A Blue Streak, Prologue, Special Features

 Prologue

References:

*The title comes from a suggestion brought forward by One Lucky Unicorn. Thank you again, my friend!  🙏

*There's a paraphrased nod to a line from Raiders of the Lost Ark through this line: 'Craters, what does the commander want to see me for? What am I, in trouble? Again?' Needed to come up with something for Ty to say before he goes off to see Commander Nebula and this was it. 

*Star Cruiser 77's number is a reference to the year the very first Star Wars film, A New Hope, came out in 1977. 

General:
*When I originally wrote this prologue, I intended to include in the conversation between Commander Nebula and Ty to introduce one of the key plot points. But the further I edited this chapter, the more I felt it didn't fit. It would have given away too much detail, so it was necessary to cut it out altogether. However, there are some hints from the conversation I will be dropping periodically through the story until the ending. 

*Rentwhistle Swack and his poacher contacts weren't originally meant to be part of the story. That all changed when I rewatched the Karn-centered episodes of the show, and discovered their usage. Thus, including them in altered an important scene, which will be discussed in the next SF notes. 

*I didn't really dive into Buzz's reasoning for why he wanted Ty to work with him and his crew, other than simply needing more backup for the assignment on Karn (after what happened on the planet the first few times Team Lightyear has been there), but I felt there was really no need for it. However, I did touch upon Buzz showing genuine gratitude and appreciation for Ty being there, to show how far he's come from his canon episodes. Bringing in elements from their Academy days felt like a good way to explore more of their dynamic - or what was left of their dynamic - when they were young lads with no idea with what they were getting into as Space Rangers.

Plus, I suspect Ty does have a side to him that does delight in teasing. Not harmfully, of course, but light-heartedly. Bringing that out further enhanced their dynamic and gives insight as to how they would interact with each other off-duty and differently from their days in the Academy. They're both older and wiser, but some things haven't changed between them. By the way, for anyone curious about the story Buzz was going to tell about his Academy days, that is not going to happen in this story. Unless it's relevant, that won't happen, at least not now. 

*The Vanorian Ranger is based off of this character in the show. She never had an official name for what she was, but a friend of mine made up the name - Vanorian - that I applied to her ethnicity. The Ranger herself is not the character proper. 

*Ty's sore spot was hit and will somewhat play a part in the story, but in small ways. 

Random Facts:

*I would like to try and make a habit of uploading these Special Feature posts of previously published chapters before new chapters are posted - to build up hype along the way, but we shall see.

For now, Wanderer out!

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter Five - Part Two, Special Features

  Chapter Five, Part Two

References:

*The Bukowski Brothers running a joke shop? A possibility. But they better catch up - Fred and George Weasley from the Harry Potter series beat them to the punch. 

General:

* The mistakes Rupert made are truly his own - making mistakes and calling them yours seem to be a small but important theme in the Henry Stickmin universe. I think Henry can acknowledge his mistakes and make up for them if the player chooses. Rupert, on the other hand, does it on his own. He then works hard to make sure he avoids such drastic acts again. I'm all for improving and taking care to avoid mistakes, but it is concerning to see how hard he's willing to work in overcoming those mistakes... when making mistakes is an inevitable part of the human experience. 

That's why I included in that flashback to 'Stealing the Diamond'. Adding that and his own perspective on what happened during 'Escaping the Prison' created a path of redemption he embarked on for himself, as well as see his own wakeup call to his own complacency. I can imagine working there for eight years can dull one's senses if they're not constantly sharpened and renewed. 

*Dave trying to calm down Rupert is a segment I picked up from another story. In it, the main character tells his father that hatred can destroy a person if not kept in check when the father was ranting about a character both father and son are not fond of. The son mentioned he couldn't take seeing his father give into that hatred, and the father promised to not hate the enemy both of them shared. 

This carried over into this fic, where Dave took on the son's role. Seeing Rupert engulfed by hatred would scare him more than what any of the Toppats did to him. He cares for his friend's well-being and wants him to avoid that path before he goes too far on it. Also, I made Dave the one to get through to Rupert using he truly values - using time wisely and not letting the image of Henry win out against him. 

*Dave's own breakdown involved more than just sorrow and guilt. He also dealt with anger. This was to give Dave more than one dimension in his emotional state. In other words, I've seen the guy depicted as usually just sad or guilty about everything, but anger? That's not always prevalent. In situations like this, while it is entirely possible to only experience sadness and shame, frustration with one's self is also a common reaction. When we try our best at whatever it is we set out to do, and we don't succeed, we can either/or get mad at ourselves or others. In Dave's case, he's mad at himself - he tried to do a good job as a prison guard and/or museum guard, but things went wrong. Adding his disappointment at himself made for a more three-dimensional breakdown. It also gave Dave the courage to bring up what those Toppats did to him - they not only wailed on him physically, they also wailed on him mentally and emotionally. 

