Thread:The S/@comment-995426-20180619005933/@comment-995426-20180620103503

I'm not certain. It's not a term without baggage. Dictionary.com defines its primary meaning as "a person who shares in one's activities, occupation, etc.; companion, associate, or friend." Its second and third meanings are more political in nature, referring to fraternities, political parties or socialism. And it seems to me that while it can mean friend or ally, it can also mean simply a person someone associates with, which would be a very inappropriate label for characters like Baxter or Stump which have been characters the turtles have worked with pragmatically at some point or another but it probably would be very unfitting or unsavory to call them friends or allies. In both those cases, I'm more inclined to call them tools who would never give aid without a great deal of selfish gain, manipulation or arm-twisting, and whose aid ends the very moment the incentive does.

Words don't just have possible meanings, but connotations that need to be considered. So if you're set on this, perhaps you should use clearer, more straightforward language like "Friends and Allies", with the understanding that friends act out of fondness, and allies act out of honor.