#2007 nightwatcher

[loonbark]

I 100% speed ran this just so it could be used for the poll/comp dkshsj

But official art for Barb Wire Birds! And very dramatic art as you can see and is actually probably one of the most important moments in the au, Raph's death:D

@non-rise-tmnt-au-competition (also feel free to @ once my vote goes up, I'm so excited ahh)

[loonbark]

Working on my fic? Nah. 2007 tmnt and splatoon? YES

[loonbark]

Ok first off. I haven't read the comics that come before this movie. So anything from there that adds or explains stuff in the movie idk about.

This was made to sort my brain out in general, but also kinda give the Barb Wire Birds a look into how I processed the original fight. It's also spaced weird because I have yet to understand Tumblr spacing and junk

I might also be looking at this whole thing wrong so. My only previous knowledge is a handful of videos about those comics.

Anyway.

When Leo gets home Raph is excited but refuses to let the others see that he is or indulge it. His big brother is home but doesn't expect this to be anything but temporary. Leo has been gone for a year meaning he thinks he can lead the team finally.

But he's happy to have his brother back, but reasonably bitter about everything left unresolved.

Leo went on a solo lesson on how to become a /team/ leader might I add?

The lessons he was taught he threw out the window when he fights Raph.

Raph originally doesn't even /want/ to confront Leo when Leo finds him as the Night Watcher.

Raph got hurt and when Leo confronts him about being out, he just argues. Raph is sick of Leo by this point so he leaves. Deciding his family doesn't need or want him.

Everyone but Raph goes home to talk plans but Splinter scolds Leo. Saying the team still needs Raph to be complete. So he goes.

Leo was supposed to find Raph but abandoned that idea when he saw the NW, instead chasing after him instead finding his brother as asked.

Leo chases Night Watcher to the roof.

Raph is stuck on the roof and has no were to run. Leo starts lecturing who he doesn't know is Raph. Saying that "I want you to know that I appreciate your intentions....but you can't change the world like this. The road you're on is a dead end. Believe me. I've tried it,"

Raph likely has heard similar lectures in the past and still upset from earlier, pulls out his weapon.

Leo seems eager to blow off steam and likely sees the Night Watcher as just another person doing more harm than good that needs to be taken care of.

Leo taunts NW. Noting out loud that he has quite the temper.

Something I want to point out is that Leo grew up with Raph, and trained with him. He knows how to push his brother's buttons.

Leo likely took his knowledge about how Raph behaved and applied it to Night Watcher, and it works. Because of its /Raph/.

Raph gets mad and slips up. They've probably done this song and dance before. It's likely one of the reasons why Raph wasn't chosen to go on the leadership mission.

He's been out every night for who knows how long, probably not getting enough sleep too.

Leo sees the opportunity and takes it.

Upper cutting Night Watcher and sending him flying. And when Leo goes to see who it was under the helmet he's surprised it's Raph.

Up until that moment, he thought he understood Raph entirely. His hot-headed, brash, angry little brother.

He looks shocked when Raph stands up.  He waits for Raph to say something, to explain but gets kicked away.

Now this is where it really kicks up.

"You are so smug, you know that? You think the world revolves around you, don't you? We couldn't survive without the mighty Leonardo to guide us through our problems. Well, I got a news flash for you: We got along just fine without you."

Raph shouts at him after catching Leo off guard.

Leo just discovered what Raph has been up to and likely been using to cope with Leo having been gone, and the extreme change.

Raph could get away as a solo hero before with just Casey knowing. But Leo wouldn't let that continue if given the chance.

Raph can't go back now. He can't run off or backtrack. The Nightwatcher is gone, leaving Raph alone.

Raph didn't have Leo to count on before, why would he now especially?

"Oh, and this qualifies as "just fine"? Dressing up like it's Halloween every night?" Leo shoots back. He doesn't get why Raph would do any of that. Leo and he have always been part of a team, why go solo now? Even if he did that exact thing.

Leo hasn't been with the others for a year. And in that time he never wrote home once, so when April tells him "We don't know what Raph gets up to. He sleeps all day."  he likely expects Raph to have just blocked himself off to his room.

Not fighting crime because Raph missed it and misses Leo.

But Raph has been out fighting crime and doing a mirror of what Leo has been doing that whole year.

The Night Watcher was two different things to them though.

Leo saw it as something that put them all in danger. Some joke Raph was using to get into more fights and cause trouble.

His little brother tried to do what he did but recklessness and anger drove it instead.

Raph was going night after night to protect the city and the family , "Crime doesn't take a vacation" as Raph put it.

It was his way of keeping the family safe and having normality while trying to cope with Leo having left. But also taking his frustrations out on something besides his family.

"Don't push it, Leo. You can't leave and come back....expecting us to fall in line like your little soldiers."

"Hey, I was training. Training to be a better leader, for you. Why do you hate me for that?"

Leo has no real clue what happened in the year they were gone. But what kept him going was that this training would helo him be better for the family. But he doesn't know the things Raph likely learned.

