#nightwatcherraph

[side-shuffling-hyperfixations]

Now that I think about it we didn’t get much of Raph and don either right? I mean those two seem to get along the best Mikey and Leo rile Raph up a lot lol I mean I see what you are saying about Leo and Don they just aren’t my favorite dynamic lol

Yeah, I think since the Raph & Don and Leo & Don combos are more stable and steady, they weren't as much of a priority to explore. The Raph & Mikey combo provides more obvious humor and the Raph & Leo combo provides more obvious character building so the plot interest feels like it was focused more on those

[emeraldhazeart]

Oh hey thank you for following XD I am curious since you like tmnt 03 and Leo is your favorite I was wondering what’s your opinion on Raph how do you feel about him?

Hiya. Thank you so much for your ask 💚

Oh stars, I love all the 03 boys! Every one of them is just perfect, as far as I'm concerned. They will always be the version of the turtles, for me. 😅

This got long, so I've put it below a Read more 😅

I must admit, though, I didn't really vibe with Raph when I was growing up. You're right: Leo is my favourite, but in terms of personality, I'm much more like Donnie. So, I found it difficult to connect with the brash, "count on [him] to throw the first punch" Raphael.

That said, I've really grown to appreciate Raph as I've gotten older. Fanfic is always a powerful empathising tool for putting you into the mind of a character you might not have otherwise gelled with, and there are so many fantastic explorations of his character out there!

In addition, I guess my own worldview has evolved as I've grown wiser. So now, I'm much better able to see his hot headed temperament and gruff exterior for what they really are: Ralph's own unique way of expressing his love for his family.

I love how he's the Red Oni to Leo's Blue. I love how they're two sides of the same coin. I love how they each take up the mantle of the Responsible One™️ when the other is going through it. I love how there's no denying they love each other as brothers, even when they're at each other's throat.

I love how considerate he is of Donnie. I love how they've got this unique bond where they can come together and talk machines as equals. I can definitely see why they're often portrayed as twins in fanon.

I love how clearly the push and pull between him and Mikey is a way they show they care about each other. I love how ready Raph is to give Mikey outlets, even if he hides it beneath a frustrated growl and a slap on the back of the head.

I love how he seeks out Splinter for guidance in the rare moments when he's lost. I love how you can tell his Dad means so much to him, even if Raph will only ever say so through actions rather than words.

I love how Raph is always the first to jump to any of his brothers' aid. I love how it's clear that, even though he may talk tough, at the end of the day, his family is the most important thing in the world to him, and he's not afraid to show it. I love how his Number 1 priority is always and forever to his family.

(I know that seems a bit redundant - they'd all put their family first. But I feel like Raph is perhaps the only one that would choose to save his brother's over the rest of the world.

Leo would be bound by honour to do the Right Thing, Mikey's compassion wouldn't let him save his brothers over an innocent, and Donnie would be forced to choose the most logical option. None of them would like it, but they'd all feel compelled to act for The Greater Good, even if it meant sacrificing their family.

But Raph? I honestly can't see him making any other choice but his brothers. Sure, he'd lay down his life for them in a heartbeat, but to paraphrase the words of Amy Rose in Sonic 06, if Raph had to choose between the world or his brothers, he'd choose his brothers.

And I don't mean that in a negative way. It's an impossible Trolley Problem choice, and there are no right answers. I don't think Raph is any less noble for making the "selfish" choice. If anything, I respect him more because he would make that choice, and he'd defend it to the end.)

Wow, that got long, sorry 😅 I didn't realise I had that much to say about Raph. Then again, that's the beauty of the 03 turtles for you: they're such goldmines of exploration and characterisation 💚

[emeraldtortoiseshell]

During Leo’s ptsd arc what if instead of splinter it was Raph Leo lost control with and stabbed? 👀

...

That's not something I'd ever thought about before, but it raises some interesting questions.

We've seen how distraught Raph was when he almost lost it and hurt Mikey with a metal pipe. To have it flipped to be Raph on the receiving end would be an interesting alternative.

