Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a media franchise about a team of four mutated turtles who were trained by a ninja rat and fight crime in New York City. The series was created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman as a dark and gritty spoof of popular comic books during the 1980's such as X-Men and it's spin-off New Mutants (which originally focused on teenage mutants) and Daredevil (which featured ninjas). After retaining the rights for so long, Laird sold it in 2009 to Viacom, becoming a major addition to the Nickelodeon channel.
==Canon==
The series first appeared as a self-published comic book Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (May 1984).
The Main Characters for this fandom are:
* Leonardo (Leo) - Blue Mask; the leader and often bears the burden of responsibility for his brothers
* Michelangelo (Mikey) - Orange Mask; team's easy-going and free-spirited prankster
* Donatello (Don, Donnie or Donny (2k3)) - Purple Mask; scientist/inventor/engineer/tech genius of the group
* Raphael (Raph) - Red mask; team's bad boy - has a bit of an attitude but loves his family and friends
* Splinter - a mutated rat who adopted four turtles and raised them as his own, teaching them the art of ninja.
* April O'Neil - the first human to befriend the turtles
* Shredder - the main antagonist for the series
* Casey Jones - a vigilante who wears a hockey mask to protect his identity who teams up with turtles; in a relationship with April in most incarnations
==Fandom==
TMNT has a large fanbase, with a lot of fanworks centered around the turtles family dynamic. One of the most common subjects is Raph and Leo's relationship in regards to how they each think the team should be run. The majority of TMNT shows, comics, and general media tend to focus on Leo, and Leo and Raphs fight over who should be leader, or how he should act as a leader. The fan base also reflects this by have a large amount of fanworks about the two characters dynamic, and how it affects the rest of the team and other characters. Fans also tend to favor Leo as the 'favorite' in some iterations, and sometimes treat him as the 'main character' of the franchise. All the turtles vary in popularity from show to show, but characters such as Splinter, Casey, and April seems to vary more, due to their personalities and the fact that the character sometimes drastically changes from version to version. 
The main fandom pairings (Both platonic and romantic) are between the turtle brothers (Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo and Leonardo), as well as ships between April and the turtles (although canonically it's only ever usually amounted to crushes on the brothers' part, until the 2K12 series). April/Casey is a popular het canon pairing.
===Comic Fandom===
The original comic series is darker and more violent than the later incarnations. 
===1980s Cartoon and First Live-Action Film Trilogy Fandom===
The TMNT fandom between the trilogy and the 1980s animated series introduced a lot of fans to the series. This period is sometimes referred to as "Turtlemania", because during this period the Turtles became an international phenomenon 
===1980s-1990s Animated Series Fandom===
===Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation Fandom===
Live action series produced by Saban, set sometime after the original animated series and the first three movies. The series introduced a new character, "Venus de Milo", a female turtle, who is contentious among fans and creators. Nonetheless, some fans took to doing fanworks dedicated to her. This incarnation of the Turtles also appeared alongside Saban's own Power Rangers in the "Power Rangers In Space" episode "Shell Shocked".
===2003-2009 Animated Series Fandom===
A popular series due to it being closer to the comics and darker than the original animated series. It's mainly known as 2K3 universe.
===2007 Animated Film Fandom===
TMNT 2k7 is the fandom term for the universe. It focuses on Leo and Raph's relationship, and as such is popular among fans of turtlecest.
===Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)===
TMNT 2k12 is the fandom term for the universe.
A series that has become very popular. A fandom favorite is the canon relationship between April and Donatello, although Raphael/April is shipped as well (since originally Raphael was supposed to have a crush on April).
===Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows (2016)===
TMNT 2k14/2k16 is the fandom term for the universe. It's often criticized for its design of the turtles and starring Megan Fox as April, although others enjoyed her as April or liked the film regardless.
===Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2018)===
ROTTMNT, Rise, TMNT 2K18, and/or Rise of the TMNT are other names for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This series was unfortunately cut short, with its second season only having 19 episodes, compared to the expected 26. This was mainly due to fan backlash at the changes the series made to the characters and plot, as it deviated greatly from the previous iteration which had a much darker tone. Many fans completely refused to watch the series, leading to low revenue and toy sales, which contributed to the cancellation. A TV movie, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie was released on Netflix in 2022, giving the fandom a sudden revival. Fans were able to keep the movie trending on several social media apps for around a month after release, sparking an ongoing media campaign to renew the series for a third season. As of Feb. 2024, there are no confirmed plans to renew the series, although many fans are still holding out hope. This iteration of TMNT is one of the most popular in terms of fanworks, with over 13,000 fanfics posted on Ao3, far outstripping the other iterations. 
