#or is it the son of snakeweed

[anogete]

Mercy Show to Me (Dramione) - Chapters 16-18

Chapter 18 ::cough::lemons::cough:: has been posted to A03. I plan on posting daily until the last chapter is uploaded, so you'll have a completed fic on Monday morning when I have to leave for a work trip.

If you're behind and would like to catch up, you can check the fic out HERE ON AO3.

You'll find a snippet of the chapter below the cut. It contains shameless flirting. SHAMELESS.

“Agreed. Perhaps Essence of Daisyroot or Snakeweed,” Malfoy offered, as he reached over to rub his left arm just above the elbow. “You could always throw in some gnat heads.” Hermione tried to give him the look a disappointed mother would give a wayward son but failed because she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “I don’t think we’re trying to castrate you with a potion, and I suspect gnat heads mixed with heartbreak grass would have that effect.” He chuckled and leaned his head back. Her arm was resting along the back of the couch, and he settled the base of his skull on it. “How does it feel to be so smart you can appreciate the nuance of my incredible wit?” She dropped her forehead to his shoulder and laughed. “What do they call what you just did there? A double-sided compliment? You say something nice about me, then say something nicer about yourself?” “It’s called skill, Granger.” Her smile faded as she watched him flex his left arm. Lifting her head from his shoulder, she said, “Are you okay?” “Never better,” he replied, his eyes closed and his head still resting on her forearm. “There’s something I want to talk about.” “I don’t want to discuss my crush on you, Granger.” His reply made her feel giddy. It was like being a teenager and having a boy confess his love. “That wasn’t what I meant, but now I’d like to hear about this crush.” Malfoy turned his head to look at her, his eyes barely open. The tip of his tongue rolled out to wet his bottom lip. A subtle grin pulled the corners of his mouth back. “I think about how things would be if I’d stopped and talked to you at that Quidditch match ten years ago. Do you think it would have been like...this...back then?” She gave the question some consideration before saying, “I’m not sure. Maybe? But I was in a different place then. I was fresh out of the relationship with Ron and...maybe I wasn’t ready for you.” “You’re ready for me now?” he asked, his voice playful. “Are we talking about defeating you in a duel? Then I am absolutely ready, Malfoy.” “Bollocks. I could take you. I fight dirty.” She laughed. “You think I don’t?” “Mmm,” he hummed as he turned his head to look at the ceiling again. “Fair point. You are quite relentless.”

[hamatoclan76]

Examples of Raphael's inferiority complex in Tmnt 2012

1) One clear example is in the first episode when Splinter chooses Leo to be the leader of the team.

Leo raises his hand and asks if he can lead the team, Raph is immediately upset by this and claims that he should be the leader since he "kicked Leo's butt" at the start of the episode.

Seconds after Splinter chooses Leonardo to be the leader, Raph seems to be really hurt by this.

Leo feels sorry about his brother and tries to say he has nothing against him.This shows that Leo is aware that Raph wanted to lead the team, is just Splinter thought that Leonardo was better suited for the role since he's more mature in some ways and knows how to carry the burden better.

This only makes Raph leave the dojo, he's clearly affected by this, even when he pretends he is not.

This scene is what motivates him to constantly annoy and question Leonardo in the series, specially at the start of season 1.

One of the reasons he usually doesn't follow Leo's orders is because deep down he really thinks that Master Splinter loves more Leo than him, which is not true: Hamato Yoshi loves their sons equally but Raph doesn't feel this way.

One could argue that this comes from growing up with a single father and three brothers, which can lead to compete for their father's approval and love. This can happen unintentionally, the father may try to spent as much time as possible with each son but sometimes competition between siblings is inevitable.

Splinter doesn't approve this type of behaviour at all and usually tries stopping the turtles when he notices they aren't fighting just for training or fun. (See "Mousers Attack!" As a good example of this)

2) "New girl in the town"

The episode starts with Leo and Raph arguing about who should be the leader, Raph blames Leonardo for letting Snakeweed get away, in return Leo blames his brother for not following his orders like he's supossed to.

Tired of Raphael's attitude, Leo lets him be the new leader and leaves the team.

Unlike "Follow the leader", "New girl in the town" seems to focus on their sibling rivalry since is what made Leo leave in first place.

The episode ends with two brothers coming to a mutual understading of what means to be a team, how being a leader is not always an easy task and not everyone is ready to be one. (In Raph's case)

This one is another good example of Raph thinking he should be the one giving the orders, implying he's jealous of his brother and thoughout the episode he tries to prove he's better than Leo.

3) "The good, the bad and Casey Jones"

This episode starts pretty much the same way that Rise of the turtles does: With the turtles training. The difference here is that this time is the one Leonardo who beats Raphael.

And Raph doesn't like it one bit.

This is his expression after Leo wins the game, which reads as him holding a grudge against the other turtle.

What makes him really angry is watching Leonardo sitting in front of Splinter, making him believe that his brother is somehow "stealing" his father's love from him again.

This implies that one of the roots of Raphael's anger issues is caused by his feelings of jealousy and inferiority that come from this sibling rivalry.

I say is *one*, not the *only* reason. Raph is a very emotional character who feels emotions intensely, is very hard for him to hide them and his family know this very well.

After realizing how destructive his anger is, he later awkwardly apologizes to Leo for getting carried away in the match, which is quite impressive considering Raph is quite stubborn when it comes to admitting he did something wrong.

4) "Riddle of the Ancient Aeons"

In the planet of the Aeons, there's dark aura that makes the protagonists bring their darkest thoughts to the surface and fight against each other.

In one moment Leo and Raph start arguing: Leo tells Raph how "he has always been jealous of him", in response Raph says this: "That's because your were always Splinter's favourite"! And then he tries to fight Leo using his sais.

