Character Spotlight, Ty Parsec, Part Two

It isn't a wolf... it's a wirewolf!

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4. INSPIRATION

I would like to thank the Academy for inspiring me! And by the Academy, I mean the Space Ranger Academy. There were a number of fans and friends who inspired my own take for Ty. 

A founder, as it were, for my interpretation of the guy came from the fanfic writer and artist, TyParsec on DeviantART. Because I came into the BLoSC scene long after she did, I never spoke with her but I liked some of her Ty headcanons, one of which will be mentioned in the headcanon section of this post. How she wrote Ty was part of what jumpstarted my own way for writing the guy: fairly down-to-earth and sarcastic but not as much as he was in ‘Wirewolf’, and undoubtedly heroic. But a difference between my writing and hers is that I also write him as a somewhat tense Ranger who has a lot on his mind and is trying to figure out how to navigate his life post-Wirewolf. 

She also was the one who got me into giving Ty his own team because she too had a character who worked with Ty when the character joined Star Command after a series of events, and who was also a love interest. Ty sure gets all the ladies in Fanland! Must be the hair. 

There are a number of other fans, artists and/or writers who inspired me to invent my own version of Ty, but as some of their influences are more or less similar, I'll instead list off who they are and what exactly are/were their contributions to my Ty. 

• For the Kingdom: They wrote "Victim: At Least I'm Not the Villian" which takes a look at the dynamic between Ty and Buzz, and explores the possibility of Ty gaining electrical powers. Oh and he saves the day too. Hooray!
• P.A.W.07: The author behind "Selenophobia", this fic takes a darker turn at Ty's thoughts about the wirewolf, his mission to protect others and fleshes more of his personality out. It's also kind of an AU, so it will not be canon to the main universe.
• C.P.: I will not use her full screen name as she does not want anyone to see her fan stuff, and I want to honor her wishes in the event she comes back to the Internet. But I will say that she had so many golden ideas and headcanons for not just Ty, but also about Star Command itself, some of which in the former I'll share in the headcanon portion of this post.
• Maskerade: She wrote excellent pieces showcasing the character dynamics between Ty and NOS-4-A2, Savy SL-2 and NOS-4-A2, and Ty and Savy, some of which I'll be using for my own fanfics. She's a fantastic artist too, and has crafted wonderful interpretations of an older!Savy. Plus I love how she writes Ty's and Savy's sarcastic tongues - so much snark!
•  MicrobiologyMajor: She gave Ty in her story "A New Hero" advanced senses in hearing and smell, as side effects from his Wirewolf condition. I like how even when he can't turn frequently into the creature, it's still with him in some fashion. She also made Ty the captain of his own team too, and his interactions with them are amusing and interesting to watch. 
• Kittywizard: This author has written a number of BLoSC retellings and 'what-if' scenarios for the show, such as "What If", that it's all neat to read. It's not just Ty's story she explores but she also takes other episodes from the show and explores some of other timelines that could have happened based on, well, 'what if'. 

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5. FUTURE PLANS

So what's Ty Parsec of Star Command going to get into? Asides from a large fanfiction series I'm working on where he'll be a main lead (and that series will need a big post of its own so I won't mention it here), there are some non-canon stories I' ll have in the works. He'll be a main character in some of these stories and in others, he'll be a supporting one. 

First up is an AU where Ty is raised and brought up by wolves to be a Tarzan-like protector of the forest (or jungle depending on where this is set and how I want to make this happen), barely knowing anything about the human world until a few humans come into the green one day. I think it would be interesting to see how Ty would respond in being raised by many members of a pack, by the very same type of animal he became in canon and then suddenly experience culture shock when he learns there are other humans like him out in his neck of the woods, so to speak. 

Another writing idea? A BLoSC/Disney's Hercules crossover.

Considering both series were produced under Tad Stones' name, and quite a few of the voice actors did hop over from Hercules to BLoSC, I can't help but want to make this become a thing. Plus it'd be entertaining to see how science fiction and mythological wonders collide, and to also write the characters sharing the same voice actor react to one another would be priceless. XD

This isn't the final idea, but it's one I certainly want to add because he's not a star player but he will show up: a crossover series where other science fiction characters show up and meet at a diner to make small talk and/or break the fourth wall and talk about their shows or fans, a la Roger Rabbit. 

