#Unidentified Flying Leonardo

[whattraintracks]

In the 1987 tv series Leonardo is a good leader and team player but "Unidentified Flying Leonardo" demonstrates that alone he is an on-fire trainwreck of a teenage mutant ninja turtle. In this essay I will

[pumpkinpie59]

Hi again!!

Here’s a question for you! If you had to pick, what would your top five episodes be from both the 1987 and 2012 series? 😃

Thanks again, and have a nice evening! 😁

hi!

this was kinda hard lol. i love so many episodes in both shows but here’s my answer right now:

1987

5. the big cufflink caper

this one was an immediate favorite. it’s fun, silly, and clever. each turtle has their time to shine. the plot is so ridiculous but i found myself intrigued by the steps taken to solve the mystery. it’s great

4. take me to your leader

i love the concept of the other 3 turtles trying to lead in leonardo’s absence. it really shows why leonardo is so needed in the team, while showing why the other turtles have other roles. raphael doesn’t want to lead but can ground the team and is most likely to see things as they are, donatello is competent beyond belief but doesn’t have the focus needed to be leader, and michelangelo has the kindness and talent to lead but is ultimately too short sighted. it’s leonardo’s drive and ambition and confidence that make him a good leader and him needing to find that again and see that his brothers need him is such an interesting premise, and the episode is great at the execution imo.

3. four musketurtles

leonardo gets hyperfixated on a book, bonks his head, and wakes up believing his is the main character. it’s just so funny and cam clarke’s british accent reminds me of liquid snake which i find hilarious. idk it’s just fun.

2. beware the lotus

lotus is my favorite character beside leonardo so of course this was gonna be on the top five lol. i love lotus and leonardo’s dynamic, and i just love lotus as a character. even if we don’t get to explore lotus’ character very much, the episode does a great job establishing lotus’ abilities: her combat prowess, her smarts, her wit, and even her self respect. and the fact that she can defeat shredder so easily … mwah i love it.

1. farewell lotus blossom

hehe now here’s the episode where we explore lotus’ character more. she’s insecure about not fitting in or having a family/clan. and the fact that she feels comfortable around leonardo enough to cry and laugh and tease like AHSKAHAK PLEASE I LOVE THEM. the whole onion scene is my favorite scene in the show. i just wish we could’ve seen how she dealt with her new life without the spirit within her. and more leolotus obviously. the one thing that bothers me about the episode is that shredder and his group don’t show up after chakahachi takes the role of villain. they just leave and we don’t see them for the rest of the episode lol.

some special mentions bc this show is great:

teenagers from dimension x

the maltese hamster

green with jealousy

raphael meets his match

donatello’s degree

leonardo versus tempestra

splinter vanishes

unidentified flying leonardo

turtles on the orient express

i’ve only seen the first 4 seasons and the europe side season tho so i’ll have more opinions once i finish it lol.

2012

5. the insecta trifecta

i think this episode explores raph’a trauma and fear really well, and it is by far the height of the later seasons (ngl i am a season 1 fan lol). i love raph’s interactions with splinter so much. it shows how much raph has grown since season 1, and splinter’s counsel reflects it. instead of teaching raph as an angry child, he teaching him as a struggling almost-adult. he’s patient and understanding with him, and raph is more respectful and is able to try and talk through his struggles more easily. i love it. also i have a horrible sense of humor and the ant french kiss scene sends me into hysterics every time lmao.

4. in dreams

hehe i’m a sucker for worst fears/nightmare type episodes. also the ANIMATION IS SO COOL IN THIS EPISODE??? AND CASEY SAVES THE DAY??? AND APRIL IS SO WORRIED ABOUT THEM THE ENTIRE TIME???? man i love it. i love most of the farmhouse arc but this one is so good x3

3. parasitica

i’m not even a mikey fan and i have a huge fear of insects, especially wasps. so i legit have no idea why i love this one as much as i do. but the plot is so … small? compared to the other episodes. a majority of it is just in the lair, and the turtles are the only characters other than the wasps. and it works so well. the story flows great and you feel the urgency of the situation. also mikey banging his head into the table so he doesn’t pass out is funny to me idk. also. ALL HAIL THE BEAN … why wasn’t april there tho? she was living with them during this time lol

2. monkey brains

this episode is the best donatello episode idc. not only is it the start of april and donnie becoming best friends (before then it was super awkward lol and april wasn’t quite used to him yet), but also it shows donnie’s flaws, strengths, and insecurities so clearly. i wish later episodes were this good at exploring his character. it’s like they hit his magnum opus way too early lmao and didn’t know where to go afterwards. he over-thinks. with fighting. with hanging out with april. and with his insecurities … doesn’t think april will just say yes to hanging out so he has to come up with an excuse of some sort … takes a lot of issue with the word “monstrosity” (thinks he’s a monster and doesn’t like to be reminded) … and i haven’t forgotten about april. this episode marks the first major glimpse of her powers. and when splinter first offers her training. LIKE IDK I JUST ADORE THIS EPISODE.

1. fungus humungous

is it wrong to have criticisms of my fav episode? xD i love leo’s fear, and april’s, and i do believe that donnie’s is appropriate (to some extent), but the others aren’t explored very well imo. and i wish mikey’s was the parasitica wasps instead of the stupid squirrelanoids smh. but i genuinely enjoy watching this episode on repeat lol. idk what to say rlly. it’s just interesting to me.

and some honorable mentions

i think his name is baxter stockman

never say xever

panic in the sewers

new girl in town

enemy of my enemy

karai’s vendetta

operation breakout

slash and destroy

the invasion

buried secrets

race with the demon

eyes of the chimera

the fourfold trap

the arena of carnage

the war for dimension x

mutant gangland (messy execution; fun premise)

tokka vs the world

when worlds collide

it’s easier for me to think about seasons as a whole rather than just episodes tho lol

season 1 is good from beginning to end. some episodes are better than others, but it all flows rlly well imo. also top tier comedic timing and i personally love the quick movements and quirky speaking animation.

season 2 has rlly good highs but boring lows? it does have the strength of flowing well tho. individual episodes aren’t easy for me to like (other than fungus humungous, slash and destroy, and the invasion), but there are good scenes throughout the season.

season 3 starts out super strong (with the exception of bigfoot episode and frog episode). i love the farmhouse arc so much. but then the rest of the season feels aimless and messy. i don’t rlly like the brain worm thing. they didn’t want karai to be a good guy yet so they drew out the villain karai thing way too long. i like the finale but there’s very little buildup.

season 4 should have been two seasons. the space arc is pretty fun, but a lot of the episodes had weird pacing and i wish there was more imo? like you have so many things you could do with a space arc but didn’t explore them. and then the last half was … meh. it could’ve been its own season to explore the arcs more. let april’s possession be more drawn out and a bigger issue, let don vizioso have more of an impact (especially for donnie), let splinter’s death be better written smh. also i hate the finale lmao

okay so … tbh i haven’t finished rewatching season 5 lmao. so i don’t remember lone rat and cubs, the usagi arc, the monster arc, the apocalypse arc, and the crossover arc very well. i’m rewatching the show with my sister tho so i’ll get there soon lol. but i really dislike the kavaxas arc?? it’s so useless imo?? why is tiger claw leading a cult?? and why are they resurrecting shredder when he already killed splinter which was his entire life goal?? and donnie had such a small murder problem THAT SHOULDVE HAD MORE IMPACT??? ugh. i like when worlds collide tho ajskahsk top tier. hehe ramona and apritello brain go brrr.

anyway sorry for my weird rant lol. thanks for the ask ^^

[getindumdums]

Leonardo: It's okay, Leonardo. Don't panic. You're not lost. You're just a little, well... [sighs] You're lost. Now, think. How would Master Splinter handle a situation like this? He'd relax, he'd take a deep breath...

[inhales]

Then he'd yell for help!

[pulls out his turtlecom]

TURTLES! I NEED YOU!!!

^(This scene gives the same vibes. But honestly the animation DOES NOT convey the utter distress in his voice. Like the cadence is so similar to Rise Leo’s.)

(Season 4, Episode 39 - Unidentified Flying Leonardo)

Daily Rise Quotes: DAY 493

Leo: Keep your wits, and do what any mature and brave individual would... DADDY!!!

(Season 2, Episode 3A - Flushed, but Never Forgotten)

[speculativism]

The Complete Stories of JG Ballard is a very fine collection on Audible but, annoyingly, doesn't come with a list of the stories in the order of reading. So I made one.

Here it is for anyone who might find it useful:

The Complete Stories of J.G. Ballard:

Prima Belladonna

Escapement

The Concentration City

Venus Smiles

Manhole 69

Track 12

The Waiting Grounds

Now. Zero

The Sound-Sweep

Zone of Terror

Chronopolis

The Voices of Time

The Last World of Mr. Goddard

Studio Five, The Stars

Deep End

The Overloaded Man

Mr. F is Mr. F

Billennium

The Gentle Assassin

The Insane Ones

The Garden of Time

The Thousand Dreams of Stellar Vista

13 to Centaurus

Passport to Eternity

The Cage of Sand

The Watch - Towers

The Singing Statutes

The Man on the 99th Floor

The Subliminal Man

The Reptile Enclosure

A Question of Re-Entry

The Time Tombs

Now Wakes the Sea

The Venus Hunters

Endgame

Minus One

The Sudden Afternoon

Red Bull

The Screen Game

Time of Passage

Prisoner of the Coral Deep

The Lost Leonardo

The Terminal Beach

The Illuminated Man

The Delta at Sunset

The Drowned Giant

The Gioconda of the Twilight Noon

The Volcano Dances

The Beach Murders

The Day of Forever

The Impossible Man

Storm-Bird, Storm-Dreamer

Tomorrow is a Million Years

The Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Considered as a Downhill Motor Race

Cry, hope. Cry, fury.

The Recognition

The Cloud Sculptors of Coral D.

Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan

The Dead Astronaut

The Comsat Angels

The Killing Ground

A Place and a Time to Die

Say Goodbye to the Wind

The Greatest Television Show on Earth

My Dream of Flying to Wake Island

The Air Disaster

Low-Flying Aircraft

The Life and Death of God

Notes Towards a Mental Breakdown

The 60 Minute Zoom

The Smile

The Ultimate City

The Dead Time

The Index

The intensive Care Unit

Theatre of War

Having a Wonderful Time

One Afternoon at Utah Beach

Zodiac 2000

Motel Architecture

A host of Furious Fantasies

News from the Sun

Memories of the Space Age

Myths of the Near Future

Report on an Unidentified Space Station

The Object of the Attack

Answers to a Questionnaire

The Man Who Walked on the moon

The Secret History of World War III

Love in a Colder Climate

The Enormous Space

The Largest Theme Park in the World

War Fever

Dream Cargoes

A Guide to Virtual Death

The Message from Mars

Reports from an Obscure Planet

The Secret Autobiography of JGB

The Dying Fall

[turtlethon]

“Unidentified Flying Leonardo”

Season 4, Episode 39 First US Airdate: December 1, 1990

Leonardo travels to the town of High Falls, where he becomes caught up in a series of alien sightings.

