in his native yokai tongue which only Donnie and Big Mama can understand. Second, Venus uses the sack of magic powder she took from Baron Draxum’s armory to create all sorts of ninja smoke bombs with varying effects from granting temporary invisibility to paralyzing enemies for a short while. However the smoke bombs have a tendency to backfire on them. And third, acting as the voice actor of Chung I is Jackie Chan. Just thought I should tell you all in case you were curious.

That’s all I got to share folks. Until next time, toodles~!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) Season 5 Review

This was a great show! I discovered the series on Hulu just before Season 5 aired and was immediately drawn to its fun, exciting, off-kilter personality. Though I grew up on the 1980s animated series and movies of the 90s, it’s an extremely close toss-up between this version and the current IDW comic for my favorite version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; I think the brilliant mix of science and the supernatural in the Turtles’ comic made for their best origin story, but this show’s characters and overall storylines probably put it slightly ahead. I loved that it fully explored the scope of the Turtles mythology and had several ongoing, engaging plots while taking the time to do some really fun and/or bizarre one-off adventures. The action was always riveting and the cast was perfect. However, I think the final season was a bit uneven.

I was really impressed that they took the risk of killing off both Splinter (Hoon Lee) and Shredder (Kevin Michael Richardson) at the end of Season 4 and I was excited to see what the Turtles would be like on their own, particularly how Leonardo (Seth Green) would handle leading since this show has been so good about putting him through his paces in that area. Season 5’s first arc didn’t disappoint, even though I was wary about immediately trying to bring back Shredder (and Splinter) so soon; this arc would've been at home in midseason or as a series finale too, after we’d had some time to breathe without each side’s leaders. Tiger Claw’s (Eric Bauza) use of a demodragon named Kavaxas (Mark Hamill) to resurrect the Foot’s late leader worked as a compelling plot despite my misgivings and I was thrilled when it didn’t go the way Tiger Claw wanted. Zombie Shredder naming Kavaxas his new second in command instead of Tiger Claw was a perfect, fun twist. Kavaxas later turning on everyone to rule both the living realm and the Netherworld himself was foreshadowed pretty clearly, but his ghost/zombie apocalypse was a lot of fun and became a great excuse to get our heroic terrapins into a Ghostbusters riff (they even included Ray’s Occult Shop and Vigo’s lines from Ghostbusters 2!). This arc was a cool way to showcase the supernatural side of the series, with a great (if brief) demonic villain in Kavaxas, brought to life with an awesome performance from Mark Hamill. Kavaxas was so powerful and ruthless—like when he pulled the soul out of Tatsu (Michael Hagiwara) without thinking twice—that he could’ve worked as a season-long enemy. 

Regardless, this arc was a great, exciting, and touching kick off to the season. I do think it would’ve been a bit stronger to have Tiger Claw summon Kavaxas for his own purposes instead of to resurrect Shredder though; what ideas for leadership does Tiger Claw have? That would've been something entirely different for the Turtles to face. He was always a major threat to the guys and could’ve at least tried to lead the Foot rebels himself before resorting to summoning demons and bringing back Shredder. Given the release of souls in the arc, Shredder and Splinter could've come back as a side effect of summoning Kavaxas anyway, still allowing the Turtles to briefly reunite with Splinter and Karai (Kelly Hu) with Shredder. However, it still worked as it played out. That the guys got to say a real goodbye to Splinter was touching and a great use of his ghost, while zombie Shredder ultimately dragging Kavaxas back to the Netherworld was a nice touch. I’m very glad the writers resisted the impulse to permanently bring back either Shredder or Splinter: we’d seen enough of both of them and their return would've hampered the progress of the Turtles. I also don’t know how any plot with Shredder could’ve topped the epic final battle at the end of Season 4.

The character development and side stories that came out of the Kavaxas arc were good too. I liked Leo looking to Splinter’s shrine in a moment of doubt about his leadership skills. Donnie’s (Rob Paulson) grudge against Don Vizioso (Brian Bloom) was a great bit of character development, especially as it briefly made him the “Raph” of the team, running off on a vendetta that screwed up things for his brothers. Karai vs. her old, blind teacher Hattori Tatsu was a great look at a different part of her past. I really wish we’d learned more about what she wanted to do with the reformed Foot and this battle for the rightful ownership of Shredder’s Kuro Kabato would’ve been the perfect time to explore that. Does she want them to be a force for good in the city; a network of ninja vigilantes fighting crime? Or does she have other plans? Either way, Tiger Claw calling a ceasefire between the Hamato and Foot clans because of their team-up against Kavaxas was a nice touch and an unexpected way to end the threat of the rebel Foot for good. With no more Foot to lead, I suppose he returned home after that. Likewise, Fishface (Christian Lanz) bailing on the Foot to return to his old life of low-stakes crime after giving the Turtles a heads up about Shredder was perfect. Rahzar (Clancy Brown) was always a lot of fun, so even though his brief resurrection didn't make much of an impact on the show or characters, it was good to see him again one last time. Falling into the Netherworld was a solid way to undo that resurrection. It was also nice to get a brief return of Ho Chan (James Hong) and closure for even minor villains like Don Vizioso and Hammer (Eric Bauza). They must’ve pushed the censors to their limit by giving Vizioso Shredder’s actual heart! Yikes. Tiger Claw’s mutate underlings having been mutated by Super Shredder’s mutagen leftovers, thereby giving them all a sliver of his mind/personality, was a cool (if brief) new wrinkle to the Foot. I also liked the introduction of the latest 2D animated parody show, Space Heroes: The Next Generation. That was a nice full-circle choice.

I liked that Mona Lisa (Zelda Williams) and Sal Commander (Keith David) got to return—along with the Newtralizer (Danny Trejo) and Lord Dregg (Jeffrey Combs)—to wrap up the outer space segment of the series. I love how dense the universe this show built for the Turtles is and the fact that this season revisited every part of it was a smart decision. Raphael’s (Sean Astin) reunion with Mona Lisa was great and I really liked that they subverted expectations of their courtship with him being completely dumbfounded by her and bashful in her presence. Given his role in the space segment of the series, it felt like Casey (Josh Peck) should’ve played a big role in this mini-arc. Still, this arc maintained the epic scope of the space segment of the series. Dregg’s invasion and plan to use humans as larval pods for the Vreen was exactly as long as it needed to be, with the exception of one plot point. That stumbling block was Mikey’s (Greg Cipes) “death,” which was a total shocker (pun absolutely intended). I had no idea how they were going to write themselves out of that, so to have him just…be OK, just briefly electrical-powered all of a sudden was a letdown. Even so, I liked that this was a fast-paced wrap-up of the space stuff and it was cool that they found a way to even close off Lord Dregg and Newtralizer this season.

