Here’s a thought-
When Splinter says Leo’s the leader at the end of Season 2…pretty sure he was joking.
After so many high stakes and high emotions, he (a bit cluelessly) makes a joke to add some levity, just to make things a bit easier for he and his sons to digest everything that happened. It was a lot that happened, so it makes sense that Splinter wants to make things that much softer for everyone.
But- making a joke like that, after everything they all just went through…I can definitely see how the events of the movie pave out in response.
For example, by joking about Leo in particular having the responsibility of a leader, that puts him directly in the sight of Raph’s building anxieties. Because after everything, it’s clear that Raph really started taking the hero name seriously to the point that he started undermining his own fun and childhood in the process. So in the eyes of a Raph who is so worried about what could happen if they’re not prepared again, Leo in particular kind of stands almost as a point of danger in that aspect.
And with the joke of Leo “leading” in any capacity ringing out over them, it’s easy to blame Leo and Leo alone whenever he goes and goofs off with Mikey and Donnie. I think as well that the concept of a leader being spoken after the Shredder just pushes more weight on Raph’s shoulders and makes him realize how much goofing off they did before when they should have been better heroes (despite them all just being kids...)
Raph knows his brothers are good, he knows and has pride in them and himself in turn, but it terrifies him to know that they won’t be ready for the next big threat, and Leo directly going against this caution even more than usual just pushes Raph to want to try more.
As for Leo- keep in mind what happened all throughout “Many Unhappy Returns.” Keep in mind what happened all throughout the series in general. In the former, Splinter more than once points out how he would rather have his other sons with him than Leo, especially because they “would take this seriously”…even though Leo was taking it seriously. (Not that Splinter should be expected to read what Leo was doing when Leo wasn’t making his plans clear, but that wording sticks with kids.) Even after Leo’s plan pulled through, Raph’s the one who spoke in trust of Leo, not Splinter.
As for what happens in the series in general…well, we see Leo mess up a lot, apologize a lot, get his brothers out of messes a lot, and even when he does well or is responsible it’s either glossed over or still seen as goofing off (no I will never be over that moment where Leo almost got Gus’s tags and got screwed over out of pure bad luck.)
So imagine hearing a joke like that as Leo, who for a good chunk of especially the start of the series has been a lowkey voice of reason. The idea that Leo being responsible for the team is nothing but a joke…? It’s understandable that it could feel like a blow, that it could push him to want to try less.
Especially after everything they just went through.
They’re heroes. | They’re kids.
Why shouldn’t they care? | Why should they care?
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When Thunder stays with Clear Sky for a while, does Clear ever insist on referring to him as Thunder Sky?
Towards the end yes, as the final detail to Thunder Storm that Clear Sky doesn't love him. He wants to ERASE him.
If Clear Sky recognizes he's made a mistake in casting Bright Storm away with their child, he's incapable of seeing it was wrong because it was cruel. He wants what he realizes he threw away, because he now sees it has value. He wants to own his oldest son the way he wants to own the entire forest-- as a reflection of his greatness.
Anything that makes Clear Sky uncomfortable about Thunder Storm has to be sanded down. The assertiveness was the first thing, he feels insecure when he's challenged, the child must learn to follow before he may learn to lead.
The second is that leg, presenting a prosthetic as a gift (that he isnt allowed to refuse), because he can't have been wrong about the choice that killed his younger brother-- here is a SOLUTION that simply didn't exist before! Behold how resourceful and wealthy his cats are, compared to your old group. We've fixed you.
(This prosthetic is a clunky piece of shit that is annoying to strap on every day, gets in the way and makes a ton of noise, and itches like hell, but the change in Clear's demeanor is immediate if Thunder doesn't wear it.)
But somehow, Thunder Storm was willing to take all of that. In hindsight, it bothers him that the tipping point wasn't the other two things.
Bright Storm gave her son her own last name. When Clear Sky sent them away and the Mountain Cats permanently split, it was pointed. "My only survivor is named for myself." SHE would raise him, alone.
Bright Storm herself slowly seemed to lose sight of the meaning, encouraging him to understand his father's good aspects, but in the meanwhile it took on a new meaning to Thunder. His mother raised him. He found a father in Shaded Flower. He grew up next to Lightning Cry and Acorn Swoop. Thunder Storm means this. It's the person he made himself, and the love they've all put into him.
Thunder SKY is just another monument to Clear Sky, stripping away the life he lived without him. And WHY? For ego? For comfort?
"What am I letting him DO to me?!"
It wasn't the final STRAW, but it was the tipping point. Once Thunder Storm had this realization, the minute he was not going to budge on something, that confrontation was inevitable. The blowout fight was making reservations.
Sunlit Frost is still the breaking point, the injury from his burn going sour, but I'm going to emphasize the way that Clear Sky only called that meeting in the first place as an abuse game. Thunder Storm knew it was coming-- but it still sickens him that it was something THIS monstrous.
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theres smth abt the first time between enemies, that just makes me squeal.
the pure desperation of it, yelling at each other and then they just stop for a second stare at each other and start making out, trying to pull each others clothes down/off. especially when theyre still angry at each other.
mumbling "i hate you." as they try and keep their moans from falling out of their mouth, knowing that no one else had made them feel like that.
and once theyre done they only try to wind the other up more, just so they can feel as good as they did the first time, cus no matter how many people they sleep with after the other, no one else can make them cum that well 💞
(im clawing at the walls of my enclosure)
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The Hesperus (beta) main work index is now fully themed and re-written! An example above and a display of it for an actual fic of mine on desktop and mobile below.
All tags have been edited into a 'pill form' to make it easier to tell apart relationships, characters, and additional tags. No more long blocks separated only with commas!
The new icons are all custom made. Archive warnings have been minimised and turned into icons alongside the tags. Text for the lower stats has also been iconified! (All editable if you so wish.)
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Do you have any Dick and Catalina thoughts? Ideas for how it could’ve been better handled? Aspects that you wish got more explored in fan works?
ways it couldve been better handled: if DC higher ups let the author write her damn story instead of interrupting what was supposed to be a full and proper storyline with a batman crossover event
aspects that i wish were more explored in fan works: dick still sees catalina as a person, and a person he failed at that. one of the huge catalysts for things getting worse for dick's mental state was the death of one of his villains, so i don't understand the fics that treat killing catalina as the solution. that kind of resolution is beyond naive to me, not just in terms of dick's story but in terms of abuse stories as a whole. killing the abuser can be cathartic, but it can also be unsatisfying and pointless and counter to what suits a story.
i got sidetracked a bit, so back on topic. dick has a big heart, and cares for catalina beyond a simple "murder is wrong" angle. he tried to be a mentor to her, and sees himself as her murder accomplice. it's not just about not saving blockbuster, it's about not saving cat. to him, it's not just his fault a man is dead, it's also his fault that a woman he was supposed to help crossed a line like that.
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