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goosewriting · 2 years

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Rise bros x reader 😤 it's a Yokai party hosted by Sunita where mysterious stranger reader is checking out the turtle, and the turtle is looking back, and theirs tension all night until reader approaches and is super flirty until they inevitably have to leave, and the reader and gives their number and the turtles just like wow that just happened, smitten with this stranger 🙃👍💗💗 love your writing

I couldn’t help but notice you’re staring

summary: the turtles keep catching a stranger stealing glances at them all night

relationship: Rise Leo, Raph, Mikey, Donnie x GN reader (separate)

warnings: nothing really? i’m not even sure this counts as fluff lol

word count: 3186

A/N: the drummer ask hit a special spot in my heart because i was a drummer back in high school and it was the best :’) when i read it i immediately thought of a hidden city party setting, so when i got the yokai party one i thought they’d go perfect together! so i decided to combine them. hope i could make them both justice :D

(english is not my first language. constructive criticism and grammar corrections are very appreciated!)

— — —

After some exciting months at April’s school, Sunita decided to host a big farewell party, since her exchange programme came to an end.

It took place in the Hidden City, and there were humans and yokai guests alike.

The turtles were of course ecstatic that they could be at such a big party. Sunita had even invited a band to play some music later. And thanks to her dad, it was Hueso who was in charge of the catering, so the four brothers were very busy gulping down some of the best food they’d had in a while.

That was until one of them abruptly looked up and around, dismissing the food for a second. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.

🔵 Leo

You were standing on the other side of the hall, the light from the disco ball on the ceiling painting colourful and spinny patterns on the floor. You leaned with your back on the wall, arms crossed, and your eyes watching that turtle with a blue bandana intently. Ever since his group entered the room, there was just something about him that made you focus all of your attention on him.

Leo sat at the table, scanning the crowd with a light squint, until his gaze fell on you. He gulped down the rest of his food at how intensely you were looking at him. The room wasn’t lit all too well but even so he could tell there was this air of confidence around you, he was slightly intimidated. Not to mention that you looked stunning.

Throughout the night, he felt like he was being watched, and every time he turned around, lo and behold, there you were. You could be chatting with your friends, laughing, and just as he turned around, you’d steal a glance at him and shoot him a smile.

When Leo went to the drinks table to get some juice, again he felt like he was being watched. As inconspicuous as he could, he turned around again, and a couple tables farther back, you were helping yourself to the donuts, and again you shot a glance his way.

It was driving him insane, to be honest. It was clearly an invitation to go talk to you, but for some reason, just the thought of approaching you made him super nervous.

Just as he finally gathered enough courage to make his way to you, he couldn't find you anywhere. He went to Mikey to ask him if he had seen you, but suddenly the lights were turned off.

One single spotlight showed someone on the stage, presenting the band. The crowd cheered, and Leo decided to enjoy the music, since he wouldn't be able to find you in the darkness either way.

The curtains opened to reveal a band of four, which apparently consisted of both yokai and humans, as far as he could tell. All members were wearing masks so he wasn’t entirely sure.

“One, two, three, four!” the drummer counted, hitting the drum sticks to mark the tempo, and the band started jamming. The crowd cheered and clapped; they were really good.

Leo was enjoying the music, when he noticed something strangely familiar about the drummer. The way they moved, it was so full of grace and passion; he couldn't help but be quite mesmerised at the sight.

After a couple of songs, the announcer said they’d be taking a break but coming back up later. Just as the curtains were closing, the drummer faced the crowd one last time, both drum sticks in one hand, and pointed at them. For everyone else it probably seemed like they were just pointing at the crowd in general, thanking them for being a good audience, but Leo knew they were pointing at him. And that’s when he recognised your jacket; you’re the one who had been looking at him all night, driving him crazy.

He went by the stage and waited for the band members to come out. You came out last, still with your mask on. Upon seeing him wait for you at the door, you took off the garment hiding your face.

“Hey Blue” you greeted the turtle in a sing-song voice. Leo was caught completely off-guard, you looked even better up close.

“So…” he started. “I’ve kinda been feeling eyes boring into the back of my head all night and was wondering what that was about.” He gave you his signature smirk, trying to seem unphased.

“Can you blame me? It’s not every day I come across a handsome turtle like yourself.”

Leo’s heart skipped a beat. Had he finally met someone to keep up with his banter? Just as he was to retort, the other band members called for you.