*Rupert acted as the iron grip to break through Dave's cage, and help him come into the light. This is the pivotal point for both characters - we see Dave admit what the Toppats did and Rupert, besides stepping up to calm him down and tell him he's better than he thinks he is, gradually starts taking over what is left of the story. 

I feel people can forget that even though Dave made mistakes at the prison, he still had to go through police training to get there. From what I have read and heard, it's no walk in the park. The training involves a lot of physical fitness, academic coursework and practical skills, which can take anywhere from about three months to maybe a year depending on the location and agency. That would imply that Dave did have what it took to make it through police training, and I don't think the police superiors - at least in this series - would have room for any slackers. I think it's because of his enthusiasm to do his job at the prison, combined with bad luck, Dave was dealt a terrible hand. Working at the museum didn't leave him room to give up on his skills even if it's a quieter locale by comparison. 

Rupert knows firsthand what it's like to go through police training so of course he would remind him that he's tougher than he gives himself credit for. Unfortunately, it'll take awhile for Dave to remember and believe that. Rupert will need to do a lot to help him rebuild his confidence, but he doesn't necessarily mind. It'll give him a new goal now that Henry and the Toppats are pretty much out of the picture. As soon as he and the rest of the military leave, of course. They still need to clear out the airship and Rupert has to find Dave's items. 

*It's highly likely that Dave would have said items on hand, and the Toppats would take them so he can't use them for anything. I mostly added them in to act as the MacGuffins Rupert needs to find, and although they're not inherently important to the audience, they're important to Rupert and Dave. Because of Dave's trauma, I think the audience can care about the MacGuffins because of this. 

Random Facts:

*Does Dave have a family? It's up to the beholder. I got that from other fanfics to heighten the drama and express how he needs to take his time to be back out in the world again. At least through slower means before he goes back to keeping the peace... or keeping the calm in a museum. Whichever comes first.  

Wanderer out!

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter Five - Part One, Special Features

 Chapter Five, Part One

References:

*The legend of Atlantis was written to be a utopia made from hubris. The Toppats' airship repeated that lesson. 

General:

*I was originally going to have Turtle be the medic, but as I already gave Turtle and Frog something to do in earlier chapters, giving Eel the role seemed like the natural alternative. It's not as major as Turtle discovering Henry's trail or Frog leading the team, but it gave the guy his time in the spotlight and helped expand his skill set beyond technology and fighting. 

*Victoria was added in to act as an authoritative figure who could take the plot and carry it - and Dave - offscreen to build up anticipation over over his survival. I like Victoria and thought with her prestige as a high-ranking officer, she would play a small but integral part to the story. I also needed to explore more of the military world as we now left the Toppats behind, so this was another reason why I added her. 

*Charles coming in to talk about Rupert was intentional. Charles is the kind of person who can somehow be a friend to many, including the gruff folk. I like the idea of them having their own friendship, so it was included. I also wanted to make Rupert's turmoil over what happened to Dave, with Charles coming in to help him release all he's harboring - guilt, anger, dread, regret, and anxiety. Charles seems like a patient sort who knows how to deal with his friend when he gets frazzled, so the pilot has the situation under control. He has more than just good eyesight, he has keen insight, which helps him deal with things around him. 

It was also a good chance to bring in more of the details in the backstory of how Rupert and Dave knew each other, and fill in the gaps of what wasn't shown in the games with details of my own. I see Rupert as someone wanting to leave his past as a police officer behind - save for a few components, like his friendship with Dave and the joys he did get out of it - and trying to fully embrace his new life in the military, only telling bits of his past job when needed. That's why Charles didn't know a lot about what happened at the prison until the man revealed it all here. That day when everything went to pot at the prison is not a happy memory to hold in his mind. He feels like he has to deal with it alone, but with the military acting as one, and a few individuals who can be in on what happened, he doesn't have to.

*Dave's PTSD kicks into play here. Although it's never explicitly stated that he has it, many in the Henry Stickmin fanbase go with this headcanon based on his 'Completing the Mission' bio: 'He's spent a long time in a Toppat cell. His life will probably never be the same again'. We don't know how long he's been in there, but we do know that based on his hat which has seen better days, it's not a stretch to consider he's been through a lot. The Toppats might have had moments when they used him as a punching bag for whatever excuses they could find which left scars on him. That, and he is a guard who discovered what they were up to with the Tunisian Diamond. The Toppats aren't too fond of official snoopers and will do whatever it takes to keep them from talking. 
 

*The red-eyed monster is a reference to the Right Hand Man. I left out his name to make him seem more monstrous in Dave's mind, and to emulate how he's a vicious threat as a cyborg.  

