How would you fix April O'Neil?

[Netkeeper]

Retcon everything, reintroduce her to the audience before all the turtles. Show what she's like on her own before she meets them. What her hobbies and interests are. Who her school friends are.

Once she meets the turtles, introduce character establishing episodes displaying her dynamic with each one + Splinter, one at a time and not all crammed together in a single episode.

Then establish a consistent plot and actually have her play an active role in it.

[NoName999]

Give her humanity.

The mutants have more humanity than her and they're not even human.

[Konchadunga]

Disregarding everything completely unreasonable and impossible, I basically agree with most of the above thoughts. I agree the Kraang subplot should end, but by that, I literally mean end; not just get aborted before its time. Reveal what the shell is going on, have another battle to set the Kraang back further, and then leave it at that. Also, once it's done don't go to MOTW episodes; make the Shredder conflict the new arc.

Regarding April being a boring character with no friends and little identity of her own, I would be okay if they go with that as a starting point, but then they need to make it work in a way that makes her more relatable and not less. Give some reason why she's a nobody, and show her suffering for it. An idea I had was, if they're going to make human models anyway to be the pre-mutation MOTWs, then have them factor into her backstory.

Also, she needs to grow a spine and bring her own feelings about Don/Casey out, as until she does, their characterization suffers, too.

[Technogeek29]

Originally Posted by Konchadunga

Disregarding everything completely unreasonable and impossible, I basically agree with most of the above thoughts. I agree the Kraang subplot should end, but by that, I literally mean end; not just get aborted before its time. Reveal what the shell is going on, have another battle to set the Kraang back further, and then leave it at that. Also, once it's done don't go to MOTW episodes; make the Shredder conflict the new arc.

Regarding April being a boring character with no friends and little identity of her own, I would be okay if they go with that as a starting point, but then they need to make it work in a way that makes her more relatable and not less. Give some reason why she's a nobody, and show her suffering for it. An idea I had was, if they're going to make human models anyway to be the pre-mutation MOTWs, then have them factor into her backstory.

Also, she needs to grow a spine and bring her own feelings about Don/Casey out, as until she does, their characterization suffers, too.

This. More or less this.

[Stugehen]

She's too young to be the mother figure to the turtles. She's also too young to be a scientist or news reporter. I think the Nick series has done an excellent job in fleshing out the "teenage" in the TMNT....but they haven't really nailed what to do with April.

Think about it...it's hard to do. Some people are saying to give her hobbies, or some solo screen time. I think that's a terrible idea. Who wants to see a teenage girl do teenage girl hobby things in a TMNT show.

Others are saying to give her more time with the TMNT. Isn't that what she's been doing basically this whole season while her Dad has been gone? And why would we want to meet her mom? Her Dad is one of the more boring characters in the show.

The only way that April is going to amount to anything other than a plot device or comic relief w/Donnie is if they remove the "teenage" part of her (same for Casey). I think that's what they're trying to drive at with the Kraang powers...sure she's a teenage girl, but at least she's a teenage girl with super powers right?

I don't really have any input on how to fix her. But I can see why they're struggling with it. I'm guess I'm holding out that the April/Kraang subplot will eventually evolve into something awesome. We'll see...

[BabyTurtles]

Originally Posted by Stugehen

She's too young to be the mother figure to the turtles. She's also too young to be a scientist or news reporter. I think the Nick series has done an excellent job in fleshing out the "teenage" in the TMNT....but they haven't really nailed what to do with April.

Think about it...it's hard to do. Some people are saying to give her hobbies, or some solo screen time. I think that's a terrible idea. Who wants to see a teenage girl do teenage girl hobby things in a TMNT show.

Others are saying to give her more time with the TMNT. Isn't that what she's been doing basically this whole season while her Dad has been gone? And why would we want to meet her mom? Her Dad is one of the more boring characters in the show.

The only way that April is going to amount to anything other than a plot device or comic relief w/Donnie is if they remove the "teenage" part of her (same for Casey). I think that's what they're trying to drive at with the Kraang powers...sure she's a teenage girl, but at least she's a teenage girl with super powers right?

I don't really have any input on how to fix her. But I can see why they're struggling with it. I'm guess I'm holding out that the April/Kraang subplot will eventually evolve into something awesome. We'll see...

1) I disagree about her not being able to be a mother figure because she's a teen. Katara is only 14 and she's a mother figure for her whole team.

Spoiler:

that also goes for being a reporter and scientist, your never too young to be smart or have reporter quirks.

