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mismatchedtwins · 1 month ago

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Mismatched Twins - Take Six

Leon barely has time to blink.

Everything happens in a blur that's overlapped by blazing pain. He barely manages to get his hands on his odachi before he’s looking up and the Guy’s just gone. Dragged into the pitch black.

He can't act. He doesn't have the time to even think. The turtle's gone and he's alone and the vines are coming back for him.

His heart lurches to his throat. He turns and flees, grasping the grapple as it suddenly clicks and whirls. The thrusting vines come inches from his skin before he's launched far out of their reach.

He shoots up and watches as they merge into the black.

As soon as he reaches the top, Leo claws for a hold so he can climb over the edge and onto the flat surface.

He leaves the grapple and his sword, every inch of him trembles as he frantically scrambles away from the opening.

His chest burns where the turtle had fallen on him and his vision sways from the pain. He waits for the vines to follow him up and take him to the same place that they took the turtle. He jumps as a scream echoes from the black void down below and he clamps his hands over his head on instinct, kicking backward into the wall.

The screams continue. They get louder. And then they stop.

All Leon can hear is the sound of his own hysterical breathing.

What did he do? What did he do?

He left someone to die that's what he did.

His knees close against his chest. His hands move to cover his mouth. The guilt throbs like a gong. Or maybe that's his heart.

Leo looks at the opening. No motions. No sounds.

He doesn't know what to do.

The guy saved his life. And he let him walk into a den of death.

That's some way to return the favor.

Hysteria tries to lock in at the thought. A puff of air hits his palms, laughter too strained to be real. It wasn't funny. Nothing about this is funny. His nails bite into his cheeks. Leo let him die.

No. He doesn't know that. He might not be dead. Krang's vines didn't kill them. They held them captive. He could be alive.

Leo has to believe that. Leo has to save him.

He has to get back down there. But how?

Whether the vines were sleeping or using the element of surprise, they won't be this time. They'll sense him before he can even get through the tunnel. Once again, his ninpo sparks with life and he catches it, keeping it safely contained. It sputters in the cage, alive despite everything, offering to keep him safe and strong, like it had with any and every other danger.

He can still feel the burning through his skin back at the ship, an electrifying, powerful sensation that eradicated the vines from his system and surroundings in one swift blaze.

His marks flicker and Leon fiercely shoves the power back in the metal box where it can't extinguish itself. He feels the weakness bear down on him without it, but he drags himself to his feet because sitting around shaking sure isn't saving anybody.

Every breath hurts. He fights past it.

Leon takes out the phone that he'd shoved in his belt and shines it down below. His skin crawls when he sees that some of the vines are still slithering about, tangling underneath the dead ones. Some are retreating through the tunnel, lethargically slow now that there isn't someone to chase.

Right. They're alive. But.

What about the ones that... Aren't?

Leo looks to the vines that he used to get down. They looked- pretty alive? He wasn't really a vine expert. But they hadn't made any moves to attack either of them at any point, so even though all the vines look the same, something about them had to be different.

He could probably use the boring vines to get back down without alerting any of the evil vines. What does he do if they do notice him?

For a long moment, he looks down the drop.

"Yep. This is a terrible idea."

With that decided, he turns and walks in the opposite direction.

If he was smart, he wouldn’t have returned.

But he does. Because the turtle is indubitably alive.

And there's only one way to prove that he's right.

Though, quitting would have been easier.

Instead, he takes a very exhausting hike to grab what he needs.

He breaks to catch his breath and rubs his plastron until the ache is manageable. Then he drags the large sheet metal to the edge and lets it drop. It lands and he winces, waiting for his estimation to be wrong and the vines to react. They do not. He smirks.

He picks up the grapple and his odachi.

And then he starts trimming the walls. After a few handfuls are tossed, he dusts off his hands in satisfaction.

Heading to the familiar vine, he grabs onto it and heads down.

He can't believe he's actually doing this. It must be all that hero talk.

Raph is rubbing off on him in the worst ways lately.

His heart aches when he realizes that he'd never get the chance to tell him. No more sibling shenanigans. No hoarding his highest stack win over Donnie's head. No bite-the-pizza games. No more pizza.

He tries to block the notion. He focuses on deciphering where the dead vines and living vines might be. He reaches the bottom, feet resting on the only safe space, pressed against the cold metal. He takes the phone from his mouth, pausing when he looks forward and realizes that there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

He blinks, "Gram-Gram?"

Karai doesn't respond. The light is a strange orange color. It only reveals the end of the path and the tall stalks in the room. His heart races as a vine slithers right below him.

"If I should not go into the light, some better tell me now.”

The only sound is the soft shuffle of vines.

“Okay." He exhales. "Going into the light it is."

He notices the one that he's currently using as a rope doesn't travel down the tunnel like the others. It inserts into the wall.

He shrugs it off and then gets on his knees. He snatches pieces of boring vines littered over the metal and throws them, noting each time the vines react. They don’t seem to mind the random pieces of dead relatives, merely curling around them passively.

Snatching several for the road, he tucks the slimy things into his belt, shuddering at the feeling against exposed skin, and takes a deep breath. He stretches out, setting his foot on a patch that isn't restless. The vines keep shuffling around like he doesn't exist.

He shifts his weight and then releases the vines to plant both his feet into another assumably dead spot.

He doesn't move. One of the vines pulls back down the tunnel.

They must not think anyone would be crazy enough to return.

Too bad they're dealing with the one and only Leonardo Blue Splinterson. Crazy is basically a part of the Hamato package.

Empowered by his obvious superiority, he heads through the tunnel.

He ends up doing a couple flips and handstands when the distance is too long or the vines get too close to his position. His heart thuds with the adrenaline of success, acting as his own cheering squad under his breath. It almost sounds like breathless static, but he refrains from going any higher.

It could ruin the perfectly dramatic musical soundtrack that must be playing in his background. Then where would he be?

Just doing gymnastics in a silent tunnel. Boring.

He winces as he enters the suspicious light, looking up towards the source. There isn't one. The roof simply seems to be glowing.

A solid thud reverberates through the room and his phone slips from his fingers. He frantically grabs it and smashes it against his chest before it can land. He eyes the vines that are doing their best snake impressions. He'd have to give them an 8 out of 10.

They seem a bit to tentacle-lly for his tastes.

Leo makes his way to the sides of the room and then sets his attention on searching for the missing turtle. All the vines seem very interested in only one of the stalks, swimming and weaving in a highly conspicuous way.

"Yeah, he's totally in there."

He gets out his odachi and begins to make his way across the room. The thud repeats and he watches the large mass that the turtle had been interested in contract and then expand.

Weeiiiiiird.

He stops under the stalk. He has to move fast.

The moment that he touches it; he'll be the next prey.

So he turns to the stalk beside it and climbs to the top. He perches there, hanging from mismatched stitching, and tosses his sword lightly. He takes a breath. It lands in tight fingers.

Leo kicks his body forward, slices through the wiggling life, and then grasps his sword tight as vines shoot for him. He curves away from them, watching as they embed in the stalk behind him.

He uses the one over his head to pull himself up, swinging his weight onto his hilt. He catches his balance and swiftly moves for the new opening in the stalk. He yanks the blade out once he's steady and turns to retrieve the waiting turtle.

Only to pause when he’s faced with his failure.

There are too many vines. They’ve injected themselves into so many places where vines are definitely not supposed to be and there’s a big nasty one in his neck. Leon has no idea how he’s supposed to get them out of him without some serious surgery that he does not know how to do and absolutely should not be doing at any point, especially not in an unsterilized, filthy, deadly prison dimension.

He hesitates too long.

The vines latch onto his legs. He stabs down, only for them to shoot out from beside him and insert into his arm. He cries out at the pain that radiates from the area, swinging the blade as his ninpo flares in panic. He can still feel the vine under his skin, vile and unmoving as he ducks one aimed for his skull. Two more vines pierce, stealing his attention so more can firmly snatch his legs.

The heavy, echoing thud swallows his cry.

