Here’s A Little Octonauts Comic I’ve Been Wanting To Post!!💙🐟Nothing Angsty Or Anything, Just

would it be... funny... if... carole's bday... was on ... july 28th

reblog if you support:

• pre- or non-hrt trans people

• genderfluid/non-binary people who want hrt

• genderfluid/non-binary people who don't want hrt

• pre- or non-op trans people

• tall transfems

• short transmascs

• fat/plus size trans people

• fem trans men

• masc trans women

• transmascs who don't/can't/won't bind

• transfems who don't/can't/won't tuck

• transfems with wide shoulders

• transmascs with wide hips

• genderfluid/non-binary people with facial hair or tits

• genderfluid people whose presentation is static but their gender is not

• non-binary people whose desired presentation is how society says their agab should present

• transmascs who bind but still have a visible chest

• non- conventionally-attractive trans people

• non-conforming trans people

• non-"passing" trans people

• non-stereotypical trans people

We don't all fit into cisnormative society's bullshit stereotypes!

I'm trying to prove a point to some transphobic relatives. Back me up tumblr.

He's trying

update: i did!!

@.unhealthy_obsessionss on tiktok!

what if i made a tiktok for my art..

HOLY SHIT

thank you so much!! i have a lifetime supply now (/hj) tyty!!

do you have any tmnt leo angst fic reccommendations? preferably rottmnt or 2k12 because goddamn i love angst

I have...a lot, actually.

TMNT 2012

Youth by leones - Leo deals with the aftereffects from a lifetime of trauma and betrayal at his father’s hands (tw underage rape/noncon, molestation, self-worth issues, unhealthy relationships, unhealthy coping mechanisms, underage sex, beauty standards, sexual abuse, body image issues, manipulations, and suicidal implications)

Surrogate by leones @leonsi - Leo takes on too many burdens too young, and has to deal with that as his siblings grow beyond him (tw bad parenting, alcoholism, eldest daughter syndrome, and self-worth issues)

The Chronicles of Karai Getting Her Shit Together by Crowdog @crowdog - An AU where Karai heads to the farmhouse after season 3, and quickly grows into something magnificent from there. Excellent Leo, Karai, and Leorai content. (warnings for self-harm, underage, noncon, childhood poverty, imprisonment, molestation, and violence)

Stained Bandages by Sanjuno - A dark and bloody story about what happens when Splinter pushes Leo too far (warnings for violence and implied molestation)

A Son for a Daughter by sleepingseeker @sleepingseeker - Splinter makes a bargain, and Leo pays the price (tw rape, abuse, torture, mutilation, self-esteem issues, family dysfunction, and general dead dove fuckery)

Severance by @sleepingseeker - An AU for A Son for a Daughter where Karai and Leo run away together (tw past rape, past torture, trauma, family separation, injury recovery, nightmares)

Panda Wolves by Crowdog @crowdog - In which Leo has a boatload of trauma that is dragged into the light by a string of mysterious events (warnings for molestation, rape, self-hatred, victim blaming, nonconsensual drug use, violence, and incest)

Bro, You Literally Got Hit By A Bus by emmals16 - An epic angstfest with plenty of tortured Leo & Mikey to warm and torment your heartstrings. (tw injuries)

The Faults of Our Father by runawaydirtbag - Leo tries to come to turns with the darker sides of Splinter’s legacy (warnings for discussions of past molestation and rape)

Chain Of Command by TurtleQuest - A vicious little story where Leo’s brothers turn on him in the worst way possible (tw turtlecest, noncon, imprisonment, and sex slavery).

soft words and even softer blankets by leones @leonsi - Leo is struggling to bear a seemingly impossible weight, but at least he doesn’t have to bear it alone (tw mental health and self-esteem issues)

turtles all the way down (and down and down and down) by leones @leonsi - Leo’s mind is his own worst enemy (warnings for mental health issues, violent thoughts, and inaccurate portrayals of OCD described as such by the author)

Control by leones @leonsi - Leo seeks power over his life and body, but at a dangerously high cost (tw eating disorders, starvation, self-loathing, self-esteem issues, mental health issues) 

Release by Blackdragon - Leo and Raph try to deal with the fallout with the Invasion together (warnings for mentioned injuries, trauma, and turtlecest)

Haunted by Kiraynn - Leo struggles to recover from the unthinkable with Raph’s help (warnings for past rape and turtlecest).

