#dwampyverse salt mine

[revenblue]

PNF: The real difference between the First Dimension and Second Dimension

Because it's not the train.

First, some context. Heinz Doofenshmirtz is a man with a whole lot of trauma, thanks to his many, many backstories. To the point that I feel he has undeniable PTSD.

The main source of his childhood trauma is his parents, particularly his mother, not that he's consciously aware of this in any way. As a result Heinz grew up with no (0) parental affection, while his brother was showered with (at least superficial) love. Worse, Heinz seems to believe he needs to "earn" the love of his mother because he doesn't deserve affection now. (On a tangential note, he's also convinced, according to a para-canon in-character Radio Disney interview, that he "doesn't deserve" his favourite colour.)

Additionally, he's been told this so much he considers himself to be Evil, and is living down to that. Which isn't all bad, villains get the best musical numbers, and Perry shows up to listen to his monologues and thwart him (any attention is better than no attention), but definitely isn't ideal. Especially since Perry's his primary social interaction.

Anyway. To achieve this (impossible) goal of "earning" his mother's love, he's determined to take over the Tri-State Area and become Successful(tm), only to be thwarted by Perry at every turn.

Meanwhile, Doof-2's achieved his goal, claiming it's the result of losing his toy train making him (more) Evil™. And yet, in another bit of para-canon, this time a tie-in comic, it's shown that his creation of Perryborg was responsible, with Perryborg having taken over the Tri-State Area for him under orders (albeit, hilariously, not in his name). Add to that the fact flashback!Doof-2 still had an eyepatch, and I believe he's blocked out the memory of all his trauma, tying any lingering pain to a mere toy train.

With that out of the way, here's what I believe is the primary difference between the two dimensions:

In the Second Dimension, Perryborg (unwillingly) gave Doof-2 what Doof-2 thought he needed: Success.

In the First Dimension, Perry (willingly) gave Heinz what Heinz actually needed: Love and support.

(A clarification: I don't necessarily mean romantic love. Familial love is just as important and just as plausible here. The important part is that Perry believes in Heinz and cares about his wellbeing.)

Actually, if you go deeper, Doof-2 took what he (thought he) wanted, while Heinz had the support to ask for, and receive, what he needed.

I mean, "Hold my hand, Perry the Platypus, I'm scared", anyone? And Heinz's life is better for that. With his mutually respectful nemesisship with Perry, where he can ask, where he knows he won't be punished for the asking, where he can trust that Perry will come back, he's happier. Also, with Perry's meddling in his attempts at making a party for Vanessa so that she could see his good intentions and not just the resulting failures, he had the chance to build a meaningful relationship with his daughter too, leading to his revelation in Last Day Of Summer. Success never made him happy, but his family did. Perry, Vanessa, Norm, they're what (who) matters to him.

Doof-2 never had any of that. He was successful, sure, but only ever superficially. "Successful" marriage, with a wife with nothing but contempt for him. "Successful" evil dictator, with a "loyal" underling with nothing but contempt for him. Vanessa-2 doesn't seem to have all tha much genuine fondness for him either. And all Choo Choo ever did was distract from all of that.

Who's the real winner here?

I guess my overall point is that Success™ won't fix Heinz's issues.

[revenblue]

Hey sorry to bug you, and you’ve probably talked about this before, but what exactly made you stop watching MML?

Idk if I’ve explained here, so, here goes:

It’s a series of things, really.

First, the Professor Time thing (renaming him against his will and him being browbeaten by the narrative into accepting it, redefining him with the new name) hit my squicks bigtime.

Then when the UK aired a handful of episodes in September the writing felt weak and the shoehorning of “Professor Time”/PNF was obnoxious and felt shallow, missing everything I loved PNF for. Plus Doof’s Day Out is peak “writers not letting their darling character suffer consequences” (in addition to hitting another squick). Ended up getting my housemate to watch with me by the end so we could share the pain.

Then when India got the next batch (November), I couldn’t watch with housemate immediately because reasons. By the time I had the opportunity, I just didn’t care.

That’s the nail in the coffin, I think, that they couldn’t make me care.

The worst part is, season 1 had so much potential, and was really hitting its stride by the end. I wanted to see where it led. I wanted more MML.

Then s2 tried to serve up a shallow idea of what PNF was instead of being its own thing. If I’d wanted PNF, the show itself is still there, as is fanfic. I don’t need a supposedly separate show trying to rip it off. But that’s what I got.

And that’s why MML only had one season.

[revenblue]

Heinz meta, spoilers for the crossover ahead.

So... Professor Time. I have some Opinions about this. Not even touching the ending either, just what it means for Heinz as a character.

