#but honestly their dynamic as parents is such a healthy one

[milo-is-rambling]

Out smoked my cousins,,, truly feeling like the hippy failure cousin that all the kids like but all the adults judge and like it’s great vibes I feel my cousins actually enjoy being around me (not even just that we’re smoking like they seem to legit enjoy talking to me)

[bluespiritshonour]

Water Siblings and Fire Siblings as Foils

Katara and Sokka are peak sibling rep: they bicker, they hurt each other, they take turns being the voice of reason while the other goes batshit crazy—and they'd die for each other.

And very clearly Sokka's daddy's boy and Katara's momma's girl: and for most parts, they seem to be content with that dynamic.

Look, parents have favourites, let's establish that first: don't come at me for it.

But in a healthy environment, where all of the kids’ emotional needs are met irrespective of which kid gets along with which parent, they're less likely to tear themselves apart yearning for parental affection.

Sokka and Katara's family was a normal one, a healthy one—as healthy as one can be in a war ravaged world—and Sokka and Katara are normal siblings. Even after their mother died Katara doesn't seem to care much that Sokka gets more time with their father. And everytime she brings up their mother Sokka gets this weird look on his face, which, I think is later explained by the fact that he feels guilty that he doesn't even remember what their mother looked like. And it's not because Katara seems to know more about their mother despite being younger.

Neither of them grudge the other for having been close to one of the parents—let's call it ‘being close to’ instead of ‘dad/mum loved you/me more’ because that's what would come up with Azula and Zuko.

One can say that Azula's daddy's girl and Zuko's momma's boy... Except it isn't like that.

Azula wasn't loved by her father; neither was she close to him. If anything she had the illusion that she's close to him. But children can sense when they aren't loved, which can explain why she took her mother being close to Zuko so hard. Because she didn't get that from her father and isn't she supposed to be daddy's girl? But dad's good to her; mum... isn't. Dad lets her do what she wants... As long as she obeys him or she'd end up like Zuko.

For Ozai, both his children are pawns. He uses Azula to abuse Zuko, which in turn is to get at Ursa. And honestly, Ursa was a bad mum and an abuse victim and not the villain are takes that can co-exist.

A lot of mums in primarily patriarchal cultures end up abusing their own kids while trying to protect them in an environment where they themselves hold little power.

Ursa and Hakoda can be compared in this.

Katara haters can look away: she isn't whiny. And even if she is, well, she takes responsibility when no one else does so I guess she deserves to complain if that's what it takes. Katara is extremely mature. When she was mad at Hakoda, she still had the critical thinking skills to point out that yes, she understands why he left. He had to! She doesn't blame him for that, it wasn't his fault that there was war going on—but it still hurt!

And what does Hakoda do? He hugs her and apologises. He doesn't defend himself, because he doesn't need to. She understands! She said she does and he doesn't insult her by making excuses. He acknowledges and validates her pain.

Unlike Katara, who grew up in a healthy family with parents and grandparents and a whole community—Azula was isolated and under the influence of Ozai. And she was so young! If you remember being that young, you'd remember thinking that parents are always right. You don't realise that parents make mistakes too—and while her emotional needs weren't being met by Ozai, she turned to Ursa—but Ursa was at her wits end trying to undo the damage of Ozai's abuse on Zuko.

If she had given attention to Azula, Zuko, who thought that Azula was perfect and already had father's approval would have gone off rails—and since she didn't... Azula went off the rails.

Which was exactly how Ozai would want it. I don't like the comics much but it made sense that Ozai would hold both the children as bargaining chips against Ursa. Ursa made her choice, or rather, the illusion of her choice and Azula had to pay for it: the real reason Zuko could turn over a new page while Azula couldn't was because from the very beginning, Zuko had his mum and uncle.

Azula had no one!

Like Hakoda had to go to war and leave his children behind, Ursa had to choose between Azula or Zuko; Ozai orchestrated it as such.

But while there were people to pick up Hakoda's slack, there was no one to guide Azula. Sokka and Katara raised each other and they had Gran Gran.

Zuko and Azula were constantly pitted against each other by a war-mongering father.

I don't like this unrealistic expectations that fandom has of a family where both the siblings not only love each other equally, they also process emotions similarly (see: the Sokka vs Katara debate on how they both react to trauma) and parents who love all the kids equally.

Katara and Sokka are normal and realistic in the way that they are both different people: they process grief differently. Katara takes up responsibly and grows up too fast, it takes a toll on her and she's vocally expressive. She turns her grief into anger. Meanwhile Sokka internalises it in a survivor's guilt kind of way.

There's also gender involved in the way both pair of siblings interact. It's more subtle for the fire siblings than the water sibling. Plus, Suki makes Sokka drink his respect women juice, please y'all don't call Sokka sexist. That was character development for him which was addressed. I could make another post for gender and A:TLA.

And they both love each other dearly and they're okay with the fact that one is daddy's boy and the other is momma's girl. It's okay.

In contrast Zuko yearns for his father's affection and Azula yearns for her mother's. And while Zuko feels inadequate, for Azula it's “behave or you'll end up like your brother.”

She also learns to derive a sick sort of pleasure from watching Zuko suffer—which is entirely her father's doing. Because in rare moments when she doesn't have anything to gain by getting Zuko into trouble...she actually kind of looks out for him. It's extremely rare and sprinkled here and there to show us the Azula that could have been.

And I don't think Zuko really realised that Azula was abused too—not until he lets go of his father. Until the final Agni Kai. What I love about it is that despite portraying Azula as Zuko's tormentor for 3 seasons (and she was his tormentor) they did not frame the Agni Kai as some epic good vs evil shit.

Because from Zuko's point of view Azula was perfect. He's out here vying for his father's affection while she gets it freely. She's so lucky!—until he lets go of his father and realises what a monster he was... And he also realises that father never really loved Azula either...

They didn't say as much in words. But the final Agni Kai is proof enough. Zuko doesn't rejoice bringing Azula down (technically Katara did it). At this point, I guess, he realises that Azula's a kid too. Even younger than him—that their father couldn't care less about either of them.

Okay. I really do think that Zuko suddenly becoming invested in Azula's redemption would make sense after the Agni Kai. I also read this Twitter thread by Aaron Ehasz where he says he had plans for Azula's redemption and it was fantastic.

So yeah. Without being overt, the water siblings and fire siblings are contrasted by each other. Which is why I don't like the comics trying to do this brother-sister thing where they put Sokka and Katara and Zuko and Azula in back-to-back panels like... Even if I'm a huge supporter of Azula-deserves-redemption I didn't like those panels in the comics.

P.S. don't pit Sokka and Katara against each other. You aren't Ozai. They're different people who process trauma and loss differently and hence, react differently.

Adios.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Could you please go more on Harry and Sirius and their relationship? I love them so much.

Honestly, yes. Like I think I already wrote most of what I think about them, (here, here, here, and here) but I love their dynamic so much and one of my pet peeves in fic is when Sirius is villainized for no reason and treated as a bad influence in Harry's life.

Like, Harry's life is lacking in competent adults he trusts, and I wanna talk about how much Harry trusts Sirius since I haven't covered that yet, I think.

Dumbledore is extremely competent, but Harry doesn't trust him. Snape is also extremely competent, but Harry would rather deal with whatever himself than tell Snape about it (except in life-and-death situations like at the end of OotP).

Then you have characters like Hagrid, who Harry trusts, and is definitely good intentioned, but not very competent. Molly and Arthur kinda fall into this category for the majority of the books.

Remus in book 3 came close. He's competent, and Harry likes him, but that trust and seeking of a relationship is one-sided. It's always Harry seeking Remus out, Remus doesn't want to be involved in Harry's life and keeps running away like Remus does. (There's a reason Harry keeps calling him "Lupin" in his head)

Then you have Barty/Fake Moody who is competent and Harry trusts and grows close to only to later be revealed to be a Death Eater during book 4.

Basically, Harry has a shitty track record with mentor figures in his life. Then comes Sirius, who loves him, wants to have a relationship with him, who is intelligent and competent (Especially during GoF), and who Harry feels he can trust.

Throughout GoF and OotP, whenever Harry has a problem, be it strange dreams from Voldemort, his scar hurting, the Triwizard Tournament, him just having a bad day, Umbridge, anything, the first person he goes to (or wants to go to), even before Ron and Hermione — is Sirius. And that is so important to me.

Like, growing up the way he grew up, Harry isn't the most trusting of kids. He often goes and acts heroic because he doesn't trust adults to do what needs to be done and so he feels like it's his responsibility. Sirius is the only adult in the books that when he tells Harry: "Stay away from it and let me check out what I can find out first", Harry listens. In GoF Sirius tells Harry not to leave school, and to watch out for Karkaroff, and Harry does so. He actually believes Sirius has his best interests and he lets him be a responsible adult in his life.

At least, more than he lets anyone else.

I did mention it in the past, but Harry feels just as responsible for Sirius as Sirius feels for Harry. Harry never got to be a child, so he doesn't exactly act like one.

At the beginning of GoF he tries to lie to Sirius that his scar doesn't actually hurt so Sirius would stay safe and away from Britain. Sirius doesn't buy it and comes anyway because Harry's safety is always Sirius' number 1 priority.

Even when his mental/emotional state deteriorates in OotP, he is mostly talking about endangering himself, not Harry.

And with this behavior, it's easy to see why Harry comes to trust Sirius so fast. Sirius is a connection to Harry's parents (something Harry's always looking for), he says he loves Harry and would do a lot for him (including escaping Azkaban by swimming as a dog across the North Sea), and it's clear he's prioritizing Harry in a way no one else has before.

Is Sirius' fixation on Harry's well-being necessarily healthy? Not exactly, I mean, there is a reason in all the airplane safety instructions they tell you to put on your own oxygen mask before you help someone else, and Sirius would definitely put the mask on Harry first. But given both their circumstances, this is honestly what they both need to feel a semblance of family.

Like, their connection, for both of them, is a kind of lifeline.

