ROTTMNT Theory: Donatello's Hidden Role
After rewatching ROTTMNT (shorts and movie included), I realized something about Donnie's character that I've hardly seen anyone mention, and I'm going to talk about it in depth here.
I'll assume you've already watched the series and dive right in, but spoiler warning under the cut in case you care about that.
Let me start with something seemingly off topic. Raph is the oldest of the four brothers, which landed him the responsibility of keeping his younger siblings safe when their father was unavailable. (Not trying to bash Splinter. He's gradually grown to be a better parent later on, but you can't deny he was fairly neglectful in the beginning of the series)
The constant pressure Raph went through was brought up in the episode "Anatawa Hitorijanai", and then the movie showed he still struggles with it now.
He's constantly shouldering the burden of being their family's sole protector, but is this the truth? What if I told you there are actually two protectors in the family? And that the other one was Donnie all along?
When you look closely, Donnie is surprisingly protective of his loved ones. I did a tally of how often each brother exhibits what could be protective behavior, and Donnie was in second place (29) after Raph (35). Some of these choices are debatable, but here's a bunch of examples as pictures.
Would you believe me if I told you I still have a couple smaller examples I had to leave out due to the picture limit? And that's not even including the few moments where Donnie and Raph ever-so-subtly parallel each other.
All things considered, Donnie and Raph aren't so different. Raph is the primary protector who faces the threats head-on with his physical strength, while Donnie is the secondary protector who tends to use more distant methods with his tech and wit. However, when push comes to shove, Donnie will also step up to take direct action when he deems it necessary.
They may be the brains and the brawn, but they both use their respective skills to defend and support their family.
2K notes
·
View notes
I'm gonna be anonymous when I say this because I have seen this done by many people... I strongly dislike the "Error and Nightmare gang are the good guys and trying to make the universe stable while The star sanses are the idiots who will not see reason" .. Like... I .. really? I'm not sure if the reason why I don't like it is because I have seen it so many times or what but it annoys me dearly. The members of the star sanses are reasonable and they are just often made as one sided ignorant people-
I mean okay Lets go on the different pov, on the bad sanse side: You see them risk their lives every day getting themselves hurt over and over again all to defend different worlds for the sake of bringing what they believe to be peace and you label them as the fools who just want all the glory- really??? people who get hurt over and over again just do it for that stupid reasons??? I mean come on!
Seeing as generally it is shown that the bad sanses want peace as well why not be trying to reach an agreement??? you fight over and over again and you couldn't even be bothered to try and reach their heads to finally listen to what you are saying like what "in a way" dream has done with nightmare countless times but they cant do the same? Just have them fight knowing that the other side are in the wrong and you choose to do nothing but break them?? Like is this your pride or something?? Why are they labelled as good guys yet they allow the other side to fight to their deaths with a good motive in mind but they only lack the full picture?? How am i suppose to "root for you" if this is what you do????? We get inside information of how peaceful they are and how they care for each other deeply, but if you care so much for each other why would you allow the other side to keep fighting your loved ones when they are missing the big picture, you know the big picture yet you say... NOTHING. NADA. ZILCH!! you cannot tell me that they don't listen to you when you barely speak up about the true issue or find a way to show them- you maybe say it once or twice in the whole story and then any other time you go straight to fighting or just avoid them.. COWARDS!! ALL OF THEM!!
And in these stories the star sanses always state their reasons for their interference yet you cannot tell them why you are doing this?? All that comes out your mouth are insults and sneers, who would want to believe you when that is all the comes out of your MOUTHS...