I think, immediately after it happened, there would be a stunned silence in the lair. Leo just staring at Raph with huge, unbelieving eyes. Raph staring back, more surprised than hurt. Donnie, Mikey and Splinter staring at them both in shock.

Then chaos would erupt. The others would rush to Raph's side like they did for Splinter. Raph would probably be trying to wave them off and convince them he's fine, because, let's face it, he's Raph :)

Leo's reaction would be different, I think. Attacking and hurting his Sensei gave him a jolt of realisation that he'd become someone he never wanted to be. Whilst I'm not saying that wouldn't happen if he hurt Raph, I think the incident would have pushed him further into his dark spiral, rather than bringing him up short.

03 Leo and Raph spar. A lot. Maybe not as often as other interactions, or as often as fandom likes to suggest. But they still fight. So, I think if Leo hurt Raph while fighting him, it would just reinforce in Leo's mind how much he's failing, and push him under even more. He'd get even angrier, even more judgemental of himself and everyone around him. And he'd be even harder to reach than before.

Raph, on the other hand, I think would understand. Sure, he'd yell at Leo for being an idiot. But he'd see the same pain in Leo that he saw in himself when he almost seriously hurt Mike. He'd understand.

Raph would probably go out of his way to reach Leo (once his family has patched him up and stopped hovering over him anxiously). He finally has a grasp on what Leo's going through, and he wants to help before Leo burns himself to ashes.

But Leo would close off, especially to Raph. They really would become the "fights all the time" brothers, now. Leo would keep pushing Raph away, and Raph would refuse to take no for an answer.

I think Splinter would still send Leo away. He'd go through the same recognition that Leo needs help that his family is too close to him to provide. Everything else would play out much the same.

Except.

When Leo finally finds himself again, he'd struggle to process his grief and guilt at having stabbed his own brother. The Ancient One would help him, just as I believe he helped Leo cope with the guilt over wounding Splinter. But this might go deeper even than that.

Raph is his brother. As much as Leo adores his father, he has a special bond with his brothers that transcends all else. So for him to seriously injure one of them would be an unforgivable sin to Leo.

I can see Leo being really awkward around Raph when they finally settle down in their new lair. Maybe he even outright avoids Raph. But Raph, in his usual way, won't stand for that.

He tracks Leo down and confronts him. They have another argument, but instead of a screaming match, it's Raph yelling at an unusually subdued Leo. Finally, Leo breaks and, with his voice cracking, apologises for almost killing his brother.

That pulls Raph up short. The fire goes out. The two of them stand there in silence. Leo's guilt is drowning him. He thinks there's no way he can ever make up for what he did. But then Raph collides with him, pulling Leo into a crushing hug, and in a voice full of affection, calls his brother a "moron".

Slowly, surely, their relationship as brothers starts to get fixed, only this time, it's stronger than before.

[kobbers]

Hey there! Since you are a Leo fan I wanted to ask. What’s your opinion on Raph? I mean in general but I will say for 12 07 and 03 since those ass my favs.

In general? I love Raph. His archetypal role tends to be one of my least favorites in ensemble casts: impulsive, moody bad boys tend to get on my nerves. I simply don't find their angst and lack of self control Cool or Relatable, no matter how tragic their past is to justify their antisocial behavior.

Raph's frustration, however, comes from a place I can easily sympathize with - his family is on their own and in constant danger. You often get the feeling that he'd like to be part of society in some way, but he can't and that's stifling! The result is a core drive to protect the small circle of family and friends he does have, no matter the cost.

Though the human world is too dangerous to interact with openly, Raph still sees humans as fellow People, and will readily intervene on their behalf. He leaps boldly into action in part because he worries that indecision and delay will give the enemy more time to cause harm (of course, he also finds combat fun and fulfilling, which may occasionally get him into trouble). He may grumble and complain, but at his core Raph is a helper.

My favorite versions of Raph are the ones where he and Leo are almost too similar underneath their wildly different demeanors. Their conflicts usually come down to how they want to approach their goal, not on which goal to approach.

