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!

Character Spotlight: Saint Walker, Part One

I hope he takes requests!

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1.HISTORY

I recall seeing him in one of the Blackest Night storyline issues first, then the animated show that aired on Cartoon Network (before it was canceled). I loved his voice and that prompted me to check out more of the episodes he starred in, as well as more of the GL comics. But, like with many other characters on this list, I had a hand from YouTube thanks to a video that was made covering his backstory. I didn't know anything about his origin story beforehand, but I grew to love him more based on said video. Since then, I've been a Saint Walker fan. 

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2. THE LANTERN OF THE HOUR

Hope. This guy is a textbook definition of that word. His cheerfulness and determination to bring good into the universe is admirable, even after all the losses he endured in his life. I think that's why he's generally beloved among many Lantern fans.  He was well-liked in the comics, but I did notice the animated series helped propel his popularity further. I will argue that the animated series even gave him more personality than the comics did. He's not a typical calm and wise hope bringer, he also has a small bit of playful sass to him and he's gifted at playing the harp (as shown by the gif I've posted here). 

And not a lot can stop him. He's accomplished quite a bit that not a lot of people can say they did: he saved his homeworld from dying by preaching to them and filling them with hope, he will go around bringing peace to every tombstone he could find in a cemetery, and he tamed huge wild beasts. Shoot, in the animated series, he even took down a massive ship with a single punch. Okay, other heroes can say they've done this, but Saint Walker isn't usually characterized as having super-strength or being technologically advanced like Superman or Cyborg respectively- just the power of Hope is enough to make it happen. 

I like that Hope is tied into his belief in a higher power as well. I too believe in a higher power and to see a character like that do that in comic book fiction, alongside other characters like Daredevil and Nightcrawler, is inspiring and widens the demographics more. I also like that he has demonstrated the power of good and how good is NOT weak, which I think is important especially in this day and age. He can be kind, gentle, forgiving, generous, brave, and so on, but weak is far from what I would call for Saint Walker. He can take down opponents easily if he sees they're not going to listen to reason or calm down. Appearances can be deceiving in this case - he might look harmless, but he's far stronger than he appears, and will sincerely fight for what he believes in: hope and will bring it to others no matter how long it takes him. He lives and breathes his amazing motto: 'all will be well'. 

That said, the poor guy doesn't get a lot of chances to be involved in his own stories apart from his things with the Green Lanterns. And with him being the last Blue Lantern in the current canon (at least I think he is, if he isn't, please correct me), it's like, 'folks, you just created a chance for St. Walker to go on his own adventures and goals of getting the Blue Lantern band back together', don't you think you should go forward with it?'

I understand the BLs aren't the main focus of the GL universe, and I'm not saying they need to go crazy with focusing on every Corps of the Emotional Spectrum (otherwise we would have a crazy situation like with the Knuckles spinoffs from Archie Comics), but if the BLs are such a big deal to the GLs to boost their powers, then shouldn't the search to induct more members into the organization be considered a key objective for the Green Lanterns to complete and help them? The more members they can get into the Blue Lanterns, the more powerful the Green Lanterns will be. Plus, Saint Walker can get a chance to be developed more, or at least be featured in more stories that allow him to show more of his skills outside of acting as a power booster for the GLs. We know his backstory. We've seen him actually lose hope - and his ring - in one emotionally powerful instance before regaining them both. What's next for him? More... chances to be battery packs for the GLs?... yeah, no thank you.

I think he faces the same problem Blaze the Cat from Sonic the Hedgehog does - they're generally beloved by their respective fans and went through their own character arcs, and now they're stuck, with the writers at a loss on how to progress forward with their journeys. It can be tough but if there's a will, there is a way. I'd love to see some AUs done with him myself. 

