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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. |
| “ | My name is Tristan Strong, and I've got a story to tell. | ” |
–Tristan at the end of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky. | ||
Tristan Strong is the titular character, protagonist, and narrator of the Tristan Strong Trilogy. He is an Anansesem, a story teller who can manipulate his surroundings to tell stories.
History[]
Early Life[]
Tristan was born to Alvin Strong and Jessica Strong and grew up in Chicago, Illinois. His father would constantly take him outside to train in boxing, the Strong family tradition. In the summers he would go running in the park and in the winter he would swim laps in the pool at the community center.
When he was eight, his parents took him to visit his mother's old boss, which talked like she was still working. His parents told her she had Alzheimer's and explained the disease to him. He was fearful he would forget everything and started writing things down in journals.
One time, he tripped when exiting his apartment and broke through his neighbor's door and the police were called. He was embarrassed explaining everything to his parents.
In seventh grade, Tristan would often eat lunch in school library and built up a good relationship with the librarian Mrs. Timmons. One day when he was reading a superhero graphic novel, a boy came up to him and started saying the hero he was reading about was dumb and introduced himself as Eddie Garvey and told him the real superheroes were folk heroes. Tristan said his grandmother told him the stories and he asked if he could write them down and the two became fast friends.
At one point, he and Eddie broke into school to create a soda explosion with soda and pop rocks. They are nearly caught but escaped when the prank went off dowsing the cafeteria and supposedly going down the street to stop a fight in the parking lot of a burger restaurant.
His grandfather would often hold training sessions in the winter when he visited Chicago, one exercise involved the attendants run in the sand along Lake Michigan.
One day in the summer, he went too close to an opened fire hydrant and was pushed back by the water, scaring him.
Eddie's Death and First Boxing Match[]
When he was twelve, Eddie died in a bus accident. They were coming back from a field trip to a museum and he and Eddie were sitting in back talking. When the bus was crossing a bridge close to the school, it hit a patch of ice and slide onto the opposite side of the road where a truck hit the back. The bus was dangling off the edge of the bridge and Eddie was trapped between two seats. He called to Tristan for help but Tristan was frozen with fear. He eventually worked up the courage and tried to save him, but a school aid prevented Tristan from doing so. The event deeply troubled Tristan. A few days after his friend died, he locked himself in a bathroom stall for two hours and his mother was called in.
At his friends funeral, Tristan was given Eddie's journal by his mother.
Tristan would get in fights at school over comments people made or thought they made on Eddie. He went to therapy to help him deal with the loss of his best friend. His councilor, Mr. Richardson, would suggest he get away from Chicago to heal, with his parents suggesting he go to his grandparent’s farm in Alabama for a month.
Soon after, he had his first boxing match and lost due to not eating or getting enough sleep the night before.
Tristan Strong Trilogy[]
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky[]
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As Tristan is punching a punching bag in his bedroom, his mother comes in to tell him his grandparents are their to take him to the family farm in Alabama for a month. As they head south Tristan stares at Eddie's journal, more specifically the glow green spiderweb on the cover and the charm on the built in bookmark that suddenly appeared but only he can see. He shows the notebook to Nana, who see the web but not the glowing, tells him it is the symbol of Anansi and he reads some of it. He reads and has a vision of John Henry and Brer Rabbit hiding and John Henry telling something to find something. He comes to sweating and opens the window to get some air, but Granddad tells him to close it. Nana asks him if he is okay and he thinks she is staring at the journal. When they arrive he thinks he sees something in the bottle trees but no one else sees it. Tristan and Granddad work on a fence until dinner and he goes into a trance and walks to the bottle trees until Nana snaps him out of it and he goes inside for dinner. As he sleeps, Tristan hears a voice and takes a flashlight out to search the room. He finds a doll leaving a sticky residue that introduces itself as Gum Baby and demands to know where the glowing is. After he realizes it's Eddie's journal and glances at his backpack, Gum Baby snatches it and runs out of the house. He finds a trail of sticky goo and follows the doll into the cornfield. He chases Gum Baby through the cornfield and into the bottle tree forest and finds her escaping into a small tree. He calls her a doll and she lunges at him. In a fit of rage, Tristan smashes a bottle on a tree and unleashes a flurry of hot wind. As the ground spits open he runs for it but sees Eddie's journal about to fall in and he goes back for it. He and Gum Baby then fall into the fissure. Soon after he finds himself in what looks like the inside of a cabin and a disembodied voice says that he saved him and asks for the book, but he says he lost it. Tristan then gets blown away and the voice introduces himself as Uncle C. Tristan then returns to falling and sees Gum Baby glued to his arm grasping the journal and they fall into a hot sea. He heads to shore but turns around the save Gum Baby and the journal. As he reaches her they are corned by three Bone Ships and barely escape with the help of a flying raft. When they arrive they are greeted by a girl named Ayanna and a dozen cloaked figures as they escape the bone ships. Ayanna explains that Gum Baby has been gone a year and they make their way to shore before heading to the Thicket and Tristan freaks out when sees that one of the figures is a talking fox. When he calms down he helps Brer Fox pull the raft to shore and unload the Midfolk. When he tells Brer Fox he came from the hole in the sky, the fox tells Tristan he will have to survive to return home. When Ayanna explains MidPass and Alke to him, Brer Fox senses something. They make their way to the Thicket but are ambushed by fetterlings, sentient chains with shackles for heads. Brer Fox sacrifices himself and the others escape. He helps Gum Baby and Tarrypin and goes back to help Brer Fox but has a flashback of Eddie's death and gets shackled by one of the iron monsters. He panics and the journal transforms into a paper giant revealed to be Eddie, he is exited but it turns to fear when Eddie is taken by the iron monsters. He fights them off but loses them. He dreams of Uncle C thanking him for the journal and wakes a day later in the Thicket. Gum Baby brings him a young rabbit named Chestnutt who takes him to a meeting and explains how the folk characters he knows of are gods in Alke before arriving at the meeting. When they arrive he is shocked to see John Henry and follows them into a large underground chamber where he meets Brer Rabbit. Tristan explains what happened and the vision he had and the lagomorph calls him a spy and demands to know where the book is. After describing the book he learns it contained the earliest stories given to Anansi and questions how Eddie got hold of it. He says he lost it and asks to go home, but Brer Rabbit says he is leaving them to clean up his mess and calls him a false hero and a coward. At that Tristan snaps and tells them how he lost his best friend and that he journal they wanted to steal from him was all he has left. When he calms down he notices a group of butterflies are reenacting his story and Gum Baby calls him an Anansesem, a story teller with limited reality controlling abilities. He is dismissed but John Henry tells him something in his story does not add up and he will be watching him. Gum Baby takes him to the mess hall for food and he sits with a girl named Netta and her family, who points out that their is a lack of adolescent and teenage refugees. He finishes his food and leaves before dreaming of walking in Uncle C's hideout and the haint telling him to bring him the power of Anansi or he will burn the book and his loved ones. He then hears Eddie telling him he is talking to the wrong one. He wakes up to find Ayanna in front of him and she takes him to where he spoke with the gods. They find John Henry and she leaves. He tells Tristan that the iron monsters are getting smarter and that leaving the Thicket is to dangerous for the Midfolk. Tristan feels responsive for the mess and asks what his plan is when the folk hero tells him they have one. They make their way to Brer Rabbit and are joined by Rose, Sarah, and Ayanna. Brer explains his plan to use Anansi to fix the hole in the sky. The others shoot him down but after he tells them Tristan can find a Story Box he and Anansi were working on to call him to them, the others agree except for Tristan. The others get angry at his decision but John Henry takes him for a walk to the grove. They talk about boxing and how he feels forced to take up the family tradition. John Henry tells him how he was forced to box for others amusement after working on the railroad all day. He gives Tristan the tassel from the journal, but it has an iron monster on the other end of it. After Brer Rabbit warns them he lost control of the Thicket, they fend off the invading fetterlings themselves. John Henry gives him a pair of magical gloves that help him take on the iron monsters. Things go in there favor until Brer Rabbit warns them a large fetterling is headed their way. It breaks in and the other gods join the fight and urge him to go on the quest and he reluctantly does. He finds Ayanna and Chestnutt loading supplies and goes to get on the raft but Ayanna stops him. He says he said no because he was afraid and that the gods told him to go. She reluctantly lets him on and they head out. As they fly over