In fact, there's an argument to be made that in D&D terms, my ideal Raph and Leo could both be cast as paladins, with Leo as Oath of Devotion (focused on honor and protecting the innocent) and Raph as Oath of Vengeance (focused on justice and punishing the wicked). Mirage Raph, on the other hand, is 100% a barbarian. So I mean, there's a range of viable interpretations, and the character can be well-written anywhere within it. It's just that the more selfish Raph is, the less I will connect with him.

2003

I thought Blue Swords Guy was the coolest turtle as a toddler, and when I started watching 2k3 as a teenager, my general preference for straightforward paragon types led me quickly back to Leo. I liked Raph the least almost instinctively, purely based on role. But the show won me over on every single brother, and I couldn't even begin to rank a least favorite anymore. Even at his worst early in the show, Raph is just struggling with impulse control rather than relishing violence or being contrary for its own sake. Sometimes he might enter a fight too early or resist retreat, but he rarely enters a fight unnecessarily. He might hide his squishier emotions, but he clearly still feels them. It lays down that core of Raph-as-protector that softens him from his more troubled, bloodthirsty Mirage counterpart. A good bean, 10/10 favorite Raph, heavily influences what I want to see from the character in general.

2007

The general vibes of this movie are similar to 2k3, which is why it sometimes surprises people that it's supposed to be in the live action film continuity as a sort of TMNT 4.

It's weird as a whole though, because Raph was the director's favorite turtle and it shows - Leo makes a poor foil because he is simply written to be wrong (I HATE his "I'm better than you" line for many reasons, heheh). But in terms of how Raph reacts to everything the story throws at him, it all rings true to character. He's my favorite character in this movie kind of by default, because Leo and Splinter are ~off~ and Mike and Don are mostly just on quip duty. But that doesn't change that Raph's still legitimately solid.

2012

Honestly can't say much about this version - I only made it a season into this show due to general annoyances I had with the writing. I remember liking Sean Astin's vocal performance, at least. And I remember digging the premise of that one episode where Raph tries to be the leader and finds that he's way more comfortable acting on plans than making them.

[dreamstormdragon]

5 for 03 raph again XD

5

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon. I wish, as a whole we would've gotten to see more time with Raph and Leatherhead. Their friendship is underrated, since they both are good guys, with rough tempers. I really wanted to see more of them bonding together. I also would've loved to see more moments with Raph and Splinter, since their bond is so under-appreciated. Something I didn't appreciate until I was older, was that 03 Splinter NEVER ONCE, made his issue the boys' issue until trouble literally was brought to their doorstep. He was training them, not to avenge his master, but to defend themselves, to be safe if they were ever put in danger. They had to live, a life where stealth was survival.

Me and some friends were pouring over some of the books released for it, for lore reasons and it was FASCINATING how, in Raph's sections there was a LOT of facts, like genuine facts about weapons, historical stuff. Things you'd think would be in Leo's but it wasn't. He's a LOT like his father and I don't think that gets recognized enough.

[turtle--soup]

1 and 7 for 12 raph

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

I already answered this here, so instead have some images I have saved on my phone of 2012 Raph, why not?

And one of my Build-a-Bear Raph for the hell of it (yes he is sat next to Flat Raph...)

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

It's kind of canon I guess, but every 2012 fan fic I've read usually involves Raph being like "omg, [insert brother's name], you're so dumb lol" and then moments later being like '"I would DIE FOR YOU [same brother]" lol. Especially Mikey.

Also I love when people just go 'this boy is awkward af' because... yeah. He's a teenager. He's allowed.

Thank you for the ask!

[raphaelesbian]

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Thank you, @nightwatcherraph for recommending Puppet Tightly Strung by clairakitty (@raphaelesbian)!

PS: I got this rec before that last anon ask!

[turtleshellpage]

I remember 7th grade. One of our teachers found out 3 girls in the class are vaping. Teachers were so shocked, woah, that never meant to happen, blah blah 🙄 guess they don't know half of the school is vaping as well 🤦🏼 #newgeneration

The principal was so angry, she did something I don't think it's legal 🤷🏼

She took their phones and just asked for the password. She looked at all their messages, photos, apps, literally the entire phone memory. After that she called their parents because of inappropriate images she found

But 😶

She continued on us and the entire school. She just asks for a password and tells you to leave the room. We were so scared we deleted EVERYTHING from our phones 😂 at the end she only asked a few more students and we did it for nothing 🤦🏼

Anyway

Wanted to ask how would you react 🙃

If the principal walks to you and says "Gimme your phone. What's the password?" What are you doing?