Instead of fighting him, Leo stops his hot-headed brother by giving him a hug and reminding him of how much he loves him.

This was one of the few times Raph was very explicit about his inferiority complex, most of time he tries hiding it from his family and only drops subtle hints about his real feelings.

Leo's reaction to Raphael's outburst is really unexpected as well, it mades me think that Leonardo didn't know that Raph's insecurities were mainly caused by him feeling he was less important or thinking he wasn't good enough for their father.

He hugging and telling Raph: "I love you, bro" could be read as him trying to say that he doesn't hate Raphael and he didn't mean to make him feel "less loved" by Splinter.

For those who were paying attention to Raph's character, him being jealous of Leonardo is nothing new. What is shocking is actually listening to Raph admitting how he really feels (or felt) in front of his family and friends.

He usually prefers to keep his personal thoughts to himself rather than talk about them with another person.

As for Splinter, he doesn't like watching his sons fighting over him or for no reason. When he saw that Raph and Leo started fighting in "Mousers Attack!" And weren't taking their training seriously, he stopped them and asked them to work together as team.

When it comes to Leo and Raph, Splinter just wants them to get along despite their differences. If they get carried away in their matches, Splinter would ask them to stop or intervene to separate them.

It's not that he "loves Raphael less", is that he thinks Leonardo is more responsible to be the leader of the team. He doesn't have a "favourite son", he really loves ALL of them.

[divine-motion]

don’t fucking interact if you ship t/cest and minor/adult ships

more shitty phone photos of sketchbook sketches for my tmnt fan incarnation/tmnt 2012 rewrite bc i have no shame and i’m having fun with it! pictures should have captions since i spent time writing them out, but tumblr might mess it up, so in case captions doesn’t work: 1. left to right: leo, donatello up, raphael down, michelangelo 2. Casey Jones up top, April O’Neil to the right, donatello in the middle and karai at the bottom 3. casey and don again, raphael to the left, mikey at the bottom just bc i liked how their their expressions turned out and didn’t want a bunch of negative space so don and case appear again 4. size chart featuring turtles. left to right: leo, don, mikey, raph 5. sketchy Slash design. big boy.

general thoughts character stuff below the Keep Reading. A Lot of rambling below so beware!!

April: 15 years old, trans and bi. local fifteen year old telepath finds out that not everyone is able to feel what other people are feeling, something she’s been able to do since she was six after she played in that one weirdly glowy puddle (early Kraang mutagen attempt that only managed to mutate April in the sense that it gave her telepathy, was originally intended to make humans become part of the Kraang hivemind). she’s largely unfazed by the existence of mutants and aliens, taking it in stride, and finds out about the Kraang - and meets the turtles - while snooping around TCRI business (aspiring journalist that she is) and accidentally witnessing the mutation of Snakeweed. her telepathy, which later as she grows in power alongside the turtles extends to telekinesis and basically possession, is very useful whenever she gets into a scrap since she can predict what moves her opponent will make, thus letting her dodge their blows effectively. personality wise she is a very determined and driven young girl, incredibly curious (and cannot mind her own business, she wants to know all the drama while not having to be part of it... which makes her very fortunate to be a telepath. listen she’s 15 she’s allowed to misuse her powers a little bit. as a treat.), playful, and cheerful, and she’s an extroverted autistic. in her spare time between her studies, she likes to play bass, sing, read, and write. that, and investigating whatever shady business is going on in town, and she makes it very clear to the turtles that even if they weren’t going to deal with the Kraang, she’d continue to try to stop them herself. she would like to not live under the threat of her or her loved ones getting mutated, thank you very much! and, you know, it’s kind of exciting. kind of.

i know it’s bc i have brain issues when it comes to parent figures but i am very much leaning towards Splinter not being... a good dad. i don’t think 2012 Splinter is a good dad anyways but i’d probably amp it up, make him a mix of 2012 and idw probably. i’m still mulling it over but like, remember in the season 1 finale when leo is watching his show and thinks the captain guy making a totally unnecessary sacrifice is a heroic move, and then Splinter tells leo (his fifteen year old child) that leo should know what or who to sacrifice, more or less telling him to sacrifice his brothers’ lives, potentially?? i know there was a lot at stake but hello??? i remember watching it and being like me: ah i see, this is showing that splinter is wrong and there is no need for any sacrifices as seen in the show when the captain Goes Down With His Ship for no reason other than just sacrificing himself, and leo will see that- leo: *tries to sacrifice himself twice in the finale, both times being kind of unnecessary/seemed like if he had just hurried or done something slightly different there would be no need to stay behind, and he gets out fine with no consequences, seemingly no injuries, and does Not learn anything, his brothers don’t even get sad when they think he died or get mad at him for pulling such a dumb move) me: surprised_pikachu.jpeg

like that moment haunts me. has any other splinter told their sons to sacrifice himself or his brothers? has any other splinter put that on them??? idw doesn’t count if he has bc he’s more explicitly supposed to be bad so???

sometimes writers think they’ve made an uncle iroh but they really, really, really haven’t. also his backstory is the same as in the show

anyways. Donatello: 15 years old, bog turtle, nonbinary (he/they, doesn’t mind being called brother but doesn’t like to be called “boy” or “girl” or whatever), bi. he isn’t in love with April. no creepy incel shit here. donnie is instead more like a mix between his Rise and 2003 self. he has trouble expressing himself and is pretty introverted, but he is very altruistic, kind, and compassionate. a lot of his inventions are made to help people and he was driven to learn about science and engineering because he wants to find a way to reverse splinter’s mutation, to give splinter his life and humanity back. he feels like he needs to know if splinter would just abandon them if he wasn’t a huge rat man, needs to know if there’s any part of splinter that blames them for being constant reminders of his mutation. other than that, he also likes to make inventions because he’s a dreamer and wants to experiment to see how much of the unknown he can push beyond. also, the best liar out of the turtles. also fairly good at compromising and prefers to solve conflicts without violence he can get a little... “obnoxious 15 year old genius” at times. even when he’s helpful it can come off as a bit “poor dear isn’t as smart as me”, and while he usually gets along well with Raph, he doesn’t handle Raph’s temper well at all (calls him “Wrathael/Wrath” and thinks he’s being super clever) and gets really dismissive of Raph’s “outbursts”.

