#no but raph and leo are also very patient with mikey in this episode

[yellowhollyhock]

return to the underground is so funny because everything Donny says or does Raph and Leo are like 'that's him our baby brother, precious little genius, watch watch he's gonna do something cool, we are so proud. do you need anything Don Don'

And Mikey's like 'this is the worst plan you've ever had. I hate you.'

He really was not happy about going back underground XD

[daedelweiss]

“LIFE MISSION: SAVE MY BROTHERS” 💖 The Red Knight’s Mission (Episode 1: The Buried Memory Page 28-41)

and, finally, the last set for this episode. this was actually harder to get through compared to the rest of the sets, physically and emotionally 😭 drawing leo grieving broke me and i cried like a baby sketching that panel. i wish i could add more panels in but i didn't want to drag out the comic too long and give myself too much work. it was supposed to play out similarly to "E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" where leo's memories pushed back against him to avoid painful memories but i feel like that would've destroyed the vibe and somberness of the softer moments. plus it'll make the episode much MUCH longer. also leo didn't actually lose the colors of his scarf. it was more for symbolic reasons. and if the last panel of page 35 looks familiar, i took inspiration from the movie and imitated the expression mikey had when he tried to open the portal for the third time to save leo. (no, i did not trace it) it may or may not be foreshadowing for later 🤭 and yeah, the comic will be taking a hiatus……. to make more of the comic 😂 dw it's not for mental health or personal life reasons… actually it's partly that because i have an upcoming VISA interview 😭 bUT i'll still be making LM stuff behind the scenes, dw >:3 next episode won't be as drama or action packed as this one but… we will meet raph for the first time 👀 i'm really rEALLY excited to work more on the comic, and that's TWO reallys! i just hope y'all will be patient with me because it is no easy feat working on this. i love it but i'm only one person, after all 😄 thank you so so much for supporting this comic again! comments and shares are very much appreciated! 💖 BEGINNING / PREV / NEXT EPISODE (coming this april) •

( 🌿 please do NOT repost, edit, trace, use, and/or sell 🌿 )

[whattraintracks]

I kinda feel we didn’t much of raph and splinter’s relationship in 03 thoughts?

Hmm, I suppose that's fair. I've heard it said that 03 isn't a very character-driven story, and I agree we don't see as many character dynamics or arcs explored as we could have.

Below the cut are the pieces of Raph and Splinter's relationship I've pieced together for myself.

Splinter's bio on Raph in Tales from the Sewer presents this interesting duality in Splinter's perception of him. He's a difficult child but just a kid. He trains the most but he's a difficult student. He makes poor decisions but Splinter has the utmost faith in his abilities. As both father and teacher, Splinter sometimes struggles to approach his sons and their needs in the appropriate role, especially when it comes to Raph.

For example, his hands-off approach to Raph's rage, or what I usually think of as emotional dysregulation (either as a product of neurodivergence or his young age). When Raph nearly maims Mikey during a rage attack/dissociative episode (see S1E4 "Meet Casey Jones") Splinter doesn't try to stop Raph or separate him and Mikey, although he very well could have. He doesn't step in until after Leo and Donny have broken up the fight. Despite addressing Raph parentally, he comes at the issue like a teacher offering those ninja master-esque nuggets of wisdom about rage being a monster and a true warrior is balanced in all things. I think he wants to come across sympathetically (gentle voice, physical contact, calling Raph "my son") but there is a sense of disappointment and unmet expectations in what he says.

In the aforementioned bio, Splinter notes that of all the turtles, Raph trains the longest and hardest. He likely equates length of training with dedication to ninjutsu and assumes that because Raph exhibits these things he should be something he isn't: more disciplined less angry. Perhaps he compares Raph to Leo who apparently trains less but fits Splinter's prototype of a good ninja. Speaking of Leo, later in the same episode we see Splinter chastise Mikey and Donny for interrupting Leo's practice and tell Leo to keep practicing his split kick without offering any advice on how to get it right.

We see this idea directed to Raph in Splinter's comment about a true warrior finding balance in all things. It's not particularly informative. This is his version of telling Raph to keep practicing but it's not what Raph needs at this moment, hot off such an overwhelming experience. So instead of reading this as the patient, parental advice I think Splinter intends it to be, Raph's body language screams chastised. He doesn't meet Splinter's eyes and he runs away. Raph (like all of the brothers) wants Splinter's approval and he's devastated to have fallen short in this instance. Then Splinter doesn't let Mikey follow after Raph. And yeah, Raph likely needed that space but it's this hands-off approach, again. Another example comes from the one of Raph's diary entries in the Raphael: Collector Book. He talks about Splinter assigning him more meditation exercises to help him control his emotions and temper. Perhaps training, space, meditation, and nuggets of wisdom are effective tools for Splinter to self-regulate his emotions, but Splinter is also an adult. Raph needs more guidance and practical advice at this point in his life that Splinter isn't providing. The tools aren't enough, he needs to be taught how to use them.

