MORE! PLEASE! I AM DYINNNGGG!

OMShell! RAPH GOT A LUCKY TEA!Dunno the real term in English though))

Hi, i reviewed your story about two years ago, ive pretty much accepted the fact you're not going to update it again and thats ok. Actually theres a really good chance you're not even on this website anymore, but i wanna say this anyway. I wanna thank you for writing this story, you are just one of the few writers on this website that inspired me to take risks with my own fanfiction. So thank you :) i hope you have a wonderful life

Turtles are not vegetarians btw, most are omnivores and some species are even cannibalistic. I think you are confusing them with tortoises perhaps? It is widely accepted that the brothers are most likely red-eared sliders, as those are the most common pet turtle in America. As such, while their diet would include vegetation, they also enjoy crickets, meal worms, fresh water shrimp and minnows in the wild. As pets, it is recommended they be fed cooked chicken and beef heart. The younger turtles especially need extra protein. A large amount of the calcium in their diet comes from eating the bones of the minnows.

Is the comment button truly made of magic?

The odds of them being related by blood are pretty much zero, but I don't think that should matter. I like Casey's comment about the discovery channel.

Interesting, without having a "baby" brother to look all big and tough for, and without an "older" brother to challenge and worry about looking weak in front of, Raph is free to let his guard down and be more expressive with emotions other than anger.

I can actually understand how Leo would end up being such an Arse. The 4 brothers balance each other out- they NEED each other, like 4 bodies but one soul. Raph butts heads with Leo all the time, questions his orders, argues with him, pushes his buttons- but this is a good thing, it's a healthy rivalry, it makes Leo question himself, keeps him from getting too full of himself (if all you have is yes men, you think you can do no wrong) and by having someone to challenge him physically, it teaches him humility. Raph gives him a worthy opponent he can spar with, and not worry about feeling guilty about later. He also knows that Raph would take a bullet for him and any one of his brothers without hesitation- Raph is Leo's shield in a way; So this puts Leo's mind at ease knowing that he alone does not bear the full responsibility of keeping his younger brother's safe, someone else is watching their backs and he knows that Raph can be trusted to watch his, because even though they disagree a LOT- as two alpha males are prone to do, they still trust each other. Donatello is the piece of mind for Leo. He has a level head and a calm manner. Donatello is the peacemaker and helps cool down the hot head brother. Donatello follows orders. Leo may be the one who makes the plans, but Donatello is the one who figures out the best way to carry them out. Donatello's security system brings a great deal of reassurance. It is surely much easier to relax and get restful sleep knowing you won't be attacked in the middle of the night with no warning. Donatello's medical knowledge and habit of always coming prepared is also comforting knowing that if he or his brother's are injured, it does not necessarily mean all hope is lost. He is someone to bounce strategy ideas off of, who will take things seriously and offer differing viewpoints and counter arguments in a calm and intelligent manner. He is also an open ear. It can be hard to talk about all your fears and frustrations to a parent, especially when you strive so hard to make that parent proud- it is easier to talk to a peer or a sibling. Donatello may not have the gift of empathy that Mikey does, but he will listen without interruption, he does not judge or accuse, and he does not let his emotions get stirred up easily. He will offer advise if asked based on logic, and he will answer honestly. Most importantly, he will never tease you, threaten blackmail or use any info for pranks or payback later, and he can keep a secret. He does not gossip. A doctor patient confidentiality kind of thing. Mikey is the one who keeps Leo young at heart. He reminds them that even though they are outcasts and have to fight for their lives, they are also teenagers and life doesn't have to be ALL about fight or die. He brings laughter and fun. Makes things less tense and gloomy. Filled with optimism and hope... and boy is that turtle one lucky son of a gun. But with out Raph to tease and poke at, or Donatello to keep him entertained with shiny new gadgets, Leo would become the center of attention ALL the time... as in the sole target of ALL of Mike's pranks and teasing... Rather than being the one he hides behind after he's teased Raph into a red eyed rage, Leo BECAME the one Mike teased into a rage. Leo enjoys spending time with Mikey, but he needs time to himself too, and with no one else to "play" with, Mikey wouldn't give Leo that alone time that the blue banded turtle needs. Also, there is a psychological difference in the way a single child develops and behaves as opposed to one with one other sibling and as opposed to one with several siblings. Being the eldest of many siblings tends to instill a sense of not only responsibility and protectiveness, but also an almost paternal like instinct. A need to be protective of the youngest ones. A need for a large family and taking comfort in it. By having a diverse set of personalities, it is more tolerable. Plus, knowing you have so many people who trust you and will watch out for you , take care of you, defend you... that is a huge sense of security. Also, I think having 3 ninja brothers made Leo more humble. Each brother is a master of their own weapon, each have their own strengths and weaknesses, each shows that there is no one "true" fighting style, but many. They are different but they all are worthy of the title "ninja", yes, even Mikey... whome I'm guessing is not called Mikey in this story because that is something you would call the "baby" brother, not really applicable when he's only the younger of two. Point is, Leo isn't perfect, he has his own flaws and so do his brothers, but by relying on each other's strengths, they can compensate for their own weaknesses. Mikey is the swiftest and most agile, Raph is definitely the strongest and most resilient, Donatello is the smartest and is able to see and comprehend things others cannot. Leo is the bravest, he is also able to remain calm and work well under pressure and make tough decisions. The 4 of them working and living as a team relieves a lot of burdens from him. It allows him to be more than just a ninja. It gives him the humility to be a peer, the security to be a teenager, and the comfort to be a brother. They each take the edge off the overall stress of life, and keep each other sane. I think it was a LOT easier for Raph and Donnie. Raph probably wouldn't lose his temper so much because their is no "big brother" trying to boss him around and tell him what to do, and no annoying "baby brother" constantly making stupid jokes, teasing him or pulling pranks on him, only to run and hide behind said big brother and pout to try to get out of retaliation. Don and Raph don't really argue. Don just doesn't push Raph's buttons, and he and Raph enjoy hanging out in the garage working on engines. Rather than getting into fights with Raph, Don is the one who patches him up after a fight. While they do have to worry about predators and the occasional lost, wandering tourist or poachers, they are not in constant fear of being hunted down by ninja assassins, government agents (until now anyway) or street gangs who want to take them down. For the most part, their life is peaceful and without enemy, so their is much less stress. Because of the lack of materials that the city has, Dee is not as brainy or nerdy as Donatello, so the mental gap that is usually between the brain and brown of the group is much smaller, allowing for easier communication and much more things to hold in common. And because Don/Dee does not piss Raph/Red off, their relationship is not one of sibling rivals or that of hothead big brother and annoying, pesty baby bro, but of protective big brother and sweet younger brother. They are brothers and friends- they seek comfort in each other. They have a strong, healthy relationship that flourished and grew due to being raised in a quiet, peaceful (mostly) environment, where they could enjoy each other's company and not have it forced (remember, they weren't forced to hide underground, they could walk about in the sunlight and explore nature a bit, having some free time to themselves.) Red doesn't see looking after Dee as a hefty responsibility that he has been burdened with- it comes naturally to him out of love. He is proud of the fact that his younger brother needs him, seeks him out for comfort or protection- he likes being needed, being the strong one. Dee is grateful that his big bro looks after him, and he likes being the smart one and is helpful, not critical or superior when he knows something Red does not know and likes the fact that he can use his smarts to help his big bro out and in turn, Red appreciates this. They work together without resentment or jealousy. They grew up realizing they are alone in the world just like Leo and Mike did, but their attitude seems to be more along the lines of "all we have is each other" whereas Leo and Mikey seem to feel like "we are stuck with each other, like it or not". I think this is in part because Leatherhead set them to much lower standards. The pressure for discipline of mind and body, the urgency for stealth, the stress of perfecting kata's with deadly accuracy- because a single moment of hesitation, the slightest hint of error or clumsiness will result in a blade at your throat by your enemies hands, was not there. They were both free to do their own thing... no competition, no striving to be just as good as your brothers and feeling like you are not good enough if you don't measure up. Dee knows he will never be as rough and tough as his gator wrasslin' big bro, and Red knows he will never be as good at reading and writing and figuring out how to fix up broken tv sets like his book loving little bro, and they are both okay with that because they only have to be themselves and no one else. While Leo grew up feeling that having to constantly look after his younger, less skilled (in Leo's opinion) brother is both distracting and holding him back, and Mikey bitterly has to live in his perfect big brother's shadow, never meeting his standards, and never getting what he truly needs; a friend. So I think you did a good job Keeping Leo in character, you adapted his personality accordingly given the situation, as you did with Mike's.

