Fanfic Recs / Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Proof that the remaining 10% is worth facing the Shredder for here:

These are recommendations made by tropers for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, all of which have been signed. After a few samples, you will be able to judge whether you might be interested in the 'fic, based on who recommended it. No-name recommendations will be zapped. Nobody would back up the rec. Discussion of the recommendation is welcome on the discussion page. As such discussion is important, do remember to add the discussion page to the watchlist, if need be.

To see the FanRec page for the franchise as a whole, click here.

General Fics

Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.

---

A Better Word Than Humanity by silentsnowdrop

• Recommended by: leakanebaby
• Status: In-Progress
• Synopsis: Three months after the Kraang invasion, Donnie is struggling with a secret. When he was yanked from the Technodrome like an unejected hard drive, part of the control panel came with him, and has been growing along his nervous system ever since. However, a desire to tell his brothers and a need for a new phone screen put him and Leo in the path of a new and insidious human enemy. While their brothers try to get them back, they are forced to face Donnie's new condition, and the people who are intent on exploiting it any way they can.
• Comments: Hey, remember when in the movie Donnie fused briefly fused to a spaceship? Be real messed up if there were consequences for that! ESPECIALLY if those consequences took the form of callbacks to other TMNT variants who didn't get a Rise counterpart before the cancellation! In all seriousness, writer is the child of a military medic and has chosen to use the knowledge their father has bestowed on them to paint a very well thought out picture of the possible results of what would happen if you plugged meat moss into your brain and then were forcibly unplugged. Fair warning, though, that means there's medical horror, body horror, and psychological horror, though not any worse than most iterations of the franchise can get. Also, Casey Jones Junior is a focus character and Donnie is the main focus character! That's novelty enough to check it out.
• Now has its own trope page!

---

Crossing Paths by JustAndrea

• Recommended by: WakeyWakey
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Sometimes, the quickest meeting can still resonate with you, just as the smallest act can still mean a lot.
• Comments: Long ago, Hueso and Splinter met.

---

family game night by Werepirechick

• Recommended by: WakeyWakey
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: “Welp. Sucks to suck, you get clobbered right out of those shadows. Donnie, make an athletics check to see if you get out of the way.” Donnie does so, and the unimpressive seven makes him scowl. “Yeah, not gonna do it. Boppit takes you down with that clobbering, too.” “Now I use my frenzy bonus to punch Lou in the face really, really hard! And- and Boppit shouts ‘IT’S CLOBBERING TIME’ as he does!” “This is impressively out of control, even for us,” Leo comments as he watches his twin and father both curse at Mikey.
• Comments: April introduces the family to D&D, and hilarity ensues.

---

First Words by less_depresso_more_espresso

• Recommended by: WakeyWakey
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: The small turtle lifted his eyes to his father. Dad was a small, fat man/rat. His belly filled in his shiny robes. Salt and pepper hair decorated his pudgy face and slid down his shoulders in a knotted mess. Dad held a spoon out to him. “Say ‘ah’!” The turtle made no such noise, but ate from the spoon nonetheless. The rat man sighed and ran a hand over his bumpy head. “One day you will speak, my son. One day.” Raph tapped at the table with a wide smile. He clicked his teeth and grabbed for his dad. The small man served him another spoonful. Raph ate the spoon.
• Comments: Splinter is trying, but as PTSD and depression overwhelm him, it’s up to Raph to take care of his siblings. Raph has his own issues, namely with being mute, but his family will not think less of him.

---

Freezerburn by ashtreelane

• Recommended by: WakeyWakey
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: A cool fun fact about box turtles is that they are one of the most freeze-resistant animals alive. See, when they get too cold, their bodies have this amazing defense mechanism that diverts their blood to their core to keep them alive. Super unfortunate for the Hamato family’s blood pressure, because in severely cold environments a box turtle’s heart will actually stop beating. Fascinating right? It would be soooo fascinating, in Leo’s humble opinion, if they had known about it before finding Mikey dead on the floor of a freezer.
• Comments: Box turtles can literally have 80 percent of their bodily fluids frozen and LIVE.