So. Raph responds in a couple ways to Splinter's hands-off, more-teacher-than-father approach. The first is to train harder, and longer, and learn everything he can about ninjutsu. If Master Splinter says becoming a true warrior will help him find emotional balance then he's going to try his hardest to become one. When he meets Casey, he shares with him verbatim the true warrior line but confesses to Casey he's not sure how hot-heads like them are supposed to do that. He still takes the advice to heart even if it's not helpful or he doesn't understand it because he wants to please and obey his father. The collector's book shows us that Raph has taken the time to learn aspects of ninjutsu that are confusing, uninteresting, and even inaccessible to him. This book contains a lot of technical information about ninjutsu techniques and teachings. It presents Raph as even more of ninja nerd than Leo! Some of this stuff appeals to his interests, for sure; the different punching techniques for instance. Some of it, he seems to have only learned to gain Splinter's approval. He has a detailed spread on hand signs that he explicitly finds too mystical and confusing, claims it took forever to learn, and he can't even use it as a three-fingered being, but he hopes Splinter will be impressed with him.

Second, he goes behind Splinter's back. If there's something he wants or needs and he thinks Splinter won't approve of it, he'll take it for himself. Such as going to the surface when he needs space or bringing his brothers to the surface when he thinks there's something important they need to do. This feels, to me, like access thievery, which is the concept (typically applied to disabled/neurodivergent folks) of taking what one needs (time, space, resources) without asking for permission or waiting to be offered it (because you likely won't be). Again in the collector's book, Raph exhibits an awareness of his faults and a self-compassionate recognition that he's just a teen. Splinter know this too but has shown that he can't always offer what Raph needs or won't give him it in some cases (forbids them from going to the surface). So Raph has developed a willingness to take what he needs for himself and sneak around Splinter to avoid the disapproval he fears.

All that aside, I think they're very similar in their fierce love and devotion to family and the ways it can drive them to anger, fear, hatred, and vengeance. There are traits Raph inherited from Splinter they bond over, too. They're both competitive. The Battle Nexus Tournament isn't their thing but we see them playing pokey in "Dragons Rising." I love the idea that they play a lot of games together! They have a similar sense of humility. They know they're skilled but they're more likely hang back and play support while their other family members take the spotlight than boast. Unless it's really personal, then they'll take over, like how Splinter's quest for vengeance guides them in Exodus and Raph's desire to help Casey leads the brothers to sneak out with him in "Meet Casey Jones." I think, they have a similar sense of humor, too. Raph has this silly line in the collector's book about Splinter being proud he used his head, that is, like a battering ram, and you cannot tell me Splinter wouldn't chuckle at that.

[scarredwoods]

Since Leo is your favorite obviously lol! What’s your opinion on Raph for 03 and 12

Haha, so fun fact, Raph actually used to be my favorite until Leo took over first place when I got older

Out of all the turtles, Raph became one of my first fictional crushes (plus one of my gay awakenings) when I was a kid, but I'll gladly still answer that question

(Warning, it's a bit long and has episode spoilers)

I was born in 2004, but I did grow up with 03 because I found all the episodes free on YouTube one day and continuously binge watched them while also watching 2012 at the same time. While I resonated with Leo a lot now because of the oldest sibling syndrome, Raph was the one who captured my young little heart with how cool he was.

12Raph: He's a sassy fucker who won't waste an opportunity to say something snippy towards one of his brothers. 1st episode immediately showed that when Leo was talking out loud so Snake could hear them talking. Although Raph followed his lead, he couldn’t help himself but make fun of him during the interaction and put the blame on Leo on how Snake got away. He's a very fleshed out character with multiple flaws that all tie together with his character. Despite the discussion of his anger issues having their own episodes, sometimes I wish the writers actually had Splinter show him or give him private lessons on how to control his anger instead of having everyone around him tell him that he needs to control it and how it's getting in the way of their team/mission. Sure Splinter gave him a breathing exercise, but that was a bout it, and Raph barely ever uses it in the show.

