Leo - Blog Posts

My reactions after reading this

Makes me think of a poem from a friend actually🤔

Vent piece, AU, Rise Leo, Angst

It’s cold in here. Even in pants, sneakers, and a hoodie, the chill of the planetarium still eats at him a little. He’s okay with it, though. It’s not quite enough for brumation, which is the important part. He doesn’t need to completely lose track of everything. He just needs… peace.

And, as he lies across the floor while staring up at the star-covered ceiling, he’s sure he’s found it. He’s certain that, if only for a moment or two, he is finally allowed to rest. Finally able to think of something else than his work, his constant running around, his never-ending parade of personas. Hell, he can almost feel himself drift into nothingness as the light music he hears cradles him to near sleep.

It's always nice, always comfortable, always –

He blinks as he hears rustling. Someone sits in a chair in front of where he’s lying on the floor. And while he wants to call it an accident, his nostrils tell him it's not.

The scent of subtle soap and warm skin. The rustle of pants as legs are crossed and brought apart again. The chair squeaks at the attempt to settle in it, but nervousness is keeping its current occupant from getting comfortable.

He wishes he could say the same. Unfortunately, the cold has a good grip on him and while he’s not brumating, he definitely feels sluggish.

Not that you’ll attack him. You have no way to defend yourself save for a can of pepper spray — the thing smells absolutely vile — and from the presentations he’s seen you give, you don’t have a mean bone in your body, which just… helps.

“Want to stay for the video?”

The thing that impresses him is the way you’ve just… made this look as casual as possible while letting him know several things.

One, you know he’s there. How you caught him when he always takes for the grates the second you have a new group is a mystery — there’s hours, a schedule, and he’s got it all down — but you did. Second, you’ve known for a while. The lack of inflection in your tone indicates experience and redefines your nervousness as one of casual approach. Three, … he just wants to turn his brain off. He wishes he couldn’t understand or care about how an employee knows about his presence and hasn’t called the authorities yet. He knows he could deal with them, certainly if he were a little warmer, but this? This goddamn circus? He’s here to get off work, not…

He sighs. Shuffles. He owes you an answer. He just…

“Knock on the back of my seat for a yes.”

He looks up, away from the stars to you. Your back is facing him, then again he’s in a weird position that puts his head near the seat. He could say nothing, not even knock and watch you squirm. He could crack a joke, say something that might make you laugh or groan as he attempts socializing.

But right now… he just can’t be assed.

He reaches up and knocks against the plastic. You just say thank you and stay there for a bit longer before you get up to rummage for something near the projector. There’s shuffling in the chair you were just seated in before he hears you take off for the doors.

Time for the next group. He wonders if he should stay. If he should do what he usually does and skedaddle before anyone notices there’s a bum on the floor. But when everyone steers clear of the seat, therefore him, he has to wonder what’s going on. What you did to manage it so that, when the lights fade out and he hears rustling, he knows it’s you.

You don’t speak. The video is a speaking one after all. It does make him wonder, though. Even long after the video’s done and he’s left to stare at the stars again, he wonders what just happened and if he should care. He’s not complaining, though, not after getting to finally see the visuals, albeit from an interesting angle.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It doesn’t stop him from returning, either.

It’s been a week. He’s debated whether or not it’s worth risking his neck, his family’s neck over someone knowing he’s using the planetarium as his way to relax. He’s wondered if he shouldn’t tell the fam, or at least his little brother, to make sure it’s safe.

But that would mean letting everyone know. That would mean having to deal with that mess and he honestly… doesn’t want to.

He's tired. He’s done. His brothers, even his dad, have completely drained him dry of anything he could remotely care about. So he goes without hesitating.

He navigates lunch hour and watches the shift change. He flinches as your loud coworker laughs and jokes, reminding him of himself in the most obnoxious way. So much so that he half-wants to punch them for being so annoying. He waits on the floor instead, though, and is grateful when you join him the second they leave, leaving him to knock on your chair.

This behavior is more befitting his twin. He doesn’t care.

“Sorry for that. For what it's worth, the next group should all be teenagers, so no crying children.”

He knows. Presentation hours are for classes. Field trips. And while you don’t necessarily struggle during them, depending on the class, it can get disgustingly loud. Even when teenagers are involved.

He knocks on the chair again. You laugh a little before sighing, “I’m sorry I have to ask you to go. I am getting a break later on, though. If you want to stick around until then, I’ll be happy to show you some interesting features.”

And the tridactyl hand he’s been using to knock on your seat grips his hoodie as he thinks, debates.

He shouldn’t. It’s dangerous. No matter how innocent you are, the mere knowledge of who he is could ruin your existence and his. He’s not here to make friends.

… But the company is nice.

His hand hesitates for a second longer before he knocks. You then hush him away and he goes to the vent where he watches you work and barely get to breathe when you get two classes back to back. And he quietly lets himself in after all the hubbub, laying on the floor as you sit with a breath into the chair he knocks on.

The fact that it gets him a chuckle almost makes him smile. The fact that hears you tap the seat next to you worries him.

“Come on. Best seat in the house,” you tell him, though, and while it doesn’t convince him, it does make him move, make him join you even as the seat creaks under his weight. It has him making sure that you can’t see his face or his hands as he sits next to you. Not that you seem to care, though, as your eyes are fixed on the ceiling and your hands fiddle with a small contraption you immediately bring forward and click on once he’s there.

The lights turn off. The domed ceiling goes from evening to night, showing the stars. And, with another click, lines start drawing themselves across the artificial sky, connecting the stars into groups and images slowly appear, making him blink.

Constellations. He’s heard you talking about those. But thanks to the light pollution, the most he’s been able to spot are the brightest stars and, if he’s lucky, the Summer Triangle. Now, he’s finally able to see them.

He almost gets up. He doesn’t. The moment feels too sacred to break. You seem to notice the shift, though, as he can hear you smile when you speak.

“This is the Greek one, which was eventually taken over by the Romans. There are more, though. The Babylonians had an incredible star chart they left behind, explaining what they saw and why it was important to them. The Mayans had one also, and it's been suggested that other Central American cultures might have either used the same map or had their own variations to it. The most interesting one, though, is the Asian one. Western influence was scarce, so their system works very differently even today."

… Ah. He gets it, now. It's almost funny, too, and enough to make him smile. Make almost reach out in the hopes that you understand that you either don't need to share or that he's grateful. He can't do either, though. No matter how much the world wants to think that there's space for everyone, the fact that he's underground, that the Hidden City exists tells him otherwise. He can't let himself do anything but speak, and breaking the silence feels like blasphemy.

"… Thank you."

He still does it, though. Not for his sake but yours. You need to know he appreciates it, even if some of it is going completely over his head.

"No problem."

Because it's worth the softness that invades your tone. Even if it requires more effort than he has energy for, the payoff gives him just a little more than he thought he'd be given. And he likes that. God, does he.

"Anything you want to see?"

"The star map without the images?"

Because if this is all it takes to get this to work as you click and the images disappear, then he's more than willing to try.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, winter does not seem to agree.

Brumation becomes a problem. His hoodie is no longer enough, but wearing anything else might hinder his movements in the vents. He can't afford to lose the agility, but he knows that, if he's not careful, he might knock out.

Something you seem to notice as well.

Within a month of winter starting, he finds a blanket waiting outside the vent. His careful thanks only get him even more wrapped inside the surprisingly thin yet cozy fleece blanket as you fuss over him while never once looking up as he's asked you to. It doesn't help that every time, you simply smile after he tells you that he's comfortable, tapping a hand against his plastron.

"Good. Wouldn't want you to pass out."

Which only reminds him of what he's doing and how… he's treating this entire relationship.

No doubt you're getting bored. Annoyed, even. Not that you've told him as such and he doubts he'd ever hear you complain, but he doesn't think he's being fair in any way, certainly considering that he's been keeping this up for weeks.

He doesn't hate you. He hopes you know that. It's just… he comes here when everything is just too much. And you pampering him… is just part of it, now.

"Hold?"

"Yeah."

You joining him on the floor between presentations as he buries his face into your side. Him whimpering, trying not to chirp or do anything that would sound remotely strange as he lets you talk about whatever planet has caught your attention or whatever paper you're working on this week. And you chuckling, even laughing sometimes as he does or tries to either give you advice or ignore you. It's all part of the thing that makes him feel a little better, a little stronger by the time he leaves. It's all part of something that makes him feel safe even if he barely says anything.