*I split this thing up into two sections for two reasons: 1) it would have made the chapter far too long and too much if I kept it all as one and 2) for the sake of the plot, we're gradually moving away from the two stories told about Rupert and Dave in their respective places - the Toppat base and the military base to just one spot with the two friends coming together and changing the plot to focus on them and everything they've been through. Charles and Galeforce are there for a brief time to get to know Dave and get his testimony on the airship, but eventually they'll need to leave so that Dave and Rupert can go into the history that they're not a part of. Rupert has a promise to keep, after all. 

*There's another callback - however it's very very minor - to Bambi II, in the beginning of the film when Friend Owl goes to see the Great Prince and Bambi after hearing about what happened to Bambi's mom. He says that, and I quote, "Excuse me sir. I hope I'm not intruding, but well, I...I just had to come." Charles says the last part to Rupert. Charles is the Friend Owl - although he's way less of a curmudgeon - to Rupert, as he just had to come and see if he could be of any help. The Bambi theme is keeping strong here. 

*I gave Rupert the idea of naming the Toppats the 'Toprats'

both due to the fact that I'm not really someone who writes swearing a lot unless it's absolutely needed, and 'Toprats' sounds like something he would say. To him, they act like rats - they take so much from others to carry out selfish plans and leave behind trails of ruin for others to suffer through. This is not a knock against real life rats by the way - the animal analogy is all part of the bigger theme tapestry I'm weaving into this piece, which will be explained in further detail once these notes are done.  

Random Facts:

*None. 

Wanderer out!

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter Four, Special Features

Chapter Four

References:

* Bambi's father is referenced when Dave's inner courage yells at him to get up. In the animated film, the Great Prince yells urgently at Bambi - after the poor deer's been shot and can't get up immediately despite the forest fire coming in fast - to get onto his feet...hooves, to flee from the fire. Dave does have an inner strength to him and I think in times of distress, it will be called upon to get Dave to act. Dave is not a coward.

General:

*More of the mystery continues with the bounty hunters. I needed them to leave the scene to continue this plot point until they could be back for later in the chapter. 

*I didn't want Dave to just be a victim here. Even if he's not at peak condition now, that doesn't mean he's utterly helpless. I think he would want to do something to help those around him. That might mean putting out the fire on some very small areas. And as long as he had that fire extinguisher, it should be used for what it was built for. 

*The fire is part one of the climax - it's reaching higher and higher until either everything is destroyed or saved by a miracle. 

*Charles to the rescue! The flock of airplanes trailing behind him are indeed jets courtesy of the Center for Chaos Containment. There had to be a way for the fire to be put out without relying on a storm randomly passing by or Henry using his powers to bring forth rain. I didn't want to rely on an unknown deus ex machina. When I was thinking about this scenario, I remembered the CCC in the 'Toppat 4 Life' ending. They did establish that a manned mobile unit was floating around the area, which means that the CCC has a base somewhere nearby the military base in the jungle. 

Which also means that if the mobile unit picked up on a giant jungle fire that was quickly spreading, they would need to kill two birds with one stone: stop the fire and keep their organization under wraps. Yes, it is ironic that they made themselves known with a public organization like the military, but knowing the CCC, they're likely to come up with a good cover story to protect themselves. Or perhaps erase memories. Either solution is possible. And in a high stakes scenario like this, Charles and Galeforce aren't going to take the time to question it, only be grateful for it. There is a chance their actions could be classified as a deus ex machina, but under the circumstances that is the Henry Stickmin world, mixed in with an acknowledgment of world building via the 'Toppat 4 Life' ending and the CCC's tendency to dish out unpredictable and radical solutions, this isn't as far-fetched as other options could be.
 

*Dave and Rupert reunited at last! I haven't really focused on Rupert's development in this story - besides a few moments in the second chapter - because there is a larger emphasis on suspense and action vs. characterization in this chapter. But here is the starting point for that to change and we start to see the bond that the friends share. I headcanon that after Dave lost his job and became a museum guard, they kept in touch. At least until Rupert joined the military and Dave was kidnapped by the Toppats. 

*The reason I had Dave be the one to take the bullet to protect himself and Rupert was due to the point I brought up earlier about Dave's courage. Dave is undoubtably soft-spoken and I think he lost some confidence after what happened at the prison, but he hasn't forgotten his police training. That takes a lot of skill to do all that's required to be a police officer, even at the cost of one's own life. This event was also meant to give Rupert his own flashback to another horrible event in which he bore witness to and gave rise to his decision to leave the police force. Almost like a darker side to Dave's own flashback when he first joined the police force in the second chapter. 

Rupert's motivation was to prevent any more mistakes, and after what happened with Johnny, Dave's act of selflessness is enough to push him over the edge and save his life. 

I was originally going to focus more on this flashback in the chapter by drawing comparisons between Johnny and Dave as Rupert's partners, but it would have taken the story onto a whole other tangent. Instead I decided to use it to build up the moment in Rupert's mind - he's shocked by Dave's sudden act and even though he's the one injured and the missing person Rupert was assigned to find, Dave still chooses to act bravely and save Rupert's life. I do love me some irony. 