Excuse me... Just pissed sorry for the long rant.. Oh my gosh AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON DREAM AND NIGHTMARE, DUDE YOU GOT THE BALLS TO BLAME YOUR KID BROTHER FOR BEING A KID AND NOT RECOGNISING YOUR TRAUMA EVEN NOW AS YOU ARE MUCH MORE MATURE AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO REALIZE WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU BOTH AS CHILDREN????? Is he the one holding onto the past or is it you??? Night is always depicted as the dadmare, boss, the caring lover, the brother yet he doesn't even have the decency to face the fact he abandoned his brother in stone for 500 years or so, when he comes out you automatically hate him for something he had no idea or control of and choose to ignore his pleads, when your brother wants to reach you, you break him over and over again not wanting him in your life ever again when as i said before he was your "KID BROTHER" and you want to tell me your the good one for just wanting to cut him off with no answers or anything? You gotta be pulling my leg bro... and it would be a different story if the dreamtale background is different but no! it isnt! nothing is said to make it seem dream was an abuser of sorts, they were both hurt and yet you blame dream for all of it you have a whole ass support system yet that is your mindset??? I cant.... I really cant
Uh sorry again for this long ass rant though =w=
anon our souls are holding hands resonating as one
my two cents on this (that isn't something i said. a million times before already) is that it's usually because people refuse to see the star sanses in the same light they do the bad sanses
the people who actively dislike the star sanses and what they do usually do so because they can't relate to them, from what i've noticed
the bad sanses are easier to root for because of the fact that they are made of struggle and the dirty, gritty parts of morality and life so to say
it's easier to think of good things in the middle of so much bad, because it's in our nature as people to look for hope or root for the good, no matter how little it is
having the ability to look for goodness and love in so much evil is a form of love in of itself
everybody struggles and life sucks and sometimes the world is evil and sometimes we do bad things, but that's the thing, the fact that we as people find something good in the middle of it all (like finding familial love bloom in the bad sanses, as an example) is very inspiring.
at least to me!!! that's how i see it!!!! that's how i like to think people see it as well because that's how i see and enjoy them together
so i can totally see why people find more relatability and love for the bad sanses. i really do get it and i agree!! like a lot!!!!! i love them too
but that exact reason is also why it really sucks that people just don't see the star sanses in the same light?
i wanna reemphasize my point in relatability:
it's difficult for most people to relate to the star sanses because inherently they are the heroes, the protagonists, the main characters, because nobody are any of those things
i feel like people often put them on a pedestal because of their central tropes and characteristics. they have it all already, they don't need more praise, right?
i think the biggest problem people have with the star sanses, like your whole ramble very clearly shows, is that they don't humanize them
i feel like a lot of people assume that just because they are good and choose to be good and are praised for being good, they are unreachable
people don't think they struggle. that it sucks being that.
it's often why i like writing the star sanses with so much struggle and so much mental illness lol, because being good is fucking HARD and they're as imperfect as everybody else.
dream is anxious, ink is brash, blue is a workaholic, stuff like that
there's a lot to say but it's just....the bad sanses and the star sanses are two sides of the same coin.
the bad sanses is finding good in the middle of, basically, evil and misdeed
the star sanses is finding struggle in the middle of trying to do good
people often portray both of them black and white morals and it's why it gets frustrating and flat and badly written.
idk, just like how i find inspiration in the bad sanses of finding hope and love in the middle of darkness, i really admire the implications of the star sanses when you actually decide to humanize them.
because if you make the star sanses struggle throughout their praise, glory, and righteousness, it's...really admirable that they still choose to do good.
like you said, the star sanses risk their lives often and fight, offering treaties and agreements, just to make things right
that's so??? admirable????? like for the amount of times the bad sanses fucking fight them, i genuinely would've just given up completely, but they just....don't??? and that's so admirable and sweet?
it makes them so deserving of their titles as guardians.
idk!!! this is a massive ramble too, i don't even know where i was going with it but like, yeah, i think i wanted to talk mostly about why people preferred the bad sanses over the star sanses and how it makes me sad
i get you anon. with my whole body and my whole soul. i understand what you mean and i see you
97 notes
·
View notes
I was rewatching s2 last night, and ohhh man mk looks over mei so much it's not even funny. times mei has been ignored:
maybe you need to really listen! (during the blindfold ep)
mk just? grabs stuff she's using out of her hands all the time? (video game ep)
maybe you shouldn't skip the tutorials? (video game ep again)
the way he addresses her in dumpling destruction and then immediately pushes her aside for tang
i honestly remember it lowkey kinda bothering me on first watch but now it's REALLY egregious on rewatch. are you scared? I'm so scared. do you WANT to end up like shadowpeach MK
2x03 is so rude because the whole fucking episode they're like "MK you don't listen" and it's so true. He doesn't. Pigsy literally points it out again at the end of 4x14 with the whole sun screen bit:
Pigsy: "Tch, don't bother, I've been telling him that for years but he LITERALLY never listens."
Sun Wukong: "Yep! That's how we role."