Because by the time he gets to you, there's nothing left for him to give.

The silence as his eyes burn almost deafens him. He feels you move and almost refuses to let you get away only to realize he's too weak, too slow thanks to the cold to hold onto anything. The cold, the sluggishness he'd fought so hard to find becomes his enemy as you disappear and reappear to help him up and out the doors, your blanket covering him up like a cloak to cover his face. And it's not any better when he steps outside and winter stakes its claim on him and the only thing he can concentrate on is your voice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The amount of research you have to ingest in the following hours is insane. You figured something of the sort was going to happen, certainly with how closed off he was being, but you'd hoped to avoid any catastrophe involving your new friend.

Alas, from the way he behaves, you should have called this. From his self-destructive behavior, you should have known that he would drive himself to hypothermia, leaving you to figure out how to sort this mess. And that unfortunately means no more secrets.

… You think it's hypothermia. When you see the green skin and the three-fingered hands, you're no longer sure. Certainly when he's not shivering and the only thing that helps are the red crescents near his eyes and under his blue mask.

Blue mask… Where the hell is he from? And does it matter when this is probably going to ruin your relationship? He thrives on secrets and you… Well, you just ruined a whole lot of that trying to save his life after he broke, didn't you?

Either way, he's safe. He'll be alright in a few hours. He just needs to get to a decent body temperature, which he is safely getting to while bundled up in your bed. He seems to have an internal body temperature, after all, just… one lower than yours.

Part of you worries as you try not to hover. The other knows better and simply keeps you busy with making dinner, and you can't be happier with the meal you chose as you let the pea soup simmer. You work on making something warm to drink along with it, too, hoping that he'll be okay with some Chai.

Then again, after an hour, you wonder if he'll be alright in general as you dare enter the room with the food and drink on a tray.

You can hear him breathing. That's much, much better than earlier. The fact that he doesn't really acknowledge you doesn't surprise you, either. If anything, the fact that he's looking at you as you set the tray down is the biggest anomaly. He doesn't follow you. He has too little energy to even begin caring, which you can't blame him for. So this — this is new. And concerning when he doesn't sit up upon seeing the food.

Guilt? A need to hide? The mask and the fact that you've never seen anything of him until now tell you it's the latter. He might not have had any energy, but he did keep you from something, likely only draining him further. It's why you hadn't fought him when he'd asked for your presence on the floor. He needs it, craves a presence he doesn't have to explain everything to. And you have been for the past three months. Something you find absolutely heartbreaking.

"I made some soup and chai. Hope you like it."

And more heartbreaking still is the way he grabs your wrist as you attempt to leave.

You turn to him. Let him pull at your wrist and have you sit on the edge of the bed. He does not let go, though, instead nearing you and settling against your back, curling up there with his shell to the door.

Even if he didn't refuse your offer of getting on your lap before you sit on your bed so that he can, you know it's for protection. It's not the first time he does it, either, even if it's completely unconscious. He cares. More than he lets you or anyone else know. And you're almost willing to bet that's what's breaking him.

He loves. He's just… so tied up in whatever else he has to do that it's not showing properly.

You carefully, sweetly touch his head, something he welcomes with a stretch of the neck and a quiet whimper. You smile as he relaxes, using your lap as a resting spot, and tears no longer in his eyes. He doesn't sleep, not quite, but he chirps, trills, and nudges your hand if you so much as stop petting him. Like a cat, he refuses to let you go until he's had his fill and you're honestly very much fine with it, certainly when, after enough coaxing, you manage to get him to sit and eat.

In fact, the only thing that bothers you is his phone the second it starts ringing, prompting you to fiddle with his hoodie and collect the phone to see who it is.

Another turtle. This one red and massive. Raph is the name on screen. Doesn't stop you from wanting to throw the phone across the room or shutting it down before you resume feeding and petting the one you know to be a slider.

They're supposed to be tolerant to cold. Resistant to brumation. You wonder how badly he's been worn down for this to happen. You also hate the fact that it's making you feel almost violently protective to the point where you want to lash out at the other turtle for treating your friend like this.

… Maybe you should have taken that call. Just to know his name. Then again, you don't want to ruin the trust between the both of you, no matter how little there is. He is at his weakest and he doesn't need to be tested further.

"You think you're up for a warm bath now that you've eaten?"

Besides, from the nod you feel against your shoulder, you have other ways to communicate with him.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

He doesn’t fight you. He doesn’t do much of anything, actually, as you scrub him clean. He only blinks at you like he’s seeing you for the first time once you’re done. He only lets you help him out of the bath and halfway back to your room when his hand lets go of yours and he — he looks away as if caught doing something, being somewhere he shouldn’t be.

“Where — where’s my stuff?”

And you realize why very quickly.

“Your clothes are in the bathroom and your phone is in my bedroom.”

“… Did I… get a call?”

“You did. From someone called Raph. I didn’t pick up.”

He’s awake. He’s coherent. His brain has finally caught up.

“… I have to go.”

And his thoughts and words hurt more than you’re comfortable with.

“Go get your clothes, then. I’ll go grab your phone.”

He looks at you with doubt, but turns around and heads back. You enter your bedroom and collect the blue jacketed phone before walking back to the bathroom where the slider is slipping on his hoodie, having already worked through his pants. You set said phone on the sink where he can see it as he works on his shoes next, unsurprised to hear him soon babbling to someone about trackers and getting someone off his ass for something. What surprises you is the tone. It’s animated, filled with a dramatic drawl and flair you had yet to hear from the slider. It’s nothing like you’ve heard, and it makes you realize just why he’s so drained, certainly when you hear “big bro” from his lips.

You cover your mouth. Your eyes burn. He ends the call and leaves your bathroom before anything else can happen, though and, just from the smile that meets you, you know you can’t cry.

“I’m afraid I gotta go. Someone’s breathing down my neck and might break the building if I don’t get going.”

There’s no point in it, after all.

“I’m… sorry I kept you.”

“You’re fine, sweetheart. Things just happen you know?”

“I guess. Do you –?”

“I know my way out. No worries.”

You’ve already lost him.

He gets to your living room where he takes to your window instead of your door. You feel your face hurt as you watch him expertly jump onto the sill.

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

“Will I see you again?”

And it near contorts in pain as you watch his face, his persona break for a second, an instant in which you get your answer.

No. You won’t. You will never ever see the slider again. He’s no longer safe with you, and it has nothing to do with you.

“We’ll see.”

You watch him jump away. You feel your heart break. And you wonder if you could have done anything differently… while knowing there was never another option.

Pretty Random Turtle Thunks: Baby Clothes

Scenario: You’ve just handed said Rise Aged Up Turtle a tiny baby outfit. Whether your child, a niece, nephew, sibling or just some infant you saved from the streets, just know there is now an itty bitty baby human within your general vicinity you are now taking care of

*Rating: Milk🥛(aka for anybody)*

Raph🧸❤️: Tears. Just. So. Many. Tears. Makes Niagara Falls look like a trickle. This man is literally loosing it, hand over mouth can’t stop staring at the ridiculously tiny piece of fabric in his hand. It’s barely the size of his fingers.

…Sweet Pizza Supreme in the Sky…

ItS BaReLy ThE sIzE oF hIs FinGeRs.

You find him hunkered down in his room immediately after the news, surrounded by the remains of over a dozen, half started knitting projects, tears still on his face as he tries to fathom the very idea that something can be that small.

He’s been trying to knit the perfect baby blanket, but his anxieties start to take over every time he starts over. He worries the material is gonna itch the baby’s skin. Is the baby gonna suffocate if the stitches are too tight? Will the baby drown in fabric if he makes it too big? Will the baby get too cold if it isn’t big enough? etc etc etc…

You’re gonna have to talk him down a little bit because he’s gonna work himself into a frenzy getting ready for the baby.

Donnie🤔🟪: Just looks at said article of clothing. Looks back up at you, face slightly pinching in confusion, then back at the outfit. Cue a slow curious thumbing of the fabric. Slow blink. Body suddenly freezes. Eyes comically begin to grow wide. (Give him a second, give him a second; he’s computing) Before his head suddenly snaps back up to stare at you and then almost frantically back down at the garment as the realization hits. There’s no outwardly facial reaction, but the tell tale sign is that his hand fumbles for his goggles as suddenly he’s going full inspection mode.

You are more or less not surprised when the article is met with immediate disdain.

Cue Donnie spending hours researching the best materials for baby clothes. They’re going to be 100% organic and made of the softest and most sterile fabrics he can find. And if he can’t find any brands that suit his high class fancy, well he’ll just design a machine to do the job himself. He’s not the founder of Genius Tech for nothing.

This small infant will be associated with HIM of all people and a such deserves nothing but the highest quality. The best of the best for the best. Obviously.

Your child will be the most finely dressed child of the century after being in the hands of Donnie for more than 5 seconds. There will be a fashion show. Period. Being a baby never looked this good. 

Leo✨💠: Realization that slowly unfurls like a blossom in the morning sun. This turtles face is so bright with excitement when it finally clicks that he literally becomes the sun for like solid minute it’s just that big. However that smile immediately folds into that signature cat smirk that warns of nothing but impending deviousness.

Your child is in trouble, for it now lies in the hands of an evil mastermind, hell bent on causing tomfoolery that will last through out the generations to follow.

He’s always wanted to leave a legacy, and he will seize this moment and milk for all its worth. 

All the dad jokes. All of the horrible groan-inducing, eye-rolling, awful puns. All the stupid slapstick, low brow kind of humor are now practically plastered to your child’s clothing. He thinks he’s the funniest person alive and will do everything his power to infect said child with the same vein of humor.

Also, be warned of leaving your child alone with this man, because if left to his devices for too long, you will receive an unfathomable amount of memes and edited baby photos of your child and Leo in hilarious re-enactments scenes.  

Mikey🎨🧡: Pretty sure a missile just went off Because the squeal of excitement that erupted from this turtle was the only warning you got, before you were all but tackled in a hug like a rugby player, pretty much burst not only the sound barrier but your ear drums as well.

There! Is! So! Much! Excitement!

It. Can. Not. Be. CoNtAiNeD!!!!

It’s literally oozing out of him and man practically reverts into a child himself as the foundation of curiosity is exploded, and you are all but drowned in a relentlessly loving sea of questions. He wants to know EVERYTHING. All the time! Because he just - he just -he just can’t wait! All this time to prepare for another little bundle of joy!  It jumpstarts his creative spark in a way you have NEVER seen before. He now spends his time religiously spent in three locations: locked in close and glued to your hip, a culinary cabaret in which you are very much the honored guest who just has to taste test his newest recipe (your taste buds have never been this happy) or in his art studio working on just one more thing for the baby.

He’s designed his own baby clothes, painted more than enough scenes for multiple nurseries to be completely filled, and even written a couple of his own baby adventure comic books that he is just dying to read the awaited little one.

He’s beyond ecstatic at the thought that there’s now something tinier than him that he can help take care of and love. 

Bottom line: Both you and your baby are about to be welcomed into the arms of the most excited and loving family you will ever have the privilege of knowing. Just…good luck trying to get their arms off of you. Because they will never and I mean EVER let either one of you go. That is both their threat and their promise!

Shout out to the besties who proofread @anobodyinabog and @saspas-corner 🧡

As well as the ever incredible @avery73 (hope it’s ok to tag you in this, but I just realized that I lowkey based my turtle thunks after reading yours, and I wanted to give you the credit. Thought you might enjoy?)

gURL-

The Many Faces of the Face Man Part 2

Ooooooh, @marchaprilmayhem, you have no idea what you've just hit upon. You have no idea what can of worms you've just opened.

Before addressing any of this, I would like to say that Donnie, Mikey, and Raph have their own things. They all have their own specialty, a way to provide that is uniquely theirs.

Donnie is the genius. The utilitarian. The biggest provider to the point that if you take him out, they don't have a home. As stated here, Donatello was working at a very, very young age, to the point that it's how he defines himself. Hell, the fact that he feels comfortable to do this:

Says a lot about his character and the relationship they have with their dad.

Raph is the leader in this iteration along with the muscle. He's the defender, the protector, the older brother. He's the actual father and he's trying his best.

Mikey, on the other hand, is the artist, the cook. He's the one who feeds them all. You can't tell me that this isn't an indication of what Mikey does all while being silly.

My point? They're all useful. Specialized. No matter how little they think of themselves (especially Donnie with the fact that he might render himself obsolete with his machinery or that mystic powers might make his tech, therefore him useless, but that'll be a talk for another time.)

So where does that put Leo? Leo who is not a specialist, but a jack of all trades that can never outshine his brothers in any of their specialties?

NOWHERE.

Look at the Rise series again and ask yourself this question. When does Leo ever have anything for himself? When does the boy in blue ever have anything going for him? Lou Jitsu? That's a family thing, his dad's thing that he wants so badly to emulate because he wants to belong. Jupiter Jim? Not even. He might be the biggest fan in his family, but it's still something he shares. The only thing that's all his is magic and illusion and his family, Raph specifically, ridicules him twice in the same episode.

RAPH: *Takes ticket from Leo's hand* "I never seen Leo this excited for a book so it must be something, or it would be stupid so we can make fun of him. Either way, Win-Win! Let's get ready."

-xxx-

RAPH: "Alright, let's return those journals. You got 'em, right Leo?"

LEO: "Yes, right already returned them safe and sound in the vault, let's go home."

RAPH: "Leo...what are you doing?"

LEO: "I wasn't gonna read them, I just wanna keep’ em, and maybe snuggle them a little bit."

-xxx-

Leo has nothing going for him. He is useless. His specialty in strategizing? It provides nothing. No matter how much time he passes honing it, it's not directly useful, so he can't do anything. (I am not counting the fact that so many people, including myself, view Leo as the medic of the team.) So what does he do? He keeps quiet. He sometimes interjects with responsible thoughts (The blinds line coming from Leo of all people has significance, not to mention this:

LEO: "Any votes for staying home during the anti-mutant Panic? No? Okay, let's go!"

So, what's left? The cocky mess we see and something that I think gets forgotten all too easily.

Leo doesn't just hype his brothers up. He knows them. Inside and, if you want to take the medic approach, out. He is the best in position to take the lead and make sure his family always gets home safe.

But he is so undervalued, so underplayed that when he is finally given that ounce of recognition...

He panics.

Splinter recognizes Leo's potential? Yes. But, at this point, Leo has long accepted he isn't worth anything. The recognition comes far too late and Leo doesn't want the responsibility without realizing that he already has partially shouldered it through years of learning how to read his brothers and knowing how they behave to best hype them up. I would even dare to say that Leo is the one who values his family the most, if only because he knows what being undervalued feels like.

In short? Yes, Leo has learned to make his mind work that fast. He had to. Else he would have left a long, long time ago.

taglist:

@silverwatergalaxy

@thegirlwiththeninjaturtletattoos

@thelaundrybitch

@luckycharms1701

@thepinkpanther83

@avery73

@the-cauldron-witch

@redsrooftopprincess

@iridescentflamingo

@ninnosaurus

Holds this so very very gently.

I-I…don’t really have words…but…

Sweet Mercy this struck me, especially the lyrics of the second song. If anybody knows what it’s called I’d be forever grateful

https://youtu.be/WrsOnEEKINE?si=nMFqTOFrkpt3Ccwn

Ok so I don’t normally do this but I just found the coolest YouTube channel with stunning art and animatics for rottmnt, I cannot recommend watching them enough they are so cool!!! And super underrated!!! At the time of writing this some of their videos have as little as 80 likes and 3 comments, please go show them some love if you can!!

✨IMMEDIATE REBLOG✨

I can’t tell you the squee of absolute joy that escaped me when I saw this like DANG SIS!

How in earth did you draw that so fast?!? And capture the mood so perfectly?!

Like I don’t even have the words, so please take my humble keyboard smash as appreciation.

*clears throat*Ahem: hcoencheiamfuwjagdyaodjfo

*comes skidding into your inbox with a pant*

okokokokokok ok

Sorry to bug ya again but Protective Casey vs Leo has been rotating in my head all day and I can’t stop giggling at it.

