#rise starkiss analysis

[risestarkiss]

Rise Ramblings #41

He's petty, your honor.✨

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Update: This post now also exists in video form. 😌💙

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💜 RiseStarKiss Studios on Youtube | My Kofi Tip Jar 💜

[risestarkissomega]

Picking up the pieces...

Hi everyone! Hopefully you guys find me.

This is Vee, aka RiseStarKiss! 💜✨

My RiseStarKiss blog was inexplicably deleted this morning. I'm in the process of talking with tumblr to see why...

So, I'll be posting my Rise Ramblings here, therefore, please follow me here for more Rise Ramblings and beyond. In the meantime, if anyone has a relogged version of a "Rise Ramblings" can you reblog them again with @RiseStarKissOmega in the body?

Also, I'll be changing my blog slightly due to this inconvenience in hopes of preventing this sort of thing from happening again.

So please spread the word and stay tuned...It'll be fun, I promise!

Also, if you have any suggestions on what I can do to get my former blog restored, I'm all ears. (Also, send messages and encouragement. I'm a little downtrodden. 😔💜 )

HUGE EDIT: THE BLOG IS BACK BABEEEEY! @risestarkiss I don't know how or why all of this happened, but I want to humbly thank you all for the support!

[saint-lazarus0]

This one is in appreciation of @risestarkiss!!!!! Their incredible, in depth analysis of themes, tropes, and little details that make the show what it is are truly top notch.

I wanted to do a sketch of them, to show my adoration, and we ended up creating this little diddy! ( I sent stars, they sent this amazing character). Thank you again Vee, can't wait to read more :)

[twin-disaster-tutel-brainrot]

Hi SeeD and Remi! This is Vee from RiseStarKiss. So yeah, my blog was deleted this morning...I have no idea why, but I've created a new one @risestarkissomega

Is there anyway you guys can help spread the word? 💜😢

OMG THAT'S HORRIBLE WHAT

Y'ALL GO FOLLOW @risestarkissomega IF YOU FOLLOWED RISESTARKISS BEFORE (and also if you didn't cuz her analysis posts are amazing)

dude I'm genuinely feel so bad for you, this is the least I can do 💞

[risestarkiss]

Man, oh man, oh man! You've found something here, that's for sure!

I guarantee that this was intentional. It has to be! The Rise team has made references out of less. And you've brought up so many fantastic points, going even as far back as the original Mirage comics!

...There's a documentary out there about how the TMNT came to be, called "Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

If you can find it (*cough*) it's definitely worth the watch. 😁

TMNT is basically just two young aspiring comic book artists sitting around in their apartment one night making each other laugh by passing absurd and silly little drawings back and forth. The premise of the TMNT is just that simple. They pulled from already existing media, their own lives, and their own experiences (one of them even worked in a pizza parlor) and added those characteristics to...turtles, of all things.

...to say that this premise took off is an understatement...

So, yeah, archetypes, pop culture, and references from other long standing media is actually as TMNT as, well, PIZZA!

And this ultimate fan is loving every second of it!

Okay.

I have not seen ROTTMNT yet, but I've picked up some stuff from just floating around the fandom. Something I've learned, which is discussed in this post here, is that Rise Leo is generally considered - and considers himself the 'Face Man' of the team. (GIFs below are swiped from the linked post by @risestarkiss - I couldn't find them in tumblr's gif search function...)

Anyway. This is interesting to me because I am, for my sins, also a fan of The A-Team.

(I promise this is going somewhere! If you want to find out where I'm going with this, I'll put the rest of the post under a cut because it got a little long...)

For those of you unfamiliar with The A-Team, it's a (very silly) 80s TV series about a group of Vietnam War veterans who are on the run from the government after being convicted of a crime they didn't commit. The four of them spend their lives in hiding, making a living by using their combat skills to help people in need.

Here they are:

Left: Colonel John 'Hannibal' Smith, leader of the team, brains of the outfit and most likely to have become an evil mastermind in an alternate timeline.