The energy pulses across his skin, tiny sparks that dance along the vines and beg for the freedom to act. It spreads comforting heat that flickers a glow over his marks and he knows that he could transport away if he only wants to- think of one place, a single haven, and trust trust trust trust it’ll get him there. A brief burst, a final escape, all he needs to do is want to want to need to leave-

Blue crawls along his body. Fingers dig into the vines. NO-

“-AHHHH!”

He screams as they crawl deeper, hatred and fear buzzing in his chest, before something hits the back of his neck. He falls forward as he's shoved further in, unable to move or think or breathe, catching himself on the suspended turtle's plastron-

His ninpo pops, and the turtle jerks, and energy flares up Leo’s arm to mix with the oh-so-giddy whirl of electricity. Then heat darts across his flesh, sparking outward, and the vines explode.

He gasps in a burst of air as a thrill hits his body and pain becomes meaningless as his ninpo begs- pleads- push back.

So he collects the buzzing energy that’s humming and dancing and His but also Not and hopes that he knows what he’s doing when he focuses on getting it out.

His arms are sparking blue but the turtle’s arms are glowing before it hits his chest and the rest of his body joins the party. His eyes snap open, a blank, burning white with blue barely shimmering underneath, and Leo’s jaw drops as it fires outward, eradicating the vines and the stalk. They free fall and more vines shoot up.

His ninpo swirls and cheers as Leo grabs the lifeless arm and his sword pops into his other hand as he declares, “HOT SOU-!”

FLASH.

Comforting heat surrounds him and energy zips through his veins.

This is right, but something about it feels wrong.

The portal spits them out like old gum.

Leo hits the ground with a gasp. He releases the turtle to scan the perimeter, ready for another threat to rear it’s head. He doesn’t remember where he was thinking of going when they ran.

Apparently, it was about the entrance to their personal death trap.

At least it’s somewhere familiar?

The Krang creature is still limp on the ground where they left it.

Leo looks back down the tunnel, completely ready to be swarmed by vengeful vegetation.

Silence echoes back to him. He blinks, cautious.

Oh man. Oh geez. He’s alive. He’s actually alive!

Leo scoots back until his shell knocks the wall.

His ninpo refuses to acknowledge the new adrenaline drained exhaustion, spinning and buzzing and searching? with a giddy joy that is incredibly inappropriate for the less immediate but still continuing crisis that he’s dealing with.

Additionally frustrating, “YOU HAVE NINPO?!”

The turtle, who is likely still unconscious, does not answer.

So Leo stands shakily, turns on his flashlight, and stomps over to the limp body to kick his leg with a reasonable force.

The turtle doesn’t stir. He kicks him a second time. “Oh-ho, we are going to have a talk when you wake up!”

In retrospect, the threat was probably a bad idea. It would only give him more ammunition to stay under. That’s probably why he spent the next eternity sleeping like a dead person. Yep. Indubitably.

He’s might be playing dead, but it’s not good enough.

His stubborn heartbeat gives away the truth.

Leon stays by his side, staring out into the nothing in the distance. He drums his fingers against his legs, letting himself have the moment to breath through the permanent ache in his chest.

After a couple minutes of literally nothing happening, Leo gives into the prodding of his ninpo. He reaches out a hand, finger tips on the turtles arm. He doesn't know what he expects. Nothing happens.

The turtle remains prone and none of the earlier lights reappear. Yet Leo knows that flakes of his own ninpo now rest inside of this turtle.

He can feel them like Donnie's tech can sense the trackers that he so rudely implanted in his family, only Leo's wasn't intentional and probably didn't work that way. His ninpo pulsates warmth at the connection, but it's not real. It's not bred off love or trust or years of growth and loyalty. If anything, he forced it on him.

This could have repercussions. This could be so bad.

But Leo's ninpo feels stronger now. Not powerful or amazing or godly, but stronger. It beams at the connection, humming with a new energy that it's never felt before. He doesn't feel empty.

Selfishly, he realizes, he doesn't regret it.

He pulls his hand away. His ninpo quiets obediently.

The silence rings when he allows himself to settle, drilling relentlessly into his brain. Since there's no one to talk to, he talks to himself, walking his brain through the lyrics of a song that he can't quite place. His fingers drum the beat against the air.

It's some lovesick break-up song that Donnie hates, which is actually a hard accomplishment, so it's a shame that he let the words slip through his fingers. When did that happen? When did he, Leo, get to busy to remember the top ten ways to annoy Donnie?

He should probably know. He knocks his lower palm into his head.

Oh! He snaps triumphantly. That's it! Before Shredder! He became leader and-

And. He ran out of time to focus on things like that. Annoying Raph became a lot easier to fit in his schedule. Way too easy.

It's not supposed to be that easy.

Leo... Can't remember the lyrics anymore. Man.

He should really be writing this down.

He gets out the notes app on his phone and restarts the process.

Even with the light at its lowest setting, the phone is unreasonably bright. His eyes begin burning after a short while. Rocking turns to pacing turns to sitting turns to catching himself when his body tries to pass out. The roller coaster jolt has him back awake in seconds.

He rubs the sleep from his eyes, determined to stay awake and keep watch. He owes the turtle that much.

Man. Leon hates debts.

Once he wakes up, completely and totally fine, they can be even.

He finds his head bowing thrice more. During the fourth, his brain registers that his eyes have been closed for several seconds and he has to forcibly pry them open. He picks up his phone from the ground and gets to his feet, shaking his head to wake himself up.

The turtle hasn't moved. He kneels next to him, checking his heartbeat. It's the same. Is that good or bad?

Movement from the entrance.

Leo looks toward it immediately, scanning for the cause. The silence echoes to him. Everything is as motionless as it always is.

Goosebumps rise along his body. He stays put.

A red glow bathes the area right outside.

Leo's sweaty hand goes for his sword.

A hand drops from over the entrance to the platform. Black. Metallic. Claw-like fingers.

He takes it out of his sheath. He watches them pinch into the flesh of the dead Krang creature. It lifts the body out of sight. He can clearly hear each crunch and squelch of something breaking through bones and mass. Nausea swells and his knees shake, but he doesn't dare move from his stance over the unconscious turtle.

The blue of his ninpo sparks, waiting to be called upon. He can't waste it. Not again. He can't risk using it before he needs to. He'll only have so many shots. Maybe Krang will pass over them.

If he knew Leo was there, they'd already be dead.

He holds his breath when all sounds stop.

Something screeches.

It comes from everywhere at once and swallows all sound to stab into Leo's brain as he hits his knees. His blade falls from his hand so he can clamp both hands over his head, putting pressure down in the desperate attempt to muffle it.

It barely makes a dent in the pain. He squints up, barely holding onto consciousness, and watches as claws tear away at the roof.

Before he can process, the claws have shot through the hole and knocked him onto his back. He hits his carapace and the world blots, pain shooting up in waves, red consuming his vision. Krang lifts the head enough to grant him some clarity. He expects the monstrous fury, but he doesn't even look his way, taking in their surroundings.

"Look at that. Still alive."

His eyes return to Leo. He squirms under the weight, wondering if that's going to be the last thing that he hears before this truth becomes a lie. He thrusts his hand outside the claws, and his sword spawns in his hand. Krang's eyes widen, "How-?"

He doesn't let him finish. He escapes his clutches, transporting a few feet away, arm around his ribs. His heart practically stops, as he realizes that the Krang wasn't directing the first statement to him.

He's lifted the turtle from the ground, shell captured between two fingers. Krang looks from him to the unconscious turtle. The suit shakes him carelessly but the turtle doesn't wake. "Ah. Another menace with more tricks.” A smirk forms, slowly revealing sharp teeth. “And where there's one, there's an army waiting to join Krang."

"Put him down." His spine has a million tiny needles in it, but he remains standing, hands tight over his hilt. "Put him down."

"That's the problem with heroes." The Krang turns the turtle over, like a customer inspecting merchandise. Leo can only look between them in badly contained panic. "So determined to save that you won't do what needs to be done. All your determination to put me here, and yet you let him live. Pathetic."

"How did you find us?" Leo's voice crumbles, weak. Krang didn't even check inside. He knew. "How did you know?"

