You're telling me that '12Splinter doesn't sacrifice himself for his sons?
That's very embarrassing for you, then. Because you'd be wrong.
And my proof comes from the two-part episode The Manhattan Project / Wormquake! where the brothers take on Tiger Claw, and their opponent gets the upper hand. See this here?
The first thing to note from this scene is that every brother insists that Leo shouldn't call him. They all believe that it's a bad idea. Why? Because they know Splinter will come. They know that as soon as they ask him to walk into a trap, he will arrive willingly.
There's not a doubt in any of their minds.
I included the next part because I think it's important to note how Splinter reacts as soon as the cheese phone rings. There's no slow removal from meditation, there's no noise of confusion, there's only a sharp and sudden alarm as he drags his consciousness back, processes the noise, and realizes that his sons are in trouble.
I've been too distracted to pay attention to the noises around me plenty of times. This is a man who is ready to be disturbed and doesn't hesitate to pick up the phone after he is. This is exactly what his sons knew would happen as soon as he heard it ring. He would come for them. Their only concern is what he'll risk on their behalf.
"I can't believe you called him! If anything happens to Splinter-"
"What else could I do, Raph?"
Another thing to note here is that they aren't reacting like students who just summoned an all-powerful master that they're certain will be able to take down the evil villain. They're acting like kids who understand their father has limits, and they are afraid of what might happen to him.
When Tiger Claws asks them where he is, none of them respond. For a brief moment, I wondered if they were doubting that he was coming.
When he threatens to throw them into the furnace, Raph immediately starts using Splinter's name to threaten him back. "Just wait, Tiger Claw! Splinter's going to kick that little stub of a tail so deep in your stripped-" Then, of course, he's cut off.
Then it hit me that his sons are very worried about how this will go for Splinter, and they're trying to keep that knowledge away from the villain who's holding them captive. When Tiger Claw walked up to talk to them, they shut up so he wouldn't find out about their concerns, and then when he threatened them, they switched gears to reinforcing that Splinter is a big, bad, scary Sensei. But this isn't an image that they have of him. They know the lengths that he'll go to protect them and keep them safe, and they know that it could lead to him getting hurt in the process. He's not going to react as a Master.
He's going to react as a father, and they know it.
Now, onto the reason that we're all here on this post.
The first bit of important sacrifice to note is that both Splinter and his sons are aware that he's walking into a dangerous situation. It's designed with his capture and death as the end goal. But he is coming into it willingly, all of them aware it might not end well, purely for the sake of his son's safety. That, my dear readers, is a sacrifice.
Then, he's been hit by a dart and falls to his knees. He's clearly struggling, but he manages to rise again. He could run off the roof and attempt escape. He could disappear to recover from the poison to save his sons later. The villains are looking at his boys during this scene. He could very effectively get a head start on them.
Here, he has the choice between saving them and himself.
Which do you think he chooses?
"My sons- go. NOW!"
"Run!"
He chooses to help them get away, bringing the attention back on himself long enough for them to do so. And he pays for it.
Once again, this is a sacrifice made on his son's behalf.
And it is due to his sacrifice(s) that they manage to get away.
A sacrifice doesn't need to be big and flashy and showy.
A sacrifice doesn't need to involve the end of the known world.
This is the type of sacrifice that '12 Splinter makes for his sons. The small ones that get missed, the kind that show his sons his dedication to them, that leaves no doubt in their mind that he will show up and he will make yet another. '12Splinter is a father of consistency. He doesn't force himself on their missions when he isn't wanted. But he shows up every time they ask, always ready to risk himself for them.
And it's this consistency that we see reflected in his sons.
"You were foolish to come for me."
"We'd never leave you, Sensei."
Also bonus Splinter-recovery hug:
Splinter: "Now it is time to end this!"
His sons: HUG FIRST
Splinter: Yeah, okay, whatever you want
They tuck their heads against him 😭 They are his little boys, and they were so scared. You can tell from the way they press in.
Also, the way Mikey says "Sensei" in this moment?? You cannot seriously tell me that's not an affectionate tone. You cannot convince me he wasn't using it to mean "dad" in this instance. You just can't.
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For your post about the comic: they would get so protective on behalf of their sensei. They call him that and master as a sign of respect and love and no one shits on the man that did everything he could to protect them and keep them safe as a traumatized single parent.
