“T—” However small his voice was, he still choked on it. Shameful, but not shameful enough to choke it back. “Tell me again? What you see?”
“My sons,” he repeated at the same volume, with such imploring fondness Grav could almost believe him.
This scene hit me so viscerally. I had to draw it.
A Looking Glass Darkly written by Im_The_Doctor/@side-shuffling-hyperfixations
I used screenshots from the show as a reference for the poses
Quick question (for no reason at all. Don't, don't worry about it) :
Do you think Graviturtle and Shellectro have pupils beneath their masks, like our favourite Renaissance boys, or do you think they're pupilless, like Griddex and Blobboid?
I think they all have pupils (they're drawn with pupils in a few panels of their comic) but because of their past and their line of work, their neutral state is defensive/protection so they've all typically got that nictitating membrane engaged that shields their eyes and does the whiteout eyes effect more often than not, even when they're out of the field. It's just a safety habit
To everyone who felt personally victimized by this post of mine (which is, apparently, a lot of you)
This is for you:
---
“Well, whaddya think?” Mikey asks the gang, taking a step back from his latest creation.
The four of them are grouped together on the small landing just at the top of the stairs of their new lair. They just finished unpacking the last boxes the night before, and over breakfast this morning Mikey declared it was high time they inaugurated the new space with a mural of their team name.
In true Mikey fashion, it hadn't taken him long. With just a short break for lunch he managed to finish it up before dinner, making sure his brothers were all present for the last touches.
He wipes away the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand, inadvertently leaving a smear of red paint in its wake, and watches his brothers expectantly.
Leo is the first to step up, immediately gushing over his baby brothers ‘mad skills’. But Raph and Donnie stay back, looking confused.
Raph tilts his head to the side and squints a little, but Donnie is the first to speak.
“I daresay I hate to be the bearer of bad news, ‘Angelo, but I'm afraid that's not how that’s spelled.”
“What?” Mikey squeaks, and he worriedly glances between Donnie and the mural. He can't see any spelling mistakes, but if Donnie says it's there…
“Yeah, what Mikey said.” Leo backs up his brother. “What are you talking about, 'Tello?”
Donnie opens his mouth to answer, but Raph speaks first. “Donnie's right guys. There's no ‘Z’ in Mad Dogs.”
“Just so.” Donnie nods. “It should be spelled with an ‘s’, as is proper.”
“Seriously?” Leo arches an eyebrow at his twin. “That's the problem?”
“Hey! It's a real problem! Our team name is serious stuff Leo, we gotta make sure we all get it right.” Raph huffs in Donnie's defense.
“I just thought it looked cooler…” Mikey whispers at the floor, dejected.
“And it does, little bro. It looks way cooler! Don't listen to those lame-o’s, I'm on your side here. Mad Dogz with a ‘Z’ for life, baby!” Leo throws a celebratory arm around Mikey's shoulders and grins at him.
Despite his sour mood, Mikey can't help but be caught up in Leo's exuberance and a small smile cracks his face.
“Wha-? We can't go having two spellings of our name!” Raph argues. “That'd be too confusing!”
Donnie ignores their big-brother showdown and tilts his head to one side, then the other, further studying the mural. “On second thought…” He muses, almost absently. “Mikey may have a point. From a linguist standpoint it makes no sense, but it’s true that from an aesthetic point of view it has a certain… je ne sais quoi.”
“Well get used to being confused then, because I ain't budging.” Leo pulls Mikey closer protectively and glares at his big brother.
Raph glares back, and the two of them end up trying to stare each other down.
“Donnie, I know you know I don't know what that means. Stop using big fancy words Raph doesn't understand!” Raph breaks eye contact with Leo to bark at Donnie.
“What it means, dearest brother, is that I, too, am siding with Mikey on this one. It does indeed ‘look cooler’.”
“What!? Not you too, Donnie!”
