Writing 'Til I'm Dead

Leonardo

Leonard

It’s an instant mood killer for Leonardo. Not enough to genuinely upset him but don’t expect him not to gag on impulse. The first time you call him Leonard, his instinctual response is to look you dead in the eyes and say “No.” in the most flat voice imaginable.

Leo’s ‘no-go’ name is used the most, mainly because he’s the leader and his brothers will do anything to get a barb in when they’re given an order they do not agree with. Donnie once tried to make light of it by attributing the nickname to Spock — aka Leonard Nimoy…it helped but Leonardo still dislikes it

Due to Leonard’s consistent usage, the impact isn’t as vomit-inducing whenever you do choose to pull it out.

Just know that it he abhorres it. Even when you say it in a honey-soaked voice, he’d much rather hear his given name on your tongue.

Donatello

Donald.

This name is the equivalent of a curse word. Especially if you take it a step forward and call him ‘Donald Duck’. The name gives elderly man on his sixth cigar in an invitation only country club, and Donnie cannot handle it. His name is used sparingly unless the culprit wants their phone blocked off the wifi.

The first time you call him it? Donatello freezes mid-frame, shoulders pitched up to his bandanna as his teeth actually grind together from cringe. You swear they whistle from how sharp he exhales.

Sweetheart — you can call Donnie every nickname in the book except for that one. He’ll take them all, even the more “creative” insults you think up in an argument. The first time ends with a gentle chide and a kiss on the cheek. The second offense similar but with a more firm reminder. The third? He knows what you’re doing and trust, this is not the kind of thing that falls into his ‘cute but mean’ type.

Donatello is, if anything, a turtle devoted to the art of sweet sweet revenge. Be warned.

Raphael

Ranaldo

Fuck Mikey for even making this a thing. Raph lasted nearly his entire childhood without any instant ‘icks’ because out of his brothers, his name is the most ‘normal’. He still doesn’t know what the fuck that means. The fact that you agree but can’t elaborate makes him even more confused.

Raph will begrudgingly tolerate any rendition of his name. Raphie. Raph. Phael. Raphala.

You can call him Shnookums (in private) and he won’t pop his top (he likes it).

Not. Ranaldo. Mikey spoke it once and Raph duck-taped his mouth shut. The first time you call him this Raph physically has to restrain himself from retreating into his shell, because he knows very well that you won’t hesitate to strike once you have a weapon.

Say it twice and expect a headlock. Restraint can only stretch so far.

Michaelangelo

Mick

It’s such a douchebag name and Mikey knows it. There are way more creative renditions of his name and an even larger pool of nicknames to imagine. This here is the king of naming things, and if he says Mick is god awful? Then it is.

Oddly enough, he doesn’t mind if you call him Mickey. At least that’s associated with a lovable cartoon character. He’s always wanted to go to Disney+ world anyway and it kind of pairs with Donnie’s — *que Donnie bursting in, finger pointed and a heated ‘don’t say it!’ on his tongue* — anyways. Mickey is only okay if he can call you Minnie…which also works since Mikey thinks you’re cute and sweet like her.

I'M YOUR MEDICINE!

I hope you feel better soon, Crow!! Now, let these stupid turtles try to take care of you. Content: 2012!turtles // afab!reader // can be platonic or romantic // they are dumbos here

LEONARDO

Leo's first exposure to the menstrual cycle is actually through you. You had offhandedly mentioned that you were stuck in bed because of your painful cramps, and Leo instantly panicked at the word "pain". It's only after he insists that you get checked out by Donnie or let him come over with a medkit that you realise poor, sweet Leo has no idea what periods are.

After your explanation, Leo still insists on coming over and taking care of you. He has no idea how bad your cramps are or how uncomfortable your period is, but knowing you are bedbound is enough for him to worry about you.

He makes you tea from the tea packets he nabbed from Splinter's cabinet. He actually has no real idea whether this does anything to soothe—he just assumes whatever is supposed to be calming must help you feel better. He actually sighs with relief when you give your nod of approval at his drink of choice.

He makes sure you don't get up unnecessarily. He'll fetch you water, extra bedding, a heat pack, food—he's being very accommodating, but for the life of him, he doesn't know how to start a conversation when you're in pain, and he still has no clue what your body is doing to you and why. He worries that as soon as he opens his mouth, he's going to end up asking something too invasive. Hence, he's reduced to just sitting around awkwardly until you invite him into conversation yourself or have him kill time by playing a video game with you.

RAPHAEL

Raph does know what a period is—thanks, TV—but his understanding is just as rudimentary as Leo's. He knows you bleed once a month from down there, but that's about it. When you call to tell him that you can't hang out, he tells you that "It can't be that bad", thinking you're just being considerate in case he's icky about the blood. Unfortunately, he has to move his phone away from his ear when you launch into a rant about his perceived insensitivity.

