shoulda said it before...maybe I did...this chapter holds one of the best "first contact" depictions ever to appear on the ff site..

that question: "You afraid?" and then the perfect answer...

"Yes... but it doesn't change anything.."

would that other humans could have the guts to answer so courageously...!

I love the description of Raphael's rage. It's much better tha red red everything goes red and stays that way. He does seem to snap to an alter state where he know exactly what he does and the reasons just don't matter as he'd already decided. I may use this myself in time.

You have a brilliant story! And your OC character is marvelous! I adore your writing skills and your remarkable ways with words!

I have to say this page in particular was amazing for me just because when you talked about the song “New Jersey Girl” I looked it up (for my first time) played it in my background while I read the story and right when Amber starts singing, Tom Waits was singing the same part! It was miraculous!

AWESOME

I love Mikey!

One of my favorite things about this story thus far is the pace it's moving at-not revealing too much all at once yet moving forward with a steady, intriguing interest that wraps me into it. I know you warned in your prologue that the plot doesn't seem apparent at first, but I can definitely sense the underlying structure and am enjoying getting to know the characters and their relationship to each other in a leisurely way-it makes it seem almost real. And is necessary I think in incorporating an OC-giving her a solid "history" in the TMNT universe. And I love Raph's compassionate side, his drive to protect these people. It's compelling but not overly-romanticized. Hits it just right. The only suggestion I have is that sometimes it sounds a bit Britishized-and that is nitpicky, but I have noticed it at times, though now that I think about it I would be hard pressed to go back through and find exactly where. Maybe it's just the British word spellings that are throwing me off...in any case, it doesn't really matter.

Oh, yeah! I thought she'd given it up for a sec there. Nice finish. Shit, nice everything.

You're an inspiration :)

Whew, that took me a minute. I have a vacation day, so I've used most of it reading this nonstop.

This was heart wrenching. I felt that goofy hopefulness building up in me that Amber would stop using, but I knew in the end she'd pick the habit back up.

I think I loved the whole sneaking into the evil corporation and saving Amber part the most. Imagining Raphael and Mikey that pissed is always great to read. Maybe something’s wrong with me, but I love seeing anger in the turtles, and how they react to it. Especially Mikey. I think him angry, and I mean truly pissed, would probably be the scariest thing conceivable. Like if it’s that bad that Mike would get angry, you have to watch out. And when a writer conveys their thoughts of how it would all play out for me to read, well, there’s nothing better. :)

Again I'll reiterate how wonderful of a writer you are. This is quickly becoming one of my all time favorites. It’s different than anything I've ever read. I think there is more to this series, so I do believe that I'll be reading the rest well into the night. Everything about this was just great. Wonderful, wonderful job!

My God.

I have not read a TMNT fic with more gritty realism in a long, long time. Kudos to you, though that's not nearly enough praise for what you've done here. I can't wait to read others in this series! Also, your ending line, "Some things never change." may be one of my favorite endings EVER. Fantastically depressing and filled with angst... seasoned to perfection indeed!

Again, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

RD

Good storyline, nice and dark without being totally gloomy. It has shades of the original Turtles comic book series, back before they were TV friendly - though I do love their TV personalities...I am an 80's kid after all.

Amber makes me feel conflicted. She annoys the hell out of me sometimes; but at the same time I really admire the way that she's ultimately more in control of her own life than anyone seems to think. Her extreme honesty is both her greatest asset and her biggest flaw, I bet she pisses a lot of people off but you have to respect how genuine she is. All in all, I'm looking forward to seeing how she progresses (I haven't read your other stories yet, I'm going through them in order and commenting as I go). I also like the fact that you didn't make her ridiculously good looking - she's no Julia Roberts!

I loved the ending. It wasn't triumphant, but it was really nice in it's own low-key way. Some things were left open for future stories, some things were unresolved - a pretty realistic/natural end to the tale. I have some questions, and I'm going to keep reading your Amber series to see if any of them get answered.

There were quite a few great moments in this story, but my favourite bit was probably was when Amber built the fort with Mikey. The act of playing together made the "monsters" instantly human to her, and it made me like her a little bit more to see her just having simple fun like that.

