Hello! I have an honest question- no shame or anything like that intended, I'm just purely curious: What's the appeal to the characters of TMNT? I'm not talking about personality (unless it has something to do with it) I mean whats the sexual appeal to them? I get teratophilia, but I feel like that doesn't apply to them? Since they're turtles- aren't they still technically animals...? I hope I dont upset you- I have nothing against TMNT, just trying to better understand the fandom!
When I originally received this, here was my initial reaction:
Maybe it is just the bitter paranoia that this hellsite ingrains in people that makes me pretty much suspicious of every anon message I get. However, if I turned anon off I wouldnât get any messages at all, so there is that. I did however relax in the tub and have a good laugh in the skype group about my response.
If you were truly serious about this question and it is coming from a genuine place, then I feel like there is no reason you really needed to ask this on anon. However, despite all that I am going to go ahead and answer this question seriously so hold onto your butt and strap yourself in nonnie because it is going to be a long one. You might want to grab some snacks or something before you grab your butt.
Letâs start by listing out what you are actually asking:âWhatâs the sexual appeal of the characters in TMNT?ââDo the TMNT fall under the Teratophilia umbrella?ââAre the TMNTÂ âanimals/turtlesâ?â
Inferred statements from your ask: (note I said inferred, which means the way you worded things is why I am taking them this way)âTeratophilia makes sense, but not being attracted to TMNT.ââLiking TMNT means you like animalsâ âLiking TMNT is not the same as liking Monsters (and some how liking other monsters makes more sense)â
[and this is why wording is important folks. I also would have been more likely to give a pass if this had not been asked on anon]
So lets break things down a bit and start with some definitions.Teratophilia The paraphilia characterised by sexual attraction to deformed or monstrous people. Attraction to monsters.
Monster 1 a : an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure a mythical monster a sea monsterb : one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character an immoral monster3 a : an animal of strange or terrifying shapevisualize this scaleless monster, eight or nine feet long, sprawling in the shade by the side of the mud pools âW. E. Swintonb : one unusually large for its kind That truck is a monster.4 : something monstrous; especially : a person of unnatural or extreme ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty His father was a monster who beat his children for no reason.
Animal1 : any of a kingdom (Animalia) of living things including many-celled organisms and often many of the single-celled ones (such as protozoans) that typically differ from plants in having cells without cellulose walls, in lacking chlorophyll and the capacity for photosynthesis, in requiring more complex food materials (such as proteins), in being organized to a greater degree of complexity, and in having the capacity for spontaneous movement and rapid motor responses to stimulation2 a : one of the lower animals (see 3lower 3) as distinguished from human beingsb : mammal; broadly : vertebrate
[I have removed portions the definitions not pertinent to this discussion]
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Now that we got that out of the way lets actually answer your question.Â
Are the Ninja Turtles animals? Technically yes, because technically we are all animals if you look at the definition.
What I feel you were getting at was more, are they what humans consider animals. Like your pet dog is an animal. The cow on the farm is an animal. That bird you saw in the parking lot is an animal.
The connotation here is âjust animals, not sentientâ which is incorrect. The ninja turtles started out as non-sentient, standard, run of the mill turtles. They were mutated into their now sentient, slightly more humanoid form. Which puts them solidly in the monster category and removes them from the category of animal about as far as humans would be removed.Â
If the turtles are still âtechnicallyâ just turtle animals, then humans are still just âtechnicallyâ primates.Â
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Do the Ninja Turtles fall under the Teratophilia umbrella? Absolutely!
Teratophilia at its basest definition is a sexual attraction to monsters and monstrous beings. Also included under the teratophilia umbrella without any question what-so-ever, are robots and aliens. Both of which are only monsters by a technicality.Â
If you read the definition of monster the turtles fit right into it, hell the first portion of the definition pretty much covers them. âan animal or plant of abnormal form or structureâ which they are technically abnormal in that they are not human, they are not turtle, they are some third thing that is both a combination of the two but also something completely separate.Â
Taking this a step further, in multiple versions of their canon (comics, cartoons, movies) humans have referred to them as monsters upon sight. Meaning that it is in their actual canon that humans consider them to be monstrous.Â
Lets look at your statement âI get teratophilia, but I feel like that doesnât apply to them? Since theyâre turtles- arenât they still technically animalsâŚ?âÂ
By your logic a Werewolf (a monster accepted widely as falling under the teratophilia umbrella) is just a wolf and still technically an animal. A zombie, mummy, and vampire (also all considered monsters) are just undead and technically corpses, also, just human corpses I might add. A tentacle monster is just a really friendly squid if you look at it in your terms. A mimic is nothing more than a heavily trapped and aggressive treasure chest. Dullahanâs are just some dudes who went and lost their heads. (honestly I could keep this up all night and I have some really funny ones but I think I made my point)
I am not one to shame someone for not liking a monster that isnât âmonstrousâ enough. I, for one, am obsessed with orcs. My sexuality is orcs, I fuckin love orcs. That doesnât mean that I donât want some eldritch horror all up in my bidness. Seriously, am I the only one that would face ride Cthulhu? I love all monsters, even some of the really questionable ones that would probably murder me then desecrate my corpse.Â
This isnât a contest on what monsters are more monsterous than other monsters.Â
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Whatâs the sexual appeal of the Ninja Turtles? What is the sexual appeal for anything? No seriously, that is my answer. What people are attracted to is an entirely personal thing. What one person finds sexy might repulse someone else.Â
I have a friend that nopes right out when it comes to tentacles. For me, I want all the tentacle lovin. I know arachnophobs that want nothing to do with any monsters or aliens that even remotely resemble spiders. I actually give some of that a pass, depending. Some insectoid appearances just donât 100% do it for me.Â
I know tons of people that are sexually attracted to the ninja turtles, and not just because of their physical appearance, which is a part of it. However, their personalities are also a part of it and it would be wrong of me to not address that part of why people love them so much is that they identify with them on some deeper level.Â
Understand this property has existed longer than most tumblr users have been alive.It is an ingrained part of some peoples identity, and sexuality is a part of that identity.Â
I could tell you why I personally find them sexually attractive, and why they fall under my weird sexuality umbrella, because I am on the asexual spectrum, so sexual attraction is probably not the right word for what I feel but that is a whole different and entirely too long discussion. However, this post is already too long and I think I have answered sufficiently.Â
If you still really want to know why I am interested in them, come off anon and I will answer that specifically. Probably with a lot of pictures and deep delves into their characters.Â
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tl;dr  yes the ninja turtles count as monsters and fall under the teratophilia umbrealla, no the are not animals, and why people are sexually attracted to them is up to the individual. They just happen to be appealing.Â
jacobvanloon
titsay
dailybridgerton
stormborns