Michelangelo: 13 years old, diamondback terrapin, unsure about the gender and sexuality thing but he doesn’t think he’s exactly cis and definitely not straight. a bouncy ball of sunshine and surprising emotional maturity and emotional intelligence! more so than his emotionally constipated brothers, at least. it’s on his thirteenth birthday (it was leo’s idea for them to pick dates that would let them have their own birthdays instead of sharing the “Mutation Day”, Mutation Day being another special “holiday”) that the Plot would be set in motion, as he’s finally allowed to go to the surface same as his brothers, and on this first night out they meet April and the Kraang and other mutants. he is a goof still, but he’s capable in his own right and gets frustrated when people treat him like a baby or an idiot because he’s not. he doesn’t always treat everything with the seriousness it should but like. he’s thirteen, he’s having fun. even so, he’s very insistent of taking responsibility whenever he does do something wrong and gets mad if someone tries to take the blame for something he’s done. definitely the most compassionate and empathetic out of the turtles, he’s quick to make friends and is very persuasive due to his earnest nature and good heart. much like donnie, he prefers to solve conflict without violence but does enjoy knocking skulls a lot more than donnie. unlike donnie, though, he is almost overly forgiving and not petty at all. he’s well aware that his kindness and forgiveness may be taken advantage of, but he still likes to approach people with an open hand, even if he knows that it may end up getting bitten. oh, and his hobbies include drawing, cooking, singing, and dancing. he likes to express himself!

Raphael: 14 years old, mississippi map turtle, trans, bi. all his fury is compressed within his tiny body, that’s why he’s so angry all the time! no, he’s not angry all the time, but he does have a short fuse. he absolutely hates his anger issues which leads to a lot of self-loathing, and a lot of frustration as his family members either don’t take his anger seriously or don’t have the tools to help him with it. he’s the physically strongest out of the bunch and the least agile. he loves animals and plants a lot and keeps a lot of flowers in his room, hoping that he can one day become a gardener. as his idw self, he wants to watch things grow, but no matter what he does he seems to be best at destroying things. he’s also the one most self-conscious about how the human world perceives them, as he greatly fears rejection, and is the first one to see something positive with people getting mutated - namely, that maybe this way mutants will be more well known and finally accepted by society, so he’ll no longer be trapped in the sewer until the end of his days. so yeah, he’s a huge optimist, in truth. also he’s great at knitting - great at creating and taking care of things in general - and there’s no leo and raph rivalry this time around. he can get mad at leo but not really more than he gets with his other brothers.

Casey: 15 years old, nonbinary (they/them), bi. teen vigilante who gets inspired to fight mutants and the big time criminals (no beating up pickpockets or shoplifters or whatever, just the ones that are really hurting people) and gets roped into the turtle fam after meeting raph and becoming unexpected friends (everyone was expecting it, once Casey realized that mutants are people and not weird monsters. well, not all the time, anyways). they struggle a bit in school not because of a lack of trying but a lack of time, as their parents work full time jobs and someone has to take care of casey’s little sister. their parents are very loving, but they only have so much time, so casey takes it upon themselves to take care of their little sister when their parents are busy and/or burned out from work. that, and they run into the classic dilemma of vigilante work clashing with school work. as always, they have a short fuse, they’re pretty cocky, they like beating ass, and they like hockey a whole lot. hockey, vigilante work, school, and taking care of their little sister... yeah, they have a lot on their plate. oh, and making their little inventions like the taser glove and their puck bombs, something that they bond with donnie over.

Leonardo: 17 years old, Central American wood turtle, trans, gay. he doesn’t fall in love with his sister oh my god. ahem. so, leo is raised from the start to be a Leader and has to mature very quickly, learning to be an adult way earlier than he should’ve, and as such he is very stoic and quiet, and doesn’t seem to have any hobbies, instead just doing chores and training almost constantly, and when he’s not doing that he’s reading or sleeping in his free time. he’s incredibly protective of his younger brothers and his other allies/friends, even if he acts distant and detached most of the time, and removes himself from situations where they’re having fun to not be the stick in the mud. he loves his brothers and admires them greatly, believing they could be So Much if the surface world would just accept them, and as a result he tries to be The Soldier so his brothers won’t have to. alas, they still get caught up in the Kraang and Shredder business, which frustrates him internally. he is the best fighter out of the turtles on account of having more years to train (and convincing Splinter to wait a few more years before they got Real training bc Come On Dude They’re Kids) but it’s the Only thing he’s good at, along with stealth and his sharp eyes. he absolutely sucks at talking when it isn’t about a mission or something he can script easily in his head. in his mind, he’s supposed to be more of a weapon than a person, an idea that isn’t exactly encouraged by Splinter... but not exactly discouraged either. his arc would be very paralleled with Karai’s, as they would both learn to hate their dads... also, absolutely down for murder, and a lawful neutral at best, putting his family and friends’ safety above all other things and following a strict personal code. doesn’t care too much for society’s laws, though.

