#rootpost

First all as we can see, his plastron is given the same color as his limbs. This is odd becuase turtle shells in their entirety(Plastron, Carapace, Bridging) Are all bone(along with a lot of other stuff but that isn't relevant here).

Now as we can see here the light color on the ribs reach out to the bridge of his shell, implying that part is still bone, though also not entirely bone as well interestingly.

This does explain how they can get so bendy though(besides the Doylist answer of it's expressive animation meant to convey emotions not meant to be realistic becuase this whole post is looking at the Watsonian implications after all)

So whatever the plastron is in the 12 boys, it seems to be taking more after Splinter's human DNA. This of course is not the first time we see this with the boys. Their ability to blush implies a level of warm-bloodedness As Well As having more human-esq skin allowing for the blood to show through allowing for blushing and getting red in the face with anger.

Next another weird observant about the boys bone structure is they don't really have toe joints.

That is just a toe shape tube of bone. They have properly separated heels, but not toe joints.

Like as shown by City at War, if 03 Raph ever heard about 07's Nightatcher gig, he'd be just brimming with rage. "You endangered your family's safety, For What." Just morally and emotionally speaking 07 Raph is so much like a twisted version of 03 Leo with the parts of 03 Raph he himself did his best to grow and remove, so there would be instant beef.

Meanwhile 07 Raph is defensive and duty driven, so 03's more clan centric thinking(for a lack of a better term) and default hostility would just fuel the flames so so so much. Thrown in how passive aggress 07 is vs 03's sheer heart on sleeve bluntness and it would not end well, but like in the funniest of ways.

Redraw of @forgetful-nerd's post

close ups under cut

Donny in season 4 episode 18 Trouble with Augie: Yeah sure April I'll jump with you to another dimension without telling or texting anyone else or even preparing supplies to save your Uncle by doing the exact same thing he did all those years ago when he went missing.

Mrs. Morrison wanted to bake an old pie recipe, so Raphael helped her make it. It had been years since she made it, but it gave her comfort due it's history. Apparently it was one she only made with other people. Never alone. Listening to her explain the stories she has with the recipe. And okay, maybe it was a little fun. But it was just a one time thing becuase she hadn't eaten and was craving something that tasted like home.

It wasn't that he couldn't cook, but they took turns. It was chore that rotated alongside dishes, laundry, and sweeping.

So it wasn't a hobby of his.

Then Leo went away and Raph had more time on his hands and went out earlier. Just needed to clear his head. He ended up helping her clean up from what ever dinner she had before Raph visited her. He still can't figure out how this turned into making a sweet tart for later. And then she had him make some sweet rolls the next visit. Followed by some maritozzo after that.

So maybe he enjoyed it and had a little laugh as they did things, sue him. He got tasty treats afterwards! And she smiled a lot while they did that! Why wouldn't he enjoy it?!

Then the lair... There was no more lair left.

There was only rubble.

It was a risk even going to her that night. But he had to explain why he wouldn't be there for a bit. He wouldn't just, well, abandon her. She doesn't get too many visitor's, that's not fair to her. She'd be so worried! So he had to say an actual goodbye. Raph would miss her but it was for her safety. He went to her place and braced himself for what he was about to say. Only for him to fumble and she digged a little into why he would be "Busy". He couldn't say ninja's were after him, but he could say he was out of home and needed to spend more time away. He was... "looking for a new home". When she asked if he had a place to stay he lied through his teeth. Guilt racked through him, but she's safer like this.

She let him go with the demands to see her twice as often, and early enough for dinner. And he couldn't just let her cook for him, so he did that too. He should've stayed away. But he couldn't. Raphael had to leave his brothers, he didn't even know where they were!

So if he wasn't moving around Coney Island, he went to the old lady.

Mrs. Morrison loved stews, soups, and pastries. So he cooked and baked for her. Fresh food that wasn't taken from vendors with what little he could money he could find on the streets. Most of the time it was filling, hot, and made him feel good afterwards. For a little bit, he found comfort.

As quickly as he was there though, he left. No one should be able to connect them together. Least of all the Foot Clan.

She was safe.

He was sneaky and dead to the world.

When Leo found them, all of them, and they found a home he relaxed more. Quiet conversations and reconciliation was made. He wasn't the brother that left to Japan, the one full of anger, but he also wasn't exactly the dork who learned how to cut up newspapers into stars as a flashy trick. His brother was new, quiet, but peaceful. Still, being Leo though, he had Grade A "genius" moments. Like eating greasy take-out pizza after many months of only fresh vegetables, meat, and rice.

Idiot spent the night throwing up.

Their beloved fearless leader everyone, truly an intellectual.

So yeah, maybe the next night Raph made some homemade hot chowder for him. A bit heavier than his brother needed, but it worked. And he was only lightly nauseous from this.

Sensei then gave him one of those looks after the meal. Ya know, that smug look when you fell into his trap while playing shogi with him. Next thing he knows he somehow on cooking duty, again, but now Master Splinter is hovering over him. Tell him to cut this and steam that. Making him cook something with the food April and Casey brought them.

It takes him far too long to realize it's Ichijū-sansai.

Annoyingly Leo keeps this down easier than the pizza or the chowder. Seemingly loving every bite of it. Mentioning how it was nice to not have to be the one always cooking. The Ancient One did not believe in idle hands in the kitchen. Well, besides his one. But that's just tradition. And Leo was apparently tired of being the only cook.