"I went looking." He tilts the suit's head at him, smug. "My brainless snacks have eyes everywhere. Last thing that it saw was a pest and a tool. So I came to collect."

"What do you want with him?" Leo demands, filling in the blanks even as the question leaves his mouth. Tool. "Leave him alone. He won’t even wake up! He’s useless to you!”

“He’ll wake.” He trails a finger along his skull. “The Krang have ways of getting into the minds of our prey.”

Leo thinks of Raph. His hands shake, and his voice hardens, “Yeah, I noticed. What do you want from him? He’s not anything special. He’s a poser whose shell I literally just had to save.”

Just put him down. Please put him down.

“I want what we both want.” Krang eyes glow. “Freedom.”

A laugh escapes, practiced and baffled. Who else thinks this turtle is capable of the impossible? “Are you kidding? He can’t do that!”

"Of course you'd say that." Krang mocks. "Where would you be without tricks and deception?"

"Not here." Leo points out because duh. "If we could just go back, don't you think we would have already?"

"I suppose you'd believe that's all it takes to persuade me." Krang stands to his full height and Leo steps back. "I have eons of experience under my belt. I know all about the unexplained forces that can tax or fuel a lower life form. I've conquered and defeated mounds of sniveling creatures with impossible abilities."

"And yet this teeny turtle beat you at your own game." Leo's heart pounds hard. He needs to push harder. Say whatever he has to so that Krang puts him down. "He's been unconscious for the last ever. He's not getting you out and you're grasping at straws."

"You got lucky. That is all." He snarls as he bends his knees and Leo's heart races as he leers over him. "And once I return to my Brother and Sister, I will slaughter everyone you love for it. Or better yet, send the rest back here to finish you."

He grins, eyes maniac, and before Leo can get a word in, he leaps.

He springs up and through the hole in the roof. The force knocks Leo off his feet, but panic shoots through his systems. His ninpo assists before he even hits the ground. He lands against rocks, looking up as Krang lands on a floating surface.

"HEY!" He shouts after him. "BRING HIM BACK!"

The Krang ignores him, launching them further away as if he'd never spoken at all. Leo tries to follow but he barely gets a few steps before his legs give out. The fire eats away at his ribs and spine, making it hard to get his breath. He lifts his head, vision splitting, as two Kraang merge into one and then none.

Then, he's gone, taking Leo's only hope of survival with him.

He forces himself to his feet. He can't let this happen. He doesn't care if the turtle's crazy or a liar or a hero or a villain. It doesn't matter if he's mean and rude and snide and sad and hurt. He wants to go home as much as Leo does. He asked for Leo's help and he's failing him again. The Krang took him and now he's gone.

The anger burns hotter than any of his injuries.

It's a familiar injustice. The kind that comes when his dad won't hear his side of the story because Raph already gave his admittedly accurate side. The kind that comes from watching Donnie mock his brilliant puns and Mikey break his things without repercussion because he bit his tongue too often and allowed it.

A fury that reminds that, even if it's partly his fault, he doesn't care.

It's his story, his pun, his jacket with paint now on it.

He glares in their direction, furious and desperate and terrified to be left alone, and his hand shoots out. Ninpo surrounds it in a bright circle as he pushes out and closes his fist. He calls it all back, drawing his hand down to his chest. Every ounce that's his.

Every. Single. Bit.

He feels the tug deep within as the heat finds purchase.

The turtle spawns before him, in a sparkling shower of blue and white, and it shocks Leo enough that he steps away.

He falls onto the rocks and Leo snaps to himself.

He practically tackles him, listening to the booming shout that echoes to them. He cannot believe the idiot is still unconscious after all that, but he grabs his sword, looks towards the sound, and spots Krang as he throws himself towards them.

His eyes burn a flaming red and Leo gives him a haughty salute.

FLASH.

The portal swallows them and dumps them back where they started.

It's only a couple feet deeper than they were before, the chucks of metal from the broken roof lying in front of them. Leo drapes himself over the motionless form, watching as the ground cracks when the Krang lands. He roars, once, enraged, and then he charges out of sight. The ground shakes when he launches himself into the abyss of nothingness. Leo listens to him land and take off again.

"Okay," He wheezes as he clings tightly to the thankless turtle that's speckled with his energy. He remains against his plastron, pain swirling his surroundings and swallowing every inch of senses.

His arm slips to the floor. He can't so much as twitch his finger. Relief floods his system anyway. "Now... We're even."

His vision gives out like the ground crumbling outside.

This time, Leo doesn't bother to fight it.

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pageofheartdj · 2 years ago

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The movie happened in a few months after the Shredder attack and I think this is interesting to see, how everyone deal with the loss of their home and Gram-Gram. Didn't think about it before, but movie gives some insight!

Raph is paranoid/tries to overprepare.

It's all about training-training-training because he can't let anything bad happen again and he NEEDS his brothers to be as prepared as possible to be able to defend themselves!

When the mysterios attack happened, Leo, Donnie and Mikey just stood their confused while Raph panickly jumped in front of the closest ones to try and shield them from whatever it is. When Splinter got hurt, he demanded everyone to retreat.(he was partly right but also partly wrong, it was a bad situation no matter what you choose)

(And Raph faced it by basically being the one who needs to be saved despite his trainings and how he most likely put himself as the responsible one for safety of their family)

Leo is in denial.

He refuses to acknowledge anything bad happening, or it happened but they were totally awesome with nothing negative happening as a result either way. But the only way to properly ignore it is to go out to have fun and eat pizza, their old routine.

When Raph was taken he refused to acknowledge the severity of the situation and rushed back. When they were surrounded by krang monsters, he once again refused to acknowledge how bad things are and was blindly pushing forward.

(And Leo faced it by being forced into situation where he can no longer pretend he Got this. He has to go in fight with fully understanding what this means for him and his family)

Donnie is avoidant.

I am pretty sure relocating into new lair and making it livable fell solely on Donnie's shoulders. And I am sure he gladly jumped into work to be useful to the family(even though it chipped away his time for his own needs like repairing Shelldon, whose head is just laying around on the floor).

His avoidance was mostly shown in him becoming more touch-aversed. In the show he was 90% of the time up for a hug and touch. In the movie he more often showed discomfort, the hugs with his family didn't bring relief like it used to.

(And Donnie faced it quite literally by turning his exposed back, his shell that despite his armor was easily reached and probably hurt by Shredder, to the enemy, not only allowing the contact, but submerging into it.

And after everything was over the hug from his family once again brought relief.)

Mikey is repressed.

We know the boy has NO problem letting everyone know when he is angry and mad! But in the movie with all the Leo-Raph fighting, with things always going wrong, he barely showed any strong negative emotion besides fear and uncertanty.

Mikey was always the openly sensitive one and he was trying his best by not adding more negativity to the fragility of their family.

He was forcing positivity and support.

Once he found out about his future mystic abilities, he latched onto them, hoping to be more of use to his family, to protect them.

(And Mikey faced it by allowing himself to be fully angry, by not giving up on Leo, channeling these emotions into finally unlocking his mystic hands!)

I also love the comparison of Leo as past and Raph as future in that one post. Leo is clinging to the past, to how things used to be, ignoring the present. And Raph was looking too much into possible future dangers, ignoring the present.

And Donnie and Mikey are the present. The ones who actually are trying to take care of their physical and emotional needs, while neglecting their own in the process.

They are the present, so they connect past and future. They tried to be there for both Raph and Leo. Training with Raph and playing games with Leo.

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt raph #rottmnt leo #rise mikey #rise raph #rise donnie #rise leo

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lil-leon · 1 month ago

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Anyone want a snippet from my rottmnt fic..?

Yeaaaah, you're getting the first page of my Google Doc under the cut

Raph turned onto his side, his bed creaking with his weight shifting and the mattress dipping. Sleep. He needed sleep. The Krang invasion took a lot out of him physically and mentally. It felt like every movement was a protest against his body. His injuries were still fresh and he could feel a distant stinging buzz behind his blind eye as his pain medication began to wear off. Yet it wasn’t the pains and throbs that kept him up. No, those were recent, his medication had been on high gear when he first got into bed.

