Tmnt 2012 Splinter - Blog Posts

2012 April Headcanons

-April is not as in touch with her emotions and sees holding your emotions as a benefit since her dad never talked about his emotions.

-Since S1, she has PTSD and dreams of being experimented on the Kraang.

-She had a small crush on Casey in S2, but they decided to be friends since they saw themselves as brother and sister.

-April is very insecure about herself and hides it by trying to act confident (usually overconfident.)

-Dating never interested her until her feelings for Donnie grew in S3.

-While in the farm, April took care of Leo the most because she blamed herself for the invasion happening.

-Her mom’s disappearance had more of an impact on April than she told.

-April has anger issues, but not towards others. Though she unintentionally lashes out at others whenever she’s frustrated with herself. She wants to work on it.

-After the end of the invasion, April would stick close to her dad out of fear that he’ll mutate again.

-When it was revealed that Karai was Splinter’s daughter, April tried returning her tessen to Splinter. Though, he told her to keep it since he sees her as his daughter too.

-After living with the Turtles, April grew more affectionate towards people, especially Donnie.

-For the last year of high school, April decided to take class about the Japanese culture and language, in honor of Splinter. 

-One of the things in her bucket list is to travel the world. 

2012 Donatello Headcanon

Leo almost dying twice and Splinter’s death effected Donnie more than the others.

*MENTIONS OF BLOOD & DEATH*

This is one of my favorite headcanons I wrote since I really delve into Donnie’s character even if it is not canon.

I came to the conclusion based on something Donnie said in season 5 in the Monster arc. While in a fight, Donnie mentioned that he hated blood. Someone had a headcanon that Splinter’s death was the reason. After getting stabbed and dropped from a building, there would be a lot of blood, but it was censored.

With Leo, Donnie felt like it was his fault his brother almost died the first time because Leo separated from the group after their argument.

I don’t know if I overanalyzed Donnie’s reaction to Leo’s second near death experience. I know the brothers were all there, but Donnie was sort of the medic and was trying to revive Leo. A lot of things must have been going through his head. Like if he does the wrong or no action, Leo will die and it will be his fault. Everyone would be devastated, but Donnie would make it tougher to handle since he will always wonder, “I healed him once, why couldn’t I do it again?” It would eat away at him of what might have been.

Leo survived, but those questions will never stop running through Donnie’s mind.

Splinter’s death had an affect on him because as I mentioned before, Donnie is the medic of the family. Seeing that he couldn’t do anything to save his father, only hug him along with his brothers. For the first few months, Donnie will try to find ways to prevent someone from dying, so he could save any of his loved ones.

Well, that’s it. Can’t believe I wrote so much.

What do you guys think? 😊❤️

2012 Oroku Saki ("The Shredder") Analysis / Also kind of Hamato Yoshi ("Master Splinter") too, but mainly Saki- Lmao || Part 2 !!

Here's Part two of my analysis on Oroku Saki and Hamato Yoshi within the 2012 series ! 👍✨

Are Hamato unreliable narrators within the story? Or the Foot Clan / Oroku?

This is kind of a yes and no thing for me personally. I feel like both sides have had their fair share of spreading misinformation or just not fully understanding certain events that occurred / painting them a particular way upon their recollection of them. My whole take on Hamato Uta and the centuries long Foot Clan / Hamato Clan fued shows this.

We already see this a lot with Shredder throughout the series as well, as he claims over and over again that Yoshi was the one who took Tang Shen's life even though the truth is that it was him all along. Telling himself this so much that he truly ends up believing it by the end of the series. He also blames Splinter for Karai's mutation, even though that was a tragedy of his own making since he's the one that put Karai in that position in the first place, not to mention the fact that he was the one that broke the chain that was suspending Karai over the mutagen vat himself.

However, I feel like we see this with Splinter during his recollection of past events as well.

When he's having his conversation with Karai during, "Vengeance is Mine" in Season 2, we are shown this shot which implies that Saki knowingly and deliberately attacked Yoshi AND Tang Shen during his fit of rage all those years ago. He also proceeds to claim that Saki deliberately burns their house down afterwards.

However, we know this isn't the case at all, since TOTY explicitly shows the chain of events that led to Tang Shen's death and you can see that this wasn't a deliberate action from Saki but rather a horrible circumstance. Both Yoshi and Saki witnessed Tang Shen walk away before they started their battle, so neither of them were expecting her to be there whatsoever. This is further reinforced by their shared shock at her death. We also see throughout their fight that the fire is caused directly from that altercation. Candles that were lit inside were being knocked over by them, which is what actually caused the fire that burned down Yoshi and Tang Shen's home.

I'm not saying Splinter necessarily lied to that the trauma of it all couldn't have caused Splinter to recall things poorly, since it's entirely plausible. It's also EXACTLY what Saki is doing / experiencing throughout the series. Cough cough. 🙃

And although I've already talked about it kind of extensively in the first part of this analysis, I feel like his relationship with Saki is another instance of him recalling things differently than how they actually were / happened. Which is how I want to pivot into talking about Splinter right now, since I'd like to give some attention to his "perception issue".

Hamato Yoshi / Master Splinter and his relationships with those around him:

I want to make it extensively clear that I personally really enjoy 2012 Splinter as a person and a character. I'm not saying that others can't dislike him or be critical of him or pick apart his character, because obviously you can and I would be super hypocritical for saying you can't considering that's what I do on a daily basis ! I'm also a firm believer of someone being critical of a character or a character's writing and that not necessarily meaning that they think the character is dogshit or an awful person necessarily. Sometimes being critical or analytical of something is how we express our love or interest for it (Like me with this entire decade old series- LMAO) ! But I just wanted to put that out there, since I'm not necessarily going to agree with any negativity or hate comments directed at 2012 Splinter as a character. I just blatantly disagree with most of them, and I think it's okay to agree to disagree if you feel that way. I'm sure a lot of people feel that way about my takes on 2012 April and how I'm pretty overly critical of her and don't really think the best of her canonically. 👍✨

With that out of the way, I really really like talking about Splinter's perspective and how different it feels from perspectivea of the people in his life that he specifically claims to love and care about very much ! It was such a perfect opportunity to really delve into his character and how his relationships, specifically his relationship with his brother Saki, plays such a big role in the overarching plot line that is the 2012 series !