*The random Toppat woman is now arrested, and meant to finally help bring the climax to its fullest height. I understand I said that she wasn't meant to be any female Toppat in general, and she still isn't. But if I had to choose whom she was supposed to be if I felt like choosing a Toppat, I would go with the Gremlin. For no reason other than she seems like one of the most ruthless Toppats.

*Frog and the Bukowski twins return! Frog was brought in to pose more of a threat (and come back for the post-climax) to the Toppats - the Toppats are immensely outnumbered now, and the twins get to do some saving of their own. I think it's only fair these twins get a small bit of action, and taking down the woman was the perfect fit for them. Goofy as the boys may be, they're still soldiers with a lot of heart for action. 

Random Facts:

*This chapter was so blocky with how much went on here. I do like how it turned out, but hot dog it was quite a lot to unpack. 

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!

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!

Restoring the Soul: The Manor's Tales, Chapter Four, Special Features

 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 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?  

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.

*Will we meet the Thunderbird? Is the Thunderbird even real? All good questions. 

Random Facts:

*N/A.  

Wanderer out! 

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter One, Special Features

                                                                     Chapter One

References:

* The Bambi reference I pointed out in the chapter is a connection between Dave and how he's the hunted, in need to get away from the hunters via the Toppat Clan. Dave also shares Bambi's innocence in some fashion, hence the further connection to the characters. 

*There are many references to animals in this story, and I'll explain in greater detail why that is by the end of these notes. However, I'll go ahead and state that because this story takes place in the jungle, I was inspired to use animal imagery to paint a vivid picture of everyone's actions. 

General:

*I didn't really think of the female Toppat as any one character in particular. I thought it would make more sense if we didn't know who she was to keep up the many mysteries left behind in the crash, and to part of the theme of mystery hidden within the Henry Stickmin games. But she's a dedicated Toppat to the end.

*I'm of the mind that Rupert has a high level of standards he want to live up to, in part because he's both a military officer and because of the mistake that he made back at his old job, so he feels the need to make up for it. He takes his responsibilities seriously, and after all that happened, who could blame him?

*The heat Dave experienced while he was hiding by the palm tree signified that the stakes are rising higher, just like the heat and fire are both growing in power. He doesn't have a lot of time to spare so he has to push himself to keep going or perish in the growing blaze set by the airship. 

*I really enjoyed the bounty hunters' scenes in the 'Master Bounty Hunter' segment so I wanted to bring them back (to life) for this story, so they're here to accompany General Galeforce and Rupert out on the mission to rescue Dave. 

Random Facts:

* None.

Wanderer out!

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Prologue, Special Features

  Prologue

References:

*The opening excerpt comes from Emily Pauline Johnson's poem, "Through Time and Bitter Distance". I wanted a title (albeit changed slightly to reflect the story's core) and quote that would express the story's mood, and this quote did that: it captured confusion and losing one's way, the need of a reconnection to humanity, and the distance that one can experience in many forms. It also signified how far Dave would need to go to get out of the fire that would built up at the crash site and make his way out despite the dangerous distance that came with it. I didn't want to go with a standard Henry Stickmin title for this reason. 

General:

*This short story was the first plot in my "Sticks, Stones, Possibilities and Bones" series - a fanfiction collection dedicated to exploring the 'what-ifs' and alternate scenarios of The Henry Stickmin Collection. In the instance of TSABD, the goal was to write a story about Dave's survival and his escape from the Toppats. Dave is a character I like and it didn't sit right with me to have his character expire in Revenged, so I made him one of the leading actors to give him a happy (well, as happy as a former prisoner of a criminal organization can get) ending.   

*While writing this prologue, I wanted to make this an opportunity to push my writing skills. I was new to the HS fandom at the time of this story's conception, and I wasn't always liking what fan content was pumped out there. And before anyone assumes I'm talking about their fan stories, I'm not; I'm just speaking in general. But also, as this was the start of the SSPAB series, I knew that this was a story that needed more of a serious and poignant air, so I turned to one of my writing/media influences: 1959's The Twilight Zone series. The writing was so sharp and excellent across many episodes and I wanted to evolve my style based on that. The Twilight Zone's writing was quite eloquent and could beautifully paint pictures that could take readers to another place and time. Hence the descriptions of the airship and main description of the story. 

*I also wanted to evoke a sense of lyrical poetry to the writing, to make it feel more dramatic and powerful in emotion and stakes. Hence the callback to the aforementioned poem. Writing things in poetical form gives me life and honestly, I feel it makes the world I'm writing for a little more magical and alive. 

Random Facts:

*None.

Wanderer out!