It was his nerves. Those fleshy pink aliens had them shot. Raph rolled onto his back for the umpteenth time, gazing up at the ceiling. Softly, he tapped his fingertips against the patch over his eye. His vision was a bit off now but he’d just have to learn to get used to it. He tried to ignore the phantom feelings, the distant buzz everywhere except his plastron and legs. The buzz reminded him of the Krang flesh that had wormed its way into his own. It’d felt bad enough on his own shell, the idea of Donnie having that dig into a soft one made Raph shudder.

The idea of any of his brothers going through, well, everything that happened just a few days ago made him shudder to be honest. When Casey learned Mikey got Leo back using a portal, he explained damn near everything about Mikey’s future self. The idea of Mikey dying, of watching his little brother chip away in an attempt to save the other made Raph’s heart drop. He knew his little bro. Even if he and Donnie hadn’t been there to help and absorb some of the damage being done, Mikey would’ve kept going.

Raph’s nails dug into his comforter at the thought.

That nagging in his gut, that familiar tug pulled from deep inside him. It was a feeling he’d been getting for years. It started when Splinter got distant, started giving them less time and attention, and started retreating into the living room. Raph didn’t understand what was going on at the time, but he did know he needed to be there for his brothers. It was stressful for a child as young as he had been. Keeping his brothers healthy, fed, and content when their dad was drifting away from them. He had started to get irrationally nervous any time he’d leave them alone.

He knew Leo might try to get into some kind of trouble for attention, that Mikey was too little to really know how dangerous some things were, and that Donnie was at a higher risk of harm than any of them. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving them alone for longer than a few minutes. Rational fears grew larger while irrational ones bloomed. The idea of one of his brothers choking while eating would somehow turn into the fear of letting them eat anything without supervision at the time. The tossing and turning and stirring he did now was born from those unrealistic thoughts driving into his skull and keeping him from having a restful night. He knew they were fine, he knew they weren’t going to get hurt from staying in the bathtub on their own for a few minutes, from eating by themselves, from spending the night in their own room. But, nocturnal death is rare, not impossible. He wished he never learned that fact because here he was getting out of bed at two in the morning just to check that his brothers were still breathing. He could’ve sworn he was getting better at not doing things like this, at giving his brothers space to breathe without being what Mikey called a “Helicopter Brother.” But the Krang invasion was a setback and now he was falling into old habits. How could he not? His brothers almost died. He was the reason his brothers almost died. He didn’t even register he had been walking until he was outside of Mikey’s train car, closed hand hovering over the door and poised to knock.

#rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt #save rottmnt #save rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #save rise of the tmnt #rottmnt fanfiction #fanfic snippet #sneak peek #fanfic #writing #ao3 author #raphael rottmnt

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sharkylad · 1 year ago

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REBLOGGING THIS AGAIN CAUSE I RAN OUT OF TAGS-

That would make him too predictable. Too dependant.

I read him not using his mystics a lot, as him leaving himself open and adaptable- giving himself the room to create opportunities for him and his family. He leaves his all more vulnerable, kind of using himself as a vessel for his family's power.

It's why he was terrible at the start of the movie. He got lost thinking about himself too much. He started using his mystics a lot- flaunting it. And what happened? Krang took his and everyone's ninpo away. Because of his flaunting he created an opening for the KRANG. Something to exploit.

And it's why he didn't even reach the realization by himself, he needed Casey there to knock some sense into him, and they needed eachother to get out of the rubble. "I thought my family needed me, but the truth is, I need them". He needs to rely on them- to look out for them, to perceive and take them as they are and be the opening they need. It's when he's at his best.

I cannot stress how obsessed I am with Leo's leadership take in Rise. He's not an inherently smart strategist, he's not cautious, he's not a lonewolf. He is opportunistic, protective and a team player. And I cannot stress how cool that is.

I AM LITERALLY GOING INSANE OVER THIS!!

I FEEL SO VALIDATED RN AND I’M TAKING THIS AS CONFIRMATION THAT DONNIE WOULD GET OVER HIS DISTASTE FOR MYSTICS BECAUSE AIN’T NO WAY HE’S CLOSING HIMSELF OFF TO AN ENTIRE FEILD OF STUDY JUST TO BE PETTY!!

IF HE’S GOING TO BE PETTY ABOUT IT HE’D STUDY IT OUT OF SPITE TO MAKE IN EVEN BETTER BY MIXING IT WITH TECH!! WHAT BETTER “IN YOUR FACE” MOMENT WOULD THERE BE FOR HIM THAN FOR HIM TO IMPROVE UPON MYSTICS USING HIS OWN GENIUS!!!

I WIN!!

Also! Double whammy having Raph right behind him to fuel my Brains and Brawn brainrot

#I was always kind of sick of the Leo is angry cause his brothers are incompitent of follwing his plans #I like that the script was flipped and now hes the one not following the general picture everybody else is.#ALSO #I like the contrast between him and Raphs leader skills-#looking at them its like... so obvious to me how cautious Raph is #not cautious as he wont let them do things- or as in his mistrusting- But as in-#'if shit hits the fan I need to be there. i need to make sure to be the wall that keeps them all safe“#He trusts his brothers to be capable. What he cant let himself trust is that he'll keep them safe if something goes wrong.#Ive talked before about Raphs true importance of trust- But he certainly doesnt doubt his familys abilities #He just wants them safe.#Dude- fucking Shredder destroyed their home and for all they know killed their dad and gran gran AND HE RAN-#the safety of his brothers was the most important. 'The hamato clan must live on“. Raph fights to protect-#which ends up with forced retreat a lot of the time.#LEO on the other hand- Yes hes still protective- He got so heated when the Krang took Raph-#But he fights to GET things. Via it be a victory; a good pizza; or a single opening #His goal is to reach something. And yes at the end of the day thats his family's safety- But him and Raphs approaches to that are opposite #When things get too dangerous Raph wants to recoup. When things get too dengerous Leo looks for the way to stop it right then and now #'What? We dont retreat!?“#'Leo listen to me! Theyre too powerful and dads hurt“#AUHGUUUGUH- LEADER DUO I HAVE THEM IN A CHOKE HOLD-

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chiscribbs · 2 years ago

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This is something I'm calling the Disconnected AU.

It's an alt-movie-ending AU which focuses on the bonds of the four brothers (primarily: Leo and Mikey, Raph and Donnie) and how each of them fights to keep their family together when circumstances threaten to tear them apart possibly for good.

I originally wanted to fit all four of the brothers' perspectives onto one page, buuut it ended up being too massive that way, so I decided to just divide it into two separate posts instead, lol.

RAPH & DONNIE

MIKEY & LEO (coming soon...)

Summary below the cut (TW: loss of limbs, implied death, mind-control):

In an alternate version of the movie's finale, Donnie is not conscious to help Mikey open the portal; Mikey and Raph don't have enough power between the two of them to keep it open, so the portal ends up collapsing, taking Mikey - and one of Raph's arms - with it. Donnie awakes just in time to see two of his brothers vanish into nothingness...but before that, he sees something strange as the portal is collapsing, something that gives him reason to believe they could still be alive...

In the weeks following the invasion, the remaining members of the Hamato Clan each deal with the loss in various ways - some grieving, others not yet willing to give up hope. Donnie - certain that his brothers are not dead, just lost, and determined to get them back - spends every waking moment in his lab, pouring over any scrap of footage or evidence of the event that he can get his hands on. Meanwhile, Raph - eaten with guilt for failing to protect his brothers and constantly reminded of it due to his new arm - becomes closed-off. This worsens when Donnie starts spending more and more of his time in isolation; Raph believing/fearing that it's because he blames him, too. He copes by trying to be there for the rest of his family - the ones that will let him in.