Right: Sergeant B.A. Baracus. Nicknamed 'Bad Attitude' due to his lack of patience for bullshit, B.A. is the resident tough guy but also an absolute teddy bear of a man, and is always ready to help people, especially children and the elderly.

Left: Captain H.M. 'Howling Mad' Murdock is the team's pilot and can fly just about anything. As his nickname suggests, he's considered a bit eccentric and is a silly kind of guy. (He's also a permanent resident of a psychiatric hospital but let's not get into that right now.)

Right: Lieutenant Templeton Peck. His role in the team is to provide them with whatever they need, whether that be vehicles, weapons, tools or access to places. He usually achieves this using his charm and wit, gaining him the nickname 'Face Man.'

Okay, so bearing these descriptions in mind, look at Leo's dialogue in this GIF:

I'm assuming that Donnie is the brainy guy, Raph is the smashy guy, and Mikey is the 'eats peanut butter with his fingers guy'. And Leo is the Face Man. That's his role.

But these descriptions fit the members of The A-Team too. Hannibal is the brainy guy, B.A. is the smashy guy, Murdock is the guy who absolutely eats peanut butter with his fingers (while maintaining unbroken eye contact throughout). And then there's Face.

How is this in any way relevant?

Well.

It just so happens that someone else is a fan of The A-Team...

Of course the Mirage turtles watched The A-Team! It was a popular show in the mid-80s, and you have to admit - they do have a lot in common, being four guys fighting injustice from the shadows and all... The A-Team even have a friend on the outside who helps them out - Amy Allen.

She's a reporter. Like someone else we know...

But which of the Mirage turtles in the image above is suggesting they should watch The A-Team?

According to this bio card from 1990 that coincides with the 1987 series...

... it might be Leo!

Was this intentional on the part of the Rise writers? I don't know!

Is it relevant? Probably not!

Does this tentative link between these two silly 80s series make me ridiculously happy? Yes!

Was this entire post just leading up to this? Yeah... sorry...

I like to think that the link is intentional. I've heard that Rise makes reference to other iterations of TMNT, as they all do. I would just personally love it if someone on the team wanted to draw parallels between these two series on purpose!

Anyway.

I just noticed that and really needed to get it off my chest! Thank you to everyone who stuck with this longer-than-intended post right to the end! 💙💜❤🧡

[risestarkiss]

"This Whole Situation"

Rise Ramblings #1

So as you guys know, one occurring phrase in the show between the boys and April is “This whole situation.” Although vague, and used in many other contexts, sometimes the family uses the phrase to refer to their mutations.  

However, once finishing the series it’s hard to miss that Donnie never says the phrase. Now, I could be wrong (and If I am, just comment and let me know!) but I have a theory as to why Donnie doesn’t say it… Donnie never says “this whole situation” because in his mind, there IS no situation.

The Evidence:

I started noticing something interesting about Donnie’s state of mind about himself.

He never really expresses that he’s different from other people, he’s just…him. Obviously, he knows that he’s a mutant, but it’s not something at the front of his mind. I associate it to if someone has a certain attribute, that person is just that, a person first. I believe it’s the same for Donnie. He’s a person, that just so happens to be a mutant turtle, and I live for it.

What made me solidify my theory was the use of disguises in Rise, specifically the use of disguises in April’s school.

All of the boys have visited April’s school, and all of them decided to wear disguises, except Donnie.

He just shows up in his regular clothing. One could argue that the hoodie is his disguise, but then why did the rest of the boys wear actual (silly) disguises while our boy Donnie is just like, “Hoodie? Check.” And not only that, but for the whole episode, all eyes are on him, and he just. Doesn’t. Care. It’s glorious!

Later, in the episode Donnie vs. Witch Town, we see that Donnie showing up all willy-nilly pell-mell at April’s school was not a one-time thing. It’s literally been happening for years!