The Turtles’ journey to Miyamoto Usagi’s (Yuki Matsuaki) anthropomorphic alternate world was a solid adventure, but I would’ve liked to see more development within the Turtles along the way. Specifically, I would’ve liked something about the guys looking at this world and thinking they could make a real life out in the open here. They wouldn’t have to hide ever again and this doesn’t really cross their minds as something they might like? Their inability to live without pizza or TV would be a totally acceptable argument for them going home, but it could’ve at least been a discussion. I was expecting Kintaro’s (Evan Kishiyama) supremely annoying nature (they did a great job at making him a brat) to bounce off Mikey’s shenanigans more than they did too; how does Mikey handle suddenly being the more mature one? Kintaro’s brattiness could’ve been a wake-up call that he might need to grow up a little bit. Also, did any of the Turtles look at Usagi and see Splinter or a future version of themselves? Leo bolstering Kintaro’s confidence was a good moment for his development as a leader, though. I also really liked the world-building that went into these episodes: they did a great job of establishing Usagi’s world and making it feel lived-in and old. The opening scene of Usagi’s first battle with Jei (Keone Young) and his story about the death of his master General Mifune went a long way to give it a sense of history. I liked the use of the mischievous Japanese spirits and the spiders were super creepy; even though it took place on an alternate world, this mini-arc gave the Turtles a brief exposure to the culture Splinter instilled in them (though I wish at least one of them had come away wanting to actively practice and live it more). Starting the episode from Usagi’s point of view, introducing the Turtles as pawns of Jei, and making the focus Kintaro’s growth rather than the Turtles’ (even if it would’ve been stronger to have them also changed by their adventure), was a cool way to make this mini-arc distinctive and to change up the episode formula.

The flashback to the earliest days of Splinter raising his turtle sons was a nice one-off adventure, but didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the arcs that wrapped up plots or just went big this year. Maybe it’s because I know the Turtles’ origin so well, but I didn’t need to see this show’s variation on how they came to live in the sewers or get their weapons/names. This flashback to the early days didn’t shed much if any new light on the Kraang (Nolan North), but did serve its function as a nice way to touch base with where the show started in the midst of arcs about everywhere it went. Splinter’s realization that the Turtles have given him a second chance at fatherhood (he still believed Karai was dead at this point) was the biggest and best moment of the episode. While a solid episode that would’ve been fine in an earlier season, I felt like this slot could’ve been put to better use as part of a bigger story.

“Raphael: Mutant Apocalypse” was my least favorite arc this season. It was a fun and definitely original idea—I never would’ve thought of putting the Turtles into Mad Max’s world—but it overstayed its welcome and if it’s meant to be the canon future of this world, why? Why kill April (Mae Whitman), Casey, and nearly everyone else we know for this depressing apocalypse? My head-canon is that this is just one of the ten dimensions (and every synopsis I’ve read states that it’s an alternate future, but it would’ve been nice to confirm that onscreen). Mira the Meerkat (Jessica DiCicco) was a fine character, but it felt like she was there more to introduce the map plot than anything else. Still, it was nice to see Chompy (Dee Bradley Baker) continue to grow and that Ice Cream Kitty (Kevin Eastman) had survived. The Honey Badgers were threatening enough to be legitimate obstacles, but not really distinctive from the villains the Turtles faced on a daily basis. 

I felt like “Mutant Apocalypse” went on for an episode too long and despite the fresh setting, didn’t really do much interesting with the characters. Raph becoming a hardened, grizzled scavenger, Donnie Metalhead, and Mikey a new age desert sage certainly made sense as outcomes for those characters, but they also felt like the most obvious directions for each of them to go. What if instead, Donnie rebuilt Raph as Metalhead to keep his brother going, replacing him piece by piece as his brother was continually worn down in fights? Losing parts of his body to mechanics and being unable to depend on himself to fight would affect Raph far more than tech-obsessed Donnie. What if Donnie was losing his mind in the desert and the only thing keeping him focused and lucid was tinkering; keeping himself going by keeping Raph and their van going? Losing his memory like Ralph was also would’ve been a greater tragedy for Donnie, since his best weapon is his mind. What if Mikey were the one that became the serious, hardened road warrior in the absence of Leo? The death of his brother (and the world) could’ve been a wake-up call that this wasn’t a game and the loss of his innocence would’ve been a tragedy in itself. If you’re going to flip the whole world upside down, why not take the characters to unexpected extremes as well? Leo turning out to be Maximus Kong was the only real surprise (I bought that he was dead at first)—and a nice connection to the parallel universe Space Heroes: TNG episode that revealed the hero characters we’d been watching were the bad guys—but “hero driven mad” doesn’t really resonate when Leo never gets a chance to truly reflect on what he’s done. Will Leo ever have to answer for the horrors he and his army inflicted on the world? It doesn’t seem so. Instead, as daring a development as it was, the lack of consequences made it feel like nothing more than a way to make the mysterious enemy important. If there had been any indication in the normal timeline that Leo could go bad, Maximus Kong would make more sense, because it’d be something inside him brought to the surface by the mutagen bomb. However, making him just angry/confused and accidentally evil pulled the rug out from everything he’d done. I did like the reversal of Leo and Raph’s relationship, though, where Leo was the one overcome by anger and instinct and Raph had the more level head. There’s also a good moment of the surviving brothers mourning Leo before they find out he’s still alive.

It was cool that they also took the time to wrap up Renet (Ashley Johnson) and Savanti Romero (Graham McTavish), and taking a mini-arc to revisit the time travel aspect of the Turtle universe was another inspired way to make this season a true exploration of everything this series was. I love the classic Universal monsters, so to see so many of them translated here (right down to the episode title cards!) was awesome! I liked the Halloween invasion by the legion of monsters, and while I wish Casey and April had been given more to do, making them vampires was definitely creepy. I was impressed they made Dracula (Chris Sarandon) so evil and loved every second of it. They also did a great job giving the Mummy (Grant Moninger) some real power. Frankenstein and his Monster (both played by Grant Moninger as well) fit into the story perfectly, and the fight throughout Frankenstein’s lab was a particular standout. The Turtles’ disguises and excuses for what they were (trolls, goblins, etc.) throughout Europe in the various time periods were a lot of fun, and Leo’s Van Helsing dig was especially funny. Vampire Raph was another really fun use of the monster storyline and I was surprised by how long they let him remain a bloodsucker. Mikey’s bond with Frankenstein’s Monster was great and Mary Shelley’s classic creation was a cool connection to our similarly misunderstood heroes.

