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Not part of Riordanverse
The following article/section is from the Tristan Strong continuity under Rick Riordan Presents and not the Riordanverse canon. |
“ | What? I’m a princess, remember? I have to stay in style. | ” |
–Thandiwe on showing Tristan, Ayanna, and Gum Baby the skate park in Tristan Strong Keeps Punching. |
Thandiwe is a teenaged Ridgfolk working as a guard. She is also a princess to her people.
Tristan Strong Trilogy[]
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky[]
She and other guards apprehend Tristan Strong, Ayanna, Chestnutt, and Gum Baby before the four are taken before the elder to stand trail for supposed kidnapping. She is on edge when Tristan tells his story and agrees that they should be given the Story Box. When the Abiyoyo Tristan made start attacking everyone, she and Ayanna team up to take it down. After it is defeated she is shocked by the arrival of High John. She and the rest of the Ridgefolk just stare at him as he describes the state of MidPass. Shen then decides to join them to talk with Anansi about what he brought to the Ridgefolk.
During the feast, she takes part in the discussion to either go back to MidPass or have Nyame fix the story box with Tristan and his companions. When the Ridge is under attack, she and her people fight the iron monsters, defending their home. She retreats when Ayanna theorizes Tristan is attracting the iron monsters and she and Ayanna are separated from a Tristan and Gum Baby by a swarm of brand flies. When high John returns and helps fight off the iron monsters, she is revealed to be mostly all with Ayanna taking most of the damage. She goes with Tristan and the others to the Golden Crescent on Old Familiar and she watches over the wounded Ayanna and Chestnutt.
When they arrive High John takes them to a sycamore where a Mmoatia, fairy heals Ayanna and Chestnut. They go to Nyame's Palace and have the sky god fox the Story Box. She becomes frightened when the Maafa arrives. When the Midfolk and African American Gods arrive, she helps them fight of the iron monsters but are event overpowered. After the battle she gives Tristan an approving look and is shocked to learn Anansi has been impersonating Brer Rabbit. She and the rest of her group go to watch Anansi's sentencing and she says goodbye to Tristan.
Tristan Strong Destroys the World[]
Thandiwe is mentioned to be on a work studies trip with High John to The Sands to recruit more builders to help rebuild Alke. As Alke is being torn apart by a storm, she and High John return to the Golden Crescent to help with the evacuation. She joins the others in heading to Tristan's world. She one of the many Alkeans who vanished upon arriving in Tristan's world.
Tristan Strong Keeps Punching[]
After being separated from the others as Alke is destroyed, she and High John arrive in a skate park in Memphis operated by Granny Z. She let the two stay rent free if they helped out. They even helped spread the word of the skatepark increasing the influx of runaways. She aids High John in researching the John tales for a little while before he goes off on his own.
After High John fades, she cries and meets up with Tristan, Ayanna, and Gum Baby soon after. She explains how she and High John ended up at the skatepark when girl hurts herself and the princess of the ridge folk goes to help. When the others arrive the girl notices John, a spirit, despite not possessing an adinkra. They realize the girl, and the others, are in danger if Cotton finds them and they call a meeting. After everyone meets by a bowl, she and another girl perform skate tricks as they wait. After everyone is present, Tristan tells them magic is real, however one boy thinks Tristan is crazy until he activates his power and she and Ayanna show of their items and Gum Baby reveals herself. The kids cheer just as someone asks what is going on. An old woman who Gum Baby addresses as Granny Z appears and sends her and the others to eat as she speaks to Tristan and John alone.
Soon an explosion is heard and they find a group calling themselves the redliners charging in and saying they called the police. Just then Granny Z comes over and orders them to leave. Soon Patty Roller arrives on a talking horse haint, Twennymiles. When Granny demands they leave, the lights go out and the children start screaming. Patty and Twennymiles get away with a child, Chayse, as she, Tristan, Ayanna,, John, and Gum Baby chase after her in Old Familiar. As they follow the haints, they go into a distorted world to follow them. They eventually find themselves at an outlet mall twenty miles outside of Memphis and Tristan remembers the horse from a story his grandmother told him. Everyone has a bad feeling, but Tristan believes they are hiding in one of the stores and he gets out. She and the others, save for John, follow him into a store called Patty Roller's Wig Emporium. When they enter, Tristan suggests they spit up, however the girls are against it but reluctantly agree. Thandiwe gives him a club in case he is attacked. She and Ayanna escape and get to Old Familiar. The three arrive as Tristan and Gum Baby are fighting Breakers. The Breakers disburse and the group finds Gum Baby motionless.