Harry needs to be the most important person to someone after he has been treated like nothing for years. And Sirius, I think, needs to care for someone else, to feel he is helping and doing something good. If he's helping Harry, he feels his own life has a purpose.

It's so very visible with Harry just how much of a lifeline Sirius became to him after such a short time. Like, I reread books 5 and 6 recently, and at the end of OotP, after Sirius dies, there is a shift in Harry. He stops caring as much.

What I mean is, there is a reason Harry has his "there's no reason to call me sir, Professor" moment in HBP. After Sirius dies, Harry loses his last bits of self-preservation. At the end of OotP he starts sassing Snape:

Malfoy’s hand flew toward his wand, but Harry was too quick for him. He had drawn his own wand before Malfoy’s fingers had even entered the pocket of his robes. “Potter!” The voice rang across the entrance hall; Snape had emerged from the staircase leading down to his office, and at the sight of him Harry felt a great rush of hatred beyond anything he felt toward Malfoy. . . . Whatever Dumbledore said, he would never forgive Snape . . . never . . . “What are you doing, Potter?” said Snape coldly as ever, as he strode over to the four of them. “I’m trying to decide what curse to use on Malfoy, sir,” said Harry fiercely. Snape stared at him.

(OotP, 851)

Snape is shocked, he doesn't even know what to say to that because Harry doesn't speak to him like that before. Before, even during the Occlumancy lessons, Harry is mostly polite because he feels he has to be. After Sirius dies, there's none of that. He's sassier, snappier, and angrier, and he carries that with him through HBP and DH. Said anger isn't just towards Snape. He snaps at Ron and Hermione throughout DH even without the Horcrux, and he lifts up Mundungus by the throat in HBP. I think a lot of his focus on Malfoy is because of how lost he feels throughout HBP. He goes out at Remus with his worst in DH when he wants to join them in the Horcrux hunt. I mean, Remus needed someone to talk sense into him, but Harry didn't need to be that mean.

What I'm saying is that when Sirius died, one of Harry's major lifelines was cut and he's in a weird sort of lashing out throughout HBP and DH. Yes, he knew Sirius for a very short time, but he was the person Harry trusted most in his life — and then he was gone.

It's not to say he never got angry at Sirius, Harry did, and that's natural and healthy, honestly. But it doesn't change the fact that in GoF and OotP when Harry needs to rant, needs someone to talk to, wants advice, he first goes to Sirius, then to everyone else.

I just feel so much about these two.

[berberriescorner]

Through the Darkness

Characters: Husband(Dad)!Rio x Black!Reader.

Summary: Rio senses the reader’s turmoil and offers unwavering support. As they navigate the challenges of mental health and family life, their bond deepens, revealing the importance of vulnerability and understanding in their relationship.

Warnings: Depictions of depression and mental health struggles. Emotional and sensitive themes. Mild language. Brief sexual content😈. References to family dynamics and parenting challenges. The norm–you know it’s bound to have at least some questionable language and spice😂.

Word Count: 1,300+.

Music Inspo🧡:

You’ve always been good at hiding your emotions, at least you thought you were. Lately, the heaviness of your depression has become more difficult to mask. You went through the motions with a smile plastered on your face, trying to convince everyone – and yourself – that you were fine. Intrusive thoughts rushed through your head.

You ungrateful heifer. You have a roof over your head, clothes on your back, and food on your table. Your fine-ass husband adores you. He risks everything to give you and your children the world. Your babies are happy and healthy. You have no right to be sad about anything. 

But life hadn't always been this way. Everyone has shit they've gone through, and both the past and depression had a funny way of sneaking up on you when you least expected it.

You honestly thought you were doing a decent job at keeping your mood, and the sadness under wraps. But Rio noticed. He always noticed. 

One evening, after a particularly long day, you were in the kitchen, trying to muster the energy to make dinner. The weight of your sadness pressed down on you, making even the simplest tasks feel monumental. You felt tears prickling at the corners of your eyes but quickly blinked them away, forcing a smile as you heard Rio’s footsteps approaching.

“Hey, baby,” he said, his voice soft as he entered the room.

“Hey,” you replied, your smile wavering.

Rio’s sharp eyes took in the scene, noting the slump of your shoulders and the forced cheeriness in your tone. Without a word, he walked over and gently took the knife from your hand, setting it on the counter. He turned you to face him, his hands cupping your cheeks.

“What’s going on with you?” he asked, his voice tender but firm.

“I’m fine, really,” you tried to insist, but the quiver in your voice betrayed you.

Rio shook his head, his thumb gently stroking your cheek. “Don’t lie to me, mama. I see you. I peep what’s going on. You think I don't feel the tension in your body whenever I touch you, darlin’?”

Your facade crumbled under his gaze, and tears spilled down your cheeks. Rio pulled you into his arms, holding you tightly as you sobbed against his chest. He didn’t say anything, just held you, letting you release all the pent-up emotions you had been trying to hide.

After a while, your sobs subsided, and you pulled back slightly, looking up at him through tear-filled eyes. “I’m sorry,” you whispered.

“For what, ma? Don’t be sorry,” he said softly. “You’re allowed to feel this way. You're allowed to have bad days, darlin’. You don’t always have to be strong.”

You nodded, feeling a mix of relief and vulnerability. “It’s just… everything feels so heavy lately. I’m trying to keep it together, but it’s hard.

Rio nodded, understanding. “I know it is. But you don’t have to do it alone. I’m here for you, mama.”

He guided you to the couch, sitting you down and wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “Tell me what’s been going on in that beautiful head of yours,” he said, his voice gentle, as he tucked you under his arm and laid back into the cushions.

You took a deep breath, feeling more at ease with his comforting presence. You started to talk, sharing your feelings of sadness, the overwhelming sense of hopelessness, and the constant battle to keep up appearances. Rio listened intently, never interrupting, just holding you close and letting you know he was there. His lips ghosted your forehead every time your voice wavered.

When you finished, he tilted your chin up so you were looking into his eyes. “Stop keeping all this shit in, ma. I don’t want to hear anything about the business being stressful enough. Making sure your mental is straight is worth more than anything else. What good is all that material shit, if you, my world, aren't happy,” he rasped, holding your chin, and pecking soft, plump lips. 

“You come to me baby, whenever you need me. I'll always make time. I need to know where your head is at, okay? You don’t have to pretend. Not with the world, and for damn sure not me. It’s okay to not be okay.”

You playfully smacked your lips at his last sentence. “Uh-uh, don't use my words against me. You know I tell you that every time business is weighing heavily on you.” Rio laughed as you jokingly rolled your eyes and sniffled away any residual tears.

Rio smirked, “You so damn cute when you fake mad, mama.” His hand cupped your cheek, stern eyes bore into your own. “I'm serious, sweetheart. Tell me when shit gets too heavy. Daddy ain't always around to read you and know what’s really good. Understood?” 

You nodded, feeling a flicker of hope. “Thank you, Papa. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He smiled softly, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I pray you never have to find out, at least not for a long, long time, baby. You know I got you.”

You pecked his cheek, trying to wiggle out of his hold. His hands dug deeper as his face nuzzled into the side of your neck. Rio’s lips ghosted your flesh.

“Mm-mm. Where you goin’, mama,” he questioned as he trailed light kisses over the sensitive area.

You felt him smirk at the shiver that rolled over your body. “Somebody gotta feed our football team of children. I hear your stomach growling too, Christopher.”

His lips sucked and nibbled at your weak spot. “You right, ma. I am hungry,” he whispered, hands trailing lower. When they found their destination, he bit his lip at the sound of your breath hitching. Rio cupped you between your thighs. “This is what I’m trying to eat though.”

You felt yourself sinking back against him, bucking your hips a bit as his hand slipped under the waistband of your panties, digits sliding through your slickness.

“Rio, I need-.”

“Some stress relief,” he responded, slipping a finger inside and biting your neck. His tongue slid across to soothe the harshness of his teeth. "I'm aware that stress won't put you back together, mama. Just want to love you in every way possible."

Something that sounded like both a sigh and a moan left your lips. "It most certainly wouldn't make things worse. Love me in any way you see fit, Papa," you finished with a whimper.

Your head pressed against his shoulder as Rio lazily pumped his fingers in and out. He increased the speed little by little. Just as you hurtled toward release the front door swung open, forcing the two of you to jerk apart, and straighten your shorts.

Heavy footsteps hurriedly undress in the mud room, and you hear the voices of your eldest son and one of his little brothers. The two of you couldn’t help the amusement that crossed your faces as each child stumbled into the room.

“Mommy! We’re hungry,” they all said in unison. Each child rambled off a food of their own choice.

“Aye! Chill out. Mommy’s had a long day. She’s exhausted and most importantly not your chef.” Rio looked at Marcus and your eldest daughter. You two use my card and order pizza. Don’t go crazy or it’s coming out of your ass or allowance. I’m taking your mother upstairs. Where she can take a nice bubble bath and relax. 

I’m sure the oldest two are smart enough to know what that’s code for—yep! They both just shuddered, bless their hearts.

You know what kind of pizza we like. Unless the house is on fire or someone is breaking in. Don’t come banging on the door for attention. Marcus and little mama, hold down the fort. Luca and Ravi are staying with Nana tonight. Why she couldn’t take all y’all knuckleheads? Nan’s be blocking.”

Your hand collided with the back of your husband's head. “Christopher!”

He chuckled, “I’m kidding, ma, damn.”

You rolled your eyes as his arms wrapped around your waist. “Let’s get you upstairs and comfortable, mama. Then I want you to tell me everything that’s been going through that pretty little head of yours,” he finished, pecking your cheek.

With Rio’s arms around you and his words of comfort washing over you, the heaviness didn’t feel as unbearable. For the first time in a long while, you felt like you could breathe a little easier, knowing you had someone who truly understood and cared for you. With Rio by your side, you knew you’d find your way through the darkness.

Well, my lovely babies, how are y'all feeling this one👀? Reblogs and comments are always greatly appreciated🧡.