First up, gonna declare my biases.

a) Heinz Doofenshmirtz is one of my favourite characters ever and I'm heavily invested in his development.

b) I have a Thing about Names™.

So. Professor Time. The (retconned) Future™ of Heinz Doofenshmirtz. He's popular and successful and has fans and is basically everything Heinz seems to think he wants to be.

And I find it unsatisfying as a narrative resolution for him.

I mentioned on Discord that, and I quote,

I still want Heinz to realise

a) his parents suck

b) his treatment of Norm sucks

c) he doesn't need to be anything but (the best version of) who he already is, that he's already loved

followed by

no, the time travel thing is him becoming "Professor Time", which is a whole other name/identity

The point is. Heinz has spent his entire life, all 47 years of it, trying to be someone else to get the attention he so desperately craves, thinking that who he is isn't enough. It's not until Perry comes along (yes I ship them, shush) that he realises it's not him who's the problem.

Perry very quickly becomes Heinz's biggest supporter, after all. (Just watch Oil On Candace, from late season 1 of PNF.) Perry accepts who he is, and eventually genuinely enjoys his company (see: the whole Dance Baby thing in Candace Disconnected, also everything about Happy New Year).

With Perry around, Heinz is able to put aside his habitual performing sometimes (eg the whole "I'm a failure"/"you are appreciated" scene in Road To Danville).

So to make his arc in MML all about ~becoming Professor Time~, via the crossover and especially (what I could figure out from) the song "Pressure" in it, that's reverting to "who I am is not good enough, I have to be someone else". At least to me.

And that's just... I don't find that narrative satisfying in the slightest.

[revenblue]

You can hate it if you want, but I sort of like the idea of Heinz becoming professor time. Sure, through a Casual Loop Paradox he learned who he'd become, but since he already happened to make a time machine, him also making himself a brand makes sense(remember D.E.I?). Plus, in Last Day of Summer he learned he was evil out of obligation, now he just has to learn he doesn't need to be Professor Time out of obligation. He just needs to find himself and become Professor Time naturally over time.

Yes, I do hate it. I’m just too lazy to yell directly at peoples’ digital avatars about their different opinions, I dump my ranting in meta form or fic form (or venting amongst peeps who share my opinion) instead.

If it had been done differently it could have worked for me. But as it stands, it feels like it’s celebrating something that hits my squicks. (I mean, like I said in my first response, I’ve been struggling against “this person who barely knows you thinks they know who you should be better than you do” all my life, and to see MML showing Cavendish to be in the right about it is... *shudders*. Doubly so with the renaming, bc I have a name/identity thing, along the same lines as a lot of identity porn.)

That, and the way it undermines what I see as Heinz’s resolution (abandoning his goal of material success because he's found a family who loves him and doesn’t need it any more) has soured me on it and hence the majority of MML s2.

The undermining is threefold:

First, the whole Professor Time thing feels very ~oh he’s successful now~, the direct opposite of “who needs success when I have the people I love”.

Second, he’s proceeded to abandon said family (notably both Vanessa and Norm, aka his children). The thing with Perry makes sense, although the context means I can’t be angry on Heinz’s behalf bc I can’t see the Heinz I love in him, but I’m not unhappy with that on a writing level (well, except for certain implications I’ve touched on in my meta). But Vanessa hasn’t even been mentioned, and it’s depressingly plausible to say that Norm is dead. And even if he’s not, Heinz is all he has, but Heinz is off being someone else.

Third, he’s browbeating the Murphys into being a replacement family, which they didn’t agree to (incidentally, another squick of mine, twisting the wonder that is “family of choice” into something so despicable).

Honestly, it’s the same issue I have with AYA (and, in hindsight, Perry in OWCA Files). Dwampy were so caught up in the idea of where the characters would end up based on what they consciously knew of the characters that they ignored where the natural development had led the characters to to push that narrative.

As a side note, I prefer the idea of Norm being Professor Time, to impress his father. Repeating Heinz’s own relationship with his parents, except Heinz has the potential to actually realise he’s hurting Norm, while also giving Norm the recognition he deserves. (Plus, Norm shares the same address.) So much more fascinating than the “Heinz learns how to be good, attempt three” we’re getting.

I’d rather have had OWCA Files than this, bugs and all. (OOCness and all.) At least there it woulda been obvious who the main protags were from the start, instead of springing it on us in season 2.

Although in all honesty I don’t think I could be truly happy with any Heinz redemption that doesn’t focus on Norm and his parents. So much potential there lying untapped. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have entirely too much to criticise about MML’s version.

