#and he purposefully isolated himself because he doesnt trust others after being betrayed

[zanguntsu]

sorry to talk about iv again but shin is soo guy to me

[halfshelled]

I have been waiting for this moment my entire life... How do the boys function as a team? And does anything that Draxum says to them actually affect their team dynamic?

BOI

i have been thinking about this for ages get ready for the ramble of your life

the boys in the Draxum AU have extremely tense and complicated relationships, especially when they’re with Draxum but hopefully i can put them into words well enough here SO

im gunna start with the actual team dynamics for when they’re on missions/in training and then go into more personal interactions

for ease of reference since donnie isn’t a fighter raph, leo, & mikey will be referred to as The Soldiers and i’m gunna put this under a read more because its gunna be LOOOONG

OFF WE GO!

Donnie doesnt go on missions or train with his brothers. he did when they were younger (they all started extremely young, like roughly 5-7 years old) but once he showed not only an interest in but an extreme aptitude for mechanical and biomystical science he stopped training and instead draxum took him under his wing as a lab partner/apprentice. the praise and pressure from draxum towards donnie was the first big wedge driven between the brothers

The others were taught how to fight individually before Draxum began having them spar with each other and eventually allying himself with Big Mama for more intensive work fighting in the Battle Nexus

Raph is a defacto leader of the Soldiers since he’s the biggest (most physically imposing + raw strength) and the oldest (been training the longest). He doesn’t say much and doesn’t usually need to, quite literally following “actions speak louder than words”. He doesn’t see his brothers as competition quite the same way Leo does but rather takes great pressure on himself to be the strongest to protect them, whether they need it or not. His destructive power is the one thing he’s certain he’s good for but it’s driven a fear of hurting his brothers and a refusal to show weakness.

Leo falls in as a second in command but Draxum and Big Mama’s comments (direct in Draxum’s case and indirect in Mama’s) tend to undermine his ability compared to the others and foot him as the underdog nobody really believes can win. His specialty lies primarily in his agility and stamina, especially as his greatest chance in a fight against Raph. He’s extremely jealous of the other Soldiers and has a deep rooted inferiority complex towards them because of how often he’s put down as a drag on the other two, especially after the loss of his leg.

Mikey is happy to be the follower in the group despite clearly being Draxum’s favorite warrior. Mikey’s early cockiness and pure skill/intuition at besting the others in combat quickly led to him being separated from them during training as individuals. Draxum is extremely hard on Mikey during lessons and it’s burnt out a lot of his confidence. He’s got a perfectionism streak a mile long and it eats at him every time he feels he’s made a mistake, especially when he sees his older brothers all cover and take the fall for him.

Raph & Leo are constantly pitted against one another in sparring, far more so than either of them have been pitted against Mikey combined (though they are occasionally set up as a team against Mikey). They rarely talk to each other and they both see one another as reckless and selfish. Despite their pointed differences in combat styles, strengths/weaknesses, and personality they’re really rather similar at their cores but because of the rivalry Draxum’s set for them they can’t slow down long enough to see it. Both of them want to be better warriors to take care of the others and above all want to prove they’re worth something like they feel Mikey and Donnie have. They butt heads and have torn each other up pretty bad, but they’ve got to watch each others’ backs and have a silent pact to keep on eye on the other two. At the end of the day, they have an understanding of each other that begins rather shakily but grows incredibly strong after the boys escape to the surface.

Raph & Donnie do not get along. They weren’t particularly close as kids and the isolation of both of them from one another hasn’t helped, self imposed or otherwise. Some of the rare occasions they interact are when Donnie is testing some new invention/weapon or when they’re on caretaker duty for Lou Jitsu. Raph doesn’t trust Donnie half as far as he can throw him for numerous reasons (primarily his proximity/loyalty to Draxum and his opinion that D’s betrayed the Soldiers and thinks he’s better than the three of them). He only yields to Donnie’s demands to give him medical treatment when he’s too damaged to refuse or Draxum steps in to force Raph to sit still for 30 minutes and let Don work. Donnie on the other hand finds Raph’s stubbornness and tough guy attitude incredibly annoying since it’s an obstacle and he knows he’ll have to fix whatever Raph breaks, whether its an actual object or his arm again. One of the things they have in common though is that more often than not they’re going to be awake. They’re both the first and last ones asleep on any given day.

Donnie & Leo are fairly close despite not being able to interact often. Leo doesn’t see Don as competition and isn’t afraid to talk to Donnie about weakness or issues he’s having. Donnie finds trying to explain his process to Leo a good way to find issues in any places he gets stuck while working. It gives each of them a chance to be talkative even if just for a little bit out of the day. They confide in each other openly and since both of them strive for Draxum’s praise in differing fields they often provide one another with pointers to try and improve. They’re ideology and morality scales can make it hard for them to see eye to eye on some subjects and when they disagree they disagree hard and it puts both of them in a set of bad moods that rival tornado season thunder storms.

Donnie & Mikey don’t connect much but they’re never hostile. Sometimes Mikey’s high energy can rub Donnie the wrong way, especially if D’s extra sleep deprived. Donnie knows Mikey can get freaked out by all the medical stuff so he tries to explain it and lets Mike ramble because he knows it helps calm him down. A lot of their interactions are short and somewhat stiff since they don’t have as many opportunities to bond. Draxum expects highly of both of them and they have an unspoken bond over it, occasionally exchanging a few jokes about it to try and lighten one another’s mood and keep their collective mind off the stress. Like Leo & Raph, they end up becoming closer once they escape. They both shoulder a lot of confusion and anxiety about if it was the right thing to do and Mikey helps ease Donnie into the idea of starting from scratch while Donnie helps Mikey adjust to his newfound need for structure when they’re suddenly without any.

Mikey & Leo have one of those dynamics where they’re constantly exchanging quips and snarky responses. A pair of speedy acrobats, they tend to run circles around their oldest brother and together can drive Raph up a wall, especially when they decide to team up and take over a mission instead of listen to him. They do get along but it can be hard for them to be genuine with one another. Draxum’s instilled each of them with the belief that they aren’t on any sort of level playing ground together and they’re attempts at crossing the gap are awkward at best. It’s not uncommon for them to misinterpret one another’s kindness as patronizing and get into a spitting match over it. Leo’s intensely jealous of Mikey and Mikey often feels like Leo purposefully tries to exclude him. The duo can more or less be summed up in the phrase “it’s all fun and game until someone loses an eye” as they metaphorically street race one another at any given chance.

Mikey & Raph are extremely close in a similar way Leo and Donnie are. I’ve mentioned in passing before that Mikey tends to climb on Raph whenever he can get away with it and that it’s a security blanket act for the both of them. It’s a silent exchange of personal weakness between them. It’s a reminder to Raph that his brothers trust him to take care of them and not just fight for them while it lets Mikey be childish and solidifies his place as a member of the family in his own eyes. Mikey manages to get Raph to talk a little more/talk more freely about what’s on his mind and distracts him from all the weight on his shoulders as the protector. Raph meanwhile allows Mikey to be quiet or afraid when he needs to as well as indulging in his little brother’s need for physical affection. They help one another escape momentarily away from the need to fit in their roles and process their emotions, whatever they may be.