MIKEY'S HERE!

(Yeah, I'm probably gonna post this on the same day as chapter 2 because this is way more fun than grad school, so no greeting, just Mikey. Whoops. But it's also baby's first POV, so sorry not sorry :D )

I just love how individually you write all the turtles. Even without the character title at the top of each POV arc, it's still easy enough to tell who is who. Like, obviously Raph has the accent and Splinter uses full names, but also Donny is trying to figure everything out all the time, Leo is in constant moral dilemma crisis, and Mikey is rambling and curious and bubbly. They're all their own characters so fully, and that's a sign of good writing.

Don't have shiny stuff with buttons, Donny. Obviously. Hahahaha.

Listen, Mikey, baby, I'm sorry you come from a cryptic family, but where do you think Leo learned it from? And Donny doesn't try to be cryptic, but sometimes he just forgets that not everyone speaks super genius. Don't worry, there's plenty of mountains for all of them.

Mikey's so excited! And then almost immediately brought back down to earth. Everything's gonna change! Wait, everything's gonna change? I'm glad even Mikey sees the drawbacks to the change, even though unlike some of the others, it's less of an equal balance of good and bad and more mostly good with a couple of dents. It's such a testament to his outlook on life, really.

Obviously Leo and Don still should've told Raph and Mikey what the deal was, but I'm glad Donny explained it with the arguing vs. debating section. This was such a huge undertaking, they really couldn't let the two most impulsive turtles have their way with it and expect it to work. And at least the other two understood why their judgement maybe wasn't held quite as high as Leo's, even if it still wasn't fair.

"Will we have glowing green blood yes or no?" Spiderman vs. science, the perfect juxtaposition of Mikey and Donny, hahaha.

Aww, Mikey's trying to get into Leo's head. Careful, Mikey, that's a dangerous spot. But then Mikey hits on probably the whole core of the entire thing: in a way, they're erasing their past. Not in the sense that they'll forget it or lose it, but this change does kind of relegate it to a locked box in the back of the closet. For starters, they can't just introduce themselves to people like, "Hi, I'm Mikey, formerly mutant turtle, now Mr. Hottie." And their past is just so wild and crazy, there's gonna have to be severely edited versions that they tell people casually, and a lot of pressure and build up for the people that they let further into their lives. Like, sure as turtles their entire existence is a secret, but as newly made humans, they're gonna have to find a balance between what is and isn't safe to talk about from their past, and tbh, this is probably the only part that Leo-secrets-nardo will do better than the others.

Yay, Mikey the artist! Also his reasoning for drawing Leo first - only turtle sitting still doing nothing for a long time - is absolutely hilarious.

Mikey sneaking up - and failing to - on Leo is so accurate. Also I love all the drops you scatter in about Leo's shell wound. I have more thoughts on that, but I'll include it in more relevant chapters.

It's so sweet how Mikey wants these memories of how they used to be. He's the most gung-ho about the change, but he's also super proud of the way they are now and doesn't just want to forget about it all. I think this is a nice way of showing that he does have some maturity, even if his brothers won't admit it.

Mikey's last meal policy is perfect and definitely happened. And obviously Leo noticed and used that against him when he's trying to be sneaky. And Mikey's so proud of him for the reverse pranking, haha.

Ugh, and Mikey and Leo would have the same fear of all the brothers going their separate ways. I don't know if it's because they're the oldest and youngest and so don't have middle sibling complexes getting in the way, or what, but they love being part of their family and they realize that everyone has different interests that might take them other places. I think it's good for those two to lean on each other in this change and realize that they both have some letting go to do. They both tend to base their identities on their family hierarchy, and while Mikey has an easier time of finding independence, he also has to learn how to stand alone and apart from his brothers - which is something Leo has a lot of experience doing. Oh my god, this family dynamic is so fascinating, I just love turtles.

Raph's got a good point, if they have to enter society anywhere, might as well be NYC. Leo can worry all he wants, they really won't stand out that much.

Another piece of the Raph vs Leo puzzle! Leo's intentions and the way Raph takes things are not the same, so of course they're gonna fight and not understand each other! Who'd've thought all they needed to do was talk about it?

Leo wanting to protect Raph from hating Splinter breaks my heart. Of course he wouldn't want his little brothers to go through that shame. King of the Guilt Leo knows what that's like all too well.