MidPass he thinks of all the trouble he caused Alke as Chestnutt explains brand flies and they talk about their fears. Soon a fetter, I gotta jumps out of a supply bag. However it is just Gum Baby stowing away to redeem herself from Tristan 'ruining' her last mission. Chestnutt asks to hear it, but he tells them a story of a prank Eddie and he pulled in the past. His thoughts go to Eddie and he becomes depressed. They soon arrive at the Golden Crescent. They serve the city before splitting into groups of two, Tristan and Gum Baby go one way and Ayanna and Chestnutt go another. He stops Gum Baby from throwing sap at a statue before regrouping with the others and going to Nyame's Palace. They walk up and enter the palace and find a trap door and a statue of the sky god. Tristan starts to tell the story of how Anansi was given stories when he hears a voice. He realizes the statute is the actual sky god, who blames Tristan for his people's abduction, who is restrained and paralyzed by iron monsters. He continues to tell the story to lure them away from the sky god and tells his friends to touch the first statue they see. He throws Gum Baby at a statue and it comes to life, taking out the fetterlings but takes them to Nyame. They explain their plan to use the Story Box to bribe Anansi into fixing the hole in the sky. After revealing those taken by the fetterlings are alive, he agrees but reveals he does not have it. He and Nyame talk in private about Tristan‘s quest and the sky god gives him and charm for his bracelet to make it easier to focus. He snaps at Nyame that he can never get a clear answer and has no desire to be a hero. They reach Anansi's Palace and he finds a hidden entrance. They explore and find a hidden lab with fetterlings in various stages of dissection. After Chestnutt finds some notes he realizes Anansi and Brer Rabbit were studying the boxes effects on fetterlings when he deduces the story box is at the Ridge. They ready for the trip to the mountains and he freaks out when Ayanna mentions rock lasers. As they fly up they are attacked and he freaks out. They find the train they were looking to sneak onto and land in it. They ride in the trash car for a few minutes and fly into a tunnel that leads to the Ridge. However they are soon discovered. They are apprehended and brought before a spirit to stand trial, the Ridgefolk believe they are behind the abductions their people. He tells them that other cities are being target and abducted as well. He shows them the adinkra and tells them a story. He tells them of how iron monsters are revenging the lands and that he is responsible for it and creates a monster to prove his point. He asks for the Story Box, but before the ancestors could answer, a sharp sound is heard. He realizes that the Abiyoyo, the monster he summoned, is still around and attacks the Ridgefolk. He and his friends take it out along with the Ridgefolk and Fezile, the elder, agrees to give it to him. However before he can claim it a man appears and asks for the box, he introduces himself as High John. When Tristan explains their plans to use the story box to save MidPass, High John states that it has been over run by iron monsters and no one is left and asks for the story box again. Tristan does not believe him and goes to leave before High John goes over to him and Tristan passes out. He wakes up on the back of Old Familiar, High John's giant crow, and he explains that he is having an out of body experience and shows Tristan the dark clouds over MidPass to confirm his statement. High John tells him he wants the story box to make himself strong enough to fight the iron monsters but Tristan feels he is lazy. High John then jumps of Old Familiar with Tristan in hand. They land watching the Thicket burn and he begs High John to help. High John says all he can do is have Old Familiar fan the flames a little. He sees children cornered by a pair of fetterlings and makes a fiery replica of High John to save the children and deliver a message to John Henry. High John takes Tristan back to Old Familiar as he starts to fade and feels cold before passing out. He ends up with Uncle C who takes his memories of Eddie, except Eddie's death, as punishment for not bringing him Anansi's power and demands to Story Box. He then hears Eddie telling him he's "still talking to the wrong one". He wakes up back in Isihlangu and they are given the Story Box, an old leather trunk with nothing inside. Tristan and his friends eat while planning their next move when the Amagqirha beckons for him to follow her and he does, she takes him to where the Ridgefolk keep their story box and crafts a silver ball for his bracelet. She says he will face a great evil and if he fails to fix the hole in the sky, the raids on the people of Alke is just the beginning. A strong vibration is heard and the Amahqirha announces that the Ridge is under attack. They rush back to the atrium and when Ayanna suggests they run, he chooses to fight. Iron monsters break into the chamber and he puts on his gloves and fights them. Things go well until a giant iron monster arrives. Chestnutt identifies it as a Hullbeast and it unleashes a swarm of Brand Flies that paralyze the Ridgefolk as fetterlings abduct them. After Ayanna theorizes the iron monsters are drawn to him, he agrees to retreat. He and Gum Baby are separated from the girls by brand flies. Soon High John arrives and the two take out the iron monsters and rush over to Thandiwe and Ayanna to find the latter not breathing. High John tells him her soul is badly poisoned and need medical attention. They load her on Old Familiar and fly away. He learns that Chestnutt has also been stung and High John tells him they are going to the Golden Crescent to find strong healers and for him to talk to her. He tells her the story of when he failed to save Eddie and the others tell him pain is a part of the healing process before they arrive. He senses Uncle C and the Maafa are nearby as High John takes them to a tree and has a Mmoatia, fairy, heal Ayanna and Chestnutt and it invites Tristan back. They go to Nyame's Palace and, while Nyame is annoyed to see Tristan, fixes the story box after seeing the shape it was in and learning what Anansi used it for. As Tristan fills it, he stops when he sees a massive ship with hundreds of iron monsters onboard that he identifies as the Maafa. The others prepare for battle and High John gives him a akofena charm, crossed curved swords. When he puts it on his bracelet two sets of boxing gloves appear, two on his hands and two at his waist, that he uses to fight the incoming fetterlings along with Gum Baby just as the African American Gods arrive with the Midfolk and join the fight, but they are eventually outnumbered and, after seeing a cloaked figure was a Story Box, he uses the Story Box by him to attack the iron monsters and run to the Maafa. Tristan makes his way to the Maafa and when he arrives on the ship, tells it that Uncle C plans to use the story box to become stronger then the Maafa and betray it. He makes a deal to tell the Maafa's story and defeat the haint if it releases its prisoners. The Maafa speaks to him by possessing the bodies of Brer Fox, Tarrypin, and Netta and agrees. Brer Fox says some will be released while other, such as himself, are to drained to continue on and that he liked his story ending with his sacrifice. Tristan then goes to find the haint. Tristan find the haint in a room full of cotton and realizes his full name is Uncle Cotton. Uncle C appears covered in cotton and asks for the story box. Tristan demands Eddie's Journal and his memories, Uncle C gives him some of the memories back but keeps the rest as collateral. He gives the haint the story box and rips the cotton off of him. When he tries to open it, Tristan reveals only an Anansesem can open it and Uncle C covers the boy in cotton branches and demands he opens it. He agrees if he gets the rest of his memories and the journal, which the haint agrees to and complies. Uncle C takes away the cotton vines blocking the door and Tristan senses the Maafa submerging. Tristan then opens the Story Box and Gum Baby, who was hiding in the Story Box, covers Uncle C in sap and Tristan goes to leave. Uncle C begs Tristan to help but he refuses and the haint swears revenge before the waters of the Burning Sea sweep him away. Tristan and Gum Baby search for a way out and go to the corridor Eddie's journal was in. They end up in a bus where Eddie's spirit greets them and explains how Uncle C was using the journal to track Tristan and telling stories from the journal to feed the Maafa. Eddie explains that this will be the last time he and Tristan will speak to each other and they say their farewells and Eddie tells Tristan to help some of the Maafa's prisoners off the ship. Tristan and Gum Baby end up in the holding compartment of the giant slave ship. As they leave Tristan looks around and finds someone. When they reach the surface, he and the freed prisoners swim to shore where the others congratulate him and he tells Gum Baby something and gives her his bracelet. However Brer Rabbit arrives and berates him for causing the mess in the first place and demands the Story Box. Tristan denies it and plays keep away before revealing he found the real Brer Rabbit on the Maafa and that Anansi has been impersonating the rabbit for months. He explains how Anansi hid as Brer Rabbit was taken and wanted Eddie's journal to strengthen himself and not MidPass. He then meets up with Ayanna, Thandiwe, Chestnutt, and Gum Baby to see Anansi's sentencing. Nyame sentences him to stop his research and give him his notes as well as to fix the hole in the sky and help Tristan finish his story project for the next twenty days. The trickster then placed in the story box, which takes the form of a smartphone, and given to him. He then says goodbye to the girls before leaving. Tristan meets up with John Henry and High John with the former building a bridge to connect MidPass with mainland Alke in the hopes of having the two people reconnect with one another. Tristan shows the two gods Anansi's punishment and they crack up. Tristan says goodbye to John Henry as High John takes him back home on Old Familiar before saying goodbye and going back, unknown to High John he returned a week later due to the temporal effects of the rip, which in Tristan's world means he was gone for only a few minutes. She shows Anansi the rip and the trickster fixes it in no time. Anansi says he can not wait for the twenty days to be over, but Tristan realizes Nyame meant the twenty days was a minimum for his sentence and not a maximum, much to Anansi's horror. He walks back to his grandparent's farm as the sunrises and he starts to tell his story and has a feeling he will return to Alke one day. The following morning his washed his sap stained sheets under his grandfather's supervision. |