“Unidentified Flying Leonardo” is the season four finale of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This episode was written by Sean Roche, in his only contribution to the series.

The Turtles are reluctantly watching a TV documentary about plywood at the insistence of Splinter, who tries to sell them on the merits of educational content. Over at Channel 6, April outlines to Burne her intentions to investigate reports of UFO sightings upstate, having planned to meet up with a reporter from the High Falls Gazette. After leaving Burne’s office, April informs Leonardo via Turtlecom of her assignment.

Splinter tells the Turtles that he has “negative vibrations” about April’s investigation. Leonardo decides to check in on their friend and make sure she doesn’t get into trouble, while the others head out for pizza.

Travelling upstate in the Turtle Van, Leo parks in a field, intent to keep an eye on April with binoculars. The corn stalks around him begin growing rapidly, knocking him off his feet. An encounter with a stranger who turns out to be a mere scarecrow follows, as an airborne vehicle hovers above. Leonardo is now convinced something unusual is afoot.

April visits the Greasy Spoon Diner, where she meets up with local reporter Scoop Oliver. He has little interest in the UFO stories, and is more invested in showing her his scrapbook of his previous stories, consisting of mundane local interest articles about topics including some bulldozers being stolen from a tractor dealership.

As the other Turtles return to the Lair and notice Leonardo is still absent, the leader of the team is wandering around the fields, now completely lost, and begins to panic. He tries to contact the trio via Turtlecom, but as he’s now far removed from the city, the communicator is out of range. While rushing through the corn fields, Leo collides with a young man called Billy Jim-Bob, who was running in the opposite direction after seeing what he believed was a UFO. Once Billy Jim-Bob's face gets covered in mud, both catch a glimpse of each other and believe that they’ve encountered an alien, each fleeing once more.

April is still being bored senseless as Scoop goes through his old stories. The conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Billy Jim-Bob, who bursts into the diner and announces he’s just seen a green alien with a blue mask. April immediately picks up on the description and figures out who it likely really is.

Leonardo stands on a dumpster and peers into the diner as Billy Jim-Bob recounts his experience to the sheriff and the doubting locals. April is eager to hear about this, and during their conversation Billy Jim-Bob manages to unwittingly activate a Polaroid-type instant camera. It captures the image of Leo at the window, who falls into the dumpster upon being blinded by the flash. After seeing the photo, Scoop leads an angry mob of townspeople outside to confront the “alien”, wrapping up the first act.

We return from commercials with a garbage truck scooping up the contents of the dumpster and driving off with them, including Leonardo. April pleads with Scoop to not get caught up in the furore, but he believes this will be his ticket to the big time. Scoop leads the angry mob who pursue the garbage truck in their own pick-ups.

Not joining the hunt is Doctor Davens, a man with a traditional cowboy get-up and an uncharacteristic accent that would seem to befit a Germanic mad professor type. Once the mob has left, he departs in his truck, intent on beginning his own pursuit.

Leonardo emerges from the debris at the local dump and is contacted by April via Turtlecom. She reveals that the townspeople believe he’s an alien, and plans to meet up with him to find a way out of this predicament.

Things briefly take a surreal turn as Leonardo is seen fending off various giant vegetables, including falling peas and an enormous angry pumpkin with a face, before it’s revealed that this was a nightmare being experienced by Splinter. Upon waking, he tells the Turtles that they must find Leo and April immediately, and that “they were heading for a rural town somewhere upstate”. (He just knows this somehow, sensei powers and all that jazz.)

April waits by the road for Leonardo to arrive in the Turtle van, but instead encounters a UFO – from our perspective, clearly a helicopter with a ring-light attached to it – that captures her. Leo emerges nearby, noting that he’d recognise April’s scream anywhere, much as Donnie did a few episodes back in “Beyond the Donatello Nebula”.

Before Leonardo can investigate April’s disappearance, the angry mob of locals arrive and chase him up a tree. He uses his ninja skills to escape to a nearby barn, kicking down hay bales to deter the group before fleeing once more.

After an encounter with an angry bull, Leonardo falls into the back of Billy Jim-Bob's truck. The young man helps our hero to lose the angry townsfolk, and later provides him with a pizza, figuring that he’s “seen E.T. eleven times, [he knows] what aliens like to eat!” Billy Jim-Bob reveals to Leonardo that the alien spaceship frequently appears near the farm of Doctor Davens, and so the two head off there to investigate further. Back in New York City, Leo, Mikey and Raph take to the Turtle Blimp and begin their journey to find Leo.

Doctor Davens takes a captive April into his lab, explaining that the UFO was a distraction to keep the locals from learning of his “agrigenic research”. He goes on to use his machine’s ray guns to increase the size of the produce as a demonstration. Davens intends to become wildly wealthy by selling the giant veggies. April points out that this will decimate the town’s farming community and the environment, but he remains unrepentant as act two ends.

The final part of the episode opens with Leonardo arriving at the lab and peering through the window before being spotted by Davens. The scientist opens fire on the crops nearby, causing them to grow and forcing Leo to act quickly as he tries to escape. Leonardo takes to the helicopter and flies off, pursued by Billy Jim-Bob in his truck.

Still wandering around in the Blimp, the Turtles contact Vernon (via a Turtlecom/radio connection) at Channel 6 and try to get a lead on where April might be. Vernon goes out of his way to be unhelpful, declaring that even if his co-worker is in trouble, “she knew the job was dangerous when she took it”. Burne steps in, and while he has no love for the Turtles, he reveals that April was headed for High Falls.

Despite being tied up, April is able to activate the lab’s vita-ray beam gun, causing the creation of giant vegetables that generate pandemonium in High Falls. Enormous vines catch the helicopter-UFO, forcing Leonardo to once more take refuge in Billy Jim-Bob's truck. The vines eject both driver and passenger from the truck before Leo’s team-mates arrive in the Turtle Blimp.

Davins taunts April, pointing out that her attempts to scupper his plans have failed, the giant plants now about to destroy High Falls. Donnie, Mikey and Raph arrive in the Turtle Blimp to stop him, and bizarrely Leonardo gives a speech about how the villain will wind up going to jail, despite his character not even being present. The Turtles are soon captured by more overgrown vines, but Michaelangelo is able to thwart the escape of Davins by using his grappling hook to power up the beam gun. Giant vegetables grow around the truck that Davins attempts to flee in, pinning him in place.

Leonardo arrives in Billy Jim-Bob's truck, freeing both April and the other Turtles. The group head outside to find Davins crawling out from underneath some colossal pumpkins, bemoaning the fact that his own produce betrayed him.

Later, Billy Jim-Bob and Scoop watch as the Turtle Blimp floats over High Falls. Scoop is devastated to learn from Billy Jim-Bob that they never were aliens, but were newsworthy in their own right as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The Turtles return to the Lair, where Raphael whips up a UFP – Unidentified Flying Pizza – in Leonardo’s honour. After Michaelangelo suggests it could use some vegetables, Leo is quick to make his exit.

“Unidentified Flying Leonardo” hinges on the idea that in the world of the Turtles – where by this point, multiple aliens have showed up in New York City to cause chaos and a big talking brain from Dimension X routinely appears on TV to declare he’s taking over the world – there’s still somehow ambiguity about the existence of life on other planets. I suppose if anything, the many wild events covered by Channel 6 over the last four seasons would only serve to make people that much more paranoid. Initially I assumed that the residents of High Falls were being portrayed as so backwards that they don’t even know of the Turtles and their exploits, but the closing scene with Scoop suggests otherwise. At the same time, no-one had any clue who Leonardo was upon seeing him outside the diner earlier, so make of that what you will.

Up to this point, we had been conditioned as viewers to expect a grand finale and climactic battle between the Turtles (with Splinter) and Shredder to conclude each season and set things up for the following year. The initial mini-series in 1987 ended with the Technodrome being sent into Dimension X. Season two’s “Return of the Technodrome” had Krang bring the rolling fortress back only for it to be forced down to the Earth’s core. Finally, The Big Trilogy would conclude with Krang’s revived headquarters colliding with a floating asteroid, now back in Dimension X. This year we get no Shredder or Krang at all, and instead are presented with an uncharacteristically sedate story about Leonardo running around in corn fields. It’s certainly... different.

Going further, “Unidentified Flying Leonardo” feels far removed from what we’ve come to expect from Turtles not just in terms of season finales, but from the series in general. Not only does the story largely unfold outside of New York City, but much of the early goings are more restrained and less wacky than we’re used to, with a good deal of the first act in particular revolving around April’s interactions with Scoop and the other residents of High Falls. Even the villain of the day, Doctor Davins, is less fanciful than usual, intent only on getting rich rather than world domination. I don’t hate it, but I get the sense that there’s a reason this was left until the very tail end of the season, one final adventure to go out on a cold December morning once everyone had stopped paying attention.

Given what an oddity this episode is, I doubt it will shock you to learn that none of the characters introduced here – Billy-Jim Bob, Scoop Oliver or Doctor Davens – will ever make a second appearance. To use them again would probably require at least acknowledging this odd little excursion to High Falls, and it’s hard to imagine the producers of the show being willing to go back to this particular creative well.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles season four ends not with a bang, but with... well, not a whimper, but more of a dignified murmur. We leave the green teens here, at the tail-end of 1990, as an international phenomenon, with Turtlemania now at its height. When Turtlethon resumes for season five, we’ll begin to examine what happens when there’s nowhere left to go but down.

[wu-sisyphus-gang]

Motion Sickness Chapter 48

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It was a cold long ride to Atlas. Cold. And long. I said nothing to the pilot and he said nothing to me. I just sat with my luggage on my lap in the back of the plane. I had nothing but my thoughts to keep me company as I got closer and closer to my home kingdom.

I sat and worried. What if the General didn't let Ruby and the others join Ozpin? My fears weren't as dissuaded as I wanted them to be.

The worst part was I was an overthinker. I over-thought about it the whole way there. It was an eight hour flight, no less. And I had nothing but depressing thoughts to keep me awake and aware.

"Atlas ground control to unidentified vessel. Please identify," came through the radio.

"This is XTR-niner-niner-ought-two. Callsign ought-five-six-six-niner-eight. We've got Weiss Schnee onboard. Requesting permission to land."

"Granted. Did you say Weiss Schnee?"

"Affirmative."

"We roger that XTR. We'll have company waiting for you."

We came in low over the floating city and swept in for a landing near Atlas Academy.

