#fixing apritello

[christeli4]

"And it's NOT because you're a mutant "

Tags: Fix-it, Apritello, the confession, temporary rejection, rewrite.

I can't believe I've done this!

First of all, I hate this episode and its crappy ending (and I had to read an Apritello comic aka "I understand nothing" to not be disappointed), secondly, I wanted to make this storyboard before 2026, but I just forgot about it again. So, here we are👏👏👏

[neocelticavalon]

Check This Out! 🥺💜💛👇

Please do check out and appreciate this beautifully written and drawn 12 Apritello fancomic by the talented Maven Brooke! 💜💛💜💛💜

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PART 2 👇👇👇

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THIS!!!!👆👆👆 IF YOU WERE WRITING OR DRAWING 12 APRITELLO INVOLVING RAPH, THIS IS WHAT I WANTED!!! 🥺🥺💛💜💛💜💕💕💕💗

IT IS NOT THAT HARD TO UNDERSTAND, DEAR FANDOM!🥺🥺🥺

Sorry for tagging: @swagreecrow @poetique823 @wakifogicu @inspiredwriter

[fabuloustrash05]

Fixing 2012 Apritello

I got inspired by @sophfandoms53 posts that you can check out here (It’s an amazing short analysis, I suggest you read it cause what they said was so true about the 2012 series) It inspired me to quickly write this.

In their post they talked about how April and Donnie’s romance was handled poorly with the Love at First Sight Trope, how they could handled it similarly to April and Donnie’s friendship in the 2003 series with how they became friends through their love of science, which I highly agree with!

If you’ve been following me, you know I think 2012 Apritello is very flawed. I’ve complained about it many times and how certain moments were cringe and could’ve been fixed. (Like that Farm House kiss, wtf was that pointless crap?). But I saw Soph’s post and it made me realize how this mess of ship could’ve been fixed and could've been so much better.

Have Donnie and April have no romantic feelings for each other in the beginning (meaning Donnie doesn’t fall in love with April in the first episode) and instead have it build up over time, they become friends through having similar interests and slowly it turns their friendship into a romantic connection. Best Friends to Lovers Trope done right!

Here’s how I would personally make 2012 Apriltello go:

Season 1

Instead of Donnie instantly wanting to save April and her father from being kidnapped by the Krang in the first episode, it’s Leo, who wants to be a hero just like Captain Ryan, and his brothers follow him.

Donnie can still be the one who saves and catches April when falling from the helicopter. This begins their friendship.

April and Donnie start bonding when April mentions that due to her father missing she’s been struggling in school so Donnie offers to be her tutor.

They quickly bond over their time together studying and realize they have a lot in common.

Because of their close friendship Donnie is more willing to do things for April and April trust him more than the other turtles, but she’s still close with them. Donnie is just her go to Turtle who can help her with anything.

Donnie’s brothers start teasing him, saying he and April act like a couple. Donnie laughs it off and says how they are “just friends”. (This would become a running gag line between them in the show)

It’s not until Donnie brings April’s dad home in the ep Operation: Break Out that things begin to change. April hugs Donnie, thanking him for saving her father, and that’s when Donnie realizes that his feelings for April are more than her being “just a friend”.

Season 2

By season 2 Donnie now has feelings for April but he’s scared to say anything, worried it’ll ruin there friendship. It’s one sided at the moment and Donnie is trying to cope with this new feelings for his best friend. He becomes nervous and anxious around her, worried that anything he'll say will come off as romantic and proceeds to panic.

Plus April has told Donnie of this guy at her school that she likes (aka Casey) so Donnie really tries hard to put down his feelings.

Splinter figures out quickly that Donnie likes April. When Donnie asks his father how he was able to tell, Splinter replies by saying "I know what being in love looks like" (Aww <3)

April will still cut the Turtles out of her life because of her fathers mutation just like in the show and this will really hurt Donnie, because he lost his best friend and the fact that his feelings for her are now growing.

When April comes back and makes up with the Turtles, she still gives Donnie a platonic kiss on the cheek, thanking him for always being there for her. This has sealed the deal for Donnie. He's no longer just crushing on her, he's in love with her.

Raph is the first of the brothers to find out about Donnie’s feelings towards April during the time April is mad at them and helps Donnie cope with his emotions. Sometimes he’s even talks up Donnie around April to impress her.

April and Casey eventually start dating by the second half of season 2.

Donnie and Casey actually get along! Or at least try to. They still butt heads but their dynamic is more friendly in this rewrite because Donnie knows April really likes Casey, so he doesn't let his feelings for April get in the way of being friends with Casey.

Donnie BEGS to Raph not to tell Casey that he likes his girlfriend. Raph promises to keep it a secret, but Casey is showing signs of suspicion.

