A Blue Streak, Chapter Two, Special Features

 Chapter Two

References:

*The fight scene with Proxy taking on the animals is a nod to the battle from Lady and the Tramp. Like Tramp from that film, Proxy bites and kicks her opponents down. She's just slightly more eager to fight than Tramp is. 

*The BLoSC universe seems bigger than anticipated. The planet Mechano 2 comes from the edutainment video game, Disney/Pixar Learning 2nd and 3rd Grade. 

*"...the occasional canes topped with preserved iceskeeters frozen in amber..." are not in style, but the line is a nod to John Hammond's cane from the Jurassic Park film adaptations. 

*"As long as she doesn't think about wanting my arm for a chew toy, I guess we can check up on ol' Fangface." No need to, XR. Fangface - from the house of Ruby-Spears Productions - is doing fine. 

*I wasn't initially going for a homage to the Mach Five from Speed Racer, but when I wrote that line, I just had to have it in! 

*Little Miss Sneak isn't a real character, but she was a nickname inspired by the characters of the Mr. Men series.

General:
*As far as I can see in all of the episodes, we've never seen what stratoshrikes look like so I used the in-canon name for an in-canon creature. 

*The Endless is part of my interpretation for how I see BLoSC's own reference to the afterlife. It will come into play later. 

*Proxy taking on the animals is another moment I wrote to characterize her love for fighting and her bravery. The odds may be stacked against her, but she's not one to care about those odds. Ozma trusts Proxy enough to do her job and to paraphrase Ozma, 'she's an animal fighting other animals' . She's not going to interfere unless she has to, as she does later in the chapter. 

*I stole and reused a lot of Rentwhistle's dialogue from "The Beasts of Karn", but as he was talking to Ty who wasn't even there in the first place, I consider myself excused for this haha.  

*Buzz's bola coming from the insignia armor spot in his uniform was seen in "Enemy Without a Face". As we've never seen him use it for anything else, I'm headcanoning that's what he mainly uses it for.

*There is a bit of a horse comparison to Proxy - she's stubborn and semi-wild like a horse, but she can be tamed in the right way. Ty holding her back and Ozma berating her is symbolic of this note. 

*The Star Guard isn't a real group, but I'm giving them to a group of officers on the show. We only see them in the episode, "Lone Wolf". They wear the Star Command colors, except they're dressed like characters from the show CHiPs . They were never identified in the episode, hence the name. 

*Buzz and Mira got a chance to shine in this chapter by using their respective skills: Buzz with his wits and Mira with her ghosting powers. Even though Ty is a main focus in this story, I do plan on giving everyone on Team Lightyear their own chances in the spotlight. I know I didn't have to include in TL in this story, but as this is the first story to the BLoSC side of UPC, they are crucial to include in. And they are the main characters in the original canon in question, so yes. 

Random Facts:

*None.

Wanderer out!

100 Words Per Movie, Review Round 2

This post is kind of a special one - I'm dedicating it to Tim Curry, who recently departed from this plane of existence. The film I'm focusing on starred him, and I can tell he had an absolute ball in his performance. And so, I say: for you, Mr. Curry, and thank you for all the laughs. 🙏

As always, spoilers abound. 

Clue (1985):  A famous board game calls for a film adaptation, and this film did not disappoint. I never played the game, but I do know its premise, and this film helped me to understand more of the game's mythology. Tim Curry, in particular, pulls off his role well; he's charming and enthusiastic, but he also carries a strong sadistic edge. Everyone else does a good job too - all have secrets to hide and it's fun to watch everything unravel. The humor was hit and miss in some places, but the film makes up for it with keeping you on your toes. 

Enjoy. 

Wanderer out. 

Taking Five: July-August

 Henry Stickmin: Two poems have been published, alongside two updates - one for 'Restoring the Soul' and 'Eye of the Needle'.

Universal Phoenix Corps: "A Blue Streak" is in progress. I'm planning another fanfic to write out at my end, but 'A Blue Streak' is my top priority. I'm planning on releasing a series of one-shots set in other UPC settings, but I can't say when yet... they're still in the works lol. 

Sonic Dahlias: More idea-formulating has been set forward in motion. 

Other Fanfics: N/A, but I've been coming up with more ideas.

That's it for now. Wanderer out!  

Character Spotlight: Saint Walker, Part Two

 

All will be well.