please be proud by leones - Leo just wants someone to see how far he’s trying to come (tw unhealthy coping mechanisms, mental health issues, self-harm, suicidal thoughts)

Castaway by FearlessinBlue for EchoKazul - A nameless servant of the Foot Clan stumbles his way into the arms of a family who thought him long gone. (warnings for apocalyptic settings, violence, identity issues, and past torture/abuse)

Old Book, Clutter by Anonymous - Leo looks through pieces of the past in the wake of a devastating loss (warnings for grief)

Ripped at Every Edge (Masterpiece) by Dont_Feed_Da_Elves - Leo wrestles with guilt and grief in the aftermath of his failure with Karai, pushing him away from his family (warnings for violence, self-loathing, injuries, and bullying)

My R by cxlesstial - Leo struggles to find a reason to live, and discovers he’s not the only with that problem. Accompanied by this amazing video, and followed by this one (general tw mental health issues, heavy discussions of suicide, grief, self-loathing, heartbreak, and suicide attempt)

“Snowflakes” from Chruściki! by leones @leonsi - Leo does his best cope when a dark memory comes slithering back (tw trauma, triggers, self-esteem issues, and mental health issues)

“Candles” from Chruściki! by leones @leonsi - Leo deals with grief, pain, and responsibility in his own way, but he doesn’t have to do by himself (tw self-harm)

“Coming home” from Chruściki! by leones @leonsi - It’s hard to love someone who doesn’t know how to stay (warnings for feelings of abandonment and mental health issues)

“Family” from Chruściki! by leones @leonsi - Leo has to cope with finding himself alone on New Year’s Eve (warnings for loneliness and feelings of abandonment)

relax. by leones @leonsi - A dark reality where Leo is forced to endure the unthinkable after he and his brothers have to seek refuge with Usagi (tw underage rape/noncon, victim blaming, internalized victim blaming, emotional manipulation, sexual abuse)

“Porcelain Doll” from you're poison (i don't want to break these chains) by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Drabble set during relax. (warnings for underage rape/noncon)

Equal Exchange by starsonthewalls - Leo masters Healing Hands, but not without a cost (warnings for health issues and family dyfunction)

Tick Tick Tick by MoTexas55 (CupNoodles55) - Leo does his best to cope after waking up from his coma. It’s not going well (tw injuries, self-esteem issues, and trauma)

Filters by Anonymous - 2018 crossover! Leo and Leon cope with switching bodies and the weight of each other’s scars (tw trauma, fear, mental health issues)

A Dark And Haunted World by kalachelone - In the aftermath of everything, Leo and Donnie stay sane together (warnings for turtlecest, trauma, and implied character death)

Alpha by NeatTea, orphan_account - Leo wants to keep his family safe, but that means deciding who counts as “family” (tw abuse and graphic violence)

Blood Moon by sairoone - A lost turtle tries to put himself back together (tw violence, amnesia, and manipulation)

Ronin by Lexifer - Leo has almost nothing left, except for Karai. Perhaps that will be enough (tw implied character, violence, suicidal behavior)

Broken Cycle by sleepingseeker @sleepingseeker - Leo struggles with the weight of inherited impulses (tw mental health issues, violent thoughts, and implied past abuse)

after this first time by cptsuke - The fallout from Leo’s first kill (tw trauma, blood, violence, mental health issues) King of the Wasteland by Alessa_DC - Leo has a lot of things after the world ends, but not what he needs (tw apocalypse, amnesia, slavery, identity issues)

“I can’t” from Firebird Scratches, TMNT 100 Themes Challenge! by Firebird Scratches - Leo makes a sacrifice, and his family can’t pick up all the pieces (tw character death, violence, injuries)

“Heal” from Firebird Scratches, TMNT 100 Themes Challenge! by Firebird Scratches - Leo and his family deal with an impending loss (warnings for graphic medical issues, grief, and implid character death)

“Brainiac” from Firebird Scratches, TMNT 100 Themes Challenge! by Firebird Scratches - Leo does his best to take care of his little brother (tw mental illness and drug use)

Out Of Hell by Kareh - Leo is alone, and changing too fast to stop it (tw body horror, separation from family, the apocalypse, identity issues, mental health issues)

More Like Me (And Less Like You) by Kareh - Leo deals with guilt over things he can’t control, and learns that he’s not as alone as he thought (tw child abuse and self-hatred)