Knowing she would look at everything? 😂 Your private conversations with family, friends, social media, phone gallery, everything? (Imagine ur 13-14 years old)

@wrecking-it-raphie @ezgurple @rufwooff @redlotuz @randomcerealbrand @racky000 @turtlevariabilis @turt1esstuff @untitled-tmnt-blog @indieyuugure @iredoodles @ilovebeinaturtle @onionninjasstuff @porplewisteria @phewgitoid @pezhead @allyheart707 @alichu707 @stormy-m00n @disasterpartyyy @dotbot2012 @donnie-rp-blog @heckitall @justatoxictaurus @justasmallflick @knuxthefangirl @lara-cairncross @luna1star10 @luckynesser @lionalovit @yanteetle @xxlea-nardoxx @chessman-protocol @ceruleanterrapin @charcoaldustonmyfingers @bigb22374 @bluefeather-tmnt @butthead7 @neonzeontmnt @nightwatcherraph @ninnosaurus @matryoshkalex @mybasementpanda

😘

[dorky-pals]

Main Masterpost

Hi I'm Dorky! I'm a tmnt Fanfic author and I have the biggest brainrot for all iterations!

I am a minor (16), pronouns She/Her, cis&straight ally.

tcest, proship, pedophilia, DNI

You can chill in my DMS with me if you ever want to talk about turtles or just slide into my inbox!

Fun Fact: I run the turtle dedication week blog here where I send out prompts dedicated to one turtle!

A have a few ongoing stories that I've been writing fell free to check them out!

Brain Dead -ROTTMNT, Under the table -TOTTMNT, Therapy Don -2003

These wonderful people are my tmnt moots go check them out they're all wonderful!

@donatellokinnersinner -the responsible parental figure

@lucatea -the moot i see as a brother

@b1ankslate -that one friend who randomly teaches you how to crochet but they dont even know how to do it.

@vicbutnotactually -unhinged cousin

@nightwatcherraph -the cousin who teaches you how to scoop out your enemies eyes out with spoons because they have trauma.

@noodleskeleton -noodles

@greyartx -that one guy who shows up randomly one day and know you have a friend

@genetello -the friend that somehow has better grades than you do

@howzaboutsomewaterysalt -unhinged best friend

@tae-rhymeswithslay -the only friend who has a pencil you can borrow

@yis-memestation -the absent one

@liya4kar -the other absent one

@misshowdoyoudo -literally my neighbor

@lasanya539 -girly pop

@azucar-skull -favorite tio

@languajix -Uhh Jix

@nexlve -BROOOOOOOOOO

@thegayesttexan -Oh look....its autistic

Other socials- AO3, DISCORD - @dorky_pals

Master list to my rottmnt au Brain Dead here

Master list to Under the Table here

[shadows-shells]

idle thoughts on 2k3 Raph

(coz he deserves his own post, sry for the late reply and thanks for the ask @nightwatcherraph !)

First impressions: "yo' mama" 🤣🤣🤣 nah jk 😂 it's a great line 😂 IJBOLed when i saw it for the first time. 

While i like all 4 - Leo is my fave, followed by Don, and i like Raph and Mikey about the same. 

while Raph gets called a hothead in-series occasionally - Don and Mikey both STARED at him when he called S4 Leo a hothead - for the most part i didn't actually think his temper was that bad (or maybe i myself am just as bad-tempered as he is 🤣).

His ep with Mrs Morrison is so sweet and good, and those fics writing him later bringing his bros over to befriend Mrs Morrison are 100% canon in my book. 

I see Raph as a principled, kind and determined person. The same can prolly be said for any of the bros, but i think what sets him apart in his characterisation is he will always be the first one to start a serious fight, verbal or physical. It was shown early on in the series how this can be a flaw (when the violence is heavier than the situation warrants, when he isn't in full control of his choices etc) but i do think as Raph matures, it is a strength (he can shut things down FAST and his reputation deters weaker opponents). 