I enjoyed the final arc, but it also left me a little disappointed since it was the series finale. The 80s Shredder and Krang (Pat Fraley) showing up was an OK idea—I especially loved Krang sitting in a booster seat at a diner: that was brilliant!—but it felt wrong to give this show’s finale to a retread of a team-up we already saw earlier in the series. It felt like they went for nostalgia instead of making a final statement about this show, and that was a shame: the characters and world of this show are exceptionally strong and should’ve been honored with their own finale. As big and classic as Shredder and Krang are as Turtle villains, going back to that well at this point was underwhelming (particularly when you’re dealing with intentionally less-dangerous versions). I was also disappointed Mona Lisa wasn’t with the Mutanimals in the finale. They set her up to join them in her return this year, but then didn’t even mention her absence here. That said, there were some great moments in these episodes. It was cool to see our Turtles train and toughen up the 80s guys; I was surprised at how far they took the original show’s Turtles not using their weapons for actual combat (“Someone could get hurt!”). Our April’s “Do reporters in your world wear jumpsuits?” was another fun line. Shredder and Krang being so surprised at how efficient our Bebop (J.B. Smoove) & Rocksteady (Fred Tatasciore) were was also fun. Karai meeting an alternate version of her “father” was cool, but I feel like they could’ve done more with it. Our Bebop and Rocksteady reforming is such a fun idea that I wish they’d given it more time to breathe. Would the Turtles help mentor them? Get tired of their antics and accidentally drive them back to crime? What if Bebop & Rocksteady accidentally became wildly successful as public heroes, maybe even getting paid for their services? How jealous would the Turtles be that these fools found a way to come out of hiding and be celebrated for their heroics? I wish this arc had been the opening storyline of the season, allowing Bebop & Rocksteady’s evolution to continue over the course of the year.

The Turtles being bored after defeating all their enemies was a solid idea—and I love that the show had actual endings for their villains, not never-ending back-and-forth struggles—but I would’ve preferred more forward momentum in harnessing their own destinies. Some effort at getting out of the sewers and making a real change to their status quo would’ve been great and totally new. In a season full of mini-arcs about where the guys had been over the course of the series, I would’ve loved an exploration of where they’re going. Will people ever accept them? Will their personalities always bring them to this configuration of the team (Leo leads, Mikey’s a party dude, etc)? Raph made great strides to overcome his rage on this show, but will he ever find real inner peace? What will Leo do when/if the guys don't want to fight anymore? Are their new students for him to train somewhere? Would he lead the Foot with Karai? Might Donnie become a reclusive tech mogul and/or video game designer? What does the future have in store for Mikey? Could he become a X-Games contestant? Party-animal DJ? Chef? All of the above? What about the guys’ love lives? I definitely thought it was past time for Donnie to be over April and I would’ve liked to see her and Casey get together while Donnie moves on to a new love interest. It felt like that triangle had been settled already and to hint that he still had those feelings for her felt like a step backward. In addition to exploring those questions, I really wish we’d seen much more of April, Casey, Karai, and Shinigami (Gwendoline Yeo) this year. All four of them seemed to largely vanish this season and that’s a shame. What do April and Casey want out of their lives beyond helping the guys fight crime? The two of them are major characters and their lack of focus here felt wrong. What are Karai and Shinigami going to do with the reformed Foot? I’m glad that so many villains got wrapped up, but are there new threats on the horizon? Will there be a resolution to the existence of mutants in New York; will they become an accepted part of daily life, get cured somehow, or will something entirely different happen?

I know it seems like I’m being hard on this season, but I still had a lot of fun with it and this show in general. It rekindled my love of the Turtles and I’m really sorry to see it end so soon after discovering it. I’m eager to check out the tie-in comics from this show, but there are TV elements comics can’t replicate. All the actors were perfect for their roles; these are the voices I’m going to hear when I read TMNT comics for a very long time. I loved the character designs, the personalities of the characters (these are also going to be the definitive versions for me for a long time coming), and that the action was always kinetic and exciting. The arcs each character got were great (even if this season stumbled a bit in that department), and this show definitely made the best use of April yet. I loved that the show was willing to go dark when the story called for it (without ever forgetting to be funny or downright silly) and loved even more that it was willing to go WEIRD. “Pizza Face,” man. The homages to sci-fi of the 80s and 90s were right up my alley, so they were very much appreciated. The new theme song incorporating just enough of the 80s theme to feel like the Turtles while still being something new made it instantly catchy and a perfect summation of this series as a whole. It’s probably even better than the classic 80s version and I wish they hadn’t changed it this season (though this lyric-less version wasn’t bad).

I’ll miss this show a lot, but I know I’ll revisit it often down the road. Despite a few missed opportunities for character development and plot progression this year, these Turtles still have it and are definitely worth checking out!

  Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

Name: Nalaagura Ep'ha the Warden (I usually nickname her Nala or just the Warden) Age & Date of birth: 908 years, born on the summer solstice (idk what calendar we use yet in her world), so she’s a Leo Species: Demon Gender: Female Orientation: No fricken idea. She gets with a guy demon later but that’s it, so I’m not sure Fandom/Original: Mostly original, but with some influence from Magic: The Gathering. The RP she comes from, Battle of the Grounded Dungeon, also includes some How to Train Your Dragon, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, MtG, FMA and heavy doses of Norse/Viking mythology.

Warning: Murder, demonic posession, mention of fantasy racism, brief mention of suicide attempt, mild gore and body ick

