Character Spotlight: Thirty-Thirty, Part One

 

What do you get when you have a riot, a marshal, and an Equestroid? One heck of a show!
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1.HISTORY

How late I discovered Bravestarr and once I did, I couldn't get the theme song out of my head. I found out about this show through YouTube long ago. I don't really  remember which episode was my first viewing of the show (it might have been the movie), but I started watching it and I really dug the western-space vibe to it. 

The adventures, the action and the '80s-ness of it all were all entertaining, but what really made me become a fan of Thirty-Thirty and the show by extension was a music video focused on the super stallion. Unfortunately, the video is no longer available for viewing, but I remember it was an AMV set to the song, 'Spoilin' for a Fight' by AC/DC. It was about three or so minutes of Bravestarr footage with the song playing over various scenes, but a majority of the footage focused on the first rocky encounter between Thirty and Bravestarr, where they fight it out at the Hall of the Equestroids in the film. I was blown away by how well the song seemed to match the energy of the scene, and how it captured Thirty-Thirty's larger than life essence and his love for fighting. A few more videos, mainly show commercials and bumpers, only sealed the deal.  

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2. THE (TECHNO) HORSE OF THE HOUR

Thirty-Thirty doesn't like to be called just a mere horse for one thing. He'll assert he's a techno horse, and with his temperament and gadgets, he's proud of his heritage.
  
Around the time when the show aired, Thirty-Thirty was already standing out among Filmation audiences and still does today. He's more belligerent than other supporting Filmation characters like Orko or Kowl of He-Man and She-Ra respectively. And he's also very vocal - he doesn't beat around the bush when speaking his mind. If he has a complaint to voice, he will let you know about it. Sometimes his complaints are really minor where I can either roll my eyes or laugh it off. But he will also speak up when something is not right, although a bit harshly sometimes, which does serve as a strong counterbalance to his dissatisfied remarks. 

When he's not shouting out his opinions, he's either happily fighting with his beloved and trusty weapon, Sara Jane, or putting his full strength to the test while he stomps the bad guys. Which is a good thing for the heroes, considering if you get kicked or stepped on by a horse, you're going to end up in the hospital, as the villains probably have done. So Thirty's a horse of action, and does not like to be tied down with tedious but important work, such as patrolling the perimeters around Fort Kerium. 

Patience is not an easy virtue for him to maintain whereas Bravestarr exhibits this virtue well. This is an important contrast to Bravestarr, actually; Thirty-Thirty's about the stompin', Bravestarr's about the thinkin', and why their dynamic - especially during their arguments - is partly compelling to watch, and adds another layer of depth to their relationship. They both have contrasting views, but they both value each other's sense of honor and fair play, which is a reason why their friendship still stands. 

But even though he is strength-focused, Thirty-Thirty's not without his smart side and keen sense of awareness. In situations where action is not an option, he will adapt and use other methods, like in "Fallen Idol", where he called upon Deputy Fuzz to dig a tunnel so the two of them can stealthily trail after Bravestarr in case he needed help. In "Ship of No Return", he exercised caution when he, Bravestarr, Fuzz, J.B. and her father, entered the Kerium freighter and discovered no one was onboard, save the five of them. Shoot, even in "Big Thirty and Little Wimble", he held back his aggression because Wimble and the other children looked up to him. As an officer of the law, even if he's gung-ho most of the time, he is aware sometimes self-restraint or any other non-violent resource will prove the best solution, especially during really tense scenes (no matter how badly he just wants to shoot first and ask questions later).

If he finds that he did something wrong and it negatively impacted others, he will self-reflect on what he did and try to make amends for it. Hot-tempered he may be, but he's not close-minded to reason or emotion. He'll learn - sometimes the hard way - his lesson and admit his mistakes, as shown in "Rampage", "The Ballad of Sara Jane", and "Balance of Power" to name a few. In those episodes, he either let his temper and/or worry got the better of him or he acted carelessly in his responsibilities, but he accepts what happened and does learn valuable lessons even if he doesn't want to outright admit it. I mean, considering he, Bravestarr and other characters give PSAs at the end of each episode, I think it's safe to say he's taken those lessons to heart. 

When the situation calls for it, he can be gentle and tone down his gruffness. In the climax of the episode, "The Price", for instance, he acts as a calming presence around Jake's mother while she's grieving over the loss of her son. Thirty-Thirty doesn't say a word to her; he just stands there and holds onto her to show his support while she mourns Jake. In a more comedic moment, he admits he cries at weddings in "Memories" when Angus McBride and Karen Kane wed. It's a cute moment and shows Thirty's not all rough-and-tumble. 

