#theintrovertedbookworm

MJ is an OC created by @howtotrainyourdragonprince !!! I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTER!

I folded.

This creator has inspired me so so so much to post and create my own art and story, and when I saw her most recent piece of art, I knew I had to make this! MJ’s ninpo/mystic is so incredibly unique, so I added her dragon spirit because it represents her!

This OC belongs to the creator @truths33k3r4 . I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTER!

So… I just finished The Strength in Weakness by this creator….

OHMIGOSH I LOVED IT SM!!!! The characters, the slice of life, the humor, the angst, the fluff? So friggin’ perfect! She’s an amazing artist and storyteller!

I first heard about C2G from my favorite creator (you know who) and decided to check out her page. I found out the tons of voice acting she does for other creators and really enjoyed it! The, I found out about Lotus and her original story, and that really peaked my interest!

(Also, fun fact, me and Lotus share the same first name. Iykyk Hint: it’s not Lotus.)

Anyways, I drew Lotus, and it was fun! She’s a very pretty lady, I think my rise ocs would like her.

Here are my head-canons for the turtles and my sexualities for my ocs! I chose to do the shapes that represent them with pride in the background and the awareness ribbons on top! Let me explain them:

Raph: Head-cannoned him as demisexual with anxiety. I imagine he would watch adult rated films and skip over the saucy bits because he doesn’t like them. Bridgerton is probably one of his favorites.

Leo: Head-cannoned him as a bisexual man. He is confirmed to have ADHD by the creators, but he also has sleeping problems bc of trauma. I know a lot of people head-canon him as a full gay man because of his personality and reaction to Piel and Hueso combined, but let’s remember that scene with Atomic Lass, okay? IYKYK.

Donnie: Head-cannoned him as asexual also with sleeping problems. He is confirmed to have autism by the creators! I got to reference him as proper representation in my school TedTalk presentation today about autism representation and I am so happy!

Mikey: Head-cannoned him as pansexual and he is confirmed to have ADD by creators (not the same as ADHD, but the ribbons were the same color). This guy would not care about gender; as long as he finds someone he’s attracted to, he will go for it! I do like the aro/ace head-cannon for him too, it fits him, but I think Mikey would like to have love in his life.

Now the ocs:

Xsis: Xsis is bisexual and has AUDHD (autism and ADHD) because that is what I suspect I may have. I am not a doctor and I would love to get properly diagnosed, but even getting that is kind of expensive. Hoping a future therapist can help when I’m older. As for Xsis, I wanted to show that not all autistic people are the same. Her and Donnie have similar traits, but are very different people. I think it’s important to understand that not everyone with a certain condition can be expected to act the same.

Woody: Woody doesn’t show his mental health traits very much in the beginning of my fic, but when he gains his memories back and remembers his past life, he’ll show more signs of his depression. When he was human, he committed acts of self-harm because of the way his body looked and how difficult he made life for himself because he thought it was his fault. This will be tricky to write as I don’t want to cause anyone harm, but tips and tricks later on will be highly appreciated!

That’s all of them! I like most head-canons about the turtles and have respect for people who share different opinions, but I simply wanted to show mine. Mental Health and Pride are very important traits that should be checked on and discussed by people as a community. I believe equality comes from spreading awareness, understanding in the community, and helping those who need it.

Here is what I used! Got the screen shot from NIXY on YouTube (go check her out her oc stuff is FIRE 🔥)

Mikey took the picture guys trust…

I really didn’t like this drawing at first, like, I HATED the fact that I couldn’t get it right, so I shaded it in pencil and called it a day. But, today, I came back to trace over them in pen, and I like it a lot better.

I think it’s a good lesson, y’know? Like, you’re allowed to fail, you’re allowed to mess up and get upset. Eventually, you learn and grow from those mistakes and make something new from them. You also won’t like everything you make, and that’s okay, too!

Renaissance is an OC created by @renisrandom . I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTER!

I did it again and I don’t regret it.