The plane hovered to a stop and descended. With it descended my stomach. I was alone and hundreds of miles from Ruby.

The back of the ship opened. I stood with my things and departed at once.

"Weiss? You're alright." An even voice availed me.

It was my sister surrounded by armed robots and waiting near the airstrip. She was as tall as ever with crystal blue eyes and snow-white hair.

My sister sounded relieved.

"Winter." I acknowledged. "It's good to see you again. I've got a special message for General Ironwood. It's urgent."

"For Ironwood?" She asked. "What could you possibly need to talk to him about? Weiss the general is a busy man-"

"It's about the maidens. And the relics. He'll make time for it. I am sure," I hedged a working bet. My sister was in a position to know about Ozpin's secrets. I was willing to bet that she did, now that I knew myself.

The only beings within earshot were machines and they'd never tattle on us to anyone. Winter's eyes widened with something like shock.

"Oh. Then you must come with me immediately." She led the way into the academy. "How do you know about the relics Weiss? And the maidens?"

"Ozpin told me. But like I said I have to talk to Ironwood. I have a message for him. It's the only reason I took the ship ride here."

She swiped a key card on one of the doors and led me all the way to the headmaster's office. I'd been there before. I knew the way. It was back from when I considered Atlas Academy as an alternative to Beacon and I was given a tour of the place.

"General, my sister says she has an urgent message for you. It's why she came. It's about the relics and maidens."

The general turned to look at me. He looked as I remembered. Maybe a bit more grey hair. The stress of Beacon afflicted him, giving him a bit of Marie Antoinette syndrome. He was tall and half metal with a long sleeve over his metal side.

He was sharply dressed as I'd ever seen him. His arms were crossed behind his back, looking crisp.

"I'm supposed to tell you the 'king has castled.'" I told him. His face shifted. Growing at once more interested from confused.

"What? Where?" He demanded.

"Back in Argus with Qrow."

"Ozpin and Qrow…" he murmured. "I'll send a ship there immediately. What's the status of the relic of knowledge?"

"We don't know. We think Salem has it," I answered. "Leonardo Lionheart turned on us. He betrayed Ozpin to Salem."

"That's terrible news." The general steepled his fingers.

"The relic here is safe though, isn't it? Ozpin was worried about this one next."

"It's secure." He said so quietly I had to strain to hear him. "What about the spring maiden?"

"She fell. Cinder Fall, the new fall maiden became the new spring maiden. She's very powerful now."

"That's even worse news."

"Yes… sir, about my friends with Ozpin… will you allow them into the country?"

"They know about the relics and maidens as well?"

I nodded crisply. I felt almost like I was a young girl talking to my father. It was frightening.

"Then it can't be helped." He nodded. Lights on his implant flickered. "You did well to bring me this information. We'll see about getting you set up in a room within the academy. You should rest easy, now. I'll handle things from here."

I exhaled a sigh of relief.

"There's more, sir." I began. He'd begun to turn his attention away from me and hesitated. "We were betrayed by a student too. Ozpin suspected he was a sleeper agent. A man named Jaune Arc. I'm not sure if that matters to you but it's something to be aware of. He's the one with the relic of knowledge. We think he's bringing it to Salem. He's very dangerous. I also have the identities of two more of Salem's agents. A Tyrian Callows and Hazel Rainart, I have their fighting styles, weapons, and a description of them both."

"You've been through a great deal…"

"No more than anyone else since Beacon's fall and Black-Out day," I dismissed.

"Even still I had hoped to keep people as young as you out of the conflict. I wasn't so successful myself. You know Penny Polendina."

"It became a necessity. Ozpin was out of options after he died. He's in a body called Oscar now. And yes sir, I know her. She's alive?"

He smiled and nodded. "You can tell Winter about Salem's agents. It's good to hear from Ozpin. I'd been worried. I must arrange for his and Qrow's extraction," he phrased it like a kind of order and I had to resist the urge to give some kind of salute. My own military background having been raised in Atlas at the forefront of my mind.

"And my friends." I interrupted. It was a bit of a sticking point for me, I overcame my desire to salute and intruded anyways.

"Yes, of course," Ironwood agreed. He seemed to sense my anxiety about it. His voice was unusually gentle.

"Come with me Weiss," Winter said. "I'll tell you about the winter maiden and the staff of creation, if that's alright, sir?"

Ironwood dismissed us with a curt nod and Winter snapped off a salute before gently pulling me away.

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Winter led me beneath the school to the vault. There the staff of creation hung and suspended with it was the massive chunk of earth and ice the city floated on top of. "So the staff is what keeps the city floating? I always thought it was dust."

"That's the official story. But Ozpin showed the previous headmaster how to use the staff to levitate the city."

"How's this possible?" I was still tired from the flight but I had energy enough to be amazed at one of the relics in action.

"The staff is an unlimited source of power. Although it's limited to one task at a time. It and it's vault are set up in a circuit with the engines to help the city hover."

"That's amazing. It costs nothing and keeps the city safe. The relic of knowledge was similarly incredible."

I was able to look out and see gondolas on guide wires to the lower city.

"Oh?"

"It allows the user to ask any question of the lamp. Only three questions every one hundred years. We're afraid of what Jaune will do with it."

"Your friend who turned on you?"

"Yes." I breathed. "It's been hard."

"How are you holding up with that knowledge?"

"It's been difficult. My best friend was in love with him. Is in love with him. His betrayal came out of nowhere."

"Are you sure the rest of your friends can be trusted? You were rather insistent that your teammates join us here."

"I trust my teammates with my life."

"As you trusted this Jaune?"

"As Ozpin trusted Leonardo. Mistakes happen," I defended.

"Leonardo was a coward," Winter turned her nose up. "You could smell it on him."

I walked up and pressed a hand against the vault. The staff of creation was a beautiful object. A blue crystal wreathed in gold and mounted on a pillar of bronze, it was gorgeous. I'd only gotten a glimpse at the relic of knowledge but it was similarly intriguing.

"My teammates aren't cowards. And neither was Jaune. He was obsessive. That was his downfall."

"You defend him in this?"

"My partner and I think Salem did something to him." I stepped away from the crystal of the vault.

"Your partner who is in love with him?"

"That's right," I was adamant. "I know it sounds crazy. I know it sounds like an entangled mess of emotions but there are things about it that don't add up. Inconsistencies in his betrayal and personality which make no sense. I believe in her. I believe in him."

"You're right. It does sound like an entangled mess."

I glared at my sister. "Jaune was obsessive and one day he was killing and dying for us and the next he was turncoat."

"Traitorousness is the hardest to wrap our minds around because it often comes from those we least suspect. Betrayal is by its very nature unexpected."

"Maybe. Do you want to hear about Salem's other agents?"

"You've yet to give me a description of Jaune Arc."

"Tall, blonde, and muscular, blue eyes and about six-foot-one, maybe six-foot-two. He uses a broadsword that can turn into a shield with a longsword."

Winter sighed. "Weiss…"

"His semblance is called Limit Breaker. It's a charge which let's him elevate to a form where he is stronger and faster. He can do all manner of things with the charge. Fly, for example. And spend it on an attack or movement."

"Weiss it sounds like you, too, are muddled in this."

"I'm doing alright."

"Are you?"

"I-" I hesitated. "I liked him. As a person. The personality he developed. Who he became. The sacrifices he was willing to make for us. I got comfortable. It took me by surprise. Caught me off guard. He used to fancy me and I always felt like a good judge of character. He changed between Beacon and when I saw him again. I liked what I saw in him."

"And your friend?"

"She's hurting but we can get through it together."

"It's as I said. You're ensnared. You're too close to the issue. You need to look at things dispassionately."

"I don't know if I can do that with this. Could you do it if it was someone you cared about?"

"I have my duty," Winter insisted.

"Easy for you to say now." I sounded tired to my own ears. I didn't believe Winter. Maybe she never let herself get close to someone. It would be easy to do if you never had to try, I suppose. "I thought I'd be able to do it too. Now that it's happened to me it's clear that I can't. I have to stand with my partner."

"You're in pain."

"That's life." I pulled at my ponytail and tightened it.

"I hate seeing you like this. It sounds like you're not letting it go."

"I can't release it that easily. Jaune had a partner who died. He talked about getting revenge for her against the agents of Salem. We even talked about how he wanted to be able to let go for her. I think I understand what he meant now."

"I see. You're unwilling to compromise on this issue."

"I am." I agreed. "If time heals all wounds then I need more time."

"Tell me about the other agents of Salem."

"You already know of Cinder, the spring and fall maiden. She fights with glass and dust woven into her clothes. She's incredibly dangerous. Even before she added the spring maiden's power to her own. Jaune fought her before then. His power made him nearly as lethal."

"We have records of her. You keep coming back to Jaune."

"He's intertwined in my story," I dismissed easily. "Tyrian Callows is a scorpion Faunus. He fights with clawed submachine guns. His aura is purple. I fought him at Haven. His eyes are gold and his hair is brown. Hazel Rainart is eight-foot, maybe taller. He fights with his fist and by infusing himself with dust. He has brown hair and brown eyes."

"Do you know either's semblance."

"When I fought Tyrian I didn't catch it. Ozpin said Hazel's was a pain-numbing agent. It allowed him to infuse himself with more dust than your average person could tolerate."

"You've been through a lot since you left father's estate."

"You have no idea. You mentioned the winter maiden."

"I did."

Winter led me back through the Atlas Academy. We arrived at a medical facility. We passed armed guards, security cameras, and robots. A door slid open before us and she gestured inside. I followed her direction and looked down through what I could only assume was a one-way mirror.

"This is Fria."

She pointed down at a woman in a cot. There was a sink and kitchenette in the room as well as two tubes with cables between them.

"She's the winter maiden." I identified.

"She is. She could pass any day now.  Until that happens I'm the only person she's allowed to see."

"Then Ironwood's chosen you. You'll be the new winter maiden. Cinder will come after you."

"You believe she won't stop at two?"

"She didn't stop at one. Why would she slow down now?"

"I suppose…" Winter mulled that over.

"How long have you known?"

"Since Beacon fell."

"And that doesn't bother you? Ironwood groomed your entire military career just for the purpose of becoming a maiden. Don't you feel like you never had any choice? And you want to lecture me about things getting muddled? Jaune mentioned to me that Ozpin was probably looking at me and my team to be maidens and it set off red flags for me. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right. My team and I are ideal candidates. Powerful, talented, and already armed with knowledge."

"It did bother me at first. But the more I thought about it, the more I saw it as a privilege. It's a chance for me to do some real good for Atlas, for Remnant."

"I think you're ensnared by the general. Closing the borders down rather than helping the rest of the world, what is he thinking?"

"I-I'm not sure if I'll be allowed to tell you. There is a greater plan in play, I assure you, Weiss. Things are not as short-sighted as they may seem."

