They still have their original turtle eyes! We just cant see them because the art style lol
They're (canonically?) warm blooded
Reptiles take a lot longer to heal than mammals, which is a trait that carried over after the mutation. When they were little they would get a lot of infections (its hard wrangling 4 children under ten, Splinter had a hard time keeping every single cut clean). They own a lot of bandages (specifically fun cartoon band aids) because they have to wear them for much longer periods.
They! Make! Turtle! Sounds! And they picked up some rat sounds from Splinter! Splinter knows what all the turtle sounds mean, but never makes any himself. The first time April heard the turtle sounds she demanded they teach her. She cant make them exactly so she'll make a similar enough sound and they'll joke that she's just got a thick accent
Like most reptiles they will continue to grow throughout their lives! Thats why future!Leo was so big
They've eaten plenty of questionable things growing up. And still will if bribed with enough money. One of the reasons they love Run of the Mill so much is they serve Yokai food aka food with some gross stuff (ex. that pizza with eyes the twins ate when they took April)
Splinter has no idea how old they actually are. Neither does Draxum he didnt exactly care what day his subjects were hatched he just needed them to be juveniles. They were mutated 13 years ago so in reality they are all (mentally?) 13. Splinter needed to put someone in charge while he was gone and the reasoning was because "he's the oldest" because how do you argue with that? And then eventually the kids asked who the second oldest was and Splinter panicked and just went in height order. He randomly picked birthdays and accidentally made Leo 20 days older than Donnie
Splinter's DNA is the reason they're such good ninjas. Somehow. I dont see how thats genetic but yep thats the reason. They pick up moves really fast, so growing up on Lou Jitsu movies and having easy access to youtube allowed them to learn moves visually. Splinter also gave them all a crash course on fighting before he ever let them start going off on their own
Splinter named them after colors! Growing up he had to color code everything to avoid "but its mine" disputes. It took him a while to figure that out so they actually didnt have names for that time.
April was the one who started the twin debate. At the time (she was idk 10?) she didnt understand how two siblings born in the same year could not be twins.
Raph and his duty of older brother is essential for the family, but the most substantial role is held by Donnie. Splinter is the father but Donnie is the true provider. Before Donnie got old enough to play around with fixing things the family lived a very different life. Donnie is the reason they have a tv, working kitchen appliances, clean water despite living in a sewer, electric lighting and heating. He's the only one who regularly brings money in and organizes things like online shipping or grocery delivery (thank you internet!). Donnie looks at something and sees something entirely out of the box, and then makes it a reality. Leo found the area that became the lair, but Donnie is the one who made those concrete tubes a functional home. And he did it all just to see if he could. Splinter didnt think he could do it, but it kept the boys entertained all day so he let them have at it. Splinter feels guilty so much has fallen on Donnie's shoulders over the years, but he is so grateful that Donnie turned out to be so smart
All the brothers are really smart, just in different capacities. Donnie prefers engineering and computer science but also picks up other science subjects fast. Leo's is harder to see, it manifests more in quick thinking, puzzles, and people skills. He's also really good at math. Mikey is good at seeing patterns, in both objects and relationships. Raph is in emotional intelligence, particularly internally.
When Cassandra said "my friends call me 'Casey'" she meant that only to Splinter, and the rest still had to earn the right to call her "Casey"
Raph and Casey (Sr) somehow become best friends. No one expected it.
Donnie has scars on his shell, but most of them are from minor everyday things and not true fights. Raph has the most scars due to his tendency to use himself as a shield to protect his brothers
Leo, Donnie, and Mikey all feel like they didnt earn their spot on the team. Leo because he feels he doesnt offer much (canon), Donnie because if he cant make tech he thinks hes useless (canon), and Mikey because he's the youngest and his brothers are therefore forced to include him (headcanon)
At one point Mikey tricked Splinter and Big Mama into going on a date
Draxum and Donnie got stuck in a situation that forced them to bond. They both pretend nothing has changed but it has
Not only does Leo come to Sr Hueso to complain about his life like Hueso's a bartender (canon), but so do all the brothers. Sr Hueso keeps reminding them he's not a therapist
Their s2 finale outfits (gif up top) become everyone's mission outfits
Medic Leo Medic Leo Medic Leo
All the boys love the joey pouch (its basically a incubator and theyre reptiles). April finds it disgusting (its a very hot and tight space made of flaps of skin and you cant move without lots of effort)
At one point the boys all try to get jobs. Raph tries the Hidden City but gets run out by the police again. Mikey somehow talks Sr Hueso into giving him a job. Donnie attempts to work for Big Mama but in disguise. Leo somehow ends up helping Draxum out in the high school kitchen. None of them last the week. Raph doesnt make a day, Mikey gets into a argument with a chef on day four and quits "on principle", Donnie got discovered on day 2 but out of nostalgia's sake (being her exbf's son) Big Mama let him stay on but it got uncomfortable fast so he bailed also on day 4, Leo finds out he's outlasted all his brothers and goes in on day 5 solely to steal some ice cream bars and then told Draxum he quits when he was already on his way out
Theres a running joke that Piebald is always there but the boys keep forgetting about her. They dont know if her and dad are messing with them again or she actually was there and they just dont notice ("i mean... she can turn invisible. She could have been there")
Casey Jr lives with them! April and Casey Sr are at college and living in dorms. Plus, he's not quite ready for full emersion into a society thats never had the apocalypse
Growing up Leo had become a father figure to Casey Jr, a person who could do no wrong. After the movie that illusion is clearly shattered, but he still looks up to Leo and the others. Leo has now taken a role closer to Big Brother (someone who can be flawed) than Parental Figure. Leo on the other hand has fully embraced being a role model for Casey Jr and has basically become Raph whenever Casey Jr is around
Casey Sr takes her job as Casey Jr's mom very seriously. She's not the same as future!Casey Sr, obviously, but Casey Jr enjoys spending time with her anyways. If anyone asks they say they're cousins and as a inside joke Casey Jr calls her "mom"
Casey Sr drilled proper etiquette into her son. The boys are working hard to break that ("Master Michelangelo-" "woah buddy, you can just call me 'Mikey'. 'Master Michelangelo' is way too long and too many syllables")
Raph's got scars from being krangified (from when it ripped into his body and from when he ripped it out of his body). He's got some vision problems in his right eye now
Donnie's also got scars from being forcefully ripped out of the control console
Casey Jr is a avid pupil of Nap When You Can and falls asleep everywhere. Showing him a movie? Asleep. Dinner's gonna take another 15 minutes? He's already drooling on the couch. Leo's taking to long to get his gear on? Catnap on the kitchen table. As the new baby of the family everyone carries him to bed instead of waking him up
Mikey begins spending more time over at Draxum's now, learning about mystic powers
Leo being forced to leave Raph behind really left its mark on him. Watching Leo sacrifice himself really left its mark on everyone else. Its not surprising to wake up in middle of the night because someone came in to check on you after a nightmare
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