Okay, I hope this doesn't come across as hate but, why exactly do you like toxic Jonatello?
I can kinda see the appeal of non toxic Jonatello, but I'm struggling to understand the appeal of toxic Jonatello. I would assume no one would like a relationship like that in real life? Is it because its fiction it feels less problematic?
I kinda wanna understand the thoughts of toxic Jonatello shippers when it comes to liking it. (If it isn't too much of a problem of course)
I swear I'm not trying to be rude!! I love your art and the concept is a little bit interesting! Just kinda wondering the appeal for Toxic Jonatello.
You're totally fine for asking this question, as I understand my interest in exploring this type of dynamic or relationship between these two is an acquired taste that is personally curated for myself !
Right off the bat, I do want to emphasize that my toxic Jonatello content is for myself and always has been for myself- I don't express / explore it for anyone else, and any appeal that it gets from other people is kind of "coincidental", so to speak-? Lmao (How others choose to interpret Toxic Jonatello in their own works is their decision, you know?)
Since this question is directed at me and how I feel personally, no I do not seek this kind of relationship in real life ! The idea is less about that and more like a character study in its own way ! Taking some of the more unflattering characteristics of Donnie and Casey respectively and putting them at the forefront when envisioning them first getting into a relationship- Really showcasing how much they need to still grow as people, as a lot of the behaviors and thought process I use for my Toxic Jonatello content are inherently immature to some degree. A person who's more mentally and emotionally developed wouldn't be this overly attached or find such security in their romantic partner over stepping boundaries they normally wouldn't allow someone to overstep, you know? I've always been a big fan of the perspective that Donnie and Casey would be the worst thing for each other before they would be the best thing, and this kinda trickles into that for me !
It's also just personally interesting for me to explore how a relationship can be toxic in a less expected or "traditional" sense- Because I feel like most of the time when you say a romantic relationship is toxic, you think of constant arguing or berating or such obvious signs that they don't like each other / want to stay together, you know? But this feels like the exact opposite of that spectrum, and it feels somewhat realistic for me to have Donnie and Casey not think that their relationship is problematic to one another (And the others for that matter-) simply because they're both so happy and agreeable with each other-! Once again bringing up how they're both very emotionally and mentally immature with their failure to recognize this-
It's also the ways in which it speaks to their pain for me too-! How, hypothetically since this is my own interpretation of their characters and what they could be going through, it shows how deeply they want someone to love them for themselves and to mend the broken parts of themselves-! (I feel like a lot of people get into relationships that aren't good for them, platonic or romantic, because they're hurting and wanted somebody to "fix" that,, Or maybe that person made them forget about their insecurities or something,, Lmao) Like, how I personally feel like 2012 Casey has been very neglected in his life by pretty much everyone, family and friends alike- So he latched onto Donnie's obsessive attachment style for that reason. Or how Donnie feels so unlovable because of what he is (a mutant) and truly believes that he'll never been seen as more than that by humans, so when Casey (a human) gives him unprompted affection or compliments, it feeds that life long dream to be wanted despite his "flaws" (I can also see Casey expressing his enjoyment of being with him because he's never wanted a normal life anyway, referencing his conversation with April in "Mutagen Man Unleashed"- And I think having a mutant ninja turtle boyfriend that he can never tell other people about would definitely not be "normal" ! Lmao). These are very simple examples, but it's interesting to think about those two having such tunnel vision with one another- Wholeheartedly thinking that they're healing one another when in reality they're just feeding the flames of a lot of unresolved hurt within each other,, ! I think it would force them both to have to face a lot of their issues as people-! Lmao
Again, all of this is curated for myself ! I like exploring relationships that feel like two oncoming trains about to collide (Lmao), and drawing them in the thick of that situation is the most fun for me ! I think if I were to draw the more depressing yet emotionally strengthening sides of this specific take on their relationship, people might see my vision a little bit better- But I'm not always in the mood to get into that with my art a lot of the time, so it's definitely something I'd write about (Like right now-) than anything ! It's also an indulgence on my interest, combining romance / horror / and sadness (I'm a sucker for just really sad movies, you know? Especially if the setting is realistic, like a family struggling to coexist or something-) ! If people enjoy this content from me, cool ! If they don't, also cool ! You know? 👍
