Okay, here's a part 2 ! I'm not super in love with Splinter's design here, so I'm going to try and revisit it at some point-! I was finding it challenging to combine Kinger's design and 2012 Splinter's design in a way that felt like both of them at the same time,, 😭
@deeyanuhh (Here's another tag !)
Hello, I am back pdgsgagh
Your thoughts on 2012 Splinter? Any HCs? I know that a good chunk of fandom considers him abusive (I personally don't quite agree), and another thinks he's the best version of Splinter. Im curious to know what u think uvu
Hello again ! 👋
Right off the bat, I agree with you that I personally don't think he's abusive either. I feel like some people in the fandom definitely project onto him possibly things that they personally been through with their Fathers / parents, and I'm not saying that's necessarily wrong of them to do- If that's how they're working through things that they've been through, I understand-! That as far as cannon is concerned, I would not label him as an abusive parent. I think that's very disingenuous.
Do I think he's Father of the year? Absolutely not. I don't think 2012 Splinter was a perfect Father. I think he made a lot of mistakes / should've been around more- But I also think he was someone trying his best,, I feel like a lot of people omit the context that he witnessed his wife get murdered in front of his face / his home burned to the ground / and his adoptive brother flee with his first child (Which he didn't know at that time-) only ONE YEAR PRIOR to getting mutated alongside some baby Turtles he bought at a pet in New York City. A home that he was still adapting to. A new life he was still adjusting to. Because I would imagine that it would take more than one measly year to get over that much trauma. And now he's being forced into city sewers, because he has become something he does not understand, while accepting the fact that he has become responsible for four infant mutant anthropomorphic turtles.
That is a short amount of time to have your life changed so drastically, not once, but TWICE. It personally irks me when people have this assumption that they would've or could've been a lot better of a parent if they were in Splinter's position, because I doubt anybody would do better if they were in Splinter's position. To have to deal with all of that? In that time frame?? I don't believe you- I don't. Not to mention the Splinter's upbringing in the Hamato Clan (One that was presumably cold, replacing love with routine and discipline given Splinter was meant to become the clan's successor post Yuta's death-) and the ways in which his relationship with Tang Shen and his daughter meanwhile were highlighted in the episode, "Tale of the Yōkai". It's not that I think Splinter was incapable of showing love to those that he cared about, but I think his perception of how he showed that love / care was distorted. What he thought was showing love and care to those he valued did not translate that way to those people (AKA Tang Shen and Oroku Saki-). And that was something that he needed to unpack but never got to (Due to Tang Shen being deceased, Saki distancing himself from Yoshi and vice versa, and Miwa being taken under the care of Saki-).
So yes, I don't think he was going to be the, "Best Father Ever" because he didn't even get to raise his first daughter before she even turned like a year old, and he was already having a lot of familial issues before they got taken from him / distanced themselves from him. But I do think he was making an effort with his sons. The sons he did not ask for, but stayed for anyway. Which I think it's a good thing to bring up the fact that he did not want them / ask for them, because I don't think anybody would have wanted the responsibility of looking after four children after being mutated-?? That's The kind of shit that will make you mentally shut down in my opinion. The moments where Splinter does get to show a softer side of himself to the brothers + hug his sons / tell them how much he cares about them are interesting to me, Because I often wonder if he's thinking of Tang Shen, Saki, Miwa / Karai in those moments. Acknowledging all the times he never hugged them enough or told them how much he cared about them enough- And feeling guilty, but also feeling extremely grateful that he can do that now with his sons. You know what I mean?
I think Splinter's character could have been extremely complex in a very entertaining way had the show given him that spotlight, but unfortunately they did not. Which is another reason why I feel like Splinter gets a lot of hate, because he didn't do "X,Y,Z" even though the show writers don't really give him much screentime to begin with. Something I'd begrudgingly kind of understand, considering that 2012 was meant for a younger demographic and it might've turned that demographic away to constantly see the parent character on screen or involved with the shenanigans that the Turtles and Co. found themselves in (Outside of the occasional advice or reprimanding-). Since teenagers start seeking their independence at that age and having their parents around isn't appealing to them. Had that not been the case, I'd like to think that they would have included 2012 Splinter a lot more in certain situations- But who knows. Lmao 👍✨
In conclusion: I actually really like 2012 Splinter ! I'm not saying people aren't allowed to dislike him, but I think some of the hate does come from more personal / venting type of reasons rather than canonical reasons. That's just my opinion though-!
