Void or Minty

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.