Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter Four, Special Features

Chapter Four

References:

* Bambi's father is referenced when Dave's inner courage yells at him to get up. In the animated film, the Great Prince yells urgently at Bambi - after the poor deer's been shot and can't get up immediately despite the forest fire coming in fast - to get onto his feet...hooves, to flee from the fire. Dave does have an inner strength to him and I think in times of distress, it will be called upon to get Dave to act. Dave is not a coward.

General:

*More of the mystery continues with the bounty hunters. I needed them to leave the scene to continue this plot point until they could be back for later in the chapter. 

*I didn't want Dave to just be a victim here. Even if he's not at peak condition now, that doesn't mean he's utterly helpless. I think he would want to do something to help those around him. That might mean putting out the fire on some very small areas. And as long as he had that fire extinguisher, it should be used for what it was built for. 

*The fire is part one of the climax - it's reaching higher and higher until either everything is destroyed or saved by a miracle. 

*Charles to the rescue! The flock of airplanes trailing behind him are indeed jets courtesy of the Center for Chaos Containment. There had to be a way for the fire to be put out without relying on a storm randomly passing by or Henry using his powers to bring forth rain. I didn't want to rely on an unknown deus ex machina. When I was thinking about this scenario, I remembered the CCC in the 'Toppat 4 Life' ending. They did establish that a manned mobile unit was floating around the area, which means that the CCC has a base somewhere nearby the military base in the jungle. 

Which also means that if the mobile unit picked up on a giant jungle fire that was quickly spreading, they would need to kill two birds with one stone: stop the fire and keep their organization under wraps. Yes, it is ironic that they made themselves known with a public organization like the military, but knowing the CCC, they're likely to come up with a good cover story to protect themselves. Or perhaps erase memories. Either solution is possible. And in a high stakes scenario like this, Charles and Galeforce aren't going to take the time to question it, only be grateful for it. There is a chance their actions could be classified as a deus ex machina, but under the circumstances that is the Henry Stickmin world, mixed in with an acknowledgment of world building via the 'Toppat 4 Life' ending and the CCC's tendency to dish out unpredictable and radical solutions, this isn't as far-fetched as other options could be.
 

*Dave and Rupert reunited at last! I haven't really focused on Rupert's development in this story - besides a few moments in the second chapter - because there is a larger emphasis on suspense and action vs. characterization in this chapter. But here is the starting point for that to change and we start to see the bond that the friends share. I headcanon that after Dave lost his job and became a museum guard, they kept in touch. At least until Rupert joined the military and Dave was kidnapped by the Toppats. 

*The reason I had Dave be the one to take the bullet to protect himself and Rupert was due to the point I brought up earlier about Dave's courage. Dave is undoubtably soft-spoken and I think he lost some confidence after what happened at the prison, but he hasn't forgotten his police training. That takes a lot of skill to do all that's required to be a police officer, even at the cost of one's own life. This event was also meant to give Rupert his own flashback to another horrible event in which he bore witness to and gave rise to his decision to leave the police force. Almost like a darker side to Dave's own flashback when he first joined the police force in the second chapter. 

Rupert's motivation was to prevent any more mistakes, and after what happened with Johnny, Dave's act of selflessness is enough to push him over the edge and save his life. 

I was originally going to focus more on this flashback in the chapter by drawing comparisons between Johnny and Dave as Rupert's partners, but it would have taken the story onto a whole other tangent. Instead I decided to use it to build up the moment in Rupert's mind - he's shocked by Dave's sudden act and even though he's the one injured and the missing person Rupert was assigned to find, Dave still chooses to act bravely and save Rupert's life. I do love me some irony. 

*The random Toppat woman is now arrested, and meant to finally help bring the climax to its fullest height. I understand I said that she wasn't meant to be any female Toppat in general, and she still isn't. But if I had to choose whom she was supposed to be if I felt like choosing a Toppat, I would go with the Gremlin. For no reason other than she seems like one of the most ruthless Toppats.