===Mutant Mayhem===
The movie appears to be catering towards a younger audience, with animation reminiscent of Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse and Puss in Boots:The Last Wish. The current film synopsis is "After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers. Their new friend, April O'Neil, helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them." The movie is also meant to focus more of the 'teen' aspect of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and center heavily on the youth of the turtles and the experience of an adolescent.
===Terminology===
*Turtlecest or tcest is the pairing name for the incest relationships between the brothers Raph, Donnie, Mikey, and Leo. Or all four, in the case of Donatello/Leonardo/Michelangelo/Raphael.
*Raphril is the pairing name for Raphael/April.
*Apritello is the pairing name for April/Donatello.
*Leorai is the pairing name for the ship Leonardo/Karai.
*Aprilangelo is the pairing name for April/Michelangelo.
*Leopril is the pairing name for April/Leonardo.
*Capril is the pairing name for Casey/April.
*Castello or Jonatello is the pairing name for Casey/Donatello.
*Capritello is the pairing name for Casey/April/Donatello.
*Ramona is the pairing name for Raphael/Mona Lisa
*Rasey is the pairing name for Raphael/Casey Jones
*Leosagi is the pairing name for Leonardo/Miyamoto Usagi or Leonardo/Yuichi Usagi
*Donsagi is the pairing name for Donatello/Yuichi Usagi or Donatello/Miyamoto Usagi
Note: Miyamoto Usagi and Yuichi Usagi are sometimes used interchangably for these ships, due to the characters being incredibly similar. The version they are shipped with usually depends on which iteration of the turtle it is, as well as fan preference. So far, Leosagi has shown to be vastly more popular than Donsagi. 
*There is no official ship name for the pairing of Donatello/Usagi Tsukino, centered around Donatello and the Sailor Moon character Usagi Tsukino. This ship is considered a rare pair and somewhat of a crackship, and currently only has two fics on AO3.
*Shell Shock or Shell Shocked is the pairing name for Michelangelo/Miles Morales
Note: this ship is more commonly shown in Tiktok videos or fanart, rather than fanfiction. It is also usually with ROTTMNT (2018) Mikey. 
*Caseyangelo or Pepperoni Pucks is the pairing name for Casey Jones/Michelangelo
*Baronjitsu is the pairing name for Baron Draxum/Lou Jitsu or Baron Draxum/Splinter (This pairing only exists in the ROTTMNT (2018) verse)
Note: the only difference between Baron Draxum/Lou Jitsu and Baron Draxum/Splinter is the time in which they fall in love and/or get together. There is no real difference between the two, but Baron Draxum/Lou Jitsu implies that they fell in love/got together before Lou Jitsu was mutated, or in an AU where Lou Jitsu doesn't become 'Splinter'.
*the pairing of Big Mama/Lou Jitsu or Big Mama/Splinter does not appear to have a proper pairing name, and is usually just known as 'Big Mama/Splinter'. This pairing also only exists in the ROTTMNT (2018) verse.
*Mikeymondo is the pairing name for Michelangelo/Mondo Gecko. This ship is usually found only in the 2k12 verse.
==Fanworks==
===Fics===
*Wish I Had Casey's Girl by sonofwolf, one-sided April/Don & April/Casey "Donnie's got a crush...too bad she's taken!"
*Seven Minutes by Dork in High Heels, Rated Mature, 2K14 April/Raphael, After the events of ‘Weightless’, "April must come to terms with her feelings for Raphael." (Sequel: Justify)
*100 Theme Challenge by hummerhouse, Rated Mature, 2k12 Casey/April/Donatello, "Don loves April who has a crush on Casey who has the hots for Don. Triangle ahoy!"
*Past to Present by crabapplered, OT4 (all 4 brothers together), 2k3 SAINW Turtlecest "Years after his mysterious disappearance, Donatello has been returned to his brothers. Leonardo can't quite believe it, has to prove it to himself with sound. Smell. Touch."