Hear me out:

So Red Eared Sliders will rapidly tap the face of another turtle that they’re A) Trying to Mate with or B) Trying to assert dominance against

And I can’t get the idea that the turtle part of Leo’s brain yelling at him to fight the smol child (Casey Jr.) who keeps challenging him for the affections of his mate (Ana)

Leo’s like “I’m not about to throw hands with a toddler, I am full grown adult that would never slink to such childish tactics”

And then one day Ana turns around and find Leo and Casey going at it like this

AnYhOo, feel free to tell me to scram but thought this was funny and wanted to share with the class!

I think it says a lot that I myself have been giggling the entire time while drawing this-

LOVE IT DFPISDOPFSDOPF[SDIF

Today on is my brain finally going to let me write, we have scent headcanons. I just got tagged by @thegirlwiththeninjaturtletattoos on a post that I honestly mostly agree with save for one thing.

Donnie would probably create some colognes and perfumes for Genius Built Apparel, but he would not be the maker of them. Who would? Leo. Why?

This.

Praise to StarKiss for seeing and catching this, because this made it incredibly interesting in finding something that would agree with little boy blue's sensitivities, especially when it comes to soap because you better believe Leonardo Hamato would want to smell like something after a shower.

Because what is Leo without his eccentricities?

So, either Leo starts looking for some brands outside of the usual range or he makes his own which I don't think he'd go with, not immediately, at least.

However, knowing Donnie and his desire to get a proper fashion label going, he would struggle in making some nice colognes and perfumes. Struggle, that is, until the day Leo walks in on Donnie working on one and starts critiquing the smell. And while I fully expect Donnie to get upset, he would have to concede after he fixes the formula and it works.

From there, pretty sure Leo helps his twin every time he makes colognes or perfumes. Probably even wears the ones he particularly likes himself. So Leo's scent profile would change pretty regularly, although I'm sure it would keep the same woodsy base.

AKA the Apocalyptic version of “WhY iS iT sPicY?!”

Replica wip! When you're excited to taste the first snowflake of winter, but it's actually just ash from your brother's giant explosion. D:

Sorry I’ve been a little quiet. Been working hard on Replica and dealing with plenty of social obligations but it’s coming along! So excited to finally finish this and get back onto the main storyline though I will miss these boys.

Settled

This is a little somethin somethin inspired after this post by @mrabubu. Happy Really Late Birthday?

ANyHoO please listen to this song to set the mood

”So that's what I want to give them, as many forms of softness as I can.

Because everyone should have a little softness in their lives.

Including you, anon-chan.

And even if it has to be secret, even if it's just between you and four walls, I hope you do find some time to be soft.” ~ @luckycharms1701

Cookies and Cream Rating: 16+ and up please 🙏🏼

Settled

One of the things you don’t think you would ever get used to about living in these underground bunkers was just how cold it could get.

A constant temp of 50 something degrees in the summer. Or well…what used to be called summer. With the Kraang invasion and what not, the stupid aliens messed with your seasons in their attempt to make the Earth atmosphere more like their heralded “Dimension X.”

It wasn’t the only thing the stupid pink buggers had messed with besides the obvious glaring fact that they were attempting mass Earthen genocide and planetary colonization and what not.

No, the Kraang had a nasty habit of being unfairly unpredictable. Which made sense because they were, you know, aLiEnS. Aliens who had no need of following humans preferred sense of having at least SOME semblance of structure. 

That unpredictability was causing its fair share of grief across the entire Resistance. Aliens, you had decided, had certainly lost their “awe factor”  the minute they started to decimate the planet and permanently engrain “Raph Chasms” on every single face you passed.

A heavy disgruntled sigh escaped you at that thought, one face in particular coming to your concerned mind. A face who’s brow was often furrowed with the weight of said Kraang unpredictability.

One face that you had not seen all day even though he had promised to come to bed earlier just once he had finished planning for an upcoming Kraag ambush he was leading. 

He had promised you that. 7. Hours. Ago. 

You hated that that had become his norm of late. Granted, you knew that he had always struggled with insomnia, but usually if you smiled at him just right and caught him sitting down, you could get him to snuggle in close and at least take a nap. 

Now though? You weren’t sure the last time you had even seen him with his eyes closed for more than a minute or two. It was almost to the point that his sleep hours were rivaling Donnie’s due to how miniscule and spaced out they were. It was starting to worry you. Even more so than usual. 

You let out a soft hum of thought at that and shifted your feet in the direction of where you had left him last. Looks like desperate times really did call for desperate measures.

So with a plan of action once again set into play, you just shook your head wearily, tightened the worn blanket around your shoulders as your shield against the chilly bunker air, and marched off to find your stubbornly still awake man.  

After wandering the ever puzzling interlocking halls and bunkers, you finally found him exactly where you had left him: stone faced with that ever deepening Raph Chasm on his brow with his gaze hyper-focused on the paperwork laid out in a heap in front of him.

His hand anxiously rubbed his chin, one that you had absently noticed that he had grown into rather nicely through out the years. While he forever seemed to face each day with his “devil may care” kind of attitude, you could see the way his eyes constantly flicked around. His movements only emphasizing the fact as he seemed more…agitated than usual, lacking that oh so signature lithe agility that always seemed to accompany him. 

You stepped up to the doorway frame, a small frown pursing your lips as you watched him mutter to himself, pacing around the table in thought as though his nerves would never let him settle. Resting your shoulder against the frame of the doorway as a support, you wrapped the blanket more snugly around your shoulders, pulling the fabric in a slowly tightening fist as you watched Leo with an ever deepening “Raph Chasm” of your own. 

Ever vigilante, always watching, ever the ninja lying in wait. It was only in these small private moments when you could see the facade of bravado fall and the religiously clandestine truth finally rise to the surface. 

It was a truth. A statement of unchanging fact that was never to be eroded with time.

Leo never settled.

He really was never one to stay still. A line used from an old videogame you used to play, would often come to mind when you watched him pace like this: “The Endless Spirit of Timeless Unrest” or however it went.

Part of you wondered if this…ansgty unrest… was because he genuinely cared for these missions. Or if it was more of some desperate attempt to try and redeem himself for what he considered was his unforgivable sin.

Yes, Leo never settled. 

Well…at least until now. 

You smirked softly at that thought and adjusted in the doorway, taking a step forward as you softly called out.

“Leo.”

Hm. Nothing.

“Leo.”

Still nada. He had moved at least, this time his hands coming to brace either side of the table as he all but hunched over the strategy plans like some geriatric gargoyle. 

“Leonardo Hamato.”

Interesting. Even the full name had no response. Leo must really have been in the zone if not even the full seven syllables could grasp his attention. This was more serious than you thought. Looks like it was time to pull out the big guns.

“Oh Husband~...”

Leo’s head shot up at the gentle croon of your voice with a speed that you could have sworn would have popped a blood vessel, his eyes immediately zoning in on you in the doorway.

He snapped to attention, immediately stretching to his full height as his body went tense at the perceived danger at the sound of your voice. Your eyes immediately followed the movement, watching as the body of intimidation, the weapon of the “Greatest Ninja in the World” literally rose in front of you.

You would never breathe a word of it, never in a million years, but such a look directed at you from Leo always made you feel like a chicken being circled by a fox.

Something of a dance of death, a toying tease as you awaited with baited breath for the inevitable strike. It was only for a moment, it was always only just for a moment, but it admittedly would make you freeze, have your stomach clenching, at the intense look in his eye.

You knew Leo would never hurt you. Well, at least not until recognition flicked across his gaze. 

He just stared at you with that ever impenetrable gaze before shifting into his more familiar dastardly delicious, one sided, smirk that forever seemed plastered onto his face. Except this time, the smirk was a little bit more sheepish, looking the picture of a naughty child with their hand stuck in the proverbial cookie jar. 

Leo was caught. You knew it. He knew it. And he knew that now you were here, there was no chance of getting out of it. 

So Leo did what Leo always does, turned on that signature “Face Man Charm”  to try and slip out of trouble. In a voice that just happened to be a little bit lower and perchance a hint more sensual than normal, Leo all but purred out, ”Oh hey~ Didn’t see you there. What’s up?”