Also one more thing I want to add because I feel like it gets brought up a lot with 2012 Splinter and people's dislike towards him-
The thing he said to Leo in the Season 1 finale, "Showdown".
A lot of people interpret the scene as Splinter telling his son that at the end of the day he needs to sacrifice himself no matter what, and while I will give some benefit of the doubt here in the sense that he probably should have chosen his wording a little bit better knowing his son, I genuinely do not believe that that was what he was trying to say. Splinter has shown a lot of value towards his sons, has had night terrors over losing his sons, has stressed time and time again that he wouldn't risk putting their lives in danger (To The point where the writing of it felt extremely ridiculous, like in the S2 episode, "Of Rats and Men" for example-). Of course it could be chalked up to bad writing, as we've known the show to have, but I don't believe he would genuinely tell Leo to do that.
Number 1, I think he was just stressing the fact that if you put yourself in incredibly dangerous situations, you're going to have bad outcomes sometimes. Not everything can "go as planned", not everything is like a TV show where it "all works out in the end". That was basically his point. And Number 2, If you're asking me?? I deadass believe that that could have been directed at April and Kirby. Not that the show would ever really allow something legitimately / permanently bad to happen to either of them considering that their used plot devices for the entire show, but like?? Those two were the only ones fucking up that entire operation in the S1 finale. I don't think it's necessarily far-fetched to think that Splinter could have slightly been insinuating them honestly. If they couldn't get April out of the technodrome, I don't think he wanted Leo to have a guilty conscience over that- Hell, the brothers genuinely had no idea April had been kidnapped by the time they returned to the Lair and got attacked by (a mind controlled-) Kirby O'Neil. 💀
Okay that's all I had to say. Also here's a joke doodle about that because I had to- LMAO
Hello, I am back pdgsgagh
Your thoughts on 2012 Splinter? Any HCs? I know that a good chunk of fandom considers him abusive (I personally don't quite agree), and another thinks he's the best version of Splinter. Im curious to know what u think uvu
Hello again ! 👋
Right off the bat, I agree with you that I personally don't think he's abusive either. I feel like some people in the fandom definitely project onto him possibly things that they personally been through with their Fathers / parents, and I'm not saying that's necessarily wrong of them to do- If that's how they're working through things that they've been through, I understand-! That as far as cannon is concerned, I would not label him as an abusive parent. I think that's very disingenuous.
Do I think he's Father of the year? Absolutely not. I don't think 2012 Splinter was a perfect Father. I think he made a lot of mistakes / should've been around more- But I also think he was someone trying his best,, I feel like a lot of people omit the context that he witnessed his wife get murdered in front of his face / his home burned to the ground / and his adoptive brother flee with his first child (Which he didn't know at that time-) only ONE YEAR PRIOR to getting mutated alongside some baby Turtles he bought at a pet in New York City. A home that he was still adapting to. A new life he was still adjusting to. Because I would imagine that it would take more than one measly year to get over that much trauma. And now he's being forced into city sewers, because he has become something he does not understand, while accepting the fact that he has become responsible for four infant mutant anthropomorphic turtles.
That is a short amount of time to have your life changed so drastically, not once, but TWICE. It personally irks me when people have this assumption that they would've or could've been a lot better of a parent if they were in Splinter's position, because I doubt anybody would do better if they were in Splinter's position. To have to deal with all of that? In that time frame?? I don't believe you- I don't. Not to mention the Splinter's upbringing in the Hamato Clan (One that was presumably cold, replacing love with routine and discipline given Splinter was meant to become the clan's successor post Yuta's death-) and the ways in which his relationship with Tang Shen and his daughter meanwhile were highlighted in the episode, "Tale of the Yōkai". It's not that I think Splinter was incapable of showing love to those that he cared about, but I think his perception of how he showed that love / care was distorted. What he thought was showing love and care to those he valued did not translate that way to those people (AKA Tang Shen and Oroku Saki-). And that was something that he needed to unpack but never got to (Due to Tang Shen being deceased, Saki distancing himself from Yoshi and vice versa, and Miwa being taken under the care of Saki-).