I did also have an idea to throw Ty in with a 1970s AU where he plays a private eye, but this one will need more mulling over, so I'm not sure if I'll take this project on or not.

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6. HEADCANONS

*I theorize that Ty has gained PTSD. Because honestly, him seeming entirely in good health after those events in the show?....eh. Now don't get me wrong, I understand that Ty's Wirewolf thing in a kid's show wasn't meant to be a long arc to be overcome. Ty was a minor character and, on the surface layer at the least if you don't count the subtle changes like King Nova lightening up on his attitude to the Rangers, the show didn't focus on building major story arcs like some series do today. Ty's own arc was solved in only two episodes: he became the Wirewolf in one, and was forced to become it again in the other before getting rid of NOS-4-A2 once and for all. But in a real world setting, the problem would still be there and it wouldn't be easy to overcome. So why not elaborate more on how he feels about the creature and how it still affects him even if it's not 'there'?

*Sitka VII was a planet that was referenced by name in one of the episodes, "Large Target". It's mentioned that they have great skiing there, and that's all we know about it. I decided to make it Ty's homeplanet simply because it was mentioned. May as well do something with it. 

*This is a headcanon I stole from C.P.; when Ty was a kid, he had a hedgehog named Toliman. It's a cute idea!  C.P. also brought up the idea that Ty, if he were from Earth, he would have a mixed heritage - Tlingit, Eyak, English, French, Spanish, Russian and K'iche'. 

*There is one animal I theorize he doesn't like at all: bats. He became afraid of bats at some point after a run-in with them when he was younger. He managed to get over his fear when he was older or so he thought. That's why he freaked out when he first saw NOS-4-A2 on Canis Lunis, and when he literally ran into the energy vampire in "Revenge of the Monsters"  before he was changed into the Wirewolf. 


*Although Ty doesn't seem the type to enjoy candy a lot, he does like to munch on red and black licorice. The name of this candy would be Lux Licorice. Also, he can enjoy ice cream every now and then. His preferred flavor would be pistachio. 

*Surfing is one of his hobbies. This headcanon comes from the aforementioned TyParsec on DeviantART. Before Ty attended the Space Ranger Academy, he was nicknamed "Moondoggie" by some of his surfing buddies. He probably wouldn't be sure what to think of the nickname now. 

*The Wirewolf is vulnerable to plants like NOS-4-A2. Speaking of which, Ty is able to transform into the creature because NOS-4-A2 unintentionally planted nanobots into Ty's body that react whenever the moonlight shines upon Ty and they change him into an energy creature. I'm not sure why a wolf instead of a vampire, although I'll estimate that it's because NOS-4-A2's bite has a different effect on humans.  

*Ty's not a hat person. He doesn't want his pompadour to be messed up. 

*The spiked wings emblem on Ty's uniform signifies he retains the rank of sergeant. Because the ranks in the show aren't really explored, other fans and I looked to real life rank systems in the military forces and police forces. It was decided that as Ty is not a rookie but isn't a captain or commander, this would be a rank underneath captain. I'll have to look into my old notes for that.   

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7. PERSONAL

*I like Ty because he does seem really human, like he's someone you could talk to in real life. Which is funny because he has a superpower, while Buzz is all human and is the star of the show. And yet Buzz is treated and written as though he were a superman - his charisma, his over-the-top speeches, his dedication to truth and justice and the Galactic Alliance way, the works. Buzz is fun, but it probably would be hard to get in a word with him due to his own shortcomings. But whereas Buzz acts as the superman of the show, Ty, on the hand, is the everyman - someone who tries to do his best at his job, suffers the low points of his life, and although he's a tad more testy than others, he does ultimately have a good heart. 

*For such a one-shot character (yes I know he was in two episodes, technically three if you count the cameo from "War and Peace and War", but I think the point is made), Ty has garnered quite a fanbase. It might be because he's someone who is part of the Buzz Lightyear lore, but not necessarily in a positive way. It makes him stand out among a plethora of Buzz admirers, but Ty is the opposite; he doesn't want anything to do with Buzz (not at first anyway), and just wants to show that he's as every bit as heroic as the next Space Ranger. Well, that and the Wirewolf power is certainly intriguing and makes him unique since he's the only person who's capable of turning from organic to metallic in his universe. As far as we'll ever know, anyway.  