From TOTY, we see the two most important relationships that he currently has in his life (Not discounting his daughter Miwa, but she's still an infant at this point so it's not like they've had many deep conversations- Lmao). Two relationships that, from his perspective, are relatively strong and healthy and wouldn't collapse in the near future whatsoever. I think it's safe to assume that prior to the events of TOTY, before all these issues started flaring up, that this was his mindset completely. I feel like this is also reflected in his mannerisms, and how he comes across so airy and carefree when talking to Saki during their conversation about Yokai with their Father. To Saki, he's being condescending and undermining his opinions / experiences yet again, but to Yoshi he's just shooting the shit with him and having a friendly brotherly interaction. Yoshi's disposition only shifts when Saki pushes further about never listening to others and of course when he brings Tang Shen into the equation. Something similar happens with Tang Shen as well. Yoshi's content and happy being with her and their daughter on their late night stroll, and it's not until Tang Shen brings up wanting to move away that Yoshi shifts once again.

Which leads me to wonder why in his eyes things are completely copesthetic until these problems come up? In both these instances, it seems as though Yoshi just expects them to "understand" rather than meeting them in the middle and actually having a conversation about these things. He wants his Brother to understand that he's always been there for him, despite Saki expressing the opposite which stems from lived experience it seems, and he wants his Wife to understand that he has responsibilities to this Clan and that he can't abandon them. Not that this is an excuse, because I absolutely don't think it is, but part of me feels like this is just a reflection of how he was raised by their Father, Hamato Uta. Where Yoshi was constantly forced to "just understand" when he was burdened with something or forced to bear something, like being the next head of the Clan. That he was "meant to understand" when his Father wouldn't give him the time of day because he was a busy man. Etc.

Through this, you can definitely draw a parallel between Yoshi / Splinter and Leo. Always feeling this need to be perfect, to maintain the vision that your Father has for you, to bear the burden of something that you didn't ask for and not expect any grace or understanding from others in return (Something Splinter expressed to Leo in, "New Girl in Town"-). To sacrifice your wants for what is needed of you, like your individualism and freedom to live your life outside of these responsibilities. I feel like this can be tied to Yoshi very well actually, since we don't exactly get a lot of insight on his feelings and opinions about being the next head of the Hamato Clan,, We honestly don't even know if that's something that he really even wanted. Not that it makes the scene any different, but it's interesting to view his exasperation with Tang Shen's asking to leave from that particular lens. How even if he does feel the same way she does and agrees with her completely, he doesn't believe he's allowed to say that. He doesn't feel like he's allowed to have any dreams or wants outside of this Clan, because those in it depend on him. Yoshi also brings up how this Clan is the last of its kind and that being a big reason why it must endure, which also adds a whole other level of stress,,

Like I said earlier, I don't think this excuses his poor management of his relationships with his Brother and his Wife, but I think it does give a little more insight (Or potential insight-) as to why that was. It also speaks volumes to the way Saki is so gentle and open-minded it seems compared to Yoshi, who comes off cold and emotionally unavailable, during this time (Primarily in his interactions with Tang Shen during TOTY-). In this way, I truly feel like Saki and Raph paralleled one another. I wouldn't be surprised if Saki was actually surprisingly in tune with nature and very respectful of the earth and the universe. That he felt much harder than most people, like Raph, which is why he was so emotionally reactive. That he was actually a lot more receptive than we ever got to know.

This moment from Season 2 ("Vengeance is Mine") always stuck out to me with Saki / Shredder for that very reason. When he's pleading with Karai and expressing how he doesn't want to lock her away (Even though he currently is- 💀 Lmao). Up until this point in the series, this had been the gentlest we had ever seen him. Like a part of his old self was really shining through in this moment,,

But circling back to Yoshi / Splinter, part of me wonders if he was somewhat aware of the state that his relationships were in-? Maybe he was already stressed enough that he just couldn't bring himself to address it without falling apart or feeling like the ground is caving underneath him. So to the detriment of his Brother and his Wife, he maintained this almost aloof attitude towards their concerns as a means of holding himself together. Maybe he didn't feel like he was strong enough to face these problems at the time. This issue clearly wasn't resolved by the time we reach the beginning of the events of the series either, since we can still see this very present in Splinter and how he behaves with his Sons. Regardless of my opinions about April's position here during this conversation (Lmao), I think her questioning of Splinter during the Season 1 finale is a great example of this. His tone and body language truly reflects something almost akin to escapism in my opinion. The way Leo had to pester him constantly for him to open up about Karai being his daughter. The way Splinter seemingly shut down after Karai got recaptured after she finally learned the truth and it seemed like she was within reach for the first time in ages, and Leo was constantly talking about how worried he was about their Father's mental well-being. How Splinter also became kind of closed off yet again after Karai's mutation (And if we're being entirely honest, I wouldn't be surprised if Splinter was a little upset with Leo during this time, which also contributed to his lack of communicating with him-) + a majority of Season 3 due to Karai's new situation. Like I brought up earlier about his upbringing, it seems like Splinter has a hard time really communicating about anything emotionally charged and would rather maintain this composed disposition than to actually confront these things and, quite honestly, cry...

He's eluded to having temperamental tendencies in the past (Like when he was trying to verbally express a lesson to Raph about managing anger in, "Turtle Temper"-), and I wouldn't be surprised if this is something that he's learned to suppress over time. Especially with the "guidance" (so to speak) of their Father, since that most likely contradicted with what he wanted for Yoshi if he were meant to be the next head of the Clan. But Yoshi's not a robot and he shouldn't have been treated like one (If any of my theory were to actually hold up-).