“It's just you now, big guy.” Leo says, smiling smugly as Donnie joins him to stand on Mikey's other side. “C'mon, are you really gonna say no to this face?” He grabs Mikey's chin and points it towards Raph like a weapon.
Mikey knows his role here all too well, and immediately he puts on the biggest, wettest, saddest puppy dog eyes he can manage. “Please, Raphie?” He begs in his sweetest baby brother voice. “I worked so hard…”
The act comes easy, considering he really did work hard and he is legitimately sad about Raph's dismissal of his totally very cool and awesome spelling. So it doesn't take much for him to dial those emotions up to 11.
It works like a charm, just like it does every time, and Raph visibly crumples like a wet tissue.
“Aw heck. Fine. Mad Dogz with a ‘Z’ for life.” He deadpans the words like they're being dragged out of him, but his face breaks into a lopsided smile as he reaches out a hand to fist bump his baby brother.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Leonardo & Cody Jones (TMNT)
Characters: Leonardo (TMNT), Cody Jones (TMNT)
Additional Tags: Fast Forward | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003) Season 6, Donatello (TMNT) - Freeform, Raphael (tmnt) - Freeform, Michelangelo (TMNT) - Freeform, Master Splinter (TMNT) - Freeform, Serling (TMNT) - Freeform, Leonardo-centric (TMNT), keeping secrets, Time Travel, Identity Crisis, Good friend Cody Jones (TMNT), Awkward Conversations, Canon-Typical Violence, Confessions, Protective Leonardo (TMNT), Reassurances, Reader Leonardo (TMNT)
Series: Part 9 of TMNT Hurt/Comfort Bingo
Summary:
It's 2105, and four mutant turtles and their rat sensei have been pulled forward in time from the 21st century.
Everyone seems to be adjusting surprisingly well to their new normal.
So why does Cody have the feeling that there's something Leonardo isn't telling any of them?
Thank you all so much for your patience while I took a short hiatus from writing. I’m back, and this time with my first foray into the Fast Forward season.
I'm a bit in a TMNT mood lately (hello my old fandom!) , so let me share here this old art that I still love!
A bit of angst between the twins, they had some stuff to sort out after Leo came back from Costa Rica, and Donnie had to face all the pressure he went through during his absence.
(to be fair this was initially a fanart from a fanfic, but it also does fit my headcanon for post 2007-movie events!)
I had fun with this on twt so I’ll ask it here too:
Who is your favorite TMNT character? (from any iteration; doesn’t have to be a turtle) What media (show, movie, etc) from their era do you think they would like, and who would be their favorite character from that show?
For me, my fave is 03 Mikey! I think he’d loooooove Sailor Moon and relate immensely to Usagi/Serena!
#im probably thinking about it too hard#but this leo having a fear of heights#and he uses this fear to get info out of this guy#when he’s at his worst emotionally and mentally#idk idk but it’s fucking me up
tonight i’m thinking about how lonely the turtles would be.
how they grew up knowing that humanity would see them as monsters from the movies and comics they could get their hands on. how splinter would tell them “you must never harm them. they fear what they do not understand. they merely seek to keep themselves safe.”
how they probably snuck peeks at the surface to see what humanity was up to. they learn more games by watching from the crack between the pavement and the manhole cover. watching as a couple kids kick around a ball or can or hacky sack.
the shrieks of startled humans echo in their minds each time they think of reaching out again. and even now, after starting to help stop crime, the criminals call them monster or freak. they try to return someone’s stolen wallet and get smacked. they save a cat stuck in a tree for a little girl and she runs away inside.
there’s a couple humans who don’t freak out. there’s a couple humans who they manage to befriend.
but the world is so large. untouchable.
they instinctively shrink back when people pass. good if you’re a ninja. not so good if you’re meant to stop these bad guys.
and then, suddenly, these rules they’ve known all their lives dissolve. they’re in the future. no one bats an eye.
they get weird looks for darting back into the shadows as they walk along the street. people side eye them if they hesitate to step into the light. they’re told off by peace keepers to stop jumping across rooftops, that’s what the street is for.
so they learn. they adapt. they manage to quell the tremble as they step into the light. no one asks “what… are you?” in that incredulous voice anymore. no one bats an eye. they can wave and smile to people on the street. introduce themselves. make friends. the loneliness grows quieter. maybe even disappears.
and it gets ripped away.
back to the shadows. back to their nicknames. monster. freak. abomination.
back to humanity hunting them.