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3. DEPICTIONS/QUESTIONS

*"Why are Blue Lanterns limited in power?": I'm not entirely sure, but I disagree with it as well. At least with the animated series, it's slightly better than in the comics. The comics can be a mess. Many fans, including myself, do agree that the BLs are reduced to being power boosters for the Green Lanterns. Yes, for that part of the DC universe, they wanted to show you can't have willpower without hope and vice versa, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't defend yourself if your backup isn't there. The poor Blue Lanterns only had at least two usages (flight and protective aura) with their powers on hand when they weren't working with the Green Lanterns, which is not a good idea if they have to defend themselves in combat. I think that's a reason why barring Saint Walker and the founders of the BLs, they were wiped out. 

*"He's such a cinnamon roll!": Due to a personally bad experience with this phrase, I despise this description of him. Yes, he's a wonderful kind and caring character we can look up to and admire, and he's absolutely endearing, but he's not helpless. He will kick your tail if needed and besides that, while it's true he has undergone emotional suffering, the animated series did make it clear that he does have an edge to him. More like a trickster edge that can come off as like a benevolent troll, but still an edge nonetheless. He also has a noble nature to him too, which I don't associate with that usage of the term. He's more like Rafiki from The Lion King or 
Friar Tuck from Robin Hood - they can be jolly and willing to do good works for their peers, but they can put up fights with their mad skills if necessary. 

More on Saint Walker in the second post. 

Wanderer out! 

A Blue Streak (Universal Phoenix Corps)

 'A Blue Streak', the first full-length story for my Universal Phoenix Corps universe is now posted!

Summary: 
A streak speeds through, a furious and bold blue. Its tail blazes bright, its impact blooms in might. Star Command history will be made, on a far planet coated in jade.

Now available for reading on the following sites:
A03
Fanfiction.Net

There will be at least one or two updates per month for this story until its end. Until then, enjoy!

-Wanderer out!

Taking Five: May-June

 Henry Stickmin: Two poems have been published.

Universal Phoenix Corps: Finished my rough draft for the current story!  I'm going to hold off looking at it for a period of time until I can look at it with fresh eyes. Hopefully it'll be published this summer!

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

Other Fanfics: Posted two poems dedicated to R. Lee Ermey and Daveigh Chase. Or rather, the characters they voiced - Sarge from the Toy Story films and Lilo Pelekai from Lilo and Stitch. RIP to them both. 

That's it for now. Wanderer out!  P.S. Happy 4th of July to all who celebrate! :)

100 Words Per Movie, Review Round 1

 I made it a goal this year to watch older films that I've never seen before but have heard of them through word of mouth or by sheer curiosity. I want to expand on said goal by writing mini-reviews - about a hundred words or less - of said films and posting them here, partially to break up the monotony that can sometimes come with writing about my fanfics. And who knows? If I feel invested enough any films I bring up, you might see some fanfics set during those films. 

I should warn that these posts will contain spoilers: if you don't want them, please look away. 

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Watership Down (1978):  I confess I cheated somewhat by watching an old film review, but I still went in unaware of what to expect. The opening animation gets special props for hitting the right balance of world-building without making it overwhelming or pointless. The watercolor backgrounds? Masterfully woven in. The characters? Either likable like Kehaar or scary like Woundwort. I do have one criticism though - while every voice actor did a good job, sometimes they sounded too similar to one another that it was hard to discern whom was talking. Other than that, I recommend this film. Also, rabbits can be vicious!

The Dark Crystal: (1982) :  I usually dig the creative designs made possible by Jim Henson's workshop, and the Dark Crystal is no exception. The set pieces, lore and character designs feel so rich, deep and imaginative that you can feel like you're right there in this other world far from ours. I grew to count Aughra as a favorite character both in design and her no-nonsense but firmly good personality. Not really sure I like Jen or Kira - both stuck out as sore thumbs. If a little more polish went into them, I think they would have fared better. Overall, a unique film.

Enjoy.

Wanderer out!

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter Five - Part Two, Special Features

  Chapter Five, Part Two

References:

*The Bukowski Brothers running a joke shop? A possibility. But they better catch up - Fred and George Weasley from the Harry Potter series beat them to the punch. 