Reasons like this are exactly why I feel like this should have been Splinter's whole Character Arc throughout the 2012 series. How building his relationship with Saki once again would be both a literal battle and a mental / emotional battle. Shedding light on how difficult it can be to overcome emotional pain and mending relationships that you had a lot of fault in, even if you didn't mean it,,

This Character Development Arc absolutely should have started with his Sons (And Daughter, but given the events of the show, I think it would be more feasible to start with his Sons- Lmao) first and foremost. I think having some kind of epiphany through them about his relationships with those he cares about should have been the catalyst for him viewing this entire situation with Saki a completely different way. I think giving the Turtles an opportunity to be more openly honest about how they view him as a Father and how they feel he views them as his Sons would have been the best way to go about that. For Splinter to have a moment where he realizes that maybe the people that he loves and cares about in his life don't always know that he does. Maybe it's obvious to him, since it's his perspective and his actions, but it's not always obvious to them and he needs to consider that more. This should definitely cause him to make connections to his past with Tang Shen and Saki,, Realizing that there actually was some truth to Saki claiming that he doesn't care for anyone but himself. Understanding now why Tang Shen worried about whether or not he would've been a good Father to Miwa, especially in relation to his role in the Hamata Clan. This, of course, wasn't something that he wanted or meant to do, but it still happened,, And he has to face that now.

I also love how having this moment with his Sons would helped break some stigma around masculinity and the relationships that Fathers can have with their Sons. They should be allowed to be emotional together. They should be allowed to have meaningful conversations about their relationships,,

I also feel like this would have been a great way to have more of a discussion about Splinter's position as a Father, and the toll losing his first daughter and abruptly gaining four Sons had on him. I don't think anybody could cope with that very well, and I feel like that should have been reflected in his parenting and how he tackled this new family dynamic. That's honestly why I kind of enjoy the fact that Splinter isn't this "perfect Father", because why would he be? That would make no sense- He has as much growing to do as everybody else in the show- LMAO 😔👍

I think it would have been super interesting to see Yoshi and Saki interact with each other very differently throughout the series in small increments. In Season 1, during the finale, we can see Splinter try to converse with Shredder (Saki) rather than immediately jumping into combat. Again, I'm not saying this couldn't have just been a stall tactic on his end, but I like to think that maybe that was his attempt at trying to be more civil despite everything that's happened. Saki's the one hunting him down, not the other way around, you know? I would have liked to see way more interactions with Splinter and Saki where Splinter truly is just trying to talk to him and reach some kind of understanding. Naturally, this wouldn't yield any results since he hasn't done any reflecting about their positions and their past yet, so his approach would be ineffective. But after Splinter realizes the part that he's played in where they both are right now in their lives, I think he would get through to Saki a lot more. Being more willing to apologize. To understand why Saki is so upset, as opposed to before where he behaved as though he didn't understand why Saki was doing this. To admit that he didn't know about his post and Saki's Father, and he how should've tried harder to make him feel seen (Which I want to add that it would have been absolutely chef's kiss for us to see Splinter actively do more research into the Foot Caln and Hamato Clan past before approaching Saki and trying to fix things- It would truly show how much Splinter means what he's saying and that he actually cares-!) . To reaffirm to Saki that he's a human being just as much as he is, and that Saki has a right to exist without being labeled (Referring to his Foot Clan heritage-). Since Saki's predicament truly feels like the epitome of, "They labeled me a monster, so I became one.", you know?

I also think it would have been interesting for Splinter to grow to view his predicament in a positive way-! Like, if what had happened between him and Saki hadn't happened, he never would have been free from becoming the head of the Hamato Clan and he would have had to wear those metaphorical shackles for the rest of his life. In a way, Saki kind of saved him from that timeline, you know? Which obviously would be bittersweet considering the position that Saki is in currently and the fact that Tang Shen is gone now, but you know- 😭 Lmao

And from Saki's side, it would have been interesting to see him slowly give in to these attempts from Splinter to make amends and fix their relationship. Sparing him more and more despite how often he's threatening Splinter. There being a lot of hesitance in some of Saki's actions. During Season 3, when Splinter was mentally absent and reduced at a rat in the most literal sense ("Return to New York", where the second picture comes from-), what if Shredder had felt guilt and sorrow for him-? To see him in such a state was more painful than it was gratifying, you know? Imagine he took care of Splinter in secret during that time, as to avoid having a confusing and complicated conversation with his followers- It's small details like that that I think would have made all the difference.

This also makes me wish this particular moment from S4 went differently for Yoshi and Saki. For Yoshi to want to help his brother now more than ever, seeing how far he's plunged into this darkness. Saki needed someone . He needed help . He needed support and understanding and a real family .

This would've been such a great parallel to Karai as well, since she too needed help and genuine support,,

I just can't help but think about how great it would have been if Saki was allowed to change and heal alongside Yoshi. So they could be Brothers again. So Yoshi's children didn't have to be subjected to this pain and suffering through their situation anymore. They could all learn to be better from this fucked up situation, you know?