After hanging up on you and spending an hour stewing, he does go up top to see you because you did not sound alright over the phone. Unlike Leo, he comes completely unprepared, expecting it to be a quick welfare check before he heads out. However, once he sees you in pain and bedbound, he changes his short visit to an indefinite stay.

He's a little stiff when it comes to caretaking, so after asking you, "Uh... do you need anything...?", he just sits down on a chair and puts something on for the both of you to watch. However, as soon as you ask for something, he gets up without any complaint—not even a grunt of annoyance, no matter how many times you interrupt him.

He also orders takeout from your favourite place because he knows you aren't in any state to make yourself anything, and he wants to make sure you eat under his watchful eye. He has no idea what periods do to your appetite, but he's very firm on you not missing out on any meals.

DONATELLO

When you first called to let Donnie know you're on your period and can't help him out at the lab, you expected that he would be awkward about the subject, coughing into his fist as he tries to change the subject. To your surprise, he didn't so much as stammer at the mention... and then things got weird when you mentioned that your cramps hurt. Without a shred of hesitation, he starts asking questions about your flow, how many pads you're going through a day, any clotting, etc. It's like having an appointment with your GP—if your GP also happened to be your best friend and a mutant turtle.

Predictably, he comes over for a visit. Unlike the one-sided phone call, his welfare check goes much more smoothly.

He rifles through your medicine box, warms up your heat pack for you, gets you food (instant or takeout; cooking isn't his strong suit), and even gives you some tips he picked up on the internet on how to ease some of your discomfort. However, he does tend to talk at you, explaining things about your period and cramps that you already know.

The awkwardness kicks in for him when all his caretaking duties are done, and now he has to keep you company. Suddenly, his tongue is dry in his mouth, and he feels like he has to talk to make up for the stiff silence—even if it's just you trying to peacefully rest. Put on a documentary or something mildly entertaining so he can keep his mind distracted, please. He's a great caretaker, but he worries that he will bore you to death while you're stuck in bed.

MICHELANGELO

Your circumstances must have been desperate if you decided that, out of all the company that you keep, you should entrust Mikey with anything while you're bedbound and particularly low on patience. At least, that's what Donnie flatly told you when you later recounted the experience to him. Even with all the love and good intentions in the world, nothing changes the fact that Mikey doesn't know what a period is.

First, he ignored your request for him to not come over while you're agonising in bed, as he insisted you need someone to look after you. You only relented under the condition that he'd bring with him "pads with wings". April is very confused when she gets a call from Mikey, asking for pad thai and chicken wings. When he showed up at your window with takeout bags, you honestly had no idea what to do but laugh ruefully, shedding a single tear.

Aside from that, his attempts to help were still sweet. After eating the food he brought over—thank god he wasn't allowed to get experimental in the kitchen—he didn't mind acting as your personal gopher, grabbing things for you at command. He even hummed a cute little tune as he tidied up your room, and didn't get offended when you hissed at him for asking you to get out of bed.

The concept of this being sent after I've been complaining in MCI's DMs 😭 As for what I think of her... my sentiment is akin to "If she's on a sinking ship, I'm going down with her". In my opinion, she's overhated, and things that are worth criticising/discussing about her character are never brought up with any nuance—everyone just wants to call her a bitch or say she's leading on their poor, sweet, can-do-no-wrong Donnie.

She had the potential to develop as an individual—from early seasons, we see she's pretty good at investigating leads (callback to her other incarnations' roots), she's in the chess club, helps Donnie in the lab, enjoys the action/space genre, and she's a loner at school. However, instead of expanding on this kind of trivia information, the focus is instead given to showing her powers or whatever role she plays to keep the plot moving. Some of this could be excused because the stakes were getting higher, and April already achieved the main goal she had when introduced (finding her dad) and moves onto her next one (becoming a trained martial artist). However, I still would have liked it if they had expanded on her as a person, especially if she wanted to pursue anything in investigation or go the science route. Casey suffers from the same thing, so it's not just an April problem.

Instead, all I'm forced to see is people's internalised misogyny that they deny having—"If she wasn't terribly written, I would have liked her more," they say. I look at their blog. Their favourites are Casey and Donatello. I smile and click 'Block'.

But seriously, if you're discussing female characters and all you can muster up is that they are "a bitch" or creating scenarios where terrible things happen to them and specifically them (while woobifying your favourite guy characters), then you have absolutely zero standing to criticise the 2012 writers' misogyny problem—you are them! You guys are holding hands and spinning in a circle together! You don't care about having a 'well-written' character at all, because you don't hold your male favourites to that same standard!

TLDR: Me with April because nobody knows how to act right:

TAKE IT OFF!

TOTALLY FOR RESEARCH 👍 And as your fellow academic, I got your back 🤭 content: nsfw // 2012!turtles // gn!reader

LEONARDO

Leo is fairly vanilla when it comes to sex, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like to have fun! While he squirms at anything too extreme, he'll still have a thorough discussion with you to establish boundaries and figure out what you both are cool and not cool with doing.