Poor Mikey, it must have been hard having to grow up with serious Leo without his other two bros to act as a buffer.

The meeting of two alpha males is never very friendly. I am curious though. Donatello was the one responsible for making the lair, well, livable. Splinter may have been raised by his human master, but that was the life of a pet rat. He did not gain any sort of intelligence until after Hamato Yoshi was killed and Splinter found 4 baby turtles crawling through strange ooz in the sewers. Splinter is not good with electronics. It was Donatello who figured out how to wire the lair to give them electricity and thus light and heat other than Splinter's candles. It was Donatello who figured out how to tap into the pipes and give them a more direct source of CLEAN running water in the sewers for drinking and bathing. And I'm pretty sure Donatello taught himself to read and then taught Splinter and then his brothers (lets face it, rat's can't read, and even if splinter could recognize some symbols, they would not be in English because he spent most of his life in Japan and was only in America for a very short amount of time before his mater was slain.) Yes, Splinter has always foraged and collected items thrown away by humans and brought them to the lair for his sons to use, but he has no knowledge on how to repair devices. Leo can't even work a toaster properly, and Mikey's knowledge of tech seems to be limited to video games and tv. Neither of them have any interest in science. While Leo does enjoy reading, it is more for pleasure, such as novels or philosophy. Mikey is more interested in comics. While they both have the capacity to learn advanced katas- Leo through dedication and determination, and Mikey through sheer natural athletic talent, neither of them are much into "book smarts" per say. (why would they need to be? Not like they could ever get a job or anything. They only need to learn the basics for survival. Only Donatello's endless curiosity led to further education about how things in the world worked). You mentioned the destroyed lair they stumbled upon had a non working light switch... but why would it have a light switch? There is no need for such things in a sewer so humans did not put it there, and only Donatello would have the knowledge and skill to install one... and Donatello has an incredible memory. If he was old enough to install a light switch and give their home electricity, surely he would remember his Rat father and two estranged brothers?

The other thing they noticed? These strange new turtles aren't wearing pants! (O_o)

Aww... I think Red's Jealous that someone other than himself or Pappy has Dee's attention. Doesn't want to share his bro LOL

So what we gots here is a couple o' teenage mutant hillbilly turtles? *banjo music from Deliverance plays somewhere in background* Heh, what do rednecks and red-eared sliders have in common? Neither one seems to mind incest.

This is a great story. Hope you finish it one day.

i love how Red's coping with the whole situation!