Loyal and honorable to a degree, Thirty-Thirty is a strong believer in earning friendship. To paraphrase him, he states, "you can't just snatch friends from off the streets; you gotta earn them". This is especially true given how he and Bravestarr met; the latter saved him before the Hall of the Equestroids collapsed on them, even after their rough scuffle over Sara Jane. That's bonafide proof, and it's enough for Thirty to extend his friendship to Bravestarr. Their friendship stands strong that when Thirty-Thirty thought his pard had been kidnapped in 'Rampage', he scoured across the worst parts of Fort Kerium and even stampeded his way to the Hexagon just to find his friend and make sure he's safe. 

This protective streak towards his friends and his fellow citizens doesn't just come from his role as deputy, but also from his inherent horse instincts. Horses will protect their herds from danger; they'll constantly be on guard and act if something's threatening the group. This, along with the inclination to earning one's place in a herd, lines up with Thirty's protector role. All of this extends to his peers, not just because of his job, but also because of how he views his friends as his herd. We don't know what happened to the rest of his kind, so it would stand to reason Thirty-Thirty would seek out others to settle this instinct of his (even if he had to be dragged out of his home to see that). I don't know if that's what the people who worked on the show intended, but even if they didn't, it does add another layer of thought into his character. 

One surprising aspect about this guy is his desire to get paid for his work. There were at least three instances where he called attention to it: "The Disappearance of Thirty-Thirty", "Sunrise, Sunset", and most notably, "A Day in the Life of a New Texas Judge". Not that I blame him; what he does can sometimes be grueling work and he wants compensation for it. I just find it an interesting and unexpected facet to him. I'll discuss a headcanon for why he points this out in the second part of this character analysis. 

Going back to "A Day in the Life of a New Texas Judge", we can also see he can be mischievous, as he teases his pard about forgetting to collect a parking fine from the character of the day. Poor Bravestarr has to pay the fine and Thirty-Thirty? He basically says, 'you're on your own, marshal, you pay for it'. Bravestarr gives his traitorous pard a disgruntled frown. Always makes me laugh!

He makes a lot dry and snarky jokes, sometimes with the intent to joke about how Bravestarr has a lot to learn from Thirty-Thirty, but he's never cruel about it. Joshing is how he lightens things up and shows his fun-loving and boisterous side. He's the kind of person with whom you would want to have a few pints of Sweetwater (if you can stand the stuff, but I'll just take a nice ginger beer, thanks lol.)

Honestly, whenever Thirty-Thirty does things like this, it's a treat. It makes you want to get up and join in on the fun with him, and also learn a few good zingers in the process. 

On a small note, I love how his voice actor, Mr. Ed Gilbert, gave him a verbal tic of making horse sounds as part of his way of talking. Sometimes there are moments where Thirty-Thirty will speak, but there's a brief husk of a whinny or nicker before he starts talking. Adds a nice touch to how he speaks. Also, Mr. Gilbert gave Thirty such a powerful and rocker-ish quality to his voice, one would wonder how he would fare in a 1980s metal band. 

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3. DEPICTIONS/QUESTIONS

*"Is it awkward that Bravestarr rides Thirty-Thirty when he can stand on two legs? ": I personally would feel odd if I had a horse I could ride on who could also transform between quadruped and bipedal forms, and it is reasonable for non-New Texas citizens to be bewildered by Thirty's ability. But in a galaxy inhabited by humans, animals, aliens, robots and other creatures, this is probably nothing out of the ordinary. I take it as part of the natural law system of New Texas- they share similarities with intrinsic conventions of other worlds, yes, but they also don't conform to all of the laws of the universe we know. It's hinted in at least one episode that New Texas is not located within our solar system, so logically they would not be subjected to all of the same natural laws in our universe. Therefore, it may be illogical to the residents of one galaxy while it's completely normal by the citizens of New Texas. 

*Thirty-Thirty or Thirty/Thirty? : It's a case of 'tomato, tomahto'. I go with the former spelling mainly to avoid confusion if I have to type it out in URL code.

More stuff to come in the next post!

Wanderer out!

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter Two, Special Features

 Chapter Two

References:

* As stated, Atlas carries the weight of the world on his back, and so does the poor Toppat woman left to defend her clan. In Greek mythology, Atlas is one of the Titans, forever condemned to hold up the earth and skies. How many of us have felt like him?  There's another reference to a Greek myth later in the story that I'll point out when we get to it. 

General:

*Asides from flashing back to the package Dave delivers to Henry in 'Escaping the Prison', the scene with him touching the box was meant to signify a personal headcanon I share with many fans - after spending a lot of time in a small cell on an airship as a prisoner, Dave developed PTSD. The flashbacks and avoidance of trauma reminders don't point towards his time on the airship, per se, but they do all revolve around the package that caused so much trouble for him in the past. Seeing a box like the one he picked up at the prison and brought to Henry to help him escape would not conjure up positive memories for him. 