Your eyebrow quirked up at the sound of the attempted burr in his voice, and you couldn’t help but shake your head with an amused roll of your eyes. Keeping the blanket wrapped snugly around your shoulders, you pushed yourself off from the door frame and sauntered forward till you reached Leo’s side. Placing one hand on your hip, you looked up at him with a soft smirk and quipped off a dry reply, “Obviously. What’s up is you apparently. Do you have any idea how late it is?”

Leo blinked owlishly at you for a moment before he let out a very confident, “Uhhhhh…n-no?” 

The flat look you shot at him at his very convincing reply, had him wincing slightly. Your arms came up to fold exasperatedly around you with a small cock of your hip. Leo’s eyes flicked to your body with the motion, and he wouldn't meet your eye, choosing to instead shoot you another sheepish smile and nervously rub the back of his neck. When he saw that you were not having it, Leo’s smile dropped, and he held both of his hands up placating with a heavy sigh.

“Look, you don’t even need to say anything. I know. I know I promised, I’m sorry Love, but I just really need to have this all hammered out before-”

“Abepbep, let me stop you right there, Cowboy.”  

You didn’t even let Leo finish before you raised a hand to cut him off, pressing your fingers against his lips. The motion obviously surprised Leo, all with the face touching, being a red-eared-slider and what not, effectively shutting him up for the time being. You tried to bite back a smirk at the thought of using Leo’s own biological behaviors against him to assert dominance in the moment, but hey, desperate times called for desperate measures and whatever. 

You looked up at him and slowly shook your head, letting out a sad chuckle as you reached out to gently slide your hand over his cheek, down his arm until you could finally capture his hand. Maintaining eye contact with him, you slowly curled his hand into a fist and held it snugly over yours. Slowly raising it up so you could press a soft kiss to the back of his knuckles, murmuring softly into the cool skin.

“Boy, you are just as bad as Donnie. I figured if you weren’t coming to bed, I’d just bring bed to you instead.”

Now Leo was never one to lose his cool; it was something he was actually rather proud of, keeping his head in the heat of the moment and what not. But there was something about the way that you looked up at him, holding and kissing his hand like that, that got him feeling some kind of way.  

He tried to resist, he really did, but admittedly he was getting kind of tired and he maaaaay or may not be somewhat distracted by the way the blanket looked so invitingly wrapped around you and how his loose shirt was beginning to slip, showing off the delicate and smooth curve of your shoulder.

Leo cleared his throat and quickly turned his head, a muscle thumping in his jaw as he tried to hide the sudden warmth that was heating up his cheeks. He stammered out, his voice soft and apologetic as he lowered his hand with yours.

 “Look, Love, I-I can’t…”

At hearing Leo’s quiet and hesitant denial, your heart sank, and suddenly the bunker just felt that much colder. He really was serious about this, and you didn’t think anything you could say or do in the moment would change his mind. 

You continued to look up at him searchingly, his hand still being held tightly with yours as you watched with growing worry at the way his eyes creased on the side, at the hollowness found there and the furrow further deepening on his brow.

Sure, he wasn’t going to change his mind, but that didn’t mean you were going to let him keep standing on duty like this. Not if you, as a good wife, had anything to say about it. 

Shaking your head with a small huff, you reached up with your one free hand to adjust the slipping blanket, not wanting to let go of Leo with the other now that you had his attention, and took a step back tugging Leo along.

“Oh very well, you can still work, but at least come sit down. It’ll help you get a new angle at least.”

Leo stumbled slightly with the tug, blinking in surprise that you had even gotten him to move. He must have been more tired than the both of you had previously thought. But he just fondly rolled his eyes with a small sigh of his own, reaching behind him to swiftly grab his papers before you dragged him off to who knows where.

“Goodness! So bossy.”

Leo all but chortled to which you respond with a dry chuckle, playfully shooing Leo backwards until his legs hit the back of a couch that had been left in the corner of the room. Without giving him a chance to recalibrate, you all but shove him down onto said couch, and plopped down next to him to prevent any chance of escape. To further ensure your snare, you unwrapped the blanket and gently shifted it until it was resting on top of the both of y’all, effectively nestling y’all under the fabric together. 

You chuckled with a shake of you head as you pulled your legs up onto the couch and turned so you could nestle into Leo’s side with a soft smirk, gently slapping his plastron.

“Maybe, just a little but that's because your stubborn arse won't listen to anything else. Now be a good husband and put your arm around me.”

It was turn for Leo’s eyebrow ridge to raise at the slight demand, and he just chuckled softly, obliging you as he lowered his arm around your shoulders to pull you close to his plastron.

“Yes Mrs. Hamatoooo.” 

You rolled your eyes at the slight whine in his tone with a soft huff and squirmed a little to get more comfortable. To do so, and to just cover all your bases in making sure Leo was NOT going anywhere, you lazily threw your arm over Leo’s waist and snuggled in close. You nuzzled your nose against his plastron with a soft mutter as sleep began to already encroach on the corners of your mind now that you were next to him.

“Well someone has to keep you humble.”

Leo looked down at you in surprise as you wrapped your arm around him, that all too familiar heat beginning to crawl up his cheeks. You really were a little Mrs. Feisty Pants weren't you? Not that he minded or anything. It was honestly one of the things he adored about you, being able to call him out like that and doing so in such a way that always made him feel like a million bucks. Still, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to you actively and consistently reaching out for him like this.

He couldn’t hold back the soft smirk that inched across his face as he saw the sleepy expression cross yours and before he had even realized he had even done it, found himself leaning down to press a soft kiss to your forehead.

“Good, I’d miss it if you ever stopped.”

You let out a small snicker at that, your nose wrinkling at the brush of his lips against your crown and reached up to cover Leo’s face with your hand, playfully pushing him away.

“Shhhhh shhh baby, it’s sleepy time.”

Leo chuckled at your pet name, and you could feel more than hear the rumble against you ear as you all but lean up against his chest. He slowly rubbed a palm up and down your blanket covered arm before leaning to press another absentminded kiss with a soft mumble.

“Naw, it’s time for you to get some sleep, Love. I still have some work to do.”

You let out a small grunt at that, your face scrunching in a small pout as you instinctively tightened your arm around his waist, your hand coming to mirror his as it slowly stroked up and down the side scutes of his plastron.

“Fiiiiiine…just…don’t stay up too late, mkay?”

Leo’s smirked softened at the obvious worry and displeasure in your tone and the feeling of affectionate tenderness grew as he watched your eyelashes flutter against your cheeks as you vainly tried to stay up. His hand continued its slow trek against your arm, and his voice dropped into a sacred whisper, not wanting you to stay up any more than you have to.

“Don’t worry Love, I won't.”

So back to work Leo went. Er…at least tried to. There was just one teeny tiiiiiny itsy bitsy wee little factor that was preventing him from doing so. 

Work. Was not working.

Leo’s brain could be described to something akin to an egg on the summer concrete the way it felt so fried. Nothing was clicking. Even the “new angle” as you so called it, was not helping in the slightest. Shell, he’d be staring at this page for so long that the words had started to swim like little black fish between his eyes. 

A hand came up to slowly drag down the length of Leo’s face accompanied with a most exhausted sigh. Yeah, he wasn’t getting anywhere with this tonight.

As if to emphasize said point, like the Universe itself was trying to grab his attention, Leo’s tympanum was caught by the subtle sound that had begun to escape from your parted lips as you all but lounged against his plastron. Leo blinked in surprise at the feeling of the heavy -laded breath that brushed across his chest before his lips curled up into a soft smirk at said sound. 

A sound that could only be described as a snore. Just a light little thing, more of a exhale of air than an actual sound. But it was the fact that you only snored when you were completely out of it.

Leo chuckled softly at the thought as he placed his paperwork onto the ground next to the couch and with his now free hand, curling a knuckle to gently knock your chin up so as to prevent you from drooling against him. It wouldn't be the first time.

Your face instantly scrunched up into a small frown at the displeasure of having something touch you in your sleep, and you instinctively raised a hand to swat against the unseen foe. Letting out a disgruntled little mumble, you shifted against Leo’s side, curling into him as if to try to hide your face against the intrusion. 

Leo’s smirk softened with fond amusement at your decidedly very grumpy face. You were always just so expressive, even in sleep, and he would never tire from trying to memorize each and every face that you would make. Even if he had to be a little turd at times to do so.