Karai: 16 years old, demigirl, lesbian. same backstory as in the show, she’s born as Miwa but gets taken by Oroku Saki and raised as his daughter. however, she doesn’t exactly want revenge against Hamato Yoshi because she believes that he killed her mother. she never knew her mother, so it’s much more difficult to hate someone for taking her mother away, even if it does mean that she never got to know her mother. especially since her father rarely spoke of what her mother was like, and much more about how much he hates Yoshi. instead, her need for revenge is more for the possibly idyllic life she was robbed of, since she believes that maybe, just maybe, her father Saki would’ve been a kind father that would’ve let her have a normal childhood and not be molded into a warrior from the start if her mother still lived. and hey, maybe Tang Shen would be a nice mom too. being trained in the art of deception, Karai has a tendency to talk a lot and say very little, or at least very little that is true. she is rarely ever sincere and acts as if she’s taking nothing seriously, which is part of her defense mechanism to never let anyone close or see her true self. she mocks pretty much everyone, ally and enemy alike, but especially likes to make fun of her father’s henchmen and is always the first to point out their failures. while she does value honor to some extent, she is a bit “flimsy” when it comes to loyalty, especially after the truth about her father is revealed. when that is revealed, she at first just feels very numb, learning that not only has she been nothing but a tool and a weapon for the Shredder from the very start, but also that the idyllic fantasy where her mother still lived, perhaps her life wouldn’t be so different after all. she looks at leonardo and sees a reflection of herself, that her “real” father chose to train his sons the same way the Shredder trained her. she feels stupid for feeling like she’s been robbed of even a fantasy, but it still enrages her. of course, this also inspires her to stay with the Foot Clan... just to get the kill on Shredder.

... yeah. that got long. ahem. i’m very passionate about this unfortunately!! anyways i might draw/write more for it because no one can stop me and i’m having fun

[maryanngilligan]

Picard 1x07, Nepenthe

Hey kids, it’s your friendly neighborhood scholar, here to over-analyze everything before the episode even airs.

I’m FASCINATED by this title. 

Nepenthe is a Greek word that literally means “no sorrow.” In The Odyssey, it’s the name of a drug that Polydamna gives to Helen of Troy to help her forget her sorrows and grief.

This is Riker and Troi’s episode, allegedly. Sir Pat said that while they’re only in one episode, that it’s “largely” about them.

The title most obviously would refer to Raffi’s self-medication with alcohol and snakeweed to dull her pain over losing her family, son, career, etc.

What if it LITERALLY refers to Raffi, but also FIGURATIVELY refers to Riker and Troi?

We know they’re living out in the woods, in what looks like a pretty isolated situation, potentially on their own “isle of no sorrow.”

Sir Pat hit us out of left field with some distressing Riker/Troi family spoilers back in January. Retreating to a place of solitude and safety would be an appropriate move considering the precarious state of the galaxy. 

I also can’t help thinking of the fact that the Betazoids have the ability to “self-medicate” psychologically, to literally remove and forget their own sorrow, to apply their own nepenthe, like Lwaxana in Dark Page.

Yeah. I got excited about an interesting, mythology-inspired title, so I had to let you all know about it. I don’t know what this means for the episode. I don’t think Deanna would do what her mother did in Dark Page, but you never know. I like the idea of a figurative nepenthe, paralleling the story of Raffi’s potential slide back into substance abuse after the events of 1x05.

Frakes said he saw the episode and Marina’s performance made him cry, so hit me, I’m ready to be DESTROYED. (She said he called her and told her this in an interview she did at SciFi Ball a few weeks ago).

ALSO, SIDEBAR, THIS SHOW IS ALL ABOUT CHILDREN AND I LOVE IT. Data/Maddox/Dahj/Soji Picard/Elnor Seven/Icheb Riker/Troi/Kestra Raffi/Gabe Rios/his captain who was killed

[frozenmiwa]

Review: Rise of the turtles, part 2 (TMNT 2012)

Here we go again, I know it’s been a while. Originally, I meant to get this review out during the quarantine last March but I never got to it. I got the first season on DVD during March and I thought of just watching the episodes from DVD instead of finding them online. During June I got myself a problem however: My TV broke (or more precisely: speakers broke) so I couldn’t really watch anything with any kind of audio. Now that I have my new beautiful TV, I thought nothing would be more suitable for my first watch than some TMNT.

With that, I decided to take a notepad, sit on my sofa and watch the second episode.

Continuing the last episode, Turtles realize who ever took April and her father, may have some answers to what happened to them 15 years ago so they end up interrogating Snake, the man who was driving the van. While they find out the “people” doing these kidnappings are called “The Kraang” and that they have been kidnapping scientists from the city, they don’t find out why. Snake himself doesn’t know the answer, he tells the turtles where they can find the Kraang but manages to get away from them later on. While he is listening in Leo and Raph trick him into believing they are going to use his van to drive in as they are attempting to save April and her father – which is not actually way they plan to use his van. The turtles return to the lair to gear up for their mission. Raph has a tender moment with his pet turtle while Mikey pops up and ends up being chased by Raph with spoon. While Leo is having doubts whether their plan will be a success or not, Splinter then encourages Leo by telling about his past, of how Splinter – as a man lost everything due to a feud with a former friend, Oroku Saki. While Splinter may have lost his family and his name, but he eventually gained a lot of things, like his sons. Leo not completely sure about things, he is positive they will make it through the mission somehow

In the Kraang headquarters April makes a hilarious attempt on escaping and failing at it, while Snake and the Kraang guards outside are waiting for the turtles to arrive. Turtles are on their way alright, using the van as a distraction while they themselves use a different way of transport. When the turtles have found their way inside the building, it turns out it is not something you’d see every day as the place is filled with alien robots. After a while they manage to find April and her dad, however once the turtles are about to get them out, the Kraang appeared and took both humans away. Turtles chase after them but a newly mutated Snake (later named Snakeweed by Mikey) shows up and turtles find themselves yet another battle. This leaves Donnie to save April before she’s taken away by the Kraang. While Donnie manages to save April, her father isn’t quite as lucky as he is still at the clutches of the Kraang.