Restoring the Soul: The Manor's Tales, Chapter Three, Special Features

  Chapter Three

References:

*I fetched more The Wizard of Oz references, some bigger than others. I'm not just talking about the twister either. That will be explained in the general area of this post. But Dorothy and Toto were the Easter eggs of them all, given the fairy tale theme going on in this story. And before you ask, no, they will not play a bigger part in this story. 

*The nod to the Air Nomads from Avatar: The Last Airbender?  Seemed fitting to throw this in after there was an official nod to the series made in the THSC game, Fleeing the Complex. Henry displayed earthbending skills during the "International Rescue Operative" pathway, so going off on that, airbending would logically be his opposing bending art. 

*A visit to Thunder Mesa and the Great River Expedition sounds intriguing but we don't have to pack our bags because we'll be traveling in our imaginations, thanks to the imagination of Mr. Marc Davis. He was not only responsible for designing various Disney characters, like Snow White, Bambi and Alice, he was also one of the original Imagineers for Disney theme parks, having helped design rides such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. If anyone's interested, I'll post links to some of his notable works when this story is done. 

*The first musical score for this chapter was picked to express Henry's mood - thoughtful, determined, worried, watchful, and beaten but not broken. Although he took a big hit when he was kicked out of the clan, he's not going to go down without a fight. Like the cowboys of the past, he'll get back up somehow and try to win against his opponents. As he gazes into the campfire, it, like his resolve, will grow stronger when properly fed. The second musical score? It was chosen for obvious reasons - besides tying back in with The Wizard of Oz, the powerful twister has come to take Henry and his companions away to a new and different world filled with new and different things. 

General:

*You may have noticed by now that I write Henry's vernacular through telling what he said rather than writing it unless it's for significant moments when he actually does verbally speak up. I feel writing him this way is a good balance and makes writing some of the more would-be word-heavy moments easier to describe, and the moments when he does talk more potent. He's a mostly silent character like Tom and Jerry, and taking that silence away from him, like I see in other fanfics (not that there's anything wrong with that; this is my general preference so if you want to write him as a chatterbox, more power to you) takes away what makes him stand out from the other characters in the games.

Silent stars like Wile E. Coyote or Gromit from Wallace and Gromit wouldn't be who they are if not for their penchant for silence. Actions can speak louder than words and the characters I brought up perform their actions beautifully and powerfully. It's the same principle applied to Henry here. I know it can be tough writing a silent character, as I sometimes find it hard even though I love writing for quiet players, but it's a good way to stretch your writing into new territories and can encourage you to think outside the box on how to write without using any words to express what a person wants to say. 

*Henry's memory of Dave arresting him at the prison was something I made up, but I needed to use it to give Henry a motive for why he would be nicer to Dave than other Toppats. It's due to both selfish and selfless reasons: Henry does owe Dave for not giving him a hard time back at West Mesa like Rupert did and he also needs Dave to get into places that he himself would not be able to due to his thieving reputation. Having an officer on his side could come in handy. 

I also wanted to use this memory to hint how Dave and Henry met, and it's partly based on something that was confirmed by the THSC creator; in the original ending of Breaking the Bank, during the ending credits, an image pops up that shows Henry being arrested. The officer who's arresting him has been speculated by others to be Dave, and the creator - in his commentary about the game - has stated that it is indeed Dave. Why not build on that and give Henry more of a reason to include Dave in? 

*I feel that Dave sometimes gets a lot of the short stick (no pun was intentionally made here). He is a darling, yes, and he certainly could use the love with what he's been through, but sometimes it seems he's not always given chances to shine or show more of his personality beyond a scared guard who was trapped in a cell and fired for making a mistake. I understand that the games could only show so much of who he is, but in fan content, the skies are the limits, and I would like to think that he's not just what we're seen; he can be brave and insightful. The Dave in this story knows that Henry got his leadership position for a reason, and going by what he knows about the guy, he can guess that Henry is a man of both plan and action; he has to be able to think and move fast in order to stay ahead of everyone who attempted to get in his way or to get his own way. 

*The tornado is totally out of left field, yes. But I needed something to get the characters to get to where I wanted them to go without taking another chapter of them just walking in a large land of sand. In addition, a twister is used to signify (back to The Wizard of Oz) that a new change or world is coming, and in this case, it was from the desert - a place filled with no life, to a forest which is filled with life. Plus a twister in the world of HS isn't that farfetched when we take into account that a lot of things in HS do come out of nowhere, like Ellie dropping out of nowhere to call Henry out for his betrayal, the sometimes goofy tools Henry uses as his options, or the random stuff the CCC does.

The twister would probably be the least bit random by comparison. And twisters can occur at night, so that adds a bit of realism to this scene. I once witnessed a tiny desert twister myself, but tornadoes in the desert don't happen all that much; instead, it was a dust devil which, while it's not normally dangerous compared to tornadoes, it's a natural phenomenon that should not be taken lightly if it builds up to something big.  