Okay, I could comment on every piece of this conversation, so I won't, I'll just leave it at, I love Raph and Leo actually talking to each other.

Oh, but Raph calling Leo out on if he even wants to change! And then Leo's tirade about how he couldn't have what he wanted, so he made what he did have the things he wanted so he could be happy, and Raph always realizing that eventually you had to express your anger before it kills you. I've always thought that at the end of the day, Raph has a healthier relationship with anger because he's had to learn how to deal with it in ways that Leo just shoved down. Also, I really like that Raph makes Leo admit that he wants this too, when it was Donnie at the end of the other chapter who was going to figure it out. Raph confronts the issue head on, while Donnie wanted to intellectualize it.

Yay, Leo teasing. It's nice to have a moment of levity amongst all this deep, philosophical thinking everyone - yes, even you, Mikey! - has been doing for the last three chapters. And I'm totally with you, Raph had a thing for Joy. She's sooo his type. And it would be kind of cool if you brought her back, since she already knows about the turtle part. The others are gonna have a hell of a time explaining this whole turtle past thing to future significant others (and I know Leo has sort of tried already in later chapters, but he still left out the mutant turtle part) and it would be nice to give Raph, who has had the most trouble with acceptance, have someone who already knew and accepted that part of him. And of course Leo knows exactly who it is too. And Raph's immediate response is fratricide, hahahaha.

Cool uncle Raph forever.

It's always such a nasty bit of reality, thinking about the turtles' early years, before Donny really got handy with stuff and they could help Splinter scavenge for food. Never dreaming about what they wanted to be when they grew up because they were just concerned with growing up at all is so heartbreaking.

The older brothers being realistic while the younger ones are excited really encapsulates the Hamato family dynamic, I think. I've said before, Leo and Raph are more similar than they think, and this is one of those instances. And they aren't going to stand in the way of their little brothers, and let both of them flourish and grow and stand apart from their crazy older brothers. It's interesting to me how Donny and Mikey have pretty obvious paths (science and arts, respectively), while Leo and Raph have a lot of stuff to figure out (another reason why I think they're gonna get super close and they'll both be so happy but still try to play it cool around each other because Feelings are still weird for them).

And that's chapter 3! I have a lot of reactions that I actually didn't include because I could go, "I love this!" to every single line, and I feel like these are long enough already. It's only been a few days since I posted the review for chapter 1, so you haven't had a chance yet to tell me to stop, so I'm going to cram as many in as I can before you do! ;D

Okay, chapter 2! Spoiler warning for everyone else!

I'll be honest, I tend not to reread the opening few chapters just because I want to get back to the action and the ~drama~, but even this chapter is so wonderfully rife with brotherly interaction, I really should come back to it more.

I like how you explore the positive aspects of them remaining turtles. Donnie will never look at those, because he can't see them. He's a pacifist, and even his scientist side won't let him be objective about this amazing opportunity to get out of the fight. But Leo would see these things, and while they all feel trapped, there are a few freedoms that ninja turtles would have over average humanity. BUT, maybe that's also a good metaphor for moving from childhood to adulthood. I've definitely felt that way. And it would be impossible to be a vigilante and a functioning adult human, so their contribution to the city would have to change. But also like... hospitals and grocery stores should probably have priority.

Good job, Leo, just blurt out the human question to Mikey, who just woke up a minute ago. He won't suspect a thing... And Mikey is so sweet, he believes karma will make him hot. Don't worry, Mikey, it will!

Ahhh, and the crux of Leo's hesitation. He thinks his brothers are gonna leave him! And they probably will! But they'll come back! Also, I love the "Raph could be a better, healthier person without his anger and resentment" thing, because a lot of that stems from their living situation and how stifled and isolated they are. And poor Leo, he already gave everything up once to be the leader his brothers needed, and now he's facing giving everything up again to be the brother his brothers need. That's a lot to ask of one turtle. But Leo will "deal" with it, because the opportunity of a lifetime is another cross for him to bare for the sake of his brothers... I love this stupid martyr.

Hi Raph!

I love that his first POV opens with a list of idiots who piss him off, concluding with his own brothers. It still makes me laugh, and it's just so in character. And perceptive Mikey strikes again!