Lovelies🧡:

@astoldbychae @darqchilddaydreamz @thirtysomethinganduncensored @percosim @ravennaortiz @amorestevens @abcdestinyyyy @jannavaire @novaniskye @nobodygetsza @bisexuallyattractivebitch @1andonlytashae @rio-reid-whoreee @lovedlover @sunshine-flower @realhotgurlshit @thebumbqueen @blowmymbackout @tashawar @captainwithoutmakingitlove @kinkiicoils @theegoddessofmelanin @beachyserasims @tbmotw @wroteitbutneverwatchedit @speckldsimblr @prettyyybrownroundd @onherereading @undevidedattentionsblog @starrynite7114

[thatmexisaurusrex]

Okay, pulls out pitch notecards, idk who will want this, but I'm making it. It's based heavily on this post @kinardsboy wrote, but it's gonna be BuckTommy not Rocker/Buck. So, here's the gist:

25-year-old Tommy, barely just getting his life together, maybe a year after Gerrard was kicked out of the 118, and almost a year since Tommy has come out, stumbles across 19-year-old Buck terribly stealing a bag of chips from the grocery store. And usually, Tommy's policy when he sees people steal food is no, he didn't, but there's no way Buck's going to be able to hide that bag of chips, he does not have the right jacket for that, and even then, bad choice in food to steal.

This starts up a conversation that ends up with Tommy buying the chips for Buck, taking Buck to get dinner because Tommy's been in that position before (possibly kicked out of his home or left it young), and hears Buck's story - he fucked up at community college, ran away from his terrible parents who were just going to judge him, tried to get his older sister to run with him and leave her abusive husband, but instead ended up with a car. And he had decided to live as far away from his parents as he could think of - California.

This ends up with Tommy letting Buck couch surf at his place until Buck figures out what he wants to do with his life, gets back on his feet, or at least gets a job. Because Tommy has slept in his car before and that was never great. Having an address, even a temporary one, is also good for a job search.

Tommy lets Buck join him at the station maybe the next day or after a few days and Buck falls in love with it. The idea of helping, the comradery, the people. He finds the newest of a long string of captains at the station, Bobby, to be admirable. He wants to become a firefighter. All the while, Tommy is thinking about how he misses flying. He had signed up to be a pilot for the military, but one wrong relationship with a terrible guy who happened to have a lot of power cost Tommy and had him discharged early. Which honestly might have been for the best, but Tommy still felt drawn to the sky.

Buck and Tommy encourage each other to pursue their dreams. Tommy helps Buck get through the fire academy and Buck pushes Tommy to apply for a transfer to Harbor Station. Buck drags his feet on finding a new place once he starts his time as a probie at the 118. It becomes a little more complicated for Tommy to get through all the red tape of becoming a full firefighter pilot due to how he was discharged from the military. Still, Buck manages to be a probie with enough pay to at least move into his own place and Tommy gets that transfer he's been waiting for.

It's bittersweet, but they're happy for each other, even if they're not sort of living in each other's pockets any longer. And there's a loneliness in both of their newfound senses of independence, but there's something healthy about it; something good.

And maybe they're both sad that they're drifting apart. Tommy isn't sure if anyone at the 118 really would even want to keep in touch, let alone Evan. And Buck is reluctant to overstep.

But they meet each other a little over a year later, on Buck's twenty-first birthday since Eddie (who had joined as a probie alongside Buck and became fast friends with both of them) invited Tommy to come - that he knows Buck would want him there. Tommy had thrown Buck's twentieth, after all. Why wouldn't Buck want him at his twenty-first?

And Tommy isn't sure. He's not sure if he's actually wanted, but he takes a leap of faith. And Buck's in a good place - a fantastic place since Tommy met him about two years ago. And Tommy's more confident and in a better place too. And they decide, yes. They can pursue this. It felt like wrong timing before, but now, with them both in good places and happier people and the power dynamic equal, they can fall into the feelings they have had for one another maybe since they first met.

So.

I'll be working on that soon.

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #18

Operation: Birthday Takeback

Dev's birthday!! Look at him. For some reason, the fact that his drones are here in 2D is funny to me... He's a little cartoon guy. Hazel is very cute.

I have a note here that says Dev's birthday is separated from Founder's Day by 9 years, 7 months, 14 days. So, he's had Peri for 4.5 months?

-> That is not too shabby in a universe where it's rare [in the OG series] to keep godkids for a year. Nice job, Dev!

...... Do you think they'll bring back rule-free fairyversary muffins (There WAS a full movie about it), because I have a pretty good idea what he'd wish for. Smells like trouble...

Okay, let's go! ... Peri does not think his parents are cool. And Dev is SHOCKED they came over. Also, he has no idea what to do with this much attention. He's SO red.

Hm. Peri looks really unimpressed... Did he already give Dev every birthday wish he wants and now it'll be awkward when Hazel gives a gift, because what can she possibly give that Peri didn't?

-> Dev still seems delighted Hazel's here! I think her friendship is the best gift :)

-> I do not think Peri knows enough about Dev's interests to surprise him, especially since they weren't getting along in the Dimmsonian episode because Dev was frustrated Peri couldn't "make a better cupcake" and Peri was frustrated Dev couldn't figure out what flavor he wanted.

-> Peri gives me "by the book" learning vibes; he's frustrated Dev doesn't listen to him and is harder to work with than the theoretical child he had in mind, I think.

-> Okay yeah, Peri is having NONE of this. Okay, Mr. Jealous Clingy Boyfriend Vibes...

Aw, Cosmo is trying to cheer Dev up... Peri, you wanna... jump in, or...? No?

Also, I'm enjoying watching what at this moment in time seems to be a healthy friendship and/or romance develop. I'm all for tormenting children, but this is nice too.

Peri...

Also, Dev thinks Hazel is like, the coolest person ever. And Peri is SO jealous Dev would rather hang out with his human friend than with a magical fairy. That's hysterical.

Something something, Juandissimo spent 3 seasons getting fired and bounced around Fairy World because he couldn't stop crying over how much he loved and missed Remy and finally broke Da Rules to return his memories, something something, Peri came here for a good time and he is honestly feeling so attacked right now.

I don't know what I'm trying to say, but... u get it. Two spoiled bullies, two very different dynamics. It's not the kid; it's the willingness of the fairy to meet them where they are... and love unconditionally.

Local celebrity kid who spent his Spellementary School life getting fawned over never developed the social skills to make friends and doesn't know how to deal with people viewing him as a flawed three-dimensional person.

For some reason I'm getting flashbacks to the end of "School of Crock" when Poof referred to his classmates as "his friends and Foop."

Okay, I thought Dev would freak out (/negative) over seeing boots since his dad literally unveiled a statue of him kissing his beloved boots while disregarding his son, but... he likes them! Despite that emotional blow, he is a Dimmadome to his core.

-> Dev getting his very first pair of little cowboy boots with tiny spurs 'fic, please.

-> Toddler Dev trying on his dad's or grandpa's boots 'fic, please.

Dev: Why didn't YOU think of getting me [rocket boots], pickle-brain Peri? Peri: Because my job is to grant you wishes! Not to read your mind!

Yikes... It's been a long few months for them.

Also, Cosmo and Wanda choose this moment not to overstep on the parenting relationship here and that's fantastic. Sorry, Peri- You're on your own for this one.

-> Wanda's totally willing to get Peri out of here if he needs it. So... she probably did notice Dev being snippy with him, but actively chose not to step in since Peri told her not to overstep in "Lost in Fairy World." Interesting.

Hm. I wonder if Peri has an animal form? I imagine he takes the form of tech or something that wouldn't catch Dale's eye. He probably sleeps in Dev's bedroom though (and/or "Hassle in the Castle"-esque pocket space).

-> Peri in his debut: /confidence oozing from every pore

-> Peri 4.5 months later: my crops are dying. I'm crops.

I love this family.

Though I feel like... it puts a weird level of stress or professionalism on Peri and Dev. I don't really have the words for it, but something something, maybe Peri's first assignment shouldn't have been so close to his parents because they are clearly struggling to let him speak or handle things himself. It's nice he can ask advice, but I feel like if they're around too often and Peri defers to them, that blurs lines and will be really confusing for Dev.

Who do you listen to if your fairy is telling you "Yes" and his parents - who have no technical authority over you but have ambiguous semi-authority in your fairy's mind - are telling you "No?" That's workplace tension waiting to happen.

And Peri is clearly trying to set his workplace boundaries - we saw that in "Lost in Fairy World" especially - but Cosmo and Wanda keep kinda undermining him and bringing family vibes into work, and he's also grown now, so... Yikes. I love them, but that's rough, buddy.

Forget that- Is that Vicky?

?? Vicky is still young? Or is this Vicky's daughter? MARK, what did you do? I know you literally have clones of her, sir.

I mean, I guess it's not out of the question she'd look the same years later- she had the same hair when she was 5 back in "The Switch Glitch" and she clearly likes that style, but I wasn't expecting it, especially since she's probably close to Dale's age and he's clearly beefed up (and I think gotten taller). Huh. Well, all righty.

The golden cowboy boots on display with the "In honor" plaque are not doing anything to disprove my tentative theory that Doug Dimmadome has passed on and that's why Dale is so clingy towards his boots.

Pfft, the "Icky Vicky" song is still a thing.

SLKJDF, I'm amazed they carried through with Vicky being the one to put Dale to work at the lemonade stand. I'm still confused as to whether she started it at age 9 or took over from someone else.

DEV DOESN'T KNOW HER???

Dale, you are a terrible dad. How can he be so bitter about his past and tell his son horror stories about Vicky, and/or not keep constant watch for her? I can't believe he hasn't sued her into oblivion.

-> It's because he doesn't tell Dev stories unless it's to gripe about how he needs to pull his weight because "My life was so hard when I was your age," isn't it?

I like how Dev is trying to lightly call to Peri for help without attracting attention or moving his lips. Geez, man- That's gotta be so stressful when you're trying to rely on someone new to help you and they don't show up. He didn't have him in the Hocus Poconos and he can't get him out here when he needs him. This is gonna be great on his trust issues, I'm sure.