“E is for Eigne” from The ABC's of Turtle Tots by PrinceyAtNight28 - A fun day out for a young Leo and Mikey turns dangerous (tw injuries, guilt, and probable childhood trauma)

Prognosis by servantofclio - Leo and Donnie confront the ramifications of Leo’s injuries (tw for recovery, trauma, and internalized ableism)

Of Burdens and Failures, and Impossible Choices by fireworksinthenight - Leo protects his brothers, no matter the cost to him or them (tw injuries, explosions, recovery, and self-sacrifice/suicidal behavior)

Aggressive Empathy in the Abyss (AEITA) by Gemma Winchester (PrincessGemma12), PrincessGemma12 - Leo deals with the horrors of the past even as he finds love in the present (tw turtlecest, past underage rape-noncon, trauma, explicit sexual content)

Deadweight by MorikoTheHalfAngel - Leo and his family navigate the slow, painful path of recovery together (tw injuries, trauma, mental health issues, panic attacks, and nightmares)

Dog Days by runawaydirtbag - Leo struggles with his mental health and receives assistance from an unlikely source (tw depression, mental health issues, light ableism due to misunderstandings, and internalized ableism)

If it makes you happy by samstoleaburger - Mikey comforts Leo after a shitty day (tw self-esteem issues and discussions of family dysfunction and bullying)

Broken words - Leonardo by blackdragonsama - Leo is falling, and the person who catches him may be the refuge he wants, but not the one he needs (tw turtlecest, unhealthy relationships, explicit sex, and intense suicidal thoughts/behavior) There is explicitly suicidal imagery in this related piece of art, while there’s gore, suicidal imagery, and tcest in this one.

Analgesia by @sleepingseeker - Leo does his best to help Raph in the aftermath of their latest trauma (tw injuries and past violence)

Irrevocable Trust and Favorite by @sleepingseeker - Leo and Splinter make very different decision in similar situations (tw character death, violence, and sacrifice)

Have Mercy by @sleepingseeker - Leo can’t resist; doesn’t want to (tw implied violence)

Splintered Ties by @sleepingseeker - Splinter is slipping away from Leo in all the worst ways (tw for verbal issues, memory issues, mental health issues, sickness, impending character death)

Yin/Yang by @sleepingseeker - Leo and Karai fill each other’s thoughts (tw suicidal thoughts)

Last Request by @sleepingseeker - Leo is forced to confront a terrifying loss (tw character death and violence)

Recovery by @sleepingseeker - Recovery extracts a high price for Leo and Mikey (tw drug addiction)

hands under blankets by obsceno - Donnie helps Leo come to turn with their relationship (warnings for turtlecest and self-doubt)

quietude by obsceno - Donnie helps his older brother keep himself together (tw panic attacks, mental health issues, and implied turtlecest)

Special by Anonymous - Leo and his family struggle to deal a lifetime of trauma (tw grief, self-esteem issues, past violence, and trauma)

An Eggplant Among Pickles by Crowdog - When Leo enters a relationship with his brothers, it leads to some very unusual revelations (warnings for turtlecest, body image issues, explicit sexual content, self-loathing, insecurity, and dubcon)

Empty Fish Tank by Gwydion - Leo tries to care for a brother who doesn’t remember him (tw implied character death, memory issues, mental health issues)

Blue by @pachkko - 2018 crossover! One Leo gives another advice about surviving leadership (tw self-doubt)

Do you feel it? by Riu_wiu - Raph forces Leo to come to terms with some incovenient feelings (tw turtlecest, guilt, and possible dubcon)

By Your Side by Kiraynn - Leo wrestles with his sense of failure, while Raph offers his own form of help (tw injuries, past violence, turtlecest, trauma, and self-worth issues)

Shame by WeeWooManiac - Shredder captures Leo and subjects him to an atrocity (tw rape, victim blaming, internalized victim blaming, violence imprisonment, nonconsensual drug use, torture)

The Poisons Of A Grudge by WeeWooManiac - An extension on Shame. Leo fights to keep his life and sanity during a brutal captivity (tw rape, manipulation, humiliation, injuries, torture, victim blaming, internalized victim blaming, violence imprisonment, nonconsensual drug use, blood)

Whumptober 2021 Prompt Collection by FluffyAngstWriter - A collection of brutal Whumptober stories, centered primarily around Leo (tw gore, imprisonment, sickness, delirium, mental health issues, starvation, torture, mind control, sleep deprivation, panic attacks, nightmares, drowning, trauma, major character death)

stranglehold by samchiaro - A deeper explanation of the damage Shredder did to Leo’s throat (tw violence, permanent injury, and fears of death)

Play Pretend by blackdragonsama, Elphaba-Fae - Leo and Raph don’t know it yet, but they’re trapped in the same hell, and it’ll take a fresh horror to bring them together (tw rape, molestation, blood, manipulation, turtlecest, violence, torture, and imprisonment) Similiar warnings for the related art.