Instead of having one child, Saki can have five (As their Uncle, of course-) ! He can share so many things with them, things that he wanted to as a Father (Figure) but never could properly with Karai (Miwa) for the longest time. The Turtles and Karai can see how human Saki truly is, with Karai going through the motions alongside him given she walked his path the most and I'm sure she has her own set of insecurities that come with that. For Raph to feel the most seen by Karai and Saki in particular. To acknowledge just how much Saki's interactions with Yoshi had paralleled (And somewhat continue to parallel-) his own with Leo. For them find better ways of dealing with their emotional "sensitivity" (so to speak) but also not feel ashamed for being so emotionally intuitive either. For Saki to genuinely laugh for the first time in nearly a decade and a half because of Mikey. I bet Saki would have no problem openly gloating about Mikey's raw potential as a ninja / martial artist, perhaps being super eager to be a mentor for him ! For Donnie to have an Uncle that supports his efforts through giving him access to a top tier lab set up and genuinely showing how impressed he is at Donnie's abilities. For Donnie to have yeah another parental figure that shares in love of love / romance- I'm sure Saki would have many fond stories to share about Tang Shen,, For Yoshi and Saki to both encourage Karai and Leo's individuality and to make strong efforts to unteach any thoughts about barring burdens and heading clans (Which would apply to themselves just as much-). For Karai to have her Father and her Uncle in her life again and it not be for negative reasons. For all of them to visit Tand Shen's grave monthly,,

LIKE, HOW CAN YOU NOT WANT THIS FOR THEM?? 🗣️🗣️

Anyway, this is the conclusion of my analysis (For now anyway-) ! Thank you for reading, as always ! 😌👍✨

2012 Oroku Saki ("The Shredder") Analysis / Also kind of Hamato Yoshi ("Master Splinter") too, but mainly Saki- Lmao

I still intend on doing some art related to 2012 Shredder (Especially in the context of a Redemption Arc and him being the Uncle he should've been in Karai + the Turtles lives- 😔🫶), but I have so much to say outside of art that I thought I'd talk about him too !

Just like all my overanalyzing with 2012, I completely understand and respect the opinion that all of these points I make could be the result of poor writing + a contradicting narrative, and that there wasn't meant to be some deeper meaning to it necessarily. I just enjoy that not being the case- Lmao 👍

Oroku Saki is a complex character / villain, and that's something the writers completely squander for the sake of having a "simple and reliable" villain.

Just as the header of this portion says, the writers of 2012 completely dismiss the complexity of Saki as character and miss many opportunities to highlight how Saki isn't a "black and white" type of antagonist whatsoever. I'm not entirely sure if they had intended for Shredder to fall into such a grey area as a villain-? Which could absolutely explain why they decided not to explore his character in this way. But whether they meant to or not, that doesn't really matter to me, since I'm still going to talk about it- LMAO

I feel 2012 wanted us as the audience to think, "Shredder = Evil" and simply not read into it after that, you know? Which, if that truly was their "goal" (so to speak), they never should've given us backstory episodes like, "Tale of the Yokai" since that not only puts more focus on Shredder's motives as the main villain but also sort of has the opposite effect on people like me (lmao)-

A lot of the major events that affected Saki's life either don't get utilized very well in Saki's overall character / character writing, things that I feel would make him very "relatable" villain to the audience (In the sense that if you were in his shoes, you could understand how he got to this point in his life-), or they're used to push this "evil guy" narrative despite him being very blatantly a victim of said event in my eyes-?? Which is why I say the writers wanted him to be this "simple" and "reliable" villain for their story. This feels a lot more glaring towards the later Seasons of 2012 for me, and how despite this man very clearly being mentally ill, it felt as though the writers would rather paint that mental illness as "he's just evil". It felt especially frustrating during S4 episodes like, "The Super Shredder" (EP 20) where we see Saki trail off while saying, "He saw it..." (Referring to Tang Shen's death and him still believing it was Splinter's doing and not his own-). In this same episode, we also get Splinter acknowledging the fact that Saki isn't well and that he can help him (Which, given this show, was more likely meant as a stall tactic from Splinter but I'd like to believe he was being genuine-), as well as Saki (In his own way, I guess-) opening up to Splinter about seeing his scornful face in his nightmares,, These could have been great segways into having this kind of conversation with Saki's character in 2012, even if it was this late into the series, but of course that didn't happen because we can never have nice things with this version. 😭 /hj

Let's get into more of my analysis now !

The portrayal of Oroku Saki's life in the 2012 series:

Throughout Season 1, the most we know about Saki is his role / connection to Yoshi, which primarily revolved around the death of his wife Tang Shen and the (presumed) loss of his only daughter Miwa. In most cases where Yoshi would bring up Saki during this time, he would only focus on those particular details and nothing that really pertained to Saki's past outside of his wife and daughter. He also refers to Saki as his "old friend" rather than his (adoptive) Brother- But I don't necessarily fault the show for doing this, because I feel like that definitely would have been a lot of information very early on the story. It wasn't until the Season 1 finale that Yoshi not only learned that his daughter Miwa was alive, but also that she had been raised by Saki all this time under the name Karai instead.

During Season 2 is when Yoshi opens up a lot more about Saki and his connections to him and their past. In S2 EP 3, "Follow the Leader", Splinter finally reveals to Leo what he learned at the end of Season 1 (That Karai is his long lost daughter and that Saki took her from him all those years ago-), something that he didn't reveal to the rest of his sons for another 10 episodes ( EP 13-14, "The Manhattan Project (Parts 1 & 2) / Wormquake!"-). Then eight episodes after that, during EP 22, "Vengeance is Mine", Splinter divulges way more information than we (as the audience) have ever been given about Saki / "Shredder" during his conversation with Karai. In this episode, we learned that the Hamato Clan and Foot Clan have I've been through a centuries long feud with one another, and that Saki was adopted into the Hamato Clan as a byproduct of that feud. From that point on, him and Saki were raised alongside one another as brothers. However, when Tang Shen came into the picture, things changed between them. According to Splinter, their natural sibling rivalry festered into jealousy for Saki, and this jealousy was amplified after Saki learned of his true origins and decided to rebuild the Foot Clan and get vengeance. Splinter also claimed that after blaming him for Tang Shen's death, Saki deliberately burned their home to the ground and took Miwa (Karai) away from him.