2) hobbies/goals would make her relatable. Having April be into photography or writing would be awesome, it would lead up to her being a reporter.....cause that's what hobbies do...they show your interests. In other words...it helps to FLESH the character out. All the turtles have hobbies naturally and it helps flesh them out also.

3) she's been giving time.....but the question is was the time used well? Most of the time she is actually shown it's to move the kraang plot or move the love plot, but simply moving a plot does not make a great character...it's not even enough to make a good character. She needs to be shown doing something else.....just interacting with the turtles is great...and not about the plot, but about other things.You don't see the turtles constantly bringing up the plot in every sentence.

4) It would have been nice to have adult April....but a teenage April can be done right...it's not hard. Just treat her like her own character and not a plot device.

[shihe]

Well an easy way out would be for her to fall into a portal, disappearing for a few episodes into a hellish dimension.
Then when the turtles are in a pinch somewhere, April returns through a portal, a little bit older, and a complete badass.


...I feel as though I've seen this happen somewhere else, though.

[Candy Kappa]

She just needs some proper character development.

[Netkeeper]

Originally Posted by Stugehen

Think about it...it's hard to do. Some people are saying to give her hobbies, or some solo screen time. I think that's a terrible idea. Who wants to see a teenage girl do teenage girl hobby things in a TMNT show.

What if they wrote some episodes that alternated between the TMNT's "problem of the episode" and April's? She could have a school problem similar to theirs. You know, kind of like Wishbone -- basic episode formula was "alternate between dog's problem and the school kids' problem, but they are actually very similar and both characters learn the same lesson".

Or a conflict between her and the turtles could occur and she'd turn to school friends or even teachers for help, using analogies that don't always work because she can't tell them her "friends" are mutant turtles. [I mean, with Casey now in the picture this option isn't really as do-able. Which is why we should retcon the whole show. :B]

[Stugehen]

Originally Posted by BabyTurtles

1) I disagree about her not being able to be a mother figure because she's a teen. Katara is only 14 and she's a mother figure for her whole team.

Spoiler:

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http://media.moddb.com/images/groups...tenderness.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4..._back03_wl.jpg
http://aniluap11.files.wordpress.com...-640-4801.jpeg

that also goes for being a reporter and scientist, your never too young to be smart or have reporter quirks.

2) hobbies/goals would make her relatable. Having April be into photography or writing would be awesome, it would lead up to her being a reporter.....cause that's what hobbies do...they show your interests. In other words...it helps to FLESH the character out. All the turtles have hobbies naturally and it helps flesh them out also.

3) she's been giving time.....but the question is was the time used well? Most of the time she is actually shown it's to move the kraang plot or move the love plot, but simply moving a plot does not make a great character...it's not even enough to make a good character. She needs to be shown doing something else.....just interacting with the turtles is great...and not about the plot, but about other things.You don't see the turtles constantly bringing up the plot in every sentence.

4) It would have been nice to have adult April....but a teenage April can be done right...it's not hard. Just treat her like her own character and not a plot device.

1) I appreciate your comments dude, but I still disagree. Katara was a mother figure of sorts. But she was also absurdly mature for her age given the reality she was growing up in. Her brother on the other hand matched his age. This version of April is no where near the maturity level of Katara. She's always wanting to get into dangerous situations with the turtles. She blamed them for what happened to her Dad even though it technically wasn't their fault. She's very much so a teenager and not much of a mother figure. If she eventually becomes one she's got a ways to go to develop those traits. If they did, they'd only be taking the teenage aspect out of her to do it. .... oh and the Scientist deal. Sure sure I get what you're saying. I was meaning a career though. Thinking of the IDW series, Aprils job has been useful and interesting for the narrative and her character. April in the Nick series is too young to have a job/career.

2) I still maintain that watching April go through photography class in highschool would be kinda boring. It would play with some nostalgia tying her back into the Fred Wolf cartoon, but that's kinda cheep entertainment IMO.

3) I agree with you here. I just want to clarify that I think (or hope) that these not-too-subtle plot points with April and the Kraang will eventually develop into something that fleshes out April's character. Instead of just a plot device or comedic love interest.

4) I like that this series is changing things up, and the teenage April is welcome, but to me they haven't nailed it down yet because it's hard to keep entertaining for an all age audience. I have to say....since you brought up an Avatar reference to Katara, let me point out here the difference between the love-fests in The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra. The Last Airbender handled the love triangles rather well. It as slow and well developed. The Legend of Korra has beaten us over the head with love triangles from the get go...I'm team Bolin...I'm team....whatever. Bluck.

