#donnie tech

Hey @birthday-cake-rockz I saw your tags and thought to I'd illustrate an example of what's usually my very messy process when it comes to doodling weird funky machines to demonstrate that it doesn't have to be. Intimidating, that is. To be honest, we don't have to think about the big and mighty, or how to make a design the best it can be from the very start. It's fine to start out a concept/idea without knowing where the drawing will end up. It's fun to just try drawing random shapes that have no meaning yet, just because!

Because it IS fun. It can be VERY fun. So seriously, at the face of attempted greatness, try doodling something quick, fast, and wholly nonsensical. Absolutely anything. A triangle on top of a square on top of a circle, and add a wiggle on top if you feel like it. And then try to connect those random shapes. It does not matter if it doesn't make sense right away.

Like, the timelapse above? No idea what I was doing until I did it. Is it perfect? Not really, no. But it can lead to other ideas that can be delved into. For example, look around yourself real quick; at the shapes of objects in your room or outside or the ones at work (anywhere can be a goldmine) and copy those down . Then mix those shapes up. Actually I couldn't stop myself so here, have a rushed example for the sake of visual learning.

It took only a few minutes for Donnie to set the computer to work.

“It… it’s working to isolate any mutagenic pathogens around the globe— if it works right there should be seven down here and two in ADX Florence— that’s Bebop and Rocksteady. Any other strays would hopefully be our other turtles and dear old rat.”

“What about their April?”

“I— I can’t really track her using this, but with any luck she’s with one of them. It’ll take a few minutes since it… searching such a wide range.”

“That’s okay. At least we have a start.” Leo tried to smile but he was sure Donnie could see right through it. “Why don’t you go bring our uh… friend in there some food and water? Sure he’d appreciate it. And try to ask him more about his world if you can. So we know what to expect.”

When Donnie didn't immediately move, Leo gave him an encouraging shove toward the kitchen. Donnie stumbled off, looking back and making a ‘really bro?’ motion toward Leo. He scooped up the other-Donnie’s battle shell on the way over. Entering the kitchen brought him into what was almost like a whole other world— a loud one at that!

“Oh mi gOSH IS THAT A TATTOO?!” It was almost whiplashing hearing a voice so ectatic and yet so sarcastic-sounding at the same time. Donatello’s eyes were like stars as he looked at Mikey’s tattoo. “Ohhhhh! I soooo want one!”

Mikey was all too happy to flex his arm and show off the faded markings, “Oh you’d look so cool with a tattoo! Yeah, like maybe an airplane or like cat or something cool like that.” Mikey said quickly.

“Yeah, but Raph would kill me!” Donatello couldn’t help but poke at the tattoos, tracing his finger gently across the mark to get a better feel of the design. “Ohhhh that’s so cool!”

Donnie cleared his throat finally.

“Oh. Sah Donnie?” Mikey did a peace sign.

Donnie cleared and jiggled the battle shell he held pointedly.

Donatello gasped and shoved Mikey aside to run, arms outstretched, to his counterpart. “MY BABY!” He snatched the battle shell from Donnie’s hands and kissed it repeatedly. “Oh I’ll never let you go again— ack! Ew! Sewer taste!” He started to try and wipe the taste off his tongue, “Ohhhh nooo that just made it worse!”

“Ohhh I totally know how you feel! This one time, when we were going down the pipe, the water like totally went in my mouth.” Mikey waddled over to Donatello and leaned over the shorter turtle's shoulder, standing almost close enough to rest his chin on the softshell’s head.

Donatello didn't seem to notice nor care about the box turtle’s proximity as he flipped open one of the many pouches contained in his armor and pulled out a small device that looked almost like bottle caps, one blue and labeled L and one white and labeled R. Mikey watched curiously as Donatello popped the case open and gasped loudly when the turtle took one of the clear lenses on his finger and started the process of cleaning it. When Donatello pulled apart his eyelids to apply the contacts, however, Mikey recoiled, climbing on the counter to get further away and immediately starting to whine.