Therefore, I believe that canonically Donnie doesn’t care about “this whole situation.” And if someone does, as far as he’s concerned that’s their problem, not his.

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Part Two: On His Own Terms

[risestarkiss]

Donatello's Inspirations

Rise Ramblings #91

So, I’ve noticed that Donatello has a habit of being inspired by what he sees and adopting those aspects into himself.

This system of integration is most prevalent when it comes to the people he loves or admires.

Take one of his favorite stims, for instance.  

You don’t have to look too far to find that phrase's source.

He admires and loves his Papa, thus one of his dad’s favorite sayings is one of his favorites as well.

This aspect of incorporation also extends to his beloved heroes.

One of my favorite examples are his signature eyebrows.

He didn’t have them, then he did. We know that he started drawing them on nine years ago (with a sharpie, lol) but I wonder where he got the idea for the eyebrows in the first place…

Before he knew that Lou Jitsu was his father, Donnie had already incorporated the man’s eyebrows into his mask. Therefore, one can argue that the adoption of Lou’s well-coiffed brows was not due to a simple familial bond. Instead, Donnie just wanted to be more like his hero, Lou Jitsu (and thought the brows were cool, lol.)

However, that’s not the only hero Donatello took inspiration from.

[risestarkiss]

Rise Ramblings #23

Yup! That checks out!

[risestarkiss]

Rise Rambling #999

(Closed captions and subtitles are available in multiple languages!) ...this is the reason I created my channel. I've always wanted y'all to see the FULL vision I have for my Rise Ramblings PLUS I wanted to share so much more Rise related content with you guys (ie. my music, edits, etc!) We are just getting started. 😌😏

(...BTW I did all of the background music and some of the sound design work for this video, with most of the sound design work showing up in the Raph scene 😁)

💜💜💜

I love you and I appreciate you. Thank you for the support! 🥰

○○○○ 💜 RiseStarKiss Studios on Youtube | My Kofi Tip Jar 💜

[risestarkiss]

On the journey to 1000 subscribers on YouTube, so please subscribe!

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My Rise of the TMNT Analyses (aka Rise Ramblings):

○ Rise Rambling Videos ○ (NEW!)

Leo's TERRIBLE Coping Skills • A Raphael Character Analysis • Leo Being Petty ALL OVER Rise

Classic Rise Ramblings:

○ Most Recent ○

Sassy • Refreshment • Same Face Syndrome • Mikey's Hand • Lashes!

○ Most Popular ○

✨The Fashionista✨• Petty • Basketball • This Whole Situation • Subcutaneous

○ The "Being" Series ○

Prequels | What Was Meant To Be • What They Became Being Big Red • Being Baby Blue • Being Purple ○ Part One • Being Purple ○ Part Two • Orange, Baby! Finale | Being Hamato Yoshi

○ Every "Rise Ramblings" to Date ○

PART ONE • PART TWO

○ Analyses by Character ○

Donatello | Leonardo | Michelangelo | Raphael | Splinter | Disaster Twins | Baja Blast | Smarts & Crafts | Sunrise Duo | Slushie Duo | Mad Dogs

○ Extras ○ My Thoughts on: April O'Neil • Casey Jones • Future Baxter Stockboy • Fav Side Character • Fav Turtle Fashion • Rise Boys' Personality Breakdown • Shelldon • Rise Season 3

✨THE CORRECT RISE OF THE TMNT EPISODE ORDER LIST✨ • My Research for the Order List •

○ General Blog Tags ○

Starkiss Ramblings | Answered Asks

○ External Links ○

YOUTUBE | KOFI | 🎵 BANDCAMP 🎵

💜💜💜 Thank you for your support! 💜💜💜

[risestarkiss]

Rise Ramblings ○ Full Title List

PART TWO

Donnie | Taste Buds • Being Purple ○ Part One • Subcutaneous • Being Purple ○ Part Two • Sneeze • Achooie! • Knight • Good Eats • Flavorless Juice • Breathe • Smile • Fav Donnie Moments • Fuzzy Nerd Dice • Refreshment • Sassy

Leo | Duality • Smarter • Moves • Jazzy Fresh • Fav Leo Moments

Michelangelo | Orange, Baby! • The "Ba" in "Baja" • Cosplay • Same Face Syndrome

Raph | Swallowed • Comfortable • Care Bear • Find Out • Lashes!

