Character Spotlight: Blaze the Cat, Part Two

 

Her Royal Highness has got style! 

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                            4. INSPIRATION

As Sonic the Hedgehog is a large franchise, I find it almost daunting to go looking for Blaze fanfiction. Trying to find well-written Sonic stories at all is like trying to find a grain of sand in the desert (although there are wonderful writers out there whom I admire and have crafted excellent works!) But it feels almost unnecessary to post inspirations for Blaze stories because her main story is pretty much explored in video game canon anyway. 

I'm not sure about the other media, although from the knowledge I do have about the comics, she's more or less the same as she is in the games so I don't have much to say about that. I think focusing on her past and her family is a good place to start. We know about her past thanks to hearing it out of the horse's - er, cat's - mouth - but we don't really know exactly the events that played out for her when she was younger. And as for her parents, we never see them but they are established to still be ruling the Sol Kingdom.

And as I said, writing her into more stories with more to do besides hanging out in another dimension like it's a Twilight Zone episode is another step forward for her character to be more involved with the Sonic world. It would be a great asset to explore more of her character if she were to go on more adventures that don't revolve around the Sol Kingdom. I get why she couldn't just up and leave her home, but why not explore how she fares in her political life or her relationships to her subjects? Why not have her respond to something that does not revolve around Sonic and friends, her family or the Sol Dimension? Sonic '06, as much as a cluster as that game is, did try something different with her and it was... well, I don't know if it was entirely successful, but it was a step in doing something else with her anyway. 

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5. FUTURE PLANS

Blaze will be part of my own Sonic AU that I am writing, and she'll have a major role. I'm still figuring out what role she'll have for the good guys' team, but I'll say this: she's not going to be stuck in her dimension waiting for the next time Sonic pops in to say hi, save the day and then go grab coffee. And she'll also have more abilities added to her fire powers that will make her a super powerhouse!

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6. HEADCANONS

Some of these are to flesh out more of her personality while others are just for fun and out of pure observation. 

*Blaze's official name is Enya (not because of the singer LOL). I gave her this name because I don’t think even in this universe, her parents would be that cruel enough to name her Blaze right off the bat even if they did have fire powers of their own. I feel like naming her Blaze would have added salt to the wound when she was younger once she learned that was her name and that she has fire powers. Enya sounded like a good royal name to give her because of one of its meanings: “little fire”. Her surname would be 'Phoebus' because it's a sun-related name, and it sounds regal enough to fit Blaze. 

*Blaze is an only child. I don't peg her as someone who has had a lot of siblings. I think if she did, she would have mentioned it. And she has said a number of times that during all the problems she's had to face in her life, she had to deal with them by herself. I'm not sure where her parents were when she was bullied, but it's likely that she kept her emotions to herself to avoid upsetting them and causing them to worry about her. 

*She's a fan of the autumn season. This came from this image I saw once depicting Blaze watching the leaves fall. I'm not sure if this is an official piece of Sonic art (although I do assume it is such), but it's a nice idea and I can see Blaze taking some time out of her busy life to stop and smell the roses. Er, I mean catching the leaves as they change color and fall by her side. I think she would enjoy the brisk chill too - it might feel good to her since she is a fire type. 

*As her fighting style seems to resemble a ballerina's movement, I'm a believer in the theory that she has taken ballet dance courses when she was younger and still practices to keep her fighting skills up to shape. I think she likes ballet music scores to boot. 

*The red gem on her forehead does play an important role in my AU. In the games I think it's just used to help her concentrate on controlling her fire. But in my AU, she shall be able to wield the ability to create fire constructs. As the gem is in front of her forehead, this would indicate that she's a creature who prizes her mind and is even powerful in the mind. So why not take this a step further and give her the ability to make fire constructs using her imagination? 

*She's not only afraid of heights, she's not all that fond of flying at incredibly high heights either. I don't think she would like soaring through the clouds in planes or other vehicles unless she was absolutely forced to for the sake of a

mission. 

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7. PERSONAL

*She's one of my favorite Sonic characters because she has a personality and backstory, and I love her elegance and calm disposition. And the fact she's associated with the color purple? Purple's a favorite color of mine! It's nice to see a character who isn't bursting with energy like Sonic or Amy, childlike like Tails or Cream, or moody like Knuckles or Shadow. Okay, perhaps she can get moody, but compared to the aforementioned latter, she's practically lighthearted.

*It's weird, but even though I don't have as much to say about her as I do for the other characters I've covered, I think it's a good thing because it means that she is a well-developed character who carries herself with a sense of strength and regality. These can be good traits to admire and emulate if a person is more of the quiet and stoic type. Now that I think about it, it would be interesting to see how she could be paired up with Shadow because of his similarities with her, but I digress. 

*Here are some songs that fit or make me think of Blaze: "Fire Woman" by Crush 40, and "Scènes de Ballet" (1944) by Igor Stravinsky. These are only a few choices I've selected because honestly, it was kind of tough trying to find songs that I think fit her that the Sonic creators haven't already decided for her. I'll need to practice writing for her character more before I can decide to come up with a proper theme song for her. I might go for something techno music-themed because I have a headcanon that she likes techno music (although I remember reading somewhere on an official profile that she's a fan of the genre). Time will tell.

But that's a wrap! Enjoy this Blaze the Cat profile analysis! 

Wanderer out!