A way to salvage Venus de Milo - Page 4

*CyberCubed* · 08-12-2013, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turtle1237

Well the whole series was put out on DVD, so it wont just stay dead. Its like that vampire or zombie that keeps coming back, Was at Walmark a few months or so ago and saw the dvd, and I was like did this really earn a dvd release?

Shout got the license to it when they released all of Power Rangers. So they might as well make some money off it. That's the only reason it got a DVD release.

*Shark_Blade* · 08-12-2013, 11:31 PM

Why salvage something that's been perfectly buried all these years?

*miru* · 08-12-2013, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

Why salvage something that's been perfectly buried all these years?

If you're going by that, why salvage Mutagen Man?

*Shark_Blade* · 08-13-2013, 12:07 AM

Because he's actually interesting?

Avatar Yuffie · 08-13-2013, 03:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luckyday

I have a crazy idea. Why not give her a different origin that has no relation to the day when the main four were mutated (other then the fact that she is mutant like other mutant before her like Bebop and Rocksteady ) and instead make her a recurring character like Slash instead of a gimmicky fifth ninja turtle. In fact, don't even make her a shinobi. Give her a shaolin background since she's Chinese. Hey, better yet. Make her a teenage mutant shaolin sea-turtle.

Okay, I'm done now.

That is a good idea.

Heck make her non-earthling. She could came from Usagi's world or something.

Technogeek29 · 08-13-2013, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avatar Yuffie

That is a good idea.

Heck make her non-earthling. She could came from Usagi's world or something.

I could see that working, and at least a romance wouldn't be forced like it was in TNM.

*miru* · 08-13-2013, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

Because he's actually interesting?

Oh, that. A better example would be Vernon Fenwick or Monty Moose.

wyze2099 · 08-30-2013, 06:09 AM

I've always thought that the idea of a female Turtle was potentially better than TNM's execution of it. And I'm a firm believer that there are no bad characters, just poor approaches to characters. So I've often thought about how the concept itself could've been worked into an interesting character.

The Shaolin origin and the Usagiverse origin are both great ideas. But really, a lot of the ideas in this thread about improving and/or reimagining the character are pretty neat.

I had this idea for an "Ultimate Ninja Turtles" (years before IDW's comic series did their own Ultimate take) interpretation of Venus. Basically, it involved the Foot Mystics. They were under orders to lure the Turtles into a trap somehow, so they devised a way to prey on the Turtles by planting the idea that there might be a fifth Turtle somewhere who was mutated before being separated from them. Knowing that the illusion would require physical substance in order to be sufficiently believed, one of the Mystics -- a woman named Mei Peih Chi or some variation -- volunteered to act out the part of the fifth Turtle. Not only did her loyalty to the Foot mean that she was perfectly willing to die in the trap being sprung on the Turtles, she turned out to be a relative of Tang Shen (who, let's face it, never got much definition about who she was or what if anything she had to do with the Foot besides becoming the focal point of a feud between two suitors). She was led to believe that Tang Shen was murdered by Hamato Yoshi, so she was interested in striking at Yoshi's family. And just to make sure the Turtles and Splinter believed her, she had her memories altered to believe what she was telling them, along with an impetus to lead them to the place where she'd been living. But something went wrong with the illusion magic during the ambush, and Mei ended up with the illusion and false memories being permanently applied. And the Turtles and Splinter survive the ambush and ensure her survival as well. Once the truth comes out, Mei discovers that any memories of her true life are cloudy at best, and even knowing who she really is can't seem to pierce the illusion or the perception of herself. Which means she's now an outcast from the Foot, and she has nowhere else to turn but the Turtles, Splinter, and April. This leads to a lot of uncertainty in the character that would be interesting to explore: who is she really? What kind of identity does she forge for herself?

I doubt she would have been called Venus De Milo, because I always thought that nickname was insulting: the other Turtles are named after the Renaissance artists themselves, but she's stuck being named after one of the artist's works? That's practically admitting that she's just there to be an object, not a person in her own right.

wyze2099 · 08-30-2013, 06:18 AM

Oh, I just remembered another idea I once had:

It was for a 'What If' story about Venus being raised with her brothers; I was fascinated by the idea of how differently she might have developed with Splinter and the other four as influences in her life. It's been years, but if memory serves, I pictured her wearing a white bandanna (I always thought the fact that she braided it was a nice touch, but that's just me). Also, her name was neither Mei Pieh Chi nor Venus De Milo, because Splinter would have kept his naming convention and named her after a Renaissance artist. She would've been given a male name, because Splinter would've had no way of knowing at the time that she was female; that particular development would've only really become obvious as time went on. I think I settled on Caravaggio; she went by "Cara".

In terms of personality, she would've been more of a tomboy than she was in TNM, due to her upbringing. She would've had an interest in religions, including but not limited to Eastern ones; while her skill as a mystic was due to being raised by Chung-I in TNM, her mystical side was one of the more interesting aspects of the character. She still would have a her own niche amongst the Turtles, in that Leo's focus is more on the techniques and scholarly aspects of ninjutsu, Don has his scientific/practical view of the world, Raph is interested in the fighting, and Mikey is interested in entertainment and having fun, but Cara would be the only one interested in the spiritual aspects of what Splinter teaches. So she'd still be a foil for the other Turtles, but she wouldn't be as much of an outsider.