*Here are a few song choices that make me think of Ty: 
"Kryptonite" by Three Doors Down, and "Remember the Words" by Ace of Base (although in the case of this song, I don't think about just one character when I hear it, but I also believe this applies to other characters. However, I feel it especially fits Ty because of what he went through, what he almost lost and what he regained.) I might have to look at more songs for him. There were other songs I initially thought up for Ty, but I found some of them don't really fit my view of him anymore. 

Wow, that was a lot to write for this character analysis. But it was fun and I hope that you've all enjoyed reading this take on Ty!

Wanderer out!

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!

Character Spotlight: Ty Parsec, Part One

  Ty Parsec of Star Command.

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1.HISTORY

Let's go back in time, to thirteen (my gosh, it's been that long??) years ago when I first came across this character.

Picture it: 2011, wintertime, and you're channel surfing to pass the time indoors. You come across a channel and see an animated movie you haven't seen in a long time. For me, that was Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins.  

Around that time of year, I was going through a bit of a rut; my favorite animated show at that time, Danny Phantom, had ended a few years earlier in 2008. I was looking for something new to get into because a lot of the passion I initially had for the show evaporated (and the fans whose work I had been silently following on DeviantART and Fanfiction.Net either moved on or disappeared), and wouldn't you know it? This film came into the picture... no pun intended. And I was hooked. It was because of retro early 1960s aesthetics the show had going on: the Space Rangers' standard uniform being inspired by the early space suits worn by early NASA pioneers, the Star Cruisers' retro rockets' look, the nods to Disneyland's House of the Future in Tomorrowland, and so many other great features. 

 After that, I rediscovered the show after not having seen it for years. And my interest in this show grew because I liked the adventures and the characters. But Ty was not the very first character I liked.

Buzz was actually the one who caught my eye, but it wasn't because of his heroic feats or hammy speeches. It was because when his personality was written well, and he was allowed to show signs of vulnerability, I could emphasize with him a bit more. And this couldn't have been more evident in the episode, "Wirewolf", where he was allowed to be physically hurt and confront the issues that developed between him and Ty. 

Ty himself was a character I was mildly interested in and thought to be a decent character. All of that changed when I was browsing the web and looking up all things BLoSC--fanfiction, fanart, animated music videos. One of those videos caught my eye - a tribute to him. Well, that video and another one did me in and many fanfic readings/fanart searching/headcanons later, here I am, a Ty fan!  

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2. THE RANGER OF THE HOUR

Where to start with Ty? Well, for one: he's a very snarky character. But unlike some characters where their sarcasm is unfounded and they use it to make snide remarks at one's expense for the sake of a 'joke', his is relatable; it's been hinted in the show that he became so sour because of his history with Buzz and for all the fifty plus times he was saved. He makes remarks to hide how he truly feels and/or to restrain himself from doing saying anything brash, and because he appears to be cynical by nature--I don't think it's in him to be so optimistic about a lot of things after getting his reputation shattered and being deemed helpless. A lot of fans depict Ty as having suffered through nasty remarks given to him by other Space Rangers, and I can buy into this theory. 

I mean, if you were in an organization and you had to endure jokes or insults from your peers because they believed you to be helpless even though you did more than your fair share of work and it wasn't recognized because someone else had taken the spotlight, wouldn't you feel irritated by the person doing that to you while they're unaware of it? 

And he doesn't make sarcastic remarks to intentionally hurt anyone, from what we have seen in the show. It does beg the question of why he didn't tell Buzz how he felt, and thus showing his passive-aggressiveness, but I feel that even if he did try to talk to him, Buzz wouldn't get it from the get-go. Buzz isn't exactly always on the front lines of noticing peoples' emotional states. He's done this with Booster in Inside Job, he's done this with Bonnie in Eye of the Tempest, and heck, even his older self in Good Ol' Buzz showcased how Buzz as a whole needs to work on his people skills. 

Buzz is not a bad guy, but he can seem to make everything about himself or Star Command even if he has no intention to do so. That, and it would seem to me that Ty did try to talk to him in the past about how he felt, but each time he did, it didn't get through to Buzz for one reason or another, so he's stopped trying and resorted to restraining his negative feelings towards his old friend. I guarantee that if Buzz's behavior affected someone else, they probably would have punched him hard enough to break his nose, but Ty didn't even when he was going on about their days in the Academy.