Peri looking at his dad vs. Wanda looking at her sexy husband:

Dev will hang with his friends, but he's not putting down his stuff.

This next face he makes (without words) to signal "Hey, I'm doing my best" is so funny to me. He's like. "Yeah, I don't have to say anything; she knows what's going on here."

... I'm confused. What is up with Wanda and Cosmo right now? Why are they leaving notes to Dale that out Hazel as a godkid and them as fairies (who are disguised as humans)?

I get that they're not thinking ahead and are spelling out notes while they talk to each other, but surely they should know better than to leave evidence, especially after they saw Cookie get 10k years in prison for revealing the existence of Fairies and we know Hazel could be separated from them. Peri clearly knows this is a bad idea. Utterly incomprehensible to me.

"Icky Vicky" remix!!! Also, Dev handles rocket boots way better than Kevin Crocker did.

Dev "It's not a children's party; I'm a BIG KID!" Dimmadome - Dude, you just turned 10. I mean... That is double digits and you're just a little guy, so... good job.

I'm so glad I was right and that Dev isn't allowed to drink lemonade. That's hilarious. I'm obsessed. He wants it so much...

A.J., Poof, and Crocker sure changed a lot considering Vicky looks the same.

I love Dev covering Hazel's eyes so she doesn't see the partially naked money-covered mural of his dad.

The fact that this is even in the show is hilarious; it says so much to me. Dale "Obsessed with flaunting where I am now in life" & Dev "Instantly doing damage control so my BFF doesn't feel uncomfy or think I'm weird and ditch me" Dimmadome.

....... I said BFF, but I'm pretty sure Dev said Trev was his BFF in Episode 1 and now I'm wondering why we haven't seen them together at all. Hm. I'm gonna have to circle back to Episode 1 later; I might be misremembering.

Their names are Dev and Trev... Where is this silly duo? We're bein' ROBBED!

Peri's grown out of calling Wanda "Mama"- just "Mom." Good note for me in case I want to write something in line with New Wish's canon specifically, since I've always used "Mama" in 'fics even when he's older.

Peri watching his parents make innuendo jokes:

Oh, INSTANT panic on their end at the news of Vicky in the house. More so than with Crocker!

50 years of deep-seeded trauma... This would be a fantastic title card or redraw. Maybe I'll draw it someday.

Cannot believe Peri has been whiplashed back and forth by being snarked at, coddled, reminded of his Hocus Poconos trauma, and now he's facing Vicky trauma all within a couple episodes. It's been a long 4 months.

Peri @ Vicky: "She's REAL!? I thought I imagined her as a baby!!!" is he ok.

-> This is very funny to me because it plays into my headcanon of Poof growing up to forget most of his time with Timmy, including his name, and beating himself up about it.

I don't think Peri has gone one episode without going full panic mode over something. This kid's not lasting long as a godparent. Dev's gonna crack him like a nut and then Jorgen's going to wipe the floor with him.

omg, Dev needs his godparent to stand up for him against Vicky and Peri's having a MELTDOWN and hiding behind his mom. Um???

Holy cow, I've never seen him break like this, except maybe when he gained his fear of the dark in "Lights Out." That includes his many brushes with death and when Fairy Court unraveled his existence from the timeline.

-> I cannot believe I made a joke about how I wasn't sure how things could get more traumatizing for Peri than having to face the Hocus Poconos and yet here we are. Yeah, he's gonna put in his two weeks' notice like... tomorrow.

He ditched his godkid! Peri!!! You are a grown-up now! You can't do that!!

Okay, so Vicky is as tall as Cosmo and Wanda, so she can be an adult, sure. Also, Cosmo and Wanda finally getting the chance to stand up to her <3 I don't remember her tormenting them that much but maybe it's secondhand spooks.

-> Peri's meltdown continues in the background. That is some DEEP trauma.

Even if this was a non-Vicky person, would Peri be mentally equipped to deal with it? Because he's reacting badly for a guy whose memories are so wobbly, he can't remember if they were real. He's not there for Dev and he clearly has some issues to work out.

-> I think he needs more godparent training; he is NOT ready.

(Full moon!)

Ooh, Dev feels like his dad replaced him with Hazel... Dev out here like "Wait a sec, the reason my dad's not been around in 4.5 months is because apparently he's obsessed with you?" Oh boy... Those three expressions just tell it all (The horrified realization, the despair, the anger...)

omfg, Dev just found out Hazel "wished to become friends with him" ("I wish I knew why he acted so mean") and he feels like he's not good enough to be liked without a wish and everything was a lie, and he is CRASHING and screaming. Oh, geez louise. Terrible job, everyone!!! Everybody loses!!

I really like this night city skyline. It's so pretty. I love this decompression scene. Really good storytelling move and also nice to look at. I want to write with these vibes.

Man, Hazel's comforting herself and turning to Cosmo and Wanda for support (and making plans of how to make her evening better after getting yelled at).

I bet I know who's NOT about to turn to his fairy for support~

Dev: And where tf were you!?!?

"I was calling for you; why didn't you answer me? Why is no one ever there? Why does everyone else 'matter more' than me, even the people who are supposed to look out for me?"

Peri: D':

-> I like how the poof clouds still have words in them. Also, the scribbling scene is really well-done; Dev is losing his marbles.

Oh man... Thaaat's a big mess. Welcome home, child trauma show <3

Also, fanfic timeline notes under the cut:

[Contains a small timeline spoiler for Along the Cherry Lane, which is a 'fic I won't be starting for a long time. This is already in my Timmy's Timeline notes from the sideblog, though, so if you've already seen it, it's nothing new]

Wanda said it's been a "couple decades" since her encounters with Vicky. So... is Vicky like, 36?

I could've sworn Vicky and Dale were close to the same age; he has a teen body design in "Nectar of the Odds."

His age might've been adjusted though, or at least he may have started at a very young age. He told Dev in "Stanky Danky" that "when he was his age, he was working in a factory making lemonade every Saturday" and missed all the Saturday cartoons. This is Dev's 10th birthday, so maybe the thought here is "Dale started at age 9 or 10, then stopped at age 16 or 17."

If that's true, then yes, he's Vicky's age.

So. In that case, that screenshot of distraught Dev I put up in my "Battle of the Dimmsonian" post and captioned as "This is probably how Dale used to look at Vicky and then she kicked him down the stairs" is probably age-accurate too, and that's even worse.

Let's say it's been 2 decades and Dale was 16 then, now 36. That would mean he had Dev... Let's say around age 26 or 27.

-> That would jump us from 2002 [in my 'fics] to Dev being born around 2012, with New Wish taking place more or less around 2022. I think I'm okay with that- We saw in "Fearless" that the Enrichment Academy's most recent champion win was 2019 and they win every few years, so that makes perfect sense.

I think my 'fic Along the Cherry Lane ends with Tammy and Tommy close to age 10 in 2020? Let me see...

Riddle's Cloudlands AU notes: - Timmy parts ways with Cosmo and Wanda on October 15th, 2010 - Chloe parts ways with Cosmo and Wanda the night of March 20th, 2011. - Tammy is born September 2013 & Tommy February 2016 - Tammy and Tommy receive Cosmo and Wanda as godparents in 2023 (He's 8 or 9, she's 10 or 11)

Hmm... That's riding really close to Hazel's timeline. New Wish will probably be over by the time I'm done with my current longfics and ready for Along the Cherry Lane, so I won't worry about it for now, but it'll be nice to have these notes later in case I do want to try fitting this into my canon. We'll see if we get any hints about Tammy or Tommy in future episodes. I'd love to see Hazel meet Timmy with his kids, though I doubt we'll see that.

-> I also would not be opposed to kicking "Channel Chasers" out of New Wish's canon because it's not an episode I have attachment to and, well... we don't have flying cars or robot babysitters yet.

... If I were to keep everything, I feel like I'd rather take New Wish as canon and then put "Channel Chasers" after it (even if that violates the "20 years later" label) than commit to "Channel Chasers" and kick Hazel away. I was dreading worldbuilding a society that gained flying cars and robots within 20 years anyway, so I wouldn't be mad.

-> But I'll have to decide how much New Wish I want to incorporate into my canon, seeing as I usually prioritize the OG series in Cloudlands AU above spin-off media. Hmm.

Again, I won't be finishing this 'fic for a long time, so New Wish might be over by then and I'll have more information to work with.

Thanks for reading my liveblog!

[queenofthursday6599-blog]

You know I want to say that Roger Doofenshmirtz is the least consistent character of Phineas & Ferb like character/personality wise.

Sometimes he's an actual mildly corrupt politician, who was raised the golden child and knows it. Where in the sibling rivalry is known to him, but still basically one sided as Roger won that fight basically before he was born.

Along with just outright mocking Heinz's appearance on multiple occasions. He considers Heinz to be a bumbling fool, or an outright screw up, and he'll even just refuse to mention even having a brother at all.

Sometimes he's a himbo of a mayor and brother and has little to no idea that he was the golden child. Where he seems to think he and Heinz have a neutral or even good relationship.

While also seeming totally oblivious to the idea that he's considered a lot more attractive than his older brother. He'll even consider Heinz to be very talented or even an expert in something.

It's just.

Within the show it can seem like Roger has two entirely different and nearly outright opposing personalities depending on the episode.

Like in the episode where Heinz's plan is to get revenge on Roger for destroying a painting Heinz made in early adulthood. While Roger had spent years trying to have said painting recreated because he felt so terrible about ruining it on accident.

And the two were seen having a much closer relationship in that episode's flashback than we see in just about any other instance of their lives.

Implying that in their early adulthood, having moved away from their parents. The strain on their relationship caused by their parents' unequal treatment of them disappeared and the two actually became quite close.

Like when Heinz finished what he considered to be his magnum opus, he wanted to show Roger first.

