Ones hands can tell the story of how they’ve lived… and how far they have come.
I’m a sucker for Good Dad Splinter ever since I watched TMNT ‘03. That rat was gifted sapience and his immediate instinct was kindness. I love that for him.
Rise Splinter lived a rollercoaster of a life, but as a Hollywood star he remembered the names of all his stunt guys and coworkers, and as a prisoner he cared for the rat that shared his cell. His sons are very close and physically affectionate, I think that says something about how he cares? That’s just how I like to headcanon him :)
It’s interesting to explore the idea that a seemingly monstrous transformation is what pushed him to be a kinder human
me in buckingham palace dancing naked to 'murder on the dance floor' after i infiltrate the royal family and pick them off one by one until i am the last one left
[VD: A grayscale Magnus Archives animatic of Jon and Gerry talking in episode 111 of The Magnus Archives. Gerry, a ghostly goth, and Jon, a thin brown man in a graphic T-shirt, sit together at a table. Gerry says scornfully, "Playing politics with things they didn’t understand. Reckoned her tradition was less the academic and more the, uh…" Jon offers dryly, "V-Village witch?"
Gerry laughs, pleased, and asks, "You sure you don’t know her?" He sighs, sobers, and says, "Yeah. But deep down what she wanted wasn’t all that different from the ivory tower idiots she hated. Y’know, I think, secretly, she dreamed of starting a little mystic dynasty of her own." He grimaces. "With me."
Jon says a little eagerly, "Like the, the Lukases? Or the Fairchilds?" Gerry corrects, "Well, Fairchild’s just a name, they’re not really family." Then he does a finger gun and says, "The Lukases, though, yeah."
He turns away, pensive and frowning, and says, "Thing is, it’s harder than it looks. What’s out there… doesn’t care about blood." Jon, grinning a little, says, "Well, I-I mean, except for the vampires…" Gerry scowls, "Yeah, obviously except for the vampires." Jon looks abashed, and Gerry looks down sorrowfully to say, "But they care about your choices, your fears, not your parents." End VD]
[ID: A still of the scene where Gerry scowls and says "Yeah, obviously except for the vampires" to an embarrassed Jon. End ID]