The last time we receive a lot of context from the series in relation to Saki's past is during Season 3, specifically EP 20, "Tale of the Yokai". This episode is very different because it allows the Turtles (As well as the audience-) to witness these events first hand rather than it being told through various backstories (Which have mainly been through Splinter up until this point-). This also canonically establishes that the Turtles had a lot to do with this incredibly pivotal event in Yoshi / Saki / Tang Shen / and Miwa's lives, since they were apparently the reason why Yoshi even survived that night after their home burned down. But I digress- We get to see how Yoshi and Saki interacted with each other before the events of the series, we get to see Tang Shen alive and well for the first time (Instead of only pictures of her-), we witness Saki's dramatic change in character + when he decided he was going to rebuild the Foot Clan and get his vengeance on the Hamato Clan, and we get to see Yoshi's and Saki's altercation that resulted in Tang Shen's death. After this episode, we don't get any further context with Saki as a character, nor do we get any other important backstory elements revolving around him and his identity as The Shredder (Not even any proper flashbacks of him raising Karai and what that was like- 🫠).

Now, I was very purposefully trying to point out how that was Yoshi / Splinter's perspective when I said things like, "according to Splinter" and "Splinter claims" during his recollection to Karai in Season 2- Because in my opinion, a lot what he says here feels blatantly contradicted by, "Tale of the Yokai". I also explained the events of said episode very vaguely because in my opinion, this is how 2012 presents it. These events weren't necessarily "meant" to be dissected, especially not by our main cast of characters, the Turtles and their allies (But specifically the Turtles, given they were the only ones present for these events specifically-).

So let's break down, "Tale of the Yokai", and the various contradictions that I can see when it comes to what actually happens in this episode (As well as Saki's origins-) and the way it's recalled by Splinter in the previous Season to Karai.

Comparing "Tale of The Yokai" to Splinter's recollections throughout 2012:

• Yoshi and Saki's relationship

This is something that I don't feel was necessarily a contradiction from Yoshi's perspective. He describes them growing up alongside one another and being relatively close (Which I feel these story board flashbacks depict that better than his words do-), and to an extent, I feel like this is something Saki can agree with. Prior to Tang Shen coming into both their lives (But particularly Saki's-), it seems as though Yoshi was the only person Saki talked to more openly / freely in his life (In the sense that rank or position within the clan didn't affect their conversations. I feel like this is reflected in a lot of Saki's conversations with his allies, pre and post the events of the series-).

We can even see this potential closeness through pictures of them from the past (Specifically the image on the left, which implies that him and Yoshi served in the military together at some point-). However, where this feels contradicted during TOTY is during Yoshi's and Saki's argument while sparring after Saki protects Tang Shen from the Turtles in the woods. Saki openly calls out Splinter's devotion to the Clan, potentially to himself, and how that affects his relationship with Tang Shen. Yoshi's response to this is that that isn't true and that he's "always been there for him (Saki)". This moment is so interesting to me, for multiple reasons. First off, Saki primarily was making Tang Shen the focus of this argument, but somehow Yoshi manages to pivot the conversation it being about Saki and their relationship as Brothers. Almost like Yoshi caught on to some kind of underlying tone from Saki. Secondly, I really truly love the sincerity that comes out of Yoshi when he tells Saki he's always been there for him. Because it truly adds a lot of complexity to their relationship, as well as a lot of relationships that revolve around Yoshi / Splinter (Something I'll get into later-). Despite this sincerity though, we can tell from Saki's reaction that he disagrees with this and believes it's untrue. Which paints an entirely different picture when looking at these story boards flashbacks + the old photo of them when serving in the military. In this way, I feel like they can truly be compared to Raph and Leo. Sure, you can find a lot of moments where Raph is on good terms with Leo and laughing alongside him, but there are also a lot moments where Raph blatantly accuses Leo of not supporting him the way he supports others (Usually their Brothers-) and feeling looked down upon by Leo with his condescending / high and mighty attitude. It wouldn't be far fetched to me to believe that Yoshi and Saki had a very similar dynamic growing up. Where Saki wanted to be close with Yoshi and wanted to let him in more, but one wrong sentence or action from him would close him up again. This also could've been a glaring reminder to Saki of how different they truly are / how they were perceived by others. That Saki was always the "problem child" or the Foot Clan adoptee while Splinter was the son of the head of the Hamato Clan / destined to takeover and was a role model for their fellow ninja. This reminder would always get in the way of their relationship for Saki, since it directly affected him. Negatively. This affected Yoshi too, but more positively, which would naturally cause it to go unnoticed or dismissed by him.

There's another line from TOTY that was incredibly interesting to me, and I don't see a lot of people talking about it when discussing not only this episode but Saki and Yoshi's relationship with each other. Before those two have their pivotal fight that results in Tang Shen's death, after she leaves the premises is when Saki says something that is very interesting to me. He says, "How can one love and hate someone so fiercely?", and then he proceeds to get into his fighting stance. I can't help but feel like he was blatantly talking about Yoshi in this moment. Some could argue that he was talking about Tang Shen, since it could be possible that his view of her was shifting after she made her decision to choose Yoshi over him- But I personally don't agree (I don't think Tang Shen's passing would've affected him so deeply if that was the case- I don't even fully believe Saki could even view Tang Shen with any malice either-). This feels supported by the fact that Yoshi even responds to Saki afterwards, saying, "If your wish is to fall by my hand, Brother, then so be it-". This is another instance that I feel can be used to reflect not only Saki's relationship with Yoshi, but a reoccurring issue with Yoshi. The fact that Yoshi barely even acknowledges what Saki said here speaks to his character to me. Saki has so openly stated how he loves his brother just as much as he's grown to hate him, and yet, Yoshi doesn't even bat an eye at this. I already have the impression that Saki so rarely expresses any kind of love for anyone (Familial, platonic, or romantic-), so this naturally can be assumed to be a rare moment from him. I doubt Saki has said this to Yoshi very often, if at all. But still, there's a lack of reaction from Yoshi.