This creator is one of many ROTTMNT OC Titans who has, I think, one of the most creative and dedicated minds I have ever seen. Instead of naming her OC after an old artist, she named her after the whole era. Total icon moment 😎

Actually, Ren inspired me to create my OC Woody. I thought having a turtle OC like everyone else would be… idk boring? Unnoticeable in the collection of other creative characters? But I saw Renaissance, the shy, adorable, simple but recognizable turtle design and knew that my ideas could matter just as much as hers.

I also love Renaissance so much. Her lean form is so elegant, and I needed to practice more dynamic poses with the turtles, so this was fun! I also gave her a little tail and claws, because I do that with all the turtles 💚

Flies in a Web: Chapter 2

The distant clanging and banging within the pipes of the sewers was never enough to wake the residents down there. Growing up in the dark damp tunnels has made the turtles and their father immune to the unexpected noises, and it hardly bothered them unless there were signs of flooding within the walls.

No, that wasn’t the reason the Rapheal was laying awake now.

He stared at the ceiling, hugging a teddy bear close to him, his chest rising and falling stiffly. Ever since the invasion, he had been trying desperately not to fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, his dreams engaged him in a full display of how he had harmed his brothers while under Kraang’s possession. It felt real, painful, horrible. He kept reliving his mistakes over and over and over and over, and he hated it.

He raised a hand to stimulate his brain and covered his left eye. Darkness. The blind eye was another thing he had to live with, and it had been a huge inconvenience. He always used to rely on his vision for fighting, for how would he not spot the enemy without it? But now he has to shift his body much more than before to be able to look at anything on his right. Worse, there was a claw-mark scar over it all, creating a hideous distortion on his face.

His hand trembled and he balled it up. His brothers were safe, that was what mattered now, nothing else. If they were safe, he would be okay.

There was a gentle knock on the stone outside his room. “Raphie! Breakie!”

Ah, Mikey, perfect timing as always.

“Be there in a sec, little brother. Raph’s just gotta get ready for the day.”

“Alright. We’re waiting on you!”

He sighed and sat up, stretching out his limbs and making his back crack. He watched the scars on his arms and shoulder as he put on gear, his mask, and brushed his teeth. They were so pale compared to the rest of his body, and they felt so alien, even after over a year. His body only felt half his, and nothing was the same.

No, no, he was fine, his brothers were fine, everything is fine.

He looked in the mirror, and he stared at the milky white eye. It was flat, glossy, but felt hollow. It was a gaping nothingness of despair and pain.

… everything was fine.

————————————————————————

The kitchen smelled like eggs and bacon when Raph walked in. Leo sat next to Donnie at the counter as Mikey hummed, mixing what looked like pancake batter. Donnie looked intensely at his phone and seemed to shrink at any small sound around him. It was worrisome to Raph, his brother becoming more closed off than normal.

Mikey turned and smiled. “Raph, hey! Almost done here, just gotta get the pancakes ready.”

The eldest smiled back and leaned against the counter rather than taking a seat. “Is it possible to add chocolate chips to mine?”

“Sure!”

“Heathen,” Donnie muttered with his face glazed in the ghoulish blue light of his phone.

Raph rolled his eyes and tapped Donnie’s battle shell before rubbing his head. “Hey, ain’t nobody dissin’ chocolate chip pancakes while Raph’s around, understood?”

The softshell mumbled, but gave no further comment. Odd.

Leo yawned, and Raph’s focus went to the scars on his jaw. “Heh, oh sweet, sweet Raph, for you do not know the truth of the best pancake.”

With a playful grin, Raph walked over and gripped Leo’s shoulder in a firm, but reassuring hold. “Yeah, brother? And what would that be?”

As if sensing the moment, Mikey plopped a plate in front of Leo. A smooth pancake with chunks of purple was placed in the center with eggs and bacon bordering it. “Blueberries, baby, best damn fruit in the world.”

“Language.”

“Amature,” Donnie stated, “Worse than the chocolate chips.”

“Well, aren’t you a sour pickle today, Dee,” Mikey chortled as he set down a plate with a plain pancake with maple syrup on it. “Eat up. Raph, I’m almost done with yours.”

His gaze lingering at the crackling scars on Mikey’s arms, Raph nodded slowly. “Thanks. I always know to count on Magic Mike for all my basic necessities.”

