#donnis is the most obvious one but they're all guilty

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Overanalyzing Raphael's fear...

Ok here we go again, fourth time's the charm!

Ok so this will be analyzing a fear we saw and the fear we almost saw... on with the show!

We all know that ROTTMNT Raphael has separation anxiety, and when that is aggravated, it results in DID (dissociative identity disorder), and he becomes "Savage Raph". But so long as he was with people he knew and in a place he felt safe, it never got too bad. But that was the show, this is an alternate universe in which Raphael grew up as an only child with a mob boss and gladiator ringmaster as a mother.

...I think that Raph's anxiety would have been immensely worse without the safety of his brothers with him. There's something about having your siblings by your side that is just utterly comforting, and adding the fact that the Hamato clan members have a special power that relies on familial trust is an extra factor! But Raph grew up without that. As a result, his anxieties are worse, his fears innumerable, and when it comes to his separation anxiety, he doesn't just go "savage"... he goes nuclear.

So why was Leo the one to help him? When he doesn't really seem to care that much about the "family" they have, when Mikey would most likely be the one to help with the fear fungus (he's already helped two people!), when he has the knowledge and experience and mystic know-how? Why was Leo the one to come first, to break the trance? Answer: because he's done it before. About midway through the story, the group take a trek through the woods together and start to bond as brothers. They even tell each other special needs they have, such as Mikey's hypoglycemia and ADHD, Leo's insomnia, and Donnie's autism. Raph embarrassingly admits that he has severe separation anxiety, and at times even needs someone to stay with him at night so he can sleep. Mikey volunteers to take that responsibility, but one night when Raphael wakes up, he finds Mikey left him (to answer the call of nature TMI) and starts to panic. He causes a commotion, to which Leo is the one to respond. Leo helps to calm Raphael down, and even stays with him afterwards to help him fall asleep again. So, that's one reason why Leo was the best equipped to help with the fear spores...

...The other reason is kind of obvious, even Leo himself states it in the comic! "I know how scary it is to be alone..." Leo may not have separation anxiety, but his fear of abandonment gives him an understanding of what Raph is going through. Their fears are similar, so they can understand each other best.

Now, on to the deleted scene!

In the alternative scene - which would have been easier and quicker to draw but not quite as angsty - we see Raph argue with Mikey. Mikey scolds Raphael for not being a good brother, for letting everyone down and being a disappointment. Raph has carried expectations for a long while, expectations to be strong, smart, savvy like his mother. Being the adopted son of a business tycoon and mob boss does come with some high standards, even if those standards are simply self-inflicted. Whether or not anyone else thinks that Raph should live up to his mother's and brothers' ideals, he thinks he needs to, and as such struggles with this.

Mikey also mentions how his being in the medbay is not the first time this has happened, and that last time it was Raph's fault. This isn't true, but it is what Raph believes. During the traveling arc - the same one where Leo witnesses Raph's savage separation anxiety - Mikey gives Raphael his food to help him with his hunger, despite knowing that he may not have enough for himself. He lets things go too far, and Mikey starts having his symptoms. Raph feels guilty, and attempts to fix his mistake by getting Mikey some sustenance! Only one problem... they're in the middle of nowhere. Literally the middle of the woods! With nothing to eat for miles! Fortunately, they find a small grove of berries, and Mikey eats to his heart's content! Unfortunately, the grove turns out to be the poisonous "No-No berries", and Mikey soon starts hallucinating and getting ill, even wandering off under the influence and getting himself lost before he passes out. (Don't worry, everything works out in the end!) But anyways, Raphael blames himself for all that happened.

He's the big brother. He's meant to be the responsible one. So why is he always the one screwing things up, being too afraid, too weak. He's afraid that he is not enough. He's afraid of being a disappointment.

[fabuloustrash05]

I’ve been thinking about this for a while I have kinda not really a theory but maybe a explanation of why I think Donnie acts the way he does towards April in 2012

April is probably Donnie’s first ever love interest, he’s been raised around nothing but his brothers and his father for the past 15 years until the night him and his brothers saved April. I’m not saying he doesn’t know better but he probably doesn’t understand that making April gifts and being a bit stalkerish around her isn’t healthy and will probably learn that it isn’t healthy like in A Foot Too Big, sorry if this is long I have no one else to tell this to lmao

That's not a theory, its a fact.

For Donnie and his brothers, they never met a girl until they were 15 and it's very obvious this is Donnie's first real crush. For their entire life the only people the turtles had to talk to were each other and their father, Splinter. So I can understand if their social skills are lacking in season 1, especially with them being teenage boys and meeting a girl their age for the first time. Donnie's never met a girl before so I can understand if he acts awkward and nervous around her.

This is supported with what Raph says in the very first episode after Donnie sees April for the first time.

Donnie: She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen...

Raph: Isn't she the ONLY girl you've ever seen?

Donnie: ...My point still stands.

