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!

Fanning the Ramblings: Henry Stickmin Daemons, Part Two

Here's the link to the introductory part of this subject!  

As stated, I'll be listing off the ten characters I chose for this fun idea, along with the chosen bird species and my reasons why I chose them, and some miscelleanous trivia bits. This post will be longer than usual so, I'll split it into two parts. The first half will be dedicated to five characters, and the other five will go into the second post. 

• First off we have Henry Stickmin. His chosen daemon would be the Phoenix. I know it's cheating to use a mythical bird, but Henry is a mythic figure himself with all the outrageous things he can pull off. He also has, for the most part, risen from extreme circumstances, even death, back into being. Even if his ways of doing so are unpredictable.
  
  He's also a (mostly) silent character too, meaning that if one wants to write him, the possibilities for how he would speak are endless. This relates to the Phoenix because we don't know what a Phoenix bird would sound in real time, so we can make up the bird's song however we pleased. And Henry does have a slight flair for the flashy, and the Phoenix can be flashy with its beautiful colors and penchant for fire, lol. He's also one of the most mysterious characters of the games - we don't know anything about what prompted him to become a thief or why he has the ability to stop time for a moment before choosing some method to break the laws of physics. That's how it is with the Phoenix too in some ways - there are segments of information about the bird, but compared to other mythical creatures like unicorns or dragons, there's not a lot to work with for this bird and it has to be reinterpreted for new audiences again and again to keep it alive. 
  
  The name for Henry's daemon would be Esmeralda, which is translated to 'emerald' in Portuguese/Spanish. Knowing Henry's greed for gems, I think he would want to pick a name that is gem-based. I chose these names because of this factor, but also because these gemstones are used in eternity rings. It all adds to the phoenix motif I'm working with the guy. He would call her "Esme" or "Mera" for short.
  
  
• Ellie Rose - Swan. The widely known mute swan to be precise. Don't let their graceful and beautiful forms fool you. Like roses, swans can be beautiful but deadly if you push them too far. When Ellie is crossed by anyone who stabs her in the back or attacks those she cares about, she will take flight over land and sea and proceed to tear you to shreds. Swans are known to do that if they think you're threatening their offspring. 
  
  But when not threatened, they're calm and smoothly flow across the water. I headcanon Ellie does have an element of refinement in some of her movements. She's slightly rougher around the edges, but she has shown she is in touch with her femininity: she wears the color pink in her top hat, her shoes are cream-colored (which if in the right light, can almost appear white like a swan's white wings) and she likes wearing flowers in said top hat. It's also in her surname. Thinking about it, the surname has a double connotation - not just to the flower, but also the past tense of the verb, 'rise'. Swans, like other waterfowl and birds, can do that very well. Also, swans can be symbolic of romance, which can be reminiscent of her relationship with Henry if you read their relationship as more than just friendship. 
  
  Ellie's swam's name would be Rhydian. In Welsh, it means 'red' or 'crimson', and it can also mean 'ford' or 'crossing'. Fords are shallow parts of rivers that can be crossed by swimming, riding or wading, which adds another layer to Ellie's chosen daemon. 
  
  
• Charles Calvin's chosen daemon? The snowy albatross. Whenever I think of Charles and birds, I always think of the albatross brothers from the Rescuers movies, Wilbur and Orville. Like Charles, they can act silly sometimes, but they are incredibly powerful and endurable flyers. Charles is equally a goof, as he does have odd and sometimes destructive habits of crashing into buildings or things, but he is gifted at flying and can be counted on when the chips are down.
  
  Albatrosses are known to fly great distances. The snowy albatross in particular has been documented to fly to locations such as the Cape of Good Hope off of South Africa, South Island of New Zealand, and over oceans, mainly the Antarctic Ocean and Indian Ocean. Charles may not have wings in the traditional sense, but he does pilot a helicopter. From what has been seen in the games, he has flown equally long distances such as from Canada to the Amazon rainforest. To further tie him into his association with albatrosses, it's said that the early explorers of the Southern Sea saw these birds as companions, due to the explorers' solitude in one of the coldest places on Earth. Charles is a true companion to others, and brings with him joy and enthusiasm for whatever's going on. 
  
  But he's not just upbeat, he's upstanding. In one infamous ending of the games, he sacrificed himself to save Henry, all the while trying to keep on smiling even though he knew he wasn't going to make it out. That's why I theorize Charles would choose Poppy as a name for his daemon. Besides being a spunky name that indicates fun and whimsicality, it also ties back on a deeper level to the symbolism behind red remembrance poppies used to commemorate military personnel who died in war. Charles may not have been in a war, but he served and he was willing to lay down his own life for another. 
  