Tristan Strong Destroys the World[]
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A month after stopping the Maafa from taking over Alke, he is training with his grandfather for a sparring match against a boy named Reggie Janson with a crowd watching them. Things go well until he hears someone whisper his name and his grandfather punches him out. He berates Tristan and they take a fifteen minute break. He speaks with Anansi, who reminds him his parole meeting with Nyame is coming up and he needs him. When the trickster asks about his nightmares, he lies and says they don't bother him anymore. Soon Reggie arrives, with him being intimidated by the boy's size, and the match starts. Things go poorly for him and he sees his grandfather avoiding eye contact. He then hears the whispers again, this time more urgent and calling for help. When he sees Reggie about to make a finishing blow, he punches and knocks Reggie on his back. Reggie angrily gets up as Tristan eggs him on, but Tony and Reggie's doctor stop the larger boy before anything happen. His grandfather congratulates him as Tristan hears the voice say he's coming and goes to Anansi. When he asks the trickster about it, he reveals that he used a little diaspora, people who left or were stolen from their native lands, to help with the match. Tristan says he heard the voice and has Anansi search for anything, after allowing him to use his powers to an extremely limited degree, and discovers numerous ghosts in the barn. Anansi recognizes them as Alkean water spirits and Tristan wonders if they can contact Alke, but Anansi says it's to risky and he doesn't have the power to do so. Just then a contract app appears on the SBP and, despite Anansi's warnings, contacts John Henry. The god angrily answers just as a mysterious figure approaches him. He listens as the figure talks about the one responsible for Alke's current state escaped without finishing and sicks a bossling on his. Tristan calls out John Henry's name, distracting him as he is taken. The screen then goes black. As he helps his grandmother prepare dinner, she tells of a tale of Anansi being saved by his sons, but he is distracted by the voices he heard and wonders who the Shamble Man is. His grandmother snaps him out of it and they talk about trauma and it's effects on communities for years. After they finish she has him get his grandfather to help. He goes to the barn to get his grandfather, but ducks behind some crates to hide from Reggie and digs up the bracelet and gloves. He puts them on to hear the spirits just as Reggie comes over to him, while Tristan tries to be civil, Reggie insults his grandmother and, forgetting he is wearing the gloves, sends Reggie flying a dozen yards. Just then his grandmother arrives and stops, he believes she can see the spirits as well. However his attention focuses back to Reggie, who charges at him like an angry bull, as Tristan prepares to be knocked out. However nothing happens and he realizes everyone, except for him and his grandmother, are frozen in time. As he goes over she tells him to freeze and he notices to translucent saber tooth tiger like beasts. As his grandmother knits she tells him to throw a bucket of dirty towels at them when she says so. She gives the signal and he obeys as she tosses a quilt at them. They vanish and time starts up again. His grandmother says they need to talk as she passes out. His grandmother is brought inside as he waits in the living room for hours, he hates himself for freezing while Anansi tells him not to doubt himself. Just then his grandfather and Reggie's doctor exit and he learns she passed out from shock and they head into the kitchen. Tristan hears his grandmother getting up for water and he tells her to stay put as he gets the water. When he returns, she tells him he has strong blood and she knows about and has been to Alke. She explains that the spirits who attacked them are Plat-eyes, ghost with unfinished business who can shapeshifter and will return. Before she can say more, Grandad walks in a tells Tristan to let her rest. He goes to the barn with Anansi and speaks to the girl river spirit, Ninah, who says the Shamble Man took her mother and is coming here. He hears something from the house and goes over to find the door broken down and the Shamble Man standing over his grandparents. He and Grandad try and fail to fight him off as he taunts Tristan and expresses his anger at the boy for destroying MidPass. He then takes Nana and opens a rip to Alke. His grandmother mouths something to him, but he doesn’t understand. They then disappear to Alke. As his grandfather calls the police, he rushes back to the barn to inform Anansi of what happened. The trickster suggests they call for help, but Tristan wants to go after her and Anansi reluctantly agrees. However the trickster says to do so, Tristan must give him more power, which he reluctantly agrees to. They wander into the bottle tree forest and towards a creek. When they arrive, Anansi tells him to tell the story of Keelboat Annie and, after some hesitation, he does so. As he tells the story, an app appears on his phone as the scenery changes and splashing sounds can be heard. When he finishes the app, titled "Keelboat Rideshare", starts to fade and Anansi tells him to click it. He does and notices the farm is gone and he is not standing in a field of grass. He panics and runs into a river. Just then a boat arrives and he comes face to face with Keelboat Annie and her passenger, Ayanna. As Keelboat Annie gives Anansi a stern lecture, he learns Ayanna is with the goddess on a mission to rebuild Alke as he explains why he is there. After he tells her about the Shamble Man taking his grandmother, she says they have to tell Annie. However she refuses to hear them out until after she completes her mission and reveals she knows he is an Anansesem as she explains how easy it is to take a story with them. Just then a skull appears on the side of the boat. More appear and climb on board as he panics and the others laugh at him. They explain that they are Talking Skulls, which are harmless, and help them aboard as they head to the Golden Crescent. He avoids talking about his powers in favor of Annie talking about how she met the skulls, much to Ayanna's confusion. When they arrive he notices how empty the city is as the others explain the residents are working to rebuild the country. When they reach the shore, Tristan gives Keelboat Annie the Story Box Phone for rears of Anansi being freed before he can track down the Shamble Man. When they walk onto the shore, a boy runs over to them who introduces himself as Junior. While he treats Ayanna with decency, he treats Tristan coldly and tells him the gods aren’t seeing anyone they don't see as important, much like Tristan. Junior offers to race Tristan to Nyame's Palace and show him a secret entrance if he wins, but demands the story box to record a story about his father if he wins. Without telling him he doesn't have the story box, Tristan accepts and they race. Junior leads him into the town square and through some alleyways to get to the palace. He is stopped by Kumi but she lets him proceed soon after. Just as Junior is inspecting the orchids, he takes the lead and wins. Junior reveals that he is already inside just as Sarah and Rose land and scald them. As they walk through a hallway, he tells them about the Shamble Man and they say to leave it to them. As Nyame calls for the goddesses, they leave the boys in a room with a statue and fountain. As they wait, something hits them on the head as they blame each other. Junior notices the statue is missing just as something lands on Tristan's head. He shakes it off of him and realizes the assailant is Gum Baby, who was tasked by John Henry to bring him to the steel driving man. They go to the god and he gets annoyed when Gum Baby tells Junior about his first few minutes in Alke. When they reach John Henry's room, they find it dark and and he greets them before demanding they leave the Shamble Man to the other gods. Just then his bracelet activates and he sees John Henry clearly, however he notices the god is starting to fade. He and Junior return to the waiting room where the tells the other boy John Henry is simply sick. Just then Gum Baby returns with Ayanna and tells them the Shamble Man is in Nyanza, a city in the Grasslands. They agree to head out, however Junior says he can't join them but agrees to get them out of the palace. When they arrive on the keelboat, Keelboat Annie reveals she put Anansi in a locker and, after retrieving him and listening to Junior talk about the gods wanting him to be better then his father, he invites the other boy to join him and they set out with Ayanna steering. However they have a rough start and Anansi starts to complain. Junior hears his voice and becomes startled and backs away when Tristan shows him the trickster on the Story Box Phone, causing him to run to the other side of the deck. Just then Tristan's bracelet seances something and they are attacked by an iron monster and falls in. As Tristan is dragged by the current, grabs onto something and moments later ended up on a rooftop garden in the Grasslands. He discovered that the SBP is broken and Anansi is missing. Soon a large vulture in jeans and a necklace flies up to him and, after taking credit for defending the iron monsters introducing himself as DJ Kulture, threatens to eat him. Tristan shows him that SBP out of frustration and, forgetting it is broken, DJ Kulture takes it. Tristan then body slams the vulture and they plummet to the lake below. He holds DJ Kulture's wings shut and jumps off just as the are near the water. He lands on the beach