[revenblue]

(fandom whining under the cut, please don't read if you don't want salt)

ye gods, it's hard to comprehend how drastically I've divorced myself from my fandom over the last six months

first of all was the gd crossover episode and all my salt over the changes there. (it hits my squicks. bigtime.)

and everything after it feels like a cheap cash grab banking on shallow memories rather than the heart and soul of the show I loved or the glimpses of the new show I was slowly falling for. I put myself into spoiler exile a few months ago over the gd scheduling and haven't felt up to the inevitable disappointment when I finally actually watch them

then the human AU thing with my otp's just started getting on my nerves more and more, to the point I'm not even reading them until I write some firmly interspecies stuff (ideally of the intimate variety)

(actually that last one's been building up for a while. preceded me joining this fandom at all, tbh)

honestly most of the content in this overarching fandom's not to my taste anyway and never has been. the Het(tm) stuff, the "giving the platypus a girlfriend" (yeah if you know my ship you'd understand most of why), the human AUs bc apparently one of the most fascinating parts of my otp is ~icky~ (or at least that's the impression I get), and now gd canon twisting one of my faves into even more of a Mary Sue than the great Enoby Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way (bc Eboby at least feels like a deliberate play on the whole concept)

there's a spirit to my fandom's (original) canon that I adore and that's what I want. the audaciousness, the absurdity, the attention to emotional continuity

(except now newer canon's gone and screwed it all up)

what does a meta-loving furry guy have to do to get some good meta and some good canon-compliant fic around here? (even canon-compliant AUs, holding to the spirit of the thing.) I'm getting more enjoyment from the genfics than from fics of my otp

[revenblue]

Doofenshmirtz doesn't feel contradicted or goes against his character in LDOS like you make it out to be. If anything it contributes to that resolution in LDOS. But no apparently you butthurt MML fans like to ruin this for everyone by making complaints that aren't actually bad in the long run and not give the writing team a fair chance. Bottom line, Doof being Professor Time is Canon and you need to grow up.

Oh goodie, I finally got a concerned anon :D Took you long enough.

a)  It “contributes to” his choice of Vanessa over success in LDOS? Where? Where’s Vanessa mentioned in MML?

b) “butthurt MML fans”? Are you trying to say it’s because I’m a fan of Milo Murphy’s Law that I hate it being taken over by this plot tumour of a redemption arc? I mean you’d be right but.

c) This plotline hits my squicks bigtime. If you’re trying to tell me I should just suck it up and let my favourite character be forced into a role he did not choose (emphasis on choose, because it’s not a choice if he can’t say no) - in fact, a name he did not choose - and that he was wrong to fight it... that hits a bit too close to home.

A teacher I had in (early) primary school tried to convince me I was spelling my own damn name wrong, was I supposed to listen to her?

Another teacher I had, this time in high school, tried to convince me I was wrong about my own damn eye colour. Was I supposed to listen to her too?

My ex once tried to convince me I was wrong about my own damn hair colour. Was I supposed to listen to her?

d) I don’t like feeling lied to. I got into MML on the idea that it was a separate show set in the same universe, but it turns out it was all a lie to push the same arc the execs didn’t want in Doof 101 and OWCA Files.

Imagine if Korra had turned into The Zuko Redemption Show partway through, with no warning, after you’d grown fond of the new characters.

e) “grow up”? Who’s the one hiding behind anon here?

f) What inspired this “concern” anyway? Was it the meta/rant I haven’t added to for weeks? The fanfic I... oh wait I haven’t finished that one yet (got busy with Perryshmirtz Week). Or are you in my Perryshmirtz server and lurking the salt channel (which hasn’t been all that active in a while)?

Or do you just think about me and my salt that often? I’m flattered to take up so much space in your mind while I’m doing other more pleasant things, like writing a fox talking to a friendly horse in morse code.

g) Canon can suck it.

[revenblue]

I haven't watched the MML and PnF crossover yet... is it worth it? I was really hyped for it a couple months ago, but idk anymore

It depends on what you’re hoping to get out of it, I think.

There are some great character moments in there, which I do still appreciate. But the writing, and the overall narrative, and how it’s treating the characters, is (to me) disappointing.

Spoilers ahead, I tried to be as vague as possible.

If you like Candace and are watching for her, you will almost certainly be disappointed. If you’re watching for Isabella, she doesn’t exist until 35 minutes in. If you’re watching for Perry, he’s overall great but he stops existing a few times.

I’ve spoken at length about my criticisms of Heinz’s arc in it, and how it ties into my preexisting biases about identity and names and Heinz’s arc from PNF.