“Look, I’d love to catch up, but I gotta go. Here” you took a pen and a piece of paper out of your pockets and scribbled something on it. “Why don’t we meet after the second part of the show? Would love to get to know you better.” You winked at him, pressing the paper into his hands.

Before Leo could even answer, you were gone. He blinked twice, trying to understand what just happened. Looking at the paper in his hand, he saw a phone number and your name with a little heart next to it.

Well, this night just got a lot more interesting, he smiled to himself, already typing the number into his phone.

🔴 Raph

Looking around the crowd, Raph scanned the room with his eyes, until his gaze connected with yours.

You were sitting a couple of tables farther back, laughing at something your friend said, but you were looking at him. Or maybe just in his general direction? Raph shook off the paranoid feeling from before, and resumed to enjoy his food.

A couple of minutes later though, he felt the same again. Looking up from his plate, he looked in your direction once more, and there you were, head propped on your elbow, looking at him. With your other hand, you gave him a little wave. Your friends stole some glances his way as well and giggled, and you joined them.

Were you messing with him? You were pretty cute though. What was even happening.

Raph was very confused, to say the least.

Throughout the night, whenever he felt like he was being watched, somewhere nearby you were stealing glances at him, shooting him smiles, waves, and- was that a wink? Raph’s brain short-circuited. Just as Mikey was shaking him by the shoulders, asking what was wrong, the lights shut off to show the announcer on the stage.

When the curtains lifted, he immediately recognised you sitting at the drums. Mainly because you shot him another of your smiles, which by now he realised he actively seeked out.

He had thought you were cute before, but seeing you now jamming out to the music, being so fierce and intense, for some reason it added even another layer of cuteness in his eyes.

As the band finished playing their last song, as the announcer said, the crowd started cheering, asking for one more jam. The band members looked at each other and agreed. The audience cheered and clapped.

Just as they were getting into position to start one last song, the drummer called the singer to them, and whispered something in their ear.

“This one goes out to Big Red!” the singer said into the mic, and then they started playing.

Mikey, who was standing next to Raph, elbowed his side, wiggling his eyebrows at him.

“Stop it” Raph brushed his brother off, but blushed nonetheless. He hoped you weren’t able to see it from the stage (you did).

After the band was done playing, he tried to come up with a plan. He really wanted to talk to you, but how? When he asked Mikey, he got some advice from Dr. Feelings, which wasn’t all too practical to be honest. So he took a deep breath and decided to just go and talk to you normally.

He was nervous and a bit stiff, but he quickly found you in the crowd, talking to some fans, apparently. The other people scattered just as he stood in front of you, towering over you unintentionally. You didn’t seem the least bit scared though.

“Did you like that last song, Red?” you asked, looking up at him, batting your eyes.

“S-Sure did!” he sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. “You were really good on the drums.”

“Most important member of the team! I carry the others on my back…” you proudly said, pointing at your shoulders with both thumbs. “…so they can shine.”

“Yeah, I know that feeling” Raph said softly, thinking about how he wanted to support his brothers for them to reach their full potential.

“So…” he started again, looking away. “You’ve been kinda looking at me all night. Was there something you wanted to say?”

You smiled mischievously at him, taking out a folded piece of paper out of your pocket.

“There’s a lot I want to say but this isn’t the place. Why don’t we catch up later, Red?” you placed the paper in his hand, your touch lingering just a second longer than necessary, and left to reunite with your band.

Raph opened the paper in his hand to reveal your number and name. He clenched his fist with the paper in a feeling of success.

Like a boss, he complimented himself.

🟠 Mikey

Scanning the crowd with a “hmm”, he rubbed his chin and let his eyes wander over the people. His gaze stopped when it connected to someone else’s eyes.

Noticing that he had seen you, you smiled at him and gave him a little wave.

Mikey’s heart did a somersault. The way you were looking at him like he was a snack… Oh mi gosh, he thought to himself, and brought his focus back to his brothers and the food.

“What’s wrong, Mikey?” Raph asked, concerned. “Your face is super red.”

“Nothing!!” Mikey retorted. “Everything’s cool.”

“Right…”

Just as he was forgetting about you, once again immersed in the debate with Donnie about the best Hidden City pizza toppings, Leo elbowed his side.

“Bro” Leo said, almost in disbelief. “I think that person over there is checking you out.”

Mikey’s eyes followed to where Leo was pointing, and indeed he was right. There you sat, just a couple tables over, giving him a once over with a smile. You were clearly not trying to hide it.