“Ewww! Ew ew ew ew, he’s touching his eye—“

“Mikey!” Donnie snapped, but Mikey didn't stop.

“Eww his eye’s gonna pop out dude I’m telling you it’s gonna pop out and fall on the floor and get all dirty and he’s gonna have to pick it up and put it back in!”

Donatello was unperturbed by the complaints and applied his contacts quickly. “Yes, yes. Gasp in your repugnance all you want. Alas, ‘tis all the better to see you with, dear Michael!” Donatello waved a hand as he turned to face Mikey. “Heyyy, you got freckles! Nice.”

Mikey’s disgust was almost immediately forgotten by curiosity as he crawled across the counter to get closer to Donatello, and then fell off. He got back up, shaking off the fall and strutting as if it never happened.

“Do they hurt?” Mikey gasped.

“Where did you get contact lenses anyway?” Donnie was just as in Donatello’s face as Mikey was. “I got glasses, but that was just by dumb luck.”

“Yeah!” Mikey started to poke at Donatello curiously, “And even then they’re always falling off and stuff. Super inconvenient!”

“Mikey, quit poking him!”

“I saw you poking him!” Mikey nudged the bridge of his shell against Donnie.

“Ow— that was just an exam!”

Donatello leaned against the wall and watched the altercation with the slightest grin. He let himself watch a moment longer before starting to put his battle shell back on, and at the click of the buckle Mikey perked up like a dog at a whistle. He shoved Donnie away and hurried to the softshell.

“Wanna hear more about my tattoos?”

Donatello gave the excitable box turtle a genuine smile. “I wanna hear about everything you want to tell me. Just give me a mo~”

Donatello walked confidently over to Donnie, took the mask and glasses off in a single motion and walked away before Donnie could stop him. It took the mutant another second to process the audacity before he ran after.

“Wha— hey— heyheyhey— that’s my stuff!” Donnie tried to take his things back, but Donatello’s spider arm held him back.

Donatello rooted through the drawers for a long moment before coming out with a pair of scissors.

“Hey— what are you doing with those?!” Donnie tried to stop him once more, growling as he tried to overpower the titanium arms.

Mikey twirled over to Donatello, the titanium arms letting him past while still restraining Donnie. Mikey landed with his palms down on the counter flexing his tattoo proudly.

“Okay, so like, that turtle in the middle is our family crest right? And I totally designed it— original Michelangelo art right here, first hand. I know, I’m amazing!”

Donatello continued his work through Mikey’s rant, nodding along to the enthusiasm.

“The inking was done by Donnie there in the purple, you already met him though so eh. And this is supposed to be the Brooklynn bridge— New York pride and everything.”

Though Donatello’s expression didn't change in the slightest, one of his spider arms made a fist and bounced over to Mikey for a fist bump, which the box turtle obliged.

“And this is supposed to be the knots are our masks, connects to the bridge— super cool. And these are just some spaceships cause spaceships are awesome. And this is a bat, cause bats are rad, and it’s on fire cause that’s also rad.”

“Mm. Very nice. Love the thought and detail. Ha! There!” Donatello finished his work and retracted his titanium arms so suddenly that Donnie stumbled and almost fell. Donatello un-creased the mask to the best of his ability and rolled it back onto Donnie’s head, fixing it comfortably for the other mutant before backing up with a smug smirk.

The only difference in the mask that had been taken and the mask that was returned were the glasses now fitted carefully into the eye holes; the handles went in between the cloth of the mask to hold the glasses securely in place.

“Now you won’t have to worry about dropping them.” Donatello said calmly, crossing his arms and nodded. “You’re welcome.”

Donnie touched his hand to the frames a moment in awe before laughing his snorting-laugh. “Oh my god— this is— this is genius!” He hurried over to look at his reflection in the fridge. “How did I never think about this?”

Donatello simply tapped his head in response and turned to return to Mikey before Donnie ran and grabbed his arm to stop him.