I read this all in one sitting and wrote a review last night, which was eaten by the computer, which ticked me off because it was lengthy. So I'm trying again. I'll try to recapture most of my thoughts.

I know it's been said before, but Amber is just about the believable, engaging, interesting, OC ever. I admit, when she casually tossed her coat to a homeless person who needed it more than she did, I almost worried a bit second that she might in this story become the architypical (at best, at worst stereotypical) hooker with a heart of gold. But with you writing her, of course that didn't happen. She is as complex and contradictory in her behavior as any real person. Sometimes generous, sometimes selfish, sometimes kind, sometimes not. And she is, in the end, despite everything, a fundamentally decent and likeable human being.

I loved the characterizations of all the guys and their complpicated reactions to her. Michelangelo - the cringeworthy moment when he, however good-natured he may be, couldn't hide his disappointment once he got a good look at her. Donatello - totally out of his comfort zone yet, practical guy that he is, recognizing and doing more than anyone to answer the immediate needs of the situation. Keep her hydrated, minimize pain. Leonardo - going from poorly concealed dislike and pity to condescending kindness and a determination to see her as exploited, yet still written sympathetically and not vilified as a narrow minded jerk foil for the OC. If he is wrong in his approach to Amber, it more from a misdirected sense of chivalry and misplaced desire to 'help' someone who neither wants nor requires it than from real ignorance or insensitivity. Raph - um..I'll keep it short. Everything.

And the kiss at the end, as simple and awkward as it was, was kinda hot. I think I've become a bit jaded and desensitized from all the smut and slash I've read. It takes a lot (or in this case, something something simple and honest) to move me. I felt a sympathetic physical pang in reaction to reading that scene.

There's alot more I could write, but I've probably taken up enough of your review space. Loved it!

Ah! *sighs after blissful time spent reading* I think your writing is just beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

Cheers,

KameTerra

Wow this story is getting good. i'll be sure to read more tomorrow.

That was a excellent fic, well written as well. I loved the dark feeling from this story and I loved the characterization you put here. Some of my favorite moments were Raph and Don's interaction in the beginning of the story, Mikey just being his cute self, but more importantly, Raph and Amber's relationship throughout the fic. I read your other two fics with her in it and I must say she's one of the best OC's out there. She's a believable character and I look forward to reading more fics with her in it.

Again, awesome fic!

iceangelmkx

that was an amazingly well written story. wow. just wow. nothing was OOC, we got to peek into Raphaels inner thought process and it was just so touching even for the darker themes. like it alot.

Oh man! There's just so much delicious goodness to comment on for this chapter that I was daunted to even review for awhile, because I knew it would HAVE to be a long one!

Okay, let's see. I loved how you closed the opening part: "I never really felt they got justice."

The Leonardo/Amber scene is one of my favorites in the whole story, and just made me fall head over heels in love with your Leo all over again. "Because my brother does." Ah! Perfect brutal honesty! That line just says so MUCH.

Donatello taking care of the medical side of things, considerate but at the same time detached enough to supply her with needles. He's so very logical and realistic, no? Very well done. All the TMNT just shine in this final chapter.

Aw! Mikey hanging off the couch backwards, basing his protests around Mortal Kombat! Haha. So sweet. "I'll miss you most of all, Scarecrow." My heart squeezed at that one. It hit me good for some reason. And even the last line "This place needed the drama"... It was such a short section, but it was jam packed with awesome.

Oh for Splinter and his Jedi Mind Tricks. Loved it.

Raph! Ahh my heart aches for him. Holding her hand when she has nightmares, but unable to talk to her til the very last minute. Talking about his first kiss... Oh, it was so sweet. Such messed up circumstances, but you can just tell in spite of all that he'll never, ever forget it. It's burned in his memory. Poor Raphie.

I'm so, so, so glad you didn't give this a cheery happy ending. I think a lot of us just wouldn't have bought it at all if she cleaned up to live happily ever after down in the sewers bunking with Raph. There was still a sense of closure... I mean, it still managed to have me completely grinning at parts of the final chapter, making it all the more fantastic. But you stayed true to the gritty feel of this story I think by returning Amber to exactly the lifestyle she was living when this began.

Really, I think you hit it out of the ballpark with this tale and you should be very proud of it.

XOXO

Winnychan