Ty's a lot tougher than folks give him credit for, both in-universe and out. Even though he was freaked out by NOS-4-A2 earlier, he managed to work up the courage to tackle him to save someone else. In fact, as shown by his acts of saving XR and trying to get Team Lightyear off Canis Lunis and offering to leave for the good of everyone on Star Command when he was discharged, Ty has shown himself to be a courageous and selfless person. Now it can be easy to say that bravery and a willingness to sacrifice one's self are essential requirements to a Space Ranger's character, since many of the Rangers in the show have demonstrated these qualities, but I feel like with Ty, these are qualities that come naturally to him as opposed to adopting them. I think it's because they seem to fit more of Ty's personality more--he might appear like he doesn't care about his job, but deep down, he's very loyal to it and will perform it as best as he can. He kind of reminds me of Leonard McCoy from Star Trek in this instance--Bones is a grouch, but he also has a strong sense of commitment to save others' lives, making him (and Ty), well-rounded characters. 

This wasn't talked about a lot, both in the show and through my own analysis, but I've noticed that he is a hard worker. I always saw those bags under his eyes a sign that he hasn't had some decent sleep in some time because he was working so hard to perform his duty--patrolling and the like. He doesn't like to take on the less-than-glamourous assignments, but he will because he was assigned to them. If he was lousy at his job, he wouldn't have gone through with it.

Another noticeable quality I think Ty has is a sense of empathy for other beings. Hey, another Bones comparison! Ty isn't a doctor (dangit Jim!), but that doesn't make him any less caring for other creatures. He showed his concern when his first partner, Sentry One, was attacked by NOS-4-A2 and tried to see what he could do to help him. 

Sure he couldn't really do anything about it, but it's his actions that count. He wouldn't be a Space Ranger if he didn't care for helping people out with their problems. It might be also that, to me at least, he seems like he comes from a modest background, and thus, has learned to tune into the emotional needs of others because their needs might be more urgent than his own. 

But with all of these kinder sides to him, he's not going to show them right off the bat. As part of his paramilitary training, and his history with Buzz, I can see him not being too affectionate with others unless it's necessary. He's a nice guy, but affection is not the first thing that'd come to mind for him when engaged in a social scenario. In private, or with a loved one, that may change. In addition, I think after he and Buzz patched up their problems, Ty's certainly mellowed out as we've seen in "Revenge of the Monsters" so although he's not going to give up being gruff, I take it that he's at least calmer in his interactions with others. 

Like anyone else, he has his share of flaws and weaknesses. Even though he was trying to contain his negative emotions towards Buzz, Ty did hold everything in before he exploded in anger when he reached his breaking point. His holding his emotions in is a universal habit many of us can relate to, which makes him more human. I see it as part of Ty's way of trying to be strong however he can--in the eyes of his peers and through his own code. He probably holds his emotions in because he feels like if he slips off the edge at any time, it could spell trouble for him. And it did! 

I think another weakness he might have is his selflessness. It's a good ideal to uphold, but the flip side is that you give up everything in you: your energy, time, sometimes even happiness. You can end up burned out and too rattled to care about anything else. Going back into Ty's background, even though we don't know anything about his in-show background, this seems like he's had to do this a lot, both pre-Academy and post-Academy, and as we have seen in "Wirewolf" and "Revenge of the Monsters", he can be fully aware of what he's giving up and he's not always happy about it, but he knows it's for a greater cause--keeping others safe or giving them something they want/need. 

...Okay, so where does that leave the wired elephant in the room? What about the Wirewolf? Well, quite frankly; the Wirewolf wasn't really what caught my attention to Ty first. The Wirewolf is a part of him.

Which leads me into...

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                               3. DEPICTIONS

...Ooh boy. 

*"Ty getting over his Wirewolf dilemma in five seconds": One of my biggest pet peeves. I've seen this done, and....this is something I can't see the man doing. Granted, I think folks may chalk this up to his simply not remembering the events, and while that is true, a horrific transformation from flesh and blood to metal and wires would be something that I don't think can be easy to get over. Even though his WW transformation is something that can't really be seen or done in real life, his reactions and emotions to the whole thing are understandable--changing into the WW is something he's scared of, and it's clear he feels shame and guilt for his actions even if it wasn't his fault. His whole body expression near the start of "Revenge of the Monsters" decreed that he wasn't feeling too good about his actions on Canis Lunis. 