Still, you must have not minded, not really, not if you had continued to stick around like you did. Even going as far to marry this poor sap of a turtle he’d become.

He didn’t understand it, and he supposed that he never really would. Understand the fact that you could drop all walls and just fall asleep so quickly next to him without even a second thought. Mikey had said something in passing once that people only fell asleep in places where they felt safe or secure. And Leo, for the life of him, couldn’t fathom what he had done that made you feel safe enough to do so around him. 

Acting on pure instinct, Leo couldn’t help but reach up from where his hand had rested against your jaw to instead lightly trace between your brows, trying to ease the tension that had formed there with a gentle massage of his thumb. Watching with satisfaction at how with each stroke across your brow and cheek line, your eyelashes fluttered and you all but further slumped into his hand, the tension leaving you with a soft sigh.  

While your brow smoothed, Leo’s own brow furrowed, and his hand went still while cupping your cheek.

How on earth could you feel safe? How could you still reach out for him, still care about him, after everything he had done?

He was the reason that the entire world was in this mess, the reason behind every “Raph Chasm” on the faces of the people who passed by, and why you couldn’t sleep soundly anymore unless he was there. 

You and his brothers had told him repeatedly that what had happened wasn’t his fault, that there were more pieces at play then he could have ever handled. Despite all the reassurances, all the never ending support and dedication, it was in these still quiet moments, Leo found himself being haunted by the shadows of his own consuming demons. 

This was his fault.

All of this was his fault. 

And yet despite this, despite all the destruction and heartache his stupid stupid pride and self ego had caused, you still wanted him. You still could stand to even be in his presence, to still care and call him friend.

Enough so that you had…you wanted…you asked if he wanted…would be willing to create a future with you.

Leo’s breath hitched softly at the thought as he looked down at you, curled up so tightly against him, sleeping peacefully at his side like everything was right in the world now that you were close to him.

The realization that THAT is what you felt about him made his hand begin to tremble slightly against your skin. 

Not wanting the chance of his shaky hand to disturb your slumber, Leo quickly slid his hand from your face, back to cup your shoulder instead, thoughts of any previous failures or work fading away the instant he could feel the warmth of your body through the blanket underneath his hand, grounding him instantly into the present.

Feeling that warmth, that comforting and grounding weight, Leo suddenly decided that while you were close sitting by his side like this, you weren’t close enough.

He wanted more, wanted more of you. 

Moving ever so carefully, only as a well seasoned ninja could, Leo gently wrapped both of his arms around the back of your shoulders as he slowly fell backwards onto the couch, pulling you in tow until you were resting on top of him, laying flush upon his plastron.

The sudden shift of positions had you stirring from sleep, causing you to let out a soft questioning hum as your head blearily raised from Leo’s chest. 

Leo acted instinctively not wanting you to awake and to possibly see the unbidden moisture that had begun to form in his eyes, his hand coming up to cradle the back of your head and gently push it back down to strategically rest against above his heart. 

“Shhh shh, it's just me Love, just me. I’m finally going to get some sleep now. You ok with being my weighted blanket for a little bit eh?” 

Not waiting or really wanting a response, Leo’s hand came up to gently card his fingers through your hair in long smooth strokes, hoping to soothe you back into sleep. He watched with satisfaction as your eyes began to flutter close again and you let out a soft appreciative hum, resting more heavily against him into his hand. He couldn’t help but smirk softly at the feeling. Everybody had their happy spots, he supposed.

Leo could understand why. He knew that you tried your very best to take care of you tresses as best as one could during an alien invasion. But what he didn’t know was what woman magic you wielded here during the apocalypse that still made your hair silky smooth as it was. It was so soft. You were so soft.

His hand absentmindedly ran over the curve of your back and shoulders, always amazed at the slight give of your skin against the pressure of his hand. It made him think of how you were always giving, in every way you could. To him, to the rest of the Resistance, to every single soul who had the privilege of coming into contact with you. Such softness and warmth couldn’t be contained, to the point that it was engraved upon every inch of your delicate frame. 

Being a good-for-nothing ninja turtle, who was created literally to be a weapon, a tool, Leo didnt think he'd ever get the opportunity to be soft with someone with someone like this. Have the chance to take comfort in someone else’s body and presence, or have someone take comfort in the likes of him.

And yet here you were, resting on top of him, locked within the protection of his arms, sleeping as soundly as a babe. 

It surprised him even in the beginning of y’alls relationship. It still surprised him to this day because Leo, didn’t think he deserved anything good. Not ever again.

Leo looked down at you. If it were not for the heat and the comforting weight of you on top of him, he was pretty sure that he was dreaming. But for once, it wasn't a dream. Wasn't just a passing wish. No, you were here. You were really here. And that was all that mattered. 

Cradling you closer with one arm wrapping around your shoulders, Leo pulled you protectively flush up against his plastron. His other hand coming to gently dig his fingers through your hair at the back of your head, cradling you close enough that he could press a soft kiss to the top of your head.

His lips lingering over your skin as he absentmindedly peppered slow kisses on your crown and hair at random intervals whenever the affectionate urge hit, indulging in the tenderness that only comes out in these small moments.

Leo would fight any number of Kraang, plan as many ambushes as needed, and take any and every single chance if it meant he could keep you close like this.

Maybe, just maybe. For this one moment, he could let go. Leo could believe in good things again, he could believe in life, settle down and just appreciate this little tender moment with you.

Special thanks to my Beloved L’appel du Vide and @anobodyinabog for being my beta readers!

As well as a shout out to @firefly-graphics for the beautiful dividers!

Pretty Random Turtle Thunks

Just finished watching the first season of 2003 TMNT, and my thoughts are as follows *ahem* Leo: babeh boy

Raph: babe

Donnie: babyyyyyy

Mikey: bb

I can’t tell you the genuine squeak of pure glee that came out of me as I watched this because they WOULD and I am HERE FOR IT. 🙌🏼🤌🏼✨🧡

Like this was really well done, super impressed OP

I’ll say right away that I’m not an animator, so I don’t really know how to make storyboards yet

BUT I REALLY WANTED TO DO THIS.

Random Turtle Thunks: Incorrect Quotes

Figured it was high time to introduce myself and thought it would be funny to do so by associating things I’ve actually said to the ROTTMNT boys.

Raph🧸❤️: *grabbing you by the shoulders and looking you dead in the eye* I’ve got a big heart ok? That means there’s a LOT of love in it, so you are going to flippin let me love you, IN THE WAY I FEEL YOU DESERVE, or else I’ma start throwing things. Something like a chair…or compliments… I don’t know, haven’t decided yet.

Donnie🤔🟪: *not able to socialize and compliment like a normal person* You have the aUdAcItY to actually be a decent human individual, work hard AND do your job?!

Leo✨💠: *wincing with crooked smile* Oof. I think I pulled a muscle power posing too hard. 

Mikey🎨🧡: *grinning at you with an unsettling gleam in his eye* Yep! We’re friends now. You should have ran when you had the choice. Now you’re just going to have to deal with been appreciated and loved for the rest of your life sucka. Tis both my threat and promise.

*looks at piles of rough drafts with a thoughtful hum*

I…may have something for this actually…gimme a sec to clean it up…hold that thought

*falls from roof and lands gracefully- not.*

I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION hehe

Ahem

Do you ever think.. F!Leo and Y/N would get married. And if so.. do you think F!Leo would cry??

Keep up the amazing work you are very inspiring 💕💕

*Puts a pillow for you to land on*

OH UH HMMM...

I'm not sure if you meant my au or overall, so I'm going to stick with the second xd

I think, if we stick more to the canon, he would be like: "Marriage...? Why...? We're in the middle of the apocalypse, what are you talking about..." BUT, but, if Y/N is stubborn enough, Leo eventually gives up. "Yeah, ok, ok! You won! We'll arrange something..."

I can totally imagine him cry a bit (or not a bit...), but maybe after the whole ceremony? I imagine him keeping his cheerful, "classic Leo" facade the entire process, but after this all is over and him and Y/N is left alone, his mask cracks and emotions flow out. But, like, those are tears of happiness, also a bit of disbelief. I imagine him sitting down on the bed, hand on his face as tears begin to flow down his cheeks. He chuckles with a soft smile, processing the fact that this is something that actually happened, in this whole chaos when the world is crumbling down, and he just got this moment of happiness.

