Alternatively, hello future Canon Donnie whose brother (probably Michelangelo) breaks reality to get young Don some SAINW closure.
But yes, love the Don analysis. Canon 2003 is probably my favorite for a reason, and you capture them greatly (even what they're like after a decade of grief). Don is probably my favorite in 2003 (they're all so good! But he's so chill with undercurrent of mad scientist that I can't help but adore), and it's kind of rare to see an author that shows his Character as well as you.
Some of my favorite fics on ao3 are where the Rise tots get yeeted to our lovely 2003 Brothers for plot reasons (that reason is fluff), so I think that we might have read the same things 😅. Family fluff and unexpected caring for young children (preferably in the toddler to 12 year old range) are two of my favorite things to read about (along with learning to understand each other better... the fluffy angst makes me good cry).
Is this me bringing up the story I'll probably never write where we take turtles of the same name and stick them in different universes to try and unscramble (for example, we have 4 Don's stuck in the 2003 universe, but all the Mikey's are in Rise, the Leo's get 2012, and Raph's get '87). Except, the Rise kids all get to be 13 with Mikey because of quadruplet superiority, and watch all of the other turtles develop instant overprotective parent instincts. Not really, but yes 🧐
"Alternatively, hello future Canon Donnie whose brother (probably Michelangelo) breaks reality to get young Don some SAINW closure." Oh that is such an interesting idea. I think that's going to be rotating in my brain for a while. If you have any more stray thoughts on this concept I'd love to hear it, it's so much fun to talk about these theoretical scenarios.
Growing up, Don was my favorite in 2003 too. "so chill with undercurrent of mad scientist" exactly! Love to see him happy and doing his thing, and making stuff just brings him so much joy, and then sometimes he just goes right for the explosive option or snaps at Usagi to protect Leo and you realize that he's actually got some steel, deep down. What a guy.
Kind of related; Mikey was my (annoying) sibling's favorite, and thus incredibly annoying to me at the time, but on a more recent rewatch I'm really appreciating them all as individuals and the way their brotherly dynamics just work so well. There's so much playfulness and genuine love there. The writers did such a good job. (And after finishing the Michelangelo oneshot I've realized he's my favorite of all Don's brothers to write, so the tables have truly turned.)
(And thank you for the compliment on characterization! Amevello Blue did a lot of the hard groundwork there and I'm just building off of it in my own random direction, so I've got to give credit where it's due.)
If there's a Rise and 2003 crossover on AO3, I've probably read it at some point! It's so wonderful how fanfiction can provide seven hundred versions of the same scenario, and every single one will be different and interesting.
That story sounds like fun! I'd love to read it if you ever get around to writing. I love how the Rise turtles so frequently seem to make everyone around them turn into concerned parental figures in these sorts of things :D
I have been reading a lot of Amvello Blue (part 2 Ghost is killing me in my feels right now) and that along with the deb au and those feral rise kids getting adopted by 03 Splinter has been giving me life (I swear that I can normally remember Author names but it's been a day 😅).
If I'm being honest, my initial least favorite was Raph. Not that I disliked him, but he was too straightforward and brash for me to really love him without one of his brothers around to be a foil. And then I watched Rise and Raph was my absolute favorite? And then, watching 12 and 03, they hit differently when you watch from an adult perspective?
Of course I'm firmly in the camp that the only way to appreciate a turtle is as a group or in duos. They bounce off each other so well it's perfect.
03 specific- Raph and Donnie: Raph brings out Donnie's "mean" side (which is hilarious when turned towards Mikey teasing), and then Raph is all content to be chill and putter around with engines. Leo and Mikey: Leo gets super mischievous (but in a fun older brother way) when left alone with Mikey (see the episode with touch and go), and Mikey almost seems more focused? Like, maybe trying to show off for Leo because he wants to make big brother proud. Raph and Mikey: Raph oscillates between being the other extrovert who vibes off Mike and being absolutely worried/concerned/shouty over little bro, and Mikey unlocks his true annoying potential around Raph (possibly because he gets the best reactions) they are more outgoing when together, and also have more of a do, don't think than when paired with a different brother. Leo and Donnie: I'm pretty sure they Don't need to talk to each other? They are the introvert duo and I love it even if it's hard to put into words? It's like they know Raph and Mikey will cause a commotion somewhere, and instead of stopping it they hide out nearby with popcorn to watch the chaos unfold.
Leo and Raph: We get overprotective brothers unite unless literally anyone else is in hearing distance, in which case we get a brawl spontaneously happening. They also egg each other's competitive sides on, and foil well because they have caution and brashnss about opposing problems?
Mikey and Donnie: Don't leave them alone together for longer than 30 minutes, probably. Mikey totally feeds Don's inner mad scientist, and Don makes Mikey's inner genius come out to plan massive chaos? Basically, explosions and 100 times more likely if they are alone too long.
(Sorry for the late reply, life has been really kicking my butt alskjgf)
Ghost in the Shell part 2 is killing me too!! The happy ending is going to be so well earned after all of this. It's the best sort of fuel for writing Hold Every Memory - I eagerly get my heart bruised, and then I turn around to my keyboard to put a teeny little bandaid on it :')
I never really thought about it that way, but you're right! The heart of the show isn't in any of the turtles doing their things individually, but in their interactions and the choices they make because of each other...
And, oh man, you hit the nail on the head with all of these! I love this all so much. Mikey and Donnie really are the chaotic duo of all time.
It's all good, I am definitely on the struggle train right now as well 😅
As far as fixating on brotherly bonds... I'll be honest and say that that's literally what drew me to the turtles? I one hundred percent love familial and platonic bonds in writing above just about anything else.
I Don't usually enjoy a story if it's just one character carrying because I'm there for relationships, interactions, foils, and family? There is a reason I instinctively dislike '12 Karai, and it has to do with how she's introduced with Leo. It makes me cringe so hard, and it also made me feel bad not only for Leo, but also for the other boys.
Also, '03 Mike and Don are so deceptively chaotic even though their universe is the Leo of the cartoon series universes (Rise is probably the Mikey universe by this theory 🧐).
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