---

Interesting Discovery by OndoriNaramaki

• Recommended by: WakeyWakey
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: When one of his newly acquired sons refuses to eat, Splinter starts to get worried and has to figure out what to do.
• Comments: Red-eared slider turtles are picky eaters, as Splinter learns.

---

Like A Turtle to Warmth by imthepunchlord

• Recommended by: WakeyWakey
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: While the boys are brumating, Splinter is off to get more food and asks little April if she'd supervise them. Of course she says yes.
• Comments: Not the first story of April with the hibernating turtles, but Donatello essentially acting like a cat gives this one it’s own charm.

---

Meanwhile, April by Werepirechick

• Recommended by: WakeyWakey
• Status: Incomplete
• Synopsis: Even if she's not there for the party, April usually shows up for the aftermath. (AKA we needed more of April & the brothers and their shenanigans together.)
• Comments: Hilarious and heartwarming collection of stories where April shows up even as canon failed to include her.

---

That's Inhumane, Donnie by GriffinStone

• Recommended by: WakeyWakey
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: April finds out about the shock collar Donnie made for Leo. She has questions. Donnie fears for his life a little bit.
• Comments: The implications of Donnie’s gifts to his brothers can actually be horrifying, but this one is considerably more light-hearted than other stories exploring the concept.

---

You don't think by arachnid_writes and jadethestone

• Recommended by: WakeyWakey
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: As Raph is getting bandaged up by Leo after a big fight, he notices that something is bothering his little brother. And his big brother instincts are telling him he's gotta find out what.
• Comments: Sweet moment between those two brothers, with art!

---

Carapace by SkeletalConstellation

• Recommended by: DarkDatura
• Status: Ongoing
• Synopsis:"If you are hearing this message, then I, Hamato Donatello, have been put out of commission and cannot fix myself, which is the bad news. The good news is if you are hearing this and the lab is not currently self-destructing, then I am at the very least not dead, probably thanks to Raphael who is presumably dramatically sobbing over my handsome not-quite-corpse. Please know that this is a prerecorded message, Leo, and arguing with me will get you nowhere." With that, let's get to saving my life." After a fight leaves Donatello on the verge of the abyss, his brothers discover he has a trick left up his sleeve- and a very strange trick indeed.

---

In Memory of a Baby Brother by Camzzz_1502

• Recommended by: DamagedHen
• Status: Ongoing
• Synopsis: Being ninjas means being exposed to constant dangers. The turtle brothers were aware of that and they had their own methods to ensure that everyone arrived home safely. With devices and panic buttons in case they needed help from the others, the rescues were always a success and their strategies always worked. Until they didn't. And one day like any other, the life of the youngest was cruelly taken away in a horrible murder. Now, three older brothers driven by a desire for revenge will have to learn to live a life without their little brother in it as they try to find his killer.
• Comments: Even though this is not a happy story, the brothers and their extended family’s love for Mikey made this troper smile.

Shipping Fics

Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast and original characters.

---

Crossover Fics

This is for fanfics between the 2018 series and any media outside of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. For Intra-Franchise Crossover fanfics, please add here.

---

A Tale of Spirits by unorthodoxx

• Recommended by: WakeyWakey
• Status: Ongoing
• Crossover with: Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Synopsis: They stared at this strange spirit. It turned its back to them and Zuko was breathless at the show of disregard. Figures a spirit would not consider him a threat. He shouldn’t take it personally, but he’s been dismissed his whole life. He’s tired of it. A hand gripped his trembling one and he takes a breath. There is no use getting upset over the ways of a spirit. They both studied its small form and Zuko was caught by its profile. The spirit’s back held three repeating and somewhat glowing symbols. It curved in a familiar motion. “A turtle,” Uncle whispered.
• Comments: The turtles find themselves greeted as Great Spirits in the world of benders.

---

Recoil by unorthodoxx

• Recommended by: DarkDatura
• Status: Complete
• Crossover with: The Avengers
• Synopsis: The point is, there’s a lot of effort in Tony's circle to combat any surprises, and the team thing has made it easier for him. There’s not much going on around the world, or off it, that he isn’t either aware of or preparing for. Which is why the Kraang incident was so devastating.
• Comments: Author has good characterization and believable interactions between the two casts.

---