Biography: (Small preface: this roleplay was started as a total joke in the HTTYD fandom because we were sad about a character death and spiraled into an actual story written by thirty different people so some of the names and stuff sound stupid and the plot will be random and weird so like just roll with it I guess?? lmao. also this is like STUPIDLY long sorry. You can totally scroll past if you don’t wanna hear the story. Augh sorry I’m so super nervous about this lol please bear with me ;u;) The Warden was born to a massively powerful demon, H'zola R'nalath the Empress. The Warden has seven other siblings: the Matriarch, the Praetor, the Archon, the Centurion, the Baroness, the Guardian, and the Shaper. She is the youngest of the eight and the most important, according to her mother. Her parents are the Empress and the Shepherd, both extraordinarily powerful beings who used to be a single soul created by the goddess Hel. They split into the soul’s intelligence and brute force, the mother and father being the result, respectively, and then the Empress “gave birth” by shaving off fragments of her soul and cultivating them into new demons. Nala was brought to being in the demon city of Bloedrest, in the far north, but she despised her life there and wished to flee. One day she did just that, hopping from vessel to vessel in an attempt to escape her former life.  She was suddenly snagged one day by a strange, immature force, and when she manifested in front of it, she was infuriated to see it was a young mage by the name of Darien Whiteland. Furious, she demanded he let her go, but he refused, telling her he needed to impregnate a golem with a kind of guardian spirit. For some reason unknown to her, she was unable to break the holds of the summons and was imprisoned inside of his golem. What she didn’t know was that this mage had made a deal with her mother to allow him to capture her daughter and keep her to guard one of his many dungeons. He was part of a triumvirate that ruled over High Central, the self-appointed capital of the land of Aidorin. The people lived in seclusion in High Central, and harbored strong sentiments against part-human part-animals, known as half-breeds (which appear as anywhere from anthropomorphic animals to humans with a few animal features like ears and tails), and those that used magic outside of their jurisdiction, and began imprisoning and executing anyone they deemed a threat to their rule or their race. The Warden’s imprisonment in the dungeon was not a pleasant one. She seethed against her captors and longed for revenge but she was trapped and had no idea of where the young mage might be. She instead turned her attention to the prisoners and began toying with them. One in particular caught her attention: a passionate half-breed cat named Treepelt. The Warden was attracted by her strong feelings of protection towards her friends and her romantic feelings towards the scout, Vox. Craving these impassioned urges, the Warden left her golem and slowly began possessing Treepelt instead. She started having violent mood swings and acting very strangely around the rebels. Eventually they discovered the truth during the rebels’ escape from the dungeon with the help of a massive seadragon, and led by the ruler of the Wilderwest, King Gareth Haddock. She outright declared war on the escapees. They fled to a safe distance where one of the larger half-breeds, an ice dragon, created a home for the rebels to live in. The Warden attacked them over and over with the dragons she had under control and managed to possess several other members of the rebellion before finally surrendering in a battle. The king came to interrogate her, trying to figure out why the Warden was doing this, and when Tree’s lover Vox came to try and talk Tree out of the possession, the Warden made her stab him through the heart, killing him. His soul was caught in Purgatory, the limbo between Valhalla and Hel. Tree later escaped her confinement with help from a strange hooded figure that could teleport through water. He led them out of the fortress and into the Wilderwest, guiding her away from danger and to a lake. The stranger told Treepelt she was going to be able to see Vox again through the water. When he appeared, the Warden was alarmed by Treepelt’s strong feelings, but rather than try and destroy them as she did before, she attempted to assuage them and tried reaching for him. Vox, however, leaped through the water before the Warden could force Tree to touch the surface and he was immediately sent to Hel. Treepelt was absolutely broken and the Warden scrambled to get her vessel back on her feet before she fell apart. She was much slower in her approach of the rebels, but two of the rebels attempted to stop Treepelt as soon as they saw her. The Warden attempted to attack them as well but Kiri the Viking ninja (long story) took Treepelt down and stabbed her in the hip, giving her momentary clarity as the Warden was driven away by the pain.The Warden returned to the surface of Tree’s consciousness later as she talked to King Haddock about rescuing Vox, who was the King’s loyal battle strategist. She lied to the King about what the soul transfer required, simply saying that they needed his presence at the lake in order to get Vox’s soul back, when in reality she was planning to trade the King’s soul for Vox’s. Haddock agreed and the Warden berated Treepelt on her lack of action, telling her that she was taking the reins now.  Haddock returned later to begin the journey to the lake. She took control of Tree the entire time they traveled to the lake. The stranger, Pitch Black, now exposed as Haddock’s old friend and his adopted daughter Akkey’s long-lost father (another long story), expressed surprise at the tag-alongs, and the Warden explained that they’d been insistent on coming and that it shouldn’t affect the soul exchange. The members of the rebellion reacted with shock and outrage, and the Warden responded likewise, threatening to hurt anyone who interfered with the exchange. The king’s bodyguard, Stonegit, registered the threat and threw his ax at Tree, who was saved by the king’s adopted daughter Akkey, a rabbit half-breed, but pushed into the water where both Treepelt and the Warden were sent to Purgatory. The Warden convinced Tree to travel to Hel in an attempt to rescue Vox, but they were stopped just in time by Pitch, who said he would be able to get one of their souls back. The Warden immediately told Tree to go, admitting that she finally understood the pain she’d caused and wanted to make amends for it. But right after she left, she felt a strange pain and vanished from Purgatory. After Treepelt emerged from the lake unpossessed, the rebels assumed all was well and quite forgot about her malignant presence. They let the Warden fade into a bad memory. Unfortunately, she was far from gone. After the ordeal at the lake, Stonegit surfaced, blind and battered, and immediately carved a reaper’s ward into his chest while he was still half-conscious. Throughout the next few days, Stonegit was subtly influenced by an unknown force, able to navigate his way around things and dodge falling objects as though he could see. He also was unable to commit suicide one night after Haddock’s sudden expression of his feelings towards Stonegit, and he assumed it was because of a lack of resolve. Later, he discovered that it was the Warden who had done all of this, as she had been snagged as he passed through Purgatory on his way to Hel. He threatened to kill himself to get rid of her, but she convinced him to let them both stay so long as she stayed alive and whole and he gained sight and access to her power in order to protect the king. Stonegit carved a sigil into his hand marking the contract and the deal was set. The Warden then informed him that the king was currently being attacked by an enraged Pitch Black and he took off, managing to hold off the attack just in time.  Stonegit began attending to the king’s wounds and Haddock was alarmed at the young man’s dexterity, demanding to know why he was acting as though he had his sight back. He admitted to being possessed by the Warden and Haddock flew into a rage, under the impression that she was currently speaking to him. Stonegit went into a panic attack and drew on the Warden’s strength to throw the king to the ground and protect him. Eventually both the king and the bodyguard calmed enough to talk through their feelings. Stonegit let the Warden take control of him and speak to Haddock, and the two traded acidic words, ending in the Warden blaming the king for Stonegit’s descent to Hel and Haddock threatening her with his sword. Stonegit took control again and scolded her, and she retorted unapologetically that it was a bad idea for them to have talked in the first place. Stonegit ignored her and said that if she would like to speak to anyone through him, he would have to approve the conversation first. After their conversation, the Warden approached Stonegit again grudgingly while he was training, demanding to know why he had stuffed her away and what his plans with the king were. Stonegit responded that he didn’t know, only that he trusted Haddock to make the right decision. The Warden suddenly picked up on a stream of thoughts running below Stonegit’s consciousness and realized that he had been craving an ordinary conversation for years. She was faintly amused but also strongly curious about his emotions, and when he broke down and confessed his love towards Haddock and his feelings of hopelessness, she comforted him instead of mocking him. Thus began a tentative friendship between demon and vessel. Stonegit asked hopefully if she would be able to restore his sight and his damaged brain. The Warden regretfully told him that she was unable to perform such a task and he broke a wineglass in a flash of damage-induced rage. Stonegit apologized and was amused by her overreaction to the human pain. She helped him take care of the cut and he thanked her, going off to find the king. Later, Stonegit left to interrogate Skye, whom the Warden had confronted earlier and whom Stonegit suspected may have been harboring another demon. He consulted the demon, who expressed uncertainty over whether she could rid Skye of his curse or not. He then asked the Warden to inspect Akkey. Upon exploring her mind, the Warden drew back in pain and told the bodyguard that it was not Akkey who lay within the half-rabbit’s mind. She resurfaced later when he suggested that the magic surrounding Akkey was similar to that surrounding the library as well. After the Warden confirmed this fact, they both came to the conclusion that Hemlock was somehow in control of Akkey. The Warden also offered to inspect Tezzeret as well, for any resident demons within him. Eventually, Hemlock was found out when both Akkey and Vox suffered immense pain from the events at the lake. With everyone congregated in the sick room, Stonegit finally revealed to the rebels that he had been possessed, and unveiled the truth about Hemlock–that she was not actually a human at all, but an empty shell for a fallen valkyrie, Dust, to wear like a skin while she attempted to retrieve her lover from where she had fallen as well. Stonegit and Dust agreed to duel and the Warden helped Stonegit prepare a stone dagger with a rune that would cause it to explode on impact when buried in the valkyrie’s flesh. The duel began and both the Warden and Stonegit fought Dust together until Haddock suddenly intervened, causing Stonegit to turn and press the brand that marked the deal of possession against Haddock’s hand, and it began to transfer. The Warden was ejected from both of their minds during the transfer and she was unable to help Stonegit as Dust dragged him away from the king and took over his mind as well, turning him on the monarch and using his inherent fire magic to advance on Haddock and kill him with a fireball to the chest. The Warden solidified at this moment and was able to attack Dust in a rage, pulling the valkyrie out of Akkey’s body and fight her in mid-air. Dust was finally killed when Stonegit snuck into the fight and buried the dagger in her head. This created a massive explosion that apparently obliterated the Warden into nothingness, along with Haddock’s body.  