injures his wrist. DJ Kulture comes out of the water yelling at him and Tristan uses his bracelet to analyze his necklace. He realizes it is made of people's stories as sees a knitting needle among it. The buzzard Brussels it off and attacks Tristan as he activates his gloves and lands two blows before DJ Kulture's posy swarms him and the vulture picks him up and drops him into the lake several times. When Tristan asks about his grandmother again, DJ Kulture mentioned he guarded her for the Shamble Man, but was told not to harm her. Just as he is about to eat Tristan, Ayanna and Junior attack the buzzard and his flock with rocks. As the others fly off, Tristan distracts the buzzard as Gum Baby flies the sap covered Flying Raft into the buzzard and traps him. They then walk to Nyanza. After an hour the raft returns and, with Gum Baby piloting, they head to Nyanza. As Junior eyes him suspiciously, he reveals that Anansi escaped the SBP as the others stare at it in shock. As Gum Baby taunts him, she crashes the raft and they jump into a dried river bed. They are soon taken by invisible guards into the city. He takes in the sights and notices that the streets are empty. As they sail on a lily pad, Gum Baby gets away and the others give chase, resulting in reuniting with Chestnutt. The rabbit explain that a growing storm is getting closer to the city and the patron goddess, Mami Wata, is missing. The rabbit suspects the Shamble Man took her and Tristan tells her his encounter with him. When he mentions Ninah, Chestnutt reveals she is Mami Wata's daughter and asks Tristan to tell her story. He reveals that his powers haven't worked since his grandmother was taken and shows her the broken SBP. Soon Chestnutt mentions Lady Night, a Boo Hag who lives off the coast of the Golden Crescent who can fix anything. Chestnuts then tells her theory that the Shamble Man is a god of MidPass. As he, Ayanna, Junior, and Gum Baby head back to the Golden Crescent, he thinks of the dangers of Chestnutt's theory becoming wide spread and, with Gum Baby flying, they crash. The doll hides as he and the others are surrounded by security and, as they about to let them go, their boss orders them to bring the trio inside. They are greeted by Big Big, who reveals he knows about Tristan and takes his bracelet along with Ayanna's staff and Junior's satchel. He orders a servant, Cookie, to take them away. Once they are out of range, Cookie informs the three that Big Big has already alerted the Shamble Man and promises to get them out with their belongings if they help her find her skin. After he realizes Cookie is Lady Night he begs her to fix the SPB, she says she needs her skin. Just then Gum Baby flies in on the raft and attacks Big Big. While he is distracted, Tristan sneaks up behind him and tries to grab the skin, but is caught and Big Big attacks him. However Lady Night uses the opportunity to take her skin and scolds Big Big for taking over. When she has Big Big return their items, she wraps him in a cloak. Tristan and his friends are offered a meal as thanks as she fixes the SBP. She leads him and the others to a booth in the back and tosses the SBP in a pot of Jollof Rice, he is angry at first but calms down once he smells the rice. Lady Night explains that she can only fix the physical damage to the SBP, but he needs to power it up with stories, at the risk attracting the Shamble Man. After thinking of his grandmother, he realizes he only needs the energy of a story and asks the patrons for help. After some hesitation, they talk about those who helped them during the iron monster attacks and the stories successfully restore the SBP and he sees Anansi sleeping inside, however soon after plat-eyes arrive. He spots them in the form of oxen and has Lady Night, Ayanna, and Junior heard them to the stage and has Gum Baby go with him. When the plat-eyes are surrounded, he uses a new app Anansi made to see their story. He sees that they are a brother and sister bear with happy memories of their father and honorary uncle, who he recognizes as Brer Fox. When their uncle goes missing, their father goes out to look for them and they die while he is away. He returns home to find them missing and swears vengeance upon Tristan. The story ends as Tristan realizes who the Shamble Man is. Just then he arrives and Tristan refers to him by his true name, Brer Bear. As he tries to reason with the rogue god and tell him about his children, and has Anansi call the gods, he attacks and Gum Baby pushes him out of the way. As he calls out the results of Brer Bear's actions, the bear pins him against the wall and states that he wants Tristan to feel his pain, to lose a loved one. He tells him to call the gods anyway as they won't come. He releases his grip on Tristan and is about to strike when Junior beams Brer Bear with a stone. Tristan is surprised to learn that Junior is actually Stone Thrower, one of Anansi's sons. Lady Night distracts the bear, with Junior staying behind, as he and the others flee. He picks up an out cold Gum Baby and they fly away. As the sun rises, he begins to wonder if everything really is his fault. Ayanna snaps him out of his trance just as Gum Baby wakes up, who he informs that they lost. He asks Anansi if Junior and his son Stone Thrower and one in the same, which he confirms. They others try to reassure him as he hears his grandmother telling him to get back up. Ayanna tells him everyone on MidPass is dealing with trauma from the iron monster attacks and Anansi suggests something might be manipulating Brer Bear. When he hears this, Tristan forms a theory that he hopes is wrong and changes course for the Maafa. As they fly past the Golden Crescent and out over the Burning Sea, he has Anansi call the Maafa. At first nothing happens, but then the slave ship breaches the surf and questions if their deal still stands. He says it does and asks about Uncle Cotton. It says that his remains are gone, but it was raided by someone who took the only thing left of the haint, a mask. Tristan realizes, as the others silently beg him to stop, that the mask was formed by Gum Baby's sap and was imbued with his essence. The Maafa then send iron monsters after them, but they manage to avoid them and get away. When they are a safe distance from sentient slave ship, the others ask him what to do as he thinks of Bear's endgame. Tristan questions if he is destroying the god’s symbols of power, but Anansi says he doesn’t have the power. After thinking of a possible hideout, Tristan realizes he is on the one place the other gods wouldn't think to look, MidPass. As they fly over the ruins of the Drowned Forest, they spot the remains of the Tree of Power and the Thicket. Activating his bracelet, Tristan sees that the storm and the tree are linked. After steeling themselves, they go inside. They find the remains of fetterlings and Anansi provides them with light. He looks around to find a figure that he mistook for his grandmother, it was actually Mami Wata. He goes over to free her, despite the others telling him to stay put, and notices her wrapped in iron monsters and her feet are in a puddle. He frees the goddess, but she tackles him and says it is too late as the tree starts to implode. She shows him a vision of Nyanza prior to her abduction and confirms that Brer Bear is being manipulated by Uncle Cotton. They snap back to the present and get to the raft, he gives Mami Wata his bracelet to strengthen her and she saves them. When he mentions his grandmother, she reveals that the two of them, along with Lady Night and Keelboat Annie, traveled around Alke. When the others ask about their next move, Tristan says they find Brer Bear, who is with his grandmother, and he now knows his endgame. As they fly to the juke joint, he introduces the water goddess to his friends and she compares him to his grandmother, saying how stubborn they both are. When they reach the juke joint, they find it abandoned and no one in sight. However they soon find a group of ridge warriors, who tell him Thandiwe is not with them, and Lady Night, who informs him that Junior is missing. When the boo hag sees the water goddess, they two hug and Tristan summons Keelboat Annie and the three embrace, wishing his grandmother was with them. Soon the storm reaches the Golden Crescent and they know Brer Bear has arrived. As they fly, he, Lady Night, and the goddesses mend the quilt Tristan's grandmother made as they head to the Golden Crescent. He comforts Anansi, who is worried about Junior, as they reach their destination. They land and he sees Brer Bear and his grandmother nearby. He tells Anansi to have Mami Wata create a geyser like she did in MidPass, that is protecting the island from the storm, as he gives him to Keelboat Annie. He tries to tell Bear to stop, but he reveals his plan to separate Alke from his world, which would result in Tristan and his grandmother being trapped Alke as it fades away. A fight breaks out and he dislodges the mask as he tosses the quilt in font of Bear, which includes his cub's story. In a brief moment of clarity, Brer Bear asks for help. However the mask quickly takes control and he dodges a swipe from Bear. The rogue god is pulled into the bay by the water goddess, who doses him with multiple jets of water, and his armor starts to come off with Tristan taking care of the rest. He hesitates to remove the mask until he catches his grandmother's gaze and, finding the courage, yanks off the mask and tosses it into the bay. When Brer Bear is free for the mask, he hugs him for a few seconds until Gum Baby points out that the storm is getting worse. As the storm rips apart the stories that make Alke, he sees John Henry's Hammer and picks it up, it adjusts itself to him and tosses it into the sky in a failed try to stop the storm. He finds his grandmother and begins her to leave, however she insists on helping the Alejandro first. He sees his companions and Brer Bear, along with the gods, residents of the Golden Crescent, and some more of his companions. He tells them to get to the boats. As they all pile into the keelboat, he notices a hole in the sky leading to the farm. He tells the others that he plans on taking them to his world as he tries to rebuild Alke. They look at him in shock and disbelief, but agree to help. They head to the tear as he passes around the quilt to the gods and sews the stories of Alke into the fabric. He finishes just as they reach the portal and passes out. They make it to his world and the keelboat crashes into a tree. He, his grandmother, and others suffer minor injuries, with him having bruised ribs, while others, such as Ayanna, Gum Baby, Thandiwe, High John, Sarah, and Rose, are unaccounted for. Two days later, he is woken up by the smell of pancakes and bacon his grandfather brought him. As he eats, he gets an alert on the SBP and sees pictures of some of those who went missing. He rushes over to the keelboat, occupied by Nyame, Lady Night, Keelboat Annie, Mami Wata, Brer Bear, Brer Rabbit, and John Henry. When he arrives, they show him a piece of Uncle Cotton's mask and say the haint is not in it and show him that half the bottles on the tree have been broken, meaning multiple haints are now on the loose. He then shows them the pictures of Ayanna, Junior, and Gum Baby. After realizing the SBP can track Alkeans in his world, Tristan vows to find them all. |