Splinter | Being Hamato Yoshi

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Disaster Twins | Mixed Up • Turtle Blinks

Smarts & Crafts | PB&J

Baja Blast | Mikey's Hand

Slushie Duo | Saddle Up

Sunrise Duo | Sunrise, Sunset (Poll)

Mad Dogs | Cheeky • Flyer • Race • Strength • Snatched • Socialized • Coiffed

[risestarkiss]

✨The Fashionista✨

Rise Ramblings #234

While watching “The Clothes Don’t Make The Turtle,” I noticed something.

I found it interesting that Raph, Mikey, and Leo were content with Raph’s outfit choice until Donnie stated that he wasn’t “in love with it, ya’ know.”

Suddenly, Raph declares “I’m a disaster!” Albeit ridiculously endearing, it was a little strange to see his sudden shift from moderately content to absolute dissatisfaction. Huh…

Then, the disaster twins decide to help him out.

Take a note of their outfit choices.

Raph tries on all of these fits and more.

Donnie’s first choice is a mild “no.” Leo’s choice is a hard “NO.” (Not surprising, lol.) But then, the overwhelming consensus lands on Raph’s fourth outfit, which ended up being Donatello’s other pick for his brother.

So, in summary, Raph tried on his personal choice for an outfit, of which they rejected. Then, ultimately, Donatello picked out an outfit for his brother, and that pick ended up being perfect. Hmm…

Then I noticed something else. In this episode, we never get a Donnie “curtain reveal” moment, to our disdain. I mean, Raph, Leo, and Mikey got to try on several different outfits in order to get their brothers' opinions before landing on that “perfect outfit, you know the one.” All of his brothers got to shine. Why not DonTron?

Then it hit me.

The try-ons were to get their brothers' opinions and approval. And, for his brothers' choices, he was a major contributor in assisting them in pulling their looks together.

What if, bear with me, Donnie didn’t need the "curtain scene" because he was so confident in his fashion sense that he didn’t need to ask his brothers for help to pick out a great look.

…or they figured out how to break Hypno’s spell before he could get a “curtain reveal.” BUT STILL-

Look at his outfit choices in this episode. Some of his wardrobe changes were off-screen, but all of them were fire.

(I added the baseball cap pic because it makes me happy. I wish we'd seen more of that fit.)

To me, he makes some really smart choices for himself, pushing the envelope of what is expected and taking chances: an open collar with no tie for a “black tie” event, a beanie and spiked wristbands for their “gansta look,” no socks with loafers (a viral fashion trend that actually began in Africa) with old man slacks in his reclined pose. *muah* Chef’s kiss!

But Don’s fashion sense doesn’t just shine in this episode.

In “Reparin’ the Baron” the boys go to Draxum’s apartment. Leo and Donnie show up in some extra nice “Sunday Dinner” twin drip.

The gold is in the details. Everything Leo is wearing, Donnie rocks its compliment: for Leo’s round collar, Donnie’s is angled, for Leo’s blue shirt, Donnie’s is white, For Leo’s light slacks, Donnie’s are dark. Blah blah blah. It’s so good!

Look at the winter fit in Snow Day.

Again, Donnie is Leo’s perfect compliment. As a pair? Fire.