General:

* The mistakes Rupert made are truly his own - making mistakes and calling them yours seem to be a small but important theme in the Henry Stickmin universe. I think Henry can acknowledge his mistakes and make up for them if the player chooses. Rupert, on the other hand, does it on his own. He then works hard to make sure he avoids such drastic acts again. I'm all for improving and taking care to avoid mistakes, but it is concerning to see how hard he's willing to work in overcoming those mistakes... when making mistakes is an inevitable part of the human experience. 

That's why I included in that flashback to 'Stealing the Diamond'. Adding that and his own perspective on what happened during 'Escaping the Prison' created a path of redemption he embarked on for himself, as well as see his own wakeup call to his own complacency. I can imagine working there for eight years can dull one's senses if they're not constantly sharpened and renewed. 

*Dave trying to calm down Rupert is a segment I picked up from another story. In it, the main character tells his father that hatred can destroy a person if not kept in check when the father was ranting about a character both father and son are not fond of. The son mentioned he couldn't take seeing his father give into that hatred, and the father promised to not hate the enemy both of them shared. 

This carried over into this fic, where Dave took on the son's role. Seeing Rupert engulfed by hatred would scare him more than what any of the Toppats did to him. He cares for his friend's well-being and wants him to avoid that path before he goes too far on it. Also, I made Dave the one to get through to Rupert using he truly values - using time wisely and not letting the image of Henry win out against him. 

*Dave's own breakdown involved more than just sorrow and guilt. He also dealt with anger. This was to give Dave more than one dimension in his emotional state. In other words, I've seen the guy depicted as usually just sad or guilty about everything, but anger? That's not always prevalent. In situations like this, while it is entirely possible to only experience sadness and shame, frustration with one's self is also a common reaction. When we try our best at whatever it is we set out to do, and we don't succeed, we can either/or get mad at ourselves or others. In Dave's case, he's mad at himself - he tried to do a good job as a prison guard and/or museum guard, but things went wrong. Adding his disappointment at himself made for a more three-dimensional breakdown. It also gave Dave the courage to bring up what those Toppats did to him - they not only wailed on him physically, they also wailed on him mentally and emotionally. 

*Rupert acted as the iron grip to break through Dave's cage, and help him come into the light. This is the pivotal point for both characters - we see Dave admit what the Toppats did and Rupert, besides stepping up to calm him down and tell him he's better than he thinks he is, gradually starts taking over what is left of the story. 

I feel people can forget that even though Dave made mistakes at the prison, he still had to go through police training to get there. From what I have read and heard, it's no walk in the park. The training involves a lot of physical fitness, academic coursework and practical skills, which can take anywhere from about three months to maybe a year depending on the location and agency. That would imply that Dave did have what it took to make it through police training, and I don't think the police superiors - at least in this series - would have room for any slackers. I think it's because of his enthusiasm to do his job at the prison, combined with bad luck, Dave was dealt a terrible hand. Working at the museum didn't leave him room to give up on his skills even if it's a quieter locale by comparison. 

Rupert knows firsthand what it's like to go through police training so of course he would remind him that he's tougher than he gives himself credit for. Unfortunately, it'll take awhile for Dave to remember and believe that. Rupert will need to do a lot to help him rebuild his confidence, but he doesn't necessarily mind. It'll give him a new goal now that Henry and the Toppats are pretty much out of the picture. As soon as he and the rest of the military leave, of course. They still need to clear out the airship and Rupert has to find Dave's items. 

*It's highly likely that Dave would have said items on hand, and the Toppats would take them so he can't use them for anything. I mostly added them in to act as the MacGuffins Rupert needs to find, and although they're not inherently important to the audience, they're important to Rupert and Dave. Because of Dave's trauma, I think the audience can care about the MacGuffins because of this. 

Random Facts:

*Does Dave have a family? It's up to the beholder. I got that from other fanfics to heighten the drama and express how he needs to take his time to be back out in the world again. At least through slower means before he goes back to keeping the peace... or keeping the calm in a museum. Whichever comes first.  

