I think the biggest problem with 2012 April is that she has so much potential, but they kept wanting to make her seem like a normal teen girl added with wanting to get strong for girl power. And I get that. But the way the writing handled it wasn't the best. Especially considering they also wanted to make her the weird chosen girl at the same time. Its like they read all the ya self insert chosen one girls books of the early 2010s and tired put that all in 2012 teen April. To fair it was their first time having to depict her as the same age as the turtles.
Lowk she felt like they were trying to make her appeal to the audience by basically making her Y/N … you worded it better than I can but yea😼
She has such potential to be this otherworldly teenage girl, and I would’ve written her to feel out of place and different when she compares herself to other normal teens and when she finds out she’s this weird chosen girl, she wants to deny it but also feels as though all the alienation she went through finally makes sense now so she embraces it?? If that makes any sense lol
I also just hate that they’re pushing her to be Donnie’s love interest while also making her randomly switch up. Moments where she’s avoiding him like the plague and then giving him a kiss at the end of the episode just feel so forced. Leave the romance subplot out of this and let Donnie be aroace PUHLEASE!!!!! I swear the romance subplot feels like that line from little women where the publisher says “—she has to be married by the end… or dead. Either way—” LET HER BE A TEENAGE GIRL!!!! LET APRIL BE THE AWKWARD OUTCAST IN THE CORNER!!!!!! LET HER FIND COMMUNITY WITH THE MUTANTS WITHOUT THE SUDDEN NEED FOR ROMANCE!!!!!!!! AUGHAAAAA