I feel that what he went through would scar him for years to come, and even haunt him through his dreams and daily interactions with Rangers who will have heard of the WW and give mixed receptions--awe or fear or something else instead of taking the time to know him. He'd want to find some way to deal with the creature--mostly by either trying to get rid of it or if he can't, at least come to terms with it. 

*"Helpless dude in distress":....um...why? What's the point of writing him in distress when that was his whole motivation to get away from Buzz and do his own thing in the first place? That doesn't make a lick of sense. He's not a coward or helpless.The Space Ranger Corps would at least train their people hard to swallow their fears and get the job done in tough situations, and that training paid off for Ty. Not that a Ranger can't get into danger (hey, a rhyme!), but let's give the guy a break by having him grow and do saving of his own, shall we? 

*"Lover boy": Yes, I do admit I myself have portrayed Ty in romantic situations, but I don't write him as falling in love at first sight, vs. some of the forms of media I've seen where that's his main depiction. With his grounded personality, he seems more sensible with romance and would try to take the time to know someone before he could call them his lover. 

I feel like he would be looking for someone who has some substance and sense of reality to them, and who could understand and accept him for who he is, not the Wirewolf. 

Which reminds me...I'm not on Team Ty/NOS-4-A2. NOS-4-A2 is a character I have come to regard with apathy for how he's seen all over the Interwebs, but if he can be written well, then I can actually enjoy him and his interactions. But when it comes to pure romantic pairings, Ty and NOS are like oil and water: they don't mix well. Ty would not want to have anything to do with the vampire that gave him the Wirewolf curse in the first place; heck, in "Revenge of the Monsters", when he first saw NOS, he freaked out and couldn't move a muscle because of what the vampire did to him. It was near the end when the WW broke free from NOS' spell that Ty gathered the courage and got rid of the vampire once and for all because he was mad at what NOS did and was doing to pick on Buzz. However...when someone writes Ty and NOS-4-A2 in a setting where their interactions make sense (pure opponents for example), I can appreciate the thought put into them!

*"Wirewolf": Frankly, I see it as a part of Ty that he can't let go of and has to learn to accept. It's an animal that likes to feed on robots, and can be controlled through Ty's influence. It's a creative twist on the werewolf character, and I do like the thought put into it. But I feel like people only know who Ty is because of his wolf heritage and not for the man himself, and it comes off as shallow. Transformations like the ones he endured look mighty painful and liking him solely for his wolf status makes him come off as less than human and more of a caricature. That's like saying that Bruce Banner's only notable trait is the Hulk when he's got more than that: his brilliant brain, his sarcastic wit, his allegiance to the Avengers, and his love for Betty Ross. If Ty were a real person, I'm not sure he'd like people digging his curse and would want to be appreciated for his other gifts. 

Next up, part two--inspirations, future goals and headcanons! And as usual, other goodies.

Enjoy this post!

Wanderer out!

Taking Five: July and August Updates

 Hello, long time no chat. I’m making a small but crucial change to these ‘Taking Five’ updates; as it seems that a lot keeps on happening in my life (not bad, just busy), I’ll be giving updates every two months. That way, I’ll have hopefully a lot more to share regarding everything and I don’t have to worry about meeting monthly deadlines. 

With that, what’s been going on? Well, “Through Smoke and Bitter Distance” has been an absolute…er, mission to accomplish. I did update with one more chapter, but unfortunately, I had to splice it into two, so now I’m writing the epilogue, which is a lot easier said than done due to my Henry Stickmin muse hiding in the shadows. But by hook or crook, I will get this done!

I’ve also been working on a new Character Spotlight post, and have also been editing some older stories and I plan on reposting them on a new account I made. I won’t reveal what they are yet, but they will deal with a big universe I’ve been constructing for quite a while now. Some folks may know, but for anyone who hasn’t heard of it… you’ll see! 

Wanderer Out! 

Character Spotlight: Blaze the Cat, Part Two

 

Her Royal Highness has got style! 

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                            4. INSPIRATION

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

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

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

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5. FUTURE PLANS

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

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6. HEADCANONS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

mission. 

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7. PERSONAL

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

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

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

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

Wanderer out! 