Mikey’s face went red once more, and he turned around to avoid your gaze.

“Aw, baby brother. They grow up so fast.” Raph cooed. “Why don’t you go talk to them?”

“Isn’t the band about to play?” the orange turtle diverted the topic. “Let’s get closer to the stage!”

His brothers shared an amused look but agreed, and made their way to join the audience, already eagerly waiting.

As the announcer was on stage, Mikey looked around trying to find you in the crowd, but to no avail: you were nowhere to be seen. He wasn’t sure if he felt relieved or a bit disappointed.

The curtains lifted and the band stood in position to play. All members were wearing masks, and Mikey couldn't recognise anyone.

Their music was really good, and Mikey jammed out, playing air guitar and everything. The band played a couple of covers of well known songs as well, and he sang along to the lyrics he knew. When they were done, he was pretty out of breath, and cheered along with the rest of the crowd.

Just as the band was leaving the stage to take a break, the drummer lifted up the mask slightly, and made eye contact with Mikey, who was standing pretty close to the stage by now. Recognising that it was you from before, Mikey gave a shy wave, and you winked at him, leaving him a blushing mess yet again.

Leo was poking fun at him, when he saw you approach them from behind Mikey, and with one last jab of his elbow he left, calling a “Good luck~” over his shoulders.

Mikey tilted his head in confusion, but turned around when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He came face to face with you, and blushed for the upteenth time that night.

Cute, you thought.

“So, rocker boy, I take it you enjoyed the music?” you asked, imitating his air guitar from earlier.

“Yeah, I did! You guys were great” he replied earnestly.

“Have you ever played a real guitar?” you asked, looking him up and down once more.

“Not really, I don’t play any instrument actually” Mikey said, avoiding your gaze and scratching his cheek in thought. Then his eyes found yours again. “But if I had to choose I think I’d go with the drums. They’re the coolest, if you ask me.”

“Well, you know I’ll agree to that!” you laughed. “Good thing I used this then and not the guitar or bass” you said, giving him your drumsticks.

“Wha-“ Mikey started but you cut him off, placing your other hand on his chest. “Just consider them a souvenir.”

You took a couple steps back, holding one fist to the side of your face, thumb and pinky finger stretched out, and mouthed ‘Call me’. Then you turned on your heels and joined your band members.

Mikey was left quite flabbergasted. What just happened?, he kept repeating in his head. That was until he looked at the drumsticks in his hands and noticed that you had written your name on one and your number on the other.

Maybe he’d ask you for some drumming lessons, after all.

🟣 Donnie

Donnie finished chewing the last bit of food he had in his mouth, scanning the crowd with a grumble. He was about to use his goggles, when his gaze fell on yours.

You were not too far away, pouring yourself a drink, but didn’t break eye contact with him. You merely smiled at him, bringing the drink to your lips and taking a sip, then turned around and joined your group of friends.

Donnie brushed it off as probably being in your line of sight for someone behind him, and brought his attention back to the food and the shenanigans of his brothers.

The whole night he kept feeling like he was being watched though. Every time he turned around, you were somewhere nearby, stealing glances at him. It was getting on his nerves. If you wanted something, why not just talk to him?

It must be the bad boy persona, he reasoned with himself. They’re clearly intimated but can’t keep their eyes from me, understandable.

After coming to that conclusion, he found himself actively seeking you out, trying to get your eyes to meet his, and give you a smug grin. You responded with a little wave and a smile every time. Lingering looks and shy smiles went back and forth, except for this time, when he was once again trying to be nonchalant about it, but it was obvious he was looking for you. So when he once again smiled and gave a little wave of his own, you looked him up and done once, smiled, but then bit your bottom lip. That took him off-guard. Had you been flirting this whole time? He just wanted to follow your little game. Wait, what-

The lights were shut off, and the announcer stood on the stage, presenting the band for the night. All four of them had masks on, making them hard to recognise or even tell apart.

Donnie however didn’t get too much about the first songs since in his brain he was running every possible scenario and calculation on what had happened, how it happened, and what to do the next time he’d catch you looking at him. Had he even caught you? Or did you let yourself be caught? Or was it actually him getting caught for looking at you?

He only came back to reality with an elbow jab from Leo, giving him a smug look, as the singer had just announced that the drummer wanted the next song to go out to “Handsome Purple”.

The show was over all too soon, before Donnie could formulate a solid plan in his head, and the crowd started to scatter after cheering.

