#rottmnt analysis

[risestarkiss]

✨The Fashionista✨

Rise Ramblings #234

While watching “The Clothes Don’t Make The Turtle,” I noticed something.

I found it interesting that Raph, Mikey, and Leo were content with Raph’s outfit choice until Donnie stated that he wasn’t “in love with it, ya’ know.”

Suddenly, Raph declares “I’m a disaster!” Albeit ridiculously endearing, it was a little strange to see his sudden shift from moderately content to absolute dissatisfaction. Huh…

Then, the disaster twins decide to help him out.

Take a note of their outfit choices.

Raph tries on all of these fits and more.

Donnie’s first choice is a mild “no.” Leo’s choice is a hard “NO.” (Not surprising, lol.) But then, the overwhelming consensus lands on Raph’s fourth outfit, which ended up being Donatello’s other pick for his brother.

So, in summary, Raph tried on his personal choice for an outfit, of which they rejected. Then, ultimately, Donatello picked out an outfit for his brother, and that pick ended up being perfect. Hmm…

Then I noticed something else. In this episode, we never get a Donnie “curtain reveal” moment, to our disdain. I mean, Raph, Leo, and Mikey got to try on several different outfits in order to get their brothers' opinions before landing on that “perfect outfit, you know the one.” All of his brothers got to shine. Why not DonTron?

Then it hit me.

The try-ons were to get their brothers' opinions and approval. And, for his brothers' choices, he was a major contributor in assisting them in pulling their looks together.

What if, bear with me, Donnie didn’t need the "curtain scene" because he was so confident in his fashion sense that he didn’t need to ask his brothers for help to pick out a great look.

…or they figured out how to break Hypno’s spell before he could get a “curtain reveal.” BUT STILL-

Look at his outfit choices in this episode. Some of his wardrobe changes were off-screen, but all of them were fire.

(I added the baseball cap pic because it makes me happy. I wish we'd seen more of that fit.)

To me, he makes some really smart choices for himself, pushing the envelope of what is expected and taking chances: an open collar with no tie for a “black tie” event, a beanie and spiked wristbands for their “gansta look,” no socks with loafers (a viral fashion trend that actually began in Africa) with old man slacks in his reclined pose. *muah* Chef’s kiss!

But Don’s fashion sense doesn’t just shine in this episode.

In “Reparin’ the Baron” the boys go to Draxum’s apartment. Leo and Donnie show up in some extra nice “Sunday Dinner” twin drip.

The gold is in the details. Everything Leo is wearing, Donnie rocks its compliment: for Leo’s round collar, Donnie’s is angled, for Leo’s blue shirt, Donnie’s is white, For Leo’s light slacks, Donnie’s are dark. Blah blah blah. It’s so good!

Look at the winter fit in Snow Day.

Again, Donnie is Leo’s perfect compliment. As a pair? Fire.

Donnie has “the eye.” I can go on and on with examples, but I’ve said all of that to say this…

In the future, we see that Donatello’s technology had major pull in the resistance. He had drone ships patrolling the skies. He built and designed Leo’s arm, Casey’s chainsaw-hockey stick, and Casey's mask. The list goes on…

But, when Donatello from the past see’s Casey’s clothing from the future, he says this:

We know about the “Genius Built” brand. We’ve seen that logo on all of his tech up to this point. But, here he didn’t just say “Genius Built.” He said, “Genius Built Apparel.”

“Apparel” is not a tech brand. “Apparel” is a fashion brand. Of course, tech is incorporated into the clothing, but still.

This means that past Donatello secured this trademark with plans of creating a fashion brand, comparable to the likes of Gucci, Ralph Lauren, or any other modern clothing brand, as a subsidiary of “Genius Built,” the tech company.

And why not? The evidence has been in front of us this entire time. He has a sharp eye for style, fashion, and trends. It is easily canon that he can sew. Splinter sewed their ninja garbs in “Insane in the Mama Train,” and there is a sewing machine in the house.

They already learned Ninjutsu through basically osmosis, so learning to sew is not too far-fetched.

And here it is, right in front of us, Casey’s entire ensemble, from mask, to weapons, to clothing, was made by Donatello in the middle of the apocalypse under the brand name “Genius Built Apparel.”