Tristan Strong Keeps Punching[]
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Two weeks after Alke is destroyed, Tristan is in New Orleans, Louisiana for a family reunion before heading back to Chicago, however his parents couldn’t make it. As they finish taking a tour of the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, Terence, his younger cousin, drills him on medical facts as he gets an alert that an Alkean is in danger in the French Quarter as Anansi tells him to get a move on. His knuckle also bursts into a small silver flam which he hides. As he looks around he finds King Cotton walks around. Tristan plans to go after him, but Terence stops him to ask about dinner as their grandparents approach them. Granddad Strong comments on Tristan's wondering attention as Nana speaks with Terence. Just then the SBP is snatched and Tristan and his grandfather chase the thief but lose track of him. He looks around and sees a group of three drummers and a trumpet player. As he gets frustrated, his grandfather points out the band and he notices the trumpet player is missing. After describing what the thief looked like, they track him down to Louis Armstrong Park in the middle of a group of mingling ghosts. The thief removes his hat and braids fall out, revealing that the thief is a girl. She reveals that she knows who Tristan is and tells him to follow her and does so. She introduces herself as Seraphine and, as Anansi criticizes his speed, leads Tristan to Artillery Park. She shows him a barge and explains children are in danger. He takes the SBP back and goes to leave, but she reveals she knows Anansi is trapped in the SBP and her employer knows he can help. She shows him a stone that, much to the horror of Tristan and Anansi belongs to Junior. Seraphine tells Tristan Junior, Ayanna, and Gum Baby are walking into a trap and he agrees to help. As they are about to board a dingy to get to the barge, Anansi sense someone and they hide before attacking, only to realize it is Terrence, who followed them after seeing them as he waited in line at a restaurant. He questions them and they move towards the barge. He sees his cousin's pizza spatula and asks to borrow it, but he is reluctant and, after hearing a scream, agrees only if he can come with them and Tristan gets him a new one. Tristan agrees and the three set sail. They struggle against the current but make it to the side of the barge. He and Seraphine climb aboard while Terrence is tasked with watching the dinghy. They search a few shipping containers, but all are empty. As they search, Tristan feels they are being watches. When they open another shipping container and throw the pin aside, they find Terrence behind them. After opening another container, they find Gum Baby. She jumps on Tristan's shoulder as Seraphine, who is in awe at Gum Baby, politely introduces herself as Tristan introduces a stunned Terrence. As Gum Baby mentions how she, Ayanna, and Junior were separated by a haint, Terrence asks it it walked on four legs. When he asks why his cousin thinks that, Terrence says it's close by them. Anger builds up as he summons his shadow gloves and attacks the haint. Gum Baby assists him and manages to get the haint stuck. However it transforms and Terrence recognizes it as a Coffle, a device used to shackle slaves together as they were moved to the fields to work. The Coffle starts to attack Terence and he attacks in a blind rage until nothing is left. The others stare at him and Gum Baby says his hands are on fire. He starts to panic and accidentally sets the barge on fire. The others flee just as a wave spontaneously puts out the fire and Mami Wata appears. Seraphine disappears as they are bought to Mami Wata's steamboat, the River Queen, and he sleeps until sun down the following day. Tristan explains everything to his grandparents, who try to comfort Terrence, Mami Wata, John Henry, Nyame, and Anansi. After telling them King Cotton is back and they have to act immediately, they tell him they will handle it and he is being sent home to Chicago with Gum Baby. He tries to protest, but they say his anger demonstrates during the previous night makes him to much of a liability and take the SBP from him. They say their goodbyes and leave. He fumes as they set sail, ignoring Gum Baby's names for a steamship she wants. Suddenly he realizes Gum Baby is missing and he goes to look for. When he opens the porthole, a large snake slithers inside. He tries to summon his gloves, but the memory of the previous night stops him from doing so. They snake tells him to tell Mami Wats that something is wrong with the waters in Old Angola and the gods will fall if the evil grows. The snake vanishes as the room is filled with spirits who take no notice of him. Eddie Garvey, Brer Bear's children, and his great aunt Denise. However Old Familiar acknowledges him and he sees High John lecturing the ghosts. The god vanishes after he appears to ask him about what he sees and the spirits follow suit. He wakes up to see the French Quarter in a golden light and sees the stories that make up the city. After the light fades he sees the barge he was on the night before filled with spirits of all ages being watched by haints. He sees several coffles heading north, but one heads to the hotel his family was staying at. Thinking this is contacted to the snake's message and worried for his family, he goes to help. As he runs through the French Quarter to warn his family and the gods, he sees King Cotton at a cafe and the two talk. The haint shows him one of Junior's stones and Tristan becomes angry. King Cotton offers him a choice, tell him where the gods are and have his friends and family walk away safely, or his loved ones and civilians get hurt. Tristan turns him down and the haint unleashes a trio of coffles on the public before slipping away in the chaos. As civilians panic, he starts to think of a plan not involving his shadow gloves. As two of the coffles find someone, the third attacks a duplex as children on the second floor pelt it with whatever they can find as Tristan grabs a pipe and goes on the offensive. However he is soon outmatched as the three surround him and he notices his hands are on fire. Before he can attack, a girl in a wheelchair grabs him and pulls him behind a barricade. She tells him to move just as the barricade breaks and a hooded figure in a mask approaches them. They run as the figure stays put. The girl introduces her as Jess and takes Tristan to a rooftop occupied by children, she explains that the children are runaways and that they have been dealing with coffles for weeks, shocking Tristan. Just then the leader of the band of runaways, Memphis Jones, signals that they are in trouble and he helps Jess push a pile of debris off the roof. They crush a coffle and go down to investigate. On the ground, they see two figures and hide as they report to someone through a walkie talkie that they could not find any children and leave. Just then Memphis appears, addressing him by name, and shows him an article about the incident in the French Quarter, dubbing it a riot and showing a picture of him angrily throwing a drink. Memphis has Jess take the children away so the two can talk. They push him to know who took the picture and he realizes the photographer was in front of him. Memphis emphasizes the work they do to keep the children safe from the monsters and society and how the public ignored the coffles because their minds are conditioned to see what they want to see. Memphis says he should stay for the night and takes him to a room where he meets someone who told Memphis about him, Ayanna. As they head back to the River Queen, Ayanna tells him his grandmother told them to return to the boat. She then explains how she was separated from Gum Baby and Junior in a coffle attack and spent hours avoiding them in the river before Memphis found her, she shows Tristan a mask worn by one of their pursuers. They make it to the Mississippi and he gives Memphis Seraphine's contact information, saying she knows people who can help. They leave as Tristan and Ayanna get aboard the River Queen. After returning to his cabin, she hugs him just as Gum Baby arrives with the SBP and teases the two. Gum Baby hands the SBP to Tristan and asks to speak with Ayanna privately. Anansi rebuffs him for failing to find his son and tells him Mami Wata wants to speak with him in the bridge, and to leave the SBP. He heads up to the bridge, and Mami Wata tells Tristan she needs his help as a spirit is trying to tell them something. He talks to the spirit, who tells them to turn around as Angola is not safe. As Mami wata asks what the spirit told him, He sees a prison filled with prisoners harvesting crops and their overseers mimicking the movement of the ghosts of the enslaved and their overseers and he realizes Angola is a prison. The other's voice their desire to keep going, even the River Queen wants to move forward. However he sees something and, after taking Ayanna and Mami Wata's hands and putting Gum Baby on his head, he gets them to see the ghostly old mansion surrounding the prison as he realizes it is a former plantation. Tendrils dragging spirits into it, including the River