"I should hope not. Ozpin said he was worried for Ironwood next. If Ironwood starts going against Ozpin's orders things will be bad to say the least. Closing the borders is only frustrating things between Atlas and the rest of the world. Ironwood had better have a plan, and it had better be a damn good one."

"I'll see about getting clearance to talk about it with you."

"Thank you."

"I agree with the general's plan. I hope that you will too. Now I must ask what you intend to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're in Atlas. You're a huntress and from the sound of things you're never going back to live under father."

"Never again. No," I said, quiet but sure.

"So what will you do?"

"I'll do what my team and I have been doing. Protecting and serving the people of Remnant."

"How?"

"There's bound to be no shortage of jobs for those of us in the know. The Grimm are always coming. Salem's agents are at the gates at all times. My team and I have seen them. Those real monsters of humanity."

"You won't go back to school?"

"If I went back to school it would only be to teach. And even then…" It wouldn't be anytime soon. I wanted to fight.

"That would be a good career choice for you." Winter smirked.

I nodded. "For now, though, I just don't see it."

"Very well. I'm sure the general will be happy to have you and your team aboard."

"I'm sure he will be. Team RWBY is a force to be reckoned with."

pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq

-WG

[snoftshell-snurtle]

strongly agree with the recs you've already given! i would add:

any episode written by misty taggart. she's my absolute favorite.

any episode with a fly pun in the title. that storyline is remarkably good and often well-animated.

"cowabunga shredhead" -- shredder accidentally downloads michelangelo's personality into his own brain. hysterically funny and a good one for michelangelo's character!

"unidentified flying leonardo" and "snakes alive" -- these ones made me sit back and mutter damn, this leonardo's got anxiety for real! it's fun to watch him flail before engaging Heroic Leader Mode once more

"bye bye fly" -- this one has a rough start re: ~primitive cultures~ but bear with it. there's a fabulously nonsensical transmogrifying ray, an adorable (well-animated!) aquatic fight scene, and good examples of teenage turtle problem-solving.

"the ice man cometh" -- speaking of teenage turtle problem solving. my notes on this one are "they're stupid. god bless". also a good episode for bebop and rocksteady!

"bebop and rocksteady conquer the universe" -- WOE! ANXIETRON RAY BE UPON YE! the turtles are adorable, and krang and shredder are hilarious in this one.

"donatello's badd time" -- essential watching for the donatello scholar imo. the turtle van gets stolen out from under him. he lies like a rug to the rest of the team and goes dashing off to fix this by himself.

"pirate radio" -- michelangelo "if it's too loud, you're too old" ninja turtle gets evicted from the lair with his boombox by cranky sleep-deprived turtles. shredder hijacks a radio show with mind control technology and instantly lets the fame go to his head. donatello has a slap-fight with a radio. overall excellent episode

"nightmare in the lair" -- donatello makes a helmet that lets the turtles experience their wildest dreams in 3D technicolor holographic wonder! but watch out -- a freddy kreuger parody is trying to trap turtles in Nightmare Land so he can escape to reality. lots of great dream sequences, michelangelo in peril, turtles and splinter feeling protective of one another.

"sleuth on the loose" -- this one introduces my personal favorite side character, april's aunt aggie: a middle-aged detective in a pink suit whom the turtles regard with total awe. she drags raphael along on her investigation and it is so fun to watch Cool But Rude raphael attempt to interact with this lady whose good opinion he desperately wants. ma'am are you sure you want to ride the skateboard. ma'am. also the technology is complete and utter nonsense in this episode, more even than usual.

Hiya! I’ve recently started watching 87 tmnt (out of order, but so far haven’t run into any issues with that), and I was wondering if you had any specific episodes you’d recommend? Whether it’s because it’s got really good writing or it gives a good understanding of a specific character or it’s just generally enjoyable - whatever the reason may be, I’d be interested to hear. So far it’s been a really fun time and I’m excited to keep watching!

Ohhh! Ok. So let’s see… you definitely want to watch the 1st season, it’s only 5 episodes. I think I’m gonna recommend too many here… But!

Splinter No More

The Big Blow Out (has my favorite Brains and Brawn moment) though you may need to watch the previous episode or two since this is a season finale and you might be a bit confused

(Enter the RatKing, Enter the Fly, Return of the Fly, Invasion of the Punk Frogs, Leatherhead Terror of the Swap, 50 Foot Irma, Casey Jones Outlaw Hero, Yusagi Yojimbo, Michelangelo Meets Mondo Gecko, Raphael Meets his Match (Mona Lisa), Slash the Evil Turtle from Dimension X, all seem like good episodes since you see these characters in other iterations.)

The Making of Metalhead (I really like this one)

Take Me To Your Leader, The Four Musketeers, Leo vs Tempestra, Leonardo Lightens Up, Beware the Lotus

Splinter Vanishes

Cowabunga Shredhead

The Big Cufflink Caper

Donatello’s Duplicate, and Night of the Dark Turtle (also the episode with Triceratons)

Dirk Savage Mutant Hunter, Combat Land, Invasion of the Krangazoids, Shredder Triumphant

I love a few of the Red Sky episodes like Cry H.A.V.O.C! And Cyber-Turtles! But they do attempt more of a serialized story here. So I would watch from the beginning.

-

There’s a bunch of other episodes I want to see like Raphael Knocks Them Dead, Back to the Egg, Adventures in Turtle Sitting, Michelangelo Meets Bugman, Enter Mutagen Man, What’s Michelangelo Good For, BugMan, Planet of the Turtloids part 1&2

-

I’ve referenced The Ninja Sword of Nowhere, Raphael Turtle of a Thousand Faces, and I plan to reference Donatello Makes Time, sort of in a future chapter

@iztarshi @snoftshell-snurtle @yellowhollyhock @pumpkinpie59

In case you want to add some ideas!

[thecomicsnexus]

TMNT #1-4 DECEMBER 2001 - JUNE 2002 BY PETER LAIRD, JIM LAWSON AND ERIC TALBOT

SYNOPSIS (FROM TURTLEPEDIA AND COMIC VINE)

A Fugitoid makes its way across the moon in leaps, passing by Tranquility Base and marveling at how it has stood the test of time. It meets up with an Utrom, and the two discuss their plans to finish completing a large craft and bring these "guests" that they have with them.

In a New York City alley, the Ninja Turtles face an all too familiar scene - carapaces against an alley wall while a street gang - this time, the Madhattan Maulitia - have them cornered. While the four of them are more of a match for the fifteen dullards in the Maulitia, the Turtles decide to take the rooftops as soon as possible to gain some distance between them and their foes. After a moment of reflection, they head on their way, only to find they are less safe than they had hoped, as the Maulitia has somehow followed them up with snowmobiles. After trouncing the Maulitia up on the rooftops and heading back down, Donatello comes across a snowmobile all on its lonesome and steals it. Michelangelo tries to get Don's attention for a ride in the treacherous snow, but his brother doesn't hear him and Mike slips and falls in the street. Moments later, he's hit by a bus, and a costumed character named Magnrok finds him, carrying him into an alley calling someone in to pick him up.

Meanwhile, Don rides the snowmobile into a subway and loses control, crashing it through a wall, where he finds an old, abandoned armored truck.

April and Casey head out to a fertility doctor, while Shadow trains with Metal Head. After their sparring session, Shadow worries about the outcome of the appointment. Splinter dismisses it as the impatience of a teenager, but Shadow has a premonition that big things are in store for the entire world.

Michelangelo wakes up in an ambulance to find paramedics working on him. He freaks out and tries to escape, but the paramedics warn him not to open the door. Mike pays no heed to them and does so anyway, instantly falling out and finding that the ambulance is flying. Michelangelo holds on to a handle to prevent himself from falling, but he is still dizzy and injured and loses his grip. Fortunately, a flying superhero, Raptarr, happens to be in the area and catches Mikey as he passes back out. Raptarr returns him to the ambulance.

Leonardo and Raphael return to the lair, with Raph complaining about how cold he is. Leo turns up the heat and offers to make Raph some hot chocolate, and discuss The Jones' decision to try for a child of their own. Leo then asks if they should look for their brothers, they haven't seen since the scuffle with the Madhattan Maulitia. Raph declines due to the weather and suggests Mikey's having the time of his life in the snow anyway.

Mikey wakes up again, this time strapped to a hospital bed. A woman on a video screen insists he stay put, but Mike just wants to get out of there. The woman says he's free to leave as long as he checks out at the front desk, and that his effects are in a nearby closet. He wonders aloud why the staff hasn't freaked out due to him being a mutant turtle. It is at this moment that Mikey sees that the patients at this hospital are a little out of the ordinary, consisting of various costumed adventurers and non-humans.

A Doctor Singh approaches Michelangelo with some orderlies and tells him he needs to return to his room. Mikey refuses and begins to fight with the orderlies, before they are interrupted by a man approaching in a wheelchair - the Turtles' old friend Pat, aka Zippy Lad of the Justice Force. Pat takes charge of Mikey and lets Singh and the orderlies be on their way, explaining to the turtle that he is in Kurtzburg Memorial Hospital, a special hospital for aliens, heroes, mutants, and other oddities, and one of only three places like it in the world. Pat happens to be on the hospital's board of directors and saw Mike come in while he was at a budget meeting, and vouched for him. Pat convinces Mike to get back in bed and rest up.

Back at the lair, Donatello rushes in, excited, and coaxes Casey and Raph to follow him to a discovery he's made. Leo stays behind so he can watch Junkyard Wars in peace. Don leads Raph and Casey to the abandoned armored truck he'd found, and the three of them examine the vehicle, taking notes of what would need to be cleaned and fixed to get it running again, and finding the moldy corpses of some apparent robbers inside, including a skeleton in the back wearing 1970s garb and still holding onto a gun. Don and Casey leave to get some batteries and cleaning supplies, leaving Raph to bemoan being stuck there with the "dead guys".

Shadow leaves for a clandestine rendezvous with her boyfriend Jay, while Splinter worries for her safety in the snow. When she meets up with Jay, she suggests that they go to the Jones Farm and warm up by the fireplace, but he reminds her that it's supposed to be abandoned and the last time they were there, someone called the police on them. Instead, he pesters her about going back to her place and meeting her "famously reclusive grandfather", which she turns down.

Meanwhile, on the moon, the Utroms accomplish another phase on their mysterious plan.

In the jungles of Venezuela, a research team discovers a strange life form. Meanwhile, in the Big Apple, Casey, Raph and Don get the abandoned armored car running, much to the dismay of the local New Yorkers. Master Splinter and Shadow are enraptured by the television coverage of an invasion of Unidentified Flying Objects.