I know I've said this a million times so I'll put it in meme form for you guys. Let us shake things up a bit. Make it more interesting
Okay I'll stop before someone gets mad at me byeee
I'm finding it funny that people are for real comparing 2012 Splinter and Rise Splinter, and think that the latter is a better father than the former just cause his own kids get to call him 'dad'.
Hate to break it to those bootlickers, but 2012 Splinter didn't neglect his own kids like Rise Splinter, is he strict? Yes. Is his expectations for them high? Yes. But did he neglect them? No.
Ah, I see, you're referencing this 2012 TMNT vs. RotTMNT crossover comic here. Before I address your comments about it, I first gotta call out the elephant in the room with this: the creator of the comic has admitted to never having watched the 2012 TMNT cartoon. It's fair to say that whatever opinions they have about TMNT 2012, they are going to be uninformed opinions born of ignorance. They’re also a big RotTMNT fan who apart from that has only watched TMNT: Mutant Mayhem (2023) and read some issues of the Jennika comic. So, their understanding of TMNT is both very limited and very biased in favor of RotTMNT. With that in mind, the criticism the comic levies against the 2012 cartoon rings very hollow.
Circling back to address your comments here, the comic's attempt to cast doubt on the strength of familial bonds of the 2012 Hamato family shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what their dynamic is in that particular iteration. Firstly, the turtles do verbally acknowledge Splinter as their father. While usually the 2012 TMNT turtles refer to their Splinter as "master," "sensei," or just "Splinter," at times, particularly in moments of great stress, they do call him "father." Secondly, most older iterations of TMNT depict Splinter and the turtles with a mostly or completely mentor-pupil dynamic as opposed to a parent-child relationship. More recent adaptations have increasingly leaned into the parent-child model, with the 2012 cartoon finding itself at a bit of a crossroads where the tension between these differing relations is often played for dramatic effect. Dismissing this nuance and pushing the notion that if the 2012 turtles don't call their Splinter "dad," then their relationship with him is faulty is shortsighted. Whether or not the ninja turtles call Splinter "dad," “master,” "papa," "teacher," or whatever is irrelevant to what constitutes as a close, genuine attachment they have with Splinter. Moreover, neither the mentor-pupil nor parent-child models are inherently better or worse; both relationship types are valid, have their merits, and are worth representing in TMNT adaptations.
There's also the out-of-character, rather fanon behavior of the characters in the comic. This is especially evident in how 2012 Splinter is presented as a loud-mouthed, judgmental prick, very unlike the often calm, reserved, and dignified character from the cartoon (again, the creator of the comic has never seen the 2012 TMNT cartoon, so this quite OOC behavior checks out). The comic is another instance of RotTMNT fans trying to argue that RotTMNT outclasses another TMNT iteration, in this case, the 2012 cartoon. While the comic seems at first to be privy to the flaws of both versions of Splinter, it ultimately presents 2012 Splinter in a much harsher, negative light and attempts to portray RotTMNT Splinter as the better father of the two. The comic has mean ol' 2012 Splinter berate the poor, sad RotTNNT Hamato fam and ends with RotTMNT Splinter standing up for himself and his sons by asserting that his boys call him "dad" which suggests that he's a better father unlike his counterpart. It's overly critical, curmudgeonly, and dysfunctional family (2012 TMNT) vs. the spunky, lovable underdog happy family (RotTMNT). Even though, as I've discussed plenty of times on this blog, the RotTMNT Hamato fam is also very dysfunctional and unloving in its own special way (i.e., Splinter's negligence towards his sons, Raph's parentification, Draxum being shoehorned into the family, etc.).
Really, neither version of Splinter is necessarily better nor worse than the other. Tbh I think both 2012 Splinter and RotTMNT Splinter are equally guilty of very poor parenting that fans often try to excuse or defend. Although, in the case of 2012 Splinter, I do need to rewatch and finish the series before I come down on him too hard.
I'll end this by saying it's always in fans’ best interests to be properly informed about whatever they choose to discuss or portray by engaging in the source material as directly as possible. Sometimes a bit of fandom gatekeeping can go a long way in keeping people honest and showing respect to the media they claim to love. You always do a disservice to yourself as a fan when you present to the world takes about media that you've never engaged with or consumed.