He went to look for April; she was his best shot at making some sense out of this whole situation.

Just as he was about to take a step in her direction, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Thinking it was Leo again to make fun of him, he turned around with an unamused look. When he saw you, he was just surprised.

“Ah, the drummer” he said, seeing as you were holding your drumsticks in your hand.

“Did you enjoy the show?” you asked amused, since he clearly hadn’t recognised you.

“Yes, it’s not what I usually listen to but it was a nice change of pace. Could use some synthetiser though…” He added that last part under his breath.

“Is that so, Purple?” you asked and took off your mask. Donnie gasped in surprise.

“You…!” Pointing at you with an accusing finger, he tried to come up with something to say. “All night, you’ve been terrorising me, and…” His mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing else came out. You just laughed, not to make fun of him, but because you were amused by his reaction. Placing your hand on his, you pulled it down so he wasn’t pointing at you anymore. You didn’t remove your hand from his however.

“Me?” you asked, feigning innocence. “I’m pretty sure by the end it was you who was looking for me, hm?” You quirked one eyebrow up at him. “Guess you couldn’t keep your eyes off me, huh?”

“Scoff!” Donnie said and placed his other hand on his hip. The one you were holding he didn’t move to pull away. “It was you who started. Clearly it was you who couldn’t keep your eyes off all of this.” He gestured at himself. “And apparently your hands neither.” He smirked.

“Ah, you got me” you smiled at him. “Let me make it up to you, here.” You took out your phone, opening your contact list and adding a new one. For the name you wrote ‘Handsome Purple’.

“Care to share your digits? You strike me as a numbers person.” you asked him. Donnie said that you were indeed right, with a triumphant smile, and gave you his number.

Saving the contact, you put your phone away and said your goodbyes, since you had to meet up with your band for the next part.

“Ah, wait!” Donnie called when you were a couple of steps away. “I’m Donatello by the way, most call me Donnie. I didn’t catch your name?”

“My name is Y/n” you retorted and once again gave him a once over with mischievous eyes. “But you can call me whatever you like.”

#goose feathers #rottmnt #save rottmnt #rottmnt leo x reader #rottmnt raph x reader #rottmnt mikey x reader #rottmnt donnie x reader #tmnt x reader #tmnt 2018 #rottmnt x reader #el-chiste

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battlekidx2 · 8 months

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Rise of the TMNT First Time Watch Thoughts

Rise is a series I didn’t get into right when it came out. It was released very soon after my favorite tmnt cartoon, 2012, had ended and I was going through a major transition in my life.

I watched the first few episodes, but my schedule was jam packed and I fell off of watching it rather quickly. I still wanted to give it a shot but later when more episodes were released and I could binge it because I felt that this show deserved more than a fleeting shot. But I didn’t really get around to watching it in full until recently.

I do want to say right off the bat that the backlash against this incarnation when it was first announced was ridiculous. The show hadn’t even aired and people were rallying to cancel it. You can’t judge the quality of something before seeing it and changing something from past iterations isn’t necessarily a bad thing even if it is an adaptation.

My rule for adaptations is that what’s most important for new iterations is that they understand the heart of the series and characters that they are adapting and I would say that Rise clearly understood the heart of its characters and series but it just chose to adapt it in a different way. And in my opinion that’s great.

And I’m not going to pretend that all the changes worked for me. Some changes just didn’t mesh with me personally and I found myself preferring certain iterations of the characters and their dynamics/arguments from past iterations more. It’s just a matter of personal preference.

I have spoilers below the cut but I want to say that if you haven't watched it I really recommend giving it a shot!

I want to get into my full actual thoughts on the series now that that’s out of the way.

While Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles is a great series, it got off to a bit of a rocky start. The first half of season one, while fun and full of amazing action scenes, wasn’t the type of start to absolutely grip me like the first seasons of 2012 and 2003. It did, however, manage to set itself apart from the other iterations of the turtles and firmly establish the unique personalities of these versions of the turtles, Splinter, and April O’Neil.

The show clearly had some issues finding its footing at first and I think one of the major issues was that the show itself had trouble figuring out how exactly to implement the changes it made to the lore and characters from past incarnations into the first season, which led to pacing issues and some mixed characterization that took a while to get used to from characters such as Splinter (he gets a lot better later on and I really grew to like him but at first I wasn’t that fond of him).

