Charactor Spotlight: Rarity, Part Two

Measure twice, cut once, have zero stress. Two out of three ain't bad.  

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4. INSPIRATION 

I dare not jump into the overwhelming sea of MLP fan creations. There's so much of it out there - either good, bad, ugly, or thought-provoking - that I wouldn't know where to start to find interesting takes on Rarity. If there's any notable writer whom can write her well or has interesting ideas for her, I will gladly glean ideas from them. 

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5. FUTURE PLANS

*I have come up with a short story idea which will explore a headcanon I have based on her and her connection to puppets. I don't have any details on this yet, other than she might interact with them via The Nutcracker or some example like that. 

*She'll be part of a Buzz Lightyear of Star Command/My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic crossover universe that I created years ago, but plan on revamping. She wouldn't play a main part, but she would interact with various characters from the BLoSC world. 

*I'm debating back and forth on whether to create my own take on the MLP universe, but if I go forward with it, she would be part of the cast. I've already worked out one vital bit of her family history, which is highlighted below. 

*Ixnay on Questria Girls Eay. 

*I'm tempted to write a one-shot where she's working on a project and wacky antics happen. It would be based on this comic strip by Jennifer Lopez (not the singer). 

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6. HEADCANONS

*She has some Earth Pony blood in her. Before we discovered her unicorn dad's horn was hidden underneath his large hat in "Sisterhooves Social", I assumed he was an EP. But I still headcanon she has some Earth Pony in her, due to her physical strength and tendency to want to use her hooves first instead of her horn. She's strong enough to move boulders and take down manticores with her own hooves. Plus, her talent for finding gems in the earth? Sounds very earthy to me. 

*Since she was young, she has enjoyed classic and shadow puppetry. We've seen her make shadow puppets and build puppet theaters, so why not take this a step farther by saying it was something she has loved from foalhood? This is where the short story would come into play - no pun intended. 

*Her paternal grandmother taught her to speak with a Mid-Atlantic accent. It would explain where she learned to speak the way she does and help build up her familial background. Which on that note, Glory, one of the G1 ponies on which she was based off of (according to Lauren Faust), is her grandmother. 

*Out of the Mane Six, she's the oldest out of everyone. I always got that impression based on her mannerisms and the fact she runs a business which requires a steady hand and level-headedness to keep it going. In addition, she's usually able to catch on quick when she has acted out of line and, as stated before, is the most empathetic of all the ponies. 

*She has degrees in business and fashion design. Also, she worked her way up in fashion design through creating costumes for many plays, and because of that - and her education - she has garnered many contacts in the theatre industry, mainly costume and production designers and playwrights. 

*She wears real eyelashes, despite what 'MMMystery on the Friendship Express' says. 

*She's not fond of crabs. It comes from that strange 'Rarity vs. Crab' meme that came out years ago. I think it's silly, but if it means fleshing her out, I will go for it. 

*We've never seen her drink wine, but I headcanon it's a drink she likes to indulge in from time to time. She prefers red wine. 

*In the show, she seemed to be enhancing her skills in other fields of artistry and design, so she's become a Renaissance pony in the art world by the end of the show. Because of her endless talents, she has created quite the creative empire. Fashion is her main love, of course, but as we've seen, she's taken on puppet theatre designs, interior decorating and topiary/gardening. She even has boutiques where clothing and accessories are not only sold, but so are all things puppets, interior decorating and gardening. With her head for business, she has gone down in pony history!

*She went through a temporary phase where she was a metalhead. Needed to throw in a reason how she can belt out a metal piece on a guitar (even though that scene was ridiculous in terms of animation, but I am not here to gripe about the show's quality.) Also, she has interacted with a number of ponies who embraced different lifestyles, like the goths, the punks, metal-heads, mod rockers... it would explain why she would gladly invite them to place their own brands of clothing into her boutique, going back to 'Honest Apple'. To paraphrase Grace from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, they think she's a righteous pony. 

*Her family originally came from Foaledo (from the comics), which is the equivalent of Toledo, Ohio. Yes, it's not a really clever pun, and I would like to change it, but it serves its purpose in explaining their Midwest-ish roots before coming to Ponyville.

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7. PERSONAL

*Even though I'm not as much of a fan of FIM as I was when it first came out, due to my interests changing and the show losing some of its quality over the years, Rarity still remains a consistently fun character to watch. I think she's one of the few characters who, while she didn't completely escape getting screwed over due to the show's writing, got off better than others. Compared to Twilight did when she inherited the throne, anyway. (Note: it's not that I despise this plot development but the way it was handled in the end came off as clumsy and I'm not a fan of it.)  