The Warden had been assumed dead and destroyed after the events of the duel, and the camp preferred it to stay that way. They heard nothing from the Warden and thought she was gone for good. They were wrong. Again. Both the Warden and Haddock had been suspended in limbo after the king’s death and she had been attempting to heal his gaping wound with little success, for if he did not gain his health back, neither of them would be able to return. She was clumsy in her attempts to heal him and gained help from her cousin Shaxurohm. Haddock awoke in limbo and was shocked to see the two demons standing above him, not recognizing the Warden on-sight. His angry words spiked the Warden’s temper and she spoke roughly to him, announcing that he was now her vessel due to the contract Stonegit had transferred to them. Haddock resisted, but the Warden took him back into the mortal world and a vicious fight broke out to gain dominance over Haddock’s mind. The Warden crushed him with her words and her consciousness and succeeded in possessing him completely. She then walked him back to the camp and made her entrance clothed in his battered body. Everyone could hardly believe their eyes when the king walked back into camp, clearly alive and whole after his very public and brutal death. He ordered for someone to search for Stonegit. The all gathered near and that was the moment the Warden revealed that she was still alive, speaking the ominous words, “Long live the king.” Soon after, the queen approached the center of camp, attracted by the commotion, and upon seeing her husband alive, went to confront him, leaving her children at the edge of the crowd. Nalaagura brutally taunted her with words and the memories of Haddock’s borderline infidelity, but Mera brushed it off as false creations and tried to speak directly to Haddock. Infuriated, the Warden throttled Mera, and Egil became enraged, rushing forward to protect his mother. He was stopped by Greg, one of the soldiers, and the Warden backed off from harming anyone else, momentarily becoming uncertain and confused. She left them in a huff and headed back for the main fortress to decide what to do next. Stonegit soon decided to show himself though, and despite Kiri’s attempts to stop him, he went to investigate the rumors of Haddock’s return. He soon found Haddock, but having been haunted by specters of the king before, and distraught and half-insane from the loss of his soul due to his escape from Hel, he began to fight the Warden within Haddock, and the fight took them to the roof of the fortress. The Warden attempted to use Haddock’s voice and demeanor to break Stonegit out of his craze, and it seemed to work momentarily, but he suddenly fell unconscious, seemingly for no reason. As the camp gathered around, an enormous, dark figure appeared, announcing herself as the goddess Hel, and told the Warden to relinquish Haddock and let him speak with her. The Warden initially resisted, but Hel put her in her place and Nala gave up her possession momentarily. The king was too broken and submissive to speak, however, and a displeased Hel told the Warden in secret that she would return, that the Warden was to take care of Stonegit, and if Haddock was not in an improved mental state when she did, there would be consequences. A frustrated, angry Warden stalked the camp for a few days, ruminating on what to do. Soon, her brother the Archon arrived at camp with Tezzeret under his control, threatening to kill him unless Nala gave him a demonstration of her previously-denied affection towards the rebels. Nala continued to refuse and the Archon created an illusion of Tezz having his throat crushed, shocking and riling the Warden into attacking her brother with her astral form. Satisfied, Kiaama left the camp and revealed that Tezz was alive. Furious, the Warden retreated back into her stalking and allowing Stonegit to waste away. Blunt and Mera attempted to approach Nala about Stonegit in vain, although Nala allowed Haddock a short twenty minutes with his wife for the first time in over a year. Greg grew curious about her and approached the demon peacefully while she was wandering one day, making conversation with her. She resisted at first but then was drawn to his sincerity and admitted a bit about herself and her past and family. Greg took a few of his friends to meet her and while her greeting was lukewarm, they discovered Central had taken them all prisoner at the beginning, and she entrusted them with her name. A while after, the Empress and the Shaper arrived and brought the Warden her new demon-made porcelain body in an attempt at pacification, and she thanked them cautiously, awed by the gift. Igl stayed behind to make sure the body was in working order while the Empress left, and the sisters sparred a bit later to test the body. Nala admitted to the Shaper that she had changed and she did wish to return home. Later, Blunt took it upon himself to “kill” Stonegit in order to motivate her into action. He locked her out of the room and smashed a melon, pretending it was Stonegit’s head, and throwing Nala into a grieved rage witnessed by Clover. When she discovered he was still alive, she quickly gave him water, and Hel paused time to give her a dry congratulations and tell her to continue taking care of him and the king until the king was ready to face her tests. The Warden did so somewhat grudgingly but thoroughly. When it came time for the tests from Hel, both Haddock and Stonegit passed, and Stonegit was returned to normal. The Warden pounced on him lovingly but cringed when he thanked her for keeping Haddock intact while he was “away.” Stonegit later learned that the Warden’s possession of the king had not been gentle and forced the truth of her breaking him out of the Warden. He was upset and quietly refused to talk to her, which shook Nala and she quietly resolved that she would leave the next day. Stonegit brought her to her new synthetic body and Nala gave him her full name as a parting gift and left the camp. Upon leaving the camp, the Warden found another camp, full of soldiers aligned with Odin, not too far away from the rebels, and she approached with angry curiosity, demanding to see their leader. Their leader, Orskaf, entertained her with some amusement, although sternly telling her if she was aligned with Hel, he would tell her nothing. Confused, Nalaagura demanded answers, and Orskaf eventually told her how he’d gone to the king and tried to get him to sign the rebellion over to Valhalla by torturing Stonegit. Nala tried to attack him in an outrage but was injured and thrown out of camp. She went to sulk in the nearby forest, shaken by her new knowledge of the rebels’ alliance with Hel and of Stonegit’s plight. Hel appeared just then and healed her wounds easily, asking for a heart-to-heart, and the Warden reluctantly listened to the goddess’ petition to bring other souls to Hel’s side for Ragnarok as well. Nala hesitated, telling Hel she would think about it before asking Stonegit’s condition, and when Hel told her he was doing okay, she relented and accepted her offer, thus binding herself to Hel’s cause. The Warden then traveled the land for a few weeks, convincing nobility and chieftains alike to commit themselves to Hel, using force when needed. After a while, she ran into Akkey, who was also collecting souls for Hel. Nala entertained her for a moment, but then caught wind of the noise that a group of rebels captured by Loki inside of an incredibly deep pit in the ground, and she quickly possessed Akkey and forced her to create a portal to the pit to help them, leaving her demon body behind. In doing so, she damaged Akkey’s abilities so they were trapped for a few hours inside the pit. Akkey was extraordinarily upset with the new arrangement until Greg volunteered to house Nala inside himself to take the burden off Akkey. The demon enjoyed the transfer and the two talked for a bit, and then Nala brought up the subject of her name and the possibility of erasing it, and when Greg grew tearful she retracted her offer and receded into his mind. When it came time to leave, Akkey quietly informed Greg that she would be sending him to the north. Before Nala could take control of the situation, Greg suppressed her quickly and went through the portal. Once Nala had gotten over her initial anger, the two of them began to travel back south. They passed through a village where they encountered Central guards attempting to expel the native half-breeds, and Nala used Greg’s new fire magic to kill the guards and save the half-breeds. They continued to travel further, eventually reaching the place where the fortress used to be, the aftermath of a witch that had destroyed the home of the rebels. Greg mourned at the apparent death of the rebellion before Nala found traces of their minds, directing him back to the dungeon where they had taken residence. Greg ran there and reunited with his family, and the Warden watched contentedly, but realized she would have to leave if she wanted to avoid trouble. Upon finding her body where Akkey had left it in one of the lower cells, she awakened Greg to tell him she was leaving. The two shared a tearful goodbye and the Warden cut off the possession, regaining her body and tracking down Akkey, waiting for her to open the door.  Akkey felt impressed to check on the body again and encountered the Warden trying to get out. She opened the door for the demon and the two talked for a bit, the Warden admitting her feelings and changed ways to a curious Akkey. She agreed to send the Warden outside the camp with a portal, but as she opened one, an earthquake caused her target to slip and they both fell into the water, emerging far beneath the dungeon and accidentally interrupting a blood oath between the goddess Frigga and the great wolf Fenrir, who had been chained under the Grounded Dungeon for millennia. Frigga attempted to forcefully remove their memories of the encounter, but they fought back, knowing that they had to warn the rebellion of the sudden threat and could not do so with no memories. Frigga succeeded with Akkey, but the Warden managed to escape the goddess long enough to escape back to the surface. By then, Ragnarok had started, and once Akkey had been roused, the two entered the battlefield. Nala immediately tracked down Stonegit’s mind, ensuring that he was safe, and began fighting furiously against the Valhallan army and Frigga’s puppets, protecting those who were wounded and taking down dragons wreaking havoc from above. She came across Vox, who was struggling under Frigga’s army of mannequins, and convinced him to let her possess him, and the two smoothly joined together, trying to fight their way out of the battle in order to tend to his grave wound. However, Nala caught wind of Treepelt’s cry of pain from the dungeon, and she and Vox raced to help her, escaping through the shaking dungeon to safety. One of the seven lesser goddesses known as Eirs aligned with Frigga, Lust, followed them into the dungeon and attacked them. The Warden possessed Treepelt at her urging, splitting her possession between the couple and fighting the Eir all at once. While fleeing, Tree fell over the edge and Vox tried to help, all with the mannequins drawing near. The Warden managed to kill the rest of the puppets and the Eir and helped Vox and Tree back to safety. She fought the rest of the battle doing a head count of the rebellion, frantically keeping track of everyone, but she couldn’t find Stonegit–until it was too late, or so it seemed. Nala approached Stonegit’s unconscious body, he having been knocked out by a tremor from the fighting gods, and saw Haddock with Orskaf’s corpse in the river, assuming he had died in helping Haddock. In a blinding rage, she drew her sword and struck Haddock in the back, unintentionally breaking his spine and paralyzing him. She felt tremendous guilt and sorrow for what she’d done, disappearing for the rest of the battle and only returning after a few days. During the part of the battle where she was absent, the dragon god Midgardsormr controlled the dragons and caused them to leave the rebels, leaving them without their mounts and their best friends. When Nala returned, Greg consoled her and the Warden agreed to deliver a public apology to the rebellion. Later that night, before the meeting, she wandered the battlefield and discovered the fallen remains of her sister. In grief, she called out to her mother, and the Empress immediately began to travel south with Nala’s brother, the Archon Kiaama, in order to exact revenge upon the Shaper’s killer. The next day, Nala confronted the rebellion and delivered her admission of guilt and apology, and while the king expressed outrage at her being there, the rest of the rebels, urged on by Vox’s story of her saving him and Treepelt, cautiously accepted her apology. The king took the Warden in to speak with her privately and admitted that he was actually somewhat grateful for the change in his life, confusing but comforting the Warden. He agreed to share a mental link with her in order for her to do her job as the protector of the rebellion. That night, the Empress and the Archon arrived, and in examining the Shaper’s remains, they found it was the Eir Pride that killed her. They found Pride on the battlefield and fought against her, but the goddess managed to kill the Archon before she died, leaving the Empress in a haze of grief to return back home while Nala stayed with the rebels. Some time after, tremors were felt under the dungeon, and the great wolf Fenrir began burrowing upwards through the dungeon. The Warden protected Akkey as she created an enormous portal to teleport the entire dungeon a few hundred miles north, away from the threat, and coincidentally much closer to Midgardsormr. The rebels decided to confront Midgardsormr and convince him to let their dragons go, and Nala accompanied them. He forced them to undergo a trial of their relationship with their dragons and each other. They succeeded, but at the cost of Greg’s life. Nala was crushed and furious with grief, but then Midgardsormr revealed that he had kept his soul when he died and returned it to his body. The rebels returned home with their dragons and grieved for the rebels lost over the course of the rebellion and Ragnarok, and then finally celebrated the union of Treepelt and Vox. After the rebellion, the Warden became a kind of family figure to the rebels’ children, and they had adventures of their own, including a betrayal of her own family member, the accidental creation of a cult surrounding Nala herself, becoming an archdemon, and birthing her own children. But…I’ve talked on and on and on about the initial story arc so I won’t go into those, haha. Good gods you’re a trooper if you just read through all that. That was way too much info.

