2003 human leosagi stuff that I MAYBE spent an hour on. 2 max.
but they're also peak in this series. what do you mean that splinter turned to usagi for help when leo was going through it. what do you mean that an overprotective father had that much trust in someone he didn't know that well to help his son. (yes baby usagi saved his life for the love of the game but STILL). and they share a section in the opening. c'mon now. anywho their bond is so great and I wish we saw more of him
also usagi is so approved by the family that it's absurd. aforementioned splinter stuff. don and mikey really like him (bcs in the touring episode they both went "USAGI!! :DD" unprompted when he showed up and obviously don lwk went through it with him during the nexus. he was invited to casey and april's wedding. he was INVITED TO A RANDOM CHRISTMAS DINNER (cross-dimensional travel for christmas dinner is so funny to me). the only one who seems unimpressed is raph, but that's because he's raph lol
super quick disclaimer: I've gotten 3 asks now pertaining to lref art/writing, and 2 of them asked if I was still interested in it. yes, I am, I've put WAY too much work into this rewrite to move on lmao
I simply have a new hyperfixation that I'm enjoying <3
2003 design refs for me myself and I + extra '03 characters because there was space on the canvas (ignore the awful cropping bcs I am not redoing it lmao)
yknow. as much as I dislike the artstyle changes in the last couple of seasons, I do love that they finally gave the turtles a height difference. before they were literally just copy-paste lol
working through a rewatch, so here's 2003 turtles + splinter as humans (ft. casey and april because they're so family <33)
I FORGOT TO PUT IT IN: april dyes mikey and raph's hair for them after a suspiciously hair-dye-shaped disaster
I drew them s4ish because I wanted to keep their uniquely muscular designs, but it was too absurd to draw 15-year-olds that ripped lmao
thoughts below
anyway peakest show ever.
I love these turtles more than life. totally forgot about this show even though I grew up with it. it's literally so great. the characters, the story, the voice acting. even though some of the story is kind of suspend-belief-y, I'm kicking my feet and giggling while watching it fr.
anyway to explain my rankings for their iterations
leo: I LOVE this leo, he's explored so well. the reaosn he's top 3 is because I also like the 2012 and 2018 leos, but as i'm thinking about it, he might actually be my favorite
donnie: best iteration imo. he has a personality and gets stuff to do, even though he's being traumatized horrifically every other episode lmao. I love it when nerdy smart ones are quippy and sassy ofc, but it's so refreshing to see a nerdy smart character be so sweet and genuine. bro never argues with his brothers bcs he's so nice and chill with all of them lol. ofc he's still quippy, but it's a nice subversion of the archetype
raph: also might be my favorite as I'm thinking about it. he's got so much stuff brewing inside all of the time, and is well aware of his anger and hates himself for it (me when i was his age fr). the other version he was tied with was 2012, but I think he's my favorite. also his voice is superb
mikey: love this guy. he's also very kind and forgiving to his brothers, even though he's also a huge annoying ass lol. but he also is just so genuine and I adore it. I also like that he isn't purely stupid and babied, but is actually somewhat serious. yet another refreshing take on his archetype. he was once again tied with 2012, and that's still a tie I think.
april: favorite iteration. she's such a baddie, we love her. she's so ride or die for her family that it's amazing. like in the s1 finale, she was going to take on the "walking land mass" to protect leo. she's also very supportive and loving toward the turtles, even though they're annoying asf. I also way prefer her and casey being adults to being teenagers, because it makes things more interesting (helps that I despise the 2012 casey and april. they pmo so bad). could go on and on about how much I love her
casey: best iteration. he has a personality but they kept his psychopath ass tendencies. he's such a lovable dumbass and genuinely a good man on top of it. I watched the episode where he and april and splinter had to go save the turles, and him shielding them with his body is everything. also the aforemention hun stuf "don't you ever threaten her" and his entrance in that episode. this casey is so unbelievably ride or die for the family too. best iteration, I'll say it again
splinter: absolute goat. no splinter compares. he actually outwardly loves his sons while still being their teacher. he recognizes their struggles and does his best to help them. he also very much cares for casey and april as his children too. on top of that, he's funny asf. no splinter compares to him
so further on, once bree, chase, tasha, and douglas (+ mm trio + gus +jordan) are officially reported missing in action (don't ask lol), adam officially comes out of retirement and joins team dooley to find them. it's this super dramatic, poignant moment when he unseals his mission suit from its storage. then he puts it on and
get it bcs he's a grown ass man and not an 18 year old anymore lol (takes 15 minutes + logan's help to rescue him (yes taylor laughed instead of helping the whole time))
one of my favorite beats in my writing is that leo, even though it's been like. 4 years, is so integrated into the family that chase (smartest person ever created btw) forgets he's adopted and not blood
i moved a few days ago, put 24 hours in of work while doing so (moved to a placed with 4. 4. 4 flights of stairs), and injured myself quite a bit. the worst of which is an extremely carpal tunneled right wrist, so i haven't been able to type or draw lol
Rereading some stuff. Love that I had it be a constant bit/character trait that people are scared to sneak up on Chase because he has a history of judo flipping both of his fathers when startled by them ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
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