Thankfully, the show didn't make it seem like anger was his only personality and made an effort to show the audience that he had a kind and softer side using the animals around him like Spike, the roof pigeons, and Chompy. Also, Raph getting a girlfriend and Mona Lisa coming back was one of the best decisions the writers ever did. To me, they are the definition of ship so good, even the gays love it. I love Mona Lisa to death, and I love her relationship with Raph. They are truly meant for each other. *chefs kiss*

Overall, I give 12Raph 8.5/10, the writers giving Raph a bug phobia was so funny bit very fitting that tough guy like him is afraid of a tiny bug

03Raph: Where do I start. Obviously, gotta start with the obvious and put out how sassy he is. This guy will not hesitate to make a sarcastic comment even in the most dangerous of situations. I see it as his personal comedic relief. Yeah, he has a short temper, everyone knows that, but he only lashes it out to people his age or older people he knows can take it. But when it comes to little kids and animals, he'll be patient for as long as he needs to. It's clear that his tough guy persona is a shield to protect himself from all backlash of being a mutant turtle in a human populated place where he knows he will never be accepted. Yet when he finds people who do, he puts the shield down and lets himself let loose. The obvious example of this is with the old lady who mistook him for the neighbor's son. Yeah, Raph needed to get away from the purple dragons, but he could've easily left once the coast was clear. Instead, he stayed and helped the old lady and took the time to enjoy his break from the shield. He even came back to give her a briefcase filled with money after hearing how she was losing her apartment.

The guy loves his family and even drops the shield during moments where he thinks he's about to lose one o le if something serious happens to them. He was even one of the first people to notice Leo changing because of how similar he was acting to himself.

A thing that the writers did a good job here is during the episode when they addressed his anger issues (after almost bashing Mikey with a pipe) and finally resolved it in the end, the character development stuck with him. Which I'm really glad. Cause honestly, it's tiring when shows show that a character is getting better from something, only for it to be forgotten in the next episode.

Overall, this Raph gets a 9/10, especially because I love it when he laughs

Sorry if this was long, but I love yapping when someone gives me the opportunity to. If you have any more questions for me, please ask, I'll answer all :)

[yanteetle]

How do you think the turtles would act towards Y/n when they’re sick? “Down with the Sickness” showed a little bit of Leo and Donnie when they contracted rat flu, but we never saw how Mikey and Raph were or what Leo and Donnie were like in the later stages. Also, I pity anyone who would have to deal with the turtles while they’re sick.

Okay if it's specifically rat flu, I imagine that humans wouldn't be able to contract any of it and only splinter gets the worst effects out of the rat flu. Maybe the turtles can contract the flu only because they share dna? possibly. But regardless, since y/n in this situation cannot contract the rat flu, they are now appointed the family nurse and are left to deal with all the feral stages that come with the rat flu.

I personally feel like Donnie would take the longest to heal from the rat flu, whereas turtles like Mikey and Raph would have a higher immunity and recover faster. And depending on the turtle, they can have varying intensities of each stage.

Like I imagine he can be the worst cuddly sick patient possible when he has the rat flu, (especially in his captain cuddlecakes stage) he'll walk around his enclosed sanitized space (as shown in the episode itself) and scratch the transparent plastic surface pathetically and use his puppy eyes, asking for cuddles.

Leo is the most chaotic and volatile one when he's sick. He cannot stay still for even a moment, and he will constantly try to break out of his sanitary enclosure no matter what. y/n will basically have to keep him in a straightjacket if he wants to recover.

Mikey is the most bearable actually, although he is very talkative to an annoying degree during the fanfiction stage. He will not hesitate to pull out his figurines and talk their ear off, playing out ridiculous fantasies of adventure and domestic life revolving around y/n and him.

Donnie has the hardest time coping with the stages, and he easily becomes feral when he's sick. so don't be surprised when y/n is found being chased by a feral purple turtle on all fours around the lair. He sometimes ends up destroying his lab in the process of being sick, which is something he unabashedly hates. Although it could provide an opportunity for a kidnapped!y/n to escape..

[thecultofcupid]

ROTTMNT Headcanons:

i decided that i wanted to infodump about my headcanons for the turtles specifically :> due to the fact that I am a fictive, this is influenced a little bit by our fictives/exomemories. but YEAH i just wanted to ramble a lot and you should go stream rottmnt and support the team bcuz it deserves all the love in the world yeah ok lets go

Leo

extremely transmasc. like this guy is so transmasc

uses he/him pronouns exclusively but would probably accept being misgendered purely for comedic effect (only by his family or friends tho)

says he's bisexual but he prefers to call himself queer

tell me this man does not have ADHD you can't

acts superior to hide his debilitating inferiority complex

struggles with insomnia. has developed ways of managing his sleeping problems, but they still win out every now and then