Let's not do that with April, Don, and Casey. Let's not make April continue being the Korra from season 1. Instead let's have this Kraang plot push her into something more profound like Korra in the end of season 2. I think that Korra is still a teenager, but she's also interesting in that her character means something to the world she's a part of. April could totally have all the flaws of a teenager, but end up being the sole key to saving humanity from the Kraang...or something to that effect...

TL;DR - The "teenage" TMNT are great because they don't stop at the teenage part. Teenager April should become more interesting by becoming something other than just a teenager.

Originally Posted by Netkeeper

What if they wrote some episodes that alternated between the TMNT's "problem of the episode" and April's? She could have a school problem similar to theirs. You know, kind of like Wishbone -- basic episode formula was "alternate between dog's problem and the school kids' problem, but they are actually very similar and both characters learn the same lesson".

Or a conflict between her and the turtles could occur and she'd turn to school friends or even teachers for help, using analogies that don't always work because she can't tell them her "friends" are mutant turtles. [I mean, with Casey now in the picture this option isn't really as do-able. Which is why we should retcon the whole show. :B]

That is a way to do it. But do we really want more Wishbone in our TMNT? I say nay sir!

[BabyTurtles]

Originally Posted by Stugehen

1) I appreciate your comments dude, but I still disagree. Katara was a mother figure of sorts. But she was also absurdly mature for her age given the reality she was growing up in. Her brother on the other hand matched his age. This version of April is no where near the maturity level of Katara. She's always wanting to get into dangerous situations with the turtles. She blamed them for what happened to her Dad even though it technically wasn't their fault. She's very much so a teenager and not much of a mother figure. If she eventually becomes one she's got a ways to go to develop those traits. If they did, they'd only be taking the teenage aspect out of her to do it. .... oh and the Scientist deal. Sure sure I get what you're saying. I was meaning a career though. Thinking of the IDW series, Aprils job has been useful and interesting for the narrative and her character. April in the Nick series is too young to have a job/career.

2) I still maintain that watching April go through photography class in highschool would be kinda boring. It would play with some nostalgia tying her back into the Fred Wolf cartoon, but that's kinda cheep entertainment IMO.

3) I agree with you here. I just want to clarify that I think (or hope) that these not-too-subtle plot points with April and the Kraang will eventually develop into something that fleshes out April's character. Instead of just a plot device or comedic love interest.

4) I like that this series is changing things up, and the teenage April is welcome, but to me they haven't nailed it down yet because it's hard to keep entertaining for an all age audience. I have to say....since you brought up an Avatar reference to Katara, let me point out here the difference between the love-fests in The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra. The Last Airbender handled the love triangles rather well. It as slow and well developed. The Legend of Korra has beaten us over the head with love triangles from the get go...I'm team Bolin...I'm team....whatever. Bluck.

Let's not do that with April, Don, and Casey. Let's not make April continue being the Korra from season 1. Instead let's have this Kraang plot push her into something more profound like Korra in the end of season 2. I think that Korra is still a teenager, but she's also interesting in that her character means something to the world she's a part of. April could totally have all the flaws of a teenager, but end up being the sole key to saving humanity from the Kraang...or something to that effect...

TL;DR - The "teenage" TMNT are great because they don't stop at the teenage part. Teenager April should become more interesting by becoming something other than just a teenager.



That is a way to do it. But do we really want more Wishbone in our TMNT? I say nay sir!

1) I can see your point, mature April would have only worked if they started off with her mature in the beginning....they kinda missed that boat. It would have been perfect too....she lives with her dad, she could have easily taken a more motherly role because of the lack of one in her house.

and if not a mother role, she could AT LEAST be a sister to the turtles.

2) we wouldn't be watching her do anything like that lol XD she'd just have a camera always with her and take pictures. Heck it could even help her get some shots of the kraang for the turtles IDK XD and if we went the scientist route, she could be seen doing science with Donnie. (not just watching him!)

3)...yea.....but a plot can only develop a character's story.....it could help push a character.....but quirks/character traits still need to be filled in.

4) I agree with you there....a love plot (especially love triangles) can get annoying, if not done right.

thank goodness Aang didn't really have an competition! (not including Jet cause he didn't really get in between Aang and katara for long)

you know..I have another solution....Have April get kidnapped for a WHOLE season and put Angel in her place!! ^_^ she's always known to be street smart and spunky! I'm sure she'd be fun to have!