And that was just in the bad future. Resources were limited, they didn’t have access to much of anything in that broken world as they were survivors of a devastating Krang invasion. Yet, he created all of this.

However, now that they’ve changed the future, his future as a fashion designer is limitless. Think of what Donatello could produce with unlimited resources, unlimited technology, and unlimited creative freedom.

Tech genius. Clothing designer. Fashionista. Future Genius Built Apparel Owner and CEO. I’m sorry, but I have to call it...

Donatello Hamato of the present, of the bad future, and of the good future is a fashion icon, the likes of which the world has never seen. ○○○○

Update: I've decided to make this concept into a mini-comic series!

[albaqae]

@ ALL RISE FANS THAT MAKE COMICS & STORIES

So I’ve noticed that in this fandom it’s common to include Deaf/ASL-using-characters into stories, which is honestly AMAZING and makes me SO HAPPY TO SEE, but many of us aren’t deaf we rely on resources, therefore:

My ASL teacher gave us this website cause it’s updates constantly (ASL evolves lots) and it’s a lot more accurate and reliable than just google :))

To work it- type the word, and a word bank will pull up, click on the term u want and a video/description of the sign and word will appear!!!

It’s rlly simple and has most words and if it doesn’t it’s bc it’s finger spelled probs!!!!

If u want more in-depth good grammar, search up “five parameters ASL”, “glossing in ASL” and watch a few videos to see “how sentence structure differs in ASL”

As always, remember it’s ok to make mistakes/notice a mistake, just be mindful and kind :D most of us aren’t out for malice and if someone is it’ll probs be very obv 😭

Happy Creating!!

Edit: A THANK U SO MUCH FOR THE REBLOGS :)) if anyone ever needs any help drop a comment or look at other reblogs!! There’s lot of other resources/tips there!!!

[kinniemikey]

Is Rise Raphael that different from other Raphael's?

I feel like writing about this because people really believe that Rise Raphael has nothing in common with the other iteration and say that he's too different.

Are you sure about that?

Just listen to Splinter and what he has to say to Raphael in the 2007 movie.

Those are qualities that Rise Raphael himself has.

You always bear the world's problems on your shoulders

It is an admirable quality, when you are the protector of others

You are strong

Passionate

And loyal to your fault

These are the merit of a great leader as well

But only when tempered with compassion and humility

Rise Raphael sometimes feels mischaracterized by a few fans, the only reason, why he doesn't let his anger out on his brothers like 2012 or 2003 Raphael, is simply by his design.

He is too strong.

He is capable to shake a whole building without trying and he needs a different sparring partner to really let it all out.

He can't do that with his brothers, he would literally hurt them or worse.

Does this mean that Raphael never displays anger towards his brothers at all? no.

Raphael throws stuff, smacks the back of his brothers head or uses other ways to make his brothers stop, when angered.

If Rise Raphael was short as everyone else, he most likely go ham like his counterparts.

[todomemolesta18]

Why I headcanon Leo as aromantic

While I enjoy the fanarts and fics of Leo with Usagi, if I would gonna write a Rise fic, I would write him as aromantic, cause canonically, this boy is disgusted about romance.

Is not just that he doesnt like it: he is GROSSED OUT.

Look at this boy, and tell me, do you think someone that reacts like him is cannonically interested in romance 😭 And of his brothers, is the only one that reacts this way.

... so, yeah, thats why I headcanon him as aromantic.... and gay. Cause you dont need to be in love to feel atraction.

[risestarkissomega]

If Donnie was in an 80s Music Video what outfit do you think he would wear? Also, how would he dress his brothers? Just asking for a friend.......

Oooo! Great question!!! 💜 The 80's is so choice! I love it!

Let's start with his brothers.

We already have a fantastic example of how he would dress Raphie, as it was already done in show.

That white suit? Totally 80's inspired. 😎

Actually, it's almost 1 to 1 with the main cop in Miami Vice....

As for his other brothers, hmmm...

Mikey seems to have a propensity for 80's hip-hop jackets and tracksuits, so I feel like Don would put him in one as well.

(Run-D.M.C. circa 1985)

Yeah, I definitely feel like Donbon would play with these themes and Mikey's eclectic use of color.

As for Leo...