The Utroms finally reveal themselves to the word in a very public display. Karai fantasizes facing the turtles in battle while her aid keeps her updated on the news about the alien arrival. After watching the tv coverage of the Utroms Michelangelo and Raphael decide to get a closer look when the stumble on a mysterious robot in the sewers.

REVIEW

As I mentioned before, the Archie TMNT comic was my gateway to the world of comic-books. But because of the indie nature of the Turtles, their comics were really hard to get from outside of the US.

As a result, collecting them was frustrating, and in any case, getting all of them was futile. It wasn’t until around 2005, that I started getting TMNT comics for real.

At the time I started with colored collected editions (First), and eventually this and Tales came up, as those were being published at the time. As a result, I got almost all of the issues for both series. I was really impressed, not only by the story, but also by the interaction of Peter Laird with the fans, and how he would keep us up to date with his life. Eventually I started watching the 2003 cartoon (also, not something I had access to at the time it was broadcasted) which was heavily influenced by Peter Laird, and some of its concepts would appear in Tales.

This is a very long story, that as far as I know, it’s incomplete and there is little hope for it to be ever finished. I do hope at some point Peter Laird takes advantage of that “18 issues a year” deal he made with Viacom and make it happen.

While both, Eastman and Laird were fans of Jack Kirby, it is very obvious in this run that Laird may have been even more. Case in point, the “Kurtzberg” hospital sequence. It’s not gonna be the last time we see Kirby inspired things in the book.

When the book starts, we get the idea that there was a time jump since the last time we saw these characters (1995), but when I saw Shadow so grown up, I realized how much time really passed. I mean, the turtles are technically still teenagers, compared to how much turtles live. But they are kind... 30 now?

Perhaps the most significant thing about this run is the Utrom non-invasion of Earth. Whenever I think of Laird’s writing, my mind goes back to this story. The way he looks at sci-fi is very positive (especially considering that the Alien visit happens right after 9-11). In a way, his writing is very similar to that of Jack Kirby, who would often dedicate pages to concepts and ideas that would make life cooler.

Jim Lawson is back, and luck us, he is being inked (and toned) by Laird and Talbot.

Perhaps the main problem with this title is the pacing of the story. As the book is bi-monthly, it takes forever for a ship to land on Earth (7 months). This is not unusual in indie comics, but it makes the first issue a bit uneventful.

I give these issues a score of 8.

[catbowserauthor]

TMNT 30 Day Challenge Day 9 Least Favorite Episode of Favorite Series

Again, since I like 2003 and 1987 equally, I’ve opted to include an episode from each. I’m well aware there are episodes that may, writing wise or character wise, be worse but I decided to focus on personal dislike.

For the original series, it doesn’t get worse for me than “Donatello’s Badd Time.” Even when I was a kid, I despised this episode. It’s odd because I suspect there are many who think other episodes that had even sillier premises would be worse but for me, if I can’t enjoy the characters, the episode is a dud.

These “hillbilly” villains...I cannot tell you how much they utterly annoyed me! I’m not even entirely against stereotyped characters if they can be fun. Case in point, they use the “hillbilly” stereotype again in “Unidentified Flying Leonardo “ but that character was fun, pleasant and humorous. These...well, there was nothing of substance to them.

I feel like they really mistreat Donatello’s characterization in this episode. He comes across as incompetent and to some extent, unintelligent—neither of which he is. So with villains I can’t stand and misuse of a popular turtle, this one I skip on a regular basis and as far as I’m concerned for my fanfics, this episode never happened.

Now for 2003, my choice is quite different in that the characters are used well, the plot actually has thought to it and it does have a good message.

I don’t like “The King.” I can practically hear all the comic fans screaming in anger, given it was written as an homage to Kirby but I’m sorry, I HATE this episode. I admire its intent and like I said, all the elements are there but...I can’t stand it.

Why? I truthfully couldn’t tell you. The writing is solid, characterization is good and the message, while slightly sad, is excellent. However, when I think of this episode, I can only think “Boring.”

Yeah, that’s really all I can say...this episode fails to entertain me. The others, even when the quality was slacking, still entertained me. This one does not.

Eh, maybe it’s just not my thing...

[ilovebeingaturtle]

“Unidentified Flying Leonardo” for the first one, and “The Big Rip Off” for the second one!

Tired of hiding my truth, 87!Michelangelo has middle child energy and I’ve never been able to and never will see him as the youngest like that’s just factually wrong I’m sorry

[chiseler]

Aliens Are Invading Ecuador!

Leonardo Paéz

It’s fair to say that if you had listened attentively to Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of War of the Worlds from beginning to end on the night of October 30th, 1938, there is very little chance you would have been fooled into believing a Martian invasion was underway. As it did every week, the broadcast opened with the usual Mercury Theater on the Air theme music and a clear announcement that week’s show would be an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ novel War of the Worlds. This was followed by Orson Welles’ introduction (also standard), setting the tone for that evening’s entertainment. Once the show got underway, Welles himself quite unmistakably played several characters in the drama. There was a commercial break in the middle with more announcements reassuring listeners that went they were hearing was a dramatization of the classic science fiction story. And the second half of the show was of a completely different nature than the first (though the ending is undeniably creepy).

Most listeners, however, did not listen attentively from beginning to end. Welles’ genius in designing the show the way he did was his deep understanding not only of human psychology (he was tapping into the anxieties haunting a population preoccupied with the inevitability of the coming war), but his understanding of listener behavior as well. In most households the radio was on in the background as listeners talked to one another, washed the dinner dishes, took care of the kids and generally went about their business, listening with half an ear at best. Moreover, a lot of people tended to spin through the dial during commercial breaks, just to see what else was on. Most important of all from Welles’ vantage point, in that more innocent time people believed what radio newscasters told them, because they’d never been given reason to doubt it.

At the time, the Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy show was the most popular program on the air, drawing a much larger audience share than Mercury Theater. Welles knew exactly what time the Bergen show took its first commercial break every week, so chose that precise moment for the Martians to land in Grover’s Mill, New Jersey. All those Charlie McCarthy fans missed all that introductory clarification, and while spinning the dial were dropped right into the middle of a tense news bulletin about an alien invasion. Then all hell broke loose.

Or something approximating “hell,” anyway. To be honest, the nationwide panic that’s become the stuff of legend wasn’t nearly so widespread and wild-eyed as we’ve been led to believe. Yes, an alcoholic in New York was poised to kill himself and his family before the cops assured him it was just a silly show, an already unbalanced woman in Indiana was prevented from swallowing poison rather than die in a cloud of poison Martian gas, a farmer in Jersey shot up a neighbor’s water tower after mistaking it for a Martian machine, and tens of thousands of people across the country called their local radio affiliates and police precincts to find out just what the hell was going on, but that was about it, really.

True to form, the extent of the panic would be exaggerated by not only the media, but Welles himself in the days and years to come.

It was a different story eleven years later when another radio adaptation of Wells novel, following the Mercury Theater model, was broadcast in Ecuador on February 12th, 1949,.

Let me back up for just a moment. In 1944, William Steele, one of the principal writers on the popular radio series The Shadow (also starring Welles), translated the Mercury Theater War of the Worlds script into Spanish and sold it to a Chilean radio station. When the show was broadcast later that year it had much the same effect on listeners as the original, even being blamed for the death of an electrician, who reportedly died of a fear-induced heart attack.

Four years later in late 1948, Eduardo Alcaraz, the dramatic director at Radio Quito, one of the largest radio stations in Ecuador’s capital city, took the Chilean script and adapted it further, changing names and locales to make them more Ecuador-Specific. He then bounced it off the station’s art director Leonardo Paéz.

Now, Paéz, in his early thirties at the time, was already a national celebrity. Along with being a radio producer, reporter, actor and general on-air personality, he was also a noted poet, playwright, novelist and singer/songwriter. He was well familiar with the effect the broadcast had in the US and Chile, and took it as clear evidence of the power the medium held over people. It was their primary information source, and so they believed what they heard. It seemed fertile ground for a harmless little prank. Yes, he was definitely on board for this, and thought they could even top what Welles had done. The pair then set about scheming to scare the pants off the people of Ecuador, all in good fun.

Later, Alcaraz would insist he begged Paéz to follow the lead of both the American and Chilean broadcasts by clearly announcing beforehand the show was merely a dramatization of a classic story,. Paéz, he said, was having none of it, arguing the inclusion of disclaimers would ruin the prank. In fact Paéz took it one step further. The previous summer, a pilot named Kenneth Arnold spotted a group of UFOs near Mt. Ranier, spawning a flying saucer craze that swept the US before quickly spreading worldwide. The radio station was housed in the same building as El Comercio, a daily newspaper, and in the weeks before the planned broadcast Paéz began priming the pump by planting fake news stories about local flying saucer sightings in the pages of the paper.

At nine p.m. on the night of Saturday, February 12th, 1949, a regularly-scheduled live music program was interrupted without warning by a special news bulletin announcing an alien spaceship had landed in Cotocollao, a small town about eighty miles to the north of Quito. With no disclaimers to assure them, and already a little jittery from all those recent UFO sightings in the news, people fled into the streets in a blind panic.

On the show, Paéz, playing himself, sped to Cotocollao to offer an on-the-spot report. Shortly after he arrived, he announced a long, green arm had emerged from the ship. A moment later one of Ecuador’s most popular celebrities was vaporized by an alien death ray live on the air. This didn’t help matters, as thousands of people tried to make desperate arrangements to escape the city. The streets became jammed with cars and hysterical, screaming people.

Meanwhile, the president of Ecuador was out of town at the time, so some unidentified government official ordered the police, the Red Cross, and fire brigades to converge on the town of Cotocollao to offer what help they could to those survivors of the alien attack.

As the show rolled on, actors playing real public officials (including the Archbishop of Ecuador!) offered terrified statements of moral support and announced still other alien ships had landed elsewhere in the country.

(As a quick sidenote, in 1938, a Mercury Theater actor who did a dead-on FDR impression was supposed to make an “official presidential statement” concerning the national emergency as part of the broadcast, but in reviewing the script beforehand, station management nixed the idea, saying there was no legal way you could get away with claiming the actor really was FDR. Obviously no such rules were in place in Ecuador.)

Back on the broadcast, the military, it was said, had engaged the alien invaders in Latacunga, some twenty miles to the south of the capital, but had been decimated when the aliens unleashed a deadly cloud of poison gas.

As the panic in the streets grew more violent, word of what was happening outside eventually filtered back to the radio station. The station managers, recognizing they were in trouble, cut the show short, going on the air to announce the whole thing had been a hoax.

Well, this didn’t help matters. Now instead of being terrified of invading aliens with death rays and poison gas, people were fucking pissed at having been played for suckers by a dumb radio show, and reacted in the natural human way.