Taking Five: March April, May and June Updates

 A lot has happened in my life, so I just haven’t had a lot of time to give a lot of significant updates other than what I’ve been posting for my character spotlight and miscellaneous pieces on here and working on"Through Smoke and Bitter Distance” . The good news about the latter though - I’m almost done with the story! I just have one more chapter and then the epilogue and then I can call it finished. 

And more news - I might be more active here as I may not have as much going on as I did in the spring, but nothing is promised!  I’ll say this much though. One of my muses is back… like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Wanderer out!

Character Spotlight: Blaze the Cat, Part One

 

Do not scream at the cat. Have a SoBe green tea. 

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1.HISTORY

I’ve dived in and out of the Sonic fanbase for years, so I don’t have an interesting account to give regarding how I came across this character. The most I can offer is that when Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) was released, I remember seeing Blaze in the game and being curious about her. I didn’t know that she originally appeared in Sonic Rush first, which came out the year before, but the 2006 game was my introduction to this gal. I thought she had a really cool design, though; I never saw a Sonic cat character before, and her backstory sounded intriguing. 

It’s odd but prior to my firmly planting seeds for my own Sonic fanfics, Blaze was a character whom I would look at and say, “Oh yeah, I remember her, she’s a good character,” and then I never gave her much thought beyond that. Now I find that she stands apart from her peers. Besides seeing a cat in the Sonic video game universe for the first time, and not knowing that Big the Cat was the first Sonic feline character in the video game line, I was impressed by her ability to handle fire - I never saw any Sonic character with an elemental power at their disposal which is a reason why she stands out.  

Although I confess that sometimes I think she’s not used as much in games which is unfortunate because she’s different from other characters with potential for storytelling. This is in part to her dutiful and closed off nature...

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2. THE CAT OF THE HOUR

Blaze always came off as an older character to me. According to her bio, she’s stated to be fourteen years old but she always seemed like an old soul and I think it’s how she carries herself that makes her seem that way. She’s a princess from another dimension, heir to a whole empire and guardian of mystical gems. That’s a lot for a teenager to deal with yet she handles it all with diligence and discipline. I do have to question where her parents are in all of this or why she doesn’t go by Queen Blaze, although I have read somewhere that on some websites, she is actually addressed as a queen.  I have my own theories on her parents, but I will address this later in the next post.

When she’s partnered off with innocents like Cream, eager beavers like Marine or melodramatics like Silver, she continually handles their mannerisms with care and calm. With Cream, even if she wants to leave and go look for the Sol Emeralds in Sonic Rush, she can’t bring it upon herself to rudely dismiss the kid when she was nothing but nice to her. Okay, so she actually does bluntly decide to push on when Cream suggests that they go some activities together, but in spite of that when they first meet, Blaze still exudes calm and restraint, and even politeness in her interactions with Cream and her mom Vanilla. I think a part of it is due to the shock she felt at their kindness - she hasn’t felt anything like that before as far as we know. With Marine and Silver, she keeps them focused on the important priorities. She has a drive for herself and others to reach the end goal in mind, which is a quality a true leader will have. There is a downside to that part of herself, however. 

Because she’s so loyal to her duties, it can make her come off as entirely devoted to her job. She’s so self-reliant and thinks she has to be the one to take on all these responsibilities that meeting new people is considered a waste of time in her eyes. But it’s not because she has anything to prove or she thinks she’s better than anyone else. No, this is because she had to endure teasing from her peers when she was young and mocked for her inability to control her pyrokinesis. Once more, that’s a lot for a teenager her age to handle: I mentioned her royal titles and assignments before, but to also learn to control her fire powers and having a hard time doing so while also facing terrible things people around her say? It’s amazing she didn’t go to the dark side because of it all. 

But it does suggest that due to the pressure, the teasing, and the need to control her abilities, she’s closed herself off from losing control over her emotions and pathways to making connections. Even in Sonic Rush, she confirms that she’s always been alone because of her powers and she saw them as a curse than a blessing, which I take to be a hint that maybe the opinions of those who made those nasty remarks got to Blaze on psychological and emotional levels. No one was there to defend her or help her with her problems. As a result, she may have wanted to prove to herself, which she eventually did, that she could master her pyrokinesis and emotions, and learn not to let anyone get to her no matter what they say and not to lean on anyone for help because they may let or slow her down or tease her again. Poor cat girl. 