-
THEY'RE SO FUCKING RUDE. "That's how we role." We. We????? Wukong and MK???? Like WHATEVER. FINE. (("I told you going against the Jade Emperor was a bad idea, but no. Wukong doesn't listen to ANYONE! He just does whatever he wants" Like shut up. Shut up!))
MK gets so stuck in his own head ("You're all stuck up in your own head! None of this is your fault!" +1 to the MK ignoring Mei counter from 4x08) and I think that really contributes to his s2 scramble to get more powerful.
LIKE:
MK: "Stop? Now? Never! I just have to try harder. It's just like the Monkey King said! *laughs manically* I just need to get stronger!"
(2x06 Game On)
VS
MK: "Why didn't he just stop, right here? He was already so much stronger than anyone ever needed to be!"
Macaque: "Wukong didn't think so, he always felt he had to be stronger—more immortal."
(4x11 A Lifetime of Mistakes)
-
(Bonus thing between eps 2x03 and 2x06, look at 0:42 in this video for MK hearing Mei but not listening to her. Because of course that's what he would do. *head in my hands .png*)
The terrible s2 choices both Wukong and MK make in relation to their friends is just absolutely delicious after 4x11. Like, OH. This has been a lifelong pattern of Wukong's—paranoia is one of his fatal flaws (paired with his terrible communication and self-sacrificial nature), and while he had the power to stop LBD before he still feel's the need to go after the Samadhi Fire to stop her now, and to protect MK.
Hold on look at this parallel that I don't know what to do with:
MK: "Ugh, I can't do it!"
Mei: "It's alright MK—you did it before, you'll do it again!"
Sandy: "Yeah! Maybe it's like Monkey King said: the power will come when you need it most!"
(3x04 The Winning Side)
-
MK: "What! But you said the Samadhi fire was the only thing that could stop her!"
Sun Wukong: "I KNOW WHAT I SAID! But I've beaten her before I'll- I'll do it again! Mei was right—I need to stop dragging you into my fights, all of you."
(3x10 The Samadhi Fire)
-
Wukong and MK's reach for power inspires a lot of fear in me! It does! Because, well, MK's current reach for power is going to lead him to his Monkey Form, and uh:
Like I'm scared. I'm scared!
"All doomed to play a role in tearing this world apart!" ; "This is Azure's utopia, and this barren wasteland is the price he paid to build it." ; "I'd do anything for my friends! But at the cost of the world?" "I'm sorry pal, ain't NOTHIN' worth that price!"
168 notes
·
View notes
https://www.tumblr.com/merakiui/719503256771051520/halu-mera-i-just-saw-a-youtube-short-about-beta
I love how this implies that Azul had been waiting for them to get tired enough so he could approach and -ahem-
I think he would send the tweels to chase after beta mer darling so she gets more tired and more vunerable to his touch without running the risk of her attacking him.
Or maybe she was tired from fighting another beta mer fish (Even better if it's a male, cuz i want to see distressed tako feeling panic over the thought of losing his darling, and then relief when he sees her fighting back).
Just, stalker tako using his camouflage abilities to follow beta mer darling without her noticing him 🥺❤️
Yesss!!! <3 stalker tako who gets so nervous when other males approach you, but he's silently cheering you on from the sidelines while he's camouflaged. And he's very pleased (and proud of you) when you fight off every mer who attempts to court you. From observation, he can easily guess you'll likely try to scare him off if he tries to approach you (and Azul's confidence is always so low, even more so when he's trying to interact with you). He probably would get the tweels to chase you, whether to tire you out or to corner you, or he lets you tire yourself out when you're fending off so many males hehe. >:D
Since he's an octo-mer, he's so much stronger and bigger than you, so it's likely he'd win in a fight. But he doesn't want to hurt you. D: and he wants you to love him and accept his affections, so the only logical method of approach (in his mind) is to follow you and wait for an opportunity when you're vulnerable. <3 he's so cute when he stumbles over his words and tries to confess, but all forms of eloquent speech evade him because you're so pretty up close and being able to hold you (even if he's holding you down so you won't escape) is such a wonderful feeling. How can he possibly be smooth when he's finally getting to be so close to you after many months of watching from afar? >_<
On the other hand, he's not so cute when he's rambling obsessively about how much he loves you, how he's always wanted to approach you, how he's admired you from afar for so long, how he's always fantasized about filling you up with so many clutches until you're on the verge of bursting. :)
111 notes
·
View notes