I know it gets even better in later chapters, but I LOVE SO MUCH Leo and Raph being friends. And how they're always cognizant of their history, but they love each other and are making efforts to put aside their differences (which are actually their similarities in many ways too) so they can be BFFs (which is why sometimes I headcanon for this story later on that of all the brothers, they actually hang out the most).

And bam! Leo in for the kill! I love that he point blank asked if Raph hated him though, since that's the kind of question that should be talked out. And Raph saying he never did, even if he thought he did, or wanted to.

Also, I'm glad you wrote so in depth about Raph's feelings, particularly in this chapter about how he hated humans, how all that anger and resentment was able to grow in him. And how his thinking started to shift with April, how he realized that even he was judging people from the outside, and that even in NYC there's some good. Also he got to get one on Leo with Mrs. Morrison, that's funny. And his thoughts on tea! That grass swill, hahaha. A related side note: Stash Tea makes a green chai and it's actually my favorite.

Raph's line of thinking actually lines up with Leo's! For a moment, anyway. He recognizes the freedoms being a turtle over human has, but he also sees the end of the line. Sure, those freedoms are great, but at the end of the day and even with all of their skills, there's still a whole other world completely closed off to them.

"He was gonna get punched in the face, an' he was gonna deserve it." I love Raph's inner dialogue so much. And how he has all these pissed off thoughts, but still tolerates Leo enough to answer his questions. And how Leo gets Raph to open up more than he means to, because older brothers are being weird and vague, but Raph cares enough to beat the stupid out and to spell things out for him, even if Leo is supposed to be the intuitive one.

Of course Leo tells Donnie his answer WHILE HE'S ASLEEP.

And Donnie needs Leo to want this too, but all Leo wants is what's best for his brothers. It's the most vicious of cycles, and it's gonna take ages to break it. Honestly, I don't think Leo will ever break it entirely, because he cares about his brothers too much, but I do think he will find things that he wants, that he'll learn at least a little selfishness. He's got three little brothers who are determined to teach him how, after all. And Donnie, and I'm sure the others, are tired of feeling guilty over seeing Leo sacrifice for them again and again, so there's definitely gonna be a little brothers gang up on Leo club formed someday to make sure Leo does things for Leo.

I always, always, always love the dichotomy of the older brothers vs. the younger brothers in TMNT fic (also, thank you for making Raph the second oldest, can you believe there are people out there who think Donnie is second? Just, what?!). Leo and Raph have to be violent and inscrutable, while Donnie and Mikey are perfectly happy being known to the people who love and care about them. Because that's what people who don't drive you insane are supposed to be like! Poor Donnie.

Ahhhh, Leo's bros just want to hang out with him! Dammit, Leo, stop resisting movie night! And they're all so happy when he says yes! OMG, for a family that loves and supports each other so much, you really have to beat them over the head that they ACTUALLY love and support each other, don't you?

Hi Splinter!

Leo trying to protect Mikey and Raph and Splinter starting to realize maybe the burden he put on Leo was too great, and that Raph doesn't need Leo's protection, he needs Leo's support, and this family, man, I just can't.

Splinter realizing he can't go with them! I'll be honest, I love that he retired to Japan, I think it's the perfect wrap up for him, but it still broke my heart a little that they have to go out into the world without their father behind them. But also, that he had been planning this retirement for a while, that was pretty shocking, and I wonder how things would have gone for the brothers if this story wasn't about them turning human, but about them figuring out the new family dynamic without Splinter around. Would the younger brothers still be tasked by Splinter to look out for Leo and help him figure out who he is, or would Leo's burden increase and all those strides he made towards being more brother than leader be reversed hard and fast? Oh, Splinter, your actions are super questionable sometimes, even if you were just trying to be a good rat dad.

Haha, Splinter is the first to really bring up the fact that jumping around on the rooftops and beating up people is ILLEGAL. I love how he thinks this is gonna be one of their hardest transitions.

Hi again, Ninja Tribunal reference! I appreciate that you included that they lost their powers with their amulets. A turning human story shouldn't have a side note they can also turn into dragons. At least not this particular one, hahaha.