As time passes, the others gradually start to move on, accepting that Leo and Mikey are gone for good. Donnie becomes increasingly frustrated with them (namely Raph, who he thinks must have seen what he saw, since he was also there) and desperate to prove that his brothers aren't dead. Tensions between the two finally hit a boiling point when a shrine is dedicated in Leo and Mikey's memory, resulting in a heated argument that ends with Donnie retreating back to his lab. Unable to find the clear evidence that he needs (and having no luck with contacting Draxum), Donnie decides to take matters into his own hands - he builds a device that can tap into his mind and recover the memory of what he saw the moment the portal collapsed. Unbeknownst to him, however...

When the portal collapsed, it left a fissure between the dimensions - one that made it possible for the Krang to connect with, and take control of, the mind-altering tech Donnie built to save his brothers.

Things quickly go from bad to worse when the Krang-possessed device causes Donnie to become less and less like himself and more like a cold, emotionless machine with only one objective: find the key and free the Krang. In a moment of clarity, Donnie flees the lair to put some distance between himself and the others until he can fix the problem. Unaware of what's causing the sudden change but nonetheless bound and determined not to lose another piece of his family; Raph puts together a team to find and bring his brother home before he, too, is forever lost.

Meanwhile, in a distant dimension: Mikey is also on a quest to find & save his lost brother...before it's too late...

(To be continued...)

#Every AU I make is just an excuse to give Donnie cool new design concepts LOL.#rottmnt #rottmnt au #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #donatello hamato #rottmnt donnie #rise donnie #raphael hamato #rottmnt raph #rise raph #disconnected au (rottmnt)

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lactoseintolerentswag · 10 months ago

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Rise Characterizations: The Foot Clan

Since I've posted on Cass, I figured it would be useful to post separately on the Foot Clan as a whole.

So the Foot Clan's obvious goal is the resurrect The Shredder.

They have paralleled origins to that of the Hamato Clan, the distinction of which caused by Karai splitting into her own clan.

One of the only mentioned laws of the Foot Clan is: you can only take control by succeeding where those have failed.

This leaves room to interpret that there could be a history of in-fighting or struggle for power within the Foot Clan.

Ranking:

To officially join the Foot Clan, a recruit must attempt an assigned solo mission, and return with success. The more missions a recruit/member go on, the more they are qualified to be raised to a higher ranking.

A foot marking on a face is implied to accompany a higher level of respect. Since Huginn and Muninn haven't raised their rank higher than the equivalent of a 2, we can assume that getting a foot print you must be a rank 3 or higher.

Members:

Foot Lt. offhandedly mentioned they get recruits online in "ninja chat rooms", so it seems they prioritize quantity over quality.

Then there are the origami warriors, who serve as canon fodder. We see the origami warriors as the earliest army of the Foot Clan, but this is ruined with the turtles' involvement. I wonder what determines the value between the origami warriors and the human members.

The Foot Clan is already kind of built on flimsy foundations. Foot Lt. and Foot Brute seem to be the only ones in the know of what's going on (being able to navigate through the Hidden City, use/locate mystic artifacts, and have some knowledge of the Hamato Clan), but even they don't really understand the Shredder's motivations. It makes me question how "human" or disconnected from their humanity they are, especially considering the flaming heads and purple skin.

There is some mentioned donors of the Foot Clan (such as Jocelyn's parents), but after the Shredder was detained in Seasons 2's opening, the members of the Foot Clan kind of jumped ship. This forced Cass to find purpose elsewhere, and Foot Lt. and Brute to retreat to the shadows. When the Shredder returns, it's just the three of them. This might have to do with where they recruit from.

In-fighting and changes between leadership through violence could also lead to muddled history and values. These people aren't bound together by one purpose, just broad destructive chaos.

Names and identities don't be appeared to be valued within the Foot Clan. For the majority of the show Cassandra is referred to as "Foot Recruit", and the only names we're offered with the two leaders are "Foot Lt. and "Foot Brute". This is could be read as a gag, but again Foot Clan history is completely open to interpretation.

Goals:

We've discussed their connection to Shredder's resurrection, but even beyond him what they're really aiming at it world domination and destruction. We see this reflected in Cass with her inherit fierceness, but also how she deals with the fallout of the Foot Clan by raising an army of brownie scouts to take over the world.

And then there's the inherit role of servitude that both Foot Lt. and Brute put themselves under. When Draxum dons the armor they "await" his orders (with the misunderstanding that the Shredder has risen), and when asked what they expect the Shredder to do they simply shrug and say "shred". They live to serve and destroy for a higher power beyond their understanding. A few lines that particularly stuck out to me in the movie was: "Tonight we liberate our masters from their dimensional prison. With this key we shall free them to lay waste to this world and enslave its people."

And finally I'd like to discuss their relationship with the Krang and the key.

Since the events of s2 the Foot Clan appears to have taken residence in an abandoned garden, whether it was the same in which the boys had broken into to smell the corpse flower remains unclear to My findings. Their numbers have grown again for an unknown reason, and they have been collecting parts of the dimensional gate and finally key.

I would also like to mention the inclusion of the boat and dock here. Especially since we were introduced to the Foot Clan through their paper thievery, and the boys had their first win against them on a similar boat that served as a paper hoard.

Moving back to the Krang, they have a similar fundamental misunderstanding of their place in relation to their masters, as they did with their master the shredder. It begs me to ask the question of when exactly and how did Lieutenant and Brute start giving attention to the Krang.

They were never mentioned before during the show, but in the movie Lieutenant does refer to them by name, "We shall follow the Krang as they lead the Foot Clan to glory!" So did this reach for a new master come from desperate research on the Shredder's origins, or was that the end goal when the Shredder was released? The oni that gave Shredder is shown to be a Krang before they were even confirmed, and the armor appears eerily similar to the armor that the three Krang don in the final sequence of the movie.

Then the source of empyrean (the source of mysticsm, yokai, mutants) is shown to come from a kraang corpse. There's so much of the Foot Clan tied to the Krang manipulating Oroku Saki, but a lot of their origins appear to be lost to history.

But again that leaves much to interpretation and wiggle room to poke at!!

#rise of the tmnt #rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #the foot clan #rottmnt the foot clan #analysis #save rise of the tmnt #save rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #save rise of the turtles #critter talks #character analysis #long post #wow this has been rotting in my drafts for a while let's get this baby out there

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our-happygirl500-fan · 2 years ago

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On Bryan K Turner’s Youtube Channel there’s a scrapped Krang fight scene where Leo drops his sword & Splinter uses it

Splinter: We are outmatched! We must retreat

We’ve seen Splinter make portals before with Leo’s mystic odachi in the episodes Hidden Cities Most Wanted & Battle Nexus New York but the fact that Splinter is making portals in a scrapped movie scene leads to the possibility that it might be possible that people other than Leo can use his katana’s to make portals

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #teenage mutant ninja turtles #hamato yoshi #rottmnt #tmnt

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snappedsky · 6 months ago

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ROTTMNT: Retired Leo AU

6 barely functioning adults vs 1 baby. Who will win?

Story Time II

Everyday was busy for the Krang resistance. ‘Day offs’ and ‘holidays’ were lost to time, much like many other luxuries. But when one remains constantly busy, mistakes are more likely to happen.

One such mistake occurred during the early years of the resistance. It had been growing steadily since the Krang invasion, but it was mostly refugees- people who had to learn how to fight. Those who could fight were working near around the clock to keep the lair safe.

Raphael was leader at the time. He was always out on the field, commanding troops directly and using his massive strength and ninpo to take out swaths of Krang at once.

Leonardo was the head strategist. He mostly stayed at home base, commanding indirectly and building plans and strategies based on field reports. With his ninpo, he could swiftly portal reinforcements into the war zone or help make retreats out of the war zone whenever necessary.

Donatello also remained mostly at home, constantly in his lab, working on lair security and weapons for the troops. If emergency reinforcements were needed, he might be chosen for his fierce, destructive power.

Michelangelo spent equal amounts of time at home base or in the field. At home, he was an excellent teacher for the new troops. In the field, his impressive mystic powers were a necessity for keeping the Krang at bay.

April and Cassandra were valuable soldiers and more than capable at evening the playing field against the Krang. For nearly two years prior, Cassandra had been benched for maternity leave, but was finally okayed for fighting again, and excited to be doing so.