*Frog and the Bukowski twins return! Frog was brought in to pose more of a threat (and come back for the post-climax) to the Toppats - the Toppats are immensely outnumbered now, and the twins get to do some saving of their own. I think it's only fair these twins get a small bit of action, and taking down the woman was the perfect fit for them. Goofy as the boys may be, they're still soldiers with a lot of heart for action. 

Random Facts:

*This chapter was so blocky with how much went on here. I do like how it turned out, but hot dog it was quite a lot to unpack. 

Wanderer out!

Character Spotlight: Jean Grey, Part Two

She needs a Snickers bar; she's not herself when she's hungry.

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4. INSPIRATION 

 Like other fans, I prefer my own take on Jean who will be a culmination of various depictions as opposed to the official version. But there is one X-Men writer who has partially inspired my take on Jean, and the other X-Men characters to an extent. MarvelMaster616 AKA Jack has developed his own interpretation of the X-Men comics. While his fanfics aren't to my tastes I have read his bios and I do like some of his ideas for some of the characters. I plan on using some of those ideas into my X-Men take. 

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5. FUTURE PLANS

She'll play a leading role within UPC as a literal leading lady. She'll also play a role in helping other leading characters out with their problems. I won't say who. Also, she and Misty Knight - and other friends she'll have made outside of the X-Men - will have a chance to go on some adventures of their own!

In a non-UPC setting, she'll be in an AU where she'll work as a teacher/counselor. Also, she'll be involved with volunteering at an orphanage that will be partially run by a friendly Disney character. This will be the same one in which Thirty-Thirty will be involved.

I also have an X-Men/Star Wars (original trilogy) crossover planned. I'm not sure when it'll take place, but she'll play a part.  

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6. HEADCANONS

*After the Phoenix Force left Jean, it didn't leave her entirely. It left behind a small portion within her in case Jean was needed again in cosmic affairs. However, this portion isn't as powerful and Jean can only use some of its abilities.

*Jean's favorite films are Peggy Sue Got Married, Star Wars: A New Hope, and Fantasia. 

*She likes strawberry milkshakes. 

*She's not really a fan of manga. This comes from the Marvel AU where the characters have been turned into manga characters. I'm not sure she would like the way she and her friends were drawn. 

*It has never been stated when Jean was born, but I'll take it that, as her comic book debut took place in September of 1963, she was born in September.

*This is a headcanon from an X-Men fan I'll be taking and tweaking for my stories- in part because of their psychic rapport, Scott and Jean have developed a series of subconscious thoughts in their heads in a unique sequence (like a DNA code of sorts made out of memories and specific details) as a failsafe to make sure each person is not a clone. This was put into place by Jean. 

*Another borrowed headcanon: When Jean uses her powers (and not as Phoenix), pink highlights will sometimes and briefly appear in her hair. As Phoenix, the same thing will happen except the color will be either red or orange. 

*Jean's not fond of clowns. 

*Third borrowed headcanon: she can't have kids due to extensive exposure to cosmic radiation. But in UPC, this could very well change. 

*Jean enjoyed soccer a lot when she was a kid and still has her trophies to prove the fact. She still has mad soccer skills.

*My final borrowed headcanon: Kitty Pryde is the one who suggested that Jean return to her original Marvel Girl outfit on occasion. In the meantime, Jean will get a slightly modified MG redesign. 

*She occasionally brings the family cat, Prometheus, to the X-Men home. 

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7. PERSONAL

*Jean was the first woman in the X-Men lineup when they first came on the scene in the 1960s. She was the first X-Men character to make a vital impact on my life and get me through rough stuff as I outlined in my prior post. But in the past few years, I almost forgot about her or why I became a fan. With all of the  outpouring of Marvel content over the past years - heck a decade now - sometimes all of the focus on the Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy seem to drown out the X-Men's stories. I think the last time I genuinely got excited about a Jean-focused story was the X-Men movie series in the 2010s. But - and this is cliche by now that those who know me - the muse and admiration I held for Jean when I first became a fan rose from the ashes like...well, a phoenix.  

To express how grateful I am to her because of what she stands for and believes in would prove difficult, but I could say this: if a fictional hero can make a difference in the world of comics, and that impact goes beyond the pages and into reality (and not at the expense of hurting anyone), then that's the sign of a series that has something worth listening to, reading, etc. She wasn't the first supergirl to have telekinesis or telepathy, but she was an early example of that archetype. I think she's even had an impact on other red-haired and psychic-based characters from other properties as well, like Mira Nova from Buzz Lightyear of Star Command or Gwen Tennyson from the Ben 10 franchise. Perhaps a coincidence, but it's not hard to imagine the creators may have garnered some influence off of her. 

* Choices of songs: I've got a number of 'em. 
-The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy For obvious reasons and I see this song as her embodying her full potential as Phoenix, but using it for good and not evil.
-Daydream Believer by the Monkees This might not seem like it would fit Jean to an exact T, but there does seem to be a bit of a back-and-forth between her and Scott here: this would harken back to not only their debut in the early 1960s but it would also represent a different time in their lives when they were carefree teenagers once upon a time.

-More Than This by Peter Gabriel Jean has been into space and met other lifeforms beyond Earth's borders - I feel she would feel curious about what else is out there. Seeing as how she did that with Lilandra, it wouldn't be out of character for her to think about the lives she could meet and the kind of things they think about.
-Long Way by Calm Canopy This is a fairly lax song, but I think it does a good job of describing Jean somewhat. She has a powerful mind and isn't afraid to make up her mind too. She tries to encourage those around her, even trying to get others to calm down should they be in distress. Knowing a thing or two about thoughts zooming in our minds at supersonic speed, she's an expert in bringing others back to the present moment through breaths or focusing on their environments. Kind of reminds me of autumn, now that I think about it.

-Lean on Me by Bill Withers The lyrics speak for themselves. If you need a shoulder to lean on, she'll be there for you. 

Yes, there has been a lot of thought put into this. But it's the Internet. Why not?

Now I must go and exercise my powers in the world of writing. 

Wanderer out! 

Fanning the Ramblings: New Crossover Series!

I'm gradually aiming towards completing my goal of writing more one-shots and so on in other canons. I'm going on a monthly basis - or bimonthly if things get really hectic at my end - and so far, it's working. I've been posting more one-shots, including the start of a new crossover one-shot series.

Stotle's Cafe is the name of this project, made available for viewing on A03 and FF.Net.. Set to a 100 prompt list, the series will focus on the expansive world of science fiction and the many stories birthed from the genre. All of the prompts will focus on universal themes and the characters talking about them/exploring them - similar to the Twilight Zone. The series itself is inspired by another crossover series a friend of mine showed me known as the Subreality Cafe. 

The difference between that series and this one is that my series will strictly cover anything science-fiction. Which could be just about anything, from films to television, literature to radio plays. Also, there won't be any usages of OCs in Stotle's Cafe as there were in the Subreality Cafe. Unless I need them for a specific purpose, I'll be sticking with canon characters for now. 

However, there is one exception: Stotle is the name of a wise teacher and owner of the cafe. He won't be playing a major role in the series, but he will have an influence on the cafe and the frequenters in some way, which will be revealed as time goes by.

Wanderer out! 

Character Spotlight: Jean Grey, Part One

 Jean used tackle! It's super effective!

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1.HISTORY

I enjoyed the original 1990s animated show, but I didn't really take stock of the characters, let alone Jean, until much later. In 2009, I went through a terrible time in my life, and needless to say, it left me scarred and miserable. Sometime after it happened, I was catching television channel waves and came across the animated series again. After not having watched it for years, I put it on for escapism. 

But it was not one episode I watched - it was a whole arc, namely the Phoenix Force saga. I can remember exactly when I officially became a fan of Jean's. It was the moment when Jean harnessed the power of the Phoenix Force for the first time, appearing so strong and powerful, like she could take on anything and win. There was something about her strength and passion that touched me and helped heal my scars. 

From there, I began looking up everything I could about Jean - her media appearances, her powers, character analyses, I even started collecting Jean-focused comics. I considered her a role model: kind and empathetic, feminine yet unafraid to get down and dirty, a desire to achieve excellence in all she does, unafraid of the unknown and unafraid to sacrifice herself, and passionate about helping those who can't help themselves. A fictional character she may be, but she helped me get through my pain and I'm grateful to the original creators for bringing her to life. 

