Blazin' Trails

Ricochet and Droop-a-Long

***Blazin' Trails: The New Adventures of Ricochet Rabbit and Droop-a-Long***, often shortened to ***Blazin' Trails***, is a Hanna-Barbera fanfiction series created by iheartgod175, centering on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series Ricochet Rabbit and Droop-a-Long. It was published on November 20th, 2015, originally as a short story titled No One's Perfect. Following the story's publishing, it was quickly retooled into a short story collection, with input, characters and a timeline provided by the author's good friend, Vulaan Kulaas.

*Blazin’ Trails Redux,* which is a soft reboot of the series, is currently in the works.

## Overview

Much like the original cartoon series, *Blazin' Trails* takes place in the Wild West (or more specifically, around the 1850's). For much of the series, sheriff Ricochet Rabbit, fastest Sheriff in the West, and his deputy, Droop-a-Long Coyote, are the main heroes. During times where speciesm and racism cause people to clash, Ricochet and Droop-a-Long stand out for their close friendship and teamwork as sheriff and deputy despite their obvious differences, both in species and personality. The series often follows Ricochet and Droop-a-Long's attempts to keep the town they live in (first Gopher Gulch, and later Hoop 'n Holler) at peace from outlaws and other ne'er-do-wells. Most chapters are slice-of-life and humorous looks into the pair's friendship, but others are serious adventures that put one or the other in peril.

### Season 1

The first "season" follows how Ricochet and Droop-a-Long originally met and became friends as well as a sheriff and deputy team. Despite the rampant speciesm (especially against coyotes), Ricochet and Droop-a-Long prove to be the best of friends, even if they don't always agree with each other. They serve in the town of Gopher Gulch, and later are called to Hoop 'n Holler to deal with the town's rising crime rate. In between this, Droop-a-Long gains a girlfriend: Denise Falconeri, Ricochet's wealthy ex-fiancee. Most of the chapters in this season focus on the humorous aspects of the pair's friendship, but at least a few delve into the harsh standards that they have to put up with (namely Breaker of Barriers and the four-part Protector arc). By the end of the season, Ricochet gains a new junior deputy, Jeb Forrest, who helped him during the Protector case.

### Season 2

Picking up after the first movie, Ricochet officially adopts Lucky as his son, and deals with being a parent as well as helping the boy heal from his trauma. Shortly after this, he, Droop-a-Long, and Jeb find themselves dealing with the dangerous outlaw organization known as Red Scorpion, as well as the Phantom Killer, a dangerous outlaw who is gunning for Ricochet.
A few members of Ricochet's family are introduced this season, namely his niece, Roxanne, who plans to become a sheriff despite the wishes of her grandparents and her father, Al Falconeri. She becomes a deputy in the town of Shadybrook, and her first test as an aspiring sheriff is to locate the elusive Salvador Barnes, son of Drag-a-Long's second in command, who reportedly killed her predecessor when the gang blew through town.
Droop-a-Long's girlfriend, Denise, takes more of a role in this season as she not only encounters Drag-a-Long, but also experiences the fallout of her relationship with Droop-a-Long being revealed to her family.

### Season 3

After the events of the second movie, Kiara decides to remain in Texas, while James, having given up his path as a gunslinger, has been adopted by his uncle, Lumière. When the latter runs into Serena Falconeri, the two begin to reach out to her, hoping that they can turn her away from her destructive path. To this end, they turn towards her family, out of whom only Denise is really willing to help.
Salvador, having barely escaped the shootout in which he killed his father, recuperates in Shadybrook. He becomes good friends with Roxanne, who decides that when she becomes sheriff, she'll hire him as her deputy. Slowly, Salvador finds himself falling in love with Roxanne, but worries that his past life will ruin their chances, not to mention the rampant speciesm will cause problems for both of them.
Droop-a-Long is given a second chance in his relationship with Denise by her family. Ricochet finds a second chance at romance with an old flame, Melissa Starkweather. When things between them get serious, he finds himself questioning whether he can balance work and family. Jeb Forrest has a chance to step up, but when the case involves his twin brother,  it leaves him wondering if the life of a deputy is one that he really wants. And finally, Droop-a-Long steps up to prove that he's good enough to be a good sheriff, and plans to take the next step in his restored relationship with Denise.

### Season 4

In the beginning of season 4, Ricochet appoints Jeb to be his new deputy after Droop-a-Long, having married Denise, moves to the small town of Two-Bit to become its new sheriff. While Droop-a-Long deals with the increased responsibilities, his older brother, Drag-a-Long, makes a reappearance, determined to get revenge on his brother for the splintering of Red Scorpion. Ricochet deals with the emergence of the Jones family, namely Xavier Jones, who has set his eyes on his niece Roxanne, who refused his advances. As both the Rabbit family and the Falconeri family come together to deal with this common enemy, a secret is revealed that will test Ricochet's strength as sheriff.