In the end rest of the turtles manage to take care of Snakeweed – even though not permanently. April moves in with her aunt and is determined to get her father back somehow, the turtles (or mainly Donnie) offer their help in the matter and thus gain their first human ally. So, all is well – or as well as it can be at the moment.

Or is it?

As turtles find out, one of their shuriken ends up in the news, while turtles think it’s cool, Splinter tells them to be more careful from now on as they are mainly meant to say hidden for their own good. And he is right about that as we find out someone very sinister is seeing this very same news broadcast in Japan and plans on visiting an old friend…

What I liked about the episode:

+ Over all this was a very good episode, it had a solid plot, good pacing and great action scenes. Even that one where April tries put up a fight. I found that scene very comical and entertaining. However, my favorite fight scene had to be the one where the turtles face off newly mutated Snakeweed.

+ Speaking off Snakeweed, I’m glad we saw what his mutation process looked like. As far as I can remember I don’t think we have seen mutation scenes in previous shows, so I haven’t really payed the process much attention until now. From what I could tell the whole process was painful and it had horror-esque feel to it, so that’s a plus.

+ I know I didn’t give April much of praise on my first review and it is no secret I hate her with burning passion, but in this episode, I found myself kind of liking her character. She wasn’t someone I would go nuts over, but her personality showed off nicely. Nothing of her personality came off as forced and I liked her interactions with Donnie even though I do not ship Apritello in this version.

+ I really liked the ending, it wrapped out the episode nicely but also brought up a new threat in Shredder while not giving away too much when it comes to his appearance. This helps to keep his character as sinister as he should be.

What I didn’t like:

Honestly, I don’t think there was a thing I didn’t enjoy about this episode, and that’s a first. My only complaint doesn’t have to do with the episode itself but the way the episode was put on DVD. I’m perfectly aware this episode was meant to be one parter, but it in some releases it was presented as a two parter. I remember seeing this one as parts 1 and 2 myself when it aired in my country. I would have liked if the DVD did the same, but oh well, at least I got to watch the whole thing as it was intended.

…I don’t have lot to say about the dub Finland eventually got, simply because I don’t remember much about it. What I do remember I did enjoy Shredder’s Finnish voice. He was voiced by Jarmo Mäkinen, who voiced Valtor from Winx Club as well as Savanti Romero and Zanramon for the third season of TMNT 2003. While he didn’t have deep voice like Kevin Michael Richardson but that didn’t stop him from sounding menacing. I think Mäkinen is similar Markus Bäckman who voices Splinter in a way they sound great as villains. What I like about Mäkinen is that he is able to portray his villains (and I’m mainly talking about his interpretation of Prime leader Zanramon in the season 3 of TMNT 2003) as chill one moment and threatening the next. So, I would say he was a good pick for Shredder. Now I only wish I could have a good memory of him voicing Shredder.

And now, some screen shots!

Turtles seeing the mutagen cannister. I really love their expressions here.

Raph about to do some interrogation....

...In a form of mutation roulette. One of my favorite scenes in the episode. I like the glowing effect they did with the ooze here.

Kraang base.

“What? I can be the only one who’s hungry.” - I can relate.

Everyone here: Mikey, weren’t you supposed to do something?

Leo and Raph looking for Snake.

Snake hiding.

Donnie at work.

Raph busted after having a sensitive talk with his pet turtle, Spike.

“Were you talking to your pet turtle? That is so adorable.”

Leo having some doubts. Luckily Splinter has a story to tell.

Last battle between Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki. I swear from this angle young Oroku Saki does remind me of Hamato Yoshi from 2003 series.

Tang-Shen with their baby daughter Miwa, during the battle.

Oroku Saki starting the fire...

...Which kills Tang-Shen (at least it seemed so before season two that is.)

April knows her rights alright..

But because the Kraang don’t care about their rights she comes up with a plan...

...Buuut it doesn’t look like it’s working.

“Well I guess we can just sit here..” - I must say I like coloring of their cell.

Snake and some Kraangdroids waiting for turtles’ arrival.

Snake mutation.

Turtles climbing the wall.

And they made it in. I really like they gave each turtle different eye color in this version but during action scenes they still have white eyes like in the comics.

Argument between Donnie and Raph.

Some alien robots.

...But now they are toast.

It’s a brain thing!

And now it’s biting Mikey!

This is what happens when you pause an episode at a random moment. Mikey looks cute though.

You heard him Raph, we are going that way.

Donnie manages to find April’s cell.

Action with Mikey.

Donnie picking the lock.

“Hey, do you think it’s easy to pick a lock with these hands?”

Not so fast...

...Because these guys are here.

And with them, more trouble arrives.

Like newly mutated Snakeweed for example.

April being taken away by the Kraang.

Leo figuring out the plan to get rid of Snakeweed.

...While Donnie is trying to save April.

And now it’s April’s turn to hang in there.

April saved by Donnie.

Leo in action.

Snakeweed electrocuted.

Turtles have gained themselves some new enemies.

It’s Kraangy! ...Wait, that doesn’t happen until season 2... or 3... can’t remember.

Turtles promise to help April find her father.

Maybe it’s just me but I find April’s pupils creepy looking. They make her eyes look souless... at least to me.

I swear Donnie has the cutest design ever.

Leo talking to Splinter inside the dojo.

Watching the news.

Okay, who dropped this?