What he does know is that Raph has always argued on him being leader.

he doesn't know that Splinter seemed to be considering Donnie to take over as leader (this is a personal guess. And if it is correct, would likely add more to Raph's frustration)

Leo doesn't know Raph has been drifting away. That he doesn't bother telling the others what he's up to.

"Yeah, I do nothing. You're right. You got me all figured out." is what he says to Donnie when they get in the squabble. He doesn't bother trying with them anymore.

Raph has been running a solo act for my guess is around a year. Taking and accessing things on his own without the others butting in, or having to worry about them.

Raph doesn't hate Leo for trying to be a better leader.

He's mad because Leo wants to learn to lead them with them. Instead, he just followed Splinter's order and left them. Never sending a word home about anything. Only coming home after your friend tells you about how the family is coping.

He doesn't hate Leo. He hates his decisions and how he's too stubborn to listen. Earlier in the movie he even calls him Splinter Jr.

But it's hard to love someone when they just see you as a obstacle instead of a aid.

"Why is it everyone's got such a hard time believing I am a good guy?" I wouldn't doubt what he says is also him upset his family never seems to understand he's being good. Just in a way they don't get.

Moving on.

"And whoever said I wanted to be led? I'm better off calling my own shots now. Get used to it."

"You aren't ready. You're impatient and hot-tempered. And more importantly, I'm better than you."

"Oh, you know something, big brother? I'd have to disagree with you on that one."

Leo breaks. He throws any lessons he learned in his year away because of Raph.

He insults Raph for even considering the idea.

Raph /never/ says he wants to lead. He basicly says he never wants to lead. Raph never implies he wants to be a leader.

But Leo seems to believe he does no matter what he says. He can't seem to get why Raph would even go solo.

Leo assumes Raph wants to lead. Raph says he's better off alone.

He knows he can't lead and doesn't dare be responsible like Leo tries to be. He can't get his brothers hurt if he's a solo act.

Also, why try when your older brother and father would 100% argue and disagree with anything you do?

"Don't do this Raph"

"I'm done taking orders"

These are the last words spoken before the fight ends.

The fight between Leo vs Nightwatcher compared to Leo vs Raph is different.

Leo fights a vigilante he thinks is being careless. Trying to take his family's place, proving to himself being gone for so long was worth it.

For Raph it was an attempt to get Leo to piss off, to knock him down a peg. Only for it to end badly for him.

But the fight between him and Raph wasn't those things.

For Leo, it was many things. To get Raph to back down and to prove he was a leader. To get Raph to stop nagging and being upset at him. But also a attempt go get Raph to stay. How many times have they had this fight before? How many times did Raph say he was going to leave but never did? Except this time it was a promise. But Leo refuses to let Raph be right on this.

For Raph it was everything. It was confronting his older brother. It was defending his pride and honor, and why he did the things he did. It was to get Leo to finally listen and believe him, to not underestimate him. To have a proper excuse to leave.

Leo underestimated Raph's anger and will in that fight.

But Leo makes it a point to not even rile up Raph compared to the NW fight. He doesn't even insult him. Raph was riled up already and more focused. Leo likely thought he'd win.

Raph was so angry. He wanted Leo to go leave, fuck. Maybe just apologize even.

Sais are used to disarming opponents, even breaking them if used right.

Leo and Raph know this. But they always stopped before that could happen.

Raph doesn't stop. He breaks Leo's twin katanas.

He breaks a part of Leo's identity. Raph breaks away from Leo. Leaving him in shock and leaving an opening for Raph.

Raph has Leo pinned to the ground, sais dangerously close to his brother's head.

Both are surprised for a moment.

Leo seems disappointed and upset. Yet in the end not surprised. He almost seems to ask Raph if he's proud of himself.

His brother was always hot-headed and strong. Of course, he nearly kills him.

Raph is horrified and runs, he had almost killed his brother. And Raph when he realized what he nearly did is all the more scary.

Not only is he capable of killing his brother, he almost DID.

It's after that when Leo is captured

Both are right and wrong. Blame can be put on both.

But the most at blame is Splinter.

Raph and Leo have a rocky relationship, and the separation for Leo's training didn't help.

Had Leo not gotten captured Im not sure if Raph would've come back for a long while.

[loonbark]

I've been told to talk about it more and I'm too happily oblige.

Barb Wire Birds(BWB) is a 2007 TMNT movie au. I created it because I couldn't find any fics or aus like it, and the lack of 07 content was sad.

In the AU during the fight between Leo and Night Watcher/Raph, Leo accidentally kills NW only to find out it was actually Raph.

It follows how they still managed to beat Winters and their foes without him. And navigates life without Raph and Leo coming to grips with what happened. The family finding out what Raph was actually up to and why he was the way he was during Leo's absence.

t's going to be a LOT angstier then WORSP.

I plan to really really work on the first chapter after I finish my analysis of the fight in the movie. I think it'll help add to the fic and really add to it, but also give everyone an idea of what I thought of the fight and kinda frame what BWB will look on.

I'm not sure how frequent updates will be like yet once it's up. It'll might be a "update when updated" with lost of infodump here, not sure yet!