Speaking of memories, his flashback to the day itself was written to build up a small story of what life was like for him before Henry escaped. His profile in 'Escaping the Prison' never stated how long he was in the police force, only that he was new to it, so that gave me a lot of freedom to write in everything that happened during the course of a few days, plus the one infamous day when everything fell apart. I also had the intent of building up all the good times Dave experienced before that mysterious package freed Henry and took all of that away from Dave. It takes one horrible event like that to ruin someone's day, which I imagine deeply affected Dave even if canon doesn't show it. By the course of 'Stealing the Diamond', he's so lackadaisical, although somewhat embarrassed, by what happened like it didn't sting him. But who's to say he's not hiding his true emotions on the matter by keeping his optimism floating on the surface?

Slightly off-topic, but Dave reminds me of Lenny from The Simpsons - they're perceived as ordinary supporting characters to which we don't always give much attention in the narrative, but they're so likable because of how upbeat they are. Lenny can act like a jerk in the show than Dave, and I would say Dave is meeker, but they're still stars we can recognize and cheer them on whenever we see them on the screen. In Dave's case, however, his optimism - although everlasting - might be somewhat dampened because of all the stuff he endured: losing his job at the prison, dealing with Henry's actions, getting kidnapped and incarcerated by the Toppats, and fleeing with Henry, Thomas and Geoffrey from the clan in 'Toppat Civil Warfare'. Yet he still holds onto the hope that he'll be able to come out of it okay even if he has to take a while to get there. 

*I like the mischievous Bukowski twins and wanted to include in a cameo in the story somehow. Turns out their combined love of fighting and confident mannerisms gave me a good leeway for acknowledging the opening scene from the 'Master Bounty Hunter' storyline as they lead the charge into the fray.

*The line, 'But little did he know that the soldiers in the jeep would have an extra hand in the upcoming fight', was originally meant to allude to another character I had in mind for this story before I decided to scrap the idea for simplicity's sake. 

*Dave's not a paramedic, but as a police officer, I think he would need to know the basics of first-aid to help himself or another party until help can come. I also did this to show that even if Dave goofed up on his job in the past, he's not entirely helpless on his own. I want to give him credit where credit is due; he was the one who arrested Henry in the legacy version of 'Breaking the Bank', after all. Yes, Puffballs United did give a noncommittal response, but I'll take it if it means more world-building and character-building for Mr. Panpa.  

Random Facts:

* None.

Wanderer out!

Taking Five: November-December and Happy New Year!

 Happy 2026!  I plan to make this year rule! 🎉
To round out 2025, here's what I worked on during the last months of the last year -

Universal Phoenix Corps: I'm still gradually working through this latest chapter for the story, but I did carve out a rough plan draft for how I want the rest of the story to go. It will be finished by the end of the year! I'm determined to make it so!

Sonic Dahlias: More world-building and character-building. 

Henry Stickmin: A new chapter update for 'Restoring the Soul'.  I plan on getting back to my Henry Stickmin poetry; I might go back to my original plan and write out poems monthly to keep the updates coming, but this time, I'm going to sit down, write them and then save drafts of the poems before posting them for the appropriate month if there's a theme tied to the month. 

...And I might have an idea for another AU plotted out. Uh-oh. Later on that one. 

Wanderer out! 

Restoring the Soul: The Manor's Tales, Chapter Four, Special Features

 Chapter Four

References:

*Henry shares quite a commonality with the Thinker statue by Auguste Rodin. They both have a lot on their minds, but what are they thinking about? They're both puzzles to solve, but in Henry's case, the reference makes him seem more unpredictable and curious to watch in action. 

*The Wizard of Oz is quite generous with his references, such as the apple-throwing trees. The trees in this story might not have thrown apples or eaten kites, but they do come in handy for bringing to life the kind of strange world in which Henry and the gang have landed. 

*The kite-eating tree from the Peanuts comics is legendary even if it didn't get a chance to really shine, but it made for a fun nod and option!

*Marc, Ezra, Gus and Phineas? I've already explained this in my author's notes for this chapter, but the Haunted Mansion and its sister locations have so many connections and Easter eggs to each other and other Disney rides that I like mentioning them.

General:

*Now that we're arriving at Thunder Mesa, I can reveal why I combined the two rides of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with Thunder Mesa. The reason I combined them both is to both make reference to the lore that is done in the parks proper (they tend to do with various park rides, like the Haunted Mansion for example) and to create a plausible place where the national park could exist as its own land without needing to be tied into a theme park. A theme park would sensibly fit into the wacky side of Henry Stickmin, but as this is a serious take on one of the heavier endings of CTM, this called for a realistic location.