But, while I didn’t personally love the first season as much as other iterations of the teenage mutant ninja turtles due to this slow start, once it established its lore and changes and firmly knew what it wanted to be the show really took off and could reach great heights in a way completely unique from the other interpretations.

This shift occurs about halfway through the first season with “The Evil League of Mutants” when the origins of Splinter and the Turtles and their connection with Baron Draxum finally get revealed (in a really good musical number I might add). This is where I really started to get invested in the new lore of this series and the changes the show made to the characters and backstory.

This is when everything that was slowly and sometimes awkwardly established started to come together and form a much clearer picture of what this series was trying to do. Those disparate pieces that felt a bit strange such as the new characters of Baron Draxum and Big Mama, the idea of the yokai, and the very different and at times kind of perplexing iteration of the foot clan finally interacted to hint at an endgame for this season and it worked much better than I anticipated.

I also was glad we finally got some development for Splinter, his relationship to the turtles, and his backstory. Up until this point he didn’t really work that well for me and the lack of any meaningful interactions between him and the turtles was a bit off putting, but starting with this episode so much new information was revealed about him that vastly improved the character and endeared me to him.

This continued development for Splinter leads to some of my favorite moments from the series.

For example, one of my favorite moments from the first season is when Splinter tricks Donnie and Mikey into going to a demolition derby with him. When Donnie discovers that Splinter lied he gets really upset and believes that Splinter didn’t really want to spend time with him.

It’s made clear leading up to this point that Donnie is really effected by the lack of attention and affection Splinter gives him and before now it was mostly said in a joking way that didn’t betray just how deeply it hurt him but he finally lets it out in a rare moment of vulnerability. And in response Splinter calls Donatello by his actual name for the first time in the series and apologizes. There’s a real and authentic moment of connection that wouldn’t have hit the way it did if Splinter wasn’t characterized the way he was early on. (I also absolutely love rise's version of Donnie.)

It’s not something that necessarily makes him more likable earlier in the series but that characterization early on makes his development and eventual connection with his sons heartwarming.

The season’s momentum doesn’t stop with “The Evil League of Mutant” or Splinter’s development. It keeps building until it finally reaches the finale, which is a great culmination of all that came before, and ends with the shredder finally being formally introduced into the series and things feeling really dire for the turtles.

This version of the shredder took him in a completely different direction from all the ones that came before and took a big swing by making him a man merged with a demon. One that’s thousands of years old that the Hamato clan was staked with keeping contained forever.

While this version of the shredder doesn’t have the depth of 2012 or the menace of 2003 they managed to build him up in a way that made his threat feel palpable. The desperation to keep the foot from collecting the dark armor paired with the revelations about the Hamato clan’s duty made it so that the inevitable confrontation felt like one that must be avoided at all costs.

This connection to the Hamato clan brought in an interesting conflict between duty and family for Splinter that we hadn't gotten to see before. When the turtles are captured Splinter is pulled in two different directions one that upholds his duty and one that preserves his family. Splinter eventually chooses his sons over his duty. (This carries over into the second season when they managed to combine the two and become their best selves as warriors and family.)

Another really fascinating aspect of the finale that I haven’t touched upon is how it subverts expectations by having Baron Draxum simply be a stepping stone for the shredder’s release. Up until this point Baron Draxum had been the closest thing to a big bad the series had. We had followed his plan step by step and believed he was the one pulling the strings only for the rug to be pulled out from under him at the last second when the turtles believed they had won.

This led to a cliffhanger that had me on the edge of my seat. It really felt like this was another turning point in the series like “Evil League of Mutants” had been…

But I don’t really feel like the second season carried that momentum over as well as it could have. The battle with the shredder wasn’t the tour de force I expected or the turning point in tone I anticipated. And there are things that were set up in the first season that, when finally seen, felt like anti-climaxes. This is most notable to me in the season premiere and the episode “Goyles, Goyles, Goyles” when we finally see the day that Splinter and the turtles were mutated.

With the premiere it was a weird split between things I absolutely adored– Leo finally displaying his excellent planning and leadership skills– and things I felt were anti-climactic compared to the build-up– the turtles’ fight with Shredder.

I feel like the Leo stuff is self explanatory. Everyone knows that Leo is traditionally the leader of the turtles and up until this point Leo didn’t show much of that or have any significant development outside of a few select moments, but this was the episode that really showed his potential.

It wasn’t just his ingenious plan that was really enjoyable to see come together, but also the fact that he knew his brothers well enough to trust in their skills and know exactly how they would be able to fend off and find the shredder.