Forming themselves into the traditional angry mob, they stormed to the El Comercio building and, after a bit of screaming and rock throwing, set the building ablaze with over a hundred people still inside. A handful, including Paéz, were able to sneak out the back door, but many were trapped on the top floors, a few leaping out windows to escape. Fire trucks arrived, but the growing mob wouldn’t allow them to get close enough to the building to douse the flames. At last the military was ordered in, using tear gas to disperse the angry mob so the firemen could get to work.

(There are also unsubstantiated claims the police were nowhere to be found either because they were just as pissed as everyone else and didn’t give a good goddamn what happened to those lying assholes at the radio station, or they were still up there in Cotocollao looking for aliens.)

Even now accounts differ. Some say six were killed, others ten, still others fifteen, with scores of others injured in the carnage. Whatever the specific number, several people were killed in the fire, including Paéz’ nephew and girlfriend.

Ten radio station employees were arrested that night, with a handful of others rounded up in the days that followed, charged with inciting a public panic. An official investigation was launched, and immediately the finger pointing began. The station managers insisted they had been kept in the dark about the whole thing. The involved actors insisted they were simply reading the scripts they’d been handed. Alcaraz insisted it was all Paéz’ doing. Sure, Alcaraz may have written the script, but if they’d done it the way he wanted with clear disclaimers, none of this ugliness would have transpired. And Paéz was nowhere to be found. Eventually all the charges were dropped.

Legend has it that Paéz himself, hiding in the back of a truck, escaped to Argentina that fateful night. He supposedly remained in hiding there for the next six years until he learned he’d been cleared, and he never again returned to Ecuador.

In a 2017 interview with journalist Jim Wyss, however, Paéz’s daughter Ximena says that’s not exactly true. She said Paéz went into hiding, yes, but never left Ecuador. He was exonerated in three months, not six years, and continued to work in Ecuador afterward, winning a number of theatrical awards. He did eventually move to Argentina in 1955, but then only because he wanted to send his kids to better schools. He died in 1991 at age eighty, and according to his daughter, to the very end he was mighty proud of the work he’d done on War of the Worlds.

by Jim Knipfel

[corkybugger]

Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program

- by HELENE COOPER, RALPH BLUMENTHAL and LESLIE KEANDEC

- A video shows an encounter between a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet and an unknown object. It was released by the Defense Department's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. WASHINGTON — In the $600 billion annual Defense Department budgets, the $22 million spent on the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program was almost impossible to find.

Which was how the Pentagon wanted it.

For years, the program investigated reports of unidentified flying objects, according to Defense Department officials, interviews with program participants and records obtained by The New York Times. It was run by a military intelligence official, Luis Elizondo, on the fifth floor of the Pentagon’s C Ring, deep within the building’s maze.

The Defense Department has never before acknowledged the existence of the program, which it says it shut down in 2012. But its backers say that, while the Pentagon ended funding for the effort at that time, the program remains in existence. For the past five years, they say, officials with the program have continued to investigate episodes brought to them by service members, while also carrying out their other Defense Department duties.

The shadowy program — parts of it remain classified — began in 2007, and initially it was largely funded at the request of Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat who was the Senate majority leader at the time and who has long had an interest in space phenomena. Most of the money went to an aerospace research company run by a billionaire entrepreneur and longtime friend of Mr. Reid’s, Robert Bigelow, who is currently working with NASA to produce expandable craft for humans to use in space.

On CBS’s “60 Minutes” in May, Mr. Bigelow said he was “absolutely convinced” that aliens exist and that U.F.O.s have visited Earth.

Working with Mr. Bigelow’s Las Vegas-based company, the program produced documents that describe sightings of aircraft that seemed to move at very high velocities with no visible signs of propulsion, or that hovered with no apparent means of lift.

Officials with the program have also studied videos of encounters between unknown objects and American military aircraft — including one released in August of a whitish oval object, about the size of a commercial plane, chased by two Navy F/A-18F fighter jets from the aircraft carrier Nimitz off the coast of San Diego in 2004.

Mr. Reid, who retired from Congress this year, said he was proud of the program. “I’m not embarrassed or ashamed or sorry I got this thing going,” Mr. Reid said in a recent interview in Nevada. “I think it’s one of the good things I did in my congressional service. I’ve done something that no one has done before.”

Two other former senators and top members of a defense spending subcommittee — Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican, and Daniel K. Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat — also supported the program. Mr. Stevens died in 2010, and Mr. Inouye in 2012.

While not addressing the merits of the program, Sara Seager, an astrophysicist at M.I.T., cautioned that not knowing the origin of an object does not mean that it is from another planet or galaxy. “When people claim to observe truly unusual phenomena, sometimes it’s worth investigating seriously,” she said. But, she added, “what people sometimes don’t get about science is that we often have phenomena that remain unexplained.”

James E. Oberg, a former NASA space shuttle engineer and the author of 10 books on spaceflight who often debunks U.F.O. sightings, was also doubtful. “There are plenty of prosaic events and human perceptual traits that can account for these stories,” Mr. Oberg said. “Lots of people are active in the air and don’t want others to know about it. They are happy to lurk unrecognized in the noise, or even to stir it up as camouflage.”

Still, Mr. Oberg said he welcomed research. “There could well be a pearl there,” he said.

In response to questions from The Times, Pentagon officials this month acknowledged the existence of the program, which began as part of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Officials insisted that the effort had ended after five years, in 2012.

“It was determined that there were other, higher priority issues that merited funding, and it was in the best interest of the DoD to make a change,” a Pentagon spokesman, Thomas Crosson, said in an email, referring to the Department of Defense.

But Mr. Elizondo said the only thing that had ended was the effort’s government funding, which dried up in 2012. From then on, Mr. Elizondo said in an interview, he worked with officials from the Navy and the C.I.A. He continued to work out of his Pentagon office until this past October, when he resigned to protest what he characterized as excessive secrecy and internal opposition.

“Why aren’t we spending more time and effort on this issue?” Mr. Elizondo wrote in a resignation letter to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Mr. Elizondo said that the effort continued and that he had a successor, whom he declined to name.

U.F.O.s have been repeatedly investigated over the decades in the United States, including by the American military. In 1947, the Air Force began a series of studies that investigated more than 12,000 claimed U.F.O. sightings before it was officially ended in 1969. The project, which included a study code-named Project Blue Book, started in 1952, concluded that most sightings involved stars, clouds, conventional aircraft or spy planes, although 701 remained unexplained.

Robert C. Seamans Jr., the secretary of the Air Force at the time, said in a memorandum announcing the end of Project Blue Book that it “no longer can be justified either on the ground of national security or in the interest of science.”

Mr. Reid said his interest in U.F.O.s came from Mr. Bigelow. In 2007, Mr. Reid said in the interview, Mr. Bigelow told him that an official with the Defense Intelligence Agency had approached him wanting to visit Mr. Bigelow’s ranch in Utah, where he conducted research.

Mr. Reid said he met with agency officials shortly after his meeting with Mr. Bigelow and learned that they wanted to start a research program on U.F.O.s. Mr. Reid then summoned Mr. Stevens and Mr. Inouye to a secure room in the Capitol.

“I had talked to John Glenn a number of years before,” Mr. Reid said, referring to the astronaut and former senator from Ohio, who died in 2016. Mr. Glenn, Mr. Reid said, had told him he thought that the federal government should be looking seriously into U.F.O.s, and should be talking to military service members, particularly pilots, who had reported seeing aircraft they could not identify or explain.

The sightings were not often reported up the military’s chain of command, Mr. Reid said, because service members were afraid they would be laughed at or stigmatized.

The meeting with Mr. Stevens and Mr. Inouye, Mr. Reid said, “was one of the easiest meetings I ever had.”

He added, “Ted Stevens said, ‘I’ve been waiting to do this since I was in the Air Force.’” (The Alaska senator had been a pilot in the Army’s air force, flying transport missions over China during World War II.)

During the meeting, Mr. Reid said, Mr. Stevens recounted being tailed by a strange aircraft with no known origin, which he said had followed his plane for miles.

None of the three senators wanted a public debate on the Senate floor about the funding for the program, Mr. Reid said. “This was so-called black money,” he said. “Stevens knows about it, Inouye knows about it. But that was it, and that’s how we wanted it.” Mr. Reid was referring to the Pentagon budget for classified programs.

Contracts obtained by The Times show a congressional appropriation of just under $22 million beginning in late 2008 through 2011. The money was used for management of the program, research and assessments of the threat posed by the objects.

The funding went to Mr. Bigelow’s company, Bigelow Aerospace, which hired subcontractors and solicited research for the program.

Under Mr. Bigelow’s direction, the company modified buildings in Las Vegas for the storage of metal alloys and other materials that Mr. Elizondo and program contractors said had been recovered from unidentified aerial phenomena. Researchers also studied people who said they had experienced physical effects from encounters with the objects and examined them for any physiological changes. In addition, researchers spoke to military service members who had reported sightings of strange aircraft.

“We’re sort of in the position of what would happen if you gave Leonardo da Vinci a garage-door opener,” said Harold E. Puthoff, an engineer who has conducted research on extrasensory perception for the C.I.A. and later worked as a contractor for the program. “First of all, he’d try to figure out what is this plastic stuff. He wouldn’t know anything about the electromagnetic signals involved or its function.”

The program collected video and audio recordings of reported U.F.O. incidents, including footage from a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet showing an aircraft surrounded by some kind of glowing aura traveling at high speed and rotating as it moves. The Navy pilots can be heard trying to understand what they are seeing. “There’s a whole fleet of them,” one exclaims. Defense officials declined to release the location and date of the incident.

“Internationally, we are the most backward country in the world on this issue,” Mr. Bigelow said in an interview. “Our scientists are scared of being ostracized, and our media is scared of the stigma. China and Russia are much more open and work on this with huge organizations within their countries. Smaller countries like Belgium, France, England and South American countries like Chile are more open, too. They are proactive and willing to discuss this topic, rather than being held back by a juvenile taboo.”

By 2009, Mr. Reid decided that the program had made such extraordinary discoveries that he argued for heightened security to protect it. “Much progress has been made with the identification of several highly sensitive, unconventional aerospace-related findings,” Mr. Reid said in a letter to William Lynn III, a deputy defense secretary at the time, requesting that it be designated a “restricted special access program” limited to a few listed officials.

A 2009 Pentagon briefing summary of the program prepared by its director at the time asserted that “what was considered science fiction is now science fact,” and that the United States was incapable of defending itself against some of the technologies discovered. Mr. Reid’s request for the special designation was denied.

Mr. Elizondo, in his resignation letter of Oct. 4, said there was a need for more serious attention to “the many accounts from the Navy and other services of unusual aerial systems interfering with military weapon platforms and displaying beyond-next-generation capabilities.” He expressed his frustration with the limitations placed on the program, telling Mr. Mattis that “there remains a vital need to ascertain capability and intent of these phenomena for the benefit of the armed forces and the nation.”