Another change in him, willingly sharing burdens equally.

So maybe Raph asked Mrs. Morrison what pastry she'd recommend to make his brother, who came back from his "apprenticeship" from Japan to help them "get a new home". She course did not have any Japanese recipes on hand, but told him to wait a few weeks for Mr. Rossetti to come by, she thinks she can get his cheese gnocchi recipe from him.

It's the oddest pastry he's made, and it's certainly no maritozzo. Simple but apparently tasty since Mikey kept trying to steal the batch. Leo seems to appreciate the small bowl of warm goods. As he should.

Anyone who cooks when Mikey's in the kitchen deserves an award. Mike doesn't believe in keeping his hands to himself. He didn't laugh when said turtle got "extra training" later, but he did smile a little bit.

Over all it was a good night.

Sadly Raph forgot that his blue brother is obnoxiously competitive and comes back with a plate of Gyoza and an uncomfortably sincere thank you. No matter what Mikey said, He Did Not Tear Up. Donny hitting the orange masked ninja was very satisfying and completely unrelated to anything.

Either way he wasn't going to let Leo one up his gift to him.

He went strait to annoying Casey about this and somehow walks away with how to make sourdough for Leo. Raph gave Casey some freshly made Onigiri for that. They had gotten a lot of rice as their first major restock. Too much really. Surprisingly though, next time he saw Casey he learned that April eat most of it. So he ends up making a batch just for her. Casey complained about that all week.

But he doesn't just cook for anyone for no reason or anything.

Maybe, Don finds Mochi on his desk after a long day in the week following that. But he earned it. Feeling under the weather like that and yet still keep working, that means special food privileges. That's it. And Raph's definitely not saying those little donut's Mikey found were his apology gifts under threat, but they were annoying to make. He will admit to giving Master Splinter those Dango sticks though. Way harder to make than it should've been. What's hard and easy for him to cook seems so arbitrary. Sensei's expression was worth it.

He was now on a role and nothing's gonna stop him.

A few more dishes, a few of their close friends. Angel had too many opinions on chili for someone who can't cook, and Leatherhead eats barbecue in a way that terrifies him. He's still figuring out how to give Traximus an apple strudel though. Space was an annoying barrier.

Raph doesn't know at what point this stopped being a one time thing, but now this is a hobby he has. He cooks.

It's nice.

To make something, to feed people, to give and see them happy.

There's something fulfilling about it.

Leonardo barely speaks in season one outside of action scenes and or prepping for action scenes. My guy does not want to speak unless it's for battle. His first up in the surface a guy tries to pull him into a magic card trick and or street gambling by telling Leo to cut the deck. Leonardo draws his swords, cuts the cards with it, and says nothing the whole interaction as he destroys this man's deck. He asks Donatello to add an extra six inches to the roof of their van so he can practice while they drive. I gotta know what does he plan on practicing? Man's maxing his 'tism card

Michelangelo is hyper aggressive almost, he is the first down to throw hands in any situation and only sometimes pretends he doesn't want to, even when it's his idea in the first place. Master Splinter verbalizes his weakness as being too impatient, which considering every animated iteration afterwards the Mikey's have habits of long-cons is very ironic.

Also unrelated but it's insane he almost dies becuase a building collapses on him, someone help my man, his plastron got cracked everywhere.

Then there's Donatello, who instead of filling the role of information specialist, seemingly does all of the leading outside of battles, have them go to do this and that. Having a bit of an airheadedness mixed with a temper for an odd combo, which leads him to often hilariously enough having the least thought out plans out of all of them.

Everyone and their mother knows about the soft spoken Raphael who rather than fighting will just tell you to go suck it. He is here for the ride and because his brother's dragged him along. Like when push comes to shove his pesky morals will kick in and he'll do the right thing, but he'll complain the whole way while doing so.

And then April is just outright insane. Normal people are not excited to almost be killed, but April is. She's having a great time being hunted down, becuase that means there's a great story. Not that she's doing the right thing and exposing people, but she specifically says it means it's going to be a great story. Insane. The only time she's not thriving in chaos is when it comes to her doorstep

Lastly Master Splinter who refers to Hamato Yoshi as an entirely different person despite that being him. Pretty sure his mutation messed with him. Canonically a quite, nerdly, art loving guy who seemingly lived at the dojo he was learning at???? Got framed, and decided to just, leave for the sewers in New York. Which did he spend all of his money on air travel, what happened here??? I have more questions than answers. Loves his turtles dearly, but never installed any human customs into them, making them like grabby toddlers when they're staying at Aprils. Like congrats little dudes, that's the worst anyone has ever done. Also he has far too much sushi for a rat in the sewers, where is he getting it from???

Because I was refamiliarizing myself with Fast Forward and for some reason the turtles claimed they were 15. And I know that's not right. Since we see in season 3 Christmas pass and then in season 4 Halloween pass so clearly their at least 16 by this point and then I started really thinking about the timeline. I mean really thinking about it.

And then I realized, wait wait wait, there might be even more time passing.

So come with me on this rabbit hole I went into!

What I am saying is Cassandra Jones would yell Junior in an aggressive voice and 03 Casey would automatically respond without thought before realizing he's responding to a woman younger than him.