Moreover, she deserves a lot more recognition for her character. She is beloved, yes, and I am happy to see that, but it's due more to her drama queen persona than her elegant ladylike grace. Don't get me wrong, her flair for the dramatic can be funny (even more so when we see she has a connection to the dramatic arts). Shoot, she can also be fairly snarky, I've noticed, and she has quite the sharp zingers. It's just sometimes it seems that's all some folks see of her, which is unfair. 

Femininity is worth celebrating, and Rarity is a good example of it. She loves to create and celebrate all things beautiful through clothing and other artistic ventures. All of these things can bring color and life to our sometimes cruel, grey and lifeless world. Despite what someone on TV Tropes may say about her less-than-admirable attributes, she does learn to overcome them and she becomes a stronger pony for it. Isn't that the point for cheering these characters on? So that they can become stronger and better characters, and we can learn a thing or two on how to overcome our own shortcomings?

She shows that one) there's more than one way to celebrate what and who you are, and how to bring that into the world and two) generosity can come from the least likely place. And again, the Old Hollywood star quality is something rare to behold in today's modern age, but thinking about it, it's what makes her shine, and be, well, rarer, than a diamond. So to Rarity, here's to you!

*Also, this is going to sound really weird to say due to her coming from a children's show, but she did play a small part in inspiring me to start creating clothing and/or fabric-made pieces of my own. Not so much in designing them (although that has crossed my mind), but in just creating things based on patterns and from whatever my brain comes up with and what have you. Then again, considering she's an artist, perhaps it's not that far-fetched considering my own artistic taste and the creator of FIM is an artist herself haha. 

*Songs: "Art of the Dress" "Rules for Rarity (Reprise 2)", "Becoming Popular"  "Generosity", and "Life is a Runway". That was really easy lol. Special note: even though Equestria Girls is not my favorite thing (and the fanbase... uh... can go way way off base) I do like some of the songs, including the last song on this list. 

Now I'm going to listen to these songs because, in the words of the Element of Generosity....

Wanderer out!

Charactor Spotlight: Rarity, Part One

She's ready for her closeup, darling!

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1.HISTORY

I caught the tail end of the episode, "Boast Busters" when I first saw this character. She was only on the screen for a few minutes but instantly I liked her posh and warm mannerisms. Very much reminiscent of Old Hollywood starlets! I was a fan of hers, yes, but my friend One Lucky Unicorn was the one who really inspired me to look more closely at her generous character. Thank you, my friend! 

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2. THE ELEMENT OF THE HOUR

Like with Jean Grey, I'm not sure if anything I have to say will be groundbreaking, as Rarity and the rest of her friends have been analyzed to death over the past decade. But here goes. 

First off, I love her Golden Age of Hollywood mannerisms. I have heard that she was based off of Audrey Hepburn, and seeing this type of archetype - the female who has a star power quality but has a generous heart and wears her elegance gracefully - make its way into a show in today's time is something I admire. Some call it old-fashioned, I call it welcoming. 

They went with a most notable characteristic of womanhood: the connection with clothing. But rather than show her shopping for clothing as a pastime, she goes shopping for it to make clothing and other accessories. I like that they went with this route, while also showing the business side of her occupation.

Because of that, we can see just how much effort can go into designing clothing: seeking inspiration, drawing the ideas out, building the plans and listing the pieces needed to create the outfit/item, the need to fine-tune details without going overboard, self-promoting, finding clients, dealing with criticism, I could go on. But more than that, Rarity not only wants to look and feel good for herself, but helping also help her clients/friends look and feel good. Her personal quest of finding what makes others feel beautiful on the inside and out is a sign that she's not shallow at her core. She's trying to make the world a little bit better and lovely in her own special way. 

She also puts in her best effort to cheer others on. It's refreshing to see a character who is feminine, but is not antagonistic as other forms of media might try to do (which I don't know why they do this but it needs to stop). Even in her worst moments, she only gets testy when she feels compelled to call someone out for their 'uncouth' behavior or when someone's being a jerk to her or those she cares about. Other than, she's not one to look down on anyone for who they are. She might not like some of their traits, but she is capable of seeing past them and coming to see the beautiful person. 

Her relationship with Applejack is a good example of that: she wasn't always a fan of some of AJ's traits, but overtime, she accepts them and she even grows out of her comfort zone when it comes to getting dirty if she has to get the job done. By then, you can see how the friendship between Rarity and Applejack becomes one of the stronger relationships on the show. I like how even though they do have moments where they butt heads, overall they have learned to work together despite their differences and even respect each other's professions and core characteristics. 