I agree that there's no way that Mikey and Raph could've guessed at what Leo was really asking. Maybe if they compared notes on their separate conversations, but even then they'd just think Leo had been thinking too hard again and probably go double-team him and force him to eat some ice cream or something.

All of this set up is sooo important, and I'm glad you take the time and effort to do it right, even if it's all a lot of thinking at this point. It's all laying the foundation for the rest of the story, which is why all of it, from the beginning to where you left off just feels so rich and nuanced. I've already said how grateful I am for this story, but not just the story itself, I'm also grateful for how you've built it. It's so strong, the characters are so rich, and even the OC characters don't feel like an intrusion. Because this is a story about the characters, the brothers specifically, and how they feel about and interact with each other, and with all the new people who are going to be in their lives whether they like it or not. And the old people, because I know who shows up to make trouble in later chapters. ;)

I know I said I don't reread the opening chapters as much as the others, but that doesn't mean I love it any less. Off to chapter 3!

Hiiiii! I don't know if you remember me, but I sent you a message a couple years back thanking you for this story. I realized though that I had never actually left any reviews on it, and since ffn doesn't have kudos like AO3 does, this is an even greater travesty. I used to leave really long-winded and detailed reviews on other stories on here, so I thought I would do that for this story as well! Kind of like a reader's commentary instead of a director's commentary. Especially in my rereads I tend to skip around (and mostly just read Those Leo & Raph Scenes in the last few chapters if you know what I mean ;) ), so I think this would be a good way just for me to get reacquainted with all the brothers and their story as a whole and tell you all the wonderful things I love about it!

If this gets too long-winded and crazy, just let me know and I'll stop! I can't say how quickly I'll post reviews since I want to do a thorough one for each chapter, but I've been wanting to do this for you for ages, and now that I'm finally winding down with grad school, the time was finally right. Also, it's the 10 year anniversary from when this was originally posted, so congrats! Alright, on I go!

Also, I think it should go without saying, but to the other readers out there, post contains spoilers.

Okay, from the jump, you clearly have the characterizations down. Skeptic!Donny, check. Workaholic!Leo, check. Also, thank you for including the Ninja Tribunal arc as part of your canon. I know the 2k3 verse started to go off the rails for some people at that point, but I really enjoyed that arc. I think it was the dragons.

Professor Honeycutt! Also, no preface, just, "hey, humans, y/n?" I love it. And the Leatherhead! Ahh, I remember the first time I read this just being so happy LH got a happy ending. He deserves it.

Man, I don't know if your background is in science or what, but your explanation of the ooze being a two-fold process and this whole becoming human part was always meant to happen is so cool. I've never seen a turn-into-human AU be explained so smoothly. And then the Utroms pulling out because of WWII! Because they've been on Earth for ages! These subtle details are what make your story so strong and why sometimes I forget that it's not just a natural continuation of canon (and sometimes I don't forget and just insist that it is).

Leeeooooooo 333 Poor baby with his camomile tea and letting his little bros get away with stuff and "change is itself", god, he's already the old wise man on the mountain without a mountain or being old. I love him.

Uggggh, and Raph NEEDS change, but he also NEEDS his brothers, and that's just the whole of Raph's character and that makes him endlessly interesting and frustrating at the same time. Raph used to be my least favorite turtle, but over the years, I've come to understand him a lot better, and this story probably helped a lot with that, with the way you just GET Raph, and you communicate it so well. Raph's heart is just too big for the sewers. Raph and I also have the same giant defensive fort, so I think I was reluctant to love him because of how many similarities we shared. But he really is just a giant softie.

You're already getting so deep into the connections between all the brothers and it's only the first chapter. You go even further in later chapters, so I'll make more mention of them later, but again, FROM THE JUMP, you know these turtles inside and out. Especially the Donnie-Raph and Raph-Leo balances in this chapter, they're so true to character, and yet I love seeing the different POVs from them to see how they see each other - and sometimes to shake them, lol.

Also, Raph's acceptance vs. approval inner conflict and why he gets along with the Purple Dragons in a way where they both hate each other, but still accept each other as a fact of life.

And Donnie wants to figure out his brothers because his older brothers are dumb and don't know how to feel correctly and he just loves his brothers and he's a scientist so knowing is loving and I cry.