Tbh i think it is smth that all 4 bros have, just that it shows externally in different ways. Raph decides on the spot you are dangerous and draws his sai; Don decides on the spot you are a dangerous fool and proceeds to tune you out while secretly hacking your tech; Leo decides on the spot you are an enemy and already has orders for his brothers; Mikey decides on the spot you are an enemy and to pull wtv chaos it takes to have his team succeed. 

And i imagine this decisiveness/courage is something that gives his brothers a sense of security and comfort, having someone that strong and decisive looking out for you. 

The part where Leo lets Raph take his swords off him without a word/even fully turning his head - that scene lives in my brain rent-free, and is soundless proof of just how much the most-paranoid/on-guard brother trusts Raph. 

Combat-wise - where Don prefers to work on his sciences and Mikey has all those other hobbies - when things go to hell and they need someone to brute-force their way through bad odds, or when things get ugly and they can't be nice anymore - Leo's sending in Raph, for sure. 

Disclaimers abound because i do think all 4 are incredible athletes and have their own combat strengths: Mikey is implied to keep up and even best the rest with minimal focus/training, and i've seen meta pointing out that Don is consistently portrayed in 2k3 as particularly physically strong, and both 'gentler' brothers have also berserked at enemies...but in my head, Raph and Leo are the ones who would readily choose justice over mercy for perceived threats to their family, where it would take more for the other two to really face that question. 

The childhood flashbacks make it clear that Raph never seriously fought Leo for leadership nor did he particularly desire it. But an anon ask mentioned that Raph did not want leadership, and that got me thinking as well. 

For sure Raph did not actively seek it out - but i don't think it was made as obvious that Raph actively does not want leadership. 

All 3 bros in their solo eps and arcs have shown initiative and strategic thinking for sure. They all could lead if push came to shove. And i do think practical, paranoid Leo would have made sure that the family wouldn't collapse if someone else had to lead. 

I'm thinking - Raph does enjoy the adrenaline and freedom of not having to lead. Free to jump in whenever he wants and to feel whatever he does, without having to compromise himself for bigger stakes. I think Mikey's speech in S4 did get through to Raph, and Raph's temper subsides after this was explicitly pointed out to him. 

Raph's childhood memories of Leo (when Leo was drifting into leadership) are fond and i think Raph always knew, on some level, and is glad that he isn't leading. That's why he helps Leo reforge his swords supportively and gently without any thought of rivalry or comparison; that's why he's angry and disappointed in early-S4 Leo when he would've seen it as an opportunity and a positive thing, if he had wanted leadership or even held any envy for Leo at all. 

When Leo comes back from Japan - before Leo even really says anything - the first thing Raph says to Leo is a panicked status report. Without being asked! Raph is worried sick for the rest of his family, but he is also quickly and immediately telling Leo what went wrong so that Leo can help. This is Raph maintaining the team dynamic (promptly and honestly escalating issues to the leader(s) for help).

Raph also expresses his own sense of failure at not managing to keep everyone tgt in one place - and when Leo shuts that down, comforting him - Raph is not surprised. It shows that this is something he was asking for and expecting, something he is used to. 

Raph easily accepts the comfort, believes Leo when Leo says everyone else is okay, and follows Leo home. This is not the egoistic angry allergic-to-vulnerability caricature that some fics and official media portray; 2k3 Raph has a lot more sensitivity and maturity. 

(i try not to bash but can u tell who still regrets paying for the 2007 movie ticket to this day 🤣)

i think one last bit about Raph that always draws argument is whether he or Don is the 'older' sibling 😂 

The 2k3 theme song consistently shows Leo-Don-Raph-Mikey, i think. 

in my head, probably they all see each other the same age - Leo&Mike as the clear stereotypically older/younger ones, and Raph and Don as the equals in-between. 

Like classmates, being the same age doesn't affect who is a natural leader, or knowing that someone else is a few mths older/younger might not actl affect how much more/less mature/confident etc they might be. 

iirc in the series it is always 'brother', never a 'younger' or 'older' brother? 

