Notice how there are only three toothbrushes... I wonder where the fourth went 👀
Got this idea while on the city bus. It was supposed to be a simple sketch, and then it got outta hand. But you can't tell me I'm wrong. If mikey died, they would all be in SHAMBLES.
Making an AU, maybe a fic to go with it not sure. its called "Wanna Be A Man, Then Fight." WBAMTF for short and for the tag.
I'll go into massive detail later, but bassically to sum it up; what if raph, donnie, and mikey all got kidnapped and sent to a battle arena and were forced to fight and kill, and raph as to become the older brother he dosent wanna be while leo and april try to find them.
thought i should draw somthing for you, since youve been doing so much writing and all ❤
i know i forgot their belts. am i going to claim it's an artistic choice? Yes. is it?... no
rant under the cut about how good ur fic is
I cant even put into words how much i love this fanfic. Its a work of art that deserves to be put into a museum for people to read for decades on. The way the characters act and out accurate you get the characters reactions to be so real and in character is so impressive.
for example the way you freakin write Raph is honestly unmatched, like I cannot even put into words how much I love your version of him, you don’t just stick to the surface stuff like his temper or the whole big brother tough guy thing, you dig into his frustrations and insecurities and the way he feels so deeply but struggles to show it, and it feels SO authentic, like every single time you write him I’m like “yes THAT’S RAPH” and it blows my mind every time, you make his frustration relatable instead of just explosive and I swear it’s the most accurate portrayal of him I’ve ever read, it really feels like you’re channeling him, like you’ve studied every tiny nuance from Mutant Mayhem and then taken it further to show sides of him we never get to see but it still feels so canon, like I can literally hear his voice in my head while I’m reading,
I genuinely don’t understand how you do it, like HOW are you this consistent and detailed and emotionally impactful all at once, it’s actually insane, I keep having to pause and reread because certain lines just punch me in the chest, my favorite moments are hands down when you write Raph’s panic attacks, and not because I want to see poor Raphie in pain omg my heart always aches for him, but because of how real you make them feel, like it’s not dramatized or fake, it’s the spiraling thoughts, the physical sensations, the way he tries to hold it together but then can’t, and the quiet fragile moment after when he finally lets himself fall apart, it’s so vivid I feel like I’m right there with him and it actually makes me tear up sometimes,
and the thing is it’s rare to see panic attacks written with that much care and accuracy in fic, especially for a character like Raph who people so often flatten into just “the angry one,” but you give him so much depth, you give him softness and vulnerability while still keeping him in character, and you make his strength shine in a different way, not just in fights but in the fact that he keeps going even through the hard stuff, and then you tie those moments back into the story so beautifully, like it’s not just a scene of pain, it’s about how it shapes him and his relationships with his brothers and his view of himself, and it’s SO GOOD I cannot deal,
your writing literally elevates Reciprocity into something beyond fanfic, it feels like a love letter to Raph’s character, it’s powerful and tender and heartbreaking and hopeful all at once, every chapter leaves me floored, like actually jaw dropped and clutching my face, I don’t know how you manage to balance action, emotion, and character study so perfectly but you DO, and I am just so so so grateful for it,
like seriously thank you for writing him this way, thank you for making him feel seen and understood, and thank you for sharing this story with us, it’s one of those fics that sticks in my brain and in my heart long after I’ve finished reading and I know I’ll keep coming back to it again and again because it’s just THAT special,
DPFOEORKWJFIJWFN AHHH I LOVE THIS FIC AND I LOVE YOUR RAPH SO MUCH
AND WHENEVER WE SEE LEO IT BREAKS ME because you show Leo struggling so much while he’s away from his brothers, and it makes every scene with him ache. He wants to be the leader, he wants to be strong, but the separation leaves him questioning if he’s even worthy of the role when he’s not right by their side. I love how you weave in his humor and one-liners even when he’s falling apart inside, because that’s so Leo, trying to cover up the cracks with a smile. His doubts and his loneliness feel so raw, and when he thinks about his family back home, you can feel how much he misses them in every word. It’s like you’ve captured the exact balance of cocky, charming Leo and the vulnerable side he hides away, and it makes him one of the most heartbreaking characters to follow.
BROOOO AND YOUR DONNIE IS FUCKING AMAZING because you show both the genius mind and the brother underneath it. He’s sarcastic and sharp, his snark always makes me laugh, but then you’ll hit with a moment where his walls slip and it hurts so much. The way you show him quietly adjusting to Raph being the older brother now is such a small detail but it makes a huge impact, because you can feel how much he misses Leo and how much he hates that hes Gone.
At this point I'm going over all the characters, Mikey’s writing in Reciprocity is everything, because you keep his warmth and brightness but you also give him so much depth. He’s the sunshine of the group, always lifting everyone up, but you make it clear that he feels the weight of Leo being gone and the shift of looking to Raph as the big brother now. The way you write him comforting his brothers, especially in their darker moments, makes my heart swell, but the parts that destroy me are when his own mask slips and we see that he’s scared and hurting too. He’s not naive, he knows how heavy it all is, and you show how brave he is by choosing to still be the light anyway. Every Mikey moment is a mix of joy and heartbreak and it makes him so real.
Splinter is one of my favorite portrayals because you don’t gloss over his mistakes, you show his flaws and the distance he created, but you also make it clear how deeply he loves his sons. Watching him try, fail, and then try again to help raph, and then how he starts being stern because of how raph acts is just absolute Cinema. What I love most is how you write him as an active part of their lives rather than a background figure, because it makes the family dynamic feel so much richer and more emotional.
And then there’s Casey, who you’ve written into mutant mayhem with so much care that he feels like he’s always belonged there, and considering that Casey isn't even official character yet and you made your own version is so impressive. love how you show his loyalty and determination to understand raph. Dude his dynamic with Raph especially stands out. their friendship means the world to me because its so funny to see them interact (LIKE THAT SCENE WERE RAPH HES ALL CASEYS SKITTLES, OR M&MS I FORGET), but underneath there’s this quiet bond of trust. Casey’s grit and humor bring such a unique energy into the story, and I love that you let him shine. He feels like the perfect addition, and every time he shows up it makes me grin because I know it’s going to be good.
do i expect you to read this? no, of course not. am i gonna write it anyway? yes. yes i am.