## Characters

### Main

* **Ricochet Rabbit**-The sheriff of Hoop 'n Holler and known as the fastest sheriff in the West. A fourth-generation sheriff, he has a passion for his job that has yet to be matched. This incarnation of Ricochet is hot-headed, prideful and can come across as aloof to those who don't know him well, but he's truly a good person at the core, and is given more weaknesses in comparison to his story-breaking powers in the cartoons.
* **Droop-a-Long Coyote**-Ricochet's deputy and best friend, hailing from the town of Shadybrook. He worked odd jobs for several years before meeting Ricochet, and his role in saving Ricochet's life led to him being hired as his deputy. This incarnation of Droop-a-Long is a bit smarter than the original and not as clumsy, though he does have the occasional naive/stupid moment.

### Secondary Characters

* **Denise Falconeri**-Ricochet's wealthy ex-fiancée who is a member of the powerful Falconeri family. She later enters a secret relationship with Droop-a-Long.
* **Melissa Starkweather**-A female rabbit who was one of Ricochet's crushes, but later rejected him. She later comes to realize that she made a mistake in leaving Ricochet, and decides to pursue a relationship with him.
* **Lucky**-Also known as **"The Kid with No Name"**; he is the half-breed son of Droop-a-Long Coyote's older brother Drag-a-Long Coyote Jr. and Denise's older sister Serena Falconeri.
* **Jeb Forrest**-A frined of Droop-a-Long's who eventually became Ricochet Rabbit's junior deputy after the *Protector* arc. The polar opposite of Droop-a-Long, Jeb is talkative, somewhat short-tempered and occasionally indecisive, but is truly a good person at the core.

### Minor/Recurring Characters

* **J.P. Nuggets**-The elderly, somewhat cowardly mayor of both Gopher Gulch and Hoop 'n Holler who served as a banker before becoming the mayor. A good friend of Ricochet's.
* **Mr. Stonewall**-The owner of the town bank. He's somewhat strict, studious and uptight, and often files complaints against Droop-a-Long for repeatedly crashing into his bank tellers' windows. He has an odd friendship with Honeycomb that mirrors Ricochet and Droop-a-Long's friendship.
* **Mr. Honeycomb**-The owner of the town bakery. He's a jovial man who's always up for a good joke or two. He knows Ricochet very well due to the sheriff frequenting the shop for sweets. Similar to Ricochet's friendship with Droop-a-Long, Honeycomb has an odd friendship with Stonewall, who's his complete opposite.
* **Sam**-A bartender of *Hoppin' Horntoads*, the town saloon. Cool and collected, he often acts as the town's sounding board.
* **Vern Johnson** -Hoop 'n Holler's doctor, a serious but ultimately kindhearted old man who often shouts at Ricochet and Droop-a-Long for frequently getting themselves hurt.
* **Red-Eye**-The owner of *Hoppin' Horntoads*, the town saloon. He is a character lifted from 'The Good, the Bad and Huckleberry Hound', where he served as the bartender at Rusty Nails' saloon.
* **Daddy Ricochet**-Ricochet's father, who served as the sheriff of Ricochet's hometown, Carrottop Canyon. True to his name, he can ricochet off of stationary objects and create trick bullets, a skill he passed on to Ricochet.
* **Hop-a-Long Coyote**-Droop-a-Long's older brother, who's much more enthusiastic and outgoing than his younger brother. He has a son, Tag-a-Long, who is Droop-a-Long's nephew (see below)
* **Tag-a-Long Coyote**-Droop-a-Long's nephew, who attends the second grade. He originally came from the *Ricochet Rabbit and Droop-a-Long* episode *Cactus Ruckus*.
* **Ricochet Chavez**-Ricochet's Mexican cousin who serves as a sheriff.
* Various members of the Rabbit Family
* Various members of the Coyote Family
* Various members of the Falconeri Family

### Antagonists

* **Drag-a-Long Coyote Jr.-**Droop-a-Long's older brother; a notorious outlaw who leads the dangerous organization Red Scorpion (seen below)
* **Serena Falconeri-**Denise's older sister; also a notorious outlaw known for her brutal killings and having escaped the law for over a decade. She has a deep hatred for Ricochet due to his failure to catch the criminal that murdered her husband and son.
* **Dave Reeves** -
* **Chuck Carstairs**
* **Zebediah "Zeb" Forrest**-Jeb's twin brother who works for Dave and Chuck during the events of the *Protector* arc.
* **Red Scorpion**
* **A.T. Sam Jose**

