Dexter

Dexter was born to his mother, an Aardwolf woman, and his father, who married into the family. The Aardwolves are an old family that originated in the Midwest. The Aardwolves were cattle herders who were mutated in the 1860s. The cowboy era ended around the time that yokai were forced underground nationally, where previously they had only been forced underground in major cities like New York. Upon seeing the niche for livestock and food production in New York, several former cattle herders moved to the New York community. Out of three major groups, the Aardwolves were one. The Aardwolves formed a strong foundation on family and community.

Dexter grew up a middle child, but for about five years, he was his parent's only boy. Before Caleb was born, Dexter was often invited into a lot of "family bonding" activities, which, seeing as he lived on a farm, consisted of a lot of outdoor activities. Dexter was never a good hunter and only a slightly better fisher, but he was particularly gifted when dealing with animals. Not in a Disney princess kind of way, but he seemed to be really skilled in finding solutions to ailments and was patient enough to build a relationship with animals. Like all Aardwolves, he is also uniquely hardworking and stubborn, and while there are more instances of this breaking his heart than resulting in victory, it was certainly a valuable trait to have in a family of people who can be rather... Impatient. If a horse is stubborn, Dexter refuses to leave it unbroken. If a dog is sick, he will go to the ends of the earth to save it. If the family barn has another cat infestation that's grown so big they're starving, Dexter will manage to find them all homes. He is firm in his resolve and he loves to solve any problems he is faced with as efficiently as possible.

Despite not being particularly smart in school, Dexter was always seen as the "smart one" among his siblings. Not only did his name resemble "Poindexter" (a fact his cousins taunted him with relentlessly), but Betty would have some family drama when he was about 13 that made some of the family view her unfavorably, and Caleb was always a "challenging" child. Dexter's reputation as "the smart one" combined with being terrible at hunting, disliking most sports, and starting as a rather emotional child, he was bullied relentlessly by the other children of his family. Notably not by kids at school, nor was he tormented by many adults in his life, just his cousins. It led him to learning to repress his feelings and refuse to show much personality to others.

Dexter's father died when he was 19. All of Dexter's young family members were invited to work at his father's family saloon as a first job, but Dexter and his siblings were the only ones who really took to the job. Dexter began working there at 14 (goodness knows the pay there was better than his original allowance) and never stopped. The job had a strict set of values that Dexter was taught to uphold above all else- including refusing to serve those who were wanted by the police, as it gave the saloon a bad rap and damaged customer experience. Betty was always lined up to inherit the business, which angered the majority of Dexter's paternal family and led to them quitting. When his father died, the only employees who worked there were Betty, Dexter, and Caleb. While a few cousins would come and go, the three siblings were the only ones who worked consistently. Caleb was fantastic at socializing, but Dexter was an absolute whiz at his job. He managed to balance cooking, bartending, and serving with little to no flaws. It was like the most intense Papa's Pizzeria games ever. Everything was turned upside down when Caleb suddenly left to go to Canada, leaving Betty and Dexter alone to run the business themselves. Betty would help out at the bar when she could, but her duties already weighed heavily on her. So, Dexter was left alone to manage the busiest restaurant in the town. Dexter is a comedically skilled worker.

Before Caleb left, this turtle guy came in very sad and VERY broke. The guy looked no older than 18 and seemed stressed. Caleb had come up to the man to work that "Caleb Charm" but it proved ineffective. Dexter went to take the man's order, and for the first time ever, they really hit it off. The turtle said his name was Ransom, and he had gotten himself into some "trouble." Dexter was worried that Ransom may be a criminal, but something about the guy made Dexter think that there wasn't any way he could be a danger to anyone. Ransom seemed to understand intuitively that Dexter's silence wasn't because he was standoffish, but rather because he was a quiet man, and Ransom seemed to talk enough for the both of them anyway. Suddenly, a wanted criminal burst through the doors, demanding to be served, and Dexter refused. Just as he went to call for Betty, the resident muscle, Ransom managed to get himself in a fight with the man. Dexter had to drag Ransom out of the line of thrown axes and knives, saving his life several times in the span of 20 minutes, before he watched the two men scuffle themselves out of the saloon and into the street. Dexter assumed that Ransom was dead, but to his surprise, he showed up the next day, boasting that he'd become a bounty hunter (which worked for Dexter because heaven knows the sheriff wasn't doing his job). Then, Ransom came in the next day. And the day after that. And the day after that.