Post-Movie

deals with PTSD-related dissociation. it's pretty damn bad

the WORST internalized ableism you've ever seen

loses the arm anyway. my headcanon is that krang prime got ahold of it as his siblings were pulling him out of the portal

the worst patient you've ever seen. he is constantly plotting escape

almost constantly wearing a knee brace. he's supposed to use crutches but often tries to get away with not doing so. has a wheelchair for bad pain days but he refuses to use it most of the time bc he's stubborn

insomnia gets way worse, partly due to night terrors and partly due to chronic pain. sleep does not come easy to this guy

Raph

bigender; she/him pronouns with a preference for fem terms

likes who she likes; doesn't feel the need to put a label to his sexuality

she is autistic bc I said so

PLURAL!! she has OSDD-1a and has a system of 3 or 4 other alters not including herself (Mind Raph is kind of up in the air for me, but the others are Little Red, Angel, and Savage)

dislikes swearing, in part because Little Red picks up on it and will not stop once he starts /hj

Post-Movie

blind in right eye bc of the krang

most of his complications are PTSD related; nightmares, dissociation, etc

was always a bit mindful of his size compared to his surroundings/family, but after the movie, it becomes a lot more prevalent. she is terrified of hurting her loved ones again

nerve damage in one arm from opening the portal; causes pain/numbness/tingling and minor muscle spasms. Donnie made compression gloves to help with this

Mikey

genderfluid; shifts between she/he/they pronouns

aroace

ADHD

LOVES body art. will always have something new painted onto his arms or plastron

since he can't really reach his carapace to paint on it, he convinces his siblings to let him paint on theirs. will often be found in Donnie's lab painting their carapace while they work

loves hanging out in Donnie's lab while they work

Post-Movie

suffered the worst in terms of damage to his arms

deals w chronic fatigue and brain fog after opening the portal

wears compression gloves from Donnie almost 24/7. has to be reminded to take them off

Donnie

nonbinary/autigender. uses they/them pronouns primarily, but also uses he/him and it/its on occasion. loves telling people that they "identify as a threat"

THE disaster bisexual

WEAPONIZED AUTISM

doesn't get enough sleep not because they're an insomniac, but because they hyperfixate on projects for days at a time and will not sleep until either a) they're done working, b) one of their siblings forces them to go to bed, or c) they simply crash on their desk out of exhaustion

for a self-proclaimed genius, they're not very good at taking care of themselves

has nonverbal episodes and uses sign language to communicate during them. however, he and Leo both learned morse code as well so they could have their own "secret language" that only they understood

the worst eyesight. like it's god awful. they wear custom-made contacts when they're outside the lair, but they also have glasses for days when they can't be bothered

has bitten every member of his family at least once

has eaten the family goldfish before (not Piebald)

has claw-like scars across their carapace from the shredder. change my mind

Post-Movie

scarring on carapace from Technodrome and being ripped from the control panel. it looks worse than it is

has trouble eating due to sensory issues

suffers from tactile hallucinations. has to have something on their shell at all times

has seizures resulting from the Technodrome connecting with his central nervous system

that's all i have rn. there's so many headcanons that I didn't include here just cus it'd be a mess but pls ask me questions cus I love talking about these guys. and ofc ask questions about other characters as well, not just the turtles!! i wanna do more art featuring some of our headcanons as well so look forward to that >:))

[juukeboxx]

OUGH /pos, the touch starved reader with Don is absolutely adorable, but now I’m wondering what a version with everyone’s favorite hothead would look like, if you wouldn’t mind, of course!

Hi there, and thanks for sending in another request! I know you had sent in a seperate ask to ignore this one since my ask box was closed at the time, but I genuinely enjoyed writing the Donnie request and I'm not about to pass up the chance to write some good ol' fluff. I'm glad you like the Donnie request, so I hope you enjoy this one as well!

Warnings: Some slight themes of stress and anxiety, but only if you squint

Word count: 588

A Good Hugger

Raph doesn't really do emotions.

He knows he can't process his own emotions very well and he really isn't the best at comforting people. "Just not that kinda guy," he says. But deep down he knows that he's scared of opening up to people and losing his tough guy act. He's got an image to uphold, y'know?

But all that started to change when he entered his current relationship.

The turtles had met s/o on accident. He was one of April's friends from school and as they were walking home from a late night study session at the library they were jumped by some Foot Clan goons. It didn't take them long to get to April's location after she had called Leo's T-Phone for help.

S/o was wonderful. Honestly, he was the best person Raph had ever met. He was always so kind towards him and was always patient when the red clad turtle's temper would flare up. They were both honest with each other about everything. How they felt, what they had done that day, chatting about the people in their lives that just drove them crazy. Raph always appreciated honestly from s/o because he could understand what was on their mind.