Deepest Darkest by FormlessVoid, with this art by 10yrsy - Leo has faced down his fears, but that doesn’t mean they’ll just leave him alone in the aftermath (tw nightmares, feelings of abandonments, fears of loss, trauma)

Leorai Week - Day One - Injured by SleepingSeeker - Leo and Karai move through their latest stage of their strange and wicked dance (tw violence, injuries, blood, unresolved sexual/romantic tension)

Foot Turtles - Beautiful Crime by Rinnegades AMVs - A video, but one of the best turtle-centric angstfests I’ve ever encountered (warnings for mind-control and canon-typical violence)

jade green eyes turned white by subtlyfailing - Leo’s brother is lost, and everyone is falling (tw mind control, violence, blood, verbal abuse) Everything is Fine (Even When It's Not) by CamsthiSky - Mikey is there when Leo wakes up from his latest injury (tw injuries and past violence)

Into The Fire by staringatstars - Leo and Mikey struggle to survive a so-called refuge (tw violence, abuse, imprisonment, poison, fears of death, manipulation, torture, trauma, memory loss, and homelessness)

The snow was beautiful, so beautiful by I follow the moon (lazy_lily) - Leo’s thoughts as he approaches what might very well be the end (warning for violence, fears of death, injury)

Into Calamity by MorikoTheHalfAngel - In a world where Splinter found them young, Leo and his brothers struggle to survive and endure (warnings for torture, violence, abuse, loss of identity) “You don’t have to face this alone.” by leos-wormstache @leos-wormstache - Raph helps Leo confronts the scars of facing his fear (tw trauma and fears of loss)

Solo by fireworksinthenight - Leo fights alone to save the ones he loves (tw violence and interrogation)

I Promise I'm Trying by Crowdog - As Leo’s relationship with Karai builds, he has to deal with the inevitably of revealing a carefully held secret (tw internalized transphobia, health issues, and imprisonment)

As the Chalk Faces Smile by @nicocentrifuge - Based on this art from the same creator. Leo tries to take care of his family after the end of the world, but it might require more sacrifice than they can bear (tw explicit underage rape/noncon, graphic violence, apocalyptic imagery, torture, prostitution out of desperation, and general misery)

back when heartbeats hadn't hurt by jellyu - Raph and Leo have it out in their own painful, messy way (tw underage drinking and family relationship issues)

Limited Peak by renrenssecretaccount - Leo loses his liberty, and his mind soon follows (tw torture, manipulation, abuse, rape, dehumanization, experimentation, death, and brainwashing)

TMNT 2012 Fan Comic! by @mintyisdrawing - Raph makes a request that Leo won’t obey (tw destruction, self-sacrifice/suicidal behavior, loss)

This Leorai art by @candycornvampirequeen - Leo falls in love at knifepoint (warnings for weapons)

Calm down. Just Relax. by @ringingt - Raph demands more than Leo might be willing to give (warnings for turtlecest and dubcon)

“Colors (Leonardo)” from Visions: One Word Prompts by Gemma Winchester (PrincessGemma12) - A collection of sentences from a larger story, tracking Leo’s life through different realities (warnings for violence, trauma, and animal cruelty)

“Beat (introspection)” from Fleeting Thoughts - A TMNT Drabble Collection by whisper_norbury, Whispering About The Ninja Turtles (whisper_norbury) @whispering-about-the-tmnt - Leo faces down his inner demons (warnings for mental health issues)

Monster by CityFallArc (orphan_account) - Leo wakes up from a dream to find himself in a nightmare (tw past violence, character death, brainwashing, and self-loathing)

Emotional Support Turtles by hushbats - Leo’s brothers help keep him together when he can’t do it himself (tw mental health issues and depression)

