Apritello pairing confirmed? Storyboard pics!!

[Netkeeper]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Bein' adult woman, in ur viewership, ruinin' ur demographics...

Good, keep ruining demographics, I approve.

[Metalwolf]

Originally Posted by Netkeeper

That's the problem -- they write female characters, not characters that are female. Love interests instead of relatable beings.

But I'm not surprised, because according to their podcast, Karai and April are "enough" female characters. After all, we don't want relatable girls, because then the GIRLS would start watching our show that's supposed to be for BOYS! Just like with Young Justice! If too many girls start watching the show we'll have to cancel it because girls won't buy our toys.

I'm an expert marketer, don't question me.

I don't think it's because they don't want girls watching, I think it's because Ciro said that he was afraid he'd inadvertently make them Mary Sues or something. This is sort of an issue already with April's Kraang powers, although I am wondering if Irma is being brought in to be the new 'normal' girl since Karai doesn't totally fit and April no longer does.

By the way, what are the two critters in your avatar and sig pictures? The look anime-ish, but I don't know what kind of cartoon they fit.

[Netkeeper]

Originally Posted by Metalwolf

I don't think it's because they don't want girls watching, I think it's because Ciro said that he was afraid he'd inadvertently make them Mary Sues or something. This is sort of an issue already with April's Kraang powers, although I am wondering if Irma is being brought in to be the new 'normal' girl since Karai doesn't totally fit and April no longer does.

By the way, what are the two critters in your avatar and sig pictures? The look anime-ish, but I don't know what kind of cartoon they fit.

I know that's what they said, but they ALSO said April and Karai are "enough". You should never be afraid of making a girl powerful. Let girls be powerful. Make the most powerful character on the show a girl. Show the boys watching the show that girls aren't sissies and they can be just as strong as they are. Because anything a boy can do, a girl can do just as well -- including being overpowered.

Also, my signature and avatar are promotional images for an unreleased project I'm working on that I drew myself. They're Digimon -- stylized Labramon and Hackmon. Glad they caught your eye!

[JTH]

They are trying to attract a female audience, it's by doing the very thing the people on here don't want, the romance department. And the majority of the female audience does enjoy this, so they're clearly not trying to repel that audience otherwise they wouldn't be doing any of this in the first place.

They'll attract the female audience with some shipping and romance, and attract the male demo. with the action and just because it's Turtles.

Plus the notion that the writers don't know how to write female characters just because guys are clueless in writing female characters is silly. Target: April is the episode where all the shipping started, and who wrote that? Nicole Dubuc, female writer, so maybe it's not because the writers don't know what to do, it's because they're being told how to do it. Most people complaining about the writing most likely don't even know what they're trying to do yet, so they're just blindly complaining about something not even knowing what the path is they're supposed to be lead to.

So if that's the problem the majority of people have, then don't blame the writers, blame the direction they're being told to write.

[Netkeeper]

Um, no, honey, the Apritello shipping thing started before April was even assigned a name.

That's problematic.

[NitpickingMask]

Yeah, shipper community is terrifying thing, when Avatar: Legend of Korra was announced and people saw two characters together, they started to ship them despite not knowing their name or story. Most shippers abandoned that ship when it turned out two characters are brothers, though some people didn't jump the ship since some shippers ship incest pairings for some reason.

Shipping is like rule 34, there exists ship for every possible combination now matter how ridiculous or taboo and at least someone who ships it without irony.

[JTH]

Originally Posted by NitpickingMask

Yeah, shipper community is terrifying thing, when Avatar: Legend of Korra was announced and people saw two characters together, they started to ship them despite not knowing their name or story. Most shippers abandoned that ship when it turned out two characters are brothers, though some people didn't jump the ship since some shippers ship incest pairings for some reason.

Shipping is like rule 34, there exists ship for every possible combination now matter how ridiculous or taboo and at least someone who ships it without irony.

But they at least gave reason for April showing admiration for Donnie in the pilot after he saved her from falling from a helicopter. He saved her life, he vowed to find her dad, and she began to have generosity and ultimately feelings for him.

So how was this done any different than Lois Lane falling in love with Superman, or Mary Jane falling in love with Spiderman after they were saved half a zillion times?

[Netkeeper]

Originally Posted by NitpickingMask

Yeah, shipper community is terrifying thing, when Avatar: Legend of Korra was announced and people saw two characters together, they started to ship them despite not knowing their name or story. Most shippers abandoned that ship when it turned out two characters are brothers, though some people didn't jump the ship since some shippers ship incest pairings for some reason.

Shipping is like rule 34, there exists ship for every possible combination now matter how ridiculous or taboo and at least someone who ships it without irony.

Hey hey, let's not bash shippers here. Shipping is cool and fun.

I'll agree it's rather extreme to ship characters without even knowing who they are, but in those other cases it's completely fine. It's fine to ship something taboo or ridiculous as long as the shipper in question understands the characters, and in the case of something abusive or otherwise side-eye worthy, knows why and acknowledges it. I don't see Apritello shippers in this fandom acknowledge Donnie's creepiness and ship it for that reason. I would be fine with them if they did.

Originally Posted by jth

But they at least gave reason for April showing admiration for Donnie in the pilot after he saved her from falling from a helicopter. He saved her life, he vowed to find her dad, and she began to have generosity and ultimately feelings for him.

So how was this done any different than Lois Lane falling in love with Superman, or Mary Jane falling in love with Spiderman after they were saved half a zillion times?

This is different because April isn't in love with Donnie.

[JTH]

Originally Posted by Netkeeper

This is different because April isn't in love with Donnie.

She isn't in love with him right now, but how do you she won't be?

That's what the whole point of the boards in the first post are about, that the scene in the boards is going to happen; for one reason or another.