And her interest in the nature of beliefs and religion would make her sensitive to other people's motivations; if she weaponized that knack, she could not only be particularly adept at meditation, but she could also be the first one to think, "okay, this guy is a complete zealot and can't be reasoned with, but this henchman over here could be talked out of this fight or bribed to look the other way." Giving her a tactical perspective that would be different than what the other four Turtles would come up with.

Oh, and her weapon could be a tessen or a naginata. I figure the Turtles wouldn't have started training in a signature weapon until long after Cara was revealed to be female, so she might have ended up with a feminine-seeming weapon. But that would owe more to her build than any actual sexism (she wouldn't have the breast shapes in her plastron, but what little femininity she might have could be visually conveyed by her hips and the way she moves).

*Shark_Blade* · 08-30-2013, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miru

Oh, that. A better example would be Vernon Fenwick or Monty Moose.

Vernon's already in the movie, sweet cheeks.

I don't even know who Monty Moose is so he can stay buried.

08-12-2013, 11:31 PM	#62
Shark_Blade Emperor Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 7,909	Why salvage something that's been perfectly buried all these years?

08-13-2013, 12:07 AM	#64
Shark_Blade Emperor Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 7,909	Because he's actually interesting?

08-30-2013, 06:09 AM	#68
wyze2099 Hench Mutant Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 323	I've always thought that the idea of a female Turtle was potentially better than TNM's execution of it. And I'm a firm believer that there are no bad characters, just poor approaches to characters. So I've often thought about how the concept itself could've been worked into an interesting character. The Shaolin origin and the Usagiverse origin are both great ideas. But really, a lot of the ideas in this thread about improving and/or reimagining the character are pretty neat. I had this idea for an "Ultimate Ninja Turtles" (years before IDW's comic series did their own Ultimate take) interpretation of Venus. Basically, it involved the Foot Mystics. They were under orders to lure the Turtles into a trap somehow, so they devised a way to prey on the Turtles by planting the idea that there might be a fifth Turtle somewhere who was mutated before being separated from them. Knowing that the illusion would require physical substance in order to be sufficiently believed, one of the Mystics -- a woman named Mei Peih Chi or some variation -- volunteered to act out the part of the fifth Turtle. Not only did her loyalty to the Foot mean that she was perfectly willing to die in the trap being sprung on the Turtles, she turned out to be a relative of Tang Shen (who, let's face it, never got much definition about who she was or what if anything she had to do with the Foot besides becoming the focal point of a feud between two suitors). She was led to believe that Tang Shen was murdered by Hamato Yoshi, so she was interested in striking at Yoshi's family. And just to make sure the Turtles and Splinter believed her, she had her memories altered to believe what she was telling them, along with an impetus to lead them to the place where she'd been living. But something went wrong with the illusion magic during the ambush, and Mei ended up with the illusion and false memories being permanently applied. And the Turtles and Splinter survive the ambush and ensure her survival as well. Once the truth comes out, Mei discovers that any memories of her true life are cloudy at best, and even knowing who she really is can't seem to pierce the illusion or the perception of herself. Which means she's now an outcast from the Foot, and she has nowhere else to turn but the Turtles, Splinter, and April. This leads to a lot of uncertainty in the character that would be interesting to explore: who is she really? What kind of identity does she forge for herself? I doubt she would have been called Venus De Milo, because I always thought that nickname was insulting: the other Turtles are named after the Renaissance artists themselves, but she's stuck being named after one of the artist's works? That's practically admitting that she's just there to be an object, not a person in her own right.

08-30-2013, 06:18 AM	#69
wyze2099 Hench Mutant Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 323	Oh, I just remembered another idea I once had: It was for a 'What If' story about Venus being raised with her brothers; I was fascinated by the idea of how differently she might have developed with Splinter and the other four as influences in her life. It's been years, but if memory serves, I pictured her wearing a white bandanna (I always thought the fact that she braided it was a nice touch, but that's just me). Also, her name was neither Mei Pieh Chi nor Venus De Milo, because Splinter would have kept his naming convention and named her after a Renaissance artist. She would've been given a male name, because Splinter would've had no way of knowing at the time that she was female; that particular development would've only really become obvious as time went on. I think I settled on Caravaggio; she went by "Cara". In terms of personality, she would've been more of a tomboy than she was in TNM, due to her upbringing. She would've had an interest in religions, including but not limited to Eastern ones; while her skill as a mystic was due to being raised by Chung-I in TNM, her mystical side was one of the more interesting aspects of the character. She still would have a her own niche amongst the Turtles, in that Leo's focus is more on the techniques and scholarly aspects of ninjutsu, Don has his scientific/practical view of the world, Raph is interested in the fighting, and Mikey is interested in entertainment and having fun, but Cara would be the only one interested in the spiritual aspects of what Splinter teaches. So she'd still be a foil for the other Turtles, but she wouldn't be as much of an outsider. And her interest in the nature of beliefs and religion would make her sensitive to other people's motivations; if she weaponized that knack, she could not only be particularly adept at meditation, but she could also be the first one to think, "okay, this guy is a complete zealot and can't be reasoned with, but this henchman over here could be talked out of this fight or bribed to look the other way." Giving her a tactical perspective that would be different than what the other four Turtles would come up with. Oh, and her weapon could be a tessen or a naginata. I figure the Turtles wouldn't have started training in a signature weapon until long after Cara was revealed to be female, so she might have ended up with a feminine-seeming weapon. But that would owe more to her build than any actual sexism (she wouldn't have the breast shapes in her plastron, but what little femininity she might have could be visually conveyed by her hips and the way she moves).