Wait, one more thing, "bootlickers," is waaay too unfitting a term to be used in this context. RotTMNT Splints ain't real; stans can't be a fictional character's sycophant or toady.
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How badly do you think the other Splinters would roast/judge Rise Splinter then?
This meme xD
For those who don't know, at this point I don't care if you like this Splinter or not, for me he'll always be the worst version (at least until something worse comes along).
I think the main reason mischaracterisation in the 2012 tmnt fandom annoys me so much is the way it removes basically all nuance from their relationships.
Splinter is no longer a flawed father beset by sudden fatherhood and loss of his identity but is now a benevolent cartoon-like villain. (No seriously I read a fic where he killed Ice-cream Kitty). In most fanfiction I've read, he's severely misguided at best and has no love for his sons at all at worst. Also where is this narrative that he's extremely physically abusive to them??? Outside of training, he never physically hurts them as far as I remember? He's not the most perfect father but he's also not the devil from the bible.
When it comes to the brothers themselves, they're often portrayed as particularly abusive caricatures of their canon selves. When their somewhat thoughtless actions ,usually towards Mikey, are portrayed as entirely malicious, it takes away the emotional depth from the entire interaction. It's also just straight up not correct. In the episode "New Friend, Old Enemy" Raphael, realising his previous comments about Mikey's trust in Bradford have hurt Mikey, apologies and reassures Mikey that he is an awesome person:
Is Raphael rough and hot tempered at times? Yes, but he knows when he's crossed the line and can apologise in his own way accordingly. With this in mind I just can't imagine him hurting/abusing Mikey as blatantly and intentionally as some fan media seems to imply. Mikey's brothers unknowingly hurting him is a much more intriguing and canonical narrative than them straight up abusing him intentionally.
Anyways point is mischaracterisation is less interesting than more canonical characterisation imo.
Gonna be real no clue why I wrote this entire thing just had to put my thoughts somewhere.
(also this is in no way me dunking on fanfiction or people who choose to characterise them this way, it just baffles me why it tends to be the norm)
Being asexual and racist is embarassing as fuck. Being racist at all is obviously embarassing as fuck but the amount of racism and especially antiblackness i have been seeing from asexuals recently is obscene.
One of the only asexual activists is Yasmin Benoit, a Black woman. She has raised so much awareness for the community. She was the first asexual person to lead Pride in London, she started the #thisiswhatasexuallookslike movement and is THE leading voice for the community.
And you all will celebrate international asexuality day on April 6th but we wouldn't even have that if she hadn't cofounded it.
Edit: why are you all too scared to repost this. Cmon. Be vocal about being against racism
Finale Haters are NOT Acephobics for Wanting a Kiss
(Edited this post because the original rant was a reply to someone's post due to a misunderstanding.)
I have seen "Finale Haters are acephobic because they want AziCrow to kiss/have sex in the Finale". So I'm going to rant about it once and for all (hopefully).
Lumping Finale haters with acephobics because they want a kiss (and joke about AziCrow having sex) is dismissing every single ace person who wanted AziCrow to experience that in a happy ending.
If you hated the Finale for the lack of kissing, remember that you are valid because the damn thing is terrible when you look at it as a romance. Nothing was resolved in their relationship. The established F15 kiss was a setup with no paid off. They never talked properly about their feelings. Azi tried to, but all Crowley did was blame him for everything he didn't do. The list goes on.
I never expected a kiss after S1. I even said to discord friends that if they kiss I'm going to be so annoyed by it because it would cause arguments between people who saw them as non romantic (as just friends) and people who like them as lovers. But Season 2 set that up.
If they didn't want them to kiss in Go3 maybe they shouldn't have given them a break-up kiss at the end of S2. Because that's a promise to the audience that they would have a better kiss later after reconciliation.
And don't recite those people's interview about the kiss to me. I have read those, and I thought it was stupid. If there was a story that needed a kiss the most, it's Good Omens's Finale. AziCrow didn't go through 6000 years trauma to end up with this.
The straight couple got a sex scene in Season 1, but a second kiss for AziCrow would be too much. Please. 🙄
If you are ace and hate the Finale, you are also valid because ace people can and are allowed to enjoy seeing kisses. Kissing is often tied to sex, but it doesn't have to be. People kiss all the time without it leading to sex. And there are ace people who aren't grossed out by kisses and sex in the fandom.