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2. THE MARVEL GIRL OF THE HOUR

I feel like there's nothing really new for me to say that already hasn't been said about Jean. She's been around for over sixty years and over those years, numerous analyses and studies of her character have been made. But I will share observations that I share with other Jean fans. 

It is a general consensus that Jean is a fierce force for good with or without the Phoenix Force. Her powers enable her to help others in ways her peers can't, often reaching them on mental and psychological levels. Sometimes even on microscopic or cosmic levels. Her deep empathy, combined with her telepathic/telekinetic abilities and well-rounded personality, do make her a compelling character to write. 
Barring the whole love triangle between her and choosing either Scott or Logan, her on-and-off connection to the Phoenix Force, and her sometimes headstrong ways, she’s one of the most grounded individuals of the X-Men. 

It does make me wonder then, why middle ground is hard to come by for some writers attempting to write for Jean. There is one quotation I have seen across cyberspace that I will paraphrase here: Jean is known for her compassion and willingness to help anyone yet can also be headstrong and fiery, but where's the in-between? Writers seem to gravitate to different points of the spectrum: she's either a goody-two-shoes who can do wrong, an emotional wreck caught in love shapes, or she's a loose cannon possessed by a mystical bird of eternal flame. I can see why writers would depict her as one of these things, but to pigeonhole her as one or the other doesn't do her character justice. I'm not going to blame writers for how Jean is/was written in the world of comics, but I do need to point out along with other fans that there usually isn't a lot of focus on her rougher sides, other parts of her personality and struggles she faces when the Phoenix isn't involved in the comics. 

Let's go to when her powers first manifested - she saw her best friend Annie get hit and killed by a car, and mentally linked with her, almost dying due to her empathy and mind powers manifesting. She would have been completely comatose had it not been for Charles Xavier. Then she enrolled into his school to learn how to control her powers. 

I don't recall how old she was in-canon when all of this occurred, but that's a lot for her to take in. For an emotionally connected character like Jean, seeing her seemingly brush it off after Professor X came to her aid and blocked off her telepathy until she was old enough to use her telepathy like it didn't matter almost feels off-putting. How would she have dealt with it? We don't really know, even though this was a pivotal point in her life.
Shoot, I have many more questions to provide exploratory material for writers to explore: How did Annie's parents react to their daughter's demise and Jean's powers? Does any of it still impact Jean as an adult, and if so, how so? 

None of this might be an official priority in Jean's storyline, compared to that of say Batman's backstory with his parents or Wolverine's extensive lifespan and mental turmoil, but a small story dedicated to this point in time would go a long way towards developing her own thoughts and letting the audience know more about her inner life than what she shows on the outside. 

The shipping aspect... I'm not going to do a deep dive into that. I do have my own preferences, but I'm reserving that for below. I will say that in this love triangle where Jean's the Archie to Scott's and Logan's Betty and Veronica, seeing her go back and forth in the comics - and also have a short-lived relationship with Beast in an AU (that one was just random, and I'm guessing that after she and Cyke broke up and Wolvy was dead, the writers wanted to try pairing off Beast with Jean to see how it clicked)- can be a drag. 

If it's part of her story to end up in a relationship with someone, fine, but there does need to be a consideration for how the personalities bounce off each other, what challenges the couple has to face, how they help each other, and why they would be good for each other. But some stories can't seem to make up their minds on whom she's supposed to be with for all time and there's only so much pull and tug in relationships one can put up with before deciding enough is enough, and the audience just wants the lead to pick his or her love interest already. 

I'm glad that they did show Jean in the past having her frustrations with these guys sometimes, but I do wonder how nowadays she feels about her role in the middle of their rivalry. As far as I know, they usually present her emotions like typical melodrama material that could make for a new soap opera series. Would she really like that? This is a woman who can get irritated quick if you rub her the wrong way. I don't think she would appreciate feeling like she was some prize to be won. 

I don't think she would like it if someone called her weak either. In the 1990s animated show, they dimmed her down slightly to be a damsel in distress for Cyke or Wolvy to save. She had her moments of heroism, but constantly giving her headaches or severely limiting her powers weakens her likability and relatability to the audience. She can still be interesting without compromising her powers and talents in those fields in which she excels at. Her personality is great, but I'd like to see less headaches, please. 

Besides, who is she when she's not surrounded by the X-Men, especially Scott or Logan?  
How does she deal with the many responsibilities and burdens she has to take on? Not just the typical superhero assignments or looking after younger students at the school, but what about behind the scenes, like checking in with her family or Misty, or what she does on her own?  

The comics did briefly answer this question from time to time. One example that comes to mind is in the 1960/1970s when the original team first split. Before Jean returned to the X-Men, she worked briefly as a fashion model. It would be nice to see a callback to that in a mini-comic of sorts, but with a twist because when she worked as a model, she thought about the X-Men and how much she missed them. There's nothing wrong with her missing her old friends and home, but it doesn't really tell us anything about how she's doing or any new challenges she has faced since leaving the team outside of meeting Misty Knight. That's great she found a friend outside of her X-Men circle. So what have their adventures been like together? Between Misty working as a private eye, and Jean's experience in handling crooks, there are possibilities for stories to be written handling their exciting days of catching crooks and righting wrongs.  

Exploring these things would help stretch the comic's lifespan and world. X-Men comics are generally based on action, yes, but continually running on action can leave the audience ragged with no energy to learn more about these characters or just to chill from running around all the time. 

It also would be nice if the comics could stop going back and forth about the Phoenix.

Guess it's time to talk about the White Phoenix in the room. The comics, and some media, seem to have a hard time concluding if Jean is A) a host of the Phoenix, B) showing her powers at their highest potential through a phoenix bird image, C) the human manifestation of it and its mother or D) an evil world destroyer. 

Um.

I don't want to overstate what a logical mess the comics have made. I acknowledge figuring out how a spacey entity can work has its field of challenges, but none of these options can firmly stick for the Phoenix's identity if it keeps changing on a dime. Anyone can take any of these four and leave the rest, but personally, I especially don't really want to choose C even if it's often the answer on a test. It makes it sound as if Jean isn't her own person devoid of the Phoenix, like she was never fully Jean to begin with and it just fell into her lap. Seeing Jean work hard to control her powers before becoming a host of the Phoenix is more gratifying and makes her story, her journey, believable. The Phoenix is a part of her, but it's not all she is, and it's unfair to keep her stuck in that role. We have evidence she is not just the Phoenix. 

She has faced character conflicts that help iron out parts of her, such as her former fear of death and her surprisingly hostile streak when she's in the kitchen (see below, it makes sense in context) and/or in the case of X-Men Evolution, her competitive streak, pursuit of excellence in her powers and her sometimes testy response to Scott's standoffish and tense attitude before they admitted they like each other. These things give her something to overcome and entice her to rely on her wits, heart and mind. She's a valued member of the X-Men, and a role model for her friends and younger students to look up to because of her kindness, selflessness, determination, bravery, stubbornness, and hot temper. 

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3. DEPICTIONS/QUESTIONS

*"She's such a weakling in the cartoon": Blame the 1990s cartoon's writing staff for giving her constant headaches and not allowing her to do anything particularly powerful with her powers (besides the Phoenix/Dark Phoenix arc). I think the writers of the show realized that she could do just about anything due to her heightened senses and abilities. If they went with her original comic incarnation where she did toughen up post-Phoenix, they would have breezed through the episodes without giving anyone else a chance to do anything. And then they would need something else to fill out the remaining, what, twenty minutes of screen time? I say this as someone who enjoyed the show - I'm not fond of how they handled Jean. I understand why they did it, but it dealt a huge blow to who she is. 

Although it's been a long time since I've read the comics and I don't know what they're doing now with her character, they can do - and have done - a good job of keeping Jean a strong fighter but not overpowered even before and after she became one with the Phoenix again. Although the Phoenix is a tricky element to work with, as I'll explain below.