I’m also critical of the writing (disclaimer: I’m a writer, albeit for a different medium). Almost every plot point feels like an asspull (the Island thing gets introduced and resolved, Isabella shows up out of nowhere, and even the smaller things are barely built up), and as a resolution to season 1′s plot, it’s... the stakes aren’t really there. They don’t build throughout the episode, and then everything’s resolved with time travel, going back to make it all unhappen.

As a continuation of character arcs, it feels like it tosses out half the character development from PNF. Then again, it’s not like Dwampy hasn’t done that before (*cough* Act Your Age). Their fatal flaw in writing is not recognising the organic development they’ve given characters when they go to timeskip ahead.

And then the rest of season 2′s building off these changes to Heinz, which I disliked from the start thanks to my biases (like, I was criticising them before I even watched in English), so... I’m not enjoying MML any more. But I know a lot of that’s coming from my biases and preferences, which might not apply to you.

If you can be happy with character moments and don’t mind much about the plot (noting that “it has a plot” is one of MML’s selling points) or the character continuity (one of the things I adore about PNF), you’ll probably enjoy it.

Either way, if you do choose to watch, I hope you have fun :D (And my inbox is open if you want to talk to me about it after, whether or not you agree with my opinions.)

[revenblue]

Finally watched MML in English, liveblogging under the cut.

when I watched in Japanese I called the whole thing with Heinz doing the recap "inspired". now that I can understand it, I can see just how inspired it really is (far more than I'd thought), I'm love. I forgot just how much I love Heinz

he doesn't believe Cavendish about him being Professor Time ;_; (admittedly I have Opinions about that whole plotline but)

the jingle for Time Chips, omg

Cav's so willing to strip off for his celeb crush omg. and Heinz is Uncomfortable. (also, looks like "wearing underwear with your crush's face" is a thing people in Dwampyverse do :P)

yeah, accusing Melissa and Zack of dating is sure to be ship fuel

of course the diversion's Melissa's idea, that conniving little (I love her)

"stop foreshadowing" omg

Baljeet's singing is so good. such harmony (my former church choir soprano brain provided the term "descant" but uh yeah)

that jingle XD and of course Heinz's priorities are such a mess that he'd rebrand before he saves the world

Heinz thinking Diogee's an agent, beautiful~ and out of "habit" XD then again, his best friend is short and furry, it's no wonder he'd leap to that conclusion

ahh, foreshadowing with that orange soda thing ("destroying the environment" wow)

Heinz's snark at the questions about Perry, ahaha I love him

okay so "time juice" (it feels weird to hear him call it that) isn't Pizzazzium Infinionite itself, just... similar. :/

"who keeps a clock in their backpack? that's just weird" not as weird as a gd anchor, Milo

"maybe we're related"

"he's either saying he's going with you, or he regrets the impulsive mistakes of his youth" both. it's both, and the """""mistake""""" is falling in love with you, Heinz (but he loves you enough to just sigh about it sometimes)

the way the music pauses when Milo falls into the bush, that's amazing XD

Perry's hypercompetence is so damn attractive, wow *swoons* god I'm such a furry

King Pistachion's instructions to his "kids" is so great XD

that mask gag XD

"too much exposition" "yeah that's probably why your show was cancelled" ooh burn

"yeah no pressure" that's gonna come up later isn't it

Milo's dancing is so great, haha. and that scorecard gag, so perfect

ah, Dwampy, always bringing us those classy bathroom jokes

"Ducky MoGo" I mean it's a catchy name... XD (her intro's kinda underwhelming though. that's where my nitpicks are, the plot)

joking about Ferb talking, nice. and the "yes, yes it has".

"well it does kinda describe us, but it's just rude", that callback :D

"what are the odds" "better than you think" ah yes Milo shows up again

Dakota listing off animals, nice. in alphabetical order, too. also I love that beard sight gag still

"you won't let me sing the zoo song" yeah that probably got old real fast

Go Fish with hot sauce packets. er, hot sauce packet singular. it really says something that Perry's happy to go along with that idea (it's bc it's Heinz, I think)

"'careful' or 'hurry', choose one" yeah it is kinda a choice of one or the other XD

and he squished the hot sauce packet XD

cupholder joke, I love it XD

that extended view of the window with the sounds of destruction. perfect cross-language joke

"what do you usually do when things go wrong" their silence here is telling. (also, the answer? Phineas yells.)

"we have no frame of reference for that" yup

Perry beating up Pistachions to cover for Heinz, I'm love

Candace's attitude to Milo is uh... not fun

"no human being has a neck that long"

ah yes, the duck is still after Elliot, of course

"hey, sometimes Murphy's Law" can be totally helpful!" yyyyyyeah...

oh hey, a woodpecker

okay, the thinking Candace is a Pistachion thing makes that scene make a whole lot more sense

"I was talking about me. we need this guy around" oh, Candace...