Queen. Mami Wata tries and fails to break the ship free as she is ensnared by the tendrils and the others try to free her. Just then they notice a small shack transforming into a monster with King Cotton on the porch. He taunts them as he thanks Tristan for freeing him and giving him the strength he needed in Alke. The haint introduces the shack monster as Old Angola and leaves to find the Alkeans as Old Angola attacks. Tristan is locked in a state of anger until Ayanna snaps him out of it and tells him to help Mami Wata. They manage to break free and escape. After putting an exhausted Mami Wata in her cabin, Gum Baby steers the boat as he and Ayanna inspect the damage. As they do, Anansi tells him to talk to Ayanna and blackmails him with speeches he wrote about Ayanna if he does not. When he meets up with Ayanna, she tells him a story about a friend she trained to become a pilot with who let his anger get the better of him during the Iron Monster Attacks to the point where he walks into a death trap. Tristan promises to keep a leveled head as they go to take the wheel from Gum Baby. They give Gum Baby a small banjo to play as Anansi forcibly listens to her play. Tristan gazes at the landscape as the SBP nearly goes overboard. He grabs it as Anansi insults Gum Baby's ability to play the banjo. The two talk and he tells Tristan the consequences if he fails to control the charms on his bracelet. Tristan activates the spirit bead and sees the ghosts of African Americans moving north. A girl looks at him fearfully as Gum Baby says they need him. They reach a fork in the river and find three steamships, two beached and a third upside down. As they question if it's a trap, they hear a cry for help and Tristan goes to investigate. He sees a woman pinned under debris and he pulls her out. She introduces herself as Patty Roller and addresses Tristan be name. He is shocked upon hearing this and notices Patty was in a hole and the beached ships now block him from the River Queen. He tries to run, but Patty clamps onto his wrist and says she will "re-educate" him and, when she mentions children, Tristan realizes she has been kidnapping the children. Luckily, the River Queen smashes through the two other boats and Patty's grip loosens as he makes a run for it. He sees three ghosts of black men who point towards a city. Tristan finds a sign saying the city is Vicksburg, Mississippi and he realizes they are soldiers. As Patty comes after him, the ghosts point towards Vicksburg and he trusts them. As they run along the river, he tires as the ghosts reach a plaque mentioning the USS Cairo and the oldest looking soldier points to the river and says a story is nearby. Just then Patty's ship appears behind them and Tristan yells at them to go, but they keep talking about a story and pointing at the river. Tristan sees something and uses one of the beads to see the ghost's stories. Tristan sees the older soldier and his nephew, John, walking to Vicksburg to join the Union in the United States Colored Troops and fight for their freedom. After a time skip he sees John's Uncle saying goodbye to his nephew before getting in an ironclad, the USS Cairo. Tristan then sees things from the perspective of John's Uncle as he sails away. Before leaving, Tristan sees High John. After viewing a battle he returns to the present with the USS Cairo intact and ready for battle. John's Uncle asks Tristan for orders, and he says to attack the haint. With the combined attacks from the USS Cairo and the River Queen, Patty is pushed down river. When he gets back on the River Queen, he tells the others what happened and tells them his theory on what Cotton's plan is, to gather the stories of African Americans where they suffered from the most. After looking at a map, Ayanna predicts that Cotton's next target is Fort Pillow north of Memphis, Tennessee. Anansi becomes elated and reveals he has sensed various Alkean signals from Memphis and believes his son is their. As Tristan tries to tell the trickster to not get his hopes up, he scolds Tristan for failing to find Junior and reveals he has put in a request to Nyame to be taken out of Tristan's custody, be given his true form back, and have Tristan removed as anansesem. Mami Wata sadly confirms it and places Tristan on probation until they hear back from the sky god, confines the boy to his cabin, and confiscates the SBP. As he sits in his quarters worrying about losing his powers, Gum Baby comes and gives him a pep talk. She says he can be a hero without the SBP and, much to his surprise, he gets his spirit back. He says they need to get off at Memphis, and Gum Baby reveals she had Anansi speed things up and Ayanna is waiting for them in a boat. They make it to shore and get a taxi. They stop outside the Memphis Zoo and see spirits fleeing and High John flying around on Old Familiar. They find the zoo in ruins and see two masked figures in cloaks, Harold and Darla, inspecting birds in a partially destroyed aviary. They realize they are looking for Old Familiar as Gum Baby successfully sets a trap and, after the two are subdued, He and Ayanna walk over to question them. However they recognize Tristan and Harold tries to call the police and pin everything on him, but Old Familar swoops down and grabs Tristan. After Tristan gets on his back, the giant crow swoops down at crash into the aviary, however the bird instead brings him somewhere as he watches Memphis turn into a few burned houses. When they land, He sees John angrily pounding the ground after the destruction and spots High John in a window, asking him for help. ristan enters the cabin High John is in and discovers the poor state of the god, he explains how he had a run in with King Cotton and it took a lot out of him. They exit as they pass John and High John explains he is a varient of his story. The god explains how he ended up in a bookstore and consumed his own stories for power, it worked initially but by doing so he erased those stories. He explains how King Cotton is trying to consume stories to erase history so he can shape it as he wants it to be. However he starts talking to Thandiwe and forgets he was talking to Tristan once he returns his attention to the boy. High John tells Tristan he has to show him something, but cannot go with him. Tristan reluctantly grabs onto Old Familiar as goes off. He finds himself by the shack, really a single floor house in a neighborhood, intact. He goes inside and realizes it belonged to John. However soon a bomb is thrown in the window and the house erupts in flames. Tristan hears voices saying the burn everything down and drive them all out. He watches the house burn as Old Familiar takes him away. He returns to High John, who tells Tristan he just saw the 1866 Memphis Race Riots, and tells him he is fading. High John tells him to find Thandiwe before going limp. He carries High John to a tree as John follows. When he rests the god at the trunk of a tree, he gives Tristan his bag and the boy reluctantly takes it. High John says to find Thandiwe as Old Familiar swoops down between them and Tristan appears in modern day Memphis with the tree tripling height and a bed of calla lilies in the shape of a sleeping man. Tristan cries for the god as a black SUV pulls up and opens the passenger side door. Tristan notices a crow hood orpiment and an O and F embroidered on the driver's seat and realizes the car is Old Familiar. John gets in as well and they pick up Ayanna and Gum Baby, call his grandmother, and go to find Thandiwe. They arrive at an abandoned warehouse and enter, where they are cornered by a dozen hooded figures. One of them reveals herself to be Thadiwe and she asks Tristan how High John died. They walk down a hallway, the others oblivious to John, as Thandiwe explains she and High John ended up their fleeing Alke and the old woman who owns the facility let them stay rent free if they help out. They emerge on a catwalk overlooking an indoor skate park as Thandiwe explains how she and High John helped get the word out about the place, leading to more run away and troubled children seeking refuge there. A girl hurts herself and the princess of the ridge folk goes to help. When the others arrive the girl notices John despite not possessing an adinkra. They realize she and the others, are in danger if Cotton finds them and they call a meeting. After everyone meets by a bowl, Thandiwe and another girl named 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 Ayanna and Thandiwe show of their items and Gum Baby reveals herself. The kids cheer just as someone asks what is going on. An old woman is a tracksuit appears, who Gum Baby addresses as Granny Z. After he asks who she is, Granny Z dismisses everyone, save for him and John, who she takes to her office. When they sit down, Granny Z explains how she helps all children and asks Tristan why he isn't helping. He says he is focusing on taking down King Cotton, but she says that is only an excuse and asks why he is angry. He says he doesn't know but she pushes him. Tristan finally screams that he is angry at the world, that history is being erased and people are being mistreated but no one seems to care. Just as he calms down, an explosion is heard. The group of grey robed masked wearers appear again as they tell Rolling Thunder they are trespassing and have called the police and reveal they are called the Redliners. 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 Chayse as he, Ayanna, Thandiwe, John, and Gum Baby chase after her in Old Familiar. As they follow the haints, they go into a distorted world to follow them, the same method used by High John. They eventually find themselves at an outlet mall twenty miles outside of Memphis and he 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. 