*Casting Stones at the River by GoblinCatKC, Multiple Canon Pairings, Turtlecest, Slash, Het, "How long do mutant turtles live? Potentially thousands of years. An exploration of how the turtles discover and then deal with suddenly expanded lifetimes." (This is a series of 100 short pieces in the same story, told out of chronology.)
*Like Father Like Son by eternalglitch, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Forced Villainy, gen, "Draxum wasn't quite ready to give up on his plan to use the turtles as his ultimate weapons just yet. When Leo is taken by Draxum, it's up to the other three turtles to get their brother back before it's too late."
*A Tale of Spirits by Unorthodoxx, Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Bonding, Avatar the Last Airbender crossover, "The arrival of four great spirits changes everything" 
*Paper Rings by Lydiasgrace, Leosagi, Love at first sight, Marriage proposal, Soulmates, "The first words Usagi ever said to Leonardo were “Marry Me" Before Leo could give his answer, he was whisked away by his brother. Determined to track Usagi down so Leo could give him his answer, he soon finds that actually finding Usagi is the easy part. Convincing his family to let Usagi live after they find out is a much, much harder task."
===Arts===
*Missing The Point by chochi (colored by oddmachine), a genderswapped group image of the turtles.
*A lesson in compassion by bakameganekko, baby!Mikey and Ralph.
*Hamato Pile by suthnmeh, April and the Turtles (TMNT 2012)
*x-men x tmnt by m7781, a mash up of TMNT as X-Men characters
*Michelangelo by grimming (TMNT 2K14)
==Example Art Gallery==
File:Celestialtoybox5-14.jpg|Art from The Celestial Toybox #5 by Jon Marshall (1989)
File:Crossignals3-4.jpg|Art from CrosSignals #3 by Sharon M. Palmer (1990), a crossover with Beauty and the Beast
== Fanzines==
===Doujinshi===
Yaoi:
*Reckless Love
*Transistor Glamor
*YZ
==Archives and Communities==
*Shell Shock
*GreenWilloW's TMNT Lair
*Ooze Container
*Dawnatello's TMNT Site
*TMNT Fanfic Archive
*Kyabetsu's TMNT Fanfic Archive
Livejournal
*tmnt
*tmnt_fanfic
*tmnt_adult
*turtlecest_nc17
*tmntkink
*tmnt_kink
*turtleslash
==Fannish Links==
===DeviantArt===
*tmnt & teenage mutant ninja turtles searches
*TMNT Fanfiction Hub
*TMNT Fans
*TMNT Legacy
*Operation TMNT
*TMNT Community Awards
*2012 TMNT Fans
*TMNT2012Fans
*TMNT2012
*TMNT-2003
*TMNT2003
*TMNT Discourse
*TMNT Canon
*TMNT Fan Group
*Awesome TMNT Fanart
*All Out TMNT
*TMNT Friends Forever
*TMNT Fans Forever
*TMNTurtle Power
*TMNT-AllStories (fanfiction only)
*TMNT Humans (Human AUs only)
*AUs of TMNT (AUs)
Shipping specific:
*Slash the Slasher (Slash fanworks)
*Pro-turtlecest (Turtlecest)
*T-Cest Fans (Turtlecest)
*Of Lions and Lambs (Raph/Don & Mikey/Leo)
*Fans of Jonatello (Casey/Donatello)
*Casey-x-Donatello (Casey/Donatello)
*Mickey-x-Ick (Ice Cream Kitty and Michelangelo)
*Donatello x April (April/Donatello)
*Donnie x April 2012 (April/Donatello)
*TMNT Classy Crazy (April/Casey)
Character specific:
*Donatello's Place
*TMNTDonnie
*TMNT April O'Neil
*TMNTApril O'Neil
*Rat Daddy FC (Splinter)
*Pets of TMNT
*Ladies of TMNT
*TMNT Villains
=== Tumblr===
*Tumblr tags: tmnt, teenage mutant ninja turtles, tmnt 2003, tmnt 2012, tmnt 2014, tmnt 2k14
*LGBT TMNT (Fanweek)
*raphril (April/Raphael)
==Resources==
*Turtlepedia
*TMNT Fanfiction Hub
*Ninja Archive (TMNT Fanbook Archive)
==References==
Category:Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles