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!

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 nod to them 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!