We Are Not Responsible For What We Have Come To Be by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo and his family walk a dark path to save someone they love (tw imprisonment, mutilation, discussions of rape, torture and experimentation)

The Nature Of The Wind by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo makes a dark bargain with far-reaching repercussions (tw rape/noncon, emotional manipulation, violence, torture, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, self-mutilation, trauma)

Bye, Bye, Baby Blue by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - A collection of Summer of Whump stories centered around Leo (tw rape, mind control, abuse, torture, manipulations, horror, self-harm, suicide, gore, trauma, self-loathing, self-hatred, mental health issues, graphic violence) Kappa and Lamia by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - A collection Leo-centric and Karai-centric stories, with plenty of angst for both (tw for rape, violence, underage sex, mental health issues, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, slavery, abuse, manipulation, and a lot of other stuff)

“Blue” from ABC TMNT by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - The story behind Leo’s mask isn’t what you’d expect (tw for blood, violence, and discussions of torture)

“Flood” from ABC TMNT by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo struggles to protect his brothers in the aftermath of a catastrophe (tw harm to child, destruction, and violence)

“Red” from ABC TMNT by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Raph and Leo have different opinions on the new state of things (tw rape/noncon, imprisonment, torture, violence, abuse, mind control, past self harm, mental health issues, and turtlecest)

“Unspeakable” from ABC TMNT by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo is stolen–not for very long, but long enough to leave devastating damage

“Jealousy” from ABC TMNT II: Out Of The Ooze by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Slash has a specific reason for wanting Leo dead, and it’s not pretty (tw for nonsensual touching, attempted rape, turtlecest, verbal abuse, and heavy violence)

“King” from ABC TMNT II: Out Of The Ooze by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo wants to protect his brothers, but who will protect them from Leo? (tw rape, turtlecest, slavery, torture, abuse, mental health issues, memory loss, out of character behavior, past violence, grief, trauma, manipulation, implied nonconseaul bodily modification, mental health issues, mind break, and suicidal thoughts)

“Snowfall” from TMNT ABC III: Lives And Times Of The Turtles by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - The past grabs Leo with both hands (tw flashbacks, injury, trauma, and past violence)

“Heartbeat” from TMNT ABC IV: Turtles Forever And Ever And Ever by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo’s family tries to bring him back after the Technodrome (tw near-death experiences and self-sacrifice/suicidal behavior)

“Intruder” from TMNT ABC IV: Turtles Forever And Ever And Ever by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo tries to confront his own demons while helping a friend handle theirs (tw past abuse, nightmares past violence, and trauma)

“Journal” from TMNT ABC IV: Turtles Forever And Ever And Ever by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo gathers all his ugly little feelings in a place where no one can see (tw self-loathing, self-esteem issues, sacrificial/suicidal tendencies, self-hatred, mentions of alcohol abuse/alcoholism, death, trauma, injury, nightmares, PTSD, discussions of violence, nightmares, self-harm via overexercise, and general mental health issues)

“Mantra” from TMNT ABC IV: Turtles Forever And Ever And Ever by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Saving Leo’s loved ones has a price (tw self-harm, blood, injury, health issues, deception, discussions of death and violence, nonconsensual mind manipulation)

“Tongues And Blushes (Pink)” from Covered In The Colors, Pulled Apart At The Seams by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo receives a poisonous kind of love (tw explicit sex, underage rape/noncon, and self-harm)

“I am forbidden to see,” “Stay with me,” “I sat down and wept,” “His vanity requires no response/ And makes a welcome of indifference,” “He wept. He promised ‘a new start.’,” from - Leo-centric stories from my larger connection (general tw include slavery, memory issues, imprisonment, mental health issues, self-loathing, self-destructive/suicidal tendencies, mental health issues, amnesia)

“I need your discipline (I need your help)” from The House Of The Rising Sun by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Mikey tries to help Leo, and the result is extremely angsty porn (tw consent play, heavy kink and NSFW, turtlecest, self-esteem issues, self-harm through pushed limits, self-sacrifice/suicidal issues, mental health issues)

“God, It’s Brutal Out Here” from Midnight Whispers by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo’s perspective in the final moments of his fight with Shredder (tw violence and fear of death)

“Lillith's Burdens” from Midnight Whispers by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Parasitica leaves ugly gifts (warnings for forced pregnancy, body horror, egg-based abortions)