  
  
• Rupert Price's daemon would be a hawk, hands down. I'm torn between either a Cooper's hawk or a southwestern red-tailed hawk. Rupert shares characteristics with both birds, so I will write in the traits of both birds. Whatever bird I choose for him, his daemon's name would be Winona. A name with Dakota Sioux roots, it means 'firstborn daughter', and while it doesn't seem to have anything to do with Rupert, he is the first person who speaks to Henry while he's inside his prison cell. The name Winona also refers to a Pokemon gym leader named the same who specializes in flying types. This fact is more a fun Easter egg, on account of Rupert somewhat resembling Ash Ketchum thanks to his hairstyle. 😆
  
  Rupert is like a hawk for a number of factors. For one thing, male hawks of both species are smaller than the females, and Rupert's the same way. He's shorter in height compared to Dave or Henry, but he makes up for it with a mighty tenacity. This determination can help hawks of all shapes and sizes thrive in a wide range of habitats, including deserts, agricultural fields, forests and urban areas. Rupert is seen frequenting in the Arizonan desert in 'Escaping the Prison' and once more in 'Infiltrating the Airship'. In 'Stealing the Diamond', he's driving a police car through the city. Our friend migrates quite a lot all over the place from the desert to the air and so on just like real life hawks move. As a bonus, these types of hawks can be trained in the art of falconry. While Rupert's not a bird himself, he did undergo police and military training, and part of all that entails having to go after their assigned targets. For Rupert, he was tasked to go after Henry and/or Toppats in his shifts. 
  
  He's also like a Cooper's hawk for about the same reasons I've outlined up above, but there is a considerable difference. Like Cooper's hawks when not breeding or occasionally meeting up, Rupert is somewhat secretive and solitary. Secretive in that we don't know anything else about him besides the brief history we obtained about how he joined the police academy or what he was up to after he enlisted the military in 'Infiltrating the Airship'. He's solitary not so much in the traditional sense, as we do see him working with his peers, but he's a loner because he gradually disappears onto the sidelines and he doesn't really have any prominent speaking roles. It's hard to tell what's going on behind those hardened eyes. But his daemon would be a hawk either way for another reason, which is symbolically linked to Dave's daemon.
   
  
• Dave Panpa - Dove. If Rupert is be be an aggressive war hawk, then Dove is the peaceful dove. This is a reference to the DC Comics superhero team, Hawk and Dove - I saw the similarities those characters share with Rupert and Dave, and bingo! Instant daemon matches for the characters. Doves also generally represent peace, hope and freedom. Dave, when he was first working as a police officer, worked to keep the peace while keeping crooks behind cages so people can be free to live. Plus, I love how the names are closely spelled - Dove and Dave. But it is heavily ironic is it that he became the jailbird.
  
  I would go with a white-winged dove daemon for Dave. 
  White-winged doves inhabit a variety of environments, such as deserts and urban settings. Dave inhabits the same desert and city, only he works as a museum guard after he was fired from the prison. There's still a little reminder of his time as a police officer through the symbolic blue eye ring located around the bird's eye, which white-winged doves have. And then, like white-winged doves in the real world, he was subjected to being chased down by a larger pack of hunters. Only with him, it was no bobcat, snake or owl; it was the Toppat Clan. But through his time behind bars on the airship, he still tries to keep his own spirits up, hoping to somehow escape and get back to his job. Dave is inherently a meek and soft-spoken person, but he does desire to bring good into the world even if the criminal side of it tries its cruelest best to break him. Dave's daemon would definitely have a lot of work to do to help heal Dave's emotional and mental wounds however she can. 
  
  Speaking of which, Aurora is a pretty name for a dove so that's what I'm going with. Roman in origin, it's a reference to the mythological deity of the dawn. It's not quite on the nose as some of the other entries are on this list, but as the dawn is also symbolic of a new day filled with new hopes, that would seem comforting to Dave and give him something to which he could look forward. 
  
  And that is it for this post. Next half will be coming up whenever it gets posted.  
  
  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! 