Yay, they made it on the news!

So what’s the worst thing can happen?

Well there’s always this omnious person.

Ending still.

Okay I admit, I may have over do it with the screen shots but they are my favorite thing about these reviews, that and getting to watch some TMNT.

So, what’s next? For now, I’m going for the third episode of TMNT 2003. Hopefully it doesn’t take as long as this post. We can always hope, right?

[metawitches]

Star Trek Picard S1E1- The Blue and Red Skies of Picard’s Dream

From the first moments of Jean Luc Picard’s dream in the pilot, Star Trek: Picard has been using a color scheme as part of its symbolism. Picard’s dream about Data, 5 queens, drinking tea and the attack on Mars is one prescient symbol after another. In this post, let’s examine how the creators of the show are using color.

The most symbolically important colors are red, green and blue. Gold/yellow, orange and white also play a lesser role. When the colors mix, the message is more complex. Fire/flames/explosions and the use of lighting are closely tied to the use of color. Often color will be expressed through lighting, sometimes as a hazy wash of colored light. Gold is particularly used this way on Chateau Picard and in Picard’s holographic study on La Sirena. Green is almost exclusively used in Romulan lighting, except for the greenery on Nepenthe, a few items of green clothing and Soji’s eyes. Red can be in the form of light, but if it is, most often it comes as a form of fire, tied to red’s core meaning of “real”.

Red Is Real: Truth, Passion, Humanity, Valor

Deanna with her homegrown tomatoes on Nepenthe.

Rios’ Red Is Real cigar box with all of his important memories inside.

The color red has the most distinct imagery and symbolic meaning, having been spelled out clearly twice by trusted sources. In episode 7, Nepenthe, Deanna and Soji discussed the “realness” of the bright red tomatoes grown in Deanna’s garden. Deanna told Soji that the tomatoes are real, but real isn’t necessarily better than synthetic, since a positronic matrix could have saved her son’s life. In episode 8, Broken Pieces, Rios’ cigar box of keepsakes is red, with the word “real” printed in large letters on the outside. What’s inside the box is what’s real, as opposed to the manipulations of the truth happening outside, and the box’s red exterior signals that we can trust those keepsakes and the memories attached to them.

So what does “real” mean, in this context? Picard is also real. He wears a deep red/burgundy sweater early in episode 1. Chateau Picard is laced with flowers in the red family. As noted above, Chris is also real, with his red cigar box. He’s bleeding red blood when we meet him, illustrating the reason why red is the color which symbolizes humanity, authenticity, truth, passion, human emotion and being a flesh and blood living being.

There is also an element of straightforward morality, as Picard sees it, associated with red. Picard himself is the symbol of Gene Roddenberry’s original vision for the Federation and Starfleet as a society of beings who have evolved into a level of maturity and self-control that lets them rein in their baser instincts the vast majority of the time. It’s important to remember that those baser instincts still exist. What has evolved is the determination to suppress them and continue the ideas of the Enlightenment, such as individualism characterized by an emphasis on science, rationalism, personal and religious freedoms, self-governance and equality.

The values associated with red mean seeing the synths as equal citizens deserving of their rights. The Romulans believe this will lead to disaster, so red spans the continuum from the deep red warmth of family and acceptance, which we’ve seen Picard wear, to the fiery red harshness of exploding planets in the Admonition. Deanna wore a soft peachy pink when she was in her garden at her family home. Soji and Dahj’s orchids were both also in the softer end of the red spectrum. Laris wore a rusty red turtleneck, signifying her fiery personality.

Fire has been used in mild situations such as the candles on the Troi-Riker dinner table and the fire in Chateau Picard’s hearth, as well as cataclysmic visuals such as the attack on Mars and the mass destruction of the Admonition. There must be some important truth in each of these situations along with their human emotion.

Soji wore a bright red hazmat suit to work in the reclamation zone and when she spoke to Hugh about some of their more subversive ideas. Romulans are rarely associated with red and generally only briefly. Narek and Narissa had a heart made of light between them when she told him not to fall in love with Soji. The heart was as important as the color, showing the importance of love and family to all three people involved, and perhaps hinting at the direction of Narek’s true loyalty.

Click on any image to enlarge.

  Green Is Complexity and Often Morally Gray or Worse

The Romulans love green. They keep the Artifact swathed in this color that represents moral complexity and mind games. It often signifies the presence of lies, oppression, deception, enslavement and cruelty. Occasionally it denotes a deception that is for the greater good or to save someone’s life.

The main uses of green have been in the control holograms and force fields on the Artifact and the plant life on Nepenthe and Earth. On the Borg cube, the Zhat Vash were deceiving Soji and the xBs into thinking they were helping the xBs when their real motive was to find and learn about Soji. They planned to destroy the cube and all of the xBs once their mission was complete. Narak and Narissa lied and played mind games with Soji while the entire Borg Reclamation Project was a ruse in pursuit of their larger goal.

Seven with Borg Life Signs

On Earth, Jean Luc fooled himself for years that he could be happy on the vineyard, growing grapes, if he just tried harder. Raffi used her snakeweed vine as her vape addiction, carefully tending the vine so it would continue producing for her. The snakeweed kept her numb to her own circumstances for years.

On Nepenthe, Will and Deanna’s home is surrounded by forest and green plants. At first I didn’t think this example fit with the green symbolism. But now I have a couple of ideas. The canon solution is that they pretend to be a happy, intact family in the woods, despite their deep sadness over the loss of their son, Thad. Kestra plays the outdoor games she used to play with her brother and pretends she isn’t lonely. This fits with the other uses of plants in Picard: people using greenery as a form of comfort to deny loss.