As a longtime fan of the turtles I loved this development. I had really enjoyed this version of Leo before now, but this was the moment that won me over to this version of him.

But the way the show handled the face off with the shredder didn’t really work for me. The biggest reason was that most of it happened off screen and then when we did get to see what was going on it was to show that the shredder was weak to tickling.

After all that build up for the shredder and what a threat he will pose the way it went fell flat, especially considering how the first season finale ended with the turtles thinking they beat the shredder only for a much more powerful version to emerge from the smoke to face them down.

The ending with Big Mama set up some very interesting possibilities that I was excited to see come to fruition in the future (and eventually lead to a phenomenal season 2 finale) but it and Leo’s arc didn’t negate the disappointment I felt with how the shredder and his showdown with the turtles was handled.

Goyles, Goyles, Goyles felt like an intentional anti-climax, but even with that obvious intent it still fell flat for me. This moment was one of my favorite reveals of the first season. The way it was revealed in song by Draxum and his henchmen and the amazing still animation reflecting the words was a real turning point in just how much I enjoyed this series as I said above. And when we finally got to see exactly what happened… it was almost all a joke.

And this type of subversion is very common in Rise. It usually works better for me though because there isn’t as much build up and excitement towards them like there was for the shredder fight and the Draxum and the turtles backstory.

In fact, there are plenty of moments in this series where this type of subversion works really well for me. In the season one finale the random reveal that the turtles cracked Splinter’s teapot as children and never told him being an important plot point was one that worked really well for me.

The biggest difference between those subversions is that the one in the finale didn’t magically solve things or completely dampen the more dramatic and emotional moments. The teapot reveal didn’t retroactively make Splinter’s decision to put his sons above his ancestral duty any less meaningful and it didn’t magically save the day like they expected it to. It allowed things to still carry the weight they were meant to while still being funny and unexpected.

The show goes back to problem of the week episodes and as a result does fall into a few of the pacing and tonal issues that plagued the first season, but they were overall stronger and more fun episodes here than they were in season 1 due to the fact that there is a larger cast to bounce the characters off of and a lot more locations to explore. This allowed for some really interesting and unexpected character pairings that made some of the most entertaining episodes of the show.

The episodes centered on April and Splinter are a particular favorite of mine in season 2.

I wasn’t expecting how much I would adore their dynamic, but it was easily one of my favorites in the entire show. I really liked Splinter’s unwavering faith in April and how they came together to better each other.

Splinter very rarely has this type of relationship in any of the other shows. He’s mostly the one lifting others up and giving them wisdom and is rarely the one getting support in this type of way. April is able to interact with Splinter’s past in a way the turtles in this show can’t and it allows him to re-establish a connection to who he was in a healthier way than he had prior to her coming into his life.

It’s a great mutual relationship that finds a unique spin to what their dynamic usually is in turtles canon.

Now it’s time to talk about the final few episodes of season 2. These episodes showcase all the best aspects of the Rise show. They take what the series does differently from all the other interpretations and run with them, really showing what the show can do at its height.

These episodes gave me the shredder showdown I was hoping to see in the premiere. He posed the type of threat he had in many of the other shredder incarnations and served the turtles losses that they struggled to bounce back from.

This is the type of enemy shredder should be and the way they had this tie into Splinter’s past was amazing and moving.

The episode where the Baron Draxum sent the Turtles into Splinter’s mind was one of the most emotionally poignant episodes, showing the pain and emptiness of Splinter’s life before he mutated. It puts Splinter’s life before and after the turtles into stark contrast.

Splinter isn’t alone like he felt like he was before and he found a new family after the loss of his mother that gave him the strength and courage to accept the duty he had rejected because of the loss it brought him.

Splinter has grown from the character I was most disappointed with to one of my favorites of the series and this episode really hammered home just how great the writing for him in this series has been.

Splinter isn’t the only one that gets an increase in focus, April also gets some spotlight and a unique and unexpected role in this finale.

April’s growth from human ally to the turtles to a member of their family was amazing to watch. Having that bond that had been cultivated over the course of the two seasons that culminates in these episodes where she becomes an honorary member of the Hamato clan, fusing with Karai and teaching the turtles the way of their ancestors, was such an interesting change from past iterations of the character.

It really felt like her arc and relationship to the turtles was coming full circle when April was the one to talk Raph out of his despair. It really hammered home how far all of them have come and just how much a part of this family April is.