"Oh. So that's what it looks like when Leo's mind shatters." - HAHAHAHA THIS IS MY FAVORITE LINE.

And then Leo with the double whammy! He knows his brothers think he's a stick-in-the-mud and he wouldn't mind saying no to the opportunity of a lifetime! Dreams are for suckers! What's a childhood? Ooof, that one hurt, and I know Donny felt bad, but daaaamn.

Hahahahaha, I know this story is still waiting for more chapters, but I would love a ficlet someday of Donny forcing the others to take the GED. He totally would, and it's so funny to me every time.

Okay, I've read this story like 80 times, but Leo's gonna think about it! Donnie's gonna go crazy waiting! How many ways can Leo's comfort zone be shattered before he drops everything and runs for his mountain?

Also, I just realized this year, in a massive epiphany, that instead of a job, Leo should just go to school. Why didn't Donnie think of that? Why didn't Donnie go to school?! That's where you figure out what you want to do! So I've been imaging Leo taking all these poli-sci and strategic classes and wowing the professors and them kicking him out of the intro class and letting him TA the graduate level ones instead.

I hope you don't think it's weird that I think about this story probably more than actual canon most days.

Alright, so that was chapter 1! Like I said, if this is too much, just let me know and I'll stop. This was fun though, and I like rereading for the details this time, unlike my past couple rereads which have mostly just been skims to find my favorite parts. It's after midnight here now, so chapter 2 will wait for another day, but I'm excited to finally get this project started!

somehow, a coldly-angry Don absolutely refusing to budge in protecting Leo sends chills down my spine :D great job on that bit of dialogue: assertive, cold, straight to the point and contemptuous. in terms of the younger ones defending Leo: in this story we've seen usually-unrestrained Raph, a Mikey that's had visibly learned from Leo, but never mild-mannered Don mercilessly bringing all of his steel and brilliance to bear, and it's captivating.

""Even the best planners and tacticians can only handle so much at one time. If you have three equally demanding, equally important problems facing you all at once...you're going to be facing a considerable amount of stress. Add to that the fact that there is no easy or quick solution for any of them, and the fact that there's a time limit on one of the issues…that's a lot to deal with. And when you consider that the problems facing Karai are direct threats to her way of life..."
- it just occurred to me that this applies to Leo, too. But Leo will outlast Karai :)

More, please.

Wow. I started to read this last week and have hardly been able to put it down. I can easily say that this is one of my all time favorite fics. The storyline is intriguing, the characterization amazing, the tempo perfect, and the portrayal of the guys so incredibly wonderful. You have each of the boy's "voice" down pat, as well as all the little nuances about their charachters that make them so irresistible. I loved every minute of this story, and must admit that I didn't even realize it was an incomplete story until I was a few chapters from the end. Which of course left me feeling crushed. This is such an amazing story, I really hope that it can find an end. I want to know what happens to Leo. I want to know where Karai is and what she is planning. I want to know how or if the boys find their place in the human world. Literally I feel as though I am desperate for more!
You are truly an amazing and talented author and this story has inspired and thrilled me. Thank you for the hours of entertainment and joy I found. If you do decide to pick this story back up, please know I will be your most avid and enthusiastic fan. Great job!

I do hope you continue this.

I have just blazed through this entire story and am obsessed! The character development is fantastic, the chapter lengths are satisfying, and the plot is unique! Please tell me (despite the last update being in 2013) that this story is still going!

I really hope you continue this! You've done an amazing job with character development and describing how the relationships between the brothers has changed. I love it! Please update!

My brain has been broken.

I have been reading this fic in spits and spurts for the last several weeks, enthralled by the FANTASTIC characterization of the turtles, watching the characteristics Leo normally lauds as strengths and shown for the flaws they really are, learning more about the 03 Mikey and Raph that I've ever thought I could. I've watched the turtles push at their stereotypical boundaries and it is done so believably that I'm willing to accept the criminal underutilizing of Donnie, but now at last my brain has been broken.

Let me get this straight:

You expect me to believe that Leonardo, Hyper-Paranoid Leonardo, who has extra mental antennae dedicated to Karai, does not notice when she is there while talking to Yuki? You expect me to believe that he's there in the lobby of... where even are they? Oroku corps? The hotel Yuki and Seiichi are staying? Neutral ground? How did he miss her being there?