I feel like Leo would dress HIMSELF in something like this, almost verbatim:

(Thanks. I hate it. 🙂)

But, I think Don would embrace Leo's tackiness and put him in some good ol' bright-colored parachute pants! Leo's fit (as styled by Don) would be similar to the ones below, but in a color palette that played well with Leo's markings/skin tone:

As for himself, there's one 80's trend that I think Donnie is already known for...and that is shoulder pads.

Specifically, shoulder pads in a power suit.

(As quoted from Google)

Looks familiar?

Or the even more exaggerated:

Therefore, I feel like Donnie boy would dress himself in something like this (in his color, obviously! 💜):

Add a fetching shirt, and a bombastic tie, and yeah I can totally see Donatello in this any day! 🤩

...

Or maybe I'm wrong and he'd just put everybody in matching windbreaker tracksuits. 💀

He's unhinged and these boys are wild, so that's totally a possibility. 😂

💜💜💜

○○○○ 💜 RiseStarKiss Studios on Youtube | My Kofi Tip Jar 💜

[holopossums]

One of my favorite details of all time in the ROTTMNT Movie is that when Casey Jr. is so angry, he either seems to not think right or does not care about hurting himself to unleash his anger. And it's so funny.

Consider the scene with Casey and Leo, the one after Casey chews him out.

After a little bit of time alone, Leo resolves to do better. While moving rubble, Casey finds a break in the wall with light shining through and understands it's a way out, so he focuses his efforts on that. Leo joins Casey at the top of the rubble pile, trying to help.

Casey is still steaming mad and gives Leo a hilarious glare before ramming into the wall to break it.

Now, remember where Casey's armor is. The shoulder armor is on his right. What shoulder does he use to ram into the stone wall?

His left.

Yep, he was so mad that he rammed into a stone wall with his unarmored shoulder when he has a perfectly good armored shoulder on the other side. This action also hurt him quite a bit, it seems, considering his expression.

(As a side note, it is true, you're really not supposed to ram your shoulder into things, you'll injure it. That's why it's common advice to kick doors down, not shoulder slam them. That's also why in contact sports, including hockey, people wear shoulder pads.)

It gets better, though. Clearly it hurt the first time so he wouldn't do it again, right? He can't be that stupid, right?

WRONG.

Casey is probably too angry and full of adrenaline to consider much or not try to hurt himself. So he rams into the wall the exact same way a second time. Really it's only when Leo tries to speak more openly here, admits his flaws, and agrees to work together that Casey pauses.

But wait, it gets even better. The third and final time when they break through the wall together...

HE'S STILL USING THE SAME SIDE TO SLAM THE WALL. 😭 He learned nothing. He just doesn't hurt himself too bad the final time because they successfully break through to the elevator shaft.

Not once within this scene did it occur to him to use his armored shoulder. Not once. Not even after it clearly hurt.

Casey Jr. truly is a gift. 💗

[flesh-punkin]

Somthing I've noticed and apretiated about rottmnt that I haven't seen anyone else talk about is that in the episode "the longest fight", the skater that the turtles are fans of is a girl. Like they don't mention it or make a thing about it, She's just a girl. And it's nice cause many boy centric shows (past tmnt iterations included) wouldn't do something like this. They make the show exclusively "for the boyz". Anyways it's just a small detail that just makes me rlly happy as someone who felt excluded from "boy things" as a kid.

[zinzabee]

Hi @birthday-cake-rockz! I hope its okay if I answer your questions here in a separate post. I definitely have some tips and thoughts for help with drawing Raph.

First of all, I recommend This free PDF of the book "Morpho - Fat and Skin Folds: Anatomy for Artist" for those who are interested in really getting familiar & comfortable with drawing larger/fat/thick body types. (Make sure you click the second link, the first one is broken)

Now for Raph specifically, I do have a one very important shape I use when I draw him that might be helpful:

A lot of people like to associate diamonds with Raph as much as squares, and I think that's accurate to his design, too! The boy has a lot of serious neck muscle going on, and so his trapezius muscles and those surround it are gonna be more visible. Which actually creates a diamond shape around his collarbone and upper body. If you follow along with the angles of his shell, you can create this shape to help give him that stronger upper body look!