### Guest Stars

* **Quick Draw McGraw**-The self-proclaimed 'fastest-shootinest cowboy in all the West', and Ricochet's friendly rival as well as occasional ally. Though a bit of a lumbering oaf, there’s no doubt that Quick Draw means well. He appears in *Sharp-Shootin' Sheriffs* and *Out-Trick Me*.
* **Baba Looey**- Quick Draw's loyal and friendly sidekick. Similar Quick Draw's relationship with Ricochet, Baba Looey is good friends with Droop-a-Long. He appears in *Sharp-Shootin' Sheriffs* and *Out-Trick Me*.
* **Punkin' Puss** and **Mushmouse** -A cat and mouse pair hailing from the Ozarks, locked in an everlasting and often destructive feud. Oddly enough, both of them are good friends with Ricochet and Droop-a-Long. They appear in*Hillman's Requiem*and *Pep In His Step*.
* **Peter Potamus** and **So-So** -A hippo and monkey duo who travels the world in Peter's magic hot air balloon, and constantly find themselves in exotic places and in danger. Also good friends with Ric and Droop. They appear in *Pests of the West*.

## Development

The series originally started as a short story called *No One's Perfect*. Due to the flow of ideas for both characters, it was quickly retooled into a short story collection, and was renamed  "Blazin' Trails" (a spin on the world trailblazing). The shorts were originally unconnected, but the releases of the chapters*Taking the Bullet, Driven to the Edge, It's Alright, Mr. Ricochet*, and the Protector arc, all of which connected to each other and take place within a certain period, changed that. As more chapters were added, additional characters, story ideas and timeline info were provided by iheartgod175's good friend, Vulaan Kulaas, a fellow fanfiction writer. Because of the story's growth, the author has decided to break it up into "seasons" so as to properly introduce the original characters she and Vulaan Kulaas have created, with the larger arcs (such as the Sina, Saint Belle Isle arc) being made into "movies", and three miniseries detailing both Ricochet's and Droop-a-Long's families and relationships. *If Likin' You Is Wrong is Wrong and Other Stories* focuses on Droop-a-Long and Denise's romance, while *The Life and Times* miniseries each focus on Droop-a-Long and Ricochet before they met.
Because of the lack of info in their original series, care was taken to develop both Ricochet and Droop-a-Long's characters throughout the series, as well as the original characters that were introduced to expand on their relationships outside of their friendship. In the original shorts, Droop-a-Long was the focus due to the author's personal preference for him, but in later shorts, Ricochet was given equal focus. Another development that was preplanned was Droop-a-Long's departure; iheartgod175 decided that Droop-a-Long would work alongside Ricochet for a little over ten years before becoming a sheriff in his own right. After Droop-a-Long's departure, he and Ricochet later take a back seat as the main characters, though they still have rather important roles regardless.

Key inspirations to the darker, realistic tone of the series were classic Western shows such as *Gunsmoke* and *Bonanza*, and a few Western movies such as *El Dorado*. The inspiration for most of the racial/speciest parts of the series was inspired by racial relations during that time period, as well as the fact that many of Hanna-Barbera's duos happen to be different species, yet have a good friendship regardless (a reference to the good business partnership that Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera shared). The Protector arc in particular was inspired by the documentary *Freedom Summer*, which profiled the real life event of the same name that was part of the Civil Rights movement.
Major themes in the series include family, friendship, and redemption. Ricochet and Droop-a-Long aside, many characters who were former outlaws were saved by other characters and given a second chance, eventually repenting for their crimes and starting new lives.

## Chapters

* *No One's Perfect*
* *Night Owls*
* *Real Homemade*
* *Breaker of Barriers*
* *Rapid Romance*
* *I'll Keep Ya Warm*
* *Breakfast Bedlam*
* *Taking the Bullet*
* *Driven to the Edge*
* *Guilty Pleasure*
* *The Only One I Can Trust*
* *Sugar Junkie*
* *It's Alright, Mr. Ricochet*
* *Game On*
* *Protector--Part 1*
* *Protector--Part 2*
* *Protector--Part 3*
* *Protector--Conclusion*
* *Room for Improvement*
* *Birthday Surprise*
* *Stick To It*
* *Snow Day*
* *I'm Right Here*
* *In Good Hands*
* *On Notice*
* *Just Like This*
* *I've Got Your Back*
* *Solemn Oath, Sworn Duty*
* *You’re Not Done Yet*
* *So Long, Droopy*

## Arcs

* *Protector*
* *Emerge, Red Scorpion*
* *The Phantom Killer*
* *Sheriff of Two-Bit*
* *Major Glory* (mini-arc to *Sheriff of Two-Bit* arc)

## Specials/Short Stories/Miniseries

* *The Life and Times of Ricochet Rabbit* (miniseries)
* *The Life and Times of Droop-a-Long Coyote* (miniseries)
* *Powerful Friendship, Iron Bond (mostly non-canon, but several elements and characters are pulled from the story)*
* *Ricochet's Day Off (Sequel to the above fic; also non-canon)*
* *Firsts*
* *If Likin' You Is Wrong and Other Stories (Miniseries)*