Worse, is this a deliberate ploy that has heretofore been undisclosed by the buys to push her even further over the edge? What will this lead to? And even barring the contrivance of Karai automatically picking out Leo's voice and recognizing it, how does her mind automatically jump from seeing the back of a guy with dark hair and assuming - well she is obsessive, and she makes more sense but LEO. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

My mind is completely broken for this. You have been able to make me buy the incredible conceit of turning the turtles human - something so few authors can do believably, and have done such a magnificent job crafting this story, and this sharp heel-turn is just so... I don't even have words.

I need to figure out how I think about this.

~Image

Dear, Calliopechild,

I'm a bit new to fanfiction sites, and it looks like this story hasn't been updated for a while, but I'm hoping you might still appreciate a review from a recent reader.

I've spent the past few months slowly getting through your story, reading it in bits and pieces at a time and enjoying it immensely along the way. However, when I first read the premise I was skeptical. The turtles as humans? I now realize this is somewhat common in fanfiction, but I hadn't read any such stories, and it seemed to me that one of the things that is so compelling about the heroes in green is their very...turtle-y-ness. At least, being different from humans is what keeps them isolated from society, and that isolation is partly what maintains their close bonds with each other. Taking that away seemed to me like it would make them less special and less interesting. Lucky for me, you have a lot of follows and reviews, and that convinced me to give your story a chance.

Turns out, you kept perfectly true to the characters' personalities, simply putting them in a new and challenging situation and exploring their natural reactions according to their respective traits and tendencies. And even though you made the turtles human, you didn't take away their past experiences, which set them quite far apart from the average human's experience. And you used their unique perspectives to give us a fresh window through which to view human society. I really enjoyed how thoroughly you explored their adaptations to their new way of life, from the practical details of where they would live and how they would have to get used to clothing, to the emotional issues of what it would be like to not be feared by humans but accepted in society, and to no longer live with the threat of one day being found out and captured or killed just for being mutants. All the details you include make this sci-fy story realistic and compelling.

Another aspect I appreciate about your story is your treatment of the characters' inter-relationships. You captured the brother's dynamics in just the way I would picture them. Now I'm not as versed in TMNT lore as you obviously are (and I really enjoyed all your references to their past exploits, even if I didn't know all the details of those exploits myself-Battle Nexus Champion!), but I did grow up in the hey-day of the turtles, watching the cartoon, the live-action movies, and playing ninja turtles with my siblings. We all had our favorites, of course, and we knew all their personality quirks and how they related to each other. I found your story just at a time when I was seriously reflecting on my adult sibling relationships, and reading your interpretation of the turtles' relationships gave me a lot to chew on as I considered my own. The way those bonds grow, change, become strained and sometimes estranged, is pretty relevant for me and I appreciated your thoughtful perspective. It's at once comforting and painful to think of those close bonds, and how they can sometimes suffer what seems like irreparable damage-yet the sibling tie can never really be broken.

I also got to read your take on the four of them getting jobs at a time when I myself was looking for my next work opportunity and wondering if I have anything useful to offer the world. That resonated as well.

Basically, I think you did a fantastic job capturing each personality and how they would react if they could enter the human world-and also how others would react to them. On top of that, you gave us a pretty interesting plot line. It was suspenseful and exciting and believable (in this universe, anyway).

Plus we got to see Leo, Don, and Mikey on dates...that was more than worth the read :)

So thank you for the story so far. I hope you get a chance to keep it moving forward. I would love to know what happened to Karai, how Leo recovers, whether any of the boys stick with their official and unofficial girlfriends, and if they guys are going to get to a place where they finally feel safe-or at least less threatened on a daily basis. After all, turtles or no, they'll always be ninjas, right?

Cowabunga!

-Arrowan

More, more, more, please! The two year anniversary of this last chapter is almost here, so it's the perfect time for an update!

It's been really interesting to see the shift and development of each brother as they adjust to new roles and a new life. I particularly enjoyed Leo's hangover, I was laughing on the elliptical that day, much to the confusion of everyone around me. I also really liked how grown up Mikey has become. And I always adore the brotherly fluff moments, especially Leo and Raph. I hope you will find the time to complete this story at some point.

I love this story. I hope you update soon.