Donnie has “the eye.” I can go on and on with examples, but I’ve said all of that to say this…

In the future, we see that Donatello’s technology had major pull in the resistance. He had drone ships patrolling the skies. He built and designed Leo’s arm, Casey’s chainsaw-hockey stick, and Casey's mask. The list goes on…

But, when Donatello from the past see’s Casey’s clothing from the future, he says this:

We know about the “Genius Built” brand. We’ve seen that logo on all of his tech up to this point. But, here he didn’t just say “Genius Built.” He said, “Genius Built Apparel.”

“Apparel” is not a tech brand. “Apparel” is a fashion brand. Of course, tech is incorporated into the clothing, but still.

This means that past Donatello secured this trademark with plans of creating a fashion brand, comparable to the likes of Gucci, Ralph Lauren, or any other modern clothing brand, as a subsidiary of “Genius Built,” the tech company.

And why not? The evidence has been in front of us this entire time. He has a sharp eye for style, fashion, and trends. It is easily canon that he can sew. Splinter sewed their ninja garbs in “Insane in the Mama Train,” and there is a sewing machine in the house.

They already learned Ninjutsu through basically osmosis, so learning to sew is not too far-fetched.

And here it is, right in front of us, Casey’s entire ensemble, from mask, to weapons, to clothing, was made by Donatello in the middle of the apocalypse under the brand name “Genius Built Apparel.”

And that was just in the bad future. Resources were limited, they didn’t have access to much of anything in that broken world as they were survivors of a devastating Krang invasion. Yet, he created all of this.

However, now that they’ve changed the future, his future as a fashion designer is limitless. Think of what Donatello could produce with unlimited resources, unlimited technology, and unlimited creative freedom.

Tech genius. Clothing designer. Fashionista. Future Genius Built Apparel Owner and CEO. I’m sorry, but I have to call it...

Donatello Hamato of the present, of the bad future, and of the good future is a fashion icon, the likes of which the world has never seen. ○○○○

Update: I've decided to make this concept into a mini-comic series!

[risestarkiss]

Rise Ramblings #325

So, we also know that this boy is bad at basketball.

Like, really bad.

Yeah, th-that was just terrible.

But, it made me think.

How is this ninja scientist so bad at this game? It’s just hand-eye coordination, after all.

I mean...

His shots aren't terrible, but they just bounce right off the hoop/backboard. It's almost as if he's aiming at a target-

So, wait. What’s the difference between basketball and pizza darts?

...the arc. Arcing the ball requires a light hand. In other words, it requires restraint.

I believe, that Donatello has great aim, but is terrible at restraint because, when he tries to toss something, it misses the mark.

But, when he throws something...

it’s deadly.

[risestarkiss]

Rise Rambling #449

You know what I think about from time to time?

Donnie didn’t just “place” trackers on his brothers. No. The trackers were placed subcutaneously.

Subcutaneous is a medical term that describes the route of administration. "Sub-" means "under" and "cutaneous" means "skin."

Therefore, a "subcutaneous tracker," by definition, is a tracker placed just under the skin.

Placing a subcutaneous tracker would require either a large/thick hypodermic needle or a scalpel to make an incision, the latter requiring a stitch or two to close the wound.

...Regardless of the method, the conclusion is the same.

At some arbitrary point, Donnie either injected a large needle into or performed minor surgery on each individual brother in order to place a tracker under their skin. …and they had no clue.

[risestarkiss]

Orange, Baby!

Rise Ramblings #316

When I think about Mikey, this scene always comes to mind.

As soon as they step foot in the library to save Mayhem, Angelo instantly disqualifies himself…hilariously.

On first watch, I found it interesting that he made this decision with no hesitation, especially given the stakes.

At the time I just resigned to him being a silly silly boy, but now I know better.

Yet, before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s explore who Mikey is.

Michelangelo Hamato is the youngest turtle in the family, and it shows.

Consequently, he seems to possess a certain “youngest brother privilege" that his other brothers just can’t help but reinforce. This is the role that Mikey was born into. Therefore, he doesn’t have to push himself to be the smartest, or cleverest, or strongest turtle.