As for his leg proportions, that's a bit tricky because unlike his brothers, Raph's lower limbs are disproportionate to his upper limbs. It's a case of "you have to understand the rules of anatomy in order to break them".

SO!! Real quick anatomy lesson that I learned in art school: the average adult body should be about 7 heads high. Because the boys are teenagers, theirs come up to be about 6 heads high, which I credit to their younger age. But as you can see by the red marked areas, everything is still in normal proportion.

Raph, on the other hand, is different.

Raph's arms are as long as his body is, and his legs are much shorter than his arms. Because of this, he's actually disproportionate to his brothers, since his height is only about 5 and a half heads tall, rather than 6 or 7. In particular, his thighs seem to be unequally shorter in length than the calves. I think its important to keep that in mind when draw him! Because even if you know he's made up of all these thick, blocky shapes, if you try to give him the normal proportions you would Leo or Donnie or Mikey, it might still not look right. He's a stocky lad, and his upper body strength is showcased by these design choices.

Hope all this was helpful for you guys. Now go be free and draw him to your hearts content! :)

Additionally, here are several other links to posts people have created that give references of Raph and the other turtles! I'm sure these will be a big help, too.

High Quality Reference Sheets of everyone, including April and Splinter

Turtle Side Profiles Specifically

Multi-Angle Ref Sheets

RAPH'S SHELL

MASTERPOSTS by @melancholic-rowen: RAPH | LEO | DONNIE | MIKEY | APRIL | CASEY | CASEY JUNIOR

[nights-flying-fox]

Some things I wanna talk about in new rottmnt comic!!

SPOILERS‼️

Triceraton Empire!! So it confirms there are triceratons that survived the Krang (considering we saw a skull of theirs in Technodrome). Also my friend Banjo ( @little-banjo-frog ) mentioned how it probably is a reference to 2012 bounty hunter shark-cyborg!!

Another thing is how it is confirmed its the good future. And Raph has lost one eye and his right arm!! And Mikey lost his hair... in the 20 years that passed.

In the future Draxum and Todd seem to be staying with the family!!

Leo ended up dimension hopping for months! What did he see, where did he go, how did he return home?? (Giggling because i got an au based on that hehe!! This is my favorite fact anyways let's move on)

Also April looks so cool guys...

RENET MENTION!! Mikey and Renet have been working together!! (I'm still wondering why he looks like his bad future self tho djdjsk)

Lil Leo seeing Big Leo!! Idk I think it is silly and cute :D

FRIDA REVEAL

THIS PANEL. We already had seen the pervious page. But this panel: other than their dialogue I love their expressions. Present Leo seems scared (considering what the previous time travel event was about, not a surprise), but also "i can't stay mad at you". He seems to respect/admire his older self. Meanwhile Big Leo looking at him with a smile, softly... That guy doesn't hate his young self. He seems to care for him so much (which considering the plot... yeah makes sense), but it's nice to see his old self being nice with his younger self ♡

CASEYS BONDING ToT

I FORGOT TO ADD BUT TODD HUGGING PIEBALD DURING SPLINTER'S DEATH!! Did Todd take her under his wings??

Lastly- BROTHER AND SISTER?? Is he talking about Camille- if they met Frida already, the sister would be Camille probably. But who is the brother? Kirby, Slash, or a new character? Also rip Splints :(

What do y'all think??

[bowandbrush]

things I liked about the episode “Bad hair day”

Leo just wanting a day to relax and take a break from being comic relief. Me too man

And his little outfit is just ashahsgsbbsvavgh

The fact that he wears more clothes is just hilarious to me. Like

The Octopus man is literally an Elton John reference

The “I’m still learning special” made me bust out laughing on first and every rewatch

The name “last resort” is genius

And him laying in the sun is such an (unintentional) turtle thing. Soaking in rays and absorbing warmth just reflects the fact that he’s a turtle. Little man.

I had to add this picture of Raph doing the same I mean LOOK AT HIM ^v^

also WHY DOES LEO LOOK SO GOOD WITH HAIR?!? LIKE ?!? HELLO?!?

Silly boy <3

he just consumes chocolate off of his feet like nobody’s problem.