This time wasn't any different. It was towards the evning when s/o had come into the lair. Leo was busy watching yet another rerun episode of Space Heroes with Mikey loudly muching on some popcorn next to him, Donnie was busy welding something in his lab, and Raph had been nose deep in a comic.

He could tell that it was s/o from the sound of his shoes against the cement cement floor. Raph moved over a bit, allowing s/o to plop down next to him with a sigh. "What's up?" he asked, glancing over at his partner from the comic he was reading. The look on his face said more than enough however.

S/o's hair was a bit messier than usual. He usually kept it nice and tidy. He also had some dark circles under his eyes. Well, dark circles that were darker than usual. He reminded the red clad turtle of when Donnie would walk out of his lab after pulling an all-nighter. And most of all his eyebrows were creased as if something was bothering him. Raph set down his comic beside him.

"Do you... wanna talk about it?" he asked. A delayed response from s/o gave him his answer.

"I could just... really, really use a hug right now."

"Well I just so happen to be pretty decent at giving hugs." With that, Raph wrapped his arms and gave them a tight squeeze. He could feel all of his partner's muscles relax as he melted into a puddle in his arms. It was just the right amount of pressure to make all of his worries melt away.

Raph knew better than to pry. He never tried to force an answer out of anyone unless they were one of the many villains he and his brothers faught. However, since s/o has been in his life Raph has learned some very valuable lessons about patience, especially towards his brothers and even himself.

Laying his head on Raph's shoulder, s/o let out a quiet sigh and mumbled with a laugh, "Thanks Raph... You are a pretty good hugger" He couldn't see it, but Raph had the softest, sweetest smile plastered on his face. He can't help that s/o made him so soft.

"Anytime."

[hamatoclan76]

Leonardo (2012) and leadership

At the beginning of the series, Leonardo starts as young pupil who wants to be a hero like Captain ryan from his favourite show Space heroes.

Having lived all his live in the sewers Leo doesn't know too much about the outside world. His lacks experience and it's still a naive teenager.

When Splinter chooses him to be the leader of the team, he's very enthusiastic to be a "hero". He poses and acts like one often embarrassing his brothers in the process

As the story progresses he learns than being a leader isn't always easy and you have to be patient.

In " A new girl in the town" he and Raph have an argument and Raph becomes the leader temporarily. While Leo is watching cartoons, master splinter approaches him and asks him why he isn't leading the team. Leo explains to his father that his brothers don't respect him, which is kind of true but Splinter knows better. Leadership is about responsability and carrying the burden. Raph later learns this the hard way when his frozes up after seeing Mikey knocked out.

His brothers don't always follow his orders and don't listen to him. This is not one sided. Leo is a perfectionist and sometimes wants people to do exactly as he orders. In "follow the leader" he undertands he should guide his team and be more open minded. He shouldn't expect his brothers to act as his soldiers.

He also struggles accepting others point of view. Like when Donnie suggested using Metalhead to track the Kraangs in "Metalhead rewired". At the end of the episode he admittes he was wrong about Metalhead.

Leonardo usually has doubts about if he should be leading the team. He thinks he's not good enough for his brothers. His biggest fear is failing them and his family. Overtime he overcomes this and he grows to be a more self-confident turtle.

Leonardo goes from a young naive teen to a wise and understanding leader who would do anything to protect his brothers and make difficult choices when is needed.

[imma-lil-teapot]

I am confused about Laird views on 2003 turtles being asexual. Mirage is fine cuz it’s his baby and he’s never had them make a pass at anyone. 2003 turtles did have crushes though. How does he explain those? Raphael asked Joi out as one example. Dating. He liked what he saw more than a friend. (Maybe he finds it gross so is in denial of 2003).

Hi there~ :D I just wanted to say a huge thank you for the Ask, and that I do apologize for this INSANELY late reply to it! :’( Life just got a bit outta hand these past months. Sorry, again... 

*Giggles mischievously* This is quite the delicious little topic indeed, so let’s explore it, shall we? :D

Personally, I think that is exactly what the case was all about; Mr. Laird most likely didn’t want people thinking he’s supporting mutant animal x human relationships (cause we know how some people can take things too literally) and thus denies there’s anything going on. He’s just protecting his self image... However, we can’t always deny what’s been shown to us.  I’m not even gonna pretend to know how animation/production companies operate, but I’d assume that there’s an entire team of storyboard artists and writers that have a say in what gets shown in the episodes and not just the two OG writers that worked alongside them. For if it were the case that he had all the say in it, and claiming that he’s so against the very notion, Mr. Laird would probably have cut out all indications of interspecies relationship material altogether... Not that it would have completely stopped the fans, but the point is that there was definitely enough material in the series - and deliberately added - to support pairing theories. 