This could be explained by the situation, considering that things were very tense in that moment and of course this led to their massive fight. Maybe Yoshi it was preoccupied bracing himself for the events to come that it just slipped his mind. But this falls in line with what I was saying earlier about Yoshi / Splinter having this reoccurring behavior(s) when in comes to those he loves and cherishes in his life and how he reacts to them and their perspectives (More on this later-).

• Saki and Tang Shen's relationship

This is one of the big things Splinter sheds light on throughout the series (Specifically S1-S2) that I personally feel was very contradicted by TOTY.

For starters, from Splinter's point of view (Or narration-), he implies that him and Saki both met and fell in love with Tang Shen at relatively the same point in time. But I don't believe this to be true for a few reasons. For starters, when we see Saki and Tang Shen interact after Saki "saved her" from the Turtles, it's incredibly obvious given their conversation that they've been in a relationship before. Saki even starts the conversation of their relationship by pleading with Tang Shen to "take him back". He talks about how he's changed and grown a lot since they've been apart, which also implies that he most likely was the reason why their relationship ended or why Tang Shen made the difficult decision (probably) to end their relationship. My other reason for thinking that this isn't true is that throughout the various times that Splinter has brought up their rivalry for Tang Shen's heart, he's never once mentioned the fact that Saki was in a relationship with Tang Shen before he was. Splinter always painted this picture as though they were competing for her at the same time and that he ultimately "won" and Tang Shen stayed with him indefinitely- Which just seems blatantly false given this conversation that we see between Tang Shen and Saki in TOTY.

This leads me to believe that Saki actually met Tang Shen first. A significant amount of time before Yoshi even knew of her existence. I also wouldn't be surprised if their relationship either took place discreetly or Yoshi never truly acknowledged it in the first place. I can see Tang Shen's relationship with Saki happening privately given Saki's lack of having relatively anything to himself. His clan was taken from him when he was an infant, he was raised by the Hamato Clan without having any say in that decision either, Yoshi gained the favoritism with their Father and practically the entire clan simply for being Hamato Uta's biological son and heir to the Clan- Saki has nothing that has truly been his own at this point. So it would make sense for him to want to cherish his relationship with Tang Shen in private so that that too cannot be something that is taken from him by the Hamato Clan. Which is incredibly sad and ironic considering that that practically is what happens anyway (If this is the case-),, || However, looking at the other side of things where Saki didn't keep his relationship with Tang Shen a secret and instead was very open about their relationship, I wouldn't be surprised Yoshi didn't even acknowledge it at the time. Perhaps he didn't even truly meet Tang Shen until after their relationship had already fallen out. Hence this perspective of those two competing for Tang Shen during the same timeframe. Yoshi as a new potential partner and Saki as an ex looking for redemption and reconciliation. But that begs the question- Why would Yoshi / Splinter omit the fact that Saki had a relationship with Tang Shen prior to himself? Was it because of their scarred relationship in the present? And due to his pride, Splinter chose not to bring it up? Or does this circle back to Yoshi / Splinter's relationships with others and this proving Saki's point about Yoshi being self centered or only truly recalling information that pertains to his view point?

Regardless though, this is a huge contradiction from what Splinter had explained to Karai in Season 2 (Which made it seem as though Saki had no real relationship with Tang Shen whatsoever and was just jealous of Splinter's-), and regardless of whether that relationship was hidden or out in the open it doesn't change the fact that Tang Shen felt like another thing the Hamato Clan stole from him.

Something else that I love to talk about with Tang Shen and Saki is during her conversation with the Turtles in TOTY. The Turtles are doing their absolute best to convince Tang Shen that Saki is evil, Yoshi is good, and that her decision between Yoshi and Saki has world changing stakes. However, despite how the Turtles are talking about Saki and their potential standing with Tang Shen under the context of being Kappa (Something would reasonably sway any opinions Tang Shen has of him-), Tang Shen stands firmly in his defense. Claiming that Saki is a good man. I know we didn't get to know Tang Shen very well in this version, but from the little that we did get I have no reason to doubt that she has a good judge of character. I don't think Tang Shen was deceived by Saki or that she was in denial about him in the face of what the Turtles were telling her. I think Saki truly was a genuine person up until this point in the narrative. A genuine person who was pushed to the edge and never managed to recover,,

There's also the fact that Saki told Tang Shen that he was willing to give up the Clan lifestyle and move to New York City like she wanted to. To leave all of this behind if she would allow him to be a part of her life once again. Maybe this is just my perspective, but I don't believe Saki was being manipulative or deceitful when he said these things to her. I think he really was being honest and genuine in that moment. And not that this was Tang Shen's fault nor was it her responsibility, but I wouldn't be surprised if Tang Shen choosing Saki could have prevented such a tragedy,, Prevented Saki from becoming the Shredder and devoting his life to rebuilding the Foot Clan and gaining vengeance against the Hamato Clan.

The Turtles expressed concern and carried a sense of urgency throughout TOTY due to their friends (Casey and April-) seemingly vanishing from their lives via a photograph, presuming that this meant their timeline was altering for the worse at the notion of Tang Shen choosing Saki over Yoshi. But at the end of the day, all that was was a presumption. They didn't know for sure that that necessarily meant they were falling into a "doomed timeline" (So to speak-). If anything, I'd argue that this timeline would just make their existence null and void. If Tang Shen didn't choose Yoshi, then Yoshi and Saki wouldn't have lost her. Yoshi wouldn't have fled to New York City in his grief (And most likely longing to be close to her again in some capacity, since it was the one thing she said she wanted to do before she passed-), he wouldn't have run into the Kraang, and the Turtles wouldn't have been born. Instead, Yoshi would have most likely stayed in Japan and fulfilled his role as the new head of the Hamato Clan, while Tang Shen / Saki / and Miwa (Karai) made a new life for themselves in New York City. Leaving that chapter of their lives behind for good. If Tang Shen hadn't died by Saki's hand (unintentionally), if Saki hadn't been pushed to the edge by this entire situation, then he wouldn't have become the Shredder in the first place. He wouldn't have become so mentally ill that he literally started destroying himself. Just to get some validation for his pain and suffering,,

• Saki's Origins

Comparing the recollection that Splinter shared Karai in Season 2 to the events of TOTY shows that a lot of things seem to be omitted from the narrative by Splinter. However, I'm not entirely sure if this was done intentionally by Splinter, since I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't privy to the entire story in the same way that Saki wasn't and had to seek out said information on his own. So this potentially isn't a case of Splinter lying or hiding things, but rather him just genuinely not knowing.

