*through Gritted Teeth And Weepy Eyes*

*through gritted teeth and weepy eyes*

It's fine, I'm fine.

I don't need a heart.

Toooootally fine

“Future you would be so proud on how far you’ve come.” …. “We all make mistakes, but that’s what makes you person.”

“You learn and develop over time, don’t be TOO hard on yourself okay??”

Philia

Love isn’t always some big grandiose moment or occasion

Sometimes…

Sometimes love is just your best friend buying you cake with whip cream because she knows you don’t care for frosting and then “sneaking” the package into your room because she’s a devious little gremlin like that.

Sometimes love is the feeling of cake tasting sweeter because it was given by someone who cares 🧡🍰

I see you, you little buttnugget @anobodyinabog

I just remembered that other gifs are a thing and I was like “wait one gosh diddly darn second, I CAN give hugs!”

So heres my favorite hugging gif because you is one of the favs. Thank you for the lovely response. It makes me very happy to talk to other creators. I wanna be like you when I grow up 🧡✨🫂

Hey. No. Girl please don’t ever apologize for being the biggest fangirl over your own art. I’ve hemmed and hawed over the past couples days wanting to send a message, but not sure on what exactly to say. So I’ll say it like this: you are so delightfully unapologetically yourself that you genuine make me want to cry *affectionately* and give you a hug. Like have you ever heard the word Meraki? It’s one of my most FAVORITE words ever. It’s a Greek word that best English translation roughly translates to “to do something with soul, creativity, or love; to put something of yourself in your work. To love what you do, is to do it well.” And well honey…you are literally oozing with Meraki, like it just pours out of you and it’s honestly something beautiful. I’m the only one in my family who constitutes as a fangirl and I have received so much slack over the years because of it, especially considering it’s the fact that it’s TMNT and whatever. In fact, I once showed my mom a piece that I was SUPER proud of, like I legitimately thought I had done a good job, and I wanted so much to share it with her because I was so happy with it. I felt like a 5 year old wanting approval “Hey look! I’m growing! I did a cool thing!” And she straight up looked at my piece, saw it was TMNT related and said, “So when are you going to use your skills for something actually useful?” Nevermind my hobbies make me happy. Nevermind that at all. It’s to the point that I have had to make the decision not to talk about ANY of my creative endeavors with pretty much my entire family. I can’t show my art, any of my writing, get excited about character or world building. Nothing. Nada. In essence, despite belonging to an incredibly family who I love dearly, I am basically “Meraki Blocked” around them.

*holds up a hand* Now I don’t share this to garner sympathy or whatever, but to use as an example on why I think you are so incredible. Because you don’t let people get in the way of your Meraki. Like at all. You love, love again and keep on loving no matter what people say. And the best part? Is that you’re a bit older than me and you STILL haven’t lost your Meraki. It’s still bursting from you in the most stunning rainbow of color I have ever seen. Like, I’m so sad to a degree that I only know you digitally because I very much want to just wrap you up in a big ole bear hug, so I can squeeze all my love and appreciation back into you.

Simply put, you INSPIRE me, give me the courage to be myself, and give me hope that maybe one day I could create something so full of love and Meraki just like you. So please, please, PLEASE, don’t ever apologize for loving your character. Please don’t ever try to hide that. It’s beautiful.

You and your soul are beautiful, and I am so honored to be able to exist at the same time as such a delightful individual as yourself ✨🧡🫂

Oh man dude thank you so much??? 🥺💓💓💓 This is such an incredibly sweet thing to say. I draw all my personal art out of love and want very much to encourage others to do the same, so to hear that at least one person feels that way from it is like mind-blowingly awesome. Meraki is such a lovely word!

Also, as a fellow only “nerd” in my immediate family, I so get you. It’s tough when you want to share with loved ones but don’t feel like the things you do are appreciated or understood. It’s part of why I love being able to come here and share my August stuff with like-minded goobers. I realize it was just an example story but I’m sorry your fam doesn’t support your just-for-fun joys more. I hope you can build a network of cool people to “play” with your creative interests elsewhere though! I’ve found that with my online buddies and it’s beyond amazing. They encourage me every day and engage with me as I bubble about AUs for hours and I’m delighted when they bubble about their stuff too. I think that’s a large part of why I’m able to share so much of August so eagerly. Every little happy comment in a tag or like or silly gif response to August or Papatello or anything I share is a GIFT that I so appreciate. I’d keep posting even without the engagement but it certainly helps encourage me haha.