*Speaking of something big, we have a new player observing the twister in the distance. But who is he? 

Random Facts:

*N/A.  

Wanderer out!

Restoring the Soul: The Manor's Tales, Chapter Two, Special Features

  Chapter Two

References:

* There is one important reference that I want to discuss more in detail here: the mention about the Big Thunder Mesa National Park. It’s not a real national park, but it is a combined tie-in with the two theme park rides that reside in the Frontierland sections of Disneyland, USA - which is home to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction - and Disneyland Paris, France - which is where the town of Thunder Mesa resides. When we get to Thunder Mesa itself, I'll discuss further on why I combined the two rides into one location, although I will say that it does set the serious tone for this crossover. 

*Goliath the Biblical giant makes his appearance - well, sort of. This is be a foreshadowing to a fight one of the characters in this story will face, but it may or may not who you think it is, if you know the story about Goliath. However, there will be tense fighting in which more than one character will take part in - their opponents will be bigger than any of them realize. 

*Wendy the Welder or equivalent there of? The Toppats need welders to care for the airship when there's something that needs welding or fixing, right? 

*The musical selection for this chapter doesn't focus so much on music as much as it does on sound effects. I needed a piece that would evoke a grim and spooky feeling that goes through everyone when they discover the fates of Reginald and the Right Hand Man. The howling wind is so creepy and seems to have a will of its own in blowing the sands of time away. 

General:

*Symbolism abound in this chapter! But because of the grand scope of this story, I'm actually going to save that for the end of this story. There's a lot to unpack with the imagery I'm choosing here. I will state, however, that yes, there is a reason why I chose to describe the wind as a banshee from when Dave's former prison cell was broken into by Henry. More foreshadowing!

*Handsome Harold is certainly a likable fellow. Even if he's a background Toppat, I do think that from what we have seen of him, he's one of the more responsible members -- according to his bio, he has quite a few talents: he's good at talking himself out of trouble, he's in charge of keeping the Toppats' collection of information organized, and he's apparently good at the game Dungeons and Dragons! Okay, that last one was made up by me, but his hat is shaped like the dice from that game, so why not add a headcanon into his line of gifts?  I added him in because he himself states he's the face of the clan. Or at least he believes it. 

He would need to be up to date with the rules of how everything works. I like to think that because of his role, he's one of the higher authorities in the organization. Plus I needed a Toppat who was on the outside of the elite class but still in the know about what goes on with the higher-ups to pick Ellie as the leader. Sven and Carol are both temperamental in their own ways, and I think on some level, Harold is aware of this. And with the added bonus of Ellie calling Henry out and he didn't defend himself, that - in Harold's point of view - was enough to convince him that Henry actually did what Ellie accused him of doing. 

But even though I think Harold is one of the smarter tools in the shed, he didn't fully do his research. He can be emotionally caught up in affairs like other Toppats. This was proven when, if you look at the scene where Reginald was going on and on about Henry's actions, you can see Harold glaring at Henry. But why is this? Why didn't he check in with Ellie or any of the bigwigs to see if she was telling the truth? Why didn't he look at all of the facts before deciding if Henry was truly guilty (that said, yes Henry is, but we never hear his side of the story)? I understand it's a short plot and there is only so much to tell within an ending, but that is a problem with 'Toppat Civil Warfare' which I feel is another probable cause for people despising it. There's a large lack of evidence and Ellie's just a stranger. She doesn't know them and vice versa. And although the Toppats have a reason to be furious, tossing Henry out without having a tribunal or something to that effect frankly makes them look unprofessional. 

I should go ahead and spoil that this will bite them back (well sort of) later on in my story. Alright, I think you can tell that this is one of my bigger pet peeves so I'll stop here. 

*Sven did clarify that he doesn't want to lead the clan with all the weights that comes with the job in canon. Carol is a little harder to pin down - she obviously does care enough about the clan by how she keeps them in line, but I think even if she had all of the right qualifications to lead, we've seen her reacting with hostility towards Stu Pendles. There's a lot of missing context about why he owes her a lot of money, but it's clear from their interactions that Carol's temper is a scary one to behold that may make it harder for her to concentrate on keeping a cool head when under pressure. Or maybe for reasons of her own, she's just not interested in leading. 

Although that does bring a question to mind - if Ellie has a fierce temper like Carol's, why was she elected? Simply put - if she followed the rule to overthrow a leader, then she gets it: it reminds me of how queen bees in real life fight for the role. Plus, she's an outsider - she's not involved with any of the clan politics so why not choose a candidate with fresh ideas and an outside viewpoint? 