                        ------------------------------

4. INSPIRATION 

The animated Green Lantern show, pretty much. I'm not  well-versed within the Green Lantern fanfiction communities, so I'll need to go diving into them to see if I can find good stuff starring Saint Walker. 

------------------------

5. FUTURE PLANS

He'll play a part in UPC as a mentor and literal walking saint, yes, but he'll get his own adventures too. 

Outside of UPC, he might be involved in a crossover involving a famous person from real life, which was inspired by a Thor fan comic and/or a television episode featuring this person and a fictional superhero character. Not sure about this yet.

--------------------------

6. HEADCANONS

*He's a vegetarian and enjoys tea. He particularly enjoys melons (which comes from the animated series). 

*As he was a dad, he's a good caretaker/babysitter to have around when it comes to kids. He can even get into some innocent impish fun with them.

*I have to come up with a space-ish name for this type of martial arts to fit his culture, but he's good at using Wing Chun for defense. This comes from his voice actor, Mr. Phil Morris, who's an actual practitioner of the craft. I did this to explain how he can defend himself in the animated series and give him a way to fight should he be without his ring. 
He learned how to defend himself when he was a child, thanks to his father teaching him. 

*Because of what happened to his wife, he decided not to remarry. I think partly because of his beliefs and his devotion to his wife, it would be hard for him to consider marrying another. 

*His parents' names were Sciver (his dad) and Thana (his mom). 

*He likes to garden. Going by what was seen in the comics, he seems to enjoy nature a lot so he would likely want to tend to it. I'm also headcanoning that he has knowledge in botany because of his time in nature (and also partly thanks to Mogo telling him about how the flora functions on the surface).

*He enjoys engaging in philosophical and spiritual conversations. I think he also does this to help others when they've got problems they need to get off their chests. But I see him as a learner in philosophy and spirituality/religion, considering his own occupation as a spiritual man. 

--------------------------

7. PERSONAL

*I feel bad for Saint Walker. He's a beloved character who does have potential to star in his own adventures, but he - and the Blues for that matter - doesn't get any of that in the official DC timelines. Yet the Sinestro Corps or Star Sapphires gets their own time to shine? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but if they can get their own stories, why not Saint Walker?

There is potential room for growth to give to him. He can grow in leadership, but there can also be a focus on his other skills and/or conflicts he might face from others with his beliefs (like what if someone thinks hope is a dangerous thing, and Saint Walker needs to say that it's actually a good thing but one needs to be proactive about it?) Maybe he does get a little bit of that in the comics, but it doesn't really carry over into his own journey in favor of other heroes going through their own battles.

Mind you, I like Hal Jordan and the GLs in general, but as Saint Walker is important to them and people in the real world love the guy, one would think the people who work on the comics would get the idea that maybe they can expand on what else the BLs can do besides acting as battery packs for the heroes, punching bags through the various arcs or disappearing off the face of the earth...er, universe. 
I feel that Saint Walker is a bright beacon of hope (pardon the expression), and it's really good to have this kind of character: a grounded and cheerful individual with a quiet determination that can make a lot of impacts through various means, big or small. And with his belief in a higher power, that makes him all the more shine like a star for anyone lost in the darkness. 

*On a side note, I love that they got Phil Morris to voice him in Green Lantern: The Animated Series. His voice is so rich in warmth and determination. It fits Saint Walker's heroic self incredibly well. 

*The creed of the Blue Lanterns is so comforting and soothing. I can't explain why, but it really does wonders in calming down the mind and body whenever it's recited.
In fearful day, in raging night,
With strong hears full our souls ignite,
When all seems lost in the war of light,
Look to the stars, for hope burns bright!

*Songs for Saint Walker coming up!
-"Song of Hope" by Avishai Cohen Besides the title being right on the nose with what it's about, the lyrics sound like something he would say or do. He knows that yes, the world won't always be around forever, but that doesn't mean it can't be made better for all to try and enjoy. 

-"Life" by Sleeping at Last This is a bittersweet song, and geared towards more his daughter, but the lyrics make me think of what Saint Walker must have thought when both of his children were born. The sentiment's still the same.
-"When You Believe" by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston Taken from The Prince of Egypt , this song fits in perfectly with Saint Walker on many levels: faith, encouragement, acknowledgment of the darkness, and determination to look for the light. 

I 'hope' you enjoyed this post. :)

Wanderer out!