So yes, I don't think he was going to be the, "Best Father Ever" because he didn't even get to raise his first daughter before she even turned like a year old, and he was already having a lot of familial issues before they got taken from him / distanced themselves from him. But I do think he was making an effort with his sons. The sons he did not ask for, but stayed for anyway. Which I think it's a good thing to bring up the fact that he did not want them / ask for them, because I don't think anybody would have wanted the responsibility of looking after four children after being mutated-?? That's the kind of shit that will make you mentally shut down in my opinion. The moments where Splinter does get to show a softer side of himself to the brothers + hug his sons / tell them how much he cares about them are interesting to me, Because I often wonder if he's thinking of Tang Shen, Saki, Miwa / Karai in those moments. Acknowledging all the times he never hugged them enough or told them how much he cared about them enough- And feeling guilty, but also feeling extremely grateful that he can do that now with his sons. You know what I mean?
I think Splinter's character could have been extremely complex in a very entertaining way had the show given him that spotlight, but unfortunately they did not. Which is another reason why I feel like Splinter gets a lot of hate, because he didn't do "X,Y,Z" even though the show writers don't really give him much screentime to begin with. Something I begrudgingly kind of understand, considering that 2012 was meant for a younger demographic and it might've turned that demographic away to constantly see the parent character on screen or involved with the shenanigans that the Turtles and Co. found themselves in (Outside of the occasional advice or reprimanding-). Since teenagers start seeking their independence at that age and having their parents around isn't appealing to them. Had that not been the case, I'd like to think that they would have included 2012 Splinter a lot more in certain situations- But who knows. Lmao 👍✨
In conclusion: I actually really like 2012 Splinter ! I'm not saying people aren't allowed to dislike him, but I think some of the hate does come from more personal / venting type of reasons rather than canonical reasons. That's just my opinion though-!
So I may or may not be making another 2012 fanfiction- 👀 LMAO
This one's probably going to be Jonatello only, so no Raphril, I'm sorry (But I'll continue to do Raphril for, "Why You Gotta Act Like That?"-) ! :')
I'm hoping I can execute it well, cause this is a concept that I've adored for a while now but I never really knew how to convey it in a palatable way-? Because having doubles of the main cast can get confusing if I don't specifically specify which version I'm talking about (Either the canon character or the alt version of said canon character-),, But I'm gonna try it anyway ! 🥲👍✨
The basic premise is that the main canon cast gets sent to an alternate timeline (Which I feel is more accurate than saying it's an alternate universe, since it's technically a scenario where their lives played out differently-) via Wyrm for revenge, and while they're stuck there, Canon Casey gets involved in a very complicated romantic situation with this alternate timeline's version of Donnie ! I love the complexities of the situation and I love the little additions that I've made to the plot line that I think will make it more interesting ! Hopefully I'll have a chapter out for this soon ! ✌️😌
Talking about it because I don't have the time to draw it atm-
Imagine the Leo and Saki connection (Referencing how I believe Leo is more a reflection of Saki than Yoshi, and Raph is more Yoshi than Saki-) deepening even further if Leo had felt different about the Hamato Clan and the honor they were meant to uphold and carry? Like how I brought in my Oroku Saki Analysis post that the Hamato Clan isn't as innocent as they're meant to be. That it's unclear how the generational feud even started / by whom, and what Saki endured because of their decision to adopt him (Not Saki's, given he was literally an infant-) wasn't okay either. For Leo to acknowledge that Saki and Yoshi are reflections of the Hamato Clan's flaws, since Splinter isn't perfect either. Which would be rough for Leo considering he practically idolizes his Father, but that would make the crash that much more volatile (Which I love, as an angst enjoyer-). I can see Leo following Saki's war path more than Raph to be honest-
With Raph, he holds a lot of anger like Yoshi did (Something Splinter admits to in, "Turtle Temper") / he likes to tease his siblings in a similar way to Yoshi (i.e. Raph teasing Mikey in, "Mikey Gets Shellacne" reminds me of Yoshi with Saki in, "Tale of Yokai" a little bit- Of course, Raph iconic "rude" personality shines through when he does his teasing compared to his Father, but they feel similar to me-). I feel like Raph's response to something that traumatic would be the same as Splinter's- Feeling broken, defeated at first,, But growing from it and trying to learn to control his emotions / mental state better. Finding a new sense of purpose in life and trying to forgive (Not that Splinter was the best as showing these things canonically, but I feel like that's what the writers were eluding to with his character for the most part-). I think Raph's entire character during the Mutant Apocalypse Arc of S5 reflects this (Not to mention Leo reflecting Saki as well-).