From Splinter's knowledge, the Hamato Clan and the Foot Clan have had a centuries long feud between them. I personally feel the obvious implication here is that the Hamato Clan ("The Good") has been in an everlasting battle with the Foot Clan ("The Bad / Evil"), given house Splinter talks about it anyway. But-?? We don't have a lot of context on this centuries long feud to begin with. We have no idea how it started, no idea whether the Foot Clan has consistently been in the wrong in said feud either. I personally think it would be more reasonable to believe that the "bad / evil" one has been passed from side to side over the centuries. It also wouldn't surprise me if this were a situation where the feud has lasted so long that neither side can truly remember why it even began in the first place. Once again begging the question of whether or not there was ever actually truly any wrong or evil side to begin with.

There's also been many situations of morally gray "justice", where despite one group of people claiming to be good people and their actions typically reflecting that, that doesn't exempt them from doing things that sort of teeter the line of their supposed morals. I feel like this can be reflected in the Hamato Clan very clearly, to be honest. Splinter always preaches about mercy, how "in times of war to never forget compassion" (A quote from him in, "Never Say Xever"-). I truly believe that this is a value that Splinter holds, especially after the horrors he experienced with Tang Shen and the loss of his daughter. I don't believe that Splinter ever seeks death, which also felt reflected in the way he handled the situation with Saki throughout the series. However, I cannot say the same for their Father, Hamato Uta. We see from the storyboard flashbacks that they quite literally took out the entire Foot Clan, which doesn't really align with Splinter's values about showing mercy and sparing others. How can you claim to be on the right side of the situation if you're so willing to take out an entire group of people? We as the audience have no context or insight on the Foot Clan during this specific time either, so how are we to trust so blindly that they "deserved this" or that "there was no other option for them"? It's also made incredibly clear that they only spared Saki given he was an infant child, but I wouldn't be surprised if his heritage also played a part in the decision. Since we wouldn't find out until TOTY that Saki's Father was Oroku Keiji, the Head of the Foot Clan during that time (Not that that couldn't be reasonably inferred before this point, but I still wanted to bring it up timeline wise-).

This most definitely influenced a lot of his relationships and interactions within the Hamato Clan, I'm sure. Like I said in my doodle post of Saki and Tang Shen a while back, I genuinely would not be surprised if he was given "Naruto Uzumaki treatment" by most people in the Clan. But instead of not allowing that to break him and taking it on the chin the way Naruto did, he responded the opposite way which feels just as valid to me. Lmao

When Saki makes this revelation during TOTY to his supporters, they express surprise and shock at this information. Which leads me to assume that Yoshi didn't know about this at all, if other (ninja) members of the Hamato Clan didn't. I wouldn't be surprised if their Father purposely kept this information from them. I mean, why else would Saki have to seek it out on his own? His anger feels valid in this moment, I gotta to be honest. It also doesn't hold up to me that they kept this from Saki as a means of "preventing him from going down that path", since why would having that knowledge sway him a particular way? Unless Uta couldn't justify it. Unless he couldn't reasonably explain the situation. Maybe there wasn't a valid reason for the tragedy and they both knew that.

It starts to make sense why Saki is so angry at this point in the story. To be taken from his family / Clan as a infant, raised by his enemy in ignorance (A claim Saki directly makes in TOTY-), to have everything be taken from him by this enemy (Which includes Tang Shen at this point-), and for Saki to feel as though everything he did technically have came with metaphorical strings attached ("Not to bite the hand that feeds you despite you never asking for that hand specifically to feed you" type of situation-). This is why I claim that he's a relatable villain, because if you were in his shoes, you probably would be just as infuriated as he was. As pushed to the limit as he was. So the cause and effect we are taking place with Saki during TOTY truly isn't "coming from nowhere" in my eyes.

I also really appreciated the way Mikey was the only Brother out of the Turtles that even entertained the idea that Saki wasn't necessarily the guy they thought he was or that they've grown to know in the present. As always, he was shut down immediately by everyone else (🙄), but was he really wrong for that statement?? Which is kind of a rhetorical question, since 2012 Mikey's right about a lot of things very often in this series and that constantly goes overlooked and underappreciated. I'm getting a little off topic with this, but I would have really loved to see Mikey interact with Saki in some way in this episode, since he already has the kind of personality that likes to understand both sides before making any strong judgments. It would have been really interesting to see Mikey be a "devil's advocate" of sorts after getting to know Saki a little bit better. Maybe even agreeing with Tang Shen later on when she claims that Saki isn't an evil person. This also goes hand in hand with my want for Saki to have a Redemption Arc in the main storyline, and how I absolutely believe Mikey would be the most open this new relationship and dynamic of the Turtles at first. With Mikey coming from a place of sincerity towards Saki, you know? 😭

I'm going to have to do a Part 2, since I can't add any more images to this post ! ✨

IUTSIUSTYIRSHRISDFHJXFHJ HOLY CHALUPA THIS IS SO GOOD I'M 💘💖💞💖💞💘💘💞💖💞💖

AUFFUHFFH THANK YOU SO MUCH,,,,,

Another fanfic of an AU! @teks-emporium, I cannot remember the last time that I was allowed to go this nuts about AUs with someone, but I swear we’re on the same brain waves with literally everything and I love scheming about traumatized turtles with you!!