YT used to have a few eps of it in JPN dub (unfortunately all gone now) and i specifically looked for it while in uni. I wanted to know how it would be translated. In those few eps i saw (early S2), it was all kyoudai/brother and not a single ani/otouto/nii-san/nii-chan etc. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

i don't think/write abt Raph as much as i do Leo, but he is absolutely a dear and i enjoy writing and reading meta about him too. 

open invite to all the true 2k3-Raph stans to share their thoughts and opinions on Raph!

[yellowhollyhock]

Why March for Raph specifically? Isn't Donatello your favorite character? And your polls in the past have suggested Mikey is most underrated?

Well, imaginary person asking very helpful questions giving me direct opportunities to provide some exposition, let me tell you!

I'll explain below the cut because the point of this post is actually the link above (in red), and this is a non-essential lore drop for readers who want that for some reason idk I can't stay in character any longer

Reason 1: my beloved Raph friends

I know I talk a lot about Raph and say a lot about relating to Donnie, but really, I love all the turtles and Aprils equally and in different ways (Caseys and Splinters are different, another discussion altogether). I do identify the most with Donatello though, and that's important. I love the other characters through a loving Donatello lens.

And that's why Raph is so dear to me. Because there I am, a Donatello lover who has only ever participated in fandom privately or with occasional likes/reblogs, deciding to get into TMNT. Like actually get into it, be a part of the community, make some friends. Find my people.

And there are the Raph fans, especially 03 since that's what I was most into at the beginning (still? fluctuates more but it'll always be a fave). There was some discussion amongst that part of the fandom at the time of the difficulty in finding 03 Raph-centric content. Firstly, I was very invested in seeing takes on Raph that explored what I loved about him, took the angst deeper than canon (directly) acknowledged, showed the strengths that sometimes get overlooked (in canon and fanon). Secondly, I was posting about all the turtles and the Raph fans responded.

When you're brand new nobody in a fandom that feels huge in a franchise you're forty years late to? To have people express interest in what you're saying and share their ideas with you and follow up on your ideas? It's like

Imagine you're Donatello and all you did was make a small little thing that you wanted to make and had fun making. And then there's Raph. Obviously you're gonna love the guy

there are quite a few beloved friends who know who they are, and very especially @nightwatcherraph

Reason 2: check out the range

Raph is such an interesting character to use as a jumping off point for discussion of the whole franchise and how it's changed over the years. Out of all the turtles, he's the most varied in many ways

I attribute that mostly to Mirage and 1987. They're both just so iconic, and so different. It creates a fascinating split foundation for future iterations to draw from!

Reason 3: Rise

Hello Rise fandom. Immediately easy to find if you are first getting into tmnt, at first confusing because I was looking for 03. I love the rise show, second tmnt I watched and absolutely adored, and I'm pretty sure I'd written a couple rise stories already before March for Raph was born. But the amount of welcome that I've received in the Rise fandom while barely even being in it is like.. I dunno how to explain, it's a very nice fandom. Very very large fandom which is why I tend not to make much for it (crowds are intimidating) and in my experience so so welcoming. As soon as I posted about the idea for March for Raph first time, Rise fandom rose up 🫡 Really living up to the name of the show.

And Raph specifically is the perfect character for this because 1) by making him the leader Rise focused on Raph in a new way that highlighted personality traits which are oft overlooked in the red turtles, 2) Rise Leo or Donnie would have attracted everybody at once and I would be flattened like a beetle in a stampede, 3) I don't have a third reason but if I did you'd be like "that's a good reason"

I sometimes think that maybe someday I'll do events like this for other turtles, especially Mikey since he does so often under-perform in polls and I have very many thoughts about him that I haven't really posted about,, but one month out of the year comes up quicker than you'd think. also, idk. It's gotta fit, y'know? anyways y'all should @ me if you know of any Mikey events

[side-shuffling-hyperfixations]

How would you rank the guys from who’s the best cook to worst?

From best to worst I'd say Mikey, Leo, Raph, Don.