A Blue Streak, Chapter One, Special Features

Chapter One

References:

*Barring the many callbacks to canon BLoSC episodes, which will be mentioned down below, there is a non-BLoSC reference or two. Proxy's response to Ty was a nod to the fighting apples trees from the 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. Not sure where I got the idea to do that, but it proved a good comeback for her to use.  
*Proxy's snickering is lifted straight from Muttley from the Hanna-Barbera universe. It's a classic type of laugh.

General:
*There are many nods to episodes in this chapter, all of which are relevant to the story. First up: 
-The incident involving Madame President and her ship Space Force 1 occurred in the episode "Return to Karn". 

-The animals mentioned, like narlzaks and skullborers, all come from "Return to Karn" and "The Beasts of Karn" respectively. Jessica, the red gut-sucking egg devil, also came from the latter episode. 
-Swack should have kept to his community service that was decreed upon him by Buzz from "The Beasts of Karn". He wouldn't have gotten himself into this mess then, but he's not really a great listener. 

-Proxy may not be a canon character, but the planet she hails from is. Verdentia is mentioned in "Haunted Moon". There's not a lot of information about the planet, save that the residents love peace and the planet's appearance is dark red with spots. Even though Verdentia comes from the word 'verdant' which usually pertains to lush vegetation, but I digress. I liked the name of it and thought giving Proxy Verdentian roots would add more to the planet's culture. 

*When I wrote Ozma's first appearance in the original draft, she was written in a more mellow fashion than she was here. She came off as more friendly to outsiders than she normally is, but here, she feels more IC.  And yes, I am aware that Ozma isn't the most liked character in the fanbase, although I have seen more people showing their appreciation for her over the years through art and fanfiction.

I'm not sure why this is, but it's a welcome change of pace. But back to the notes: although she's not my favorite character in the show, I did want to write her in a more positive light than how she's usually portrayed. She's admittedly a tricky character to write - she's not the worst character to write for on the planet, but it can be difficult to know where to toe the line for her personality. She's learning to be less prickly towards non-animal lifeforms, but her heart's not completely thawed out yet. 

*Yes, we have an original character. If you're not a fan of OCs, you're free to turn away from this story. But if you're curious about her or don't mind OCs, thank you for staying to learn more about her! 

I'll talk more about her in detail as the chapters go on but here are some facts about the character. I originally made her when I joined the BLoSC fandom years ago. I haven't seen anyone make a dog, or any pure animal, companion for that matter. As Disney has a penchant for creating prominent animal leads or sentient companions to human leads, I followed this tradition with Proxy. Adding in an animal companion to Ozma would signify that even though her moral alignment is a grayer shade, she's not evil and will do the right thing in the end. 

Proxy's introduction was very different in the original draft - she was supposed to be introduced via the character Dug's introduction from Disney/Pixar's Up, with the dialogue almost wholly lifted from that scene. I wrote her in as a herder too, by working to round up a made-up species of Karnian wildlife I created. I forgot what I named them or why I wrote her herding them in the first place, but I can tell you that they were herbivores. Not carnivores, which was a mistake on my part. Why? Because the animals on Karn are carnivorous like the planet's namesake, except for the spelling. Herbivores can be dangerous, but I haven't seen any on Karn and the more I rewrote this chapter, the more I felt taking the herbivores out was the better option. Which leads me to our scoundrel Swack....

*Rentwhistle Swack invaded this chapter, but looking back, it was for the best. When I rewatched "The Beasts of Karn", I forgot he was in said episode leading a small group of poachers to look for rare animals for them to, well, poach. This scene proved crucial because it completely overhauled Proxy's introduction: instead of her herding animals (although she can do that if called upon), she was chasing poachers and showing her incredible speed at the same time as part of her establishing moments. The original scene, in retrospect, feels isolated from the main story and didn't correctly introduce Proxy - she's a dog, yes, but compared to Dug, Proxy's more rough around the edges and mischievous. I didn't really evoke that in the prior draft.

Therefore, this rewritten scene proved a stronger form of writing and tied itself deeper into Ozma's job of protecting Karnian wildlife. Focusing on that helped bring in more canon characters on this side of UPC (and I'm all for bringing in supporting characters if I can find a way to utilize them) and also built up more of the mystery of Proxy's species and identity before she is finally revealed. 

*Ozma the no-nonsense animal researcher and Buzz the by-the-book Space Ranger together? Proxy thinks the two of them together is a hilarious concept because of that. She's also quite the shipper for them.
I will note that in some fanon circles, fans will disregard this pairing and write in their own preferred ship. I'm personally ambivalent towards the Buzz/Ozma pairing, but I'm willing to give it a chance. There's not really a plan for them in this story, but their relationship will be canon to UPC. 