This day was just like most others. A swarm of Krang was patrolling too close to the lair. Raphael led a group out, including April and Cassandra, to deal with them. Leonardo remained at the war table, listening to their progress through their communicators and providing advice. Michelangelo was in the training room, teaching troops. Donatello was in his lab.

The operation went of without a hitch. The Krang were dealt with; the troops received minimal injuries and were returning through the ground hatch.

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt #rottmnt fanfiction #rottmnt leo #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt raph #rottmnt april #rottmnt cassandra #rottmnt casey #rottmnt splinter #future turtles #retiredleoau #myart

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mariusroyale · 2 years ago

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I found my people.... I found Raph obsessed sweeties 🥺 I love you.

I want to hear everything you have to say about him, thank you for this blog. It's full of food. Imma start eating

AAAAAAAAAAAAA

GO AHEAD

FEAST

IM A RAPH STAN TO THE VERY END *salute*

i have so many things to say about raph ESPECIALLY after season two + movie

garbled, nonsensical rant ahead:

because I’ve seen SO many posts about how the change in leader would have caused a rift between him and his brothers (worsening it, really, considering how he treats them enables them to behave poorly in the show)

pizza puffs is RIGHT THERE

like all through out, his bros are always reassuring, always saying ‘raph will take care of it’, just always relying on raph

AND RAPH LITERALLY BEATS HIMSELF UP OVER IT

HE LITERALLY HITS HIMSELF IN HIS CONFLICT (yeah sure haha funnie) BUT STILL!!

one could imagine the sudden change strains his relationship with his bros because despite how it, in THEORY, would have lessened the weight—

HE STILL HAS TO SHOULDER IT!!!!!

HE STILL HAS TO SCOLD LEO AND BICKER WITH HIM BECAUSE HE KNOWS THE CONSEQUENCES OF NEGLIGENCE AND ARROGANCE AND IT DOESNT GET THRU LEO'S SKULL UNTIL HIS BROTHERS AND THE WORLD ARE FUCKING DYING

BC LEO’S SELF ASSURED THAT IT WOULD WORK OUT LIKE IT ALWAYS DID EVEN IF THEY DIDNT RUMINATE ON THEIR ISSUES

(i will literally fall to my knees hearing Omar's voice in the movie in how well he portrayed Raph's desperation when he realised they needed to retreat, like he sounds so fucking distraught-- LITERALLY GO WATCH IT RN, THE WAY HE SHOUTS 'im not gonna argue with you!' is so fucking sad bc he doesn't!!! THERE'S SHIT HAPPENING AND I LITERALLY DO NOT WANT TO FIGHT WITH YOU RN--)

WHICH NOT ONLY WORSENS THAT RIFT

BUT THICKENS WHATEVER GLASS BETWEEN HIM AND THEIR YOUNGER SIBLINGS!! he and mikey used to be so close!! and it was to be explored that they distanced BECAUSE of raph’s smothering!! IM FOREVER MAD WE DIDNT GET THAT EP so you can imagine how Leo n Raph constantly bickering would have strained their relationships worse!!!

I can imagine how trying to recover it would be SO difficult, especially with Leo because seriously, causing the end of the world because of your own pride isn't some shit you can put under the rug, I can literally feel the cogs in my brain about how raph would be ambivalent on saying how he feels because it cost everyone so much

and because he picks his silence I can imagine Leo being all like 'be mad at me! be upset! yell at me or something, because you haven't said anything to me at all!' or some shit urhghghghr

and raph wouldn't want to upset him, doesn't want to fight, or yell, or make a repeat of the last few years because

hes fucking tired

he doesn't want to put more on Leo after almost losing him

also!! bad future:

raph’s the biggest!! and he’s so used to carrying that load that i can imagine it fucking KILLS him in the bad future!! ALL THAT- TO BE THEIR PROTECTER, ENDING UP DYING FIRST

BECAUSE OF COURSE HE WOULD

BECAUSE HE LOVES THEM SO MUCH AND IT HURTS HIM

when he shields Donnie from shredder in BN:NY, UGRHDHDH

when he shields both Mikey and Donnie when the Krang pulled that anti mystic bs!! he didn’t even think about what it would do- he just wanted to PROTECT

AND OFC RAPH SHIELDING LEO FROM GETTING FUCKING STABBED

RAPH. DIDNT. KNOW. WHERE. IT. WOULD. LAND.

a few inches lower and he would have fucking DIED!!!

he was LITERALLY doing the thing he knew best and it cost him his own autonomy and COULD HAVE LITERALLY FUCKING KILLED HIM—

BUT GOD FORBID HIS BROTHERS GET LETHALLY HURT, HE’LL TAKE IT HIMSELF BECAUSE HES JUST LIKE THAT

and that part of his character gets me so

BECAUSE he doesn’t HAVE to be such a caring overbearing worrywart like that!!!

all that parentification and the separation it left- he could have really just distanced himself entirely or just become jaded and bitter about how he didn’t get his own big brother treatment

BUT HE LOVES ANYWAY

HE'S STILL JUST A BIG GOOF

AND ITS SO 😭😭

HE CAN GET MAD AND UPSET AND STRESSED OUT AS MANY TIMES AS LONG AS IT MEANS HIS FAMILY IS SAFE AND CARED FOR

AND ITS LIKE *sobs*

i wanna know what a raph ep would be like if he just.. got a break

no really, i was so pumped to have a solo raph ep and then MY BOY GETS THROWN IN PRISON FOR LOOKING LIKE A CRIMINAL?!????

i would have gotten so violent, ong- he deserved a better solo ep >:((

and that ep after insane in the mama train, where he goes to his happy place

HES A SHOOTING STAR LIKE D’AWWJDHSJ

I WANNA SEE THIS BIG BEHEMOTH OF A TURTLE GET A BREAK FOR A LONG TIME AND HE JUST GETS TO CHILL

that being said, i am writing a fic on ao3 called ‘Red Angel Perpetuating Harm’ and i plan on uploading it once i fully manage to encapsulate raph’s trauma and what he deserves to treat it bc this fandom i stg….

guys

i get it, Leo’s there, yeah sure

RAPH IS RIGHT HERE. Y’ALL KEEP MAKIN UP SCENARIOS WHERE ITS JUST MADE UP TORTURE FOR LEO

WHEN RAPH IS RIGHT. THERE.

PERFECT. ATTENTIVE. LOVING. HIMBO.

raph’s trauma does not get addressed enough and i for one am DONEEEEE

HE GOT MUTATED. THERE WAS A SCRAPPED ENDING WHERE HE STRAIGHT UP LOST HIS EYE

HE LITERALLY ALMOST KILLED HIS BROS

RAPH ‘RED ANGEL OF PREVENTING HARM’ HAMATO ALMOST KILLED EM

AND IF YOU DONT WANT PHYSICAL ANGST-- HE'S GOT A HELLUVA LOT OF EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE TOO!!!!! HE'S RIGHT THERE!!!!!

and my fuckass fyp on tiktok is like ‘you want Leo edits?’ NO!!

whenever i get vids of raph, focusing on his loss or just cute edits im always like

bECAUSE HE DESERVES MORE ATTENTION!!!! HE'S SUCH A GOOD CHARACTER AND I ADORE HIM!!!

the fic I have rn + the outlines I've made have so far focuses on:

what happened after he got IMPALED (I really liked writing this one)

deeper into interrogation (im contemplating whether or not to write his savage self considering he is alone but idk how to implement it bc the rise Krang are insanely strong, goddamn)

and making his interactions with his bros as a Krang zombie worse

+ recovering his bonds with each brother (trying to figure out how to put all my feelings in their dynamics with raph together)

and splinter + April too, I want him to be able to vent without feeling GUILTY or BAD abt himself!!

the Leo parts of the fic I feel like u can literally smell the way I feel abt him bc JKSBHLJFBHLGBLHJFLBHJ

(no seriously, idc why fics keeps saying 'its not his fault!!' bc YES TF IT WAS.)

hoping to dive deeper into the aforementioned rift too, because god this fam needs some help but RAPH CENTRIC FIC MEANS HE GETS TO BE THE ONE TO CRY AND BE ANGRY AND UPSET TOO BECAUSE GODDAMMIT HE DESERVES TO

someone pls write other things I haven't addressed bc I wanna write em in the fic--

tldr; he best. the best big boy

here's a tiktok

#this is literally the best way I can put everything down without going into full detail #bc I don't think I can like--#this turtle is everything to me #rise raph #rottmnt #raphael hamato #ask #ish #and- ily too I love any rise raph stan #ty for prompting this word vomit I desperately needed to get this out #rottmnt raph #rottmnt raphael #raph appreciation

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classy-thief · 2 years ago

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What is your favorite thing about the Rise of TMNT movie, and why? What hit you the most?