*"Phoenix is overrated!": Forgive my bias, but no, she isn't. I have noticed many powerful beings, like Superman or Thor, can be looked at this way. True, the ways people try to interpret the Phoenix are contradictory but this is a cosmic force that's powerful enough to wipe out an entire solar system or bring people back to life. Jean shouldn't be tied down to the Phoenix, yes, but it's still an important part of Jean's life, and has helped build more of the X-Men world beyond Earth. We can see that there are mystical beings in charge of keeping Earth 616 in order (even if the writers don't always succeed at writing them as such, but this is a matter of opinion.) It's a matter of decrying what the Phoenix can or can't do, and if the Force should make regular appearances in the medium. That's why I think writing the Force can be difficult - what are you willing to have it do or not do? What restrictions and weaknesses are you willing to give it and are you willing to make it all consistent without a good reason to change anything and not just of throwing something in to see if it sticks?
The 1990s show handled the Phoenix arcs and character well: she wanted to become one with Jean to save the M'kraan Crystal, became addicted to human emotions, did bad stuff, Jean sacrifices herself to kill the Force and herself, and then became itself again before bringing Jean back and exiting the stage. It's simple and straight to the point... even if the show went back to giving Jean Psyduck-themed brain freezes again. Yeesh. 

*"Team Scott vs. Team Wolverine!": Whatever floats your shipping boat. I think Logan is a better fit with Storm, due to their chemistry feeling more dynamic (and I do have a soft spot for their interactions in X-Men: Evolution: they bounce off each others' personalities quite well in Evolution, and surprisingly well in TAS too in the scenes they share together). Getting back to Jean, thanks to her influence, Scott has gradually come out of his shell; he smiles freely and he can be snarky in a fun way. Which is kind of how he's portrayed in X-Men Evolution, now that I think about it.

When paired with Logan, while she does manage to bring out Logan's gentler side, thinking about pairing them out makes me frown a bit. Jean does show more spark in some ways, but it almost comes off as unsettling. The spark can lead her to be depicted in... less-than-admirable lights, and in some comics that did happen. 

In one instance, before Scott and Jean marry in the official timeline, she cheated on him with Logan. Not a good look when she was supposed to be with Cyke. If there was a story where she focused on feeling guilty for betraying Scott and she tries to take responsibility for it, that would show an evolution in the love shape. 

I'm not really a fan of the love triangle because it creates another layer of melodrama on top of the whole 'humans vs. mutants' thing. Before I sound like I'm contradicting myself in regards to earlier, I do believe melodrama can work if woven in the right way, but when squared up against bigger conflicts like an overpowered ancient mutant like Apocalypse who wants to purge the Earth of humanity? That has to take a backseat if it can't be written properly.  

*"She loves to cook, that's a stereotype": Why is that bad? A woman enjoying cooking is a crime? I was unaware cooking was suddenly only a thing enjoyed by one elite section of the caste system.

Cooking can be enjoyed by anyone, end of story. Case in point, go watch Julia Child's shows, they're amazing.

 
I think Jean likes cooking because it's fun, yes, but due to her older sister persona, she probably does it to serve those whom she considers a family. She's kind of one of the heads of the X-Men household so she's taken on a responsibility of feeding a lot of mouths. There are so many to feed at the mansion and it's a role I think she takes really seriously. But if she's in the kitchen with someone else.... well, uh....

Lesson noted: never get in Jean's way when you're in the kitchen; it will not end well. Poor Gambit though. 😅

But as silly as this scene is, her irritation is irrational yet understandable. Have you ever been in a kitchen with someone else while they're cooking and you wanted to make something for yourself? And this same person was judging  how you're preparing your food? Speaking from my own experiences, it is not always fun to be in the same kitchen - people will give unwanted advice on how you cook something even when you're doing it right. Of course she'll feel threatened if there are too many cooks in the kitchen, quite literally. I don't think she hates accepting help or having another cook to be around (and one she can work with) as it is her wanting to stick to a consistent menu - in this case a Christmas-themed one - vs. having someone interject their own ideas that may garner mixed results from other people who might not dig a certain type of cuisine. I personally would love to taste both her cooking and Gambit's food, but that's just me. 