*Ty's reaction to the whistle is a building block for what will come later. Not so much in this chapter, but much later in UPC. 

*Someone's eyes are watching our heroes. I gave two of their names away already, but I won't discuss them until they're properly introduced. 

Random Facts:

*None.

Wanderer out!

Need help with uploading on FF.Net?

 I'm not trying to sound like an informerical, I promise. 

But in all seriousness, as FF.Net seems to be....experiencing a long stream of technical difficulties, some features are not working as well anymore, such as uploading new documents to the site. No matter which document form one chooses (like .doc, .docx, .html, and so on) the site can't seem to process any of them. Well, I may not be able to offer technological solutions to every problem that crops up there, but this one is different: through research and browsing Ff.Net for support from other writers, I have discovered one way to bypass the bugs and upload new documents with little to no incidents.

I do have a disclaimer though - if you're a new writer hoping to post your first story on the site and you come across this error, this might not work for you. I'll try to find other solutions for newer folks, but in the meantime, for regulars on the site, this is for you.

• Step One) Go to 'Manage Stories' .
• Step Two) Click on a published story 
  
• Step Three) Click on 'Contents/Chapters'
• Step Four) No matter if it's a one-shot or a chapter, click on 'Export'. 
• Step Five) Now you have a new document that will say, 'Export: Insert Title Here'. You're free to edit it as much as you want. BUT - whatever you do, do NOT delete the document. If you do, you won't get it back and you can export a story chapter or one-shot only once. You can't export a story multiple times. 
• Step Six) Once done editing, you can select it if you're posting a one-shot or new chapter update. 
  
  And voilà! You have uploaded new tales to your page. Hope this helps! :)
  
  Wanderer out! 

A Blue Streak, Prologue, Special Features

 Prologue

References:

*The title comes from a suggestion brought forward by One Lucky Unicorn. Thank you again, my friend!  🙏

*There's a paraphrased nod to a line from Raiders of the Lost Ark through this line: 'Craters, what does the commander want to see me for? What am I, in trouble? Again?' Needed to come up with something for Ty to say before he goes off to see Commander Nebula and this was it. 

*Star Cruiser 77's number is a reference to the year the very first Star Wars film, A New Hope, came out in 1977. 

General:
*When I originally wrote this prologue, I intended to include in the conversation between Commander Nebula and Ty to introduce one of the key plot points. But the further I edited this chapter, the more I felt it didn't fit. It would have given away too much detail, so it was necessary to cut it out altogether. However, there are some hints from the conversation I will be dropping periodically through the story until the ending. 

*Rentwhistle Swack and his poacher contacts weren't originally meant to be part of the story. That all changed when I rewatched the Karn-centered episodes of the show, and discovered their usage. Thus, including them in altered an important scene, which will be discussed in the next SF notes. 

*I didn't really dive into Buzz's reasoning for why he wanted Ty to work with him and his crew, other than simply needing more backup for the assignment on Karn (after what happened on the planet the first few times Team Lightyear has been there), but I felt there was really no need for it. However, I did touch upon Buzz showing genuine gratitude and appreciation for Ty being there, to show how far he's come from his canon episodes. Bringing in elements from their Academy days felt like a good way to explore more of their dynamic - or what was left of their dynamic - when they were young lads with no idea with what they were getting into as Space Rangers.

Plus, I suspect Ty does have a side to him that does delight in teasing. Not harmfully, of course, but light-heartedly. Bringing that out further enhanced their dynamic and gives insight as to how they would interact with each other off-duty and differently from their days in the Academy. They're both older and wiser, but some things haven't changed between them. By the way, for anyone curious about the story Buzz was going to tell about his Academy days, that is not going to happen in this story. Unless it's relevant, that won't happen, at least not now. 

*The Vanorian Ranger is based off of this character in the show. She never had an official name for what she was, but a friend of mine made up the name - Vanorian - that I applied to her ethnicity. The Ranger herself is not the character proper. 

*Ty's sore spot was hit and will somewhat play a part in the story, but in small ways. 

Random Facts:

*I would like to try and make a habit of uploading these Special Feature posts of previously published chapters before new chapters are posted - to build up hype along the way, but we shall see.

For now, Wanderer out!