*The whole scene with the Toppats and Ellie discovering Reginald and the Right Hand Man in the desert, as well as Ellie's coronation, is partly inspired by two THSC fanworks - 1)"Burdens of a Time Traveler" by Lord_Tenebros and 2) A fan animation that shows Henry and his men seeing Reginald's and Right Hand Man's lifeless forms. Unfortunately, I think the latter animation was taken down off of YouTube as I can't seem to locate it. But regardless, as this is a story that deals with heavy stuff, it was only natural to write the scene with Ellie and the Toppats finding the former leaders in the earth and their reactions. It's something I've noticed that many fanworks seem to avoid showing. 

It's a gruesome sight to be sure, but then how else would we know - besides seeing Ellie on the title cover for TCW - that she was picked to lead the clan? Somebody had to go down there to the desert to investigate what happened to everyone, and seeing the escape pod crushing the two leaders of the clan? Someone had to bear the bad news to the Toppats which would somehow lead to Ellie winning the crown.

Ellie would be saddened by their demises after they believed her over Henry - although I do think that while Reginald was genuinely concerned about the clan, a part of him did want to take the clan back. It's never stated why, but I theorize that he didn't think Henry cared about the clan enough. Could be true, but we have seen that Henry is capable of doing good things for others even when he's not rewarded for it. But Reginald himself is not without his own flaws - he's cautious and careful, yes, but he never really gave Henry a chance. Henry was an outsider who didn't know anything about how the Toppats worked and yet it seems he did something right, according to what Thomas said about Henry being a good leader. 

Actually that does bring up a good question: what would have happened if Ellie had done the same thing had she been in Henry's shoes when Reginald offered him the airship in exchange for his freedom back in Infiltrating the Airship? 

Would he have felt the same way towards her as he did Henry? It does leave room for thought. 

But that's getting off-topic. 

*Ellie's reaction to Harold's nominating her also came from Lord_Tenebros' fanfiction, but I wanted to weave in a reflective moment to explore how Ellie would feel in these events. In the desert, she's overwhelmed about taking on such a huge part, but after seeing Reginald in the sand, she thinks about what he did for her. And so she repays the favor by taking on the responsibility and setting an example for others to follow in the clan even if she doesn't have a lot of know-how with how the gang works. But if there's something Ellie does know how to do, it's adapt. A similarity she shares with Henry, even if she won't admit it in this timeline.  

*Ellie's crowning itself is going to be part of a recurring...pattern that will come up again much later, and it's one that will establish a commonality Ellie will have with another character. 

Random Facts:

*Kabbitz I threw in because he's hilarious. He's so hammy with his Dragon Ball Z-inspired antics that I smile every time I see him. I'm not even knowledgable about DBZ yet I think Kabbitz is a fun parody of the show's characters. His tall height also made him perfect for using the Goliath metaphor because he's, well, a giant. And going up against a thief who could pull out a mecha rabbit out of a hat if he wanted to? You'll probably need and want someone like Kabbitz in the fight. 

Wanderer out!

Restoring the Soul: The Manor's Tales, Chapter One, Special Features

Hooray! I have a chance to write up one of these posts. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter One

References:

* Most of the references I have already written about on Archive of Our Own, but one notable reference I will talk more about is important due to the context behind it: 

"Yeah right, for who, a team of ghost catchers?" - Sorry, Henry, the Ghostbusters can't help you there!

There will not be any Ghostbusters in this tale, but ghosts? Absolutely!  After all, we all have things that haunt us, especially from the past. 

General:

*There’s actually another reference that exists in the story that I forgot to mention in my endnotes for that chapter, but I feel it would fit more into this category because of the fairy tale theme that exists in this story. The reference: “...with one of them stretching a robotic limb out like the Wicked Witch of the East.”  An homage to the fairy tale,The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I feel that because the story is so well-known, this plot element - a character integral to the plot and killed at the beginning of a story (although it was an accident in this case) - would be one that people would know almost on instinct.

Reginald and the Right Hand Man are integral because those two were responsible for leading the mutiny against Henry and tossing Geoffrey and Thomas into the brig when the latter two dared to question the masses, and Henry didn’t really have a chance to explain himself for why he left Ellie behind in prison. Also, like TWWOZ or other fairy tales, the characters do need to respond when they encounter legendary or mystical characters and occurrences. 

After encountering the Wicked Witch of the West, Dorothy Gale acts by traveling to Oz with her new companions to try and get help from the Wizard of Oz. And while the Henry Stickmin series may not likely be seen as a candidate for a modern fairy tale, the series still features magical or fantastical elements. With Henry himself, he has the ability to stop time briefly and bring various options before him and select which is the right tool or enchantment to handle the situation. There is an organization in the game series that has the frightening task of controlling chaos throughout Henry’s world via time travel, mysterious agents or giant weapons of destruction. Heck, there are even characters in the games named the Leprechaun and the Witch!

