It isn't a wolf... it's a wirewolf!
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4. INSPIRATION
I would like to thank the Academy for inspiring me! And by the Academy, I mean the Space Ranger Academy. There were a number of fans and friends who inspired my own take for Ty.
A founder, as it were, for my interpretation of the guy came from the fanfic writer and artist, TyParsec on DeviantART. Because I came into the BLoSC scene long after she did, I never spoke with her but I liked some of her Ty headcanons, one of which will be mentioned in the headcanon section of this post. How she wrote Ty was part of what jumpstarted my own way for writing the guy: fairly down-to-earth and sarcastic but not as much as he was in ‘Wirewolf’, and undoubtedly heroic. But a difference between my writing and hers is that I also write him as a somewhat tense Ranger who has a lot on his mind and is trying to figure out how to navigate his life post-Wirewolf.
She also was the one who got me into giving Ty his own team because she too had a character who worked with Ty when the character joined Star Command after a series of events, and who was also a love interest. Ty sure gets all the ladies in Fanland! Must be the hair.
There are a number of other fans, artists and/or writers who inspired me to invent my own version of Ty, but as some of their influences are more or less similar, I'll instead list off who they are and what exactly are/were their contributions to my Ty.
- For the Kingdom: They wrote "Victim: At Least I'm Not the Villian" which takes a look at the dynamic between Ty and Buzz, and explores the possibility of Ty gaining electrical powers. Oh and he saves the day too. Hooray!
- P.A.W.07: The author behind "Selenophobia", this fic takes a darker turn at Ty's thoughts about the wirewolf, his mission to protect others and fleshes more of his personality out. It's also kind of an AU, so it will not be canon to the main universe.
- C.P.: I will not use her full screen name as she does not want anyone to see her fan stuff, and I want to honor her wishes in the event she comes back to the Internet. But I will say that she had so many golden ideas and headcanons for not just Ty, but also about Star Command itself, some of which in the former I'll share in the headcanon portion of this post.
- Maskerade: She wrote excellent pieces showcasing the character dynamics between Ty and NOS-4-A2, Savy SL-2 and NOS-4-A2, and Ty and Savy, some of which I'll be using for my own fanfics. She's a fantastic artist too, and has crafted wonderful interpretations of an older!Savy. Plus I love how she writes Ty's and Savy's sarcastic tongues - so much snark!
- MicrobiologyMajor: She gave Ty in her story "A New Hero" advanced senses in hearing and smell, as side effects from his Wirewolf condition. I like how even when he can't turn frequently into the creature, it's still with him in some fashion. She also made Ty the captain of his own team too, and his interactions with them are amusing and interesting to watch.
- Kittywizard: This author has written a number of BLoSC retellings and 'what-if' scenarios for the show, such as "What If", that it's all neat to read. It's not just Ty's story she explores but she also takes other episodes from the show and explores some of other timelines that could have happened based on, well, 'what if'.
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5. FUTURE PLANS
So what's Ty Parsec of Star Command going to get into? Asides from a large fanfiction series I'm working on where he'll be a main lead (and that series will need a big post of its own so I won't mention it here), there are some non-canon stories I' ll have in the works. He'll be a main character in some of these stories and in others, he'll be a supporting one.
First up is an AU where Ty is raised and brought up by wolves to be a Tarzan-like protector of the forest (or jungle depending on where this is set and how I want to make this happen), barely knowing anything about the human world until a few humans come into the green one day. I think it would be interesting to see how Ty would respond in being raised by many members of a pack, by the very same type of animal he became in canon and then suddenly experience culture shock when he learns there are other humans like him out in his neck of the woods, so to speak.
Another writing idea? A BLoSC/Disney's Hercules crossover.
Considering both series were produced under Tad Stones' name, and quite a few of the voice actors did hop over from Hercules to BLoSC, I can't help but want to make this become a thing. Plus it'd be entertaining to see how science fiction and mythological wonders collide, and to also write the characters sharing the same voice actor react to one another would be priceless. XD
This isn't the final idea, but it's one I certainly want to add because he's not a star player but he will show up: a crossover series where other science fiction characters show up and meet at a diner to make small talk and/or break the fourth wall and talk about their shows or fans, a la Roger Rabbit.
I did also have an idea to throw Ty in with a 1970s AU where he plays a private eye, but this one will need more mulling over, so I'm not sure if I'll take this project on or not.
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6. HEADCANONS
*I theorize that Ty has gained PTSD. Because honestly, him seeming entirely in good health after those events in the show?....eh. Now don't get me wrong, I understand that Ty's Wirewolf thing in a kid's show wasn't meant to be a long arc to be overcome. Ty was a minor character and, on the surface layer at the least if you don't count the subtle changes like King Nova lightening up on his attitude to the Rangers, the show didn't focus on building major story arcs like some series do today. Ty's own arc was solved in only two episodes: he became the Wirewolf in one, and was forced to become it again in the other before getting rid of NOS-4-A2 once and for all. But in a real world setting, the problem would still be there and it wouldn't be easy to overcome. So why not elaborate more on how he feels about the creature and how it still affects him even if it's not 'there'?