The youngest spun around for flair and trotted back to the stove with his casual bounce, though it was off-center now. Muscles tensing, Raph remembered the moment that portal split the air like a spark to a match, how flecks of Mikey’s own skin flitted into the distant sunrise. He had torn himself apart simply to get Leo back. But that wasn’t his responsibility, it was Raph’s. Why did he have to get so hurt?

NO. Everything. Is. Fine.

“What kind of pancakes do you think Woody likes?” Leo put his feet on the counter as he took a forkful of bacon into his mouth.

The rest of them paused and blinked at Leo.

Leo himself looked back with a shrug. “What? I’m just saying. I mean, if he is our brother, Mikey might have to make a whole new pancake flavor.”

The box turtle flipped a pancake and sprinkled chocolate chips over it. “I’d love to experiment with new recipes!”

“You can do that anytime, Michel,” Donnie responded quietly.

“Come on, Dee! Isn’t it exciting to think we could have another brother?”

“Of course, but as of right now, I am too exhausted to express any emotion so I will simply say this: woohoo.”

Raph tilted his head. “Ha, okay, guys, I know we are all very excited to have a potential new family member, but we don’t know where Woody came from. He doesn’t even seem to know himself. So, let’s at least promise to not tell dad that we found another turtle mutant in the woods until we can figure somethin’ out.”

“WHAT?!”

The brothers all whipped their heads around to spot Splinter at the entryway, with a shocked expression, holding a bag of chips against his chest. His nose twitched, he paused, and exploded. “YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT THERE IS ANOTHER TURTLE MUTANT LIVING IN THE WOODS? AND YOU WEREN’T GOING TO TELL ME?!”

Trying to save himself, Leo held up both his hands as if he were under arrest. “Hey, dad… um, so, this was all Raph’s idea–”

“LEO!”

“–and I totally wanted to let you know that I was going to tell you before anyone else, so–guyii!” A loud crack echoed as Leo fell off his stool with a glowing pink mark on his face and a stunned stare.

Splinter pulled back his tail and pinned his sons with a disapproving look. “Anyone else feel like lying to their father?”

They all shook their heads, and Mikey looked very worried. He hated lying unless he felt like he had to. “Dad, we’re sorry, but what were we supposed to tell you?”

“Yeah,” Donnie added, “How would you have reacted if we had just brought him over and said: ‘Hello, Papa! So we have this new turtle guy joining us forever, and now you’ll have to steal double the food to provide for us all’?”

The rat man grumbled and waddled over. “I thought we agreed to stop keeping secrets after the Lou Jitsu thing. We’re family, boys, and you wanted to keep this hidden?”

“We don’t exactly know him, dad.” Raph grabbed his plate of pancakes that Mikey set up and shoved it in his mouth. “And it felt weird to just let you know.”

Leo got up and rubbed the center of his face to relieve the pain from before. Splinter looked down in thought. “You said he didn’t remember himself, what does that mean?”

Raph clasped his hands together and blew into his fist to calm his nerves. “Well, apparently, he can’t remember anythin’ before and durin’ the invasion. All he remembers is meetin’ Todd.” His tail lashed once and he shifted to contain himself. “Other than that, we have no clue.”

Splinter tapped his foot. “I didn’t see another turtle baby when Draxum created you boys, so I don’t think it was him. But, just to be sure, I can give him a call. Perhaps he can help us figure this whole thing out.”

“Oh, and we have to tell April,” Mikey added while pouring a ton of sprinkles on the last batch of pancakes, “Just because she would want us to tell her anyway.”

Donnie nodded. “Splendid idea. With her becoming a journalist, maybe her investigation skills could be of use. And once I get a DNA sample we can really, as they say, get the ball rolling.”

“Yeah, everything except for a beach ball, eh?”

“Shut up, Leo.”

The slider stuck out his tongue and Raph watched the small stitch scars on his legs flex as Leo limped. Nobody really understands how terrible the Kraang had beat him, so the fact that he was still standing and making jokes with the family was a breath-taking miracle. Every faltered motion reminded Raph that his brother could’ve died in there, and he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

Stop. Everything. Is. FINE.