I can relate when watching the hair start to strangle him. Personally I have very long and thick hair and it deserves its own zip code. My hair will get into my food, my mouth, eyes, and rip regular rubber bands. I have to tie my hair down so it doesn’t strangle me

^that’s me

Also. When I was watching this ep for the first time and watched him say

“Looks like this tortoise…beat the hair”

I started to laugh and wheeze so hard that I had to lean onto my dresser for support. I started coughing and choking and crying and rolling on the floor pounding my first into the floor and my sister thought I was dying. Maybe it’s just me being hysterical but in my opinion that joke was THE BEST JOKE In the entire show.

there are probably some other things I missed or forgot but that was it for the most part. Seriously, I love this show, I could gush on about it forever. You hear that, Nickelodeon? Where are all the SpongeBob fanfics and fan comics and AU’s and AMV’s, huh? Wait, THERE IS’NT ANY. Just Rerun old SpongeBob episodes and bring back what the CROWD DEMANDS. Because we all have our pitchforks in hand

If I don’t get rise back I will disintegrate

[its-wabby-stuff]

Krang Will Rise

I have a couple theories, regarding the Krang.

There is such little evidence for it, that I don’t even think there’s evidence against it. But hear me out.

I think only Krang prime can abolish mystics. It’s not an ability tied to every Krang, only to him.

Thé Krang value strength above all else, putting no remorse into losing those deemed weak. As such, wouldn’t that make Krang Prime, their leader, the strongest? And what better way to deem yourself the strongest than carrying a unique ability that takes away your enemies greatest potential threat.

Another reason: it seems there are three types of krang. The biotech, the warrior, and the interrogator. I’m not sure how much they overlap, but I do think they carry specialities. Given krang brother is most often asked to- spread their krangness. He is responsible for krangification, domain expansion, and manipulating the technology they have (Nevermind how all these abilities make him the perfect match for Donnie)(also think Krang Brother is mute). Krang sister is the most skilled and best fighter. I’m sure she outclasses the boys in that regard. I’d go as far to say she’s second in command, leading the charge while brother krang stays behind (her role as commander matches as Commander O’Niels opposite in war, hence their quarrel). Leaving Krang Prime, who has the ability to dig into a persons mind, manipulate their captives, control the hive mind, and abolish mystic powers. Perhaps rare amongst Krang, this makes them the perfect leader (do I even need to explain why he’s Leo’s main antagonist, his opposite in every way?).

I mentioned how krang brother is likely responsible for krangification, which leads me to a second point. Clearly, from the start of the invasion to the end in the bad timeline, the krangs numbers increased 100 fold. From 3 lone survivors to hundreds if not more. Which has led me to wonder how krang are created. I have two theories: 1) in the bad timeline, the krang in the prison dimension didn’t die. Meaning that when Leo grabbed the key in the movie, and altered time, the resulting explosion caused the krang to be wiped out. 2) the probably more likely one- they repopulated.

Thé krang are clearly parasitic creatures. Meaning their reproduction is likely from a source, that source being humans. “Recreating this world in the image of krang.” Krang possession is simple, and any krang can do it, latch a bit of themselves to a human and start the battle of wills. Krang dogs are amother easier way to make more, a quick process that mangles the hosts body. We see this happen with the foot clan. But if you want powerful krang, with no chance to turn on you, and to truly become one with krang, you transform them.

Raph was found in a bubble. In a slimy krang cocoon stuck to the ceiling and filled with glowing yellow goop. He was going to be turned, transformed into Krang. And he was going to be powerful, his source material being stronger than most. He was- until the process was interrupted. Notice how the krangification didn’t come from the outside, it wasn’t attached, it was growing inside him. And, unlike the other krangified peoples we saw, his eye turned purple. It wasn’t just covered in hoop with the yellow hive mind eye, it was purple. Let it be a testament to Raphs inner strength cause he very well may have accomplished a feat deemed impossible to overcome. The process wasn’t supposed to be reversible, he wasn’t supposed to be able to break free, he was krang now. Krang Prime could feel his struggle, sense his resistance, and hear his thoughts as the turtle fought it off.

Once you turned, there was no going back. You were krang. Your old life didn’t matter. Your old friends didn’t matter. You had a new family. A new purpose to fulfill. New powers to explore. And given treasures for the hunt. The mark of a krang and a fucking massive piece of armor. This way of reproduction was useful when hunting new prey, as their knowledge of the species past through, truly allowing them to know their enemies and conquer planets. Krang can never die.