And that's more or less the closest we ever see the two brother's relationship be. As it's heavily implied that the destruction of Heinz's painting resulted in a falling out between the two that their relationship never recovered from.

Where as we see that most of the flashbacks that involve early childhood and feature Roger are full of resentment due to their parents' favoritism.

So I wonder what version of Roger Doofenshmirtz will make an appearance in the next two seasons.

The smug golden child who frequently appeared in the early seasons, or the softer more himbo-esque one who's shown to either want to fix his estrange relationship with his brother or even assumes he already has.

Because Roger Doofenshmirtz doesn't appear at all in Milo Murphy's Law, and I don't even think Heinz even mentions him except for in passing. So even with Heinz having officially turned away from evil, the Doofenshmirtz brothers' relationship is still effectively a big question mark.

Honestly I can't tell if Heinz is just completely uninterested in anything to do with Roger anymore, be it get revenge for their parents' favoritism, or try to fix and rebuild their relationship to something healthy and functional.

But like, when Heinz ends up homeless due to his building getting destroyed when he crosses over into MML, he doesn't even attempt or think about turning to Roger for help.

Which implies that he's just fully done with Roger. He doesn't want revenge, he doesn't want to try and rebuild their brotherly relationship, he just doesn't seem interested in really thinking about Roger at all in MML.

Even though I wanna say a good chunk of his schemes in PnF were Roger focused.

So I'm just wondering how the new seasons of PnF are going to handle the dynamic of the Doofensmirtz brothers.

Because depending on the version of Roger that gets used in the new seasons, combined with them retconning Heinz's turn away from evil or not, I could see like a few different ways it could end up.

Like if they fully just retcon Heinz's reformation, even though rumors say it's set the following summer, and thus post MML, then we'd end up with the two dynamics that appeared in the original PnF seasons.

With the brothers either mutually antagonizing each other while thinking themself the rightful superior brother, if we get self absorbed golden child Roger.

Or with one sided antagonism on Heinz's part, and oblivious brotherly affection on Roger's part if we go with Himbo Roger who has little to no idea Heinz feels any negativity at all.

But if the show decides to keep Heinz's character development from the original series and MML then there's the potential for the development of a new kind of dynamic for the Doofensmirtz brothers.

Of which there are multiple to choose from.

If they decide to go with Heinz's seeming apathy towards Roger that he had in MML. In the sense that now that he's not focused on being "evil" and getting revenge for any and all petty grievances against him, he barely feels anything for Roger at all.

Which could be interesting depending on the version of Roger they use.

I could very easily see the self absorbed golden child get irritated that his screw up older brother who he could always act superior towards, and make himself look better when compared to, suddenly didn't care about him at all and basically started ignoring his existence.

Like Roger has been the focus of his entire family dynamic from literally the moment his and Heinz's mom learned she was pregnant. To the point that there's only one relative in their entire family who preferred Heinz over Roger.

Like what is a golden child without a scapegoat to compare themself to?

So we'd end up with a reversal of the dynamic of the original seasons.

With a reformed Heinz trying to figure out this whole being a good guy thing, and how to live his life without a focus on being evil (remember he first started having such aspirations as a teenager). While mayor Roger Doofenshmirtz started using his free time and power to start trying to bother Heinz.

If Heinz is reformed and we end up with Himbo Roger though, I could potentially see an arch or story line where the repair their relationship, and maybe we could get an expansion on the dynamic we see in the Heinz the artist flashback. Where the brothers are actually on good terms without their parents' influence.

[ohmotherwhereartthou-if]

This may be a bit broad but for the RO who have loving parents, what would they think of MC when

They first meet them

Vs

They start dating their kid

Vs

They marry them

The way I had to sit and and actually think about who of the RO's actually have a healthy family dynamic lmao! I mean, it's technically just Valeria and Cassandra but because I don't want to give just the Castellions some love; I'll include Aurelio even though his dad passes just before the story technically starts.

-

They first meet them:

Cassandra: Alejandro dislikes MC upon first meeting because Cass is his world and nobody in his eyes will ever be good enough for his little girl. Would act extra scary on purpose and while Cass knows he is just putting on a show, MC 100% doesn't see it that way.

Insert meme of: 'Get your dog!' 'He don't bite.' 'YES HE DOES!'

Valeria: Her parents are weary of outsiders like everyone else in the town, they have no issues being polite at first meeting but they warn Valeria not to be too trusting of strangers and exercise caution. Would ask her brothers to keep an eye on MC while they are around Valeria, they love their daughter dearly and think her too naive to be left alone with a stranger.

Aurelio: His father would be sickly at this point and likely bedridden but if Aurelio trusts MC enough to introduce them he would trust his son's opinion and welcome MC with open arms. Making jokes and inviting them to stay for dinner so he could get to know them better.

They start dating their kid:

Cassandra: If MC did not make a good enough impression on him yet, then he openly disapproves. Would see MC as unworthy and would try, in private, to talk is daughter out of it. At the end of the day he would respect her decision, but would be passive aggressive with MC until they win him over.

If MC got on his good side he would begrudgingly agree, MC still has to put in some work to win him over completely but Alejandro would actually try to get closer to MC and invite them on hangouts so he can try to get to know them better and see if they are really a good fit for his daughter.

Valeria: If MC passes the vibe check from her brothers and actually comes over to meet them, then they would be open minded. They would prefer Val be with someone in the village but would not be so close minded to absolutely reject someone who might be open to moving into the village one day. Might have some beef if MC talks about taking Val somewhere far away one day.

Aurelio: His father, who's name is also Aurelio, don't know if I've mentioned that before. Current Aurelio is the Jr, his father is Aurelio senior. But to be entirely honest... Aurelio Sr. knows his son and he would smile and congratulate the two but would honestly not take it seriously because he figures it wouldn't last. His son is the perfect copy of himself, he himself never fell in love again after his childhood love and mother of his son passed many years ago. He would spend majority of his son's development years surrounded by many different 'girlfriends' and being married to his work. He expects his son would be the same, if anything he pities MC for taking the relationship seriously.

They marry them:

Cassandra: If he likes MC he's pretty happy, if MC is a guy then he would see him as the son he never had and would ask him often to go and have father son nights with him. He would low key try to steal a good chunk of MC's time and would tell Cass to share him lol. If MC is a woman then he is happy to have another daughter (He would never call it a marriage though sadly, Alejandro is devout and would see the relationship more as a domestic partnership). In Castellio Gay marriages are not a thing, people can file for domestic partnerships and would publicly be seen as "best friends" even though most people know what it really means. He would never be rude to MC or his daughter about it though, he is happy that you both are happy and would just tell himself it's a very close friendship (read: is in denial and is okay with that). He would refer to MC as his other or adopted daughter when people ask who is MC to Cassandra, and would shut down any hate being thrown towards his daughters. He would also invite MC out with him and Cass to go out on fun trips and activities together.

If he hates MC? Rolls his eyes so much they might fall out of his head, highly disapproves of the union but will accept whatever makes his daughter happy. Expect many sarcastic comments 24/7.

Valeria: Very happy that their little girl is getting married and hopes that MC is forever blind to just how crazy this family is, tries to rush the marriage so MC can't change their mind lol. They would welcome MC as one of their own and would expect them to move into their house or build their own in the village. The only huge beef they would have is again, if MC suggests taking Val away to Sanctuario or something. That would bring a huge issue and their would need to be peace talks.

Aurelio: He would not believe it at first, his son? MARRIED? What manner of witchcraft is at work here? He would be convinced his son is either under a spell or is being blackmailed, after confirming his son is being serious he would honestly still be in disbelief for a while. Once it all sinks in, he would cry tears of joy. He never thought his son could find someone who would accept all of him with all his flaws and still want to stick around. He is so happy his son has finally found his person and is so happy he got to be alive long enough to see it... even though in reality that sadly never got to be. 😭

[lawbreaker13]

There’s something about Elemental that I love but I can’t quite seem to articulate.

[Spoilers by the way]

At the end of the movie, Ember and Wade leave together so Ember can take her internship at the glass company. This is supposedly a full time thing for her, which means she’s moving. Like yeah, she underestimates herself like “oh it probably won’t go anywhere and I’ll be back home soon,” but that’s a very “ooh this is a big step and I don’t feel ready to move out” mentality (literally told my parents I’d be back at the end of my first year’s lease, it’s just a mental safety net, but boy was that a relatable line for me). Regardless of her lack of confidence in herself and this potential new job, she is moving out. And Wade is going with her.

She had said “I want to travel the world with you.” That’s great, and I hope they do, but that’s not what’s happening here. It’s said that this is several months, maybe even a year after the main events of the movie. The majority of the movie itself spans a couple weeks or so (edit: I counted, it’s about 8-12 days). So by the time they leave for Ember’s internship, Ember and Wade have been dating for a while. Anywhere between three months and a year. Wade is leaving with her, and it’s difficult for me to believe they’re going anywhere but the same place. Which means they’re moving in together.

Now I know that it sounds like I’m just freaking out and being incoherent about a ship, but the truth of the matter is, that’s really mature of Pixar.

Family friendly and kid-centric animation tends not to push anything but the “fall in love, kiss, get married, move in, have babies” pipeline. But what I loved about Elemental was that it portrayed a REALISTIC, HEALTHY, and MATURE relationship. One where the couple has arguments about real things that matter and after space, they talk it out. One where “I don’t understand” isn’t an invitation to shut down (even if Ember meant it that way in the heat of the moment), but an invitation to try and learn. One where anger and “I’m leaving” can be met with “I’m coming with you,” and one where the couple doesn’t just love each other right off the bat, they have to DATE MANY TIMES AND GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER, SEE EACH OTHER IN THE WORST OF TIMES, and THEN, realize they’re in love. AND they said it out loud, which doesn’t happen often either (edit: I am well aware that a week or two is a very short amount of time to fall in love, but I’m gonna cut them A LITTLE slack because it’s not like. 3 days, and also they seemingly saw each other every single day for those couple weeks and had the months after that. It’s rare, but sometimes, when you know, you know).