*Sitka VII was a planet that was referenced by name in one of the episodes, "Large Target". It's mentioned that they have great skiing there, and that's all we know about it. I decided to make it Ty's homeplanet simply because it was mentioned. May as well do something with it.
*This is a headcanon I stole from C.P.; when Ty was a kid, he had a hedgehog named Toliman. It's a cute idea! C.P. also brought up the idea that Ty, if he were from Earth, he would have a mixed heritage - Tlingit, Eyak, English, French, Spanish, Russian and K'iche'.
*There is one animal I theorize he doesn't like at all: bats. He became afraid of bats at some point after a run-in with them when he was younger. He managed to get over his fear when he was older or so he thought. That's why he freaked out when he first saw NOS-4-A2 on Canis Lunis, and when he literally ran into the energy vampire in "Revenge of the Monsters" before he was changed into the Wirewolf.
*Although Ty doesn't seem the type to enjoy candy a lot, he does like to munch on red and black licorice. The name of this candy would be Lux Licorice. Also, he can enjoy ice cream every now and then. His preferred flavor would be pistachio.
*Surfing is one of his hobbies. This headcanon comes from the aforementioned TyParsec on DeviantART. Before Ty attended the Space Ranger Academy, he was nicknamed "Moondoggie" by some of his surfing buddies. He probably wouldn't be sure what to think of the nickname now.
*The Wirewolf is vulnerable to plants like NOS-4-A2. Speaking of which, Ty is able to transform into the creature because NOS-4-A2 unintentionally planted nanobots into Ty's body that react whenever the moonlight shines upon Ty and they change him into an energy creature. I'm not sure why a wolf instead of a vampire, although I'll estimate that it's because NOS-4-A2's bite has a different effect on humans.
*Ty's not a hat person. He doesn't want his pompadour to be messed up.
*The spiked wings emblem on Ty's uniform signifies he retains the rank of sergeant. Because the ranks in the show aren't really explored, other fans and I looked to real life rank systems in the military forces and police forces. It was decided that as Ty is not a rookie but isn't a captain or commander, this would be a rank underneath captain. I'll have to look into my old notes for that.
*The spiked wings emblem on Ty's uniform signifies he retains the rank of sergeant. Because the ranks in the show aren't really explored, other fans and I looked to real life rank systems in the military forces and police forces. It was decided that as Ty is not a rookie but isn't a captain or commander, this would be a rank underneath captain. I'll have to look into my old notes for that.
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7. PERSONAL
*I like Ty because he does seem really human, like he's someone you could talk to in real life. Which is funny because he has a superpower, while Buzz is all human and is the star of the show. And yet Buzz is treated and written as though he were a superman - his charisma, his over-the-top speeches, his dedication to truth and justice and the Galactic Alliance way, the works. Buzz is fun, but it probably would be hard to get in a word with him due to his own shortcomings. But whereas Buzz acts as the superman of the show, Ty, on the hand, is the everyman - someone who tries to do his best at his job, suffers the low points of his life, and although he's a tad more testy than others, he does ultimately have a good heart.
*For such a one-shot character (yes I know he was in two episodes, technically three if you count the cameo from "War and Peace and War", but I think the point is made), Ty has garnered quite a fanbase. It might be because he's someone who is part of the Buzz Lightyear lore, but not necessarily in a positive way. It makes him stand out among a plethora of Buzz admirers, but Ty is the opposite; he doesn't want anything to do with Buzz (not at first anyway), and just wants to show that he's as every bit as heroic as the next Space Ranger. Well, that and the Wirewolf power is certainly intriguing and makes him unique since he's the only person who's capable of turning from organic to metallic in his universe. As far as we'll ever know, anyway.
*Here are a few song choices that make me think of Ty:
"Kryptonite" by Three Doors Down, and "Remember the Words" by Ace of Base (although in the case of this song, I don't think about just one character when I hear it, but I also believe this applies to other characters. However, I feel it especially fits Ty because of what he went through, what he almost lost and what he regained.) I might have to look at more songs for him. There were other songs I initially thought up for Ty, but I found some of them don't really fit my view of him anymore.
"Kryptonite" by Three Doors Down, and "Remember the Words" by Ace of Base (although in the case of this song, I don't think about just one character when I hear it, but I also believe this applies to other characters. However, I feel it especially fits Ty because of what he went through, what he almost lost and what he regained.) I might have to look at more songs for him. There were other songs I initially thought up for Ty, but I found some of them don't really fit my view of him anymore.
Wow, that was a lot to write for this character analysis. But it was fun and I hope that you've all enjoyed reading this take on Ty!
Wanderer out!
Wanderer out!
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