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. As he goes down the isle, he hears a voice over an intercom and a creaking following him. He realizes the store has security cameras and he heads towards the security office. He finds it empty and the voice over the intercom says Tristan cannot save his friends and Chayse and he realizes it is a trap. He calls out to his friends and hears Ayanna get cut off. He goes to investigate and notices the back door is open. He goes out to find shadows with whips for hands and he becomes petrified. Soon Gum Baby arrives and they fight them off the little success. Old Familiar, Ayanna, and Thandiwe arrive and the Breakers disburse. When they leave, 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. He waits outside a room as the others talk. When Ayanna exits, the gods call him in. They scald Tristan for leaving and confine him to his quarters until they reach Chicago. He says he had to stop Cotton, but the gods say they have been searching for the haint with no success. As they consul him over High John, the boy says that gods cannot die as long as their stories are told and vows, as an anansesem, to tell them. Keelboat Annie hugs him and saying something about him being an anansesem, but the River Queen comes to an abrupt holt near St. Louis as Ayanna 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. Thandiwe 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. He tells the girls 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, he realizes Cotton is hiding them in a different realm. The girls take hishands 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, he 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 the three living black out. Tristan comes to in a concrete cell missuing his bacelet and backpack. Terrified, he starts shouting until a slot opens up and King Cotton dangles his bracelet just out of reach. The haint thanks Tristan for giving him the power to reshape the world and says he will start by taking out Tristan's loved ones with the boy by his side. Tristan refuses and the haint lunges at him and grabs him shirt collar. Tristans says he would rather rot and Cotton leaves him. Tristan sits in his cell and, after a while, he realizes he is on a train. He thinks of his friends and family and the gods that helped him as John appears. Tristan is shocked as he is seeing the ghost without his bracelet. After finding the threat of Alke in him, Tristan focuses on the door and breaks it down. He finds that he is in the end of the train as he and John decide to cause trouble. He uses the shadow gloves to smash through the train, freeing children and going to the front as John follows. He comes across a locked door and busts it open to find Junior inside. Junior says he was just about to give up on being rescued as they make their way to a trashed and abandoned dining car. Tristan sees his backpack and finds Gum Baby, much to his relief, but no bracelet. He finds Gum Baby's phone and calls the River Queen, learning that John Henry and the other gods have arrived for reinforcements, however Anansi is not present. The crew of the River Queen rejoice when they learn he found Junior, but panic when they learn King Cotton has the bracelet. As Ayanna asks where they are headed, Tristan and Junior enter the next car and he freezes in fear after recognizing the car as an L-train car and realizes Cotton plans to end things in Chicago. They enter the car to find a redliner reading a newspaper. He spots them and tells them to turn around as Harold speaks over the intercom and a breaker appears. The intercom announces the next stop is Bronzeville, his home neighborhood, as Tristan and Junior back into the next car and Lewis, one of the kids he freed, tells him he cannot find Kweku. Tristan picks the young boy up and runs into the next car with Junior. Tristan has Junior take Lewis to safety as he fights off the breakers. However he starts to tire but continues to fight as John Henry appears and tells Tristan to rest. Tristan then notices Keelboat Annie jamming her keel pole into the wheels as redliners abandon the train. As Lake Michigan comes into view, Old Angola can be seen. As he heads to the lakefront, Ayanna, Thandiwe, John, and Junior come over to him and they figure out a plan to stop Old Angola. They head to Oakland Beach as Ayanna realizes that all their final battles have happened on a beach, when suddenly 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 the four. King Cotton approaches the four as the crowd grows. He says he is there to stop him, but Cotton says he just begun and offers him another chance to rule by his side. The boy refuses again and threatens to put him in another bottle as Cotton riles him up by saying the history of the country has been glossed to hide the worst deeds done to his people as Tristan takes what he says to mind. The haint then attacks the crowd as civilians scatter. Junior, Thandiwe, and Ayanna fight back to no avail as he struggles to summon the shadow gloves without hurting the civilians running past him. As Cotton goes to grab him, John Henry appears and blocks the haint. Cotton attacks John Henry with little success as Tristan rejoins his friends. 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 he realizes it is a trap. He warns the gods to late as Patty Roller leads hundreds of breakers into battle against the gods. He, Ayanna, Thandiwe, 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, he refuses. The others berate his decision until he says they should not fight 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, he jumps into the beach and towards Old Angola, but stops just as a tentacle comes out of a door. Just then Anansi speaks with Patty Roller about stealing his son. As the haint on horseback is saying his son needed to be re-educated, her voice cuts of and the fourth passenger, Granny Z, comes off and berates Patty for hurting children as she and Twennymiles are swallowed by the beach. Tristan uses the opportunity to sneak onto Old Angola. He wanders the halls of the living plantation as hallways and doors shift around and hears the house trying to eat him. As he walks he hears a second quieter voice asking where someone is. Eventually he comes across a cluster of tentacles and he stops. He sees Gum Baby's spirit and takes her body out of his backpack and calls for her. He calls to her but she ignores him. Tristan then starts to tell Gum Baby's story, which gets her attention, but attracts the tentacles of Old Angola as well. Thankfully Gum Baby gets back to her body and saves Tristan. He hugs her happily as dozens of breakers swarm them. Tristan summons the shadow gloves as Gum Baby fires sap at the breakers. The two combine their powers to create flaming sap projectiles that takes down the living plantation. As they leave the crumbling building, he trips and watches Gum Baby fall to the beach as he passes out. He wakes up in the remnants of Old Angola with King Cotton standing nearby in tattered clothes, scolding Tristan for ruining his plans and says he will start over. However Tristan says he is finished as Cotton says their will always be people who look good in their deeds compared to him. As Tristan thinks about the atrocities that were committed against people like him that happened while the haint was trapped in a bottle, he notices his friends and the gods watching him, as with a group of bystanders recording. He gets back up, summons the shadow gloves, and fights. At first the fight goes in Cotton's favor, however he thinks of all that is at stake and gives it his all, he attacked the haint saying "we keep punching" as the shadow gloves set King Cotton on fire and he disintegrates before him, saying the boy cannot defeat him as he is reduced to a pile of ashes. After the battle, his allies congratulate him as he exits the ruble that was Old Angola. A few days later, Nyame gives him the SBP back, but without Anansi, who has gone missing. A month after the incident, he is watching a news report on the SBP on children displaying Alkean magic as as he dad calls him to get to school. He rushes out to be driving to school by Old Familiar, going with Thandiwe, Junior, and Ayanna, who are now his schoolmates. Gum Baby goes with them and, upon arriving in home room, learn their teacher, Mr. Tyson, has moved to Delaware and their new teacher, Mr. Kwaku will be in shortly. When Mr. Kwaku arrives, Tristan and his friends, especially Junior, are surprised to learn he is Anansi. |
The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities: New Stories About Mythic Heroes[]
The Gum Baby Files[]
Tristan's message to find the Alkeans is heard by Gum Baby as she, Ayanna, and Junior are outside the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. When the three get in contact with Mami Wata, she says he is missing.
Appearance[]
Tristan is an adolescent African American boy with a dark brown complexion and short Afro. He is tall with a somewhat athletic build. He often wears a gray hooded sweatshirt with a faded black inked flexed bicep on the back.
Personality[]
Tristan is shown to be attached to friends and loved ones, mourning them if they pass. He is protective of his loved ones and would grow to great lengths to get them back.
When under attack, he can either fight back to defend others or run away to save himself, as a day or so after arriving in Alke, he was reluctant to set out to find Anansi. However as time goes by, the former is more likely, such as saving the Ridgefolk from the Abiyoyo he summoned to tell them of his quest and wanting to save the Midfolk from the iron monsters as the Thicket burned.
Tristan also has immense anger, an anger that causes him to lose control of himself and endanger others, such as inadvertently traumatizing his younger cousin when defending him from a Coffle.
Abilities[]
- Boxing Skills: Tristan has been trained in boxing by his father since he was young.
- Sewing Skills: Tristan has basic sewing skills, being able to create a quilt with the help of others.
As an anansesem, Tristan has the ability to collect, hold, and instantaneously read the stories of people and places. He is responsible for keeping the land and people of Alke alive.
- Story Constructs: As an Anansesem, Tristan has a partial control of the realm of Alke. This is done by the environment around him reenacting the stories he tells, with the animals and elements taking the shape of characters he talks about.
- History Recording: As an Anasesem, Tristan can record and store the history of all of Alke, imbuing its history and memories of its people in a quilt to aid in rebuilding the world of stories.
- Story Reading: Tristan can read the stories of anyone he focuses on, if he focuses hard enough he can read the stories of multiple people at once.