April’s talk to Raph leads into a great moment where the brothers unlock their mystic powers through their connection and trust in one another. They aren’t alone in this struggle or the fight with Shredder. It doesn’t come down to just one of them but their whole family.

The heart of the turtles and their various series, at least to me, has always been the Hamato family and their bond with one another and this moment shows just how much this show understands that.

There’s just so much about this finale to gush about but there were two minor issues I had. Those are the reveal of Cassandra Jones and Splinter naming Leo the leader.

Cassandra Jones felt like a last minute reveal. The series made a few jokes about Cassandra being called unnamed foot soldier yet had her as a recurring character so it felt obvious that she was going to be a legacy character in some way but having her be Casey Jones felt odd.

I don’t really know a better way of putting it. I’m not mad or anything and I don’t believe the show butchered Casey like I’ve seen some people say (especially considering how they brought Casey Jones into the movie), but it felt like the most out of left field choice rise had made up until this point. (I do want to say that I feel like this could have turned into a very interesting interpretation of the character if the show was allowed to continue and flesh this decision out.)

And Leo being named leader was especially rushed considering just earlier in the finale (parts 2 and 3) the show really felt like it solidified Raph as the leader. He was the one who was able to make the tough calls and he was the one who learned to trust his brothers in a way he needed to be the best leader he could be.

Leo only really had the second season premiere to set up the idea that he would make a great leader and strategist if he really applied himself but that thread felt like it was dropped for the rest of the season and had no real buildup within the finale unlike Raph’s leadership skills.

These didn’t really impact my enjoyment of the episodes especially considering that they were such a small part of the finale and they were both fixed/expanded on in the movie.

Speaking of the movie. It was absolutely phenomenal.

This movie focuses on Leo and his journey into growing into a leadership role for the team with the Kraang as the turtles’ adversaries.

Right off the bat this movie is considerably darker than the main series with the opening alone showing blood and the deaths of both Mikey and Leo. It immediately shatters any possibility of past conveniences present in the series like the Kraang being ticklish or the turtles escaping due to incompetent sidekicks.

There’s a palpable danger established by this shift in tone that carries on throughout the movie and creates actual tension and stakes to the sacrifices made later on.

I can also say with full confidence that this is easily the most intimidating the Kraang have ever been in turtles canon.

While the Kraang have been threats in some of the series and even beaten the turtles more than once I never felt like they were the overwhelming threat they are here. That the turtles were completely outmatched.

This amazing update of the kraang and the threat they pose is paired with a great arc for Leo where he has to confront the more immature and impulsive side of him that has been ever present in the series up until this point.

These flaws had been addressed at varying points throughout the series proper but they were never treated anywhere near as seriously as they are here.

And it addresses these shortcomings through Rise’s interpretation of the classic Raph and Leo conflict.

Raph and Leo are almost always the two brothers that come into conflict the most often in every iteration of the turtles. Their ways of thinking are incompatible in ways that make it hard for them to see eye to eye. This was something the main series of Rise didn’t really address. For the most part the brothers got along well and any conflicts they did have were either resolved or ended on a joke which fit with what the series was trying to do with them before this point.

I’ve heard a few complaints about this because the conflict between Leo and Raph is something the movie makes it seem like is a recurring problem for them when in reality Leo and Raph don’t really get into any real serious arguments/conflicts throughout the series. In fact, Raph almost never gets angry the way he does at the beginning. Rise Raph’s anger is almost always aimed at himself rather than others.

And I can understand that to a degree because these aspects weren’t really established in the series but I don’t think either of these inconsistencies really hurt the movie and are in fact explained rather well within the context and time frame given. The conflict itself is well written and has the two coming to an actual understanding that feels organic to both characters.

The movie’s take on Leo and Raph’s conflict has the two switching places from their usual roles. Leo is the impulsive brother that does care deeply about his brothers but makes mistakes due to his personal flaws that gets them in trouble, while doubting/going against the older brother’s wishes/orders. Raph is the older, more responsible brother with the weight of his brothers lives on his shoulders because of his position as the de facto leader of their family (at least before the season 2 finale).

It’s not necessarily a completely unique take on the conflict since the roles are simply reversed with a few tweaks to better fit their characters but it plays out in a way that makes Leo’s arc and journey of growing into his leadership role very impactful in a way that separates itself from 2003 and 2012 Leonardos.