Mr. Elizondo has now joined Mr. Puthoff and another former Defense Department official, Christopher K. Mellon, who was a deputy assistant secretary of defense for intelligence, in a new commercial venture called To the Stars Academy of Arts and Science. They are speaking publicly about their efforts as their venture aims to raise money for research into U.F.O.s.

In the interview, Mr. Elizondo said he and his government colleagues had determined that the phenomena they had studied did not seem to originate from any country. “That fact is not something any government or institution should classify in order to keep secret from the people,” he said.

For his part, Mr. Reid said he did not know where the objects had come from. “If anyone says they have the answers now, they’re fooling themselves,” he said. “We do not know.”

[williammount]

Unidentified Flying Leonardo

We breakdown this "alien" invasion.

New Podcast In A Half Shell!

[bloggmylyf]

It’s pretty cool when you find an Easter egg on a Blu ray or hidden within a movie, but it’s even more fascinating when you uncover mysterious messages buried in famous works of art. Some of the secrets on our list remained undiscovered for over half a millennia Including a hidden musical score, A mysterious object floating in the sky, And one famous composer’s tribute to a clandestine worldwide organization. Here is our list of the top seven secrets hidden in famous art works.

 7: The Secret of The Last Supper

Leonardo DaVinci was a man of many talents. He was an Inventor, Architect, Scientist, Sculptor and of course an Artist. But there’s one more talent, DaVinci is known for which may have been hidden in one of his most famous works The Last Supper and that talent was music. In 2003 Giovanni Maria Paula Discovered that if you draw lines of Musical staff across the painting, to correspond with the positions of the hands of the Apostles and loaves of bread, you uncover a melody that had remained secret for over 500 years. At first the music didn’t make any sense but after remembering that Leonardo wrote music right to left, Giovanni reversed the score. You see, Leonardo wasn’t the only one who could hide things in great art.

6: The Secret Diagram

Michelangelo’s the Creation of Adam is one of the most iconic images in human history, depicting the book of Genesis scene where God breathed life into Adam through his fingers obviously because a painting of the Lord Almighty going mouth to mouth with Adam may have been a little risque for the walls of the Sistine Chapel. But in 1990, an american physician, Dr. Frank Meshberger, noticed something familiar about the area surrounding god. What is that weird shape that the Lord seems to be crowd surfing out from? Meshberger noticed that the border of the area behind God corresponds precisely with a side profile cross section of the human brain. Here’s the pituitary gland, the frontal lobe, the vertebral artery, the spinal cord, the pons, the Sylvian fissure, and the brain stem and if you need further evidence, then consider the fact that at the age of 17, Michelangelo was a passionate anatomy student who dissected corpses from his local church graveyard to study and that alone will get you on some sort of watch list so maybe don’t judge that kid in your class who likes to play with roadkill because he could be the world’s next great artist.

5: Evidence of Ancient Aliens?

Take a look at this image of Dominical Gillan Diyos painting “The Madonna with Saint giovannino” and see what catches your eye immediately;

is it the attractive lady in the center perhaps it’s the baby with the low-slung slacks trying to give her a high five while the other angel baby checks out his Jillian Michaels physique, that kid is more ripped than I’ll ever be, or maybe the first thing you noticed was the strange object hovering in the sky and the dude below it wondering what the heck it is. There are a number of paintings which depict unidentified flying objects in the sky but geelen deals is one of the most startling due to its prominence in the reaction of the guy on the right. He’s looking at a disc-shaped object which seems to be shining brightly while stepped out in a strange array of Spears, what on earth was Gil and I Oh trying to show us or maybe Earth isn’t the proper word to use .

4: A Message for the Pope

this is Michelangelo’s “The Prophet Zechariah” and it was painted in the Sistine Chapel in 1512 during the reign of Pope Julius the second. Now to say Pope Julius wasn’t everybody’s favorite is a bit like saying people thought the new Ghostbusters 3 trailer looked a little crappy. Julius the second was known as “papa terrible” and you can translate that for yourself but Michelangelo wasn’t a fan either and it’s believed that he painted Zechariah in a way that closely resembles Pope Julius. Now that’s not particularly insulting is it, sounds like quite a nice gesture actually until you realize one of the two babies sat behind Zechariah is making a little gesture of its own. See the thumb poking out between the middle and index fingers, well the Pope didn’t and nor did the Vatican due to it being placed so high up in the chapel but if they had they would have seen a little baby making a gesture known as the fig which is an ancient way of saying and let me get this translation right,

*clearing throat* “F*** You.”

3: Mona Lisa’s Secret

So we already know that Leonardo DaVinci likes to hide musical scores in his work but what secrets could possibly remain hidden in the Mona Lisa, one of the world’s most famous pictures of someone being forced to smile on picture day. Many theories have been thrown around regarding the layout of the picture, such as the idea that Mona Lisa was pregnant due to the arrangement of her hands, that she may have been a prostitute due to her lack of facial hair and when the image was analyzed by a doctor he noticed the Mona Lisa may have been suffering from a tumor in her right eye, a tumor davinci clearly must have noticed so did he tell her? And that’s not the end of it because there’s even more to this picture than meets the eye literally, by magnifying her right eye you’ll see the letters “LV” appear probably a signature but the left eye shows “CE” so whose signature is that? On the bridges arch there’s the number “72” and beneath the painting itself the number “149” is hidden away. We are able to view to Vinci’s previous attempts at the painting through layer amplification technology which is how we know about the number “149” and also how we know there’s a whole other painting of a completely different woman underneath. So who is she and what do all those letters and numbers mean? Davinci, not the type of guy to put those things there for no reason so if we don’t know yet probably going to take us another 500 years to figure that one out.

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2: The Purial Portrait of a President

This is a portrait of former President Bill Clinton which hangs in the Smithsonian Natural portrait gallery and its artists Nelson shanks has admitted that hidden within the painting is a reference to one of the most shocking moments of Clinton’s presidency. See the dark shadow on the mantle of the oval office just over bill clinton’s right shoulder, this shadow came from a mannequin which shank snuck into the Oval Office whilst painting the backdrop when Bill Clinton wasn’t there, the mannequin was covered with a blue dress similar to the one worn by monica lewinsky when she most famously helped the president find his lost contact lens over and over and over. And Shanks claims that this shadow is a metaphor for the stained legacy of Clinton’s time in the Oval Office. Makes you wonder which other famous presidential portraits of secrets hidden within them. Does Theodore Roosevelt have a teddy bear in his pocket?>>   or is he just happy to see you?!

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1: The Mysterious Musical Maestro

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This is a painting of classical composer wolfgang Amadeus Mozart when he was just 6 years old The painting was created by Pietro Antonio lorenzoni in 1763 but did you know that the way Mozart is depicted hints at his membership of the world’s most secretive Society, the mysterious Freemasons. It is well known that Mozart became a Freemason later in life but does this painting indicate his involvement from a much earlier age? A hand hidden within the shirt or jacket pocket is believed to be an indication of one’s dedication to the Masonic cause and whilst many of his later works do allude to his devotion to Freemasonry, it would be quite shocking if he had been indoctrinated from the age of 6…!

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7 SECRET Messages Hidden in Famous Art | Da Vinci Code | Secret Society It's pretty cool when you find an Easter egg on a Blu ray or hidden within a movie, but it's even more fascinating when you uncover mysterious messages buried in famous works of art.

[whattraintracks]

Guess who started thinking about this again. I may or may not have written a literal essay last night. I'll start by reblogging these incredible tags, thanks for the inspo you two. See y'all later today with that essay.

@iztarshi:

#yes!#it's not even that he gets anxious *about the others* when he's alone#he is just straight up scared#turtle whose courage depends a lot on having his team behind him#he has so much faith in them!#also Leonardo the Rennaisane Turtle#as another episode where he falls apart immediately on his own#and April is playing turtle emotional support all episode

@snoftshell-snurtle:

#iirc he IMMEDIATELY snaps back to Hero Leader once he acquires one (1) teammate (guy with truck full of hay)#he's like a sheepdog. he needs a flock to look after. even a one-man flock will do.#1987

In the 1987 tv series Leonardo is a good leader and team player but "Unidentified Flying Leonardo" demonstrates that alone he is an on-fire trainwreck of a teenage mutant ninja turtle. In this essay I will

[whattraintracks]

My Time Has Come

In finishing TMNT 1987, I realised a few things, rewatched some episodes, realised a lot more things, and this is the product. As iztarshi mentioned, "Leonardo, the Renaissance Turtle" is another fabulous example of our Fearless Leader straight up scared, as is a personal favorite of mine, "Snakes Alive!" The moral seems to be do not leave your Leonardo alone. Until I remembered in both "Take Me to Your Leader" and "Leonardo Versus Tempestra," he's on his own for a large chunk of the action and seems fine. That's odd. Let's check the timeline.

S3 E15 - Take Me to Your Leader

S4 E35 - Leonardo Versus Tempestra

S4 E41 - Unidentified Flying Leonardo

S5 E17 - Leonardo, the Renaissance Turtle

S6 E13 - Snakes Alive!

Oh, snap. I know the numbers are different depending on where you look, but as far as I can tell, the order is always the same. That's unexpectedly consistent. Let's write that essay now, shall we?

In "Take Me to Your Leader," Leonardo leaves the team behind. He's having horrible nightmares about them all getting hurt because of his own failures. A combination of sleep deprivation, stress, and paranoia leaves him pretty out of sorts and clumsy, which only adds to his feelings of inadequacy, and he's caught in a feedback loop until he decides to leave the lair for good. Once he's out on his own, he's certainly dejected but truly seems to believe the team is better off without him. That is, he's not afraid for the guys or about being on his own. The reason he turns around is that the bridge he wants to take out of town collapses with the snow Shredder and Krang's latest scheme has generated, and some dude accidentally guilt trips into taking responsibility for stopping them. He returns to the team, they rally, make a plan, and save the day. Go Green Machine. When he saves Michelangelo and Raphael, he quips about knowing they'd get into trouble without him, which is not true but, okay, Leonardo, whatever you say. In the closing scene, he tells Master Splinter he learned that duty comes before his doubts. These are super important to remember as we move forward.