————————————————————————

The movie in front of Raph played loudly, showing Jupiter Jim flying through the cosmos on his way to the planet of robot vampires to save Earth once again. Leo lied down beside him and watched with a soft smile, hands crossed over his chest, legs pulled up, blanket over top of his rested form. He needed a lot of rest while recovering from his injuries; even after they healed up, he still needed to lay down every now and again. It hurt Raph’s heart to see Leo, once so energetic and confident, now having to stay in one place for almost hours at a time.

“You’re crying again.”

The snapping turtle looked up at Leo. Leo looked back tiredly. “I told you, Raph, you don’t have to cry for me anymore. I’m here and I’m not leaving.”

“That doesn’t matter, Leo," Raph responded while turning to stare off into nothingness. “At that moment, we thought… I thought you were gone for good. Yer here, but you might not have been if Mikey hadn’t opened that portal.”

Leo rolled his eyes, the glow of the movie screen reflecting in his deep blues. “I know, but I don’t like seeing you cry over me, either.”

“Then tell me what to do instead.” Raph was upset now. “Do it, go on. Yer the leader now, so lead me.”

“Raph.” Leo’s look was earnest and worried. “Hermano, I love you. You can look at me all you want, you can visit my room or the couch over and over to check on me, but don’t cry. It’s scary to see you like that. You hate crying, and we hate when you cry, too.” He sat up with struggle. “It’s just one thing. Please do this one thing for me.”

“Yah can’t tell me not to feel for you!”

“I’m not saying that. All I’m saying is that it’s really upsetting to see you, well, so upset. I’d feel better if you stopped, not because I don’t understand your feelings, but because I feel like I’d recover a bit better if I didn’t have to worry about you guys.” The slider scoffed to himself. “Like you used to do.”

Face falling as he watched Leo’s expression grow painful, Raph let out a shaky sigh. “Okay. For you.”

Knock. Knock.

“It’s them,” announced Mikey from the lair’s entrance.

Leo grabbed Raph’s shoulder to support himself and the pair walked over to greet their family. April had her hair up, and dressed in her classic jacket and dress and jeans. Her bat was strapped to her back and glowed menacingly in the faded lights. Draxum was in his robes and carried a casserole with a grim expression. When he saw the boys, however, he softened. “Ah, turtles, it has been some time since our last encounter. I trust your recovery has been well?”

Mikey nodded and wrapped an arm around Donnie at the counter. “You know it!”

Donnie carefully removed Mikey’s arm and looked at April. “Come, best friend, we have much to discuss.”

“Psh, you’re telling me,” April huffed as she walked over. “I was playing a video game with Sunita when all of the sudden, Draxum goes all Sonic-the-Hedgehog and tells me we gotta go fast because you guys discovered something. Without me. AGAIN!”

Leo snorted. “Sorry, April, but don’t blame us. It was Todd who surprised us with it.”

“With what?”

“You’re going to want to sit down, dear April,” said Splinter. He looked very serious. “Draxum, we have to talk.”

————————————————————————

April and Draxum sat down and listened carefully to what the turtles had to say. They heard about Woody, the treehouse, the memory loss, Xsis, and even how Woody had wanted the help. It was a long conversation that came as a shock to them, but they stayed quiet throughout the whole thing. Finally, after it all, Draxum decided to speak first. “So, you’re saying he looks a lot like you, so you think I made him?”

“Exactly,” Donnie sid, pulling up a screen on his technological compression glove. A holographic picture of Woody floated there as he stood next to Xsis. “Since he doesn’t seem to have any secret limbs or other form, he doesn’t seem to be a yokai. Plus, my sensors didn’t pick up any mystic energy. He is a turtle mutant, through and through, but we haven’t seen any other turtle mutants at all.”

“That is strange,” Draxum agreed. “My oozsquitoes have something to do with this, no doubt about that, but they haven’t made anyone lose their memory before. Rat-man here had a face-full of mutation and he didn’t lose a single memory.”

Splinter grumbled and crossed his arms. “Good thing, too. I would’ve pounded you to smithereens if I had.”

Leo yawned from his place at the counter beside Donnie. “So, you also know nothing about him?”

“Unfortunantly, no. But, I do believe there is a reason he is important. Donatello, may I see the photo of Woody again?”