They drive north in silence and meet up with Mami Wata, Nyame, and Keelboat Annie aboard the River Queen. Tristan waits outside a room as the others talk. Soon the River Queen comes to an abrupt holt near St. Louis as Ayanna, who left, tells them to come outside. They head to the bow to see half a dozen ships occupied by redliners, who demand they handover Tristan quickly as they need to move. The gods stand in front of the boy as he sneaks away. As he looks for a lifeboat, Ayanna spots him and says they are friends and she will help him. She arrives and teases the two as Ayanna shows them a new raft. The three and John skirt around the Illinois side of the river as they struggle to think of their next move. When Tristan reveals he brought Gum Baby and Tristan and the girls hug, he thinks he knows where Cotton is and says John can help. Tristan tells her and Ayanna John's story as he subconsciously takes control of the raft and flies them to the middle of nowhere. They use Gum Baby's phone to find that they are over a place called National City, but only see fields. After the girls question how John could find Cotton, Tristan realizes Cotton is hiding them in a different realm. The girls take Tristan's hands and they see a city being built out in fire. They find the train station and discover the missing children with pieces of Alke in them being herded on to a train. They spot Old Angola, having almost tripled in size, as they plot their next move. After deciding to take out the plantation monster, John stands up. They evade the plantation monster to the best of their abilities as the train with the spirits departs. Thinking quickly, Tristan tries to read the stories of all the persecuted at one. He succeeds for the most part, but becomes a target for Old Angola. The plantation monster attacks the raft and Tristan falls off.
She and Ayanna search for hours but find no trace of Tristan before returning to the River Queen. Later the other gods come to the river boat as Tristan calls to tell them he is on a train and found Junior, but that King Cotton has his bracelet. The gods panic as Ayanna asks Tristan for a location, he reports that they are heading to Chicago. She and Ayanna meet up with Tristan, John, and Junior and they figure out a plan to stop Old Angola. They head to Oakland Beach a group of Redliners blocks them. They tell the children to turn around as members of Rolling Thunder and residents of Bronzeville come out and rally against the Redliners. As the hate group retreats, Tristan and the others advice, but he gives John High John's pouch and tells him to stay behind. When the four get close enough, they see King Cotton syphoning energy from the living plantation as Patty Roller and Twennymiles watch. Cotton then acknowledges Tristan and company. She listens as the haint taunts them and fights him with Ayanna and Junior as civilians run away. They strike to no avail as Cotton goes to grab Tristan, fortunately John Henry appears and blocks the haint. Cotton attacks John Henry with little success as she and her friends regroup. They watch as Cotton almost over powers the steel driving man and help get civilians away safely. Just then the other gods arrive and box Cotton in, however Tristan realizes it is a trap and warns the gods to late as Patty Roller leads hundreds of breakers into battle against the gods. She, Ayanna, Tristan, and Junior make it to the River Queen and watch as the gods fight King Cotton's forces. The gods put up a fight but soon grow tired. As the others want to help the gods, Tristan refuses. The others berate his decision until he says they should not fight King Cotton, but rather Old Angola. As the others ask how he plans to sneak up to the moving plantation, Tristan points to the sky as Old Familiar flies up to them with Brer Bear, Brer Rabbit, Anansi, who is freed from the SBP, and a fourth passenger on his back. As Junior stairs at his father and the girls discuss a sneak attack, Tristan jumps into the beach and towards Old Angola. She watches a he takes out both the living plantation and King Cotton.
After the battle, she and the others congratulate Tristan as he exits the ruble that was Old Angola. She, Ayanna, and Junior are given an apartment down the street from Tristan's, paid for by Granny Z, and the four start school together. A month after the incident, upon arriving in home room, they learn their teacher, Mr. Tyson, has moved to Delaware and their new teacher, Mr. Kwaku will be in shortly. When Mr. Kwaku arrives, the four of them, especially Junior, are surprised to learn he is Anansi.
Appearance[]
Thandiwe is a teenage girl who wears dark embroidered clothes and carries a spear and club.
Personality[]
Thandiwe is untrusting of outsiders, but when she gains their trust she becomes a worthy ally and friend.
Tristan Strong Trilogy | |
Books: | Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky | Tristan Strong Destroys the World | Tristan Strong Keeps Punching |
Main Characters: | Tristan Strong | Ayanna | Gum Baby | Anansi |
Secondary Characters: | Thandiwe | King Cotton | John Henry | Eddie Garvey | Maafa | Chestnutt | Nana Strong | Junior | Patty Roller | Granny Z |
Minor Characters: | Alvin Strong | Jessica Strong | Walter Strong | Fezile | Netta | Old Familiar | Mr. Richardson | Reggie Janson | DJ Kulture | Big Big | Terence Strong | Memphis Jones | Harold | Darla |
African American Gods: | Brer Rabbit | Brer Fox | Brer Bear | Sarah | Rose | High John | Tarrypin | Sis Crow | Keelboat Annie | Mami Wata | Lady Night |
West African Gods: | Anansi | Nyame |
Creatures: | Haint | Fetterling | Hullbeast | Brand Fly | Leopard Statue | Python Statue | Abiyoyo | Mmoatia | Plat-eye | River Spirit | Talking Skull | Boo Hag | Coffle | Twennymiles | Breakers |
Related Content: | Kwame Mbalia | Rick Riordan Presents | The Gum Baby Files |