- Empowering: As an Asansesem, Tristan can give gods and magical objects a boost in power by telling their stories.
Items[]
- Eddie's Journal: After Eddie's death, Tristan was given his journal.
- Old Man Rawlen's Gloves: When speaking with John Henry, the giant gives Tristan a pair of old fashioned boxing gloves that improve his fighting. After the Steel Driving Man is injured by the Shamble Man, he gives them back so he can recover.
- Charm Bracelet: Tristan possesses a bracelet made out of the leather tassel from Eddie's journal. It possesses four charms:
- A green spider web that helps him get in tune with his stories.
- A rose gold adinkra to help him focus his abilities.
- A silver ball to protect him.
- An akofena charm that gives him two sets of boxing gloves, one on his hands and another at his waist.
- Story Box Phone: After defeating Uncle C and the Maafa, Tristan is given a Story Box converted into a smartphone to record his stories, as well as to keep tabs on Anansi.
Relationships[]
Love Interest[]
Ayanna[]
Ayanna, his friend in Alke.
Tristan feels a sense of respect and kinship towards Ayanna. They depended on each other as they set out to stop the iron monsters and grew to see one another as valuable allies. After return to Alabama, he buried the gloves and bracelet as they reminded him of her.
Tristan is happy when he reunites with her and the look out for each other as they track down the Shamble Man. After Alke begins to fall apart and they flee to his world, she is one of the many to be separated from the ground upon entering his world. Tristan becomes depressed for her and the others who were lost until he gets a a picture of her and some of the others on the SBP a few days later and vows to find them.
Two weeks later, he reunites with her and he is shocked and overjoyed. However he starts to act nervous around her and vice versa, indicating a mutual attraction.
Family[]
Tristan loves and respects his father, however he feels his father is pressuring him into becoming a boxer.
Tristan loves and respects his mother.
Tristan respects his grandfather, however he finds him to be rather stern and gruff.
Tristan cares for his grandmother. He enjoyed listening to her stories when he was younger. He was shocked to discover that she knows about and has been to Alke. When the Shamble Man kidnaps her to lure Tristan into Alke, he angrily goes after her.
Tristan is annoyed by his younger cousin. However when the boy was almost taken by a coffle, he saved him but lost control of his powers. He feels guilty for inadvertently traumatizing his cousin.
Friends[]
Eddie Garvey, his friend.
Tristan and Eddie have been close for most of their time in middle school. When Eddie died in the bus accident, Tristan became deeply troubled by his friend’s death.
When he lost his friend's journal, Tristan was desperate to get it back, seeing it as his last connection to his deceased friend.
When he sees Eddie's spirit in after defeating King Cotton, Tristan is happy he has can say goodbye to his friend.
Gum Baby, his acquaintance and quest mate
At first he was annoyed by Gum Baby and thought of her as a thief when she came to his grandparent's farm to take Eddie's Journal. She constantly berates him and scalds him for correcting her speech. However after setting out to find Anansi. They two grow closer, but he still finds her annoying.
When they reunite a few weeks later, months for her, she continues to scald him and ride on his head. When Alke begins to fall apart, he reassures her and tells her they are taking “precoffinery messures”, as she would say. Gum Baby is among the Alkeans who vanished upon entering his world, he becomes depressed from the guilt of her and the others vanishing. However he gets a picture of her on the SPB and becomes elated that he can track her and the others down.
Tristan saves Gum Baby from a shipping container two weeks later and he is still annoyed by her abrasive behavior. After she is hurt by Breakers and becomes comatose, Tristan blames himself and keeps her within at all times.
Junior, a companion in his quest to stop the Shamble Man.
At first, Tristan found Junior to be an annoyance and a rivalry quickly formed between the two. Junior would glare at him and Tristan had trouble trusting him. However as they journeyed together, the two boys became less hostile towards each other. Junior would come to his defense when he was being attacked and Tristan would listen to him talk about his father.
When he learned that Junior was actually Anansi's son Stone Thrower, he was shocked. After Junior stayed behind when the Shamble Man attacked Lady Night's Juke Joint as he and the others escaped. He was devastated and questioned his companions father for the next few days. When he learned Junior was in his world, Tristan became elated.
After failing to find Junior, Tristan becomes desperate to find him and the other missing children, leading him to make rash decisions that had dire consequences. After being taken aboard King Cotton's spirit train, Tristan breaks out and frees the other captives who, much to his delight and relief, includes Junior.Tristan is fond of the young rabbit and is concerned when she was nearly killed by Brand Flies. When he met up with her again, he was happy to see her.
Gods[]
John Henry, Tristan's favorite folk hero.
Even before meeting him in MidPass, Tristan has always admired John Henry. After meeting with him, the Anansesem found that they have a lot in common and the two grew close. The Steel Driving Man would reassure Tristan that it is alright to be scared before he left to find the Story Box and Tristan would in return erasure him that he had to abandon the Thicket to keep the Midfolk safe.
After his encounter with the Shamble Man, Trisian became concerned about the steel driving man and was horrified to learn he was fading. He left him Old Man Rawlen's Gloves to give him strength. A couple of days later he was overjoyed to see that the Steel Driving Man has made a full recovery.Tristan and the sky god have a mutual respect for one another.
Anansi, the trickster god.
At first, Tristan saw the trickster as his only hope to save Alke and return home. However after discovering Anansi’s trickery and plan to take the Story Box for himself he is disgusted by the god’s cowardly actions and deception. However he was pleased when he became the trickster’s warden.
After a month of being around him constantly, Tristan has grown accustomed to Anansi. He had Keelboat Annie look after him when he went to speak with Nyame to ensure they are not separated, albeit due to needing him to track down the Shamble Man.
After Alke is destroyed and the Alkeans are scattered throughout Tristan's world, the two have a falling out after Tristan fails to find his son with the trickster considering stripping Tristan of his Anansesem powers.
The two have a falling out after Tristan fails to track down his son, going as far as to threaten to strip him of his powers. After the Battle of Lake Michigan, Tristan becomes concerned when the trickster vanishes, and his his powers are still intact. Tristan is shocked when he becomes his home room teacher. During their reunion Anansi shows no ill will towards Tristan.
High John, a god he befriended looking for the Story Box.
At first, Tristan was Leary of High John. However after fighting along side him, the Anansesem has gained respect for the sly talker.
Upon returning to Alke, Tristan asks about him and is disappointed that he is away. After he and other Alkeans vanish upon entering his world, Tristan becomes depressed until he realizes the SBP can track him and the others down.
After learning that High John was fatally wounded and weakened by consuming his own stories, Tristan becomes distraught as he watches the god die.
Brer Bear as the Shamble Man.
At first Tristan feared the Shamble Man, not knowing who he was or what his goal was, but knowing he was strong enough to take out John Henry and steal his hammer. However this fear soon turned to anger and hatred after the rogue god came to his world and kidnapped his grandmother.
When he realized that the Shamble Man was really Brer Bear being manipulated after the death of his children, he tries to get him to see reason and stop his revenge plan. It works until the mask he was wearing takes control and he and Mami Wata manage to free him.Enemies[]
King Cotton, a haint he fought against.
At first, Tristan was afraid of Uncle Cotton and feared what he would do next. However when he finally met him in person, he was able to trick and defeat the haint. After learning he is still around and manipulating Brer Bear's anger, he becomes fearful but manages to rid the bear of his control. Thinking he was gone for good, he goes back to his world only to learn the haint is still around and has recruited more haints.
As Tristan heads north to his home in Chicago, he is followed by a trail of lies planted by King Cotton to incriminate him, angering the boy. The two face off during the Battle of Lake Michigan, where Tristan channels his anger towards the haint into the fight, defeating him once and for all.At first Tristan feared the Maafa. However upon learning it was forcibly awakened and simply desires to have its story spread, Tristan agrees to do so if it retreats to the bottom of the Burning Sea. The two meet again soon after and it tells Tristan the origins of the Shamble Man and attacks him and his companions when it is finished.
Etymology[]
- Tristan is a name of Welsh origin meaning "noise of arms", or "clanking sword".
- Strong is a surname of Irish origin.
Trivia[]
- Tristan has acrophobia, a fear of heights. As well as insectophobia, fear of insects.
- He says "Sweat Peaches" whenever he is startled.
- His favorite boxer is Muhammad Ali.
- Tristan is the first character in both the main literary universe and Rick Riordan Presents to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- He does not like football.
- Tristan enjoys reading science fiction novels and graphic novels.
- He is a fan of the Pokémon franchise.
- Tristan enjoys gumbo.
| 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 |