Namely...

Any fan of the 2003 series (and just about any other incarnation) knows of the drama circling Leo and Karai. Though I myself am not a fan of this pairing, one cannot deny the undertones; We know Leo’s a patient and understanding guy, but the sheer number of chances he gave the kunoichi was nothing short of insane! You can write it off as nothing more than a strong desire that she’d repent (because he views her skills as something that should be used for good?), and he does in fact give many other skilled fighters chances to become good too... But it was especially excessive with Karai, even knowing full well that she was the adopted daughter of his family’s sworn enemy. No, I think there was a little somethin’ somethin’ hinted at there~ ;P Especially with the way they’d sometimes look at each other. Heck, it took her attempting to take out his entire family for him to finally say enough was enough. 

Raph definitely felt something for Joi with the way they’d always be around each other. There’s no denying it. Some even view that he and Angel were being hinted at, though I personally like to think it was more of a ‘protective-big-brother-clingy-little-sister’ situation.

And everyone and their dog knows of the famous DonxApril ship. Don even has a photo of her in his bedroom! Probably a bunch on his computers too.  The two share a lot in common when it comes to tech stuff and, like Raph and Joi, are often in each others’ company. Granted, the closer April and Casey got, the more Don seems to fade from the picture, and he wasn’t shown to be visibly upset by their marriage, but the idea that he had a crush for a while was definitely there. Not to mention that, out of all four brothers, Don seemed to have the most ‘close’ encounters with woman in the series, e.g. April, Renet, Jhanna, just to name a few...

Now, Mikey’s an interesting case; unless you count his flirtatious first encounter with April, he doesn’t seem to develop much of an attraction to any one particular female character in the show. This could simply be catering to his more child-like nature and he’s yet to develop in that regard, but he is also the one Turtle I could believe is possibly asexual simply due to the lack of evidence otherwise displayed. If all the Turts were portrayed in the same manner, then I’d say I could agree with Mr. Laird’s statement, but judging by the others’ behaviour... I’d say that claim is a stretch. 

All in all, though, if I had to look at the series with a critical eye and not with my usual shipping-potential goggles, I’d have to say that the writers purposely wrote those scenes in with the option of the viewers to interpret them as they see fit. They simply gave us just enough material for something to be there if someone chose to see it that way, and if not, then it’s all still pretty innocent. ;) Neither is incorrect. 

Those are my thoughts from I gathered anyways. :) Then there’s Mr. Eastman’s 2012 incarnation that basically flushes the idea of them being asexual down the toilet if further proof is required. X’D But they’re not my favoured Turts so...

Thanks again for the Ask and so sorry again for the lateness. 

[davids-cartoon-corkboard]

Do you think Donnie will turn to the dark side and betray his bros? That’d be pretty cool and heart wrenching. Also a great device for the development of the Bros relationship.

(This is the blog’s very first ask! Thank you!)

I don’t think Donnie would ever outright flip his lid and say “forget you guys, I’m gonna go live with my evil dad now”. He loves his family and also he’d be at risk of getting thrown off a roof.

Buuuuut Draxum has a lot of powerful magitech. A situation might arise where the turtles need to get some of it to stop a bigger threat. The Shredder, for example.

Draxum has no doubt increased security since the turtles jacked up his lab in the first episode. They won’t be able to sneak or force their way in. So how do they get Draxum to let them in?

Remember, Draxum isn’t being evil for evil’s sake. He genuinely thinks turning humans into mutants/yokai is the right thing to do, and that killing those who get in his way is perfectly acceptable.

My theory is that Draxum is the only one of his family left alive after humans killed all the rest. Because sheep yokai are animals, monsters, less than human, and hey, this one has a pretty good rack! And so a young Draxum watches them remove his father’s head and carry it away. Later it will be mounted on a wall as a conversation piece. A trophy. The kiddies will play ring toss on it.

The rise turtles, as a nod to the ‘87 cartoon, are comfortable walking around in public with minimal disguises. None of the humans give a shit, because New York is just Like That.

Right?

That won’t last forever. Mutants are animals, monsters, less than human. They’ll eat our children! Make our homes vanish! Wreck our china shops!

People are going to run from our boys. People are going to throw things at them. People are going to call them names. Agent Bishop is going to crawl out of the depths of Hell and try to pick them apart in the most painful way he can.

If the turtles need something from Draxum, they’ll be able to use this treatment (and his backstory) to their advantage.

Donnie alone will approach Draxum, because a single turtle is less likely to make him feel threatened. And Donnie alone will approach Draxum because Draxum will see his young turtle, the one that took after him the most from the start (arrogant cynical softshell genius), exhausted and frightened, with no weapon and a new scar beginning to form on his shell.