In the season 2 finale, instead of Casey asking Raph if April ever talks about him he instead asks, "So what's the deal between April and your brother, Donnie?" Raph would quickly dismiss everything, saying that Donnie and April are just best friends, not wanting to get in the middle of potential drama.

Season 3

Mikey and Leo finally find out about Donnie's feelings for April. His brothers all worry about him and how this is going to go for him. Donnie says his feelings for April are slowly going away but in reality it’s growing.

April and Casey are still dating but life on the farm house has been causing a rift between the couple due to stress.

Donnie accidentally confesses his feelings to April during the Foot Too Big episode after April started teasing him for Big Foot having a crush on him. Donnie kept trying to tell April to stop pushing the matter all while April jokingly tells how he should "give Big Foot a chance lol". Frustrated Donnie tells her he wont do that and when April pushes to explain his reason why, Donnie bursts out saying "BECAUSE I LIKE YOU!!"

The episode leaves April conflicted with this new information, rethinking her feelings for Donnie while Donnie is scared to be near April, embarrassed by what happened. He proceeds to avoid her for the rest of the farmhouse arc.

April sees how much Donnie cares about her through out season 3 and starts to develop feelings as well.

April and Casey eventually break up but remain friends, though they do feel awkward with each other in the beginning, they quickly become good friends for the rest of the series.

At this point Casey is aware that Donnie likes April and tells him that he’s known for a while and has a feeling April feels the same way about him too.

Eventually, Donnie and April talk it out (kinda holding back expressing everything they are feeling) They’re both awkward with each other now ever since the confession back at the farmhouse but they try their best to go back to being best friends.

By the end of season 3, April now officially has feelings for Donnie.

Season 4

Both April and Donnie like each other now but they don’t want to start anything because it’s never the right time. They have to focus on their mission to save Earth so for now their still good friends.

While in space, they're able to rekindle their friendship and everything seems to go back to how it was in season 1, much to everyone's shock (and disappointment).

Funny idea: April and Donnie would be slightly jealous about Raph and Mona’s relationship and how easy they were able to become a couple while for them they are still just pinning for one another.

April does NOT give Donnie a kiss on the cheek in the Evil of Dregg ep, instead they hug, but Fugitoid points out/notices that hug was strangely long for two people who are “just friends”

The Aeon crystal arc puts a huge test onto their friendship and their feelings for each other.

A possessed April attacks Donnie first because the crystal knows April loves him and that he’ll be the only one to free her and help her so he must be destroyed first.

After April destroys the crystal and brings Donnie back to life, her a Donnie share a hug and they almost kiss but, like in canon, April faints from overusing her powers.

After waking up, her and Donnie silently agree to ignore their “almost kiss” and they go back to claiming they are “just friends”

His brothers wonder "when the hell they’re gonna get together?!"

During the season 4 finale, when fighting Shredder’s minions, Donnie believes that tonight he will die while fighting the Super Shredder, so before running off into battle, Donnie grabs April, tells her he loves her, and kisses her. The kiss was quick but full of so much love and passion it left April speechless as she and Casey stay behind while the Turtle engaged in their final showdown with the Super Shredder.

Season 5

Nothing major in the final season (because Nick was sloppy and didn't do season 5 enough justice as the final season) but Donnie and April are flirting with each other and playfully teasing from time to time.

They're more touchy with each other: holding hands, hugging, grabbing onto one another when scared, etc.

Donnie’s brothers: Are you two dating or are you just friends?

Donnie and April: Yes.

When Worlds Collide will be the episode where it is officially confirmed (to the audience) that they are in fact a dating and are couple. Maybe in the opening when Raph is watching TV with them and they are flirting by throwing popcorn at each other, Raph makes a comment like “Ever since you two started dating, you’ve been getting on my nerves!” or something like that. (Also it’s a funny little parallel to season 4 when Donnie and April were jealous of Raph and Mona’s relationship)

We would get a little bit more Apritello couple shenanigans like them openly flirting, holding hands in the background of certain scenes.

Funny idea: in the S5 crossover arc, 87 Donnie makes a comment about their relationship and 2012 Donnie asks if he and his April have anything special. 87 Donnie would laugh and say his April is “too old for him”.

Wow... I actually started to ship apritello for a moment... I actually like this version of them better than canon. Nickelodeon should hire me!

Edit: So a kind and talent artist by the name of @nerdy-turtle-enthusiast lately has been making fanart/illustrations of my Apritello rewrite! Making my concept come to life (along with adding some of their own creative takes/ideas!)

Here’s a link to their Master List of their Fixing Apritello series based on this rewrite of mine, please go show them some love and support <333

[christeli4]

How could I leave this kind of art on Google drive for three months?

[Apritello headcanons]

Original reference:

[christeli4]

Well, have you forgotten about November 2nd?

