#gooseyleo asks

"...oh no gooseyleo posted"

ow my heart

that's my cue to drop mandatory sillies. I cannot recall if I shared this one here?? Apologies if it's a duplicate, but it still makes me giggle.

And another silly as a treat! did this one as part of a gaza fundraising stream a couple years ago, generously donated by kitty to the kat haynes hehe!

is Goosey a female? or was the other goose a female from your recent update?

Yes, Goosey is female! Geese are neat in that males and females look identical, and both share equal responsibility for the goslings after hatching.

I’m so excited to finally talk about this! Goosey is a snow goose x domestic goose hybrid, but she looks most like a typical snow goose. 41 is also a snow goose. The reason 41 looks different is because he’s a blue morph Snow Goose, which is irrelevant to being male or female. Some snow geese just look like this, and I thought it would be fun to toss one in!

amazing

uplifting

Now I lowkey want a pet goose

Haha thank you thank you, I'm glad you like it!

adopt a goose at your own risk lol they're very spicy

I was then shot 57 times

In all seriousness though this comic is amazing I'm so glad I finally decided to read through it. Thank you for the angst!!!!!

Great question! I have thought much about this haha it is not a pleasant experience. On top of not having much in the way of non-expired pain meds, his issues are unique.

I've been envisioning that his periods are not exactly like a human's, since he just doesn't have the same anatomy. Turtles have an oviduct (which kind of look like an eldritch string of pearls) which is a little different than mammalian set ups. Since their bodies aren't designed to support a fetus, no thickening of the uterine lining is needed and so there is nothing to shed.

So Leo does not bleed, but he does feel cramps and other symptoms (bloating, nausea, other gastrointestinal unpleasantness probably, and so on), as well as the emotional side. The cramps are coming from egg development. With his anatomy being a mix between reptile and mammal, things aren't really optimized - organs are too small or the wrong shape - so the development and movement of eggs through his system is uncomfortable. Other issue is he can't physically lay eggs. Luckily, 99% of the time eggs are reabsorbed. Eggs that aren't reabsorbed have to be surgically removed. It has happened once in his lifetime, but he doesn't remember it well - probably so painful he blacked out. Maybe Splinter ended up having to take him to the HC out of desperation, or Donnie had to do it? Still deciding that haha In the good future with his kids Aero and Peach, they were removed as eggs and planted in flower pots until they hatched bc apparently turtle eggs are not built to be moved.

Luckily for Leo, this sort of thing is annual, not monthly, since turtles have breeding seasons. Catch though is that it does last a few weeks.

There is the risk that an egg develops and it doesn't reabsorb. Could definitely be one of his many fears while his anxiety is heightened during this vulnerable time. He's pretty much fucked if it does happen while he's alone in the city. He manages the discomfort with lots of bed rest, hydration, snacking on any sweets he can find, sometimes alcohol, tea, and ofc, Goosey's warmth. There might be natural remedies to consider too...but I think we might run into issues if Leo starts relying on poppy seeds opium style XD

Of course!!