But beyond that. Beyond dating, getting to know each other, communicating and helping each other out, and deciding “yes, we can and should be together,” Elemental showed these two doing an adult thing together—leaving home and moving out. Because they are ADULTS. And the fact that I felt like this movie was targeted towards me and my peers the same way a PG-13 or R rated movie might be, strictly because of the realism in the character’s interactions and dynamic, that is something that I absolutely adore. Like, Zootopia was a kid’s movie with mature themes. Miraculous is a kid’s show with mature themes. Even Avatar: The Last Airbender was clearly targeted towards children, even though we all know it has something for everyone.

But Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The Spider-Verse movies. And honestly, Elemental. These feel like our movies. Movies I’m glad the kids can enjoy, but they’re made for us. The 20- and 30-year-olds.

I’m just so happy to see animation studios treating adult characters like real people. Maybe soon people will start to recognize animation as a legitimate form of storytelling, too.

I loved Elemental. I really did.

[littlecrittereli]

Hello, me again, your Guardianship AU has latched onto my brain and won’t let go so I have more questions

First, how much does Chris know about the CPS hounding Martin? Does he understand that there’s a real possibility he could be removed from his brother’s custody? In the comic you made, when they were younger, Chris was pretty oblivious about it all (mostly cause Martin didn’t wanna worry him and didn’t tell him any details) but now that he’s a bit older, has he picked up on certain things? ‘Cause you’ve also mentioned that the AU has decent resemblance to Lilo & Stitch, but in that movie Lilo seems very aware of their situation which isn’t the case for Martin and Chris, especially because Martin’s personality is pretty opposite to Nani.

Second, and I totally get it if you don’t know, I’m just an over-thinker, but how would the parents have died in your AU? Because I can see the cause of death being pretty traumatizing depending on what it is, especially for Martin who was old enough to understand what was going on followed by the responsibility of raising his younger brother who is basically the only family he has left. Maybe even for Chris, though as you mention he was too young and doesn’t remember them much anymore.

Once again, love your AUs, Guardianship AU is clearly my favorite but I’m a sucker for sibling dynamics, especially the trope “brothers-against-the-world”.

Chris is definitely more aware of Child Protective Services than he was when he was a kid. They aren’t AS much of a threat anymore which is why Chris isn’t really worried about them. Martin has custody of him, and he just gets evaluated every so often to make sure he’s taking care of Chris and providing him a healthy and stable environment. (CPS is very concerned about chris traveling in the Tortuga but mostly leave them alone now) Martin definitely gets hella stressed when these evaluations come along, but he’s been doing this dance with CPS for so long by that point he’s not as worried. When he was 17, and freshly emancipated he was fightin for his life in those courtrooms 💀

Chris knows about it now, but in his eyes, Martin is the best guardian ever? He cannot fathom the idea of Martin being an “unfit guardian” so he can’t even imagine a situation where CPS would have a reason to take him. Which is also a small point of tension for them? Because on one hand Martin is glad his brother isn’t worried and trusts him, but also feels frustrated by Chris not taking it seriously or understanding the weight of it like he does.

But Chris is honestly more worried about Martin getting sick of having to drag him around and giving up custody of him. But those are repressed emotions to unpack for another day.

And I don’t actually have a reassonnn for the parents death yet. In the hypothetical fanfiction that I have not written yet, I don’t want to explicitly state it. Its something they dont like to talk about. And they probably get really nervous/jittery around any subjects related to the cause. I’m leaning more towards something like a car accident. Something that could happen to anyone, but also very tragic. It’s technically not decided for sure though! So im open to any suggestions at the moment.

[fluff-n-cookies]

Endeavor - Intro/Headcanons

Endeavor is a very underrated character.

yes he was an abuser, but he is trying to be a better father. and even though hen still gets mad and doesn't really know how to show his emotions he's still trying. As someone who doesn't have the best relationship with her father, and also as some one who is trying to be a better person I can appreciate that.

I feel like if somebody were to give him a chance, somebody that has little to no knowledge of his past or status he could actually have a stable and healthy relationship with such a person.

but that on it's own is boring so make it a reader who was just recently put in an orphanage as she was saved from her neglectful parents and has no other family. we'll keep her around the age of 4-15 as those were the years that endeavor missed the most with his kids.

now, how would these two meet? I have a couple ideas and I'll write a fanfic (or fanfics) for the most popular one. (there's a poll below for y'all to decide.)

option 1 : Bus stop

reader is around 5,6,7 years old and quirkless.

so you and Endeavor have a similar morning commute at the same bus stop, at the same time, every morning. you go to school, and him to his agency. and while Endeavor never really cared for this, one morning you happen to forget your coat at the orphanage. (not that it kept you warm anyway.) the sight of a child in winter, cold and alone, practically pulled at his heart strings. a feeling overcame him I suppose, a need to protect and provide perhaps. and begrudgingly he got out a sweater, all warm and fluffy and lent it to you, grumbling something about giving it back to him later. now all snuggled up within the oversized cotton fibers of the sweater, warm and happy, all you could really do is mumble out a little thank you. Imma bout' to pull a grinch but Endeavor's heart grew 3 times that day.

Option 2 : support hero

reader is 15 and quirkless but uses support items to help her if she needs anything.

you are the apprentice of his main support hero, a wild, spunky woman who spends her days drinking, drunk, or hungover. ( I mean... good for her.) and yes while she does teach you, she usaully leaves all the real work to you. at this point she's your apprentice. so when Endeavor comes it's not her that really helps it's you! you repair, you improve, you operate the rest of the support heroes, honestly he should give you a raise. and it's nice, having you around I mean, you just always seem to make his day better, either by showing him cat memes, or explaining your latest obsession to him, or just being your self. it's a talkative and optimistic x furious monster that will fight to the death for them dynamic or a brings instant noodles to share for lunch x uses his fire quirk to actually cook the instant noodles with his fire quirk dynamic.

Option 3 : Dabi

more of a Endeavor-Dabi mix for the drama. reader is 4 and gets her quirk in the story. her quirk is a heightened version of shoto's quirk which I'll expand on if this is the fan favorite.

you are the product of Dabi and a fling he had when he was 19 or 20, and while he may not have the most money or have the money, he still tires to protect you and and make you feel as cherished and loved as one can. growing up he never really showed you what a hero was. all you need to know is that they are not good people but don't tell anyone that lots of people don't know that and might get angry. now this is fine and all, Dabi protects your innocence while also protecting you from the world that hurt him. but one thing he negelcted to teach you is who is a hero. because the description he gave you "people attempting to 'save' people and fight 'bad guys' using their quirks often with swarms of people around them." only applies to heros in action and/or heros that the public actually like. so when Endeavor is placed to patrol in a relatively bad neighbourhood (it's the best one dabi could afford HE"S TRYING C"MON) around the time kids go and comeback from school to make sure they get home safe is when he meets you. a little girl with white hair like snow and sapphire blue eyes that glisten with joy.

POLLS!!!

thx for reading!!! byyeee.

[bonefall]

My birthday was a couple days ago, and I got to see my bio dad for the first time in a while. He surprised me with the fact that I have a little half-sister, whom I've never met and who was adopted about two years back. So, I wondered if any situations in BB mimic this or have a theme of "secret siblings" or "secret family"? Sorry if this is a weird ask; this blog is honestly just such a cool little place and I love the way you approach the subject matter and take the flawed misogynistic foundation of the WC books and make them so much better (JUSTICE FOR BUMBLE!!!). I've also learned a lot about healthy and unhealthy relationships here and am really glad for your deep dives on Squilf and Bramble. Thanks, Bones!

Not weird at all! I really like exploring all the little nooks and crannies of complicated familial dynamics. I think one of the untapped strengths of WC (that the writers seem to be unaware of) is how their MASSIVE cast allows them to present all sorts of unique dynamics. So I like to pick up on it, since they don't.

For secret siblings...

I'm pretty heavily leaning towards Ambermoon being adopted by Wildfur, as a surrogacy. Something feels correct about it. Especially since Icecloud is getting retooled into a post-Battle of the True Eclipse birth, and a major supporting character in AVoS-era stories as a friend of Alderheart.

Thinking about it, I should zoom in and expand this. Maybe have Icecloud, somehow, acquire forbidden knowledge that would invalidate the Queen’s Rights and he (transman) struggles with if he's going to use it to expose his parents as an excuse to help Ambermoon.

(Especially since Ambermoon and Icecloud are basically nothing alike. Amber is independent, bold, and vain. Ice is jessie pinkman big-hearted, disorganized, and deceptively meek if you look past his "chill" demeanor)

But that's wip-- there's also Breezepelt and the Three, who are going to have an actual friendship. In particular I can't unsee Breeze and Lion having a deep one. I know I commit the Cardinal Sin of borderline himbo-ifying Lionblaze in BB, but I can't help it.

Hollyleaf ended up nabbing a bunch of his most violent roles to make her villainous descent smoother narratively, so BB!Lionblaze's story ends up being more focused on Ashfur's abuse, comic relief with cats in other Clans (something that the very serious Jay and Holly have a hard time providing), and the emotional fallout of the big reveal and Bramblestar's turn on them. Breezepelt slots neatly into that.

They were friends. Lionblaze's whole life came down around the reveal, everyone looking at him and his siblings differently, like they're suddenly something terrible. Why can't we find a silver lining, Breezepelt? Why can't we call ourselves brothers if the whole world is going to do it anyway? So much is changing, but THIS doesn't have to, we will take their weapon and turn it to armor, my ally, my friend, my brother.

(and when Breezepelt is lashing out at the three because of the Dark Forest's influence, Lionblaze is there, taking the blows and trying not to give in to the impulse to send him flying with a single paw)

There's also Harespring and Kestrelflight of WindClan and Owlclaw of ShadowClan. All of them are from a single litter between Whitewater and Mudclaw. She was going to raise the three of them alone as ShadowClan cats, but when the sire was smote, Whitewater felt they were cursed.