Appearance: Oh geez…okay, here we go. Nala is incorporeal to start with. She has no physical form, only an astral one. She’s also an involuntary shape-shifter. In general, her incorporeal forms are tall, feminine, humanoid and graceful to a certain degree, but she changes form with whomever she possesses, taking some of their physical characteristics as her own. Ordinary mortals cannot see her in an ethereal state, but she can alter the minds of those she touches and project herself into their vision, like a forced hallucination. The picture I included is her demon-made body and it’s how I usually like to draw her, and it’s the body she spends the most time in. It’s ten feet tall and made of porcelain and preserved human remains. Her face is a solid mask with only her eyes showing through, and she has two long horns and two shorter spikes on either side of her face. Her hair is reminiscent of space, a kind of astral substance, and varies from deep scarlet to dark indigo depending on her mood. The rest of her body is a sort of simple white porcelain armor, with muscle showing in between the joints (if you know MtG, she’s based on the design of Elesh Norn). I was sort of lazy on the picture above, she actually has a bare ribcage that she keeps her dual swords collapsed inside. She also doesn’t usually have pupils or that shawl, this is her a few hundred years after the main RP story arc ends, but I really liked this picture, so… :P You can actually see all of her various forms here, on her wiki page, same warnings above apply there too. If you want haha.