I wonder though, if the green might signify that in addition to the family’s natural sadness and stress from Thad’s illness, they are deceiving Picard and Soji. It’s possible that Thad is alive and his parents sent him to stay with Captain Crandall while Picard was there. Then they sent Kestra into the woods to slow Picard and Soji down while they hid any signs that Thad is alive. Since they would have had to use illegal methods to save their son, they might not be ready to share the news with Admiral Picard. Take a look at the wide section of green between Picard and his old friends in the photos, which shows the distance that’s grown in their friendship.

Rios wore green when he visited Bejayzl and Mr Vup on Freecloud to help con them into freeing Bruce Maddox. Ian, the emergency engineering holo, also wears green, so we should wonder what he’s keeping from us. Dahj wore a green cloak when she was on the run, probably because she herself had been and still was being deceived.

The Zhat Vash use green acid slime in a crush capsule as their murder-suicide weapon of choice. In fact, it may be the Zhat Vash who have the affinity for green rather than the entire Romulan species, since most of the Romulans on Picard seem to also be Zhat Vash spies. Narissa is generally surrounded by green lights. Since Narek is under cover, his true affinities are harder to tell, but his scoutship uses green lights.

Narek might actually be the best example of green – complex and opportunistic. He’s working toward multiple goals at the same time and some of them seem to directly contradict each other. Is he a double agent? Will he defect to the Federation? Will it be part of the plan if he does? He seems to have plans within plans within plans and very few absolute truths.

Zhaban, a former member of the Tal Shiar whose mother told Laris about the Zhat Vash, wore green the morning of Picard’s big interview, the one that went so wrong. I have my suspicions about him. Picard drank tea while Zhaban was partially obscured by a holo screen, which suggests that at the very least Zhaban hasn’t been fully honest with Picard.

Mark my words, Zhaban turned off the alarm before the Romulan assassins entered the house in episode 3. Maybe Oh forced him into a mind meld and blackmailed him, promising that he and Laris could stay safely on the vineyard. Or maybe he’s been a spy for her or someone else all along.

Green is complex, so it’s important to remember that the vineyard is a happy place for Laris and Zhaban (and has generally been a mixed bag for the Picard family); Raffi’s snakeweed vine is an innocent plant with a pretty flower; long friendships among colleagues like those between Deanna, Will and Jean Luc tend to be complicated anyway; and Narissa, Narek, Laris and Zhaban are all spies by training, with a love of secrets and their own plans. The Zhat Vash are good guys in their world, whose mission is of such vital importance that the ends justify the means. The Borg cube is actually an inanimate object, when all is said and done.

Sometimes we can understand the motives associated with green and sometimes we have to let things play out.

Green circles within circles in both star displays and Enoch’s astronavigation code has been tampered with.

Though they seem to be opposites, red and green frequently appear together. Life is complex and frequently morally gray, even for Picard.

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Soji’s green eyes and red lips are an unusual example of red and green playing off of each other. Seen here during her conversation in sick bay with Agnes, the color of her mouth reminds us that she’s made of flesh and blood, like a regular human being. But her green eyes are a signal that she’s something more complex than simply human.

Her eyes aren’t blue or brown, which might be neutral or just signal intelligence. They aren’t yellow like Data’s and the synths’ Agnes and Bruce made to work on Mars. Yellow would signal that Soji is an artificial life form.

According to the code of Star Trek: Picard, green eyes mean that Soji is someone to keep an eye on. She can take care of herself and she will. She’s proven herself equal to the Romulan spies and the Federation do gooders. Next up- the Vulcan strategist.

  Blue Is Reason and Clarity

If red is associated with humans and green with Romulans, blue is the color for Vulcans. Even though Commodore Oh seems a strange choice to associate with reason and clarity, she is a half-Romulan Vulcan who believes she is following an essential course of action. She has followed a secret, calculated path for decades in order to impose the will of the Zhat Vash on the Federation. Just as importantly, the legendary father of Vulcan civilization, Surak, is associated with the color blue, thanks to Rios’ book, titled Surak and Existentialism.

As with science and philosophy, blue is morally neutral. Agnes, a scientist and reluctant spy, is strongly associated with the color. She wears two different blue coats and Oh gives her a blue tracker to chew and swallow. She sits under blue skies at the Daystrom Institute, picnicking. Like her colleague Bruce Maddox, she seems to care much more about the science than about who’s paying for it. I believe her allegiance is currently to herself and to Soji, because Soji is the culmination of her life’s work, even if Bruce finished the project alone.

Click on any photo to enlarge.

Each color not only appears at times with the other colors, at times its meaning intensifies until it becomes its opposite. Thus, blue is the color of science, logic and philosophy, but also religion, mythology and belief. It’s associated with both the Borg Collective and the Free xBs.

Say what you will about them, the Borg have clarity of purpose and the xBs are newly free, in search of their own identities. They are at risk for joining cults or forming one themselves, as has been seen previously in ST:TNG. But they are also seekers who will sift through multiple philosophies and religions to create an inner monologue that fits their own experience. Isn’t this what Surak did for the Vulcans when they were at risk of destroying themselves through violence and chaotic thought?

  Raffi’s colors, when she has her addiction under control, are the same as Jean Luc’s: blue and red. She wears a purple sweater in episode 5, the combination of the two colors. She uses logic and reason intensely in her analysis of everything she comes into contact with.

There were purple flowers at Chateau Picard. Picard is a philosopher and a humanist.

In episode 7, Deanna Troi wore blue in the latter half of the episode, suggesting she felt more professional and neutral as the Admiral’s visit continued.

Narek is also occasionally associated with blue, since like Agnes, he is both a scientist and a spy.