That said, yes, Rarity does have her moments where she does act vain and overdramatic, but sometimes they're played for laughs at the situation, whatever it is, and its ridiculousness. She even brings a fainting couch for the occasion because it's handy to have lol. Heck, she even learns to poke fun at herself for it as time in the show went by. 

When they're not making fun of her reactions, she does have a good head and she will acknowledge when she massively messes up. In "Sisterhooves Social", for instance, she tries to make up for how she mistreated Sweetie Belle by partaking in the obstacle course together (albeit under a muddy guise). From there, she becomes more involved in her sister's life, even being patient with her when she or her friends get themselves into a fine mess. This angle is a sweet one and further enhances her generosity as well as build up the dynamic between herself and Sweetie Belle.

It's a cool part of her character development. It is subtle, but compared to some other characters, hers sticks out like the tallest sunflower in a field if you look closely enough. Besides the one about her relationship with Sweetie Belle, another indicator she does go through change involves her concern with her outward appearance, keeping her mane and tail as bouncy and beautiful as they can be. In the beginning, she was overly concerned with keeping them kept, but since then, she learned to really value the inside appearance. She didn't give up her craft or stop making herself look beautiful, but the lesson about her inner beauty being the most important thing has stuck with her. The episode, "It Isn't the Mane Thing About You" portrays this magnificently. She even took the situation with her mane and tail when they were ruined and made lemonade out of lemons, making herself look like a rad rocker with a righteously upbeat attitude. I kind of have a soft spot for that design too - whomever came up with that, you deserve kudos!

In various episodes, we've seen her use her wits to outsmart opponents or to get her point across when others aren't in listening moods. "A Dog and Pony Show" is a prime example. To drive the Diamond Dogs crazy and make her escape more evident, she whines, complains, and asserts herself so much that the DDs can't take her attitude anymore and want her thrown out lol. As Twilight puts it, and this is important for others to take note: "Just because somepony is ladylike doesn't make her weak. In fact, by using her wits, a seemingly defenseless pony can be the one who outsmarts and outshines them all." 

One of the show's great strengths is the ability to give the characters more than just one talent or quality to make them interesting. Besides her wits and fashion design, she's quite talented in other areas: digging for gems and gold, shadow puppetry (which I don't understand how one accomplishes this with hooves, but I won't question this too much), charming others to do her bidding, possessing a surprising amount of sheer strength in her hooves (at least she's strong enough to move a boulder), and loves performing in film noirs.

She's also musically inclined: she performs in the cappella quartet that is the Ponytones and can strum a mean heavy rock bit on an acoustic guitar. Not bad, Rarity! She can still be her elegant self and yet she's not afraid to try new things if she sees the benefits they bring forth. I like that they added all of this to her character, but at the same time, I do wonder what prompted the writers to do it?

Was it due to the show gaining more than one demographic and they wanted her to appeal her to those audiences? Well, yes, but it was far from the only reason. I think part of it was that they didn't want to box her into a corner from her occupation. They had to come up with other ways to show that as much of a fashionista as she can be, she does have other interests that she picked up somewhere along the way, which can be useful in getting the upper hand over others should they underestimate her. 

She's also one of the most empathetic creatures in the show, but this can backfire on her. In "Suited for Success", she works herself to the bone until she gives her friends exactly what they want, while forsaking her own visions. She's a people/pony pleaser, but she does it out of her heart and from a business standpoint, creators can sometimes fall into this trap and give up their own visions for their products and stories in order to give clients what they think is best. 

Even in "Inspiration Manifestation", she was upset that the puppeteer, Claude, didn't like her initial design for his puppet theater, and she was upset because not only did he reject her design, but I think she also sensed he was right about some of the flaws in the design. It was after Spike picked up the book that contains the 'Inspiration Manifestation' spell that she took Claude's criticisms into consideration and rebuilt it into something aesthetically pleasing and practically functional. But she does learn to stick to her visions and keep a balance between her wants and needs vs. others, and also learns to keep criticisms in check without taking them to the extreme in her case. 

Also, at her empathy's best, she's the one to easily spot when someone else is going through something rough. In "Sonic Rainboom", she was the one to notice Rainbow Dash's anxiety over the upcoming Best Young Flyer competition. She's also the one to encourage Fluttershy when the latter was feeling overwhelmed by Pinkie Pie's.... unnecessary commentary. 