YES, this is the season 2 of fixing Apritello sketches/ideas in honor of the 5th anniversary!

See the whole post from @fabuloustrash05 HERE

Here are a couple of my hc for my future work.

Since season 2 after their separation, Donnie and April have become much closer than before. Even if April is dating Casey, she was so devoted to Donnie.

Casey suspects that his girlfriend has something in common with Donatello, even though he tries not to pay attention.

April and Casey most likely have some kind of teenage crush. They used to be able to communicate like friends from school, but for the most part, they act like lovers. Spoiler for season 3: they’re trying to become friends after breaking up, because it's a pretty interesting "lovers to friends" trope, get it?

In episode 23, Donnie feels like he's the third wheel for April and Casey and often doesn't want to stay in awkward situations thinking he's getting in their way. Raph tells him that he won't have to stay away and adds: You can be a support for a couple if they need your advice.

Note

It seems to me that the whole "Donnie and April are made for each other" theme was misplaced, making Casey a little bit... perverted (the same goes for Don, but that's another problem). Personally, despite my little writing experience, I think that if you want to make the ship canonical, but there's a love triangle involved in this conflict, then make character A be with character C instead of B. But it doesn't end there: How will B feel next to A?

Will They support the couple; Hide their undying feelings for A; Find someone who is similar in interests, but something is going wrong (choose for yourself)? But the most important thing, A is still much closer to B in friendly relations, and some, like the viewers/readers, may think that they are 1: should definitely get together, or 2: They are such pleasant friends, as if they had already known each other for years.

The main thing is that B and C should stand out with good and bad qualities, but not take them to extremes, just to whitewash one.

Completion

Sometimes I'm left wondering why April (From Donnie's point of view) can't decide for herself whether to be with Casey or not (because I can see she liked him!). By making Capril temporarily a canon, it makes it clear that she is, first of all, a PERSON.

In general, I'll continue to work on this pairing, because I still have storyboards for them. I want to learn how to make animatics.

In the meantime, take a look at my wonderful masterpost for a rewritten version of tmnt 2012, which I was inspired by the same author. TMNT: remastered journey.

[christeli4]

Dinner time!

Apritello headcanons, inspired by @fabuloustrash05

This idea refers to a post (I didn't find the link) about how Donatello and April will spend their first date.

In general...

April came to visit her friends after college, and Donnie, when meeting her in the lab, hugged her tightly, gently kissing her forehead and telling her how much he missed her presence, despite the fact that he could see her on a video call every day. He modestly suggested that he wanted to arrange their first date, to which she quite agreed, saying that she was really looking forward to the day when it would happen.

Preparing for the day in advance, he first started looking for a place where they could only be alone. It was an empty attic with several drawers. He set up what he found in furniture discarded on the streets, like a round table with two plastic chairs, and although he wanted to use them for other purposes, he was glad that they were useful to him for a romantic dinner. He folded a white, old tablecloth, putting a jug of water in advance, if he needed to buy flowers. He kept his candles with him when he took her with him.

Then he started cooking red fish with rice and desserts for the future without noticing his brother, Mikey, and his pet, Ice Cream kitty. Once he saw a list of Don's "plan" in the laboratory, and despite his older brother's excuses, he still charmingly imagined how it would all turn out.

April is wearing her blue plaid dress that she wore in the summer. Even despite her rebellious nature, she doesn't mind looking fancy. However, for the sake of her convenience, she wore her light green sneakers and knee socks.

Donnie's brothers understood without hinting that he, as he said, "went to fix the electricity in April's apartment," carrying his bag with him.

She gave him a wide, purple hoodie for walking down the street so that people wouldn't see his image so much.

He bought her a bouquet of lilac alstroemeria with his own money, which he earned as a technical support operator.

After the walk, he was able to take his girlfriend to a "special place" by candlelight. Initially, he assumed that it would be corny for her, but, according to April, she was a little upset that she didn't look like the topic of a romantic dinner. However, Don convinced her otherwise:

I don't care what you look like right now. The main thing is that you feel comfortable."

They started eating what he had prepared that day, reserving strawberry panna cotta and a couple of chocolates for dessert.

At the end of the dinner, the couple talked about various topics: their rising careers, long-distance living, etc. Finally, all they did was stare at each other in love, resting their heads on their folded arms. Donnie confessed to her that he was happy that despite his unrealistic desire to be in a real restaurant, he tried to make everything a more convincing place for both of them. April was touched by this, saying that she thanks him for his efforts:

"Even if it didn't happen, I wouldn't be disappointed... I really missed you too, hon".

For Donnie, who has a sensual, romantic nature, it was enough to kiss her as soon as possible, and, fortunately for him, she began to reach out to him, pressing her lips to his own.

<3