Most Book Omens art I have drawn, even the ones that depict them doing sexual activities, should have been tagged as ace AziCrow, but I don't want sex repulses people to come across them by accident. (Note: Not talking about zine art or collab work because I adjusted them based on the context of the project)
My headcanon for their relationship is that they are an asexual married couple. They are not repulsed by sex. In fact, they like doing it sometimes when the mood is right or when they have an idea they want to try. What makes them ace is that sex to them is just one of those "fun" activities. To them, it is on the same level as watching a movie together or playing a game together of importance. They can live together forever without ever needing or thinking of having sex if they want to. They like the physical pleasure aspect of sex, just like how they like the pleasure of eating or drinking but there is no "wow that guy/girl is so hot I wanna fuck them" thoughts going on in those mind unless it is about each other.
Demisexual is the closest human label that can be applied to these two. But even so, they aren't humans, and their way of thinking is vastly different from us. I don't really like labeling them tbh. They just do what they wanna do and don't care how humans see their relationship or orientation.
There might be more to add, but I don't have more right now. Just woke up and saw a take that made me want to say sth.
As usual, if you disagree, it's best to block me cause I'm too lazy to debate with people, honestly. I'd rather spend my time drawing my blorbos. This post is to declare my stand on fandom discourse so people know I am problematic. 👍
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Disappointed Karai didn’t have a relationship with any of the other turtles besides Leo. I think her relationship with Mikey would have been entertaining to watch.
Seeing this post get attention recently makes me want to make a fanfic of these two now, because there dynamic is so interesting to me.
I think Karai would be a bit annoyed at him for constantly calling her his sister at first, but then warm but to him pretty quickly. She already finds him funny so that wont be hard. She would also be the worst influence on him.
I've been seeing the new flag around and I wanted to give my own thoughts because while it has grown on me, I still kinda prefer the old flag
It's mainly for these reasons
1) I find the sudden shift from the dark palette to one with yellow and pink jarring. The old palette is more easily recognizable, and I think the fact that the purple wasn't kept at the very least is a bit of an odd choice
2) The new one doesn't mirror the aro flag the way the old one does. Both communities have a lot of overlap and mutual understanding with one another and are very intertwined. This is the main reason why I find the new color palette less appealing, it feels disconnected from our sister community
3) The new flag includes a pink stripe to represent other forms of love (platonic, familial, queerplatonic, etc). Paired with the fact that the meaning of the gray stripe for identities across the spectrum was kept and the white stripe was changed to represent intimacy, I completely understand why loveless and bold stripe ace people feel left out due to the black stripe's meaning being changed for the new flag.
I feel like the meaning of the black stripe in the new flag could've been included in the meaning of the purple/fuchsia stripe instead, allowing the black stripe to still represent asexuality and lack of attraction like it did in the original without taking away from the messages/meanings the creator wanted to include
4) Some acespec identity flags like gray, demi, and aego are derivative of the old ace flag, so similar to the disconnect from the aro flag there's a disconnect between them and the new design that feels off
Again, the new design has grown on me and I don't dislike it, I just won't be giving up the old flag any time soon. If anything, if I ever make my own pride stuff I'd probably just offer both variations as options
I will say one idea I liked was viewing the new flag as an umbrella or community flag and the old one like an identity specific one (like how the rainbow flag represents the broader queer community and the toothpaste flag represents gay men specifically), but in the end it's up to individuals how they want to see it
It's not a bad thing to prefer one over the other, however the amount of racist backlash and false narratives being spun by people over this is absolutely disgusting.
You do not need to spread rumors and lies about someone to justify not liking a flag. Be mature and be up front about what you don't like instead of trying to moralize every opinion
If you just don't like change, that's fine
If you don't like the colors, also fine
If you have fair criticisms, that's fine and you can have those discussions without being a racist piece of shit
I hate it when you headcanon a character with an unconfirmed sexuality aroace and people be whining and accuse you of headcanoning them as aroace to not ship whatever ship they’re on. and they’ll accuse you of queer erasure as well when again that characters sexuality isn’t confirmed. I headcanon Clover from RWBY as aroace and I dealt with anons who don’t like my headcanon of him I don’t like it.
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I made my version of Angel for TMNT 2012 in Tomodachi life and she is now crushing on Eden, my child OC for the ineffable husbands. They look so much like Wenclair I had to share.