Leo’s arc culminates in such an amazing and heartbreaking sacrifice that, while it obviously didn’t last, was the moment from Rise that hit me the hardest.

The way the movie managed to really hammer home the weight of Leo’s decision and the growth of his character in that moment through everyone’s reactions, the music, and the stunning animation and coloring was incredible.

Outside of Leo’s fantastic arc and the Kraang the animation is absolutely stunning. There’s a reason the fight with the Kraang leader was all over the place after this movie released. The animation for Rise has always been fantastic and here is no exception. I don’t really think I can add anything to this point that hasn’t already been said by anyone who has seen the film.

Honestly if you haven’t seen it yet you should definitely give it a shot.

I’m just really disappointed this movie is probably the last we’ll see of Rise of the Tmnt because from my experience watching the series for the first time this show just continually got better. It introduced and hinted at so many elements from past iterations of the turtles near the end that I really wanted to see their take on.

Overall I think Rise is a really fun series that has amazing highs and a finale and movie that are legitimately great but it is a bit inconsistent in terms of pacing and tone with a rocky start and contains some changes to the characters that didn’t work completely for me personally.

At its best this show easily stands toe to toe with the heights of the previous series. And in many ways those heights are completely unique from all the other iterations because of how much it twists the previously established lore and characters to make them its own.

After watching this series I can completely understand why so many people love this iteration of the turtles and I do consider the show great. I will definitely re-visit many of these episodes and the movie time and time again.

Extra Thoughts

What is it with tmnt series and dark futures? There’s Same as it Never Was, Mutant Apocalypse, The Rise Movie, The Last Ronin, etc. The brothers can never catch a break and get a nice happy ending can they?

I really love this version of Donnie and I think he's the character that worked best for me in this series. Donatello has always been my favorite turtle and in early iterations of the turtles I was a bit disappointed with how underutilized he was in the series. The episodes focused on him were great, but until 2012 Donatello was easily the most underappreciated turtle with the least amount of focus and screen time of the four. 2012 and Rise finally gave him the attention and focus I always wanted.

I kind of feel bad for saying this but I prefer Rafael and Leonardo’s conflict in the 2003 show, 2012 show, and 2007 TMNT movie to their conflict in this series. I also prefer the Character interpretations of Rafael where he’s the hothead. Where he chafes under Leo’s leadership and is forced to grow and mature so that he can handle his anger in better, more productive ways. I’m not saying this version of Rafael is bad or that Leo and Raph’s conflict isn’t complex, just that I personally prefer different versions of these things. And I completely understand that that’s personal preference. I think that this iteration will definitely work really well for other people and I think that’s great.

I really enjoy this version of Mikey and I'm disappointed he is given significantly less focus than any of the other turtles in this series. All the rest of the turtles get episodes dedicated solely to them and their struggles even April gets more individual focus than Mikey in season 2. I think Mikey is a great character to bounce off of but I was disappointed he never really got much time in the spotlight.

While the lore grew to become one of my favorite things about the series, not all of it worked for me. It was actually mostly the mystic pizza joint and some of the yokai that didn’t work for me because Big Mama, The hidden city, Draxum, the battle nexus, and the shredder/foot all grew on me whereas that part didn’t. I think this had more to do with the fact that the episodes centered on this part of the world were my least favorite in the series than anything else.

This series made the interesting decision to move away from the more grounded tone of past turtles incarnations. The turtles, at least in the shows, had progressively gotten more and more grounded in “reality” with even Donnie’s inventions, while still being incredible, reflecting the limited resources they would realistically have when living in the sewers. This series abandons any tether it might have had to reality and has the turtles out in broad daylight with only hoodies/tops to hide in, Donnie's inventions are even grander than before, and there's a whole hidden city where the turtles can be normal. They also immediately get mystic power and rarely interact with street level crime like their past incarnations. In some ways this worked and made the series immediately recognizable and stand out from its predecessors but in others it made them feel very disconnected from their roots and what made them so relatable in the first place which unfortunately alienated some people.

This ended up working really well for me after things started to come together and I think it’s a bit unfortunate that this will be a roadblock for people getting into the series.

The backlash the character designs got is something that I never really understood. Each turtle looks completely unique and for most of them you can grasp aspects of their personality and what they like by looking at them. This is a mark of good character design.

#rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #Splinter #donnie #raph #leo #mikey #baron draxum #april o'neil #animation #I really like this series #Give it a shot #it has some issues but overall its pretty great

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