She was able to give the oldest two to their bio-uncle, Torear, but the weather was so bad that day and the runt was so sickly and small that it surely would have killed him. I don't think Owlclaw ever finds out why his mother always treated him with suspicion, but it did mess him up horribly.

Over in BB!DOTC, Thunder Storm is getting more half-siblings earlier. Clear Sky and Falling Feather had two daughters-- Pale Sky and Tiger Sky.

I want to explore the way that the various stages of Clear Sky's life acted on his kids. How any little curiosity Thunder Storm had about the life he might have had if he wasn't abandoned is crushed by seeing kittens who weren't. How Clear's favoritism of his oldest child set the trio against each other from the start. How this idea of "love" is toxic yet intoxicating.

It feels good to be the golden child. The power it gives you over his sycophants is satisfying. To know you, and you alone, have what someone else craves. Problem is, that's conditional, and it's cruel.

What Thunder Storm learns from his time with his biodad is that Clear Sky is not his father at all. He's taught him exactly what he DOESN'T want to be. There may be similarities-- in temperament, in physical prowess (though BB!Thunder is three-legged, he's still ripped), in taste and senses. But Thunder Storm's father is Shaded Flower.

(BB!Gray Wing died in the first book, rescuing Shaded Flower from being trampled by a horse. Xey're a patron of wisdom, Shaded Moss is taking the role of fatherhood to Thunder)

His sister is Rainswept Flower. His mom is Bright Storm. If there was a bond he could have had with Tiger Sky and Pale Sky, it dies simply and cruelly on the knife they used to cut each other out.

Pale might have wanted to mend it, she was the gentler one. But she dies in the First Battle along with her mother. Tiger Sky is too stubborn to accept any help, should Thunderstar offer it, and Thunderstar isn't in the business of begging for others to like him.

Naturally I'm lowkey obsessed with them lmao. I need to make a BB!DOTC overviewww

[emin-folly]

Thank you for your answer! I was the one who asked about what Eobard's doing earlier haha

I also have this other question, but do you think he's able to get attached to someone else to the level he is to Barry? Since it's an obsession from his childhood, I imagine it would be hard to replicate, but I would love to see how his character plays out with others outside of the Flashfam, as much as I love them already

Hey! Welcome back! And you are very welcome~! I hope it was helpful to you lol

Excellent question! To really properly answer this, I'd like to briefly break down Eobard's relationship with Barry, if you don't mind! Now, for characters like Eobard and Barry, trying to accurately and fully explain in depth their dynamic in just a paragraph or so is basically nigh impossible lmao. These two just have such a rich and multilayered relationship that I can really only give you the bare Cliff Notes lol. Also, I just want to apologize because uhhh. I get really kinda rambly here haha oops

Okay so, let me first preface this what exactly the core of Eobard's whole character is: Love.

Eobard just wants to be loved. That's it. That is the root of everything he does.

To explain, we gotta go all the way back to Eobard's childhood. From what we see in the comics, Eobard is a very abused and neglected child. His parents wanted a gifted and successful child so they handpicked all his skills and made him very good looking. Unfortunately, they didn't get the memo that they still had to actually show love to their child for him to be successful. Ignored and shunned by his parents, baby Eo was very depressed and extremely desperate for any kind affection/attention. That's when he discovered the Flash. And I think the fact that it was Barry specifically played a major factor in his obsession with him.

Of course the Flash is very important to Eobard but something deeper that really resonated with him was Barry's ultimate pureness and unconditional love and compassion.

Eobard looked at Barry and saw someone who would love him unconditionally and without hesitation. In every sense, Barry really is pretty much the only thing that got Eobard through the dark times in his young life. The older he got, the more and more his parasocial relationship with Barry and the Speed Force began to consume him.

Eobard is very capable of love. The problem is, he's never been taught how to actually express it in a healthy, normal way so he lashes out, violently and obsessively. Because that's the only way he knows how. I think he definitely, on some level, recognizes that he is unlovable that's what drives people to reject him. To deal with this, he just retreats back to his fantasy; "Barry would understand, Barry would love me."

Sooo, yeah, you can imagine when the fallout eventually happened, you can see why it would utterly break him, emotionally and mentally.

To answer your question of if he would be able to love someone on the level he loves Barry, I would say definitely no lol.

Barry is just so, SO deeply intertwined with Eobard at this point that you can't really tell where he begins or Barry ends. It also has a lot to do with his obsession being formed during the most vulnerable and formative years of Eobard's life. Even if you hard set restarted the universe, these two would always have a cosmic connection with each other that you just can't erase.

As for other people, he is shown to have definitely gone back into other peoples' past and altered them drastically to suit his needs, ex: Hunter and August. But it's really only just more or less the one time and for certain reasons like he either wanted to manipulate events to play out a certain way (Hunter) or because he also saw a little too much of himself in them and was extremely jealous of their relationship with Barry (August). But honestly, most of the time when Eobard interacts with others, it's always either because he joins a supervillain group or he just happens to run into them coincidentally (like with Hal, the Justice League, Wally, etc)

Except for Thomas Wayne. Specifically the Flashpoint version.

I know I already talked about him but his and Eobard's relationship is really kind of unique and bears going more in depth.

Long story short, their whole thing started in Flashpoint, when Thomas killed stabbed him through the back. Then, in the Button storyline, after Eobard is revived (by the power of gay) and broke out of prison, he decides to immediately go and rough Bruce up as a kind of "gotcha" to Thomas. In the middle of their fight, he comes across Thomas's letter to Bruce and then he just?? Starts waxing poetic about "Oh Thomas, Thomas, did writing this make you feel better? As you burned with your world?" etc and it's like b r u h

This is literally the only interaction you had!! You just beat him up, mocked him and then he killed you. Why are you acting like you suddenly have a deep history together asjdgfsKJLGK

And it doesn't stop there. In a one off comic Tales From The Dark Multiverse Flashpoint, Barry dies and so to cope with this, Eobard tries to turn Thomas into his very own "Eobard Thawne", a ruthless stalker who would obsess over him. Because in Eobard's mind, to be obsessed over is the same as being loved, it means attention. Which is, notably, pretty much exactly what he wants from Barry. In the end, Eobard even went so far as to give Thomas a gift, what he so desperately wanted: his son and his family back. Whether Eobard did this out of any kind of sense of generosity or a more selfish motive is up for debate but it definitely says a lot.

In a following comic that's a prequel to the Button storyline, we see Eobard actually saves Thomas from the death of the Flashpoint universe and pulls him into the main timeline.

This is really significant because who else do we see Eobard go through this much effort to torment them? That's right--Barry. Now, of course Thomas isn't close to being on Barry's level in Eobard's eyes, far from it. But it's really clear that Thomas has become such a fixated point of interest for Eobard. By pulling Thomas out, Thomas essentially becomes a paradoxical being, and I think Eobard is really fascinated by that. He really likes having someone else on the same playing field as him. It's like Eobard, Barry and the other speedsters are playing a game of invisible chess which pretty much everybody on Earth is oblivious to, except for Thomas. Thomas is the only non speedster who actually knows the scores.

Could you argue that Eobard is just doing all of this for revenge? Sure, I suppose you could. But knowing how Eobard works, it doesn't feel quite accurate to just leave it at that. There's just too many little hints and cues of Eobard's love languages at play to just ignore that. Also like, Eobard doesn't like talking about his (true) feelings hardly ever, instead he wraps them up and disguises them with pretenses. He will say one thing while doing a completely different thing, a lot of times you can't take Eobard's words at face value.

As it is, Thomas seems to have become pretty synonymous with Eobard to the point now, whenever you see Flashpoint Thomas, it's very safe to assume that a certain yellow rat isn't too far behind~

I definitely agree with you~! I also absolutely love seeing Eobard interacting with other characters outside his scope of obsession, but sadly, Eobard doesn't really? Have much in the way of dynamics with other characters, as he really doesn't do people and people also tend to kinda hate him? But! There are a few exceptions, off the top of my head:

Eobard and the Rogues from the Justice League animated comic

Eobard and Poison Ivy's interaction from the Injustice 2 game (bow chica bow wow)

He and Superman actually have a brief but really poignant moment in the Tales From The Dark Multiverse

He and Al Desmond also had a brief partnership in the Sliver Age comics which basically consisted of Eobard mind controlling and pressuring Al into a life of crime, but I did definitely get the vibe that Eobard liked him--tho again, he has a very horrible way of showing it LOL

Also in the Silver Age, he had a brief dynamic with Star Sapphire (not Carol tho unfortunately) He was very flirtatious with her (he was like that with a lot of other women too--which definitely comes back to him being desperate to be loved) Anyway, uh wow, I didn't mean for this to be this long?? LOL If you'd like more concise, shorter answers in the future, just lemme know~!

[jamethinks]

The thing about heterosexual sexual relationships is that they’re very complicated to develop in a healthy way. The patriarchy is very keen on forcing partners into very limited spaces when it comes to gender roles w/in relationships. This really limits the development of the relationship but imo the only way to sort of circumvent this is through platonic relationships. Being able to see one another as people before romantic partners is important to me bc by then you have a properly structured dynamic that isn’t defined by gender roles but by actual interactions.

That being said, whenever I think of Twiyor I have a hard time thinking of them as romantically interested in one another. It feels unearned to me. I really need to see them interact and develop a deep bond before they start thinking romantically. And I really do believe it’s what they need as individuals. I think they both need a friend more than they need a lover so when writing them I can’t help but start them as simply friends and co-parents.

Imagining them sitting down and opening up about themselves, having this sort of “I tell you my secret you tell me yours” relationship where everyday they drop little tidbits of lore about themselves. Sometimes they get it fights and stuff but it’s not because of hatred but honestly and fear of transparency. The comfort of finally having someone you can talk to about anything, especially the things you always felt you weren’t allowed to feel.