He’ll hear Donnie speak to him humbly and say “The humans have discovered us. We can’t go anywhere anymore without being attacked. We’re running low on supplies. None of us can sleep at night. They’re eventually going to find out where we live. The others think there’s a peaceful solution, but I know better, and I don’t want to die. Please, help me.”

If there is any heartstring of Draxum’s left to tug, that will be it. What a young Draxum wanted more than anything else in the world was for someone to help him when he was alone, and the Hidden City was a terrible place to grow up without help. These days he’s not soft, of course, but another mind put towards his project would be useful…

He lets Donnie inside, but doesn’t let his guard down.

It was mostly a trick, on Donnie’s part. Sure, humans have given them some shit, but they’re not in immediate danger. Donnie prepped for this deception. No sleep for a week, with difficult training and splashes through the sewer throughout. It took him ages to convince Raph to rough up his shell. But now he’s inside. And if he’s patient, he can get what he needs.

Donnie learns that the “Baron” in “Baron Draxum” isn’t just for drama- he actually holds some status in the Hidden City. Draxum brings back things he considers scraps and trinkets, and they’re unlike anything Donnie has ever seen. Magic has opened up a whole new field of study for him! Imagine what he could do if he had access to more of Draxum’s stuff! He might be able to get his hands on the thing he needs now… but his chances would be better if Draxum trusted him more.

He should stay a little longer.

Huginn and Muninn’s chatter provide a familiar level of background noise, but they’re wise enough not to bother Donnie- they only watch him, as Draxum commanded. They bring him food and medicine to help him recover. They’re quiet when he sleeps. They don’t poke at and accidentally break whatever he’s tinkering with. They recognize that streak of Draxum in him better than anyone else.

Donnie hasn’t been able to focus so well in- well, ever.

While watching Draxum work, he casually offers a suggestion -human gametes form like this, so if you tweaked the mutagen like that then they’d transition to yokai gametes more easily- and Draxum smiles, adjusting his formula. Later, Draxum monologues about Unified Runic Laws in Donnie’s general direction. Sure, Donnie probably shouldn’t have helped out with the whole evil plan thing, but knowing those Runic Laws is going to make the lair’s antimagic security system go from theory to reality!

Surely Donnie could learn even more if he stayed for another week or so.

Big Mama sends some of her minions to attack Draxum’s lab- more to annoy him than anything, but they knocked a couple of things loose. Instead of grabbing some gizmos and running off in the confusion, Donnie helped fight off the interlopers and solder some things back together afterwards. Draxum examines his handiwork. Precise, organized, efficient. “Well done” he says. “Thank you.”

Donnie could stick around for a bit more, couldn’t he?

Donnie’s been gone a long time, and of course he couldn’t take his bo or any communication devices with him. The rest of the turtles fear the worst. They try to “free” him. He “rejects” them. But that’s all right. It’s just a trick to get Draxum to trust him. Giving his brothers a few bruised scales is worth the artifact he has to bring back.

He tries not to think about how Leo ran off with a limp.

Baron Draxum is not a trusting yokai. But seeing how the boy’s eyes lit up at the slightest hint of praise, how much effort he put into whatever he worked on, how fascinated he is by the magitech under Draxum’s roof… it seems unlikely that he’ll just run off.

But just in case… a present. A test. Children like presents, right? And Draxum likes tests. He gives Donnie a glowing purple staff.

Now, Donnie had refused this staff in the first episode, back when things were simple and he still had his titanium bo. But now that he knows a bit more about magic, he’d really like to see what makes this one tick.

Leo’s sword creates portals through space. Why not have his twin’s weapon create portals through time?

While tinkering with the staff, Donnie accidentally flings himself into a future where he sees what will happen if Draxum continues to influence him. If he stays too long, he’ll never want to leave.

He meets his brothers, aged and weary over a thirty year gap. And he is reminded of the pile of notes and gadgets he has back at Draxum’s lair.

Leo is blind (Donnie was working on a flashbomb/curse combo).

Raph lost an eye (Donnie had scratched out some ideas for magical whirlwinds that selectively picked up the sharpest shrapnel).

Mikey’s arm is severed (a simple reversal spell, and his kusari-fundo turned on him and sawed it off).

April is cold, so different from her bright and vibrant teenage self. She leads what little resistance there is, and used up all her warmth to try and keep hope alive.

They all buried what was left of Splinter ages ago.

Future!Donnie is Draxum’s right-hand turtle, his favored, only son, and if he can hold out just a little longer, Draxum will die (of old age or of coup, Future!Donnie could go either way), and he’ll be in control, and he will fix the world, and make it as it should be.