But at the same time, Splinter must have raised his son to know what is right and wrong. The boys obviously have manners and treat April and every other girl they meet afterwards with respect. I think Donnie's problem is his insecurities of being a mutant and also that I think he is in love with the idea of being in love, so he goes all out with doing everything for April and making her those gifts because he doesn't want to let his first crush go, scared he wont find another because he's a "freak", and this problem gets worse with everyone not telling that he needs to stop and that it isn't a healthy mindset to be in, and instead just being a bystander. Raph seems to be the only one to see it and often calls Donnie out on his creepiness.

Even April is guilty of this, but even then it's awkward and uncomfortable for her, especially since Donnie is her best friend, so I can understand that she struggles to tell him the truth, scared of hurting him and ruining their friendship, so instead she tries to avoid confrontation. Not the best solution, but we have to remember they are all only teenagers, they're still growing up and learning.

[turtle-go-brrrr]

General bayverse headcanons

Leonardo

Not a morning person

He has his routine and doesn't like to break it, except when he can sleep in

First thing he does when he wakes up is take at least 20 minutes to actually wake up before even considering getting up

He likes setting up breakfast for everyone though

He'd get the cereals, prepare some coffee, tea or hot chocolate, cut some fruits etc

Doesn't like when someone prepare his

Except if its Mikey

Leo's a book nerd

He likes mysteries and thrillers the most, but won't turn up his nose at some romance

Not a super big fan of fantasy, but there are some exceptions

Really doesn't like science fiction

Once got scared of a pidgeon

He was on patrol with his brothers and was looking out in the distance when the bird flew right next to his face

Only Donnie saw him and he won't let him live it down

Despite being the voice of reason of the group, he won't turn down pranks if they're directed either at Vern or Casey

They're so easy to mess with, and he has the luxury of hiding behind his reputation

April once told him "you could stand above a still warm body with a fuming gun in your hands and I would ask you to put it down to avoid putting your handprints on it"

Translation: he can do whatever he wants, no one will ever suspect him

He's not the best listener but he has the patience of a god

And he's trying his best to be better at listening when his brothers try to tell him about their problems (personal or mission related) tho he has some work to do still

Good singer, but terrible dancer (which is a surprise to everyone because he's really graceful on the battlefield)

His favorite animal is the Guinea pig

Donatello

Contrary to popular beliefs, this boy does sleep

Not that much, like 5 hours per night at most, but still

Better than nothing

And no, he doesn't feed exclusively on coffee, pop tarts and pizza, that would kill him (even tho it took him a while to understand that)

He's trying to get healthier eating habits

When he can't bother to cook himself some veggies, he tries to drink fruit juices to get those vitamins

Makes himself some homebrew omelettes where he just puts a little bit of every leftover in it so he can "get a little bit of every nutrients he needs"

It's kind of gross sometimes, but it works

Speaking of which, he makes the worst food combos

Like, he has no dignity

"I swear Dr Pepper and milk isnt as bad as it sounds", he says, trying to justify his favorite abomination.

Adds a bit of olive juice to it sometimes

Even Mikey is grossed out

Infodumps on his brothers at the most random time about stupid stuff

Like he'll see a random neon sign and give a 1 minute short lighting lesson and then never mention it again

His favorite animal is the Bearded Vulture

Raphael

Loves being the first to get up in the morning because the calmness of the lair soothes him

He talks in his sleep tho

Either says the wildest shit or talk normally, enough to make other people think he's awake and genuinely conversing

(He's not, and when they realize it's kinda awkward)

He also giggles in his sleep, and its terrifying

Loves animated movies

He loves that because they're supposed to be for kids, writers have to works hard and be creative to avoid censorship if they wanna tackle heavy themes

Which is often way more compelling to him than "adult" shows, where heavy violence and random sex scenes are everywhere

He also loves indie animation studios like E.S.M.A. and such

His favorite music genre is Epic rock and he likes listening to it before going on patrol (makes him feel badass)

He used to be the most physically affectionate of the bunch when they were kids, and could spend hours in Splinter's arms

He still does sometimes

While it takes him a while to trust someone, once he does he's gonna be the most annoying little shit you've ever met

If you're family to him, he's gonna annoy you to death

Mikey teases, Raph annoys

His favorite animal is the cat

Michelangelo

A heavy sleeper, but it takes him at least an hour of complete stillness before being able to fall asleep

And we all know he can have a lot of trouble standing still

While Leo's the one putting food on the table in the morning, Mikey is the one cooking it (if it needs to)

He has a playlist of soft musics from various games and movies, or ambient sounds like rain, fireplace, thunder etc

Sneeze like a kitten

But blow his nose like a dad (you know, shakes the whole lair and whatnot?)

He's the one who points out every stray cat they see when they're on the surface with an "aaannww!! It looked at me!!!"

Talks to animals as if they understand him and treats them like people

He's also the one getting spiders out of the lair

Except if they're too big. Then they ask Splinter to call April (they're all too embarrassed to do it themselves)

Huge history nerd

He tends to infodump on Donnie the most and then they'll just infodump back and forth about their special interest

The others just watch it unfold like a tennis match, wondering which one of them will run out of things to say first

(It was Donnie)

He has tons of WIPs of short stories he's written, or plots he finds interesting or that kind of stuff

His favorite animal is the whaleshark