One of my WIPs had Loid taking Yor to the grave site of her parents because Yuri was too busy to do it and Yor shuts down and Loid has to pry her back open. And in one bad move he tells her about how much he envied her because she had a gravesite to come to but his parents deaths weren’t really acknowledged by anyone and it’s a moment of genuine honesty where he drops the perfect husband facade and actually expresses a genuine emotion and it pisses off yor who starts venting to him in a way she never did before like he was actually taken aback because he never heard Yor talk like that before. But in the end it was therapeutic for the both of them and deepened that bond. Nothing romantic just two traumatized kids talking about how losing their parents impacted them

[hell-drabbles]

Been into "what if"s and alternative universes stuff, safe to say i'm very interested in what it would look like if the Companion is the Descendant of Solomon instead of Ra-on. I wonder if Ra-on will get his shit together if that happened and tried to get his Companion out of the filthy hands of demons while trying to survive and fix the mess of the Hell.

The role reversal would be interesting to see if both Companion and Ra-on still have their traits together as themselves and not the contrary. It's... Not a pleasant thing to think of Companion as... Ra-on.

Let's see how many Demons would get hit by Companion's pipe and ask for more if the Companion is the Star of the Show, lololol

Ain't that a question. Well I won't lie, I have thought about it from time to time, just never bothered to explore it any deeper since I was distracted by other things.

Anyways, I'm gonna ramble so strap in.

For one thing, Ra-on would be heavily more well adjusted since his family wasn't killed. He'd be a very gentle man, and probably grew up with overprotective parents so he has that sheltered, air-headedness about him that comes with living in a little bubble.

Oh and he's still explosively horny. Now that he isn't under the constant watch of his parents, he's going all out in finding his preferences online. And is certainly not a virgin by this point. I'd actually imagine that he's aiming to be a part-time sex worker, but is too busy with college at the moment to look deeper into it.

And as for the Companion... I'd say they have a lot less disinterest in the world around them. Dismissive, simply putting all of their focus on finding the people that killed their family. They've pretty much narrowed their world to just Ra-on and Minhyeok and doesn't have anyone else beyond that. They're very protective of that small circle, to an unhealthy degree honestly. So, in contrast to the current strained dynamic of Companion and Ra-on, it feels like the this version of the Companion and Ra-on are about to consume each other.

"You're so delicate. You'll be ripped apart."

Companion has not had a healthy sleep in years, and they struggle immensely to find joy in anything that isn't related to Ra-on and Minhyeok. When they're not burning with intense rage, they're often found very, very apathetic. As such, they give the devils little to no respect, no matter how much these devils may adore them.

But, the devils being devils, they will not stop trying. They will get past the Companion's emotional walls. This, of course, has horrible consequences. Because you can't attempt to fix a person that doesn't want to fix themselves.

So yeah, the only way anyone can get the Companion interested in saving Hell at all is to either say that the angels have something to do with their family getting slaughtered, or have Ra-on plead with them to save the devils.

So yeah, that would probably the story of the Companion learning to let go of their need for vengeance and just, start to appreciate the weird world around them.

Ra-on is still as horny as always, but because he's not being bogged down by the other issues in the regular AU, he isn't really jealous or unhealthily possessive. He is, instead, kinda scared for the Companion's mental well being when it becomes clear to him just how much they project Solomon onto the Companion. He distracts the devils when he sees how their talking and flirting is bothering the Companion. Makes a mess of himself so that the Companion can hide away.

He just, doesn't want to see the Companion turn to violence again. They had a really bad streak at some point that almost got them barred from getting into any school or university. Ra-on hates seeing them caught in the cycle of violence and will do anything to pull them out. But Hell is... not the best place for that kind of hope.

Minhyeok loves being a Caretaker but Ra-on takes it to a whole other level. Ra-on almost wants to become a machine that's made to take care of the Companion's every need, if that will help them be happier for a little longer. Willing to strip himself of his agency if it means they can smile again.

And all the Companion sees is a delicate dove that need to be protected at all costs.

Of all the things the Companion and Ra-on are afraid of, it's the realization that the other doesn't need them like they thought they would. That, what's best for both of them is to go their separate ways.

Is it romantic? Is it platonic? I don't know, but it's certainly unhealthy and they will consume one another if left unchecked.

And as for the Companion's relationship with Solomon, they want to cut him out. They want him to shut up, they want him to go to anyone else and leave them be. They don't want any of his fucking baggage or any of the shit he did.

Anyways, I would imagine that Solomon is the one to reveal that the angels slaughtered their family, with evidence to show for it. Because if this is the only way to get the Companion to save Hell, then so be it. Aim the rage-filled beast towards your enemy and let go. Solomon obviously doesn't want to manipulate the Companion like this, but he cares for the devils in Hell too much. Besides, this is his last chance. He has no other choice.

[asterbats]

Starfallification GTI edition... It's these guys....

Design/Story/Headcanon rambles below!

Virizion

Name: Aramis

Pronouns: She/It

Design Ramblings:

-Her colors are a little dull to imply a sense of melancholy. Kind of a hint that she's not exactly healthy.

-Has a battle scar on her face from one of its escapades pre-GTI

-Has a friendship necklace with Keldeo. She only starts to wear it again in the postgame.

Headcanons/Tweaks:

-Doesn't go by Aramis until far later. Insists on the more distant "Virizion" until the Great Glacier arc

-Because this is an alternate timeline where humans went extinct, the Swords of Justice never became a steady group, so there is no formal quartet. Aramis does not know her own Terrakion and Cobalion.

-She does, however, know Keldeo, of course. There was no sort of mentor/student relationship between the two, they were childhood friends and used to spar frequently. Aramis was a shy child while Keldeo was more bold, so he helped bring her out of her shell. The two had a "he talks enough for the both of us" sort of dynamic. He infodumps and it listens.

-Has always struggled with deep self esteem issues, as she doesn't feel she's particularly likable.

-It actually did know about Keldeo's entercard capabilities, which was how it recognized Umbreon and Espeon as entercard users back in the day. It was very disturbed to see Keldeo's entercard markings in the Great Glacier.

-Didn't expect to find Noodle and Parker as enjoying as they were. She honestly expected to see Parker as a pest. But she found them more and more endearing as time went on and eventually sought out their company on her own very consistently. She’s in a QPR with them.

-She's very expressionless and aloof, which leads Pokemon to assume that she has no real feelings, especially as she rejects all of them. She was like this even before Keldeo sent the letter, but it got worse afterwards, of course. She's very blunt and honest as well, not seeing the point in sugarcoating anything. Because of this, she gets along well with Espeon.

-Feels the most conflicted about their child, as its worried that they will resent her for being aloof and avoid her. Or that they would see her for "what she truly was". But their child loves and looks up to her a ton, which does make her feel better.

Emolga

Name: Parker (Insists on Emolga)

Pronouns: He/It

Design Notes:

-So when I was younger, I always figured that Emolga kinda presented himself as a superhero? Because he swoops in to save Dunsparce in Stompstump Peak, he always sticks up for the little guy, and he's very vain and outspoken. The wings also lended well to that, since they look like a cape. So I wanted to lean into that!

-He's mixed with both Theivul (for the mask, tail, and extra brown color) and Boltund (for the wavy fur and eyes).

Story/Headcanons:

-When Parker was younger, it was abandoned by its parents, and no one was willing to take the orphan in, so he had to steal food to survive.

-It was every Pokemon for itself, so Parker never grew close to other Pokemon. Due to his small size and power, he was usually harassed for what little items he had, so he never trusted anyone.

-When he was a teenager, however, he ran into Noodle. The little snake was being bullied for their money by another group of Pokemon, and was frantically trying to empty his pockets. Emolga typically would have just ignored it to save his own skin... but watching the Pokemon mock Dunsparce and berate him for not having more food, and the sheer desperation and tears in the snake's face, something in him snapped, and he swooped in to defend the Dunsparce, fighting off the Pokemon. He intended to leave soon after, but Noodle insisted on taking care of his wounds and giving the Emolga a place to stay. After that, he and Noodle were best friends.

-Parker stopped stealing after that incident- it didn't want to stay in that lifestyle anymore after seeing how honest Noodle was. Unfortunately, this meant going hungry, so he would often go into Mystery Dungeons to get supplies for them- eventually becoming a stronger fighter for it. This inspired Noodle to want to be a treasure hunter themself, although they got lost very easily- Parker would have to look for them more often than not. Not that he didn't take pride in that... he let that ego go to his head. He loved providing for the smaller Pokemon, sure, but he also craved the notoriety.

-Holds a grudge very easily. You call him a rat and he will remember that decades down the line. He finds it hard to forgive

-Despite his size, he knows how to impose himself. Its got a naturally loud voice and he usually perches himself on high ledges so he stands over people.

-He has a massive heart, though. He adores his partners and will lay himself on the line for them. He also fawns over their child a lot.

-Was the closest to Eris out of the gang for a while, besides Kiran. It taught Eris how to handle his electricity and take care of his new body properly.

Dunsparce

Name: Noodle

Pronouns: They/He

Design Notes:

-Wears a reunion cape given to them by Kiran so they don't get lost as often!

Headcanon/Story notes:

-Was always picked on for being a weaker Pokemon. Because of this, they were rather withdrawn from others, and never put up a fight against larger Pokemon- they just didn't want any trouble.

-Took Parker into their home once he saved them from a group of Pokemon that was harassing them, and the two became fast friends. Parker jokingly called them a "noodle" because of how wobbly they'd get when they were scared, and the name stuck.

-Parker inspired them to want to become an explorer... but unfortunately, they never had the strength for it. He would go into dungeons on his own, and Parker would have to swoop in and save him.

-At first, they admired Aramis for its strength, and thought that if they could only become stronger, they would be liked as well as she was. But when they both joined Paradise, they broke her walls down, and saw her for who she truly was- warts and all. And they appreciated her more and more every day for it.

-Actually fell into a more strategizing/organizer role as the events of the game went on. They came into their own as a fighter and explorer and can hold their own in a fight now, but ended up finding a lot of comfort in taking care of others.

-It was their idea to adopt their kid. The trio had found the egg in a dungeon and Noodle pushed and pushed to raise the child as their own.