Then again. I could be wrong.

——————

Thanks for reading! Likes and Reblogs appreciated! Other related theories and stories:

Resistance to Krang; The Shredder armor; Emperym Life Blood

[risestarkiss]

Rise Ramblings #325

So, we also know that this boy is bad at basketball.

Like, really bad.

Yeah, th-that was just terrible.

But, it made me think.

How is this ninja scientist so bad at this game? It’s just hand-eye coordination, after all.

I mean...

His shots aren't terrible, but they just bounce right off the hoop/backboard. It's almost as if he's aiming at a target-

So, wait. What’s the difference between basketball and pizza darts?

...the arc. Arcing the ball requires a light hand. In other words, it requires restraint.

I believe, that Donatello has great aim, but is terrible at restraint because, when he tries to toss something, it misses the mark.

But, when he throws something...

it’s deadly.

[everythingunderthesky]

Which Witch? 

This moment in "Donnie vs. Witch Town" has repeatedly caught my notice, and I’ve now recovered enough to break it down! 

First off, here’s the list verbatim:

Visitors  Suzy Bannion Heather Donahue Nancy Downs Minnie Castevet Katia Vajda Miss Anjelica Ernst Samantha Stephens April O’Neil

Unfamiliar names plus cursive plus a lack of high-quality stills meant decoding this took a little longer than expected.

I have attempted to minimize spoilers for the mentioned horror movies when possible, but in pursuing two contradictory goals, I have accomplished both imperfectly. C'est la vie!

Please note: I am by no means a film buff, so feel free to add any relevant context! 

Oh, the Horror . . . [films]!

"Suzy Bannion" would be a reference to the 1977 film Suspiria in which Suzy, a ballet student, finds herself investigating a supernatural coven of witches.

"Heather Donahue" is a homage to the 1999 "found footage" movie The Blair Witch Project*, wherein three student filmmakers investigate a legend of a witch in the woods.

"Nancy Downs", from the 1996 R-rated film The Craft, is one of a trio of students rumored to be dabbling in witchcraft.

"Minnie Castevet", on the other hand, hails from the dark 1968 film Rosemary’s Baby (based on the book by Ira Levin), wherein Minnie’s character is suspected of being a member of a coven. 

"Katia Vajda", originates from the 1960 film Black Sunday, (loosely based on Nikolai Gogol’s short story "Viy"). Katia was accused of being a vampiric witch and executed by her brother—but that isn’t the end of her story.

"Miss Anjelica Ernst" simultaneously references Roald Dahl’s 1973 novel The Witches and its 1990 film adaptation of the same name. One member of the notorious child-hating coven is the Grand High Witch, Eva Ernst, who was portrayed by Anjelica Huston on the big screen.

"Samantha Stephens" lives the life of a "good witch" in the 1964 television series Bewitched.

Special Bonus!

"Abigail the Good", founder of Witch Town, may be an allusion to the character "Abigail Pershing" from the 2015 television show Good Witch. 

I’ll go ahead and credit my dad as my research assistant; he described these references as "deep cuts".

And really, what higher praise is there? 

*For more about Heather Donahue, the producer and writer of the sitcom The High Country, check out this article by GQ's Scott Meslow, The Blair Witch Project's Heather Donahue Is Alive and Well!

[heybluez]

thinking about how the bifurcation in the timeline still would have happened after leo was appointed leader when they were still kids. thinking about how much guilt he would have felt, knowing that his mistake caused the end of everything. thinking about how that guilt would have caused him to step back, so much so that his big brother and essentially his twin had to take up leadership to ensure that people were safe. knowing that it may have been a strong suit for raph with years of experience in it, but for donnie it was something he had to step into, despite not being accustomed to it, or maybe even wanting it. knowing it had to be for the greater good. knowing that leo must have felt so much guilt putting two of his brothers in that position because he felt like he couldn’t be trusted with it. knowing that donnie probably only took that position after raph was gone because he knew it would only hurt leo more to lead. knowing that leo only led because two of the most important people to him were dead, and he had to become the defacto leader, just because those who came before him weren’t there to do it anymore.

gah this fucking q&a!!!!! sobbing over it forever!!!! revealing that donnie was a resistance leader even before leo was was absolutely not on my bingo card for 2024

[i-like-cats-and-stars36]

Ok, fun detail I noticed while watching the ROTTMNT movie again:

The first two times Mikey tries to use mystic hands, nothing happens, we all remember that, right?