Speaking of cooking, I'm cooking up the second part to this Character Spotlight with the usual, so until then - 

Wanderer out! 

Taking Five: January-February

Henry Stickmin: Posted a new series of poems for 'Weaving the Threads'! 

Universal Phoenix Corps: I'm gradually writing this story and it's coming along a bit faster now. I'm not done yet, but progress is made. 

Sonic Dahlias: I'm starting to write a profile for one of my stars. I won't be saying who it is to keep it as a surprise. 

Other Fanfics: I posted a one-shot crossover between Redwall and The Silver Brumby. I'm aiming to make it a goal this year to post more outside of the HS universe, and complete more of my other projects as well. A crossover one-shot is as good a place as any to start. 

Also, due to how short the one-shot is, I don't think I'll do a 'Special Features' post on it. If I want to mention it offhand in another post, I will do so. 

That's it for now. Wanderer out! 

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter Three, Special Features

Chapter Three

References:

* In all the pathways in 'Completing the Mission', there are many Crewmates from Among Us making cameos, hidden in many nooks and crannies. There's only one Crewmate here, but I felt it was my duty to throw it in to keep in the spirit of the CTM pathways. 

General:

*The wind can be a devious force of nature, especially around wildfires. The fires here in conjunction with the wind are used to represent the urgency and the value of time. Time is a precious resource, but it's running out fast and everyone must act fast before time ends for them. It's the same principle I'm using to describe Dave's headaches - the more they worsen, the more he has to hurry and get to safety or else he'll perish. 

*A reviewer of this story guessed that the Toppats' train would play a part in this story. They were proven correct. 
Initially, I had no plans for using the train. I couldn't quite figure out why the train would be used if all the Toppats either would be out fighting or out expired, but then came the bounty hunters to solve the problem. As I outlined in the special features post for the first chapter, I like the bounty hunter trio and wanted to utilize them for longer than a segment. 
They came along and wanted to go looking for Henry, Reginald and/or the RHM on the train, and then that's when it hit me that I could write in their search as a mystery-solving venture. That is, while they're trying to find the men, they're also finding clues as to what happened. Obviously they don't solve the mystery right away, but they do have to start somewhere and what else but with a classic trail of footprints? 

Also, Galeforce and Rupert seeking Dave in the same building complex he just exited from is a means of irony, but it also served to tie into the bounty hunters' own hunt for important personnel, only with Henry. Now that I think about it, it's also ironic, due to the bounty hunters once working with Henry in 'Master Bounty Hunter' . But here, he's a Toppat to them. 

 *I shortened this chapter's word count with the intention of building up suspense between the fanning of the flames and the wind blustering in speed before it all came to a head in the next chapter. 

*More deer associations with Dave were a must to continue on the Bambi pattern. 

Random Facts:

*The Big Three is not a reference to anything, but I did want to call the main leaders of the Toppat Clan something important, so Big Three came to mind for Reginald, Henry and the RHM. 

Wanderer out!

Character Spotlight: Thirty-Thirty, Part Two

 

Say hello to my not-so-little friend!

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                       4. INSPIRATION 

Like Christine, Thirty-Thirty comes from a relatively quiet fanbase in the literary circles so I don't have much material to use for my writing style. However, there is one exception - the fanfiction Stompin' is Magic (thank you for showing it to me, OLU!). There are some things in the fic that I will be using for Thirty-Thirty to flesh his background out, but besides this fanfic, I just go by what I observe in the episodes, although how I wrote him back then is not so good. I can do much better now.

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  5. FUTURE PLANS

Oh yes, do I have plans for him! Spoilers, but he will be in various crossovers, but I'm not saying when, and he'll get involved in quite a few scuffles with characters - both heroic and villainous. 

In a non-UPC story, he'll be involved in an AU I'm still trying to develop that recently popped into my head. Still working out the details, but what is definite is that he'll serve as an officer of the law in the world I'm creating. 

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6. HEADCANONS

*He dislikes some bugs, which I'll go with beetles in this case. This bit is an ironic inside gag that comes from Thirty's voice actor. When Mr. Gilbert was active, he was not only a voice actor and television actor, he was also an entomologist; he discovered new beetle species. Who knew?