.....I know....that'd be an easy way out.

[Cure]

Originally Posted by shihe

Well an easy way out would be for her to fall into a portal, disappearing for a few episodes into a hellish dimension.
Then when the turtles are in a pinch somewhere, April returns through a portal, a little bit older, and a complete badass.

...I feel as though I've seen this happen somewhere else, though.

It happened to Angel the vampire's son.

My solution would be to write her off.

[MrTMNT2012]

I honestly feel out of all the characters, April is the least in need of 'fixing'.

There should be a thread for fixing Mikey and Casey!

[BabyTurtles]

Originally Posted by Cure

It happened to Angel the vampire's son.

My solution would be to write her off.

what are the chances of that happening though.....

[Cure]

Originally Posted by BabyTurtles

what are the chances of that happening though.....

None. Are you telling me we're not speaking hypothetically right now?

[ssjup81]

Originally Posted by MrTMNT2012

I honestly feel out of all the characters, April is the least in need of 'fixing'.

There should be a thread for fixing Mikey and Casey!

So you don't find April's character to feel like a walking plot device? Like that's all there is to her?

As for Casey, he doesn't really need fixing imo. We know what his future ambitions and aspirations are, we know of at least one of his hobbies (hockey and art), and we know what pushed him into wanting to become a vigilant (to protect his family [father and sister] and friends). He does come across as a bit cocky, but that will probably always be the case as it's a trademark of his character, minus the OT where he was just insane (that's why I liked him so much as a kid ). Anywho, I know all these things about Casey, but I know practically nothing about April and she's been around a lot longer. I find Irma more interesting than April, and she's a minor character...for now. If they could fix him though, maybe humble him a bit to keep from showing off so much or have a consequence for his vigilanting.

As for Mikey I agree 100%! Someone should make a how to fix Mikey thread. First thing I'd fix is his obvious ADHD.

[MrTMNT2012]

Originally Posted by ssjup81

So you don't find April's character to feel like a walking plot device? Like that's all there is to her?

As for Casey, he doesn't really need fixing imo. We know what his future ambitions and aspirations are, we know of at least one of his hobbies (hockey and art), and we know what pushed him into wanting to become a vigilant (to protect his family [father and sister] and friends). He does come across as a bit cocky, but that will probably always be the case as it's a trademark of his character, minus the OT where he was just insane (that's why I liked him so much as a kid ). Anywho, I know all these things about Casey, but I know practically nothing about April and she's been around a lot longer. I find Irma more interesting than April, and she's a minor character...for now.

As for Mikey I agree 100%! Someone should make a how to fix Mikey thread.

Great points on Casey. I guess my main problems are that he's a bit overly cocky and that he's not as developed as the rest of the main group, which makes him forgettable in comparison.

Take 2K3 Casey for example; sure he was cocky, but he never got annoying because he always kept his cool when he was pushed around by the others. He was also naive and kindhearted, that scene where he expressed his love for April in Season 5 is a good example. Above all this, he had an actual character arc! He let go of his traumatising past to confront the odds with more confidence and honour.

For April, I guess I just really like her personality. It may have shrouded my opinion in terms of her being a plot-device but I never felt it was really that hyperbolized!

Mike...just....well, he was good in Season 1 but now it's really getting old whenever he's the butt of the punchline. He's becoming more and more childish and annoying instead of becoming more adult and understanding!

[BabyTurtles]

Originally Posted by MrTMNT2012

Mike...just....well, he was good in Season 1 but now it's really getting old whenever he's the butt of the punchline. He's becoming more and more childish and annoying instead of becoming more adult and understanding!

I still believe Mikey was more focused in season 1.

what happened?

[kolaida]

Originally Posted by shihe

Well an easy way out would be for her to fall into a portal, disappearing for a few episodes into a hellish dimension.
Then when the turtles are in a pinch somewhere, April returns through a portal, a little bit older, and a complete badass.


...I feel as though I've seen this happen somewhere else, though.

Obviously, this has been done in quite a few shows and who knows how many books, lol.... But that doesn't make it any less awesome!! I'm all for this idea! Bring it!

ETA: obviously, we were joking... Just saw from the thread bump that some might have taken this a little too literally. Aw well.

[kolaida]

Originally Posted by BabyTurtles

I still believe Mikey was more focused in season 1.

what happened?

Sorry for double post, but wanted to address this too. I think Mikey has come a long ways from the premiere episode. I enjoy him a lot, ADHD and all.