Future!Donnie got Draxum’s praise, he got his trust, he got his knowledge, he got his artifacts, he got, he got, he got…

He got a swift kick in the teeth from his pissed-off past self.

Donnie is shaken. For how long had this mission been about him, at the expense of everything and everyone else? How much time had he spent listening to Draxum ramble instead of gain intel on the object he needed? How far had he been willing to go?

The ensuing battle leaves Donnie victorious… sort of. He’s the only one left alive. He doesn’t have time to process what he’s experienced, because the staff re-activates, and rockets him back to the present.

Donnie breaks it over his knee, takes the item he was after, and burns Draxum’s lab to the ground.

[yellowhollyhock]

I noticed in the episode samurai tourist people like saying how intuitive mikey was in noticing the role that Leo plays. But here’s the thing is it felt like he was defending Leo’s shitty behavior and telling Donnie and Raph their feelings aren’t valid. Also wasn’t Raph the first to notice Leo was fighting something else? The only reason Donnie and Raph were so hard on him at that is point is because Leo was being drill Sargent Leo to them except Mikey so of course Mikey had no issues with angry mode Leo because he wasn’t getting trained to death by the guy and yelled at. So I saw that as Mikey making excuses for Leo’s behavior all season. It feels like the logic of your mom defending your dad being an asshole. oh your father works hard to provide for the family! Don’t be so hard on him for drinking and yelling at you! Nice logic there Mikey Don and Raph had every right to be mad at that point.

Oh there’s all kinds of family politics going on during that arc

I think the main reason Mikey was defending Leo is because he’d just had training from him in Grudge Match. Also possibly he didn’t want them to be talking bad about him in front of guests? Almost like, yes this is an issue but let’s not do this in front of people. Which is thoughtful in a way, and immature in other ways. Which makes sense because Mikey is both thoughtful and fifteen.

Raph and Don have put up with a lot from Leo, and Mikey was shielded from the brunt of it. At the same time, Leo does go easy on Mikey for a reason, the two of them have a special bond and giving in by admitting his attitude is not okay might feel like a betrayal to Mikey? So yeah I do think he’s defending Leo’s bad behavior, and not really being fair to his other brothers in that moment. The whole family is trying to work around Leo’s demons though, they aren’t always going to make the right calls.

As to your point about Raph—yeah he seems to have picked up on the most the earliest and that’s why by Samurai Tourist he’s Done defending Leo’s behavior. He’s been patiently on the sidelines trying to let Leo work this out for himself and it hasn’t been working. It’s time to jump out in front of his brother and make the demons go away. Except he can’t because it’s not that type of enemy. This is the first time Raph hasn’t been able to reach Leo when he needs it, and that’s why he’s airing things out with Don. I think part of him hopes Mr. Fix-It will have some kind of solution the rest of them haven’t seen.

Meanwhile out of all of them I don’t think Donny’s trying to help anymore. He’s just tired of being yelled at and glad to have Raph’s ear about it. What they’ve all just lived through with Shredder’s defeat was very uncomfortably close to what he saw in SAINW. Probably literally everyone picked up on that except Leo, bless his heart. So we’re seeing both Raph and Mikey try to do their best for Leo here, but I think in their own (imperfect) ways also trying to look out for Don. Raph wants to confront the problem head on and Mikey wants to keep everyone happy in the moment. Neither of those things is truly an option, though.

I had a sibling go through her own type of Big Leo Arc and I remember these exact types of fights. Getting frustrated with each other when our approaches didn’t match up. With something like that going on, you have to be able to Treat Them Like Normal and make good memories in the middle of the chaos, and you also have to sometimes do what it takes to Dig Things Up so they can actually heal. I think we all tried both at one time or other and rarely were we on the same page. That experience definitely influences the way I see this arc (doesn’t make other readings less valid btw, just makes me extra obsessed with the family dynamics through those episodes).

I hope I kind of addressed what you were talking about? Short answer, Yes agreed let’s go easy on Raph and Don, they’ve put up with a lot already, and they’re not picking on Leo they’re trying to help (mostly. They’re definitely also mad but can we blame them?). Personally I’d take it easy on Mikey too, he reacted in a flawed way to a sucky situation. I think when people bring this up it’s mainly because they see that Mikey Is emotionally attuned and looks out for his brothers, but most of the time he does that through humor, which leads to him being treated as comic relief, in the show and sometimes in fandom as well. So I can see why Mikey lovers would want to use an example that doesn’t lead to a Comedic Moment, even if it isn’t necessarily the best one.