  Gold Means Safety and Security But It Can Also Be an Illusion

There haven’t been many uses of colors in the gold/yellow family so far, perhaps to give the color an impact when it is seen. Mainly Data and the Mars synths’ skin. Plus the golden light at Chateau Picard, a fake version of which now shines in Picard’s holostudy on the La Sirena.

Gold is also the accent color for the security and engineering departments in Starfleet, as we’ve seen it on Oh and Narissa’s uniforms.

The meaning of gold is derived from the Starfleet uniforms: security and safety. But it can also mean the opposite, as it would when the starship’s engine fails or it’s invaded by hostile forces. Then the sense of security that the crew feels turns out to be an illusion. Illusions and other mistakes made by the mind are running themes throughout the season.

There were touches of yellow in Data’s poker hand of 5 identical queens of hearts in Picard’s episode 1 prophetic dream. The sands of Aia, the grief world, where the Admonition takes place are a soft gold. After enduring both the Admonition and assimilation, Ramdha spends her time seeking to see the future with tawny golden pixmit cards that may or may not give her accurate predictions.

That would bring us back around to the artificial golden light of the holostudy vs the real sunlight at the actual vineyard on Earth. The two rooms are twins to the naked eye of TV viewers, but in reality they are far different.

Someone who is physically in each room could tell the difference, because they could smell the air of the vineyard, feel the breeze and the warmth of the sun, hear the small noises that it would be difficult for a holosuite to replicate perfectly. On the ship, you’d feel the small sensations that signify motion.

In the same way, this season has used twinning and mirroring over and over.

There are many Rios and Sojis. Despite the tragedy which brought them together, the two characters have a strong connection. There are still many questions about what really happened on the Ibn Majid and about the rest of Rios’ background. It was a surprise to hear he has no family. He and Soji are both searching for identities and families. It’s suspicious that the drawing is of those two, as if they were the pair of synths. I can’t see how that’s possible, but maybe Rios DNA was used?

Narissa and Narek are siblings with opposite approaches to life. Narek told Soji he’d lost a brother in the recent past, but Narissa has never mentioned him. Narissa is devoted to Ramdha, but Narek keeps his distance and doesn’t admit she’s family.

Ramdha named Soji as an important twin, The Destroyer, but Ramdha’s mind is confused and Narek says it always has been. We saw her turn to madness. Narek may have lied to Soji on the surface, but he also told her more truths than I think even he realized. But he is also clearly devoted to Narissa and their cause. Ramdha, Soji, Narissa and Narek form an impossible box rather than a traditional love triangle. A box should be secure, but this one is full of treachery.

The synths on Mars, such as F8, mirrored Data externally but were much more simplistic internally. That external twinning allowed the conspirators to convince the Federation that they were capable of a rebellion. The A500 model synths were very purposely made as fool’s gold rather than real gold, but Starfleet and the Federation succumbed to the lie that they could evolve and rebel.

Very few people in the Federation would have known Data personally, but many would have known of him and seen his likeness. If Commodore Oh and other Vulcans in Starfleet forced the Admonition on others and are able to alter memories, then either plant hypnotic suggestions or blackmail others into doing what they want, as they did with Agnes, then they could quietly take over Starfleet and eventually the Federation. We saw Oh and Narissa wearing that gold uniform. How many more are there? How many can force the Admonition onto unsuspecting, unprepared citizens?

Star Trek Picard S1E1 Data Shows Picard His Hand- 5 Queens of Heart

Rios’ Red Is Real cigar box with all of his important memories inside.

Orange and White, the colors just to the other side of yellow, follow from its meanings. Orange, like the jumpsuits worn by the synths on Mars, means danger. White pulls yellow to the security side of the spectrum and tends to mean innocence or the medical field, when it has a meaning. In a show full of neutral colors, sometimes white is just a background color. Rios’ drawing of himself with Jana was on a white piece of paper.

  What Do We Do With All of These Colors? Red Still Means Command, So We Follow (Picard) Red

We’ve been told that red is real, but real isn’t always better. Gold is good, but it can turn on you. Green’s games can be fun, until they betray you. Blue is smart, but it tends to hang back, saying it doesn’t want to get involved, until the fight comes directly to it.

So who is a TV viewer to trust for clues to this mystery? My money is on Jean Luc Picard’s instincts overall. As a leader, he still knows what he’s doing. He’s assembled a crack team, almost despite himself and them.

However, he is truly aging and ill. Now he’s best as an administrator, rather than a man of action. The Charlie to his Angels. He needs to set his team up with a mission, inspire them, keep them on the right course when necessary, but otherwise stay out of their way.

There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s the real part of reality. They all respect what he has to offer and where he is physically. Every elderly and disabled person should be so lucky.

With Picard’s wisdom and impeccable instincts to guide them, Rios’ heart/compassion and leadership skills, Raffi’s sheer intelligence and analytical skills, and Agnes’ science and robotics skills, they have a good team. I suspect Soji is the best fighter on the ship and will be great at leading away teams, plus she’s still Dr Soji Asha, xenoanthropologist.

Picard- red

Agnes- blue

Soji- gold

Raffi- green

Rios- Between the holos and the items in his room, Rios is both red and all of the colors and skills. He’s an international man of mystery and captain of the ship. Just don’t ask him for Yridian tea.

I expect more crew will be along any time now, but maybe Seven and Elnor will keep the cube.

Images courtesy of CBS AllAccess.

                  Star Trek: Picard- Color Theory Explained Through E8-Starting with Bing Crosby singing Blue Skies during Picard's prophetic dream in the pilot, the show has used red, blue, green and gold symbolically. Red is real. #StarTrekPicard From the first moments of Jean Luc Picard's dream in the pilot, Star Trek: Picard has been using a color scheme as part of its symbolism.