Instead, he decides to be the artist of the family. He’s a creative! He expresses himself everywhere, from stickers on his own shell, to tagging the lair, as well as on paper. The world is his canvas!

Michelangelo also expresses himself in virtually everything he does, so it’s easy to understand why he’s the most open, honest, caring, and emotionally expressive turtle of the bunch. To some it could be seen as a weakness, yet Mikey uses his emotional intelligence as a pillar of strength, of which he utilizes to uphold his brothers when they need support the most.

In the show, Michelangelo often takes on certain personas; Doctor Feelings and Doctor Delicate Touch. (For some reason, they are all doctors, but that’s beside the point.)

At first glance, the personas could be seen as silly bouts of make-believe. But I think that placing these roles upon himself for his brothers' sake is Michelangelo’s way of helping them cope with the world by offering them what they each individually lack.

For instance, Raph, Leo, and Donnie have trouble voicing their discomforts when someone does something they don’t like.

In other words, they have trouble putting their foot down.

But here is Mikey to the rescue!

Dr. Delicate Touch has no such hang-ups.

Similarly, when Donatello runs into trouble, as he is unable to recognize his own emotions, it’s up to Doctor Feelings to help his desperate client in need.

Through taking on these roles, Mikey is able to support his brothers and fill the emotional gaps in his teammates, which, inevitably makes them all stronger.

How is Mikey able to do this and how does he have the strength to take on these roles?

You could think that it’s just in his character, meaning, it’s just how he is. I don’t think so, though. He’s a free thinker, and a creative, but there’s something about these roles that is specifically catered to the needs of his family.

Then I realized, the only reason that Mikey is able to help his brothers in this way is because they first helped him.

Let me explain.

All four of the boys grew up in the same household. Although Splinter tried his very best (there is no Splinter hate here), a single depressed parent doth not a stable child make. Raphael struggled with the burden of his responsibilities as an ad hoc leader (see Being Big Red), Leo struggled with expressing his natural talents as a middle child (see Being Baby Blue), all while Donnie struggled with carving out his place on the team and his feelings of uselessness (see Being Purple Part One and Part Two).

Well, what does Mikey struggle with?

In my humble opinion, nothing.

The struggles of his brothers all related to each turtle coming to terms with themselves and coming to terms with their place on the team.

Yet, due to the love and support of his brothers and father, Michelangelo never had to ask himself if he belonged, struggle with his role on the team, or make huge life-changing decisions that could affect everyone.

Michelangelo is free to just be Michelangelo.

And as a free spirit who is completely in tune with his own emotions, he is able to do things like this:

and this,

and this.

Let’s get back to the scene in the library.

Angelo sees the high stakes of his friend’s pet disappearing forever if they fail but makes the decision to disqualify himself anyway. Why? Because he knows that no matter what he does, it will all be ok.

He has complete faith in his brothers and their ability to solve the problem at hand, so he might as well have some fun.

This not the first time he’s come to this conclusion.

Through out this entire scene, Michelangelo plays in the background.

It’s scenes like this that makes me believe that Mikey’s faith in his family knows no bounds.

Altogether, his brothers and his father were everything he needed to become who he is. Reciprocally, he is free to be everything that they need him to be and more. Over…

and over,

and over again

he trusts them completely.

And through this unwavering trust in his family, he is able to trust himself and his instincts. He knows that with everything they’ve poured into him, he can save them from, well, everything. Over…

and over…

and over again.

Hence, due to all of this evidence, I believe that through the collective love of his family, Michelangelo became the best version of the Hamato spirit, and thus, the best Mystic Warrior of all time.

All because, he’s Orange, baby!

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Previous | Being Big Red • Being Baby Blue • Being Purple ○ Part One • Being Purple ○ Part Two

Finale | Being Hamato Yoshi

[risestarkiss]

Rise Ramblings #821

*ahem* I just wanted to draw your attention to the small smile at the end of this scene...

That is all. 😌