Chapter Four
References:
*Henry shares quite a commonality with the Thinker statue by Auguste Rodin. They both have a lot on their minds, but what are they thinking about? They're both puzzles to solve, but in Henry's case, the reference makes him seem more unpredictable and curious to watch in action.
*The Wizard of Oz is quite generous with his references, such as the apple-throwing trees. The trees in this story might not have thrown apples or eaten kites, but they do come in handy for bringing to life the kind of strange world in which Henry and the gang have landed.
*The Wizard of Oz is quite generous with his references, such as the apple-throwing trees. The trees in this story might not have thrown apples or eaten kites, but they do come in handy for bringing to life the kind of strange world in which Henry and the gang have landed.
*The kite-eating tree from the Peanuts comics is legendary even if it didn't get a chance to really shine, but it made for a fun nod and option!
*Marc, Ezra, Gus and Phineas? I've already explained this in my author's notes for this chapter, but the Haunted Mansion and its sister locations have so many connections and Easter eggs to each other and other Disney rides that I like mentioning them.
General:
*Now that we're arriving at Thunder Mesa, I can reveal why I combined the two rides of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with Thunder Mesa. The reason I combined them both is to both make reference to the lore that is done in the parks proper (they tend to do with various park rides, like the Haunted Mansion for example) and to create a plausible place where the national park could exist as its own land without needing to be tied into a theme park. A theme park would sensibly fit into the wacky side of Henry Stickmin, but as this is a serious take on one of the heavier endings of CTM, this called for a realistic location.
It also helps to further explore the desert where Henry and co. landed after they escaped the airship. Heck, there's a vault out in the middle of nowhere in that desert as well as the CCC and a prison (although with a prison, it's debatably more plausible than a bank vault). There's so much mystery out in the desert, so why not add a former mining town to the mix? And in the American Southwest and the West Coast, ghost towns exist all over the place, so adding that would bring more world-building to the world of Henry Stickmin.
*The brochure bit was a path to tell the Toppats their location and get Ethan to lead them to the town proper. Its origin is the mid-century to build on both history, which will be seen a lot in this story for both THSC and PM, and to give a nod to Disneyland, the first Disney park which opened in the 1950s.
*Meet Ranger Ethan Carmichael! He's not a Batman, but an OC created for this story. I needed to have someone who knew the history of Thunder Mesa and could guide our protagonists through out the town as they recover from their journeys. And as Thunder Mesa is a national park, who better to know a park than a park ranger with a cowboy side to him?
It also helps to further explore the desert where Henry and co. landed after they escaped the airship. Heck, there's a vault out in the middle of nowhere in that desert as well as the CCC and a prison (although with a prison, it's debatably more plausible than a bank vault). There's so much mystery out in the desert, so why not add a former mining town to the mix? And in the American Southwest and the West Coast, ghost towns exist all over the place, so adding that would bring more world-building to the world of Henry Stickmin.
*The brochure bit was a path to tell the Toppats their location and get Ethan to lead them to the town proper. Its origin is the mid-century to build on both history, which will be seen a lot in this story for both THSC and PM, and to give a nod to Disneyland, the first Disney park which opened in the 1950s.
*Meet Ranger Ethan Carmichael! He's not a Batman, but an OC created for this story. I needed to have someone who knew the history of Thunder Mesa and could guide our protagonists through out the town as they recover from their journeys. And as Thunder Mesa is a national park, who better to know a park than a park ranger with a cowboy side to him?
He was named after a famous cowboy named Ethan. For his surname, I needed something that sounded heroic and Carmichael felt fitting. His horse Rooster? A nod to other famous cowboys with their trusty steeds: Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger, Gene Autry and Champion, Tex Rigger and White Flash, the works. He's not one to sleep on the job, but he does have a good side to him, as he is nicer to Dave than the Toppats.
He also is part of a bigger plot that he himself doesn't seem to realize....
*I mentioned in this chapter that I changed the name of the people who worshiped the Thunderbird. According to my research, the Ojibwe worshipped the creature and not the Shoshone. If I went with the latter, it would have created a problem; if I wanted to make Thunder Mesa a national park that could exist in the HS world setting, the history would not have cut it. The history Disney put forward to explain the Thunderbird's presence is incorrect (which I know they can fudge history up for some of their stories, but I'm not really buying it in this case).
THSC is fictional in itself, yes, but it's still set in modern times as we know it with real world names of states and countries, and they do also acknowledge real people such as Elvis Presley. I wanted to stick with what THSC did, but still keep to the fictional timeline Phantom Manor produced. I also wanted to explain how and why the Ojibwe were living in the area when in real time, they lived near the Great Lakes. A simple solution - have a small party leave the area to find a warmer climate to live. This would give a sense of realism to the story, and not tweak it too much like Disney Parks!canon did.
*Yes, there's more than one Henry in this story. And he will play a part in Henry Stickmin's story beyond their commonalities. The reason for the same names is significant, which will come into play later.
*Yes, there's more than one Henry in this story. And he will play a part in Henry Stickmin's story beyond their commonalities. The reason for the same names is significant, which will come into play later.
*Will we meet the Thunderbird? Is the Thunderbird even real? All good questions.
Random Facts:
*N/A.
Wanderer out!
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