You have brought me joy and I want to return the favor! :D

Check out the Ghoul AU after ya’ll read this.

If you like horror AUs, it’s one for you!

The kitchen is ravaged.

Every pantry is open, devoid of the food within. All kinds of different snacks, some older and some newer, are sprawled across the island in a pile, spilling onto other bags, boxes, and over the floor.

Three bags of chips, the same flavor, two previously opened and one newly open, seem to have been flung into the sink. An oreo container with one cookie gone, a trail mix packet barely touched, and a full skittles packet are all snacks that others in the household will not appreciate finding touched, much less eaten.

The fridge hangs open loosely and the inside fairs no better, spoons in cottage cheese containers and meat packets torn open. The area smells faintly of vomit, collected in the trashcan next to the island.

He takes a soft breath, blue curtain swishing behind him, heading to the other end of the room. There the culprit sits, chin on his knees and hands over his head, breathing like he’s holding himself off from hyperventilating. He doesn’t react to the new presence.

“My son.”

His breath hitches, voice weak, “Sensei.”

Yoshi sets his cane against the island and kneels down. An apple with a single bite out of it rolls off the counter. It hits the floor.

Donatello flinches hard.

“In for two,” He coaxes. “Out for four. With me.”

Donatello lowers his hands, placing them around his legs, copying his rhythm. They breathe until Donatello releases a shaky laugh, bringing his hand to his face, shielding it as his shoulders hitch.

He exhales slowly, lowering one hand and wiping his eyes with the other. The lower part of his mask is a darker color.

“Sorry, Sensei.” Donatello shakes his head, fax smile twitching uncertainly. “I thought everyone was asleep.”

“Leonardo said you weren’t feeling well.” Yoshi motions for him to move forward. Donatello rises shakily, head bowed, getting onto his knees and letting him lay a hand on his forehead.

“I—I’m fine, Sensei.” He mutters, uselessly. They both know that he is never a reliable source when it comes to his own health.

Yoshi does not feel abnormal heat. “You are pale, Donatello. And you were throwing up.”

“I can’t eat.” Donatello glances over his shoulder, as if waiting for the food to react. “Anything. I tried it all Sensei.”

“Lose off appetite is common with illness.” Yoshi soothes curiously. “You would know that.”

“It’s not- I’m not- not hungry, Sensei.” He tries. “I just can’t eat it!

“When did you last sleep?” Yoshi wonders out loud, watching his face drop into something more familiar as he whines, “I sleep fine.”

“That was not my question.”

“I don’t think I am sick.” Donatello pushes, with a lot less force than he normally has when in denial. Yoshi’s grateful that he gets to be one step ahead of an illness, for once. “How do you feel.”

“I-“

“If you tell me you are fine, we will go to the dojo, where you will be able to prove how fine you are.”

Donatello’s beak reddens. Some color, good.

“Achey, I guess.” He rubs his arm. “Maybe a little shaky, but that doesn’t mean-”

“Vomiting.” Yoshi reminds. He frowns, “Only when I eat!”

“You cannot force your body to ingest what it doesn’t want.” Yoshi watches him deflate. He considers him. “When did you last eat?”

“I don’t know.” He mutters. “I haven’t really been hungry.”

“Since?”

“I don’t know.” He says, more bitterly. “That’s the problem. I should be hungry, shouldn’t I? Why can’t I eat? I tried everything.”

“Did you try tea?”

Yoshi expects him to roll his eyes or rush a change of subject before he’s encourages to try some. Instead, his expression lights up, “Do you think that’ll work? I mean, I haven’t experimented with liquids but if I don’t like what I normally like then maybe I’ll like what I-”

“Donatello,” He interrupts, gently. “I think you should rest.”

No hesitation. “I’m not tired, Sensei.”

“You are not hungry.” Yoshi reminds. “And yet you attempt to eat.”

“That’s different!” Donnie pleads, fists clenched in his lap. “This time it’s different, Sensei, I know it is!”

“How many times have I heard that?”

“Senseeei!”

“You need to sleep.”

“I need to figure this out!”

“We have.” Yoshi sets a hand on his arm. “You are ill.”

“I’m not! That doesn’t fit my theory at all!”

“What is your theory?”

“I’m not sick!”

Yoshi lowers his head, tilting it toward him knowingly. “I am no scientist, but that does not sound like much of a theory, my son.”

His shoulders slump as he heaves a sigh. Yoshi sets a hand on his shoulder, “I will take care of the mess. You will rest.”

“Y-you don’t have to do that, Sensei.” Guilty eyes dart to the island. “I can do it. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“I am a father.” He moves the hand to his face, cupping his chin to stop it from turning away, brown gaze meeting brown. “It is my job to worry. I would worry less, if I knew my sons were all healthy.”

“Hai Sensei.” His son whispers. “Sorry.”

“I am not upset.” He lets him go to reach to the side. When he stands, his son rises with him, wringing his hands. “Are you sure Sensei? It’s my mess.”

“I am certain.” To prove this point, he moves for the fridge, removing the bag of carrots that it holding the door open. He sets it on a clear spot on the counter, giving Donatello a soft look. “Sleep, my son.”

He nods, paleness regained, and then hesitantly goes from the room.

Yoshi returns the kitchen to its previous state before removing the vomit from his home. When he returns, he goes to turn in himself. If Donatello allows it, he’ll see if he can use his new positive view of tea to his advantage in the next evening.

For now, he trusts that some sleep will do him so good.

He was wrong on many accounts that day.

The first mistake was not checking a lab for a scientist.

i never thought i needed raph cosplaying alice until i got raph cosplaying alice