“Where The River Of Tears Leads” from Midnight Whispers by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo’s brothers are gone, and all his friends can do is watch him crumble (tw suicidal behavior and major character death)

“This Strange Old Ghost Of Mine” from Midnight Whispers by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo has a strange relationship with one of his ghosts (tw threats and discussions of past violence, grief, and trauma)

“The Dark Meaty Bits” from Midnight Whispers by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo decides Donnie needs to teach him something new (tw trauma and discussions of violence and death)

“Kiss Me Crimson” from Midnight Whispers by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo keeps together by picking himself apart (tw self-harm and mental health issues)

“Terrible thing, you beautiful thing” from It's your Candyland where dreamers dance (And I promise that it's safe) byThis_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo doesn’t remember much, except for Karai (tw for mentioned self-harm, mentioned character death, dubcon, and mind control)

“And I'd give it to you a hundred times over” from - It's your Candyland where dreamers dance (And I promise that it's safe) by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo and Karai have a show to put on (tw for underage rape, mind control, and self-loathing)

“Stargazing” from Bitter Winter Nights by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo wrestles with dark fantasies (tw suicidal thoughts)

"See You Soon." from Bitter Winter Nights by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - Leo has an ugly encounter (tw threats of underage/rapenoncon)

“With Snow Outside” from Chapter 4 of We All Need Someone To Lean On by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - The cold debilitates Leo more than other people (tw flashbacks and trauma)

“Broken Promise” from i'm bitter (you're still in my head) by This_world_of_beautiful_monsters - A promise Leo would never have been to keep (tw injuries, turtlecest, self-sacrificial/suicidal issues)

TMNT 2018

Two Turtles, a Hippo, And No Free Will Stuck In a Room. by orphan_account - - Hypno wins, and Donnie and Leo pay the price (warnings for underage rape and turtlecest)

Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 5, Chapter 7, Missing Pt.1, Chapter 11, Missing Pt.2, Chapter 15, Chapter 18, Chapter 20 from if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones by sonicthehedgehoglover2 - Leo-centric stories from a larger angst collection (warnings for violence, blood, injury, sickness, seizures, and family conflict)

Till I Die (It’s DIY) by ace_returney - Raph doesn’t catch Leo when he falls, and when Leo realizes the full extent of the consequences it’s terrifying (tw injury, violence, and suicidal thoughts)

No One Notices by Anonymous - Leo is alone in more ways than one (tw self-loathing, mental health issues, self-hatred, self-confidence issues, blood, gore, self-harm)

Ten Thousand More by renawaywithme - Leo does what’s necessary to protect his brothers (tw violence, blood, and prejudice against mutants)

Red Echoes by GoblinCatKC - Leo’s scars from a terrible experience go deeper than anyone knows (warnings for self-loathing, violence, underage rape, underage prostitution, torture, imprisonment, manipulation, victim blaming, trauma, and abuse)

Red Lessons by GoblinCatKC - Sequels from Red Echoes. Leo can’t keep his dark secrets from his family for long (warnings for self-loathing, violence, past underage rape, underage prostitution, past torture, past imprisonment, manipulation, past victim blaming, trauma, abuse, and turtlecest)

Winter by ihaveathingforpink - Leo and Donnie take care of each other in their own ways (tw very mild health issues)

Bloodied Sword by blozinxz - Leo seeks refuge with Usagi after a fight gone terrible wrong (tw blood, trauma, and discussions of death)

A Thought by Iamacarrot - Leo engages in a particularly painful form of introspection (tw self-doubt, self-loathing, self-esteem issues, mental health issues)

Fallen Soldiers by Byrdybyrd - Leo’s body is intact after his fall, but his mind isn’t as lucky (tw PTSD, vomiting, night terrors, nightmares, trauma)

The Dangers of Mysterious Powders by blozinxz for Luescris - An encounter with a strange new enemy sends Leo spiraling into the dark (tw hallucinations, crying, self-doubt issues, self-esteem issues, self-hate, imagined verbal abuse, violence, and family relationship issues)

Bloody Chicken by PrincessFreak - Donnie finds an unusual method to try and deal with Leo’s issues (tw graphic self-harm, turtlecest, blood kink, graphic sex, unhealthy coping mechanimss, and unhealthy relationships)

The Collector by leospigtails - A strange visitor from another reality brings Leo face to face with his darkest possibilities (tw nonconsensual bodily modification, major character death, violence, turtlecest, and selfcest)