That's pretty much all I had to say- I just think Leo growing to resent the Hamato Clan is an interesting concept ! ✌️😔✨
I don't know if you have already been asked this but what do you think is the worst episode of tmnt2012? (And why)
I have answered this question !
I'll do something a little different this time and say what episode I felt was the worst for each character (I'm only doing the main ones- Sorry-!) ! :D
Leonardo: Season 2 Episodes 25-26, "The Invasion", but also Season 4 Episode 14, "Earth's Last Stand" || The reason why I pick these episodes is my least favorite or "worst" Leo episodes is because they genuinely made me angry with him- LMAO / I didn't agree with how he acted in any of these episodes, but I'm torn about whether or not I believe he fell out of character in these situations or if these are just valid character flaws from him-?? Cause I'm not saying Leo shouldn't have flaws, of course he should- I just found his actions distasteful in these particular episodes.
Raphael: Season 4 EP 17, "The Insecta Trifecta", but also Season 4 Episode 18, "Mutant Gangland" || The first episode is because I hate the way Raph's entomophobia feels so overplayed with his character in this particular version. A lot of Raph's more focused episodes feel like they have to involve bugs for some reason and I find that irritating- But I also felt like this episode wasn't the strongest one for him either. / The second episode felt like the biggest nothing burger of an episode to me- Like what even was, "Mutant Gangland"? In my personal opinion, the whole episode felt boring and I wasn't very attached to this plot line about Raph quitting the team (yet again) and having to apologize for blowing up (yet again), just to have a fight sequence with the Mutanimals against Don Visioso's goons that wasn't very engaging for me either- 💀
Donatello: Season 3 Episode 2, "A Foot Too Big", but also Season 3 Episode 22, "The Creeping Doom" || I don't think I have to really explain why, "A Foot Too Big" was one of Donnie's worst episodes (It's technically one of April's worst episodes as well, but since the episode focused on Donnie way more than it focus on her, I'm counting this as a Donnie episode-). 💀 / I really disliked, "The Creeping Doom" because of the whole narrative in general? Also the depiction of Donnie losing his intelligence felt offensive in nature?? Maybe that's just me, but it felt like they were implying something there with the hat and everything. I wouldn't put past these writers to be offensive like that.