Donnie pulled up the hologram and Draxum looked at it for a few moments. He then flicked through the sensor's different settings before pausing. His face tensed slightly before pointing to Woody’s chest. “Look, there, a pulse.”

“Probably his heart, Draxy.”

“It isn’t his heart, Leonardo. It’s energy. It’s a specific kind of energy that I’ve never seen before.”

Mikey placed his head on Draxum’s shoulder. “What is it?”

“I believe it could be the answer to what you wanted to figure out about Woody.”

Raph watched the hardly visible glow go off on the hologram right over Woody’s heart. “Meanin’?”

“Really? Does ‘never seen before’ mean anything to any of you?”

“Oh.” Raph felt his face grow hot. “Well, um, normally when people say things like that in movies they have an explanation after.”

Donnie raised a drawn-on eyebrow. “This is reality, Raphela, not some sci-fi nonsense.”

April gently patted Raph’s shoulder with a comforting glance. Leo yawned once more. “Oh, boy. Does it look bad?”

“I’m not entirely certain, but if it’s what’s causing Woody’s memory loss, it couldn’t exactly be considered good.” Draxum’s gaze spread over the group. “Turtles, if this is some new form of mutation, I want to research it. Perhaps it could be a potential cure for mutants.”

Mikey gasped dramatically as the rest stared. “So dad could be Lou Jitsu again?”

Draxum nodded. “Quite possibly. If I can extract a few samples, we can know for sure.”

Everyone looked at Splinter, who was in disbelief. He looked down before shaking his head. “While I agree, discovering what is causing memory loss can be a good idea, I don’t want to get my hopes up about some cure. It would be great to get back to my old self, but I do not think it would be wise to do. We don’t know how safe it is yet.”

Donnie nodded. “Dad’s right. We can focus on an amazing potential cure later. For now, let’s just focus on how that ‘pulse’ is affecting Woody. It’s possible it could’ve affected other mutants, too.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Leo said proudly. He limped to the front and drew his blades. “Mostly because it would be amazing to have the real-life Lou Jitsu as our dad!”

“... I’m still Lou-Jitsu, Blue. I am just a rat.”

“Whatever. Point is, we help Woody get his memories back–which allows us to keep our promise to Todd– and we get a cure for dad, maybe potentially whenever. Win-win for everyone.” He grabbed his plate and leaned against the counter. “Sound like a plan?”

April sighed. “Barely.”

“Aaaaaand… that is how we roll, baby!”

————————————————————————

Raph lied back down on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. After Draxum and April left, Splinter had had a long talk with them about how he didn’t want a cure because he honestly did like how everything was. Raph thought it was a good thing, Leo less so, but he didn’t argue with anyone about it. It was crazy, really, how a cure could be possible for all mutants, even the turtles themselves.

But what about Woody? Getting memories back from whatever past he came from couldn’t be easy, and that “pulse” wasn’t exactly comforting for anyone either. Raph wondered what could’ve been so bad during the invasion and the mutation to get Woody’s mind to simply blank out on everything about himself.

He turned over on his side and curled up. Everything was happening at once all over again. Memories, cures, promises, mystery. His brothers could be put in danger again. How and why was a mystery, but everything gave him an unsettled feeling. Nothing was right anymore, but why?

He closed his left eye, expecting total darkness as usual, but something wasn’t right. There were… figures, pink outlines of hallways and people passing by a door. The air felt cold, the footsteps echoed ominously. Pillars of solid material were placed around him, and he was completely frozen in place.

He opened his eye in a panic. Warmth rushed back to him and the vision fazed out. He blinked multiple times. He closed both eyes over and over, but the vision was gone. Was he daydreaming?

No, no. Everything is fine.

He lied back down and took deep breaths. He closed his eyes and drifted away.

Everything is fine.

————————End of Chapter Two———————

MASTERPOST for Flies in a Web

Ao3 Link

First//Previous//Next

Notes: Bro I’m so proud of this drawing! Looks 10X better than my first attempt (It was so bad, man, alcohol marker were NOT the vibe). Anyways, I keep re-reading my chapters and tempering all the foreshadowing I’ve done that you guys can’t know yet. Wah.

Bro wdym the only thing getting me out of art block is drawing my persona as a MLP character….