Taking Five: September-October

 Things have been slow here so I have no real progress to show. But I have been working through a problem I've got going on in my latest chapter of my UPC story. I don't think I'll be able to finish this story by the time the year ends, but it's better to take my time and write it, well, right. Everything else is also moving gradually. Unfortunately, I've had to miss deadlines for my fanfics, due to real life but I'm happy I have a chance to breathe and work on these things whenever I can! 

I am thinking about giving everything that's in progress, or at least the things I can work on (like my Henry Stickmin stories), updates, as a way to make up for lost time, but as with other things, we shall see. 

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!

Fanning the Ramblings: Henry Stickmin Daemons, Part One

New series of posts where I ramble about miscellaneous fan material. 

This first post comes from a brainstorm partly brought to life by a well-written His Dark Materials and Ultimate Spider-Man crossover one-shot written by a friend of mine. If you’re reading this, you know who you are! :)

I thought of doing the same thing with characters from The Henry Stickmin Collection because the concept of daemons representing personalities is a fascinating one. I subscribe to the theory that they also represent the consciousness of someone, which is a headcanon that also comes from my friend. But that’s about all I find interesting with His Dark Materials, besides a few characters. Everything else is not my cup of tea. I think the story started out simple-ish enough, but as the series went on, everything started getting more wonky, with the inclusion of a multi-universe (not quite as expansive as Marvel's and DC’s but it’s still overwhelming) and the main characters saving every universe through equally…different means. Not to mention some of the characters are not totally open to character development because they’re not looking to redeem themselves. Take Mrs. Coulter for instance; I saw the 2005 film version and I have read The Golden Compass but I did not like her in either adaptation because her actions are really confusing that I can’t really find myself liking her.

And it’s not just me, either. I took a look at some crossovers and it appears most of them use the daemon concept, but the characters from their properties barely meet up. I don’t exactly see someone like Captain Kirk wanting to shake hands with Lord Asriel anytime soon. I also don’t see any other HDM concepts used in the crossovers. I believe it’s partly because for one thing, having your own personality/subconscious take animal form that you can talk to has a lot of potential for exploring a character’s mindset and talking animals are a common story element people enjoy in stories of old and new. And from what I can tell, that’s the top reason why people want to write within the HDM realm at all. Everything else is up to the beholder. 

But trying it with Henry Stickmin is a fun idea, so I made a list matching characters with their daemons. This is not the definite, end-all list, as there are a few more characters to pair off with their daemons, but I’m going with these ten for now. 

Henry Stickmin - Phoenix

Ellie Rose - Swan

Charles Calvin - Albatross

Rupert Price - Hawk

Dave Panpa - Dove

Hubert Galeforce - Eagle

Wilson Stone - Owl 

Dmitri Johannes Petrov - Vulture 

Reginald Copperbottom - Magpie/Raven (Undecided)

Right Hand Man - Falcon 

You might have noticed that there is a pattern with these daemons: they’re all birds. And that’s because besides the fact I can’t seem to resist taking on challenges for my good, in which case the challenge is to use one type of animal only, I found it surprisingly easy and fitting to match everyone with birds. Birds have so much symbolism to them, and although birds are not regularly used in the games, the motif of flight is present throughout: we can see this in the vehicles used like the Toppats’ airship and its escape pods, Charles and his helicopter, the Toppats’ space station, the Center for Chaos Containments’ mobile units and the flying armor known as Prototype, I could go on. 

And this is not limited to aircraft; this motif extends to characters too, like the Right Hand Man and his ability to soar thanks to his cybernetics, the many tools and gags Henry uses to help him take flight including a real bird that helps him escape danger at one point and his own cyborg form in ‘Revenged', Ellie’s talent for lifting someone into the air using the Force, Charles’ aforementioned helicopter and his own endearing but sometimes-flighty tendency (no pun intended), and other motif instances I can’t think of. 

So why not use birds to emphasize this motif and build upon characters’ personalities and abilities based on what we see in the series? 

I don’t know what I’ll do with this idea - perhaps write one-shots or something. But in the meantime, I’m going to keep on playing with it and choosing the specific bird types for each character. There are so many birds in the world, yes, but one owl will differ from another and I want to match each daemon with their character correctly. This will take time as I don’t want to pick a bird for the ’this bird is so cool and awesome!!’ factor and we only have so much information about the HS characters. The games aren’t too explicit with the backgrounds behind the cast, so in order to garner what birds will naturally work for them, researching these birds and trying to mirror them with their assigned persons is a must. 

In a future post, I’ll not only explain why I chose each bird for their human counterpart, but I’ll also give their names and other bits of trivia. 

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!