Creating is fun on its own, but it’s SUCH a blessing to be able to encourage others in turn. So I extra appreciate hearing how my silly ninja turtle OC has brought you even a little spark of hope or happiness. 🥹💜💜💜 The cool thing about getting older is that your interests don’t always change and you have more experience to pull on when making things for yourself. I hope your creative light keeps on glowing too!! Thank you for bringing extra light to me as well. 💖💖💖

Pickup Lines

Just chatting with my parents and my little niece at Sunday dinner, talking about how the small fry is getting one of those “phone watches” for her birthday maybe this year, and as such needed my number. I, thinking I’m the very cool suave auntie that I am, look at my niece and say with a barely concealed grin, “Yeah I’m reading through the book of Numbers in the Bible right now, and just realized I didn’t have yours.”

My niece of course very graciously giggled most insanely at my clever line while I glanced up to see my mother slowly drop her head into her hands, all the while muttering with a slight groan, “Maybe I should hug you more and you stop using that pickup line.” To which I respond that that line has actually gotten me more phone numbers than anything else I’ve used. My mother proceeded to just further shrink into herself with second hand embarrassment. All in a good days work, my friends 🤔🫡😎✌🏼✨

Random Turtle Thunks: Kisses

*adjusts my sunglasses* It'd be softboi hours folks. Tonight I'm thinking about the Rise Boys and their favorite places to kiss you.

*Cookies and Cream Rating: 16+ please*

Raph 🧸♥️:

•Forehead Kisses. Lingering ones right at the tip of your hairline. It's often because its the only place he can reach without having to shift too far down. Often brushing your hair back, cradling your cheek in the palm of his hand and tilting your head back juuuuust a little to get that perfect angle for a small smooch. The type of kisses that are full of tender promises and small wholesome moments where he just longs to be soft with you.

•Your shoulder. Chaste presses of his lips to your skin to the crook of your neck. This young Atlas knows a little something about carrying the weight of the world and often that weight settles on the shoulders. These type of kisses serve as a reminder that he understands the struggle, the weight and promises that you don't have to carry it all by yourself anymore. A somewhat protective kiss, reminding you that nothing can hurt you when you're this close to him. That he's here for you, he’ll never leave you and will forever have your back.

Donnie 🤔🟪

•Your nose. I really don't see Donnie being really big into kissing. Like think about it. Kissing is literally just the process of swapping saliva. How uNsAnItArY. *shudders* “Just where has your mouth been? Did you even brush your teeth?!” That being said, a quick peck to your nose is a simple way to fulfill the “touch of the day” box without having to get unnecessarily close and personal. There is work still to be done after all. Not to mention the cute little face you make when you go slightly crossed-eyed at his affectionate gesture is somewhat endearing. It is a very understandable reaction after all. He too would go speechless at such attention from a genuis like himself.

•Behind the corner of your jaw. Donnie doesn't like kissing. That being said, if he is going to engage in such an act, he's going to want to do it right. Never mind him looking up the most sensitive parts of the human body to make sure he plants his affection in the most effective locations. Nevermind that at all. Besides, kissing here that little bundle of nerves seems to do the trick most adequately.

Leo✨💠

•Your lips. “My Lady, if the kisses are words, c’mere. I’ma give you a speech.” No. Like seriously. I know Leo is considered the “medical expert” of the family, but the amount of times this turtle has given you some serious mouth-to-mouth should be illegal. In all honesty though, it really does mean something special to him. For this smooth talking turtle who always knows just what to say, it’s a way for him to shut up and learn how to put some action behind those words. For once, he wants to show you that he means what he says. Because for all the silliness, it was never a joke, his feeling for you.

•Your knuckles. Leo is a one-stinking suave gentleman when he wants to be, and he's not going to let you forget it. Not to mention it’s an easy, inconspicuous way to keep you close so long your hand is entertained with his. Not that he worries when you're out of reach or anything. The cute little increase of color right there on your cheeks as he presses a slow kiss to each fingertip and between your knuckles is also a nice touch. Just lets this face man know he's on the right track or whatever.

Mikey🎨🧡

•Your cheeks. This bundle of affection will give you some sugar anytime, anywhere without hesitation. You can not stop it. It is inevitable. He's so close to you all the time anyway that it just seems second nature to have his cheek squished against you somewhere. He also just loves getting close enough to see your eyes. They really are like windows to the soul, and you have a soul he wouldn't mind getting lost while exploring. So it makes sense to decorate those “windows” with some “Angel Kisses” (He does put the angel in MichelANGELo after all) You know. Just while he's close to you like this. Never mind the heat from your cheeks underneath his hands as he tries to hold you still for your daily barrage of affection is comforting to his scared hands. Never mind that at all.

•Your tummy. There is something incredibly magical about the way you giggle shriek as you try to writhe away when he kisses your tummy. It’s the kind of laugh that means you are happy and in the present moment with him and currently the furthest away from something that hurt you. He just wants you happy and hearing that laugh heals something inside his heart. He loves the way your tummy its so squishy underneath his kneading hands and he can't help but bury his face in your soft skin. Be warned you will not escape without some raspberry blown kisses. Mikey ain't letting you leave without being properly adored that is both a threat and a promise.