It would be a lie to say Dexter didn't find himself liking the guy. Especially since Ransom managed to be so endearing through every misstep he made. Betty noticed, and Caleb certainly noticed. Caleb, in particular, noticed that Ransom seemed to like Dexter back, but Caleb left before he could properly hype his brother up. With Caleb leaving, Dexter was forced to interpret Ransom himself- which was not a task made for a man who struggled to form relationships and express emotions. Every time Ransom would allude to wanting something more, Dexter would freeze and assume he was misinterpreting, along with being too afraid of losing Ransom entirely. Ransom saw Dexter's freezing as being uninterested, so he tried to stop liking Dexter. Things would eventually return to the status quo, and they would get even closer than before. Ransom would hint at wanting something more, and then Dexter would freeze again. The cycle was suddenly put to a halt when Ransom stopped showing up one day. Dexter didn't pay it much mind for the first day, but then one day became a week, and a week became a month. Dexter figured Ransom wanted to pull himself together, to fix the problems he often told Dexter about, and to leave whatever trouble he was facing far behind him. Dexter managed to accept that he may never see his friend again, and managed to find a way to be okay with that. Even though he missed him horribly. Even though he regretted leaving everything unsaid.

That is, until, Ransom appeared at the doors of the saloon at rush hour. Dexter was so surprised to see him that he jumped over the counter to run over to him. But instead of wrapping him in a hug or asking him where he'd been, Dexter blocked the door. He told Ransom that, even though he had missed Ransom horribly, he couldn't allow Ransom to go back to the way he was before; not after Ransom had been forced to face his issues for the time he was gone. If Ransom wasn't in the saloon avoiding his problems, then he must be out facing them. Ransom shrugs and says that that's okay; while he did enjoy the social aspect of the saloon and the food, he was mostly there to see Dexter anyway. He gave Dexter his phone number and strutted away. Dexter seemed flabbergasted by how upfront Ransom was, but he actually found it reassuring. He didn't have to guess anymore, and it wasn't until much longer that they had a "friendly outing" that quickly turned romantic. Ransom had become more upfront and communicative, and Dexter had gotten over his fear of changing the status quo. For a while, Ransom and Dexter were so attached that they struggled to remain separate people outside of their relationship. Dexter found himself more prepared to give up his position on the farm, the place he loved, since he was told as a young child that he was supposed to make sacrifices for the betterment of the person he loved. Ransom found himself more willing to give up on his job as a bounty hunter because of how dangerous it was, and he didn't want Dexter to worry about his safety. For a while, this led to a rather rough patch in their relationship, but it eventually was sorted out. They eventually married, and they couldn't be happier.

His story, overall, is one of learning to navigate the culture one grew up in. Dexter learns how to separate himself from the lessons he was taught as a child that hurt himself and the people he loves, but also learns to love the family despite the flaws of the culture they fostered. It is, ultimately, with the acceptance of his family's flaws that he learns to accept his family and love them entirely. In general, my interpretation of a hypothetical season 3 of ROTTMNT explores different family dynamics, and Dexter's is one about regrowth. While one should never feel obligated to keep a toxic relationship with their family intact, for some people, learning to rebuild that relationship leads to strength. Ultimately, my interpretation of ROTTMNT S3 is not about teaching people how to live their lives, but instead teaching people how to support themselves and others as they navigate difficult situations with their families