*Adding onto the fairy tale theme is this chapter’s setup - Henry is indeed a dethroned king thanks to many of his subjects turning their backs on them. This mutiny, along with Reginald’s history as the former leader of the Toppats, will bring up an important problem that has to be solved amongst the clan. Add to the fact that Henry himself was, in a way, married into the Toppat Clan when he joined their ranks and became the king. 

*Henry having a flashback to the events leading up to that moment all play a purpose for another central theme. This theme will tie together the two properties because of a shared commonality. This commonality is one that the characters experience on a daily basis; sometimes it makes them happy, and sometimes it makes them sad. 

*It’s not proven in the games, but it is most widely believed among HS fans that like Aladdin, Henry needed to learn how to survive on his own when he was young and while he wandered the earth. It’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that besides his thieving and ‘choose-your-tool’ skills, he built up a natural inclination to adapt to his environment - although he is shown to display an aversion to humidity and seems to dislike the cold as shown during  “Fleeing the Complex" - and a sense of direction through both explored and unexplored areas.

*Just like Henry and his rebels, another character in the story is on her own path. But the key difference is that she has been down this path many times and all have proven fruitless. 

* Showing the transition from day to night was a step in writing how this day was not only a long one for everyone, but how the night will play an important role in the setting. 

*Regarding the choice to include in links to musical compositions or sound effects to add in painting a picture for this story, there’s not really much more to say about it other than I just thought it would make the story more magical and both properties display a love for music into some fashion. I added the track ‘Fractured’ from the Henry Stickmin Collection to pick up where the ’Toppat Civil Warfare’ ending left off as a means of transitioning into this expansion of the storyline.

*I should point out that among general consensus of the fanbase, this is the most despised ending of the games because of how it ended on a cliffhanger with Henry and Ellie - where in the other endings they got along swimmingly - now hated each other and wanted to kill one another. I’m not particularly upset about this ending myself, but I do think that this ending felt like it needed some more ironing out the wrinkles and lack of answers. One such question I have is that it seems odd that everyone in the clan - except for Thomas and Geoffrey - would blindly go along with the plan to overthrow Henry when Ellie is just a stranger to the Toppats in this ending; how would they know she wasn’t lying to them? Why not just ask Henry? And if possible, who else among the Toppats would secretly think that there’s something fishy about that encounter or Reginald’s uprising? If Thomas and Geoffrey could sense something was up, why not some of the other Toppats? 

This question I have about the Toppats’ mob mentality and many other inquiries about TCW will be explored in ways in this story, as I do believe that this ending has a lot of storytelling potential. Even if the creator of the games won’t come right out and state how it would have ended anytime soon, I like to think that tossing Henry and his rebels out into the desert where Henry’s career as a thief began, gives us a window to plot out the course for these characters on where they could go and how they would resolve this unexpected conflict (and tie us back into Henry’s origins of thieving). The desert is wide open with mystery and possibility - what matters now is to pick a direction and find out what lies that way. 

Random Facts:

*Just because Henry can stand the heat doesn’t mean he likes hot peppers! That classic gag was thrown in because I believe that a lot of Henry’s antics are similar to those of classic cartoons, like the Looney Tunes - unpredictable and sometimes painful, but interesting nonetheless! 

Wanderer out!

Restoring the Soul: The Manor's Tales, Prologue, Special Features

 Welcome to the first of these Special Features posts! This is where I talk about the production behind the fanfics - the references, general knowledge and random facts. Regarding the references, I know I place them at the end of every chapter I write, but here, I'll go into more detail about them if they have any significance.

In honor of Halloween and All Saints' Day, I'll be focusing on the fanfic, "Restoring the Soul: The Manor's Tales".

Enjoy! 

-------------

Prologue: 

References: 
*None, other than the line used to open the story is taken from the Phantom Manor ride proper, voiced by the late but great Mr. Vincent Price. The the last portion of the prologue focuses on Henry and his band of outcasts. 

General:  
*The whole prologue is written like a fairy tale to set up the rest of the story and pay a nod to the original fairy tales that were written. And it's not the Disney versions that I'm ironically talking about, but the versions that were written by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and others. The Brothers Grimm - especially them - wrote stories woven with darker elements than what the House of Mouse would normally show, and so they will make their way into "RTS: TMS". As the fanfic progresses, more details about the fairy tale style of writing will be revealed.  

*The title plays off two sources.
-The first: The Henry Stickmin Collection's penchant for its action-oriented and goal-oriented titles ("Breaking the Bank", "Escaping the Prison", "Stealing the Diamond" and so on.) 

-The second: comes from The Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer. In that book, all of the stories share a similar trait to the HS games: the titles all get to the point about the plots of the stories. In The Canterbury's Tales' case, the titles all refer to a person and their individual story to tell, such as "The Knight's Tale" and "The Miller's Tale", for example. I thought this would be a good way to combine both of the properties symbolically and therefore signify that this is a crossover. Probably an unusual one at that too! 

Random Facts: 

None. 

Wanderer out!