Rose (American Dragon: Jake Long)
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Rose is a fictional character and anti-hero from Disney's animated series American Dragon: Jake Long. She is voiced by Mae Whitman.
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[edit] About Rose
[edit] Background Info/History
Initially, very little was revealed about Rose's past or history. She simply showed up as "the new girl" at Jake's school (see "Old School Training"), and nothing was really unveiled about her earlier childhood until later parts of the series.
According to her, she's been a part of the Huntsclan for as long as she can remember (she remarks in "Dreamscape" that her earliest memory is her "lying in her Hunts-crib, crying for her Hunts-nanny to change her Hunts-diaper"). She ascended to become an apprentice for the Huntsman while working in the field in New York, and was personally taught by him about magical creatures (namely of their disgusting and unnatural nature, as hinted at in "Breakout") and in the methods of hunting.
Rose was told by the Huntsman that both of her biological parents died shortly after she was born, afterwards being taken in by the Huntsclan. However, in "Dreamscape", it's revealed that her parents (as well as a twin sibling) did not die. Rather, the Huntsman, as well as Huntsclan members working undercover at the hospital, kidnapped Rose shortly after her birth, after noticing her "Mark of the Huntsclan" birthmark.
[edit] Personality
Early on in the series, Rose's personality was clearly split between her two identities as Rose and the Huntsgirl.
As Rose, she was generally sweet and caring, but rather modest and somewhat shy. Not much of her personality was explored in Season 1, as her appearances were frequently left to her short encounters with Jake, who would normally be left very nervous in her presence.
As the Huntsgirl, her personality was almost the complete opposite: a daring, dedicated, and somewhat vicious persona filled her duties as a Huntsclan apprentice. She shared the same beliefs of the Huntsclan--of the vile and unnatural nature of magical creatures (especially dragons)--and was compelled to carry out actions in that mindset.
As her alter-ego was exposed to Jake in "The Ski Trip", and they were once again reunited in Season 2, her split-personalities became somewhat distorted and intertwined. Rose's more violent nature as the Huntsgirl was often surfaced in her normal identity, as she began to try and associate with Jake and his duties (see "Breakout", "Dreamscape"). It's also caused her more "normal" personality as Rose to surface in her duties as the Huntsgirl, which has her being perceived as acting oddly in the face of her comrades and her superior (see "Breakout").
[edit] Talents, Interests, and Abilities
There has not been much seen of Rose's real interests or talents as her normal self (as most of her appearances and involvement in the series have focused on her conflicts in being the Huntsgirl). A few of her "normal" interests have been revealed, such as an obsession over teen-sensation Jared MacArthur ("Shapeshifter"). It's also been shown that she has somewhat of a talent in acting, as she won the lead female role in the Millard Fillmore Middle School production of Antony and Cleopatra ("Act 4, Scene 15").
More of her natural abilities can be illustrated through her acts as the Huntsgirl. Rose has amazing acrobatic skills, as she is seen making tremendous leaps and bounds while fighting with large magical creatures ("The Academy", "Breakout"). She also has adroit skill in hand-to-hand fighting and other physical combat techniques, as well as a skilled use in almost all of the Huntsclan's frequently used weaponry (the most primary one being a staff/spear which all Huntsclan members seem to carry). She's also shown a somewhat deep understanding of various magical creatures and items (even discovering the various aspects of the "Dream Corridor" through her Dream Charm in "Dreamscape").
[edit] Personal Conflicts
Like Jake, Rose must deal with the personal conflicts in her life as being Rose and the Huntsgirl.
[edit] Secret Identity
In the beginning of the series ("Old School Training"), Rose's alter-ego of the Huntsgirl, a Huntsclan apprentice to the Huntsman, was out of the mind of anyone in Rose's normal school life (Jake included). Her situation was oddly similar to Jake's, though with her conflicting secret identity being put into the "evil side" of events in the series. A good example of this would be in "Act 4, Scene 15", where both Rose and Jake were trying to reherse their parts for a school play, while the Huntsgirl and the American Dragon were fighting to claim possession of a Magical Scarab. Her secret identity was exposed to Jake in "The Ski Trip" (though, she wouldn't know that Jake had discovered it until the conclusion of "The Hunted").
[edit] Jake
Bumping into Jake as she was starting to attend Millard Fillmore Middle School, Rose became the object of his affection. At first, she wasn't too involved with Jake, and instead was more seen (or forced, depending on how one would look at it) into spending time with Brad, a member of the football team. She gradually began to spend more time with Jake (spending time at the school dance in "Dragon Breath", rehearsing for a school play in "Act 4, Scene 15"), and eventually even went on their first date in "The Ski Trip".
Rose's alter-ego as the Huntsgirl was something that kept interfering with her time with Jake. He eventually discovered Rose to actually be the person who he had been fighting for months, and became hesitant to even spend mere seconds around Rose. She became rather worried (or at least started showing more apparent feelings for Jake, such as in "The Hunted") for his avoidance of her. During her participation in the Huntsclan's Grand Equinox Hunt, she soon started to realize that there was a rather familiar persona from the American Dragon, despite him being a creature she'd been wanting to slay ever since she first laid eyes upon him. Her suspicion turned out to be correct, as Jake revealed his identity just as Rose was about to slay him. Surprised and confused, she quickly ran off, sparing Jake's life, without leaving any trace of her destination for him to find.
It was soon revealed that Rose was transferred back to the Huntsclan Academy for her incompetent acts during the Grand Equinox Hunt (i.e. not slaying the American Dragon). After she discovers Jake and Spud in the guise of Huntsclan Trainees trying to recover the details of the Huntsman's plot in "The Academy", she decides to help them in their efforts. Rose even helps Jake in staging a fight to fake Jake being slain by Rose, so that she may be transferred out of the Huntsclan Academy and back to New York (where she once again attends Millard Fillmore Middle School with Jake).
As of now, Rose and Jake now demonstrate more clear feelings with each other (especially with the confusion involving their secret identities gone), but their interaction with each other in public is rather risky. Rose's relationship with a dragon was nearly exposed (due to the meddling of #88 and #89) in "Breakout", but was resolved as she presented proof of her slaying of the dragon back at the Academy: the hide of the slain dragon (though it was actually a skin that Jake had shed earlier in the episode during his molting cycle). In an effort to spend time with Jake out of the diligent watch of the Huntsclan, Rose gives him a Dream Charm (a duplicate of the one she used to contact Jake within his dreams) so that they could have their own personal (and literal) "dream dates". In "Dreamscape", their typical dates and interaction within each other's dreams (as well as accessing the dreams of other characters via the "Dream Corridor") are showcased.
[edit] Notes
- Though constantly referred to as "Huntsgirl", Rose's original moniker as a Huntsclan member was "Thorn". It was discovered late in the recording of first season episodes that a DC Comics character already existed with the same dual-personality label of Rose and Thorn. For legal reasons, re-recording was done to replace all mentions of "Thorn" with "Huntsgirl".