Personality: Nalaagura is wrath incarnate. She began as the epitome of the demon stereotype. Existing only to cause harm and death (so she thought), she actively sought out lives to ruin and things to gain for herself. Having been born of pure wrath, it came natural to her to be destructive and chaotic. She had a very aloof, condescending attitude towards mortals, viewing them much as a human would view an annoying insect. Bizarrely charming at times, but better off crushed under her foot. If they fought back, she took fiendish delight in toying with them With the events of the rebellion though, it was revealed to the Warden that her purpose was not to cause pain. She was stunned and angry by the revelation that she was meant to care for the mortals rather than hurt them. She spent a good while trying to untangle her benevolent feelings from her malicious ones. She began to care for a few people here and there, becoming fiercely protective of them and more affectionate while retaining her short temper and extreme passion. Her alignment shifts from Chaotic Evil to Chaotic Neutral and her MBTI type is ESTP.

Favorite things: Nala enjoys sparring and fighting, both with her body and her mind; it gives her a buzz like no other to wreck her enemies. She also has a sharp, abrasive wit and loves to trade jabs both jokingly and menacingly. Possessing others always gives her a thrill, though she doesn’t do it as much as she used to, only when necessary and convenient, since she uses it as more of a way to be close with somebody emotionally and protect them instead of a way to control them. She likes celebrating and commemorating things like birthdays and anniversaries of both happy and sad occasions (not with parties though, that’s too much, no thanks). She loves her family and her close loved ones. The sky is her favorite thing to watch, whether in the day with the sun burning across the land or massive billowing clouds racing each other in a blue field or a raging thunderstorm shaking with lightning. And at night, she’s captivated by the stars. Least favorite things: Nala doesn’t like being out of control of the situation, or planning ahead of time. She doesn’t enjoy not being the most powerful thing in the area, it unsettles her a lot. Singing and dancing is dumb, don’t make her do that. Traveling for her is tenuous and boring unless it involves fighting mages or practicing magic or something similar.

Strengths: I mentioned above, but Nalaagura has the ability to possess anything with a brain, basically. She sticks to fast animals and humans because she’s impatient and efficient. She can control one person absolutely and firmly, and that is her anchor, and she can possess more people at a time, but the more she stretches her control, the less control she has over someone. She can interact and fight with with other astral forms and consciousnesses, and can alter people’s perception of reality, mostly in the form of sight and sound. Even among demons she is immensely strong, as her mother was created by the goddess Hel and holds a higher position in the demon hierarchy than most. She has fast instincts, exceptional strength and accuracy, and is able to project images, thoughts, feelings, and her own voice into other people’s minds.  Weaknesses: Physical pain, it makes her lose focus and control over her vessel, affecting her more than it would a human. She also can’t interact with the physical world unless she has a body to channel her power into. Other than that, she doesn’t have many physical weaknesses. She has a very short fuse and an explosive rage, sometimes making terrible decision in the grips of her anger. Being a demon, these decisions can have much more disastrous consequences. And it isn’t very hard to inflame her. 

Additional notes: Uhhh…the modern AU version of her is pretty sweet, she’s a hardcore criminal carjacker that likes messing with the local college students whose “family” is a syndicate of other lawbreakers. I love her. The blog I use to roleplay and post art relating to Nalaagura is @demon-in-the-dungeon, if you’re interested at all. She’s got a p cool playlist on there.

Fanart: I would absolutely ADORE fanart or her, in any of her forms. They range from furries to just regular woman with a few demonic features if that’s more your thing instead of faceless spooky demon bodies lol. Gosh I’m a mess. rip. I hope you liked <3

Dreams of Stone

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #27 NOVEMBER 1989 BY MICHAEL DOONEY

SYNOPSIS (FROM TURTLEPEDIA)

As the issue begins, Donatello's dreams are being disturbed by a disembodied voice, questioning the distressed Turtle about how he can sleep while the Voice's granddaughter is struggling. On the following page we find ourselves inside of Don's dream, where he sits as a giant upon a mountain in the forest. By the mammoth Turtle's side is an equally gigantic Native American chief, who floats cross-legged in the sky.