Again in "Leonardo Versus Tempestra," he leaves the team behind when he sneaks out to an arcade by himself. He's a little manic about beating Tempestra's Revenge, but he's not afraid. Yet. Even when Tempestra escapes the game, he's just confused. He doesn't get scared until he realises she's a threat. Cam Clarke uses this particular tone for Leonardo when he's scared, and it comes out pretty quickly in his fight with Tempestra once he realises, "Oh, I've screwed up. I'm about to die, the world is about to end, and I am alone." He frantically calls the others for help. Tempestra thwarts his efforts, and Leonardo watches as his teammates are trapped. At this point, you might expect to find him paralysed with fear, but he turns around to face her as cool as a cucumber. He calmly negotiates, taunts her, and makes jokes to the camera. You could argue that just talking to the other turtles was enough to settle him, but I'd think, given how poorly he perceives they handled themselves without him in TMtYL, he should be more freaked out now, not less. Now he's got to save them, himself, and the world! That's a lot for one turtle. But Leonardo holds Tempestra off single-handedly, makes a plan to save them all, and, with April's services as a taxi, jets off to take her down. Except for when April drives them off a cliff, his scared voice doesn't reappear. Pretty impressive for a turtle who, a handful of episodes later, will be shaking in his nonexistent boots in a cornfield.

So, clearly, something happens between LvT and UFL that exacerbates Leonardo's anxiety astronomically. What life-shattering, traumatising event occurs between these two episodes? "Splinter Vanishes." That's right, Leonardo and his team, his family, all still teenagers mind you, spend two weeks fending for themselves after their Sensei and guardian abandons them and tells them they must leave home and each other. It's significant that, once again, Leonardo leaves. He's the one who convinces everyone to listen to Splinter's last instructions. It's not the first time he's left knowing it might be permanent, but this situation is very different from TMtYL. After being separated from his support system and thrust into adult life with no warning or help, Leonardo gets attacked by Leatherhead and sent plummeting to his death. Given the events of this episode, I'm pretty sure his cool-as-a-cucumber Hero Leader attitude is a facade specifically crafted to fill the other turtles with confidence. He is so cocky when he unexpectedly shows up alive to save the other turtles. But just like in LvT, his teammates are in serious trouble and can't help him, so not only does he feel responsible for bringing the villain(s) of the week to justice, but he probably feels like he needs to be brave for them. It's those lessons he learned in TMtYL over and over again.

Splinter returns, and the mean, green team is back together. But Leonardo continues to break my heart when he asks, sounding oh so nervous and small and young, "Are we together? Master?" Because Leonardo still trusts him so much. Is still willing to obey even when it actively hurts him, actively hurts his brothers, because Splinter will always be their Sensei, right? Even if he doesn't want them, even if he leaves, Leonardo will remain loyal to his Master's instructions.

I get Splinter’s intentions, I do, and this was all pretty typical Splinter stuff. I'm definitely getting too emotionally invested in a children's cartoon, but gosh dang it, that episode has always made me so sad. Like, Splinter, they're kids. If you want to lure the Rat King and Leatherhead out into the open, let the boys in and tell them. It's not enough to say after that it was pretend and you were watching all along, they needed that reassurance and security two weeks ago. And Raphael voices this exact concern. But no, Splinter wanted to, what, let them experience what it was like to be apart? Appreciate how vital it is that they remain together? No. No! Do you know what you did, Master Splinter? You ruined a perfectly good ninja turtle, is what you did. Look at Leonardo, he's got separation anxiety! Splinter is not allowed to teach any more lessons in togetherness.

You guys, I went into this thinking there'd be some mildly interesting connections to make. I did not think I would be adding "Splinter Vanishes" to the list of reasons why Leonardo needs professional help, and all of these turtles are massively traumatised. Oh my gosh, you guys. I was over here thinking his fight with Tempestra must have been so traumatising it screwed him up for at least the next two seasons, which is still possible, but oh my gosh, immediately after that episode is "Splinter Vanishes"???? No wonder Leonardo freaks out on his own. TWO WEEKS. I'm going to sob.

Okay, alright, let's look at the next few episodes and see if this holds.

Given Leonardo's trust for Master Splinter remains intact, it makes sense that he accepts Splinter's directive to go after April on his own in "Unidentified Flying Leonardo," but it's also not surprising how quickly he breaks down. He's left the team behind plenty of times now, but this is the first time he's left them since SV. Some freaky stuff happens in the aforementioned cornfield, but unlike LvT, there aren’t any actual threats before he hits his breaking point. He generally seems okay until he gets lost, and this is where Clarke breaks out the scared voice. We can look back and see that a lot of Leonardo's confidence in LvT and SV does come from being on his home turf, but that still doesn’t seem like a serious enough threat to warrant how panicked he is. Unless we consider that in his mind, getting stranded and being unable to contact his family is most certainly a threat worthy of panic after the events of SV. So yeah, when he calls for help and discovers he’s out of range, everything goes downhill. He jumps to conclusions, his flight instincts overwhelm his discipline, he's off-balance, and he makes sloppy mistakes. As he's being chased by an entire town with vehicles, he doesn't think to take April's van and drive it away, instead he hoofs it across multiple fields. Like TMtYL, he's stuck in this loop of panic and paranoia and just wearing himself out. Thankfully, @snoftshell-snurtle is 100% correct. Billy Jim Bob McJames (the guy with a truck full of hay) saves Leonardo's life, feeds him some pizza, offers him information, and agrees to drive him wherever. With that, Leonardo is back to his Hero Leader cool-as-a-cucumber self. Once the other guys show up, he's even able to come up with a plan, and together they stop the bad guy.

Overall, the pattern I'm noticing is Leonardo is alone, he identifies a threat, he calls for help, and his call goes unanswered for some reason or another. Before SV, the unanswered call doesn't deter him, and he shoulders the burden himself. After SV, he falls apart until he gets the support he needs. That's not to say he does nothing. But unlike LvT, where his goal the whole time was to stop Tempestra and save the guys and all of his actions and planning were to support that goal, in UFL, he spent most of the episode just trying to survive until help arrived in the form of a compassionate stranger. Getting stuck in survival mode is very much a product of trauma he's experienced. Yes, the stuff with Tempestra but more significantly from being abandoned by Splinter and stranded from his team.

I really liked rewatching "Leonardo, the Renaissance Turtle" with all this in mind. With this new robocop LEX, the turtles are getting pushed out of the crime-fighting business. This freaks Leonardo out, who, since TMtYL, really relies on having this specific purpose in his life. The other turtles, however, are thrilled, and they leave him. Every time he's been alone before, it's been an active decision on his part, even in SV, he was reluctant, but it was his choice. Clarke doesn't quite break out the scared voice yet, but it's a close thing. Some time passes before we see Leonardo again. He's just barely avoided getting stuck in survival mode since he's stayed in familiar territory and thanks to April, as @iztarshi put it, playing turtle emotional support (feeding him, keeping him company). But he's clearly stressed, perhaps depressed, and certainly paranoid. He's reached the stage where he's accepted that his team is gone, and whatever happens, he'll have to handle it on his own. Leonardo's paranoia unfortunately pays off as LEX threatens him and April, and this is the point where he enters survival mode and, interestingly, restarts the pattern.

Unlike previous episodes, this particular pattern or sequence of behaviors from Leonardo is disrupted and repeated multiple times in this episode. In the first instance, Leonardo is metaphorically alone in his assessment of LEX as a threat to their work but really to his own perceived purpose and identity, and his call for help is him trying to get the others to agree, but they are dismissive and then leave. Compare this to LvT, where they initially dismiss his concerns but quickly come around, and Leonardo is reassured they're safe and would help him if they could. Compare also to UFL, where he thinks the others don't know where he is and that he's in danger. April provides as much support as she can, but the cycle is only ever complete once the team reunites and removes the threat together, and this doesn't happen. So, like the stages of grief, Leonardo bounces between them until he can reach a resolution. Now Leonardo is physically alone, LEX is a physical threat to his well-being, and when he calls for help, their comm system is down. He does get a hold of Raphael and Michelangelo, but again they're dismissive of his concerns, and he accidentally breaks the connection in his distress. Firmly in the survival stage, Leonardo is off-balance, clumsy, and unable to think straight. Now would be a really good time to get some support, but even that blows up in his face. So he calls for help again, but all he gets is Donatello's jarringly cheery voicemail greeting. Finally, Clarke breaks out the scared voice. Despite everything he's gone through, it took this long, which makes sense, given we’re in season 5 now. He's likely gained some coping mechanisms, but not enough to avoid the panic completely.

Leonardo's continued efforts to get help and protect himself are impeded, and his scared voice keeps getting worse as he descends further and further into panic, but he keeps going because he can't do anything else. At this point, the other turtles finally realise something is wrong and come back just in time to find . . . that Leonardo has actually resolved the threat on his own. This diverges entirely from previous episodes! It's so remarkable Donatello literally remarks on it. April has been his cheerleader all episode, but even she's surprised and impressed. We don't go completely off script, in the closing scene, Splinter and the guys reaffirm to Leonardo that he is skilled and capable beyond the niche he's created for himself in the team. His initial concerns and the perceived threat to his identity and usefulness and all that good stuff are resolved, as they always are, together. Still, this marks a turning point for Leonardo and segues nicely into the last episode I want to look at.

Unlike previous episodes, in "Snakes Alive!" the primary threat isn't the villain but Leonardo's snake phobia and his loneliness is a product of hiding his fear from the team. He's still hanging on to that lesson from TMtYL that the guys depend on him to lead, so he's not honest with them about his fear and instead tries to distract them and spends most of their time together dragging his feet. But it’s hard to hide that you're terrified when your scared voice creeps out every time someone mentions snakes, and you can't even say the word without a voice crack. The others aren't used to seeing Leonardo in survival mode like this and are understandably confused. He passes out, gets separated from the team, flings himself out a window, and rams into April's van in a panicked haze. When he comes across another threat with April and Vernon unrelated to snakes, we see the progress he made in LtRT, and he confidently handles it on his own. Checking back in with the guys, we find Michelangelo a little hopeful they'll be saved, but Donatello convinced Leonardo won't be able to. Interesting that here and in LtRT, Donatello seems to have the least faith in Leonardo's ability to resolve things on his own. But neither does Leonardo, who, even after speaking to Master Splinter, is despondent. The plot is thankfully saved by a bunch of kids who call him a chicken and later by the villain who claims snakes are superior to turtles in every way, which snaps him out of paralysis both times. Much like LtRT, he's too panicked to really come up with a plan, so he just brute forces his way to save the guys. Donatello is again quite shocked Leonardo did it by himself. The minute he's reunited with them, all is balanced and well with the universe, and he thinks up a plan to save the day. He doesn't seem to be afraid of the snakes anymore, but the closing scene makes it clear the fear is not totally gone, just assuaged when he's with his team. Leonardo is always going to do his best to be their Fearless Leader, even if he's not a fearless turtle.

tl;dr In the episodes examined above, Leonardo exhibits similar behavioral patterns whenever he is alone and threatened. This pattern is disrupted and reshaped by various traumatic experiences and thus makes an excellent marker for how he changes as a character throughout the series.

In the 1987 tv series Leonardo is a good leader and team player but "Unidentified Flying Leonardo" demonstrates that alone he is an on-fire trainwreck of a teenage mutant ninja turtle. In this essay I will