It also helps to further explore the desert where Henry and co. landed after they escaped the airship. Heck, there's a vault out in the middle of nowhere in that desert as well as the CCC and a prison (although with a prison, it's debatably more plausible than a bank vault). There's so much mystery out in the desert, so why not add a former mining town to the mix? And in the American Southwest and the West Coast, ghost towns exist all over the place, so adding that would bring more world-building to the world of Henry Stickmin. 

*The brochure bit was a path to tell the Toppats their location and get Ethan to lead them to the town proper. Its origin is the mid-century to build on both history, which will be seen a lot in this story for both THSC and PM, and to give a nod to Disneyland, the first Disney park which opened in the 1950s. 

*Meet Ranger Ethan Carmichael! He's not a Batman, but an OC created for this story. I needed to have someone who knew the history of Thunder Mesa and could guide our protagonists through out the town as they recover from their journeys. And as Thunder Mesa is a national park, who better to know a park than a park ranger with a cowboy side to him?  

He was named after a famous cowboy named Ethan. For his surname, I needed something that sounded heroic and Carmichael felt fitting. His horse Rooster? A nod to other famous cowboys with their trusty steeds: Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger, Gene Autry and Champion, Tex Rigger and White Flash, the works. He's not one to sleep on the job, but he does have a good side to him, as he is nicer to Dave than the Toppats. 

He also is part of a bigger plot that he himself doesn't seem to realize.... 

*I mentioned in this chapter that I changed the name of the people who worshiped the Thunderbird. According to my research, the Ojibwe worshipped the creature and not the Shoshone.  If I went with the latter, it would have created a problem; if I wanted to make Thunder Mesa a national park that could exist in the HS world setting, the history would not have cut it. The history Disney put forward to explain the Thunderbird's presence is incorrect (which I know they can fudge history up for some of their stories, but I'm not really buying it in this case). 

THSC is fictional in itself, yes, but it's still set in modern times as we know it with real world names of states and countries, and they do also acknowledge real people such as Elvis Presley. I wanted to stick with what THSC did, but still keep to the fictional timeline Phantom Manor produced. I also wanted to explain how and why the Ojibwe were living in the area when in real time, they lived near the Great Lakes. A simple solution - have a small party leave the area to find a warmer climate to live. This would give a sense of realism to the story, and not tweak it too much like Disney Parks!canon did. 

*Yes, there's more than one Henry in this story. And he will play a part in Henry Stickmin's story beyond their commonalities. The reason for the same names is significant, which will come into play later.

*Will we meet the Thunderbird? Is the Thunderbird even real? All good questions. 

Random Facts:

*N/A.  

Wanderer out! 

Happy Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas!

 This is incredibly late/on time, but I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas. :) 

I will have the first post of 2026 coming up with a wrap-up post of all that has been accomplished for these past few months, and hopefully I'll try to have another 'Special Features' post before the year ends but I am NOT promising this whatsoever LOL. 

However, in my upcoming post, I will talk of a plan I have for the winter season which will hopefully bear forward some fanfiction fruits if I plan it out right. I'll only say I plan on working on more than one, two, three things for my fanfiction concepts. 

Wanderer out!

Taking Five: September-October

 Things have been slow here so I have no real progress to show. But I have been working through a problem I've got going on in my latest chapter of my UPC story. I don't think I'll be able to finish this story by the time the year ends, but it's better to take my time and write it, well, right. Everything else is also moving gradually. Unfortunately, I've had to miss deadlines for my fanfics, due to real life but I'm happy I have a chance to breathe and work on these things whenever I can! 

I am thinking about giving everything that's in progress, or at least the things I can work on (like my Henry Stickmin stories), updates, as a way to make up for lost time, but as with other things, we shall see. 

Wanderer out!

Taking Five: July-August

Universal Phoenix Corps: Four chapters down! And now that I do know where I'm going directionally with this story, I do have a goal to have it - or at least a draft of it - done by the end of the year, but I will make no promises whatsoever. My muse is on fire for this story, so let's see how long it can keep burning.

Sonic Dahlias: More world-building and character-building. 

For Henry Stickmin, other than an update for the HS/PM crossover, there's nothing else to report. I initially planned to have something done for the anniversaries of 'Completing the Mission' and 'Breaking the Bank', but real life and time got away from me. I might change that with a couple of updates this month, but we shall see. 

I've also been getting into non-UPC/Sonic/Henry Stickmin material, but at a slug's pace. There's one crossover especially I've been working on and off, in the same vein as the Kingdom Hearts universe, but until I can make more progress on it, I won't divulge on what it is yet. But it will be brought up, along with some other posts I've been wanting to work on. Hopefully this month I can do it, but again, we shall see. 

Wanderer out!