I headcanon Mikey learned by osmosis while flipping through cooking channels and baking shows and then got fixated on honing his new knowledge during downtime.

I know a lot of people headcanon Leo as the worst cook but he has a bigger list of favorite foods than the others and would want to be able to make them for himself if Mikey's not available (and the mental image of Mikey teaching him is cute!)

Raph isn't bad at it, he just can't really be bothered to learn beyond the basics. Why get all fancy with it when he can just slap a sandwich together and be on his way?

It's hard enough to pry Don away from his work to eat in the first place, much less spend valuable time in the kitchen -- which means the kitchen has not been properly Don-proofed. However! He is the one to turn to when you want a good drink. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc., he can balance those really well. He has practice from all the times he opts to drink a cup of coffee in lieu of having a meal ^^"

[emeraldhazeart]

I feel stuoid fit asking this this so forgive me. Ya know that fic ya linked. Is it me or did even that small bit with Raph feel kinda I dunno off? Maybe I am being picky again sorry.

You're not stupid for asking about anything, and you're always welcome to talk to me or ask me anything. There's no need to apologise 💚

Do you mean this one?

I suppose I can kinda see what you mean. Raph does come across as maybe a little too gruff, and oddly quiet. He's not normally the type to just stand and stare at someone until they look after themselves. Even if he doesn't have the words to express how he feels, he'll try to say it out loud, at least.

That said, I found this passage quite touching:

He appears at Don's side, hauling him up with a touch that would be manhandling by Don standards but is excessively delicate by Raph standards.

Raph's care is shown in action - in making sure Donnie eats, in getting him to bed so he can rest properly. And even through the cloud of Donnie's guilt, he can notice that Raph is being particularly gentle with him right now.

This is literally hours after Mikey, Raph and Leo were nearly killed by the Cyber Shredder, after all. Maybe Raph's still processing it? Maybe he doesn't trust himself to speak because he's also warring with his own guilt over nearly failing to protect his brothers? Maybe Leo's already had to make a stop to another brother's bedroom before he wakes Don? 😅

Sorry if that wasn't what you meant.

[emeraldtortoiseshell]

I forgot which question number this is but do you have any headcanons for 03 Leo?

Thank you for sending another ask 💚 I'm having fun with these

Ask game for reference

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Leo actually really enjoys watching old Westerns. He's knows they're not historically accurate (and he avoids any that are actively problematic by modern standards), but the trope of the noble sheriff protecting his town from a band of outlaws reminds him of the code of Bushido and the samurai from the black and white Japanese films he loves.

He's also very fond of the myth of Robin Hood, for the exact same reason.

[whattraintracks]

Thanks @nightwatcherraph and @yellowhollyhock for tagging me!

Tag Game: Put your 4 favourite characters from 4 pieces of media as options and let your tumblr pals decide which one most suits your vibe then tag 4 people

no pressure tagging @languajix @lycanthropiclesbians @iztarshi @ezrahayls

[dreamstormdragon]

03 raph for the ask game

3: My Non-Romantic OTP For this Character

For 2003 Raphael!

My favorite friendship, for 2003 Raph is his friendship with Casey. These two are each other's ride or die friendship.

Raph and Casey will always go to bat LITERALLY with each other.

They also help each other, ironically mellow out. When they first meet each other, they're at their most tense in that moment, but as the series goes on, Casey is just part of the family. He's not afraid to tell Raph what he NEEDS to hear, not what he wants to hear and vice versa. There's no need for sparing their feelings, they can handle it. And I love that. Cause let's remember: At any point, Casey would've after EVERYTHING they've been through, been 100% in the right to walk away.

And he didn't.

You only risk your life and limb for family and Raph and Casey's friendship/bond as brother figures to each other is AMAZING.

Also, Raph is Casey's wingman, let's be real.

He basically went: "I am trusting you, with my sister DO NOT SCREW THIS UP!" when it came to April.

Casey's farmhouse is his second home, it's just as important as the Lair.

I was rewatching The Monster Hunter the other night and just... aahh.. Farmhouse arc episodes are always so good.

So yeah, there's my thoughts. Thank you!

(From this ask game )