The only thing we don't know yet is why they happen.

[NitpickingMask]

Originally Posted by Netkeeper

Hey hey, let's not bash shippers here. Shipping is cool and fun.

Hah, don't assume I'm bashing them, I'm just respecting their terrifying potential I'm actually somewhat of shipper myself though I keep it pretty hidden. I consider it a guilty pleasure of sorts from the old days when I still read fanfiction. Still, there are a lot of shippers who are willing to force a ship even if ship is offensive or taboo and usually ignore those parts or try to make it "okay".

Originally Posted by jth

So how was this done any different than Lois Lane falling in love with Superman, or Mary Jane falling in love with Spiderman after they were saved half a zillion times?

Besides April not having shown interest in Donnie, those two pairings are both from rather... "Old fashioned" times when you didn't need better motivation in story for love interest other than "One is beautiful and one rescued the other" and I could actually argue they themselves are rather offensive. I mean, yeah, I can understand falling in love with your rescuer, but really, its not like you SHOULD fall in love with someone just because they rescued you.

[Donatello19]

If you were a mutant turtle forced to hide away in the sewers and never see an actual, real live girl for an entire 15 years...wouldn't you act the same way?

[victory_angel]

Originally Posted by Donatello19

If you were a mutant turtle forced to hide away in the sewers and never see an actual, real live girl for an entire 15 years...wouldn't you act the same way?

Yeah, the closest thing Donnie had seen to a girl before April were the female characters he's seen on TV.

[BubblyShell22]

Exactly. He behaves that way because he doesn't know how to handle things when it comes to girls. Does it make his behavior at times okay? No, I agree that his stalking isn't okay, and his brothers even pointed it out to him when he said that April was in the park studying around that time. But at the same time, April's the only girl he's ever seen and the only girl he's ever had a crush on, so it makes sense that these things would happen because he doesn't know how to properly behave around her or deal with the crush. I know Splinter talked to him before, but I do agree that he needs to do so again and maybe tell him about how this obsession will hurt him. We'll see how things go though.

[Netkeeper]

Oh my god I've been over this.

Yes, it makes sense for him to act that way. But the way the narrative portrays it as being okay when it clearly is NOT, is what I don't like.

[IndigoErth]

Someone find them an adult female mutant mother figure, stat.

[pennydreadful]

Originally Posted by Bry

I think I missed that thread, but it's a nice catch and would make for a good, and emotional, parallel. An episode where April and Casey get more serious and Donatello starts slipping down a darker path (perhaps fighting Casey out of jealousy), only to pull himself back with Splinter's guidance? That's a winner.

Agreed - I'd love to read or watch that!

Originally Posted by NitpickingMask

Hah, don't assume I'm bashing them, I'm just respecting their terrifying potential I'm actually somewhat of shipper myself though I keep it pretty hidden. I consider it a guilty pleasure of sorts from the old days when I still read fanfiction. Still, there are a lot of shippers who are willing to force a ship even if ship is offensive or taboo and usually ignore those parts or try to make it "okay".

Heh, well FWIW I'm an unabashed shipper, though I generally keep my pairing preferences to myself. I don't understand why shippers get so much flak; they're mostly harmless. There's a crazy contingent to be sure (generally, the ones who run around trying to shove their OTP down everyone's throats), but other than that - live and let live. IMO, it's just another way of enjoying a series, movie or book - no different than fanart, fanfic or collecting.

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Someone find them an adult female mutant mother figure, stat.

Or a sister figure. Maybe if Karai moves in with them, mutated or not, it'd be good for them in that regard - give them a bit more exposure to appropriate vs inappropriate interactions.

[Donatello19]

Originally Posted by Netkeeper

But the way the narrative portrays it as being okay when it clearly is NOT, is what I don't like.

How do they portray it as OK? They don't. Don constantly gets made fun of and picked on by his brothers because of it, and it results in a lot of awkward/embarrassing moments for him as well.

How exactly does that scream "act this way!" to kids? It doesn't. Like I said, kids aren't stupid.

[Netkeeper]

Originally Posted by Donatello19

How do they portray it as OK? They don't. Don constantly gets made fun of and picked on by his brothers because of it, and it results in a lot of awkward/embarrassing moments for him as well.

How exactly does that scream "act this way!" to kids? It doesn't. Like I said, kids aren't stupid.

I love how you keep trying to change my mind but you never ever will. If my mind ever changes, it'll be the show's direction that does it, not you.

That said, April, nor anyone else in any position to do anything about it, punishes him for it. Which he should be. April should be doing more of the "punching Donnie right in the face" thing.

[Refractive Reflections]

Originally Posted by Netkeeper

I love how you keep trying to change my mind but you never ever will. If my mind ever changes, it'll be the show's direction that does it, not you.

That said, April, nor anyone else in any position to do anything about it, punishes him for it. Which he should be. April should be doing more of the "punching Donnie right in the face" thing.

Or I hope there's a scene where Nick April snickers away from everyone else, and in the shadows of the city saying, "Yes... got Casey and Donnie wrapped around my little finger. " Then later on in the show, the show reveals herself to be actually one of the April clones back in "The Kraang Conspiracy" rather than the real April, who would be mysteriously still missing and had not developed a close relationship with Casey and Irma as we are already assumed presently in the series...

Maybe it could bring all of this love triangle stuff in a new perspective.

[Metalwolf]

Maybe they should have April remain single? It would be nice to have a female main character for once that isn't dumped into an obligatory relationship just because she's female. I always found that a bit stereotypical for female characters, that she's more defined on her love interests then who she is herself. That is why I like Karai, she's 'complete' even without a boy entering the picture.

And Netkeeper, those avatar and sig pictures you did look so cool! They look so well done that I thought they were a professional cartoon