That's as nice as I'll put it when it comes to Pinkie in that episode. 

But back to Rarity, yes, she took Fluttershy under her wing and reminded her of the fun she had and the success she brought onto herself for singing so well with the Ponytones. She was reassuring and didn't push it when Fluttershy said she wanted to take baby steps into being more comfortable in front of larger audiences to sing. It's a really heartwarming scene of her character and shows her devotion to the well-being of her friends. 

The only thing I wish we could have gotten more of when it comes to Rarity is her background. Out of all the ponies in the Mane Six, her familial backstory is largely unexplored. They focused on the other ponies' upbringings and their roles within their own immediate families, so why was Rarity's upbringing barely looked at? We have met her parents, yes, but we hardly know anything about them - or any of Rarity's family if she has any other relatives - besides the fact they sound like they came from the Midwest and Sweetie Belle lives with them. Is it because the writers felt Rarity simply didn't need to have her past laid out for all to see? If so, then I say that's not fair. Fans of Rarity would love learning more about their favorite Element of Generosity, even more if they found out what life was like for her at her old home before she moved into her current one. The rest of the Mane Six got their exploratory episodes, so Rarity - as a member of the group - should get hers too. 

With that, I segway into...

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3. DEPICTIONS/QUESTIONS
Rarity's a gem, even if others don't see her that way.

*"Rarity x Insert Ship Here Forever!": Okay? I do have my own fan pairings, but I'm not totally into the shipping aspect of FIM. That side is...um... overly enthusiastic. 

*"She's a slut!": No. No, she's NOT. Rarity flirts with guys, but she does not date any of them. Shoot, we don't even see her hook up with anyone by the end of the show's run. I think it's because by then, she learned to move on from this desire and be content whether she has a stallion by her side or not. Doesn't mean she's not open to meeting stallions, but compared to the early seasons, she's calmer about it.

*"She's a girly-girl!" See my above analysis. I don't understand why is it bad she's elegant and full of class? If it's out of jealousy, that's not right and you can learn to tame it. It is possible to learn how to achieve these things. I, for one, am grateful that she can be considered a role model for those who want to achieve grace and refinement, all the while keeping a kind and good heart. Isn't that what we want to be aspire to be - kind and good? 

*"She's a snob, especially to Spike!": She was not mean to him. She's not mean in general. She learned to appreciate him overtime, just like the rest of the Mane 6 when they - even Twilight - were just as guilty for taking him for granted too. And all of them have acted like jerks sometimes. What are you talking about? 

*"She's not great as the Element of Generosity": Tell that to her loved ones - she spends time with them when she could be holed up in her shop, she creates outfits for free, gave away a scarf she had on hand to another pony who was delighted at receiving such a gift and chopped off her OWN tail to help a sea serpent who lost part of his mustache because she didn't like how sad he was at his loss and wanted to cheer him up. See "Friendship is Magic, Part 2", "Sisterhooves Special" and "Rarity Takes Manhattan" for more significant details. 

*"She was at fault for choosing Applejack as the judge in 'Honest Apple'!: They were both at fault. Rarity  underestimated Applejack's honesty, yes, but how was she to know AJ would take it as she did? She assumed Applejack would be balanced in her judgment, but when she wasn't, Rarity was put off by how AJ acted more like a critic that hated everything (kind of like the Internet at its worst actually). 

She had to get AJ, the stubborn mare she can be, to see the bigger picture of the harm her actions have caused on the up-and-coming fashion designers by having someone overly criticize the work she does for the family farm. Harsh, but as the saying goes, sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. In this case, it was putting AJ in the horseshoes of those she criticized to realize she took it too far. Rarity may be generous to her friends, but she knows when they need medicine to set them straight. 

*"Sweetie Belle is Rarity's daughter!": No.

More to come in the next post. 

Wanderer out! 

A Blue Streak, Chapter Two, Special Features

 Chapter Two

References:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Random Facts:

*None.

Wanderer out!

100 Words Per Movie, Review Round 2

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

As always, spoilers abound. 

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

Enjoy. 

Wanderer out. 

Taking Five: July-August

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

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

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

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

That's it for now. Wanderer out!  

Character Spotlight: Saint Walker, Part Two

 

All will be well.

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4. INSPIRATION 

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

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5. FUTURE PLANS

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

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

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6. HEADCANONS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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7. PERSONAL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I 'hope' you enjoyed this post. :)

Wanderer out!

A Blue Streak, Chapter One, Special Features

Chapter One

References:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Random Facts:

*None.

Wanderer out!