"Wow... I'm married..."

And I imagine him refusing marriage at first not only because of the circumstances they were in, but also because he didn't believe he deserved something like this.

Yeah I made a little sketch because the image of this moment scratched my brain...

Also, thank you~

My Response to @smoothturtle0 Leo:

I honestly had so much fun drawing this, but anybody who knows me knows that this is exactly how I enter every friendship AKA you WILL be loved. This is both a threat and a promise 😈🧡👊🏼

It's just nonviable for them... hopeless love

a HA! THE REAL REASON CHESS TELLS US TO STAY AWAY FROM COVERT LEON IS REVEALED

Man’ s a simp! We have two sources now to back it up! Chessman just wants Leo aaaaalllllll for himself, dontcha buddy?! (for legal purposes this is an affectionate joke, please don't hurt me) It was reverse psychology all along! I knew it!

Apologies everyone... I fear I have accidentally killed him. Who knew a cryptid could be so powerful...

YOU ARE NOT SORRY IN THE SLIGHTEST--

DON'T EVEN--

Random Turtle Thunks: Kisses

*adjusts my sunglasses* It'd be softboi hours folks. Tonight I'm thinking about the Rise Boys and their favorite places to kiss you.

*Cookies and Cream Rating: 16+ please*

Raph 🧸♥️:

•Forehead Kisses. Lingering ones right at the tip of your hairline. It's often because its the only place he can reach without having to shift too far down. Often brushing your hair back, cradling your cheek in the palm of his hand and tilting your head back juuuuust a little to get that perfect angle for a small smooch. The type of kisses that are full of tender promises and small wholesome moments where he just longs to be soft with you.

•Your shoulder. Chaste presses of his lips to your skin to the crook of your neck. This young Atlas knows a little something about carrying the weight of the world and often that weight settles on the shoulders. These type of kisses serve as a reminder that he understands the struggle, the weight and promises that you don't have to carry it all by yourself anymore. A somewhat protective kiss, reminding you that nothing can hurt you when you're this close to him. That he's here for you, he’ll never leave you and will forever have your back.

Donnie 🤔🟪

•Your nose. I really don't see Donnie being really big into kissing. Like think about it. Kissing is literally just the process of swapping saliva. How uNsAnItArY. *shudders* “Just where has your mouth been? Did you even brush your teeth?!” That being said, a quick peck to your nose is a simple way to fulfill the “touch of the day” box without having to get unnecessarily close and personal. There is work still to be done after all. Not to mention the cute little face you make when you go slightly crossed-eyed at his affectionate gesture is somewhat endearing. It is a very understandable reaction after all. He too would go speechless at such attention from a genuis like himself.

•Behind the corner of your jaw. Donnie doesn't like kissing. That being said, if he is going to engage in such an act, he's going to want to do it right. Never mind him looking up the most sensitive parts of the human body to make sure he plants his affection in the most effective locations. Nevermind that at all. Besides, kissing here that little bundle of nerves seems to do the trick most adequately.

Leo✨💠

•Your lips. “My Lady, if the kisses are words, c’mere. I’ma give you a speech.” No. Like seriously. I know Leo is considered the “medical expert” of the family, but the amount of times this turtle has given you some serious mouth-to-mouth should be illegal. In all honesty though, it really does mean something special to him. For this smooth talking turtle who always knows just what to say, it’s a way for him to shut up and learn how to put some action behind those words. For once, he wants to show you that he means what he says. Because for all the silliness, it was never a joke, his feeling for you.

•Your knuckles. Leo is a one-stinking suave gentleman when he wants to be, and he's not going to let you forget it. Not to mention it’s an easy, inconspicuous way to keep you close so long your hand is entertained with his. Not that he worries when you're out of reach or anything. The cute little increase of color right there on your cheeks as he presses a slow kiss to each fingertip and between your knuckles is also a nice touch. Just lets this face man know he's on the right track or whatever.

Mikey🎨🧡

•Your cheeks. This bundle of affection will give you some sugar anytime, anywhere without hesitation. You can not stop it. It is inevitable. He's so close to you all the time anyway that it just seems second nature to have his cheek squished against you somewhere. He also just loves getting close enough to see your eyes. They really are like windows to the soul, and you have a soul he wouldn't mind getting lost while exploring. So it makes sense to decorate those “windows” with some “Angel Kisses” (He does put the angel in MichelANGELo after all) You know. Just while he's close to you like this. Never mind the heat from your cheeks underneath his hands as he tries to hold you still for your daily barrage of affection is comforting to his scared hands. Never mind that at all.

•Your tummy. There is something incredibly magical about the way you giggle shriek as you try to writhe away when he kisses your tummy. It’s the kind of laugh that means you are happy and in the present moment with him and currently the furthest away from something that hurt you. He just wants you happy and hearing that laugh heals something inside his heart. He loves the way your tummy its so squishy underneath his kneading hands and he can't help but bury his face in your soft skin. Be warned you will not escape without some raspberry blown kisses. Mikey ain't letting you leave without being properly adored that is both a threat and a promise.

Random Turtle Thunks: Fall Guy

If anybody is struggling to write a Leo and Raph dynamic, then y'all should watch Fall Guy.

Colt and Dan’s relationship just I so inherently ROTTMNT brother coded to me.

Also, trying hard not to imagine Future Leo as Colt Seavers…

Its not working cuz it FiTs ToO gOoD!

*through gritted teeth and weepy eyes*

It's fine, I'm fine.

I don't need a heart.

Toooootally fine

“Future you would be so proud on how far you’ve come.” …. “We all make mistakes, but that’s what makes you person.”

“You learn and develop over time, don’t be TOO hard on yourself okay??”

Astronomy Lines Pt. 2

Made some wallpapers featuring the disaster twins because Venus is one disaster of a planet 😆

Oh this…this…is darling. Your style is immaculate, hon. Like looking so respectfully right now 👀👀👀

I MUST HAVE IT ON MY DASH. *Yoinks it like the feral chaotic Tumblr I am* MWHAHA MINE NOW THANK YOU 🧡✨

TMayNT Day 31: Redraw of day one. (Original prompt was: the turtles in you favourite style.)

Ok there are so many ways my brain is trying to be critical BUT I am proud of myself for finishing one of these challenges, no matter what. I've tried and failed to commit to so many projects.

Just to clarify: my own style is NOT my favourite style. I am far too self critical for that. I just entirely ignored the prompt ^^

vvvv Comparison pic and comments on day 1 v day 31 below. vvvv

So for one thing I did want to de-centre Leo a bit, cause the original day 1 prompt was favourite turtle and I DO love them all, Leo just has a special place to me. I also wanted them to not be floating.

Now I do prefer some parts of the original, mainly the simplicity. I do want to try and aim for a more simplified style in the future (if I can stop defaulting to the style I have atm). I might have gone a little overboard with the lighting on the more recent one. STFU up brain, I did not get worse. But it was fun. I think it's good to explore and practice parts of the art process even if it isn't something you want to stick to. I do think I learnt a lot of stuff and made some improvements over the month.

also bonus cute Raph face that I liked from one of the first attempts but I ended up restarting

My literal reaction to @mrabubu answering my question. Big fan hon, its a legit honor to be able to see a snippet of your fantastic mind 🧡✨👀

Mind if I add some of my thunks to it?

I really think the idea of Leo and Y/N having an “Only I Can Do That “ is so unfairly wholesome and totally would fit. Especially considering Leo is a middle child and a bit petty, so I think that having a relationship he doesn't have to share would be something really important to him. Seeing Leo get pouty because someone made his Y/N laugh is a troupe I'm also a sucker for.

I also really love the idea of Leo being absolutely blindsided by a funny Y/N who was funny in the same way as he (can you tell I'm projecting here? Cuz man I just really wanna roast this kid *affectionately* I have so many lines its not even funny) It would take some getting used for sure, but Leo being Leo of course would get back into the game so fast and boy would he come back swinging.

Whats a little rivalry amongst friends right? Just to prove the best of course. Just to make sure to hold his rank. Not to see you smile like that again. The way your eyes crinkle in the corners. Not to feel your hand on his shoulder cuz your gasping for air you're laughing so hard. Noooooooooooo. Not at all.