"W-what?" Don asks.

The Chief continues, "Well, are you listening little shellback? The Spirit is everywhere! Can you hear it in the rivers? Do you feel it in the wind? Tell me, can you hear the wind in your city? Or are you made of stone... made of brick and steel... man made... like him!"

We then see an even larger muscled, caped monster in battle with a beautiful Native American woman.

"Complete Carnage!" Don shouts.

"And my granddaughter, who you call Radical." finishes the apparition. The two first appeared in Tales of the TMNT #5.

As Donatello grabs his bo and prepares to assist Radical, the Chief continues, "She is proud. The darkness seeks to consume her... it is strong here in dreams. She fights the evil one alone. They are bound together... they will know no peace. I thought you might want to help, little warrior, but here you must be bigger..."

Don rushes to assist Radical, and his size increases until he's as big as the two opponents. Donatello leaps into the fray...

And crashes onto Leo's bed, awakened from the dream (as are the rest of the guys).

Meanwhile, Complete Carnage and Radical are both lying stunned on the ground - apparently the Turtles' shared dream had far-reaching effect! CC decides it's time for him to go and he leaves a very weak Radical behind as he melts into the road and disappears.

The TMNT report their dream to Splinter, who states that it is a powerful omen. The Sensei also reveals that he also had a dream, a vision of great peace and great destruction... as well as a giant, neon buffalo!

Leo remembers that Casey had mentioned a neon buffalo, so the guys head out to search for the clue. The Turtles head to an abandoned and dilapidated "Indian Goods" store near Buffalo Rock, in the middle of nowhere, where they find an old sign in the shape of a buffalo that was once outlined with neon lights. They also find Radical sitting in deep meditation. Once Radical is alerted to the Turtles' presence, she asks Don if he's a Dream Walker. Don tells her that it was her grandfather that brought him to her, and Radical states that her granddad was a powerful shaman who has been dead for ten years.

Meanwhile, Complete Carnage emerges from the road in the nearby city of Springfield. As he walks the streets contemplating what havoc he'll wreck, he spots an advertisement in a store window for "Radical price cuts!" which angers the villain and he smashes the window out, screaming that Radical haunts him wherever he goes.

Back in the woods, Radical performs a Native American ritual in attempt to get some answers from the spirits. Radical tells the spirits of Complete Carnage, how he draws his power from man-made structures of rock, and how the changes that the white men have made to the landscape power her enemy. The air spirit, Wakinyan Tanka, answers Radical's call and tells her that no matter the strength of her enemy, she must remember her own - and then the thunderbird flies off. Radical then tells the TMNT that they must draw CC back to this spot, as its power will hold him. They'll be able to lure the monster to their location through the dream realm.

Complete Carnage is stumbling through the sewers of Springfield, tired but fearing sleep, as he knows that Radical will attack him in his dreams. As CC grumbles about how he wants to crush Radical out of his life, he drifts off to sleep...

The TMNT offer their assistance, but they ask the lady to give them some background information, so Radical explains her origin to the Turtles. She insists that she's not a super-hero, as her powers did not originate from radioactivity or lightning. She tells of how when she was a girl, her grandfather brought her to this very spot and taught her the importance of the local beavers, who were the children of the Great White Grandfather Beaver. The shaman was honored to have the beavers set up their home in his locale. When Radical told the story to a local boy who did some chores for her granddad, the kid attempted to kill one of the animals by throwing a rock at it. Radical was able to block the missile, and the boy became her enemy. Legend states that there is a giant totem pole that holds up the world, and that the Great Beaver is at its base, gnawing the wood whenever he is angered. Radical believes that the evil spirits cursed the boy that day and chose him as their avatar, turning him into Complete Carnage. Likewise, the good spirits chose Radical to fight for the side of right... so the two are constant and ancient foes. Radical has been given the powers of the great Thunderbirds, she can fly and manipulate the clouds, while Complete Carnage holds influence over all that is man-made.

Radical then explains that she has done her best to battle CC in the Dreamscape, in effort to prevent damage to the earth... but Carnage is growing stronger and wiser in his abilities, so the fight looks like it will be brought to the real world. She then disappears, telling the guys that she'll be bringing Complete Carnage back with her when she returns.

Radical travels to the Dreamscape and finds CC quickly, and taunts him into chasing her to the spot where the Turtles are waiting. A long battle ensues and Complete Carnage seems to have the upper hand. Donatello works frantically carving symbols into the power-drenched earth, attempting to help Radical win the lop-sided fight. CC grabs Radical and pulls her towards the pavement... Radical cries out to Don to remember the Coyote. Don has a revelation, "That's it! Coyote the Trickster!" and he quickly scribes a symbol into the ground, just as both CC and Radical disappear into the road! As Raph admonishes Don for failing, Leonardo notes that the blacktop is turning into water...

Radical bursts up from the street, which has suddenly become a river! She then captures Complete Carnage with a giant fist made of stream water, which pulls the beast to its depths. Carnage struggles but cannot break the water-fist's grasp. A stunned CC cries out - he doesn't understand what happened - he could have sworn the road was made of rock. As he realizes that he's been duped, he evaporates into the water and disappears... and the entire stream also drains away to leave a dry and empty riverbed behind.

Radical explains that the Coyote has an odd sense of humor, so things may not be as they seem - but it looks like the great spirit changed the rock to water just as Carnage was attempting to absorb its power into himself, thus causing him to become water and dispersing his atoms, perhaps for good.

Later we see Donatello seated alone on Buffalo Rock, which overlooks a lake. Raph approaches and tells Don that they need to get going. As Donatello prepares to leave, he hears the old shaman's voice once again.

"Tell me, little shell-back... tell me what you hear..."

Just then Radical flies overhead to say goodbye and thanks.

Donatello looks to the clouds, smiles, and answers the shaman, "I hear the spirit of the wind!"

REVIEW

Michael Dooney played with these characters before and because of all the revisionism going in comics at the time, he thought it was a good idea to go in a different path with them. The result is up to anyone to figure out, but to me, it didn’t make the story more appealing. I still find stories where the ninja turtles merely witness events to be boring.

I am ok with guest characters in the book, it’s just that for some reason, they seem to take the turtles out of the spotlight. And that rarely works for me.

Dooney, however, does a great job in the art, giving the turtles that indie tone that works so well for them.

This story is canon, by the way.

I give the issue a score of 5.