Michelangelo: Season 2 Episode 5, 'Mikey Gets Shellacne", but Season 2 Episode 19, "Pizza Face", and also Season 3 Episode 4, "The Croaking" || "Mikey Gets Shellacne" just felt disrespectful to Mikey in general. I hate when they make him the butt of a joke in this version, in this episode took that very pet peeve and made it the focus for the entire runtime. 🙃 / "Pizza Face" isn't a very engaging episode for me. I often find myself checking out when re watching the series. It just wasn't a strong episode for Mikey in my opinion- / My dislike towards,"The Croaking'" has very little to do with Mikey and more to do with the entire narrative in general. By the end of the entire situation it, became less about appreciating Mikey and acknowledging that they were being assholes to him, and more about the Mutant Frogs while also having some kind of environmental statement-?? Even though that statement gets lost in everything else that's happening-?? I guess my issue is that for it being a mighty episode it didn't really feel like it was truly about him- 💀
Karai: Season 3 Episode 18, "The Deadly Venom" || My biggest great with this episode for Karai it's just how it continues to vilify her despite struggling with her recent mutation beforehand and being harassed well barely having her sense of self during the, "Return to New York City" Arc. These fuck ass writers writers are obsessed with making her the antagonist despite her being one of the biggest victims in the entire series. Leave her ALONE (Especially Leo, all his efforts to "care for her" and "help her" come off so creepy to me and like he's only doing this because an Alabama esque interest in her-).🗣️🗣️
April O'Neil: Season 3 episode 3, "Buried Secrets", but Season 4 Episode 22, "The Power Inside Her" || This was the hardest one, considering that I honestly could genuinely put all of her centric episodes here- but For the sake of keeping it brief, I only picked two-! LMAO / both of these episodes involve her being in situations where she either indirectly escalated the situation or actively was the issue in the situation but faced no real consequences by the end whatsoever. In fact, she was practically applauded and expressed gratitude by the end of both of these situations, which made no sense to me. These episodes remind me of how much the writers practically force every other character to kiss her ass and praise the ground that she walks on, therefore they're the worst ones to me. 👍
Casey Jones: Season 4 Episode 24, "The Tale Tigerclaw" || This is the only Casey episode that I actually hate with the passion, and it's mostly just because of how it's presented. They make Casey look terrible in this episode and I don't understand what the reason was for it-?? This episode physically makes me cringe, I'm not even kidding. Lmao
Master Splinter: Season 2 Episode 22, "Vengeance is Mine", Season 3 Episode 18, "The Deadly Venom", Season 3 Episode 23, "The Fourfold Trap", and Season 4 episode 20, "The Super Shredder" || I have the same problem with each one of these episodes in relation to Splinter, and that's that I wish he was more involved. Why was Leo the one to notice that Karai was sneaking off to take out Shredder and not him? In, "The Deadly Venom", why was Splinter stuck helping April fight the venom instead of trying to find his daughter who's being forcibly brain controlled? Why did Splinter's involvement in, "The Fourfold Trap" have to be at the very end When he could have been involved way sooner and he loses his daughter yet again? Why wasn't he allowed to go after her? Technically, yes, Splinter was more involved in, "The Super Shredder", but I didn't really like the execution. I wish they could have done the episode differently or something- I don't know. 💀
Shredder: Season 4 Episode 25, "Requiem ", and Season 4 Episode 26, "Owari" || These episodes feel like such a let down to the complexity of Shredder as an antagonist to me. They could've done so much more with him in the final episodes, but they didn't. They painted him as this "ruthless" "too far gone" sociopathic killing machine but it would be easier to remove his character that way rather than making his death feel harrowing and nuanced. Having Splinter in death reach out to Saki in his final moments and apologize for everything that he's been through,,?? To acknowledge that he was mentally and emotionally unwell and that came out in physical ways-? This man was broken,, He wasn't a monster entirely and I wish that could've been incorporated into his death,, I'm rambling, but I'm sure you get what I mean-! 😭👍
I know you really like toxic codependent jonatello. But do u hear or think about this with all the turtle bothers? Like, after Splinter's dead They become overly dependent on each other, unable to be separated for long periods of time, and each having toxic/controlling attitudes.
There was a post that talked quite well about this topic, but I couldn't find it, anyway I would like to know what you think and I feel that you could do something interesting with it (Idk if this is rude in any way? I hope not, I just wanted to share it)
I've seen the post you're referring to, yeah !