🌺 YAYYY A CHANCE TO INFODUMP THANK YOU!!

All thoughts under the cut cuz i'm going to write a lot lol (also apologies if my ramble makes no sense i am not a very well-spoken person teehee)

but tl;dr the balance of angst/comfort, the subltety in facial expressions and how it adds so much to the story, the animation in the action scenes

OKAY SO-

My favorite thing about the rottmnt movie? Oh man i dont think i can pick one thing. I'll just list the main ones 🤭

The fact that it was able to stray away from the goofy and lighthearted nature of the show but is still able to feel like rottmnt. The rottmnt movie is much darker and angstier than the show, but it still captures the essence of the characters and their personalities very well -- and it also explores their characters in a situation that calls for a more serious tone and it is beautifully done. The suble facial expressions and body language in each character speaks volumes on their personalities.

Speaking of which, i absolutely love the story they were able to tell solely on the facial expressions of the characters -- namely leo. In the movie, leo goes uncharacteristically quiet in some scenes, so it's much easier for the viewer to analyze his face to try and read what hes thinking.

Here, leo is face to face with krang for the first time in the movie, and it is apparent in his face. The look of sheer horror as he's trying to process what exactly he's fighting. The intense strength and overwhelming size of this... monster is absolutely daunting. He doesn't know what to do.

This is just one of many examples of the story leo creates with just his face. Down here we see another, clearer example.

Contemplation. Realization. Determination.

Leo understands the weight of the situation. Casey warned them it will only get worse if they do not get that key. But everyone is compromised. They have retreated. Everyone except him. He understands what he must do next, but is incredibly afraid. Going up there alone is a definite death wish. But someone has to pay for his mess, might as well be him. He readies himself to release the escape pod.

Like OHH MY GODDD. This part has to be one of my favorite scenes from the movie. It gave me goosebumps the first time i watched it. It clearly expresses his emotions to the viewer without him having to say anything. Just 10/10, beautifully done scene.

I could honestly write a 10 page essay on just the facial expressions in the movie, but moving on before this gets too long. The action scenes. They were so beautifully animated.

Especially this one right here!!! The camera moves at a pace to where its not disorienting/dizzy. And the colors of the turtles' ninpo makes it easier to understand what's going on. This entire scene was incredibly well choreographed. The showcasing of each of the brothers' fighting style (donnie's and leo's are more apparent in the deleted storyboard version but still) was soooo cool. And they're ultimate combo move was absolutely amazing as well (even though they got their asses beat right after 💀).

And this might be a basic answer but what hit me the most was the leo crying scene. Seeing the comical, pun-loving, unserious character break down thinking those were his last moments alive absolutely destroyed me. I honestly love the "comedic relief dies a hero" trope so this whole movie catered to my tastes very well lol. Anyway, rant over. I'd be surprised if you read this far but thanks for letting me infodump i've been waiting for someone to ask me about this movie since i watched it 👍

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thisisadonaldduckblognow · 2 years ago

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yes a thousand percent absolutely lets go

(firstly i am sorry my post put anyone to a point of feeling the need to apologize for or feel bad for being Very Into Leo’s character. as someone who is flagrantly Very Into Raph’s character, i promise i wasn’t trying to throw a stone in this glass house. i’ve gotten burnt out on a lot of fanon leo stuff but part of why im so !!!! about it is bc i too love leo’s characterization and potential.. i swear

catch me catching my brain and tone malfunctions behind dennys later, sorry again gang)

BUT YE I’LL TALK ABOUT MOVIE RAPH STUFF TO MY BEST CAPACITY ALL DAY

overall i honestly... totally get raph being hard to get a handle on in this respect. like it’s pretty difficult to pick where to start and how to express it even just in an informal tumblr analysis post, i still haven’t managed to put together any kind of fic myself LMAO. bear with me i will do my best!

so firstly there’s just the veritable gauntlet of “stuff raph experienced/was dealing with in the span of the movie” to consider, i think.

- his fear and anxiety over his family’s safety, for which he always always feels personally responsible. when he called the retreat during that first fight with the krang, he was absolutely terrified-- and i can only imagine how much scarier it was after leo bailed on the escape pod. like, there’s no way raph was not hauling ass after leo the second he saw that happen.

= he takes a hit for leo, as in just barely stops it and loses a chunk of shell/plastron in the process. he sacrifices himself using his pod to get leo out of there safely (and there’s so much to be said about the fact that raph’s pod seems to be the only one that didn’t auto-activate. that only he and donnie seemed to know they even existed. there’s a whole talk they must have had right there, like raph would probably have had to ask specifically for this feature.)

- the krang try to intimidate answers out of him about the key, and when that doesn’t get them those answers, prime literally jams tentacles into his brain and roots around until he can find what they’re looking for. so that’s one bullet point on the list for outright mental violation. it looks/sounds very painful, not to mention terrifying.

^^ and honestly, this point of suffering in particular is one that i think would be hardest for raph to actually bring up/talk about with his family. because none of them were there. none of them KNOW. and how do you explain that to them? how do you try to make yourself break that out when they’re already worried about the other stuff that happened to you and to everyone else? when part of you is guilty about it despite yourself, because so much of your identity is tied into being a protector that you can’t help but feel like you should have been able to wall that info off somehow and keep your family safe?

- gets infected by the krang and put into the big gross pod to... incubate, i guess? there’s so much unanswered about the point between brain torture and getting found by his family tbh. was he conscious and aware of being left alone in there? was that why he was so out of it even before the mutation?

- and then of course there’s said painful, grotesque body horror forced krang mutation that he has to go through once he’s out of the pod! thanks i hated it! like it seriously looks so gross and painful.

- ah yes and the mind control... being used as a tool and a puppet and specifically set out to hurt or even kill the family he loves and wants to protect.

- the standard “we had our cool epic boss fight against the evil alien but he kicked our asses with one flick and then punched mikey and donnie all the way to staten island” physical roughage, too. leo portaled him after mikey and donnie so he could catch them. donnie took the brunt of the krang punch, and raph took the brunt of the hard landing (he is holding his side like he might have some rib issues, they all look rough af down there phew)

- leo’s sacrifice is leo’s sacrifice and definitely a leo development moment as an action itself, i’m never gonna say 'yep here’s how leo getting brutalized in prison dimension is all about raph’. i’m talking about the like, aftermath and pre-rescue emotional toll that that has etc etc etc. ftr.

point one there is obviously just the grief. like, raph is literally incapable of standing when it hits. he’s on all fours, he can’t open his eyes. i made a post comparing the caps of raph’s face getting stabbed and raph’s face when it was sinking in that leo was (apparently) Gone gone bc the expressions are nearly identical. like just. absolute agony.

