Rhett's past

[Ducky123]

I've been wondering recently since I'm writing about Rhett in my fanfiction how Rhett came to join Ali's herd and what kind of upbringing he might have had.

Personally, I think that he's gotten orphaned early on just like Littlefoot and had to get by on his own, maybe in a group with other orphans or wandering from herd to herd, hence being rather tough and also competitive but lacking kindness etc.

One day he ran into Ali's herd and since he fell for Ali he stuck around.

My personal head canon 

What do you think? 

[rhombus]

I know that in my Seven Hunters story I had him with a mother, but I think the orphan idea might actually work better from an explanatory point of view.  His difficulty in dealing with other children, his clinginess to Ali, and his lack of social graces could be explained in part due to the lack of a dedicated parental figure. As such he would effectively be raised by the herd in an ad hoc fashion, which could lead to the development of traits to deal with a hard herd lifestyle, namely: competitiveness, toughness, and a certain necessary coldness to deal with the lack of emotional warmth.

[Ducky123]

Sorry for the late reply.

I definitely agree and I think your explanation really summarizes this well. Thanks 

Anyone else? I know Rhett's a bit hated but he's nonetheless an interesting character... in... some ways 

[Ducky123]

In the episode, it says his herd merged with Ali's herd by the way. How canon is that anyway? I'm certainly going a different route for his past in RTTLOM. 

[Sneak]

I doubt he's orphan.
Ali's mom didn't appear in TV Series episode at all, if I'm correct. So could Rhett's mom.
I doubt he had some kind of not-ordinary past. No difference from other members of his heard, at least.

[Anagnos]

There's no evidence to point out that he is an orphan, but there also isn't even a mention of his possible mother, father or any other relatives. They could have appeared and we wouldn't even know about it. For obvious reasons, I don't think the producers would name every single longneck in just one episode all for the sake of establishment of supporting characters. Fanfiction is one thing, and everyone can make their own conclusion on what his backstory is until a genuine one is given to us. Albeit that is highly unlikely to happen.

[Ducky123]

that's my exact problem haha because there's not much information yet I kinda want to stay as canon as possible with the story.

[Gentle Sharptooth]

I think Rhett was likely orphaned like Shorty. The Old One took him in like a good grandma. Rhett got a big head to cover up his insecurities and something that happened in his past, perhaos he saved himself while siblings were sharpteeth food? His stories then would act as cover up for his shame and tell what he wish had happened.

[RainbowFaceProtege]

Hm, I guess I never thought there was anything unusual about Rhett's past. He seemed to me like he was just a typical new kid trying too hard to fit in, so he told tall tales to impress others. I think his sharptooth stories were just the result of an overactive imagination. I don't think he was using them to hide anything aside from his general ordinariness.
New headcanon: Rhett's knack for telling exciting stories leads him to become a Story Speaker when he gets older!
(@Gentle Sharptooth you'll know what I'm talking about after we get a few more episodes into the series.)

[Gentle Sharptooth]

Rhett as a story teller, I could see that!

[Ducky123]

I think Rhett was likely orphaned like Shorty. The Old One took him in like a good grandma. Rhett got a big head to cover up his insecurities and something that happened in his past, perhaos he saved himself while siblings were sharpteeth food? His stories then would act as cover up for his shame and tell what he wish had happened.

nice thought! I hadn't considered that possibility yet