He enjoys roleplaying, and he will even act out a scene with you as foreplay just to get both of you in the mood. The first few times, he's a little embarrassed as he stumbles through his words, but eventually he gets into it. Once the trust has been established, he doesn't mind letting you play the hero/dominant either (though he does make some playfully snide comments that the roles are usually reversed in real life... yes, he's goading you to get a bit rough with him).

Orgasm control on the nights he feels like being a tease. He really likes it when you start babbling pleas for him to let you come, your legs trembling and eyes glassy in a way that makes him feel so soft for you. He affectionately kisses your cheek, reassuring you as he grinds his hips in a way that has you seeing stars, swiftly pulling away before you can climax. He's a liar, but when you look up like there is nothing else in the world you want but him, he thinks it's all worth it.

Makeup sex is one of his favourite ways to put an end to an argument. It's definitely not for when your emotions are still high with anger, but in the aftermath, where the only thing left is to break through the lingering awkwardness. He loves going down on you, muttering reverent promises to your heated skin that he's going to make it up to you as he brings you closer to the edge. Likewise, he absolutely loves it when you take him into your mouth, gazing up at him with wide eyes, waiting to see the dazed approval on his face that lets you know all has been forgiven.

RAPHAEL

Don't be fooled by his Manhattan-sized ego—the first time you stripped in front of him, he was practically malfunctioning as he tried to figure out what to do with his hands. Hence, kinks took some time to introduce. However, once you both reached that level of trust and comfort, Raph was quick to embrace it.

This is niche, but he likes body painting. At first, it was something purely innocent. Then, it escalates, and he finds out how much he enjoys seeing his art painted on your chest as he teases your nipples, or splattered on your back as he thrusts into you from behind.

Surprisingly, Raph didn't go rough on you at all when the two of you first began exploring each other more intimately. However, once you gave him the green light to get bolder, he finds out he likes biting you. While Raph does not like sharing his sex life with his family and friends, he doesn't mind the evidence he leaves on your skin—the bite marks littering your neck and shoulder, or even the ones you only see when your shirt rides up. He has a smug look on his face every time he catches a glimpse.

He gets turned on embarassingly quick when the two of you wrestle. The way he found out was innocent enough—you asked him to spar, and he agreed, but somewhere along the way you stopped taking it seriously and ended up just playfully wrestling each other to the ground. You had managed to get on top of him, your thigh unknowingly pressed against where he was most sensitive, and he accidentally let out a noise that sounded way too erotic to be mistaken for exhaustion. It escalated from there, but now you know that every time you offer to wrestle with him, one of you is going to end up moaning on the floor.

DONATELLO

Donnie is a mess of nerves when you first bring up the topic, but readily agrees to get experimental. When his confidence builds up, he'll even excitedly add his own ideas to spice up the bedroom.

Sue him, he likes to be praised! He wants to hear how well he's doing, or how he's being good for you (if he's taking on a submissive role). He might get embarrassed if you lay it on thick, but he gets used to it, and it's undeniable that he's enjoying himself from the way he looks concussed as he is driven to an orgasm.

He enjoys sensation play, but mostly when he's the one doing the 'experimenting'. Whether it's running the soft bristles of a brush against where you're sensitive, or keeping an ice cube in his mouth as he goes down on you, he loves the way you keen and whimper his name.

He likes having sex toys used in the bedroom, but only after he got over some of the initial insecurities he had. When he first found them in your room, fresh into his relationship with you, he spirals into self-loathing as he starts to believe you must be disgusted by his anatomy—so much so that you'd rather get off using toys. The both of you finally have a conversation about it when you notice he's been pulling away, and you firmly tell him off for assuming the worst from you, while also reassuring him that you love and want him. You had dragged him to bed, letting him have free rein over your arrangement of toys, and he finds out how much he loves how intense your orgasms are when he uses them while fucking you. Will even make his own collection for you to use—his favourite being the dildo that resembles him, for nights where he can’t be with you but would still love a video of you bouncing on it.

MICHELANGELO

Out of his brothers, Mikey is the most open-minded when it comes to kinks, and he's down for a lot of things. Of course, he has his limits (doesn't like using bodily fluids in the bedroom), but he won't immediately shoot down every idea you have.

Mikey is not the most patient, and so he loves the idea of free use. Being able to fuck you wherever and whenever he wants? Awesome! Cooking dinner in the kitchen? Better hope nothing burns, because he's going down on you while you lean against the fridge. Studying for a test? Too bad, now you're lying on the living room couch, ass up and face down as he takes you.

He likes food play. Quick, everyone, pretend to be surprised! He just loves dousing you with whipped cream, jam, pretty much anything he can lick off your bare skin and nipples while you squirm in his hold. It's his favourite form of foreplay.

When leo started glowing with those marks, I lwk wanted to trace them in other ways and appendages that is not just exclusive to the hands and fingers

I don't know if this is me being a degenerate, but I shouted out loud, "HIS DICK?!" LMAOO

nsfw below in case you don't wanna see it!