*He can store Sara Jane and other items in his fluffy mane, but this only happens when he’s in his bipedal form, when his mane grows longer and bigger. When he's on all fours, the items stay tucked in his mane until it's time to bring them out.

*Sara Jane can destroy a boulder and stun opponents based on her settings à la Star Trek phasers. 

*With all the technology Thirty-Thirty has on hand, such as his radio to Bravestarr and whomever else is within range on New Texas (seen in "Rampage"), his specialized communicator implemented into his snaffle bit to contact military branches/official government organizations (I don't remember the episode), and his scanner (seen in "Ship of No Return" , one wonders where he gets those marvelous toys. I think asides from either having some of them literally built into him like his communicator or naturally belonging to him like Sara Jane, he regularly likes to keep on ordering gadgets to better improve himself or to aid him in his work. He's like an IT worker except he's a horse and we can actually understand what he's up to with his tech.

This headcanon comes from a piece of unused Thirty-Thirty lore, in that he was originally a hypochondriac robot who enjoyed ordering new gadgets to attach to himself. This brings me back to my point about his attachment to his salary - I theorize that the more he gets paid, the more money he can spend on obtaining whatever tech he fancies. Knowing his personality, he likes to go for things that can help him fight, yeah, but he's pretty practical on what tech he sees fit to acquire. Maybe the latest tech on occasion, but in Thirty's case, I see him obtaining technology that A) is not complicated to use and easy to fix and B) something that can benefit him or others, which doesn't always have to be the hottest must-have item. 

*At one point in the show, Bravestarr taught Thirty-Thirty about constellations and in turn he taught Fuzz about those same constellations. Since then, Thirty has obtained a fascination in learning more about them and the different names they go by on other worlds. 

*Thanks to One Lucky Unicorn, I've also adopted the headcanon that he can't swim for very long due to the weight of his cybernetic limbs. 

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7. PERSONAL

*Thirty's a fun character to write. He's not your typical heroic character - he's heroic with an edge, but does know to when to cool it. He has a cool concept that can touch upon a number of archetypes all at once - the noble and loyal steed, the wild stallion, the impulsive partner who loves jumping into the action, the adventurous gunslinger, and the techno enthusiast (which in retrospect is different than other technological characters - he doesn't build them like Disney's Gyro Gearloose or hack into computers like Ed from Cowboy Bebop; he uses his tools and when they have to be fixed, he either gets someone to help him or he fixes them himself). It's not really a combination one commonly sees, but it's a welcome combo of traits that makes for a compelling and well-loved character among Bravestarr fans. 

I kind of like the fact that we don't know that much about his backstory. Even though it's hinted to be a tragic one, due to his position as at the last Equestroid, it does allow us to use our imaginations to fill in what happened and go off of what was clarified in the movie: the Equestroids settled on New Texas after an Equestroid named Equus led a revolt aboard a slave ship and Thirty somehow later acquired Sara Jane after the fact. And according to some sources, the film script compares the Equestroid civilization to the Vikings, and if this is true, then that could open up a world of possibilities for the kind of lives the techno horses had by incorporating bits from various Viking aspects to build up the history left behind by these horses. 

*This point is kind of moot, but I declare ''Spoilin' for a Fight' by AC/DC'' as his theme song lol. I'm tempted to throw in "A Horse with No Name by America" as well. I love this song, but that's not the only reason. Thirty has his moments when he's quiet and reflective, and I like to think that before he met Bravestarr and the rest of the crew, he spent a lot of time thinking about things while guarding what remained of his home in the middle of a vast desert. The song's very much like that - it suggests a lot of contemplation about nature and one's life while walking through a desert where our thoughts are either our companions, our traitors or our passive observers. But knowing Thirty-Thirty, he'll take it on with all his might and never back down from a challenge. 

As a meta joke, I might also try and find songs by David Lee Roth of Van Halen fame, due to the common observation fans and commentators have made on Thirty's mane and attitude coming from the man.  

But now I can consider this post conquered like a Viking!  Thanks for reading. 

Wanderer Out!