Other by VenusTheMarvelTurtle - Leo wakes up in a strange and frightening place of dark refklections (tw mental health issues, graphic violence, turtlecest, selfcest, graphic underage rape/noncon, past molestation, mental health issues, mind manipulation, and experimentation)

Cigarette Smoke by SaschaR - Leo tries to help his brother deal with ugly shards of the past (tw past underage rape/noncon, trauma, smoking)

What Else Do You Have Recorded? by arachnid_writes - Donnie forces Leo to confront everything he’s been hiding (tw self-loathing, self-esteem issues, nonconsensual recording, self-hatred)

shellshocked by redhairedmuses - Leo tries to survive and recover from a brutal injury at Shredder’s hands (tw injury, violence, brutality, and trauma)

three o'clock in the morning by agotdamnclown - Leo’s mind pulls him into a dark and ugly spiral (tw self-doubt, self-loathing, overthinking, insomnia, self-esteem issues, mental health issues)

Armor by blozinxz - The Shredder takes on a new host, and Leo is caught in its path (tw manipulation, self-doubt, identity erasure, possession, mind control, identity issues)

Stripped Bones by GoblinCatKC - Leo finds an unusual solution to childhood hunger (tw poverty, gore, dead dove content, harm to children, violence, starvation, family issues, selfishness, animal death, blood)

Twin Thing by HolyMangos - Leo and Donnie make the slow, but necessary journey to an understanding (tw child endangerment, home destruction, and relationship issues)

superfight by swordfright - Leo tries to put things back together after a fight with Donnie goes too far (tw dysfunction, troubled family relationship, and discussions of disability/internalized ableism)

Like Father Like Son by eternalglitch - Leo is snatched away from his family by someone determined to break him by any means (tw violence, mental health issues, abuse, manipulations, identity erasure, torture, self-loathing, abandoment, guilt, grief, self-esteem issues, and self-hate)

Bad Input by technofantasia - Leo tries and fails to come to terms with an agonizing loss (tw violence, mental health issues, and major character death)

submarines and stubborn love by guide_to_the_galaxy - Leo will go to any length to keep someone he loves safe, even his own self destruction (tw injury, self-sacrifice/suicidal tendencies, mind control, blood, violence)

One thing I like about Top Gun (1986) is how believable the development with Ice and Mav's dynamic is.

I've seen a lot of the "Rivals suddenly become buddies after traumatic event together" in media, but I don't think I've seen it done better than in Top Gun. Mostly, I attribute it to how much build up it has.

Most of the time, the 'Rivals' hate each others guts throughout the entire movie/series and then they go through an extremely traumatic event that binds them for life and shifts their entire concept of each other. Ice and Mav never once changed how they saw each other, it just changed their understanding of it.

Ice saw Maverick as dangerous and Mav saw Iceman as stuck-up and commanding. And they weren't wrong, by any means.

From the beginning, they have tension between them because of how different they are. And it ends up in the audience seeing Ice as the 'Antagonist' because that's how Mav sees it, and we're seeing it from his perspective as the protagonist. But Ice was never inherently wrong, in fact he was right.

Other than his first scene, Iceman always has a point in what he's saying. He's criticizing Mav, not insulting him. Sure, he does it in a brash way because masculinity, but he's not trying to insult him, he's trying to knock him down a peg and wake him up to reality. All Ice wants is that he starts to act as a team player, start caring about everybody's safety AND his own, rather than being reckless for the sake of being reckless. But Mav sees it as an insult because he can't process criticism in a healthy way (due to how he grew up). The same thing happened with Charlie, for the record.

And so the strife between the two begins. What I like about it is how it bleeds out of them over time, becoming more settled as the movie goes on. In the locker room "You're dangerous" scene, the tension is palpable. It's obvious they're agitated by each other, and feel the need to prove they're the correct one.

If you pay attention, this whole... demand for superiority goes away as time progresses. They're fine with each other's presence, it's not like they're constantly at each others throat all the time. In the shower scene, Ice dropped all of the aggression and competitiveness from his tone and is instead just laying out what he thinks. He's not undermining Maverick, he's not lecturing him like a child. Iceman is just telling Maverick exactly how he sees the situation in hopes that it would make him realize what the fuck he's doing, but with little hope that it'll actually work.