I love the idea of Leo finding someone who makes him feel heard and seen because for once someone genuinely laughs with him. Not at Him. 🤌🏼✨💙

HmHmHmHmHm...

I have some thoughts on that too, yeah.

So, I think it's all still depends on Y/N's personality overall. Because you can be a one-liner like Leo, but still have a different or opposite personality to his. This one is more like about taste in humor, I guess?

But yeah, I think his brain would short circuit the moment Y/N would use his own weapon against him or overall, and especially he would explode if their jokes are better than his. That would be the beginning of a war between them, to obliterate one another with their pickup lines and prove who's better. But in the end I imagine them becoming BFF's who are sometimes joke at one another just for laughs. I also have this idea when you call your friend and idiot, and you just laugh, but if SOMEONE ELSE calls your friend an idiot, you go into demon's mode "ONLY I CAN CALL THEM THAT". Something like that.

In terms of romance I'm going to return to my statement about how it depends on your personality overall.

If there's something I'm certain in, is that the romance between Leo and someone who has basically the same personality and mindset would either died down pretty quickly, or wouldn't work in the first place. "Opposite attract" phrase didn't come out of a thin air, because they feed each other. Opposite or just different people help discover some new traits in one another, keep each other in balance, help dealing with challenges they wouldn't be able to deal with by themselves and all that jazz.

Plus it's just overall much more interesting to watch this kind of a dynamic rather than watch two clones trying to be a couple and failing miserably.

@theanonymousninja247

Random Turtle Thunks

Just imagine

Its older Leo and he somehow made friends/ slowly catching feelings for a young single mom fallen on hard times.

He's over at her place after some big scare and they're both up early. She because she's gotta make breakfast for the kiddos and he because he wants to help, make sure she's ok and what not.

Just imagine

Them goofing off in the kitchen together singing Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 into wooden pancake-covered spoon and spatula microphones while cooking breakfast in the morning light spilling in from the window.

Just imagine

Ok, so this picture was so incredibly wholesome that I HAD to try and redraw it because it legitimately made me cry. I had to no joke pull over because I was getting teary while on the road.

This picture means a lot to me for two reasons: #1 I’m 5ft 8” and on the heartier side of things, so usually I’m the tallest/ biggest or one of the taller folks whenever I engage in with company. So to imagine having one of my favorite characters just pick me up and cradle me like a child made me A: incredibly flustered and B: it did something funny to my heart.

I don’t necessarily have an emotionally safe relationship with my pops at the moment, so it makes it hard to accept hugs from him. And not to mention, because I’m again the “bigger friend”, I’m usually the person giving hugs. I don’t get hugs. Especially those good Dad Hugs. So imagining getting a hug from Sprout…well…it definitely filled an empty part of my heart. So @intotheelliwoods thank you for this. I…I kind of needed it so it meant a lot.

Also I drew myself with my arm sleeves because I wanted to match Poptart. I really struggle with picking my arms due to a skin condition that I have, so I wear my arms sleeves to try and prevent that. I guess just another reason why I relate to these guys.

I’m also a nerd who loves Floriography, or the Victorian Language of Flowers, so I wanted to include a little something extra to show my thanks. Honeysuckle to show how much I adore 2 Arms Left; it’s got a sweet little spot in my heart. And Sweet Pea to just keep cheering y’all on and to say thank you for everything. Literally.

And then of course my signature orange heart to represent warmth, friendship, and care.

It’s a lot of words, so thanks for reading. Just know this. You made my week a little better by just being your sweet self. I know life is hard and hurt can be heavy, but I promise you. You’re making a difference. Thank you for existing. 🫵🏼✨🧡🫂🌎

AHhh so many hugs and so little time! <3

And thank you so much for your message @theanonymousninja247 it really made my week! 🥺

Humbled

pst @dianagj-art I did a thing…

I didn't know which one I liked better because I have that curse where I like my sketches better than the final project, so y'all get them all.

AnYhOo…something something you're really cool…something something wanna be like you(Im really) good at talking to cool artists canr you tell?) you really inspire me…aaaaand I hope you like? 👉🏼😅👈🏼

Do you ever just fangirl so hard that your blood sugar goes low? No? Must be a me thing 😅

Anyhoo, like… whoooohOoOhOoOoo

NOW THATS A BATTLE LADIES ‘N GENTLEMEN!

I just love Replica Leo so much. His poise and his “so done” attitude while still being the most incredibly classy leader ever. Ugh I am in awe of his character.

Oneion also had my most mad respect like, he’s doing it for One’s own good. He knows it hard and it’s gonna hurt but Oneion just gives me biggest “tough love” kinda vibes ever and I’m here for it. Hemayevenbemynextattempttodrawprojectwhoknows

TMNT AU BATTLE PART 1 HERE FIRST (file was getting too big so starting a Part 2)

First off I want to thank everyone who participated in the vote for The TMNT AU Competition! It was so fun to be a part of this event and I’m so honored to be able to go home with Empyrean Weeping’s @cupcakeslushie as the champions! It has been an absolute blast getting to interact and draw with so many of you! Also thank you @dianagj-art @intotheelliwoods and @tizeline for being such amazing finalists!

We might do a few more updates to wrap this up then it’s back to work on Replica for me haha.

Also note: One is fine, he’s just in an arm lock, which is painful in the moment but should leave no lasting damage. Replica Leo however is in immense pain after doing an emergency disconnect from his prosthetic. All those raw nerve endings in his arm are probably screaming at him right now. Luckily he knows how to handle pain… though he’s obviously a little more short with One now haha.

*Kronk Voice* Oh yeah, it’s all coming together.

I can’t tell you how happy this makes my little color theorist heart

-collapses- Okay, This is a project I've been needing to finish because I noticed a number of the colors from @pluvionpc's color pallets were Season 1 exclusives, or were tinted by the scene color overlay and thus not the true bases. (No offense to you man, you did what you could and without them, this wouldn't exist) So my dumbass downloaded all the eps and went through them to find the neutral lighting shots to pull colors from. CJ's were hardest because I didn't have access to the movie at the time, so had to rely on screenshots and concept art. I was originally gonna add Karai to this, but decide I'd dragged ass enough on this. Note on Draxum's magic: That seems to be his main, but it does change color based on the spell? Like the portal to pull Karai out was gold.... Also, you would not believe how much it pissed me off to find out Drax's nose and lips were two different colors, just JFC. Font used originally was @phoebepheebsphibs's rise mimic font, but eventually, I found the Fido Regular font that @thelamebat pointed out and used that for Draxums.

———————————– My Commissions | .Carrd

Random Turtle Thunks

Saw these while mindlessly searching Pinterest, as one does, and saw these quotes that made me think of our beloved turtle boys in love.

Raph 🧸❤️:

Donnie 🤔🟪:

Leo 💫💠:

Mikey 🎨🧡

All credit goes to the ordinal tumblrs posted

pspspspsps @mrabubu I haz something for ju🧡

I heard from the grapevine that you were feeling sad. Here's hopefully a little pick me up and a reminder that you're doing a good job, hon.

You are loved and appreciated exactly as and where you are now.

Your art inspired me, and continues to inspire me, (and I know I'm not the only one) the instant I see it, and I wanted to try and capture how this particular photo made me feel.

Hopefully I captured the vibes right 🍀😬🤞🏼

Fantabulous Art credit belong to: @mrabubu

Music Credit belongs to: Chris Grey and his song LET THE WORLD BURN

Edits done with: InShot pro

As always @doreen090 since you're the one who started it all

I genuinely have no words to explain how much these mean to me

reader x turtles doodle dump because i simply do not have it in me to clean these up

bonus raph one. it wasn't gn so I wasn't sure whether to include it but hey ho! he deserves soft love also

Dont mind me sufferingbover here because gosh DAYUM THIS….THIS my friends is art and I am in awe.

Like somebody made this. Somebody's beautiful brain lovingly put a hand to paper and made this, ripped my heart out and made me weep in wanting artist fangirl and now I'm just genuinely shooketh.

@chessman-protocol

fanart booom ~~

ψ(｀∇´)ψ

It's not just feeling that D looks more luxurious...

+???

W / Loud BGM