Wanderer out!

Character Spotlight: The Shadow, Part Two

 

His secret message will most assuredly not be 'be sure to drink your Ovaltine'. 

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4. INSPIRATION 

My inspiration for how I'll write the Shadow is all over the place, so I'll just state that I write the man based on an infinite amount of muses. From Walter B. Gibson to the radio plays to the film, I'll take what I think works for him.  

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5. FUTURE PLANS

He'll be in UPC. He'll just be arriving way later, and will interact with other heroes and do his usual thing. There's a lot more I'll be doing with him, but I'll be keeping it mum on this site until the time comes to reveal the truth.

A Shadow/Sherlock Holmes crossover. Batman's met the famous detective. And so has Scooby-Doo. Why not the Shadow too? 

On that note, I wonder a Superman/Shadow crossover might work? That might be something... 

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6. HEADCANONS

*He's partial to Tibetan cuisine, most notably guthuk (a type of noodle soup) and ara (an alcoholic beverage). He also enjoys tea. 

*During the Great War, he faked an air crash behind enemy lines in Germany and became a secret agent. Working undercover, he helped set up an espionage network. He worked in a number of ways, such as making maps of enemy air bases and helping POWs escape from prison camps. The Germany bit is my headcanon added in to say where he crashed.

*I originally went with the notion he was Kent first before becoming Lamont, but I'm changing my tune. To keep up his mysterious aura, I will state that whomever he was originally (and we won't know), during the first World War, he was disfigured in the face. It hurt a lot, yes, but it did prevent enemies from trying to find him. 

*He likes watching thunderstorms. 

*Whenever he speaks, depending on which role he's playing, he can disguise his voice. In honor of the original radio shows, he'll have Orson Welles as Kent/Lamont, Bret Morrison for when he's in one of his many personas/disguises and Bill Johnstone or Frank Readick as the Shadow. It's hard to choose one or the other for the man. 

*He has a talent for spotting phony supernatural mediums and claims, and knows a thing or two about how magicians' tricks works. This comes from Mr. Gibson himself, who was also a magician and served as a ghost-writer for other magicians like Harry Houdini. He would know a thing or two about the subjects. 

*That said, I think he genuinely does acknowledge the presence of a higher power. He does believe in said power, but he's not going to come out and say it. He'll bring it up if needed though. 

*Due to his aviation experience and keen eyesight, he was called the 'Dark Eagle'  in World War 1. Because of this, if he had a daemon, it would be an eagle. Probably a Golden Eagle, due to how widespread they are, just like how the Shadow is known in many spots world-wide.  

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7. PERSONAL

*I'm not really sure what else is there to say about him that hasn't already been said. But I will admit I underestimated just how much the Shadow has become so integral within the halls of the twentieth century and beyond. Folks are still inspired by him to this day, some even writing their own stories with his character type in mind, while others have put together a fanzine to celebrate over ninety-five years of Shadow history. I've seen fans prefer the pulps over the radio shows and vice versa. Folks can debate all they want, but there can't be any denying that whether one prefers the pulps, the radio shows, the serials, the film, or the comics, all have their places and have cemented key aspects of his legend and the Shadow's place in fiction and in history. However, as we move further into the twenty-first century, one question remains: what will come next for him? Who's to say? Only he - and the assigned custodians of the title - will know. 

*Songs? He has two notable ones, which both focus on him proper. The first up? "The Shadow Knows" by Grand Magus - all about what the Shadow stands for. They also use one of his catchphrases as part of the lyrics.  
The second up is a phenomenal film score. Here's "The Shadow Soundtrack Music Suite" by Jerry Goldsmith One of Mr. Goldsmith's best scores, in my opinion - it captures the mysterious and ethereal touch found in the written word and radio shows perfectly. 

Now I'll step out of the shadows and into another Character Spotlight post in the near future. But for now, the Shadow movie awaits for a rewatch! 

Wanderer out!