That doesn't mean Ice is always correct either, he doesn't understand why Mav acts the way he does, thus fails to take into consideration the emotional trauma behind it. Which only causes even more strife.

The entire time, Iceman isn't being a dick for the sake of it, he just wants Mav to stop being stupid (by his standards). And Maverick doesn't understand it because all he gets from what Ice says is insults.

Maverick isn't good at understanding what people mean to say if it's implied, you need to say it to his face. This is the reason he stayed quiet in the shower scene, because Ice finally laid everything out in simple words that he can understand without making it sound like a dick-measuring contest.

Thing is, the tension mellows out. At the beginning, you could see the tension and cut it with a knife. By the middle you can see them getting used to each other without jumping to constantly trade jabs (namely: the volleyball scene, it's just a bunch of guys being dudes, and the scene where Charlie says that Mav flew recklessly in front of the whole class, Ice doesn't comment on it in any way). Over time, they've settled down into their tension without needing to address it all the time.

Then Goose dies.

And the tension between them is still there.

Just because Goose isn't there anymore, doesn't mean their whole dynamic vanishes all of a sudden. You can see their hesitation towards each other (especially Ice), and that's great! It demonstrates that Goose dying doesn't magically resolve their problems with each other in solidarity.

Ice tried to give his consolations to Mav, and is awfully awkward about it. You can see on his face that he wants to say more, but doesn't because he knows it's not his place given their history. And not much is said, but a lot it communicated. (Val Kilmer is a killer actor for this, OH MY FUCKING GOD BLESS THAT MAN)

Even in the graduation scene you can see how out of their depts they really are with each other. A stilted congratulations, that was it. But they're trying, and that's what matters.

A scene I think gets overlooked a lot is the scene right before the Layton, where Ice expressed his worries about Mav to Stinger, and Mav heard him. Because I feel like that was a shift that was more drastic than the Layton itself for them.

What Ice was doing in that scene wasn't doubting Maverick's flying abilities, it was his mental health. Sure, he passed the psych eval, but that means next to jack shit when in a real combat situation so close after his backseater dying. And Ice might be worried that he's gonna be left hanging, but with the way he was speaking I'm more inclined to believe he was more worried about Maverick's wellbeing than himself. Ice almost looked resigned. He knew it was gonna get dismissed because that's the military for you, but he still wanted to try to vouch for Mav to stay groundside, if only to keep his mind at bay.

But Maverick heard him, and as usual, he read it as an insult. He wasn't wrong to assume Ice didn't believe him capable of flying the mission, which wouldn't be a lie, but failed to realize that he had more than one reason to want Maverick on the ground rather than in the air. And for the first time, Maverick believes him.

Up until this point, Mav dismissed all of Ice's so called 'insults' because he was certain in and of himself. But now he isn't anymore.

And it affects his performance in the air. I'm not saying he was as shitty as he was at the start of that combat because of what he overheard, but I am saying that it certainly didn't help matters in the slightest.

So their weird 'stepping-on-eggshells' situation is all over the place by that point. Because they started to care about each other despite not being what one would call proper friends yet. It's establishing a potential friendship by implying that 1. Ice cares about Mav's wellbeing and 2. Mav cares about what Ice thinks.

On the ground, they have the wingman exchange, and their suddenly buddy buddy. Thing is, it wasn't sudden at all.

They've been setting this up the entire fucking movie.

Going back to what I said at the beginning: Ice thinks Mav is dangerous and Mav thinks Ice is stuck-up and controlling. After the Layton, they still think those things because they weren't wrong to begin with. What changed was that instead of seeing it as something that pitted them against each other, it was seen as something that simply was about the other, and that there was no changing it. It could be good.

Mav being dangerous could be good and Ice being stuck-up and controlling could be good, because those were just traits of who they were. By the end of the movie they didn't change how they saw each other, just how they interpreted each other.

And it was built up during the entire fucking movie.

There was a reason to why they acted the way they did with each other because of the stilted interpretation they had of each other. From rivalry to friendship (and perhaps more later down the line), it's glaringly obvious throughout that it wasn't a sudden shift, it was exponential.

That's why I think it was so well developed, because you could see it coming.

LITTLE SISTER AMELIA AND OLDER BROTHER ROOSTER FANFICS WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME. OUWIEE

I watched kiss kiss bang bang at least five times today

Friendly reminder that they-

ARE CHILDREN.