I personally think it's a great way to tackle that entire situation ! It feels incredibly realistic for each of them to develop their own unhealthy coping mechanisms post Master Splinter's death- With this being a great way to call back to the Season 2 episode, "Fungus Humongous" with Leo specifically and how afraid he was to lose his team even before Splinter passed away,, 🥲
I can see each of them having small aspects of their character being cranked up to 100 here. For example: Mikey's now incredibly vocal / defiant about splitting up even more than he used to be, Donnie's executing plan after plan of unexpected event after unexpected event to the point where it's very unnecessary (Similar to his hang out chart for April in S1 but instead of that it's about every possible scenario in which his siblings / friends could be harmed and what he can do prevent it-), Raph becomes incredibly overbearing about training (both solo and with his siblings / allies-) and feels the need to protect them in every single situation Even if it results in making the entire situation worse because he was there, and Leo essentially becomes a helicopter for every single one of them and demands to know where they are at all times no matter what-
I think it would be funny for each of them to be exasperated with one another with these overbearing behaviors, but they're actively failing to acknowledge that all of them are going through the same type of grieving and coping. That just feels fitting for them to me. LMAO
Of course, I think they would realize that eventually ! just not right away- I'm also a big fan of April and Casey not being involved in this revelation whatsoever. I feel like this should truly be amongst the siblings including Karai. (I apologize to anybody who loves that "2012 April being like a big sister" trope, but I really don't see it with this particular version of April. It's never really been something that I've seen with her and honestly I feel like she involved herself too much with the familial affairs of Splinter and the Turtles / Karai during 2012 when she literally had nothing to do with it and her input shouldn't have mattered- 💀) || I would much rather prefer April and Casey just being someone the siblings can talk to the vent about everything / mostly just listen ! I think it would be good for each of the siblings to kind of reach that level of self-awareness through basically just talking at April in Casey with them not really saying much during that entire "conversation", you know? Like for example, Leo never really felt like talking about anything until he was in a room with those two and it helped him feel comfortable enough to have those conversations with himself essentially !
I don't think it was rude at all for you to share this with me or feel like I could do this idea in a really interesting way ! I'm very flattered ! Whether or not I'll actually draw anything about this depends, because I feel like I already have a million art things I'm juggling at the same time,, I'm always dropping the ball somewhere (for myself-),, 😭 || But if I ever find the time, maybe I will ! 👍✨
I need to see Splinter trying to talk to Donie after Casey's call and Donie defending his boyfriend, denying everything and reproaching him for using his phone 🙏🙏
THAT'S WILD BECAUSE THAT WAS BASICALLY WHAT I HAD IN MIND BEFORE I GOT INCREDIBLY TIRED AND STOP DRAWING- LMAO
I can't help but see Donnie having a very Cassie Howard approach to this entire situation- It feels very fitting? 👀
(I'm so pissed at all these typos- Omg- I'm sorry y'all, I was typing really fast when I wrote the dialogue- 😭)
you need toxic jonatello ideas? Say no more, your savior is here (btw I was donnie_hamato_100, but I’m Leo now lmao)
Casey keeps calling Donnie and trying to get him to answer the phone but Donnie won’t answer. One of the other brothers OR BETTER YET SPLINTER answers the phone while Donnie’s in his lab, and Casey begins SCREAMING at Donnie for not answering the phone and tries guilt tripping Donnie, then splinter speaks and Casey goes silent and hangs up, making Splinter worry about their relationship
not required tho lol I’m just bored and like ur art
I was going to do more but I'm extremely tired for today,, Lmao
I also didn't draw Casey with his bandana cause I wanted the context to be Casey at home / relaxing and just wanted to talk to his boyfriend, you know? Hopefully these doodles were alright ! 😔👍✨
I wish I could draw more of my AUs about the 2012 Turtles going to school and having stupid average teenage drama and shit with April and Casey,, It's so fun and silly in my head- 😔
Anyway, suburbs AU 2012 Jonatello and I guess regular 2012 Jonatello but specifically Casey having the biggest stupidest crush on Donnie and Donnie being a jerk cause he's oblivious- LMAO
Thank you to everyone who joined / hung out with me for a bit ! I wanted to doodle more but my energy just got zapped at some point during the Whiteboard and I decided to call it quits- 😭
Thank you to everyone who joined the Whiteboard session as usual ! 🫶✨
Context:
• I discovered, "Event: The Last Scene" from SA2 like a day ago and I've been obsessed ever since, so that's why I randomly drew Amy Rose- LMAO
• Uncle Saki content because I need more of it (I was gonna include 2012 Mikey and Leo in the Saki drawing too, but I didn't get around to it, I'm sorry y'all,, 😔)
• I need Raph and April to be besties in Mutant Mayhem / Tales of the TMNT- I NEED IT !! 🗣️🗣️ + A random headcanon I thought would be funny, idk-
• Wassup Leosagi (Technically Leoichi-) nation part 2 ! ✨