Very old Donatello x Iseult (OC) pic I'm still proud of

[springsodas]

I love them so very much.

And speaking of OCs, Iseult is VERY much in need of proper introductions. Unfortunately, I still need to draw a new model sheet for her; her design has gone through a lot of changes since I drew this back in May 2024, most notably in that she now has pointed ears, a more blatantly squirrel-like tail, and digitigrade legs, and while the most recent one I have for her is... sufficient in depicting that, I have been getting better at drawing out her leg proportions and wanna make sure her art is reflective of that.

Comments

[gimmighoulcoins]

This is such cute, peaceful art! I don't remember much from when I used to watch the 2003 TMNT, but I know Donnie was my favorite... And a squirrel-based OC design is so cool, I feel like there's fun "posing with props" potential with the tail!

[springsodas]

Aaaaah, thank you so much! I was actually very late to the party when it came to TMNT 2003--I did see a few episodes when it was originally airing on the FoxBox/4Kids block back in the 2000s, but I didn't actually watch the series in full until a video about it ended up in my YT recommendations a couple of years ago. And Don is easily my favorite of the turtles, too--precious nerdy sweetheart who, unfortunately, ended up becoming the show's chew toy whenever the writers didn't feel like making Leo miserable XD

The funny thing with Iseult is that, back when I first conceptualized her, I actually wanted her to be a chinchilla? But over time as I kept making more and more tweaks to her design as well as her backstory/plot, she ended up becoming more and more squirrel-like to the point I was just like "Yeah, let's just roll with it."

[gimmighoulcoins]

Yesss, Donnie is my favorite in the bits I've seen of the old '80s cartoon too, and that one Nickelodeon version where it was CGI, haha, but I haven't seen much of that one. Not so much my thing! The only other TMNT media I've really consumed is Mutant Mayhem, and there I just... Struggle to pick a favorite, tbh. I love them all! But yeah, I tend to love scientist characters and especially, as you said, nerdy sweetheart types.

I was a younger teen when I watched TMNT 2003, but I might want to revisit it at some point, honestly - ever since I saw Mutant Mayhem I've been way more interested in the Turtles, and that's when I checked out some of the '80s cartoon, which is just... Very fun and nostalgic, since I grew up watching reruns of (other) '80s cartoons in the '90s, heh.

Awww, a chinchilla sounds like a fun design too, but I love that she wound up a squirrel - though I'm biased tbh, alongside bats they're my favorite animal! But also, it's just so fun when it gets to the point in making an OC where the character direction starts almost taking on its own life, like that! It's very satisfying!

[springsodas]

Yeah, I have a lot of friends who aren't big on 2012 XD I can't offer much opinion on that version because I'm a Fake TMNT Fan™ whose experience is limited to... 2003, two of the three 1990s live action movies, the first five IDW volumes, The Last Ronin miniseries (haven't read the prequel or sequel), and scattered issues/episodes of the Mirage comics and 87 series.

And it's definitely worth it! If you decide to revisit it, I would recommend watching it via the fanmade HD remaster available on r/RemasteringTMNT2003--while it's not perfect, it's the best way to watch 2003 in high quality in this day and age. The full official DVD release from a few years ago leaves a lot to be desired in terms of picture quality, never mind that they actually censored one or two of the episodes, and streaming services aren't much better; plus the fan remaster has the full uncut version of Turtles Forever (most official releases of the movie use the TV cut, which is missing about eight minutes of footage; in fact, the only two regions that saw a full uncut DVD release were the UK and Mexico.)

Haha, Iseult has gone in MANY directions that I was not intending her to, both in character design and her story/plot. Initial concept was a genetic experiment of Bishop's serving as his agent; then I realized she was a bit too... pretty for that? XD Now she's an alien mercenary and amateur biologist who is seeking a cure to the deadly pandemic that's threatening her people, the Iorans, with extinction. Given her namesake, I tried to give her personality traits that we tend to associate with knight-like characters? Brave, selfless, determined, loyal, yet sweet and highly empathetic... though she's also got a stubborn streak and is quick to agitate when she sees injustice being committed against innocents. She's also very intelligent and a MASSIVE geek--it's the main reason she and Don end up hitting it off very early on in their relationship, though I promise there's more interesting developments and points of bonding/conflict for them than just "They're both science nerds--ergo, they're attracted to each other."

[gimmighoulcoins]

I mean, Fake TMNT Fan™ definitely applies to me too... Mutant Mayhem is my main thing, I went to see it with my spouse, who has been a TMNT fan their whole life, and I was just... Blown away, I couldn't stop thinking about that movie for the longest time after watching. I should check out some of the IDW comics though, I've heard good things! (And I love what IDW's been doing with the Sonic comics, so.)

Thank you so much for the tip! Sometimes fandom is such a wonderful thing, like... I just love that people are out there doing that? If I go back to it, yeah I'll have to check it out that way - that sounds pretty cool! Even if it's a shame it has to be done by fans, y'know?

/chinhands I love all of this, she sounds so charming... Definitely like a character I'd enjoy. I love her motives especially, just... Yess, big stakes! So good! And aww, nah, that's such a solid initial foundation for her and Don - like, c'mon, the nerdy stuff is so core to him! God... I started getting back into fandom OCs a little bit back, and OC/canon ships, and hearing about Iseult is really fueling that more, heh.