“you must never harm them. they fear what they do not understand. they merely seek to keep themselves safe.”
“but they can understand, if they only tried. we’ve seen it!”
I’m not kidding. This is the time to act. Yes I know it’s short notice , but so is Netflix trying to remove Rise without any heads up. Spread this! Repost it! Everywhere. And I mean, everywhere. TikTok, twitter, Reddit, insta, Facebook. Stream the show/movie all day tomorrow and Saturday. Let’s flash mob this!
We’re going full on guerrilla streaming. Do. Not. Let. Them. Win! Reblog. Share. Fight. Protect the art you love.
It's brief, so it's easy to miss, but towards the end of the movie we get this exchange
Batman: You did well out there. Your father will be very proud.
Leonardo: Thank you. Although, I'm sure he'll have some harsh words about us being gone from the city this long.
Batman says "Your father will be proud" and Leo says "He'll have some harsh words". Both present tense, indicating Splinter is alive, just back in the Turtles' version of NYC.
And then we've got this sucker punch from Leo while fighting Ra's Al Ghul
Leonardo: Oh, yeah? Well, I'm 16, and I learned this from a rat.
There's nothing to indicate the Turtles are different ages in this version, so it's safe to assume they're all 16 in this movie.
Ok im back to thinking about 2003 Mikey and Splinter’s dynamic…
I think the biggest rift(?) in their relationship might be the miscommunication of which role is needed at that precise moment, and the other unknowingly taking up the wrong role (the “roles” being father vs teacher for Splinter, and son vs student for Mike)
Like in Touch and Go, Splinter takes Mikey out on a 1-1 with him to train him. He tells Mikey that he “has a natural affinity for the martial arts, but mentally [his] mind is undisciplined and unruly.” Splinter is looking to make this into a teaching lesson, but Mikey counters him with “I’m a teenager, sensei. Undisciplined and unruly is what we do best.” Which to me sounds more like a son talking to their dad than a student to their teacher (I know Mikey calls Splinter “sensei” but as a homeschooled kid, it gets hard to distinguish the roles and I totally get where Mikey is coming from).
Or in Grudge Match, after learning Mikey will have a rematch with the big ugly purple guy, he asks Splinter to train him. Splinter mocks Mikey, bringing up all the ways Mikey has excused himself from training - pizza, comics, tv. Mikey is looking for a teacher and Splinter is handling it more as a father would (i.e. letting your kids mess up and deal with the consequences, which I’ll point out isn’t a bad parenting tactic as long as it’s relatively safe for the kid, and at the time Splinter thought it was safe because they didn’t know the magic safety spells were gonna be sabotaged).
You do get gems like in the Big Brawl, when Splinter and Mikey were meant to fight, but Splinter sees how much Mikey is enjoying this and gives up his spot for his son. I think that’s a good example of Mikey as a son needing a father more than a teacher, and Splinter fulfilling that role. As a teacher, even if Splinter still gave up his spot, he likely would have still fought Mikey for a bit to train him further. Instead, he lets Mikey save his strength and gives up the spot.
(Those were all the examples I could think up off the top of my head but if you can think of more, share)
By no means is their relationship without flaws, which is realistic and i love that about it. I’m just a sucker for parent-kid relationships and I would have loved to see more of this, or even better, have them address it because I’ll bet I’m not the only one who can relate.
Anyway this is definitely something I’m putting in all my writing.