In her thought process, at least initially before Sonic and the gang change her mind, friendship is not worth it. So if she strikes anyone as an antisocial or cold character when they first meet her in the game, that’s why. Also in her defense, I think a very minor part of her did want to reach out to others and to not want to deal with her gifts, but that part of herself was locked away for some time. It’s possible that as a result, she grew sad about the duties and titles thrust upon her. It’s not that she didn’t want to toss them aside or jump for joy at taking them on, but those are all she had in her possession and going on for her until the events of Sonic Rush. Well, that and the isolation bit I brought up. I theorize that overtime as she learned to build her stoic wall, she saw guarding the Sol Emeralds and protecting her empire as the top essentials for her to direct her eyes upon no matter what she feels. Emotions could be seen as a detriment to her quest.

But even that can backfire too. It’s commendable she’s learned to keep a cool head in situations, but for all her calmness, she has also shown that even she has her limits in the patience department. In Sonic Rush Adventure, she snaps at Marine for… well, she calls the kid a nuisance. Granted she, Sonic and the rest were dealing with a crisis or trying to plan how to stop Captain Whiskers from bringing his evil plans to fruition, but this shows that Blaze still has a bit of a ways to go before she can completely control her emotions. This does bring up a thought though: what if some of that irritation may have been bottled up from her past trauma? The anger she felt at everything in her life may have stewed deep inside for a long time while she ignored any attempts at allowing herself to feel it or accept that it’s there. It’s a bit of a stretch, admittedly, but it does provide another reason as to why she was so adamant about doing things alone in Sonic Rush. She didn’t want to place her trust in others who weren’t there for her. 

But as she has welcomed friendship into her heart, she also realizes the importance of feeling her emotions however she sees fit for her own health. That’s a good fit for her personality. It would be so out of character if all of a sudden she bursts with emotion like she’s in a soap opera. But she doesn’t do that; she’s a member of royalty so she’s naturally going to express herself in a regal manner. 

 One other important aspect to her character is her elegance and grace within her speed, movement and powers. The other characters all have their own ways of how they move: Sonic - fast and confident, Tails - full of spirit and loving of flight, and Knuckles - sturdy and anchored to the job. Blaze is stated to move like a ballerina when she spins and jumps into the air, and I think that’s innovative. Fire can move about rapidly or slowly, but elegantly like a dancer? That’s ties to her calm disposition. As a dancer in the world of ballet, a dancer must be on his or her toes ready to perform slowly or quickly to tell the story through moves and postures, as well as convey to the audience what the character is thinking or saying on the stage. In Blaze’s case, a number of her scenes paint a picture of her quick thinking and intelligence, the slow buildup in her powers to when she must prepare for the hard days ahead and the urgency she feels when she has to use them to defeat a foe or accomplish a mission, including leaping over buildings in single bounds like a ballerina. 

She’s also shown to be intelligent and certainly more on the ball than other characters. So much so that she also built up a sense of high awareness as to what goes on all around her to protect herself, her subjects and the Sol Emeralds. This can be backed up in the gameTeam Sonic Racing. At one point, Vector tries to lie to her about something. In response, she states that as a princess, she’s had to deal with liars her whole life and it’s her job to decipher truth -tellers from lie-tellers so she can know whom to trust. She can tell something’s up and she wants to know what it is.  

Her desire to know what Vector was hiding indicates she has a penchant for honesty. She doesn’t like to mince words and although her words don’t always come out lovingly, she will stick by the truth and tell others what she thinks when she feels they need to hear something they’re not going to like but may need to hear. I think to some angle, this trait of hers was fully displayed in Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 AKA Sonic ’06. As much as that game is not the top game on every Sonic fan’s list, I do think there are some nuggets of good stuff to be found. One of which is Blaze’s characterization. 

In the scenes we see her in, which are small but important, the writers did nicely in continuing on her development from her first game - she now works with others and even takes on the role of a big sister figure for Silver when he gets into a funk. In Sonic ’06, she calls Silver naive at one point - twice too. A little harsh, but because Silver is older than Marine, he’s not going to shed tears over these criticisms. The change in her character here may lie that in some convoluted way, maybe she learned to temper her bluntness to a slightly softer tone. The first time she calls Silver naive, it was when he was questioning if - spoilers ahead - killing Sonic to save the future is the right course of action to take. 