- and on top of that, i sincerely think that leo’s “you’re one to talk, hero moves are totally your thing” apparent last words are gonna stick with raph for a very long time. even after they save leo. the look on his face after leo says that... man. i think there’s a very real moment of raph going what have i done, what did i teach him? about the entire situation.

the way this is already tl;dr oh well SO IG SOME OF MY GENERAL TAKEAWAYS AND THINGS I THINK ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO POST-MOVIE RAPH:

first and foremost. rip raph sufferer of some of the most intense eldest child syndrome i’ve ever seen. he feels bad that he got used to get his family’s location. he feels bad that he got used to harm and nearly kill his family. he probably feels bad that leo feels bad that his shell is damaged, smh. it’s guilt all the way down. the kind where he knows logically his family does not want or need apologies, that getting controlled was literally not his fault, but he feels bad anyway.

and like i said i get how it’s hard to get a handle on him for stuff, because raph is also... not super good at the emotional vulnerability sharing? it’s so wild because he’s very openly emotional and easy to read! he’ll cry during a sad movie scene and yell at a frustrating video game no problem, he’s very straightforward! but when it comes to sincere vulnerability and actually seeking comfort/closure about it, he has a big struggle vibe. good luck to the entire family bc every single brother is gonna be in a “oh but everyone else already has so much to deal with i don’t wanna pile more on with my problems” zone, i think.

also just like. raph is a protector. that’s one of the core pillars of his sense of identity and worth. he takes care of his brothers. he keeps his family safe. and so so so much of what he went through or experienced in the movie went directly against that. raph, the big brother, the beating heart of the team, the one who takes hits, the overprotective mother hen, gets used to track down his family, and then gets used to hurt them. very nearly gets used to kill leo outright. isn’t there to take the hit for leo again at the end of the movie, is helpless as his little brother seemingly sacrifices his life to save them and the world. how does he come to terms with that? how does he feel like he still deserves the trust and faith that his family puts in him to keep being a rock? (they’re not scared of him, but he’s scared of him.)

and for real seriously how does he ever ever get around to dealing with that brain probe and the mutation specifically. his mind and his bodily autonomy got so deeply violated in the process of this movie. it’s scary! and painful! what kind of scenario would a writer even have to rig up to back him into enough of a corner to share those feelings with his family (who would absolutely want to comfort and support him)! it’s nightmarish stuff that’s gonna linger with him for the rest of his life.

and in fact on the mutuation/mind control. i think the fact that leo was able to get through to raph just with words, that that was how he managed to break through the control, maybe means that raph was aware of what he was being made to do all along and just. unable to pull enough strength together to stop it before that point. woof.

idk idk if any of this makes real sense or helps for getting a handle on raph’s character at all tbh, it’s just a lot of me nonsensically putting him in a jar with a leaf and a stick for scientific observation ig. if ppl wanna hit me w questions or discussions about my personal opinions on my favorite boi feel free tbh

maybe the real raph character analysis was the hug and nightmare-free nap he probably desperately needs all along....... ah its too late hes dissociating on the couch. relatable.

#rottmnt #rottmnt raph #rise raph #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt movie #we try to make sense at almost midnight

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gladiatorofthevoid · 2 years ago

Text

Moments Chapter 1: Mad Dogs

Master Post – Next

AO3 Link: Here

Draxum was still adjusting to being in contact with his creations. He had thought they had been destroyed with his lab, so when he saw them alive, he had been overwhelmed. When he had lost them, he hadn't truly mourned, he had been uncertain if the experiment would work and wasn't sure what it would have created, he wasn't even certain if they would be fully sentient. The fact that they were alive and there had caused a rush of emotion. Surprise and shock, but also pride and wonder. He had called them beautiful, and he had meant it.

As they fought, Draxum observed them carefully, trying to see what his creations had become in his absence. They had somehow managed to find the scrapped prototypes for the weapons that he had intended to give them if he had raised them. And each of them seemed to use them with at least a moderate form of success. Impressive. But what was more impressive was the fact that they could speak clearly, enough to banter with him and each other, and they each seem to have different and separate personalities from each other.

Even though he only spent a short time with them he could see that they had become people. Not weapons, or animals, or some empty shell that could be puppeteered. They were aware, sentient, alive. It made some small and strange thing bloom in his chest. He had ignored it.

He learned eventually that they called themselves "The Mad Dogs." Draxum had creased his eyebrows at the name, wondering why they would want to name themselves after a crazed and feral animal. But otherwise had not thought about it.

It had not been until much later that he remembered he had made them to be weapons.

It had been a hard thing to remember. They acted up and goofed around so much, and rarely took anything seriously. Even when he had revealed a core piece of their identity, the truth about their human DNA, all they had done was squeal like little girls and jump up and down. And though he saw their power, it was easy for Draxum to continue thinking of them as nothing more than children. It took him seeing how they reacted after the Krang invasion to remember that fact.

Draxum had received a call from Michelangelo's phone shortly after the chaos had settled. All he had managed to gather was that Michelangelo had done something mystical and had been severely injured before he was out the door and on his way to the turtle's lair.

When he arrived, he ignored the mess that the layer was in and march straight to the med bay. He threw the door straight open with a slam.

"Would anyone care to tell me-" he started, but he was immediately interrupted.

The Alchemist found himself tackled harshly against the wall, pinned there by a steel-like forearm across his neck, and staring down the glowing purple of a mystic technological weapon. Beyond the weapon he saw two animalistic eyes reflecting the purple light, pupils blown wide with adrenaline. Draxum froze under Donatello's gaze, the two eyes pinned him more securely to the wall than even the threat of the weapon. From behind the softshell, he heard a deep rumbling, and when he managed to look beyond the thing pinning him to the wall, he saw three more pairs of eyes staring him down intently. He felt his heartbeat pick up several notches, and his breath catch. His hind mind kicked into gear telling him to leave, screaming "threat!" in his ear. He felt like he had stumbled upon a den of predators, willing and able to kill him without thought. Like a pack of ravenous, hungry, and crazed dogs.

"Donnie," a voice said, and all attention twisted from him to the source. April stood in the corner; hands raised in surrender. "Donnie it's okay, it's just Barry. He's here to help Mikey, remember?"

Slowly, the purple turtle leaned back from Draxum. His weapon dissolved and he stepped away, pupils still wide but holding more clarity than before. Donatello nodded, glared at Draxum, and retreated towards the bed his brothers were gathered around.

Now that Draxum was able to get a clearer look at the room, he nearly winced at the state of the brothers. Leonardo was by far the worst, wrapped in a huge number of bandages and looked trapped in the bed under the weight of the injuries. Raphael was favoring his left side, his right I was swollen shut, he had his body hunched over the bed pointing his spiked shell outwards and revealing the puncture wound above his shoulder. Donatello looked the best out of the brothers, resting on the foot of the bed like a sentry, but he was leaning on his bo staff like a crutch, and the Alchemist could still see bandages and patches on his arm. He also noted the lack of battle shell and the way the turtle angled his real shell away from him. Michelangelo was sitting at the end of the bed too, and Draxum saw the burns reaching up his forearms and the way his hand shook. They all still pinned him with that unnerving stare, but it was less of a threat and more of a warning.

"Sorry," April said. "You just startled them a little, they're still kind of on edge."

"Yeah," Michelangelo said from the bed, with a small smile, but his voice was hoarse and weak. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Draxum said. He slowly approached the bed trying to keep his body language relaxed. "Now," he said gesturing for Michelangelo to show his injuries. The others' animalistic eyes still pinned on him. "Would you mind telling me exactly what happened?"

Later, when Draxum would try to go to sleep, the image of those stares would burst through his mind, and he would be wide awake again. He would be reminded of the name "Mad Dogs" and would find that it suddenly fit.

Because no matter how childish they were, how silly, how kind, they would always have the capability to be weapons. They would always be more powerful than almost everyone they would ever meet. They would always have a wild part of themselves, that would seek to eliminate any threat to themselves or to anyone they cared about. It was a frightening thought, and The Alchemist was suddenly very happy that he had not raised the boys.

Because no matter how much he had missed, and he had missed so much, he was happy that they had the chance to be more than weapons. Happy they had the chance to be more than crazed and feral animals. Happy that they had been raised as children and not soldiers. Happy that that wild part of themselves was not the only thing that defined them.

Even if he still did not understand why they chose to call themselves by that title, he was happy it was a part of themselves that they could embrace along with their... humanity.

Masterpost - Next

Thank you for reading. Let me know if there is anything I should work on.

Thank you to @sariphantom for hosting the Rise August Challenge, which this is inspired by.

@nickelodeon Please save Rise.

#rise of the tmnt #Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise tmnt #save rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #Unpause Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #rise august #rottmnt #save rottmnt #tmnt fic #fanfic #baron draxum

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