And like, most of us and even Mikey himself believe that it's due to a lack of drive or simply power or that Mikey didn't have enough motivation or something in that vein.

But while watching the movie again, I noticed that those two times were also during the timeframe in the movie where none of the turtles had access to their mystic powers because the Krang had sealed them away.

And when the turtles get their powers back and Mikey tries to use mystic hands for a third time, he succeeds and saves Leo.

So like, if the turtles' powers hadn't been sealed at the start of the movie, could Mikey have succeeded with mystic hands on first try?

[torturedblue]

Just got to the end of season 1 of Rise yet again, and this time it’s really given me some extra thoughts and perspective about Leo’s behavior in the movie…

So we know at first Leo is goofing around like he usually does after the Dark Armor spits Draxum out. Undoubtedly with a huge boost of confidence from just defeating their Big Bad season 1 villain by merely creating total chaos and throwing plans out the window. After all, “we be we” right? Which leads Splinter and Raph to yell at him a lot while he just constantly insists “they’ve got this”. Which, sure, but Leo baby you have to actually fight and get focused for that to be true 😂 But it keeps Splinter’s doubts up all the while they’re moving through the Battle Nexus arc, and Leo doesn’t really get Splinter’s approval for his while big plan until he proves he knew what he was talking about all along and the Nexus crowd is cheering them on

“They love ya, Pops!”

“It was all you my son!”

They spend scene after scene with Leo insisting they’ve got this while working his Face Man routine on the Spiderwoman up until he gets thrown in the “kraken’s den” with Rat Jitsu and it’s not until then after he says it was all part of his plan and Splinter again doubts him, that Leo’s had enough of his lack of faith and failure to really pay attention to his strategies enough to say “How come no one trusts me? None of you have any faith in me, why?” Which, ouch.

And it’s kind of the same when they get back to the rest of the team. We know Raph was very unhappy with Leo bouncing on them even though the plan was actually Splinter’s, and as soon as they get back he chews Leo out for leaving them high and dry. Thus Leo’s “when I said you guys got this I meant that” speech. Raph remarks about how accurate Leo’s guesses were about how things went when they were gone, and when Shredder shows up again Raph asks if Leo’s sure about this to which he replies yet again “Trust me.” And while it may be with a confident grin, after all the previous events of the episode it makes me sad to hear the way Leo asks for trust again.

(Which, I love my guy Raph, but after watching him also doubt Leo for the whole episode it does make it hard to believe when he finally says he does)

And I could go off on a whole other tangent about Bug Busters and how Leo saw everything that Big Mama did coming beforehand unlike his brothers—like altering the terms of the deal Raph made with her at the last second—which allowed him to expect exactly that in Many Unhappy Returns and outsmart her… but I don’t think I need to.

So even though Leo doesn’t see it as much with Raph, he really had to work to earn his Sensei’s and his leader’s trust as a reliable team member. Now to be fair, he did keep his plan on the DL from Splinter up until the end, which makes it a little more unbeatable, but I always felt like he did that because someone who worked for Big Mama was always around and blabbing about what he was going to do around any of them wouldn’t have been smart.

And interestingly enough, the only episodes Raph does use him to do his Face Man thing are after all this, in Todd Scouts and Pizza Puffs, but I don’t think Raph ever did that in season one. “Go in there and do what you do best: face!” This leads me to think it’s the season 1 finale events that showed Raph Leo’s people skills and cleverness really were more useful than he thought

Looking back on all of this it really makes clear now more than ever why Leo had such hesitation about accepting his promotion to leader and acting accordingly.

Because Leo’s proven to know his family a lot better than they know him… which is actually really saddening

Even if you set aside all the other aspects of Leo being used to getting to take it easy, or seeing how when things get really serious the pressure of leadership can really get to you, or how people can actually die, like in the season 2 finale. At the end of the day we know Leo’s insecurity comes a lot from thinking his brothers or family don’t believe in him, so even after being given the leader role, how is he supposed to believe in himself?