She didn’t know what happened to Silver to make him ask that question, so she may have called him naive because he was in a downer and contemplative mood, but she does respond in a mite gentler way that she doesn’t know if what they’re doing is right or wrong and that they have to do something - anything even if it means taking a life - to save the future world. I don’t agree with what she says, but I do think she does show that she won’t hide what she’s feeling to help Silver with his own emotional dilemmas. This is another sign that she’s grown as a person: she’s willing to share more on how she feels about situations rather than keep her feelings stowed away. 

Plus, she does keep her mind open for any proof that contradicts what she and Silver were told about Sonic being the catalyst for the destruction of the world which further serves to show her intellect and honesty. Once Silver found out Sonic wasn’t the cause, Blaze didn’t seem at all upset that they were wrong. All she said about it was, “I see…” We don’t actually see her facial reaction to this discovery, as she spoke off-screen, but she was still calm; she didn’t protest, she didn’t try to change Silver’s mind, she did nothing of the sort. She could tell he was telling her the truth and that seemed enough for her to change her mind about the situation with Sonic. 

I would like to also write about one funny detail about her profile: she’s afraid of heights. Very relatable as I’m scared of them too. For Blaze, it’s ironic because she’s a cat and cats climb onto tall structures or items all the time. I think she deals with it by focusing on what’s ahead and not looking down when she’s in the air. Wise move. 

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3. DEPICTIONS/QUESTIONS

Even though Blaze is popular among Sonic fans, she does have less-than-positive comments made about her. But this time, she’ll get support from me and questions towards the remarks.

*"She’s shy” : Shy? I... don’t really see her as that. Reserved, yes, and I think I can understand why others see her as shy, but I don’t think shy is the right word for her. If she was shy, I think she would display more timidity. Maybe she did display shyness when she was younger, but there’s nothing to indicate that’s her personality before she’s introduced to the world. I’m surprised no one’s written an origin for her to write using this trait.  

*"She’s heartless”: See in the above section for my rebuttal to this argument. 

*"Sol Dimension or Crisis City??”: I’m confused about this as well - where does she come from? I think ultimately, the creators will react with, “It’s a fun video game world, please go with it.” I bet it’s a floating timeline situation: some events from games past will be carried on into present ones even if logically it doesn’t make sense for them to be there. It happens a lot in comic books, it’s not illogical to assume it happens in games too. Personally I vouch for the Sol Dimension theory, but that’s me. 

*”She’s boring”: I’m not opposed to people’s opinions if they don’t like a character because he or she is not like the other ones in the cast. But I have heard a person call her boring which I don’t understand. I mean, just because she’s not as excitable as Amy or moody like Shadow doesn’t mean she’s not unique. She’s the only one with elemental powers and she’s the only one in the video game crew who is an actual princess. Now before I’m reminded of this fact, I am aware that Sally Acorn is also a princess. But I must also point out that she originated in animation, not video games. And as Sega has officially separated from Archie Comics and doesn’t want to have anything to do with them or SatAM, they’re not going to bring Sally back anytime soon so to them, Blaze is the top princess character.   

*”So…. what now?”:  Poor Blaze, I feel, seems forgotten in the games. She does make appearances in some of them because of how much people like her, but there’s no story to really focus on her. I understand why though; she’s not the face of the Sonic franchise like, well, Sonic is, alongside Tails, Knuckles and Amy. She’s from another dimension and there’s no motive for Sonic and company to swing over there, unless some bad guy decides to steal Blaze’s throne or something. In hindsight, perhaps it was a good thing that she hasn’t been featured in a lot of appearances in the Sonic franchise because then it means her character remains consistent and does not go through weird changes in other media. But it would be nice for her to actively take part in a story again.

She has a consistent character growth and character, but she could always use room to grow. How? I’m not sure, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. I think that’s why maybe that’s why folks forgot about her; it almost feels like they wrote themselves into a corner where her major character arc is completed but then they don’t know what else to do with her. I did hear that in the IDW comics, Blaze and Knuckles did share a moment on how they do have quite a bit in common with their backgrounds and responsibilities. I’m not really up to date with those comics, but I do like this bit. Even then I’m wondering… well, what comes next? Will Blaze and Knuckles decide to trade jobs when one is needed to leave their homes or what? 

Well, I know what’ll come next: the next part to this post! Inspirations, goals, headcanons and more! 

Enjoy this post!

Wanderer out!