ready or nuts here i am

Some classic early metacomics by Winsor McCay.

I’ve been sitting and parsing feels, and trying to figure why on earth this particular thing has my attention so raptly at this second in time (I don’t know if you’ve noticed, it was very subtle, but I’ve been blogging a shit ton about this show lately). Because I have seen a bazillion shonen anime and kids cartoons and I would go into battle for Steven Quartz Universe, but there’s something really particular about Wander that speaks to me. Besides the cuddly factor, I mean (seriously, where are my Beanie Babies of him and Peepers). 

And I think I’ve got it: Wander’s not a kid. 

He’s sweet and goofy and sincere but the sense of innocence surrounding him is different from how, say, Steven or even Mabel might react to a situation. He’s not optimistic because everything in the world is new to him - he’s an optimist because he’s seen shit all over the galaxy, over dozens of galaxies, and he’s actively choosing to give the world the benefit of the doubt.

Like, he knows Sylvia’s probably right about dangerous situations. He knows people from all over, planets and other customs and the whole wide void of space. He learns things, but he’s not Learning Lessons like a kid might, seeing new things for the first time; instead, he’s learning from his mistakes. And maybe that doesn’t set the line quite clear enough, but it feels..adult, somehow. Maybe that he’s given the narrative power to be in the position of “knowing” a lesson, the older and wiser person…and still manages to screw up. 

And the fact that he’s not perfect! He’s impatient and pushy when his curiosity’s involved, absolutely relentless when he wants an answer with selective blinders the size of his hat. But even then, he’s got sincerity in every damn pore. He’s obviously got writing genetics from Bugs Bunny, but it’s different: Bugs would only go after characters who’d wronged him somehow, but there was definitely a sense that there was a karmic punishment going on once the antics start; Wander though, there’s such sweetness even when he’s giving someone the run around even right off a cliff. Like if they stopped chasing him he’d stop right there and do whatever he could to help. 

And it’s stupid, and it’s goofy, and I…find all of that really touching on some level that should probably require redosing my medication. But hell, that fluffly orange space spoon really makes me want to be a better person. Even when the universe is working its hardest to push the soothing appeal of cynicism. Maybe I just need that right now. 

y’know wouldn’t it make more sense for most cartoon characters to count in base eight

Wander really has a lot of faith in Hater, doesn’t he? He’s literally seconds away from death here, what’s supposedly known as “the most painful desmise imaginable”. Meanwhile, Hater’s in this situation where he was originally just celebrating the fact that his most hated enemy would finally be gone forever until he gets forced against his will to save him, so he kinda just reluctantly offers his hand to pull him away. But instead of just easily grabbing his hand and getting pulled to safety, Wander waits until Hater calls him his “buddy”, an extremely drastic measure to take just to prove that Hater has some good in him. Something I also noticed was when Wander pushed Hater to get him to run from getting caught in this thing, Wander didn’t actually run with him. He just stood there until he slipped in, which kinda makes me think this whole thing was planned. I mean, why else would he be smiling before taking Hater’s hand here? But hey, maybe i’m over thinking.

I really don’t think Wander is able to “plan” the things, but he’s definitely super smart, so I really think he’s just able to figure out his odds in half moment notice just by knowing very well the actual nature of people. I think he’s just a super quick thinker who does marvelous logic jumps and get very quickly to conclusions apart of also been a person who just loves and respect absolutely everything in the universe.  

He does know the actual nature of Hater, but he does refuse to simplify it. He does refuse to think Hater can’t change or can’t learn, or he’s always is going to hate everything in the universe or been evil, because he loves him and he has faith in him. At the same time, he knows his odds at surviving things, and he knows when you can get a chance to force change in a person. In this episode, he got the chance to try and make Hater a better person (Probably fully expecting to be saved by Sylvia in any moment) and tried to use the opportunity at it fullest.

Of course he can commit a lot of mistakes, after all, his logic jumps just assure he maybe is going to get something wrong by just not considering something important, and can get very excitable and fall into a lot of traps, even if he knew, because he just loves everybody and respect them and trust them, but that’s why Sylvia is the cynic and his partner. But I have a lot of problems trying to explain to people and get people understand that good, trustful, respectful, sometimes hyperactive and loving is not the same as stupid, or been smart is not the same as infallible, or you can be manipulative and been manipulated just depending of the objective, all at the same time. 

But there’s a reason of why Wander over Yonder for me is like the smartest show right now. It gets all that. And keeps surprising me of how many thing is still getting.