"my bad" "we still need him!" I love that XD

the sitcom gags are doubly amusing with the context of the dialogue XD they were good when I watched it originally, but now? amazing. but also wtf Heinz why

"and that's why we use a cupholder"

ah yes, The Island. when I first watched this I knew it was The Island, even before the reveal

oof, Cav dealing with his hero worship not being such a hero. never fun.

Perry's just standing there though, what are you doing Perry

ugh Heinz needs a hug, Perry what are you waiting for

"I know when I'm not wanted" oh Heinz ;_;

it's... it's this bit. where Perry kinda just disappears entirely? there's no other reason for him not going after his nemesis to reassure him the way he always does.

"okay now that's environment. no wonder they banned this stuff." ah yes the callback

and Orton showing up to relate, which is... it makes sense at least? (but where the hell is Perry?)

"oh look a ukelele" Heinz why

ooh the SONG

"and there's a future self up to which I have to measure" oof

"no matter where I go, oh look, I'm already there" *Homestuck intensifies*

and the gd mid-song genre switch. with the "throwing money away" sight gag. ye gods. XD

"I forgot where I was going with this" nice going Heinz

"apparently the locals are not music fans" yeah it takes a suave semiaquatic personification of unstoppable dynamic fury to love your singing voice, Heinz :P

and the reveal of it being The Island, this'll be... yeah

oh hey, voiceover montage song from Milo

is this an Uptown Funk reference? I'm not sure, I don't keep up to date with pop music, but it looks like a reference

OH yeah, Melissa did a ton of research herself. she'd be happy with all this new data

Baljeet's totally flirting there too

...the jokes about Zack and Melissa dating are... idk. they're amusing in the moment but the premise they're built off is uh. I don't like it.

oh boy, the explanation of Murphy's Law... you know, that kinda breaks my suspension of disbelief a little. because instead of unspoken rules, it's now spoken rules with details to find inconsistencies in

"montage time!" I love him

gotta say, I do love the occasional gag of "things spontaneously catch on fire", that's always fun

"several hundred" Dakotas? looks like the 102 estimate from that episode was lowballing... or he's guesstimating

"you're gonna laugh" "probably not" I mean if you set the death montage to cheerful music...

huh, he told the truth. idk why I was expecting him to lie but I was so that's a surprise

he took it really well, which. eh, idk, I figured it'd be used for angst at some point. but apparently not.

oh so it's this SPECIFIC orange soda. also Dakota's been doing this for a while I guess

"well I'm not the environment" these two are... far too similar. Dan Povenmire's typecast himself I guess

"we're gonna need a lot of cupholders" ah yes the cupholder joke again XD

aaaaaand they're captured.

"we had to switch over to the HDMI cables" I love this joke XD

"you and what army" "that army" ahhhh. cliché but always satisfying

oh hi Isabella, showing up in the last uh ten minutes. and flirting a little with Phineas of course but eh this plot point came out of absolutely nowhere

I love how, when Heinz falls out of the thing, Perry's first reaction is to jump out after him and save him. it's a fun dynamic to bring back. also did I mention Perry's competence is attractive?

"oh, that was touching" ahaha XD

"don't mess with Doctor Zone- Doctor Zone? who's Doctor Zone?" XD

welp, giant Pistachion

oof. can really feel its dilemma. poor giant Pistachion :c

giant Pistachion redemption ;_;

"here's an adaptor we needed" XD

AAAAAAA PERRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYy, my heart ;_; he saved them, risking his cover, I can't ;_;

and he retreated to pet mode just in time, ugh ;_; PERRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY ;_;

then he leaves as soon as they're not looking and disappears from the plot

"Murphy's Law And Order" omg

loving that accurate tech support gag

blasting familiar yet not plot relevant characters so we see how bad things are. gotta keep us invested

lemon callback, nice

radioactive watermelon is a bit... out of nowhere. why is he carrying that in his backpack again? (especially when he doesn't carry a clock)

"blowtorch and some peanut butter" nice refrance

yeah, seeing everyone as a Pistachion is... not good. (tbh when I first saw this my only thought was "I hope Heinz isn't in there" bc I'm er biased)

and Heinz is fine, that's a relief. Perry musta kept him safe... speaking of which, where is Perry?

"Vanessa's dad" hm... okay this is a weird epithet but it kinda makes sense with how they'd know him, considering Ferb's crush on Vanessa...

"no, I am Professor Time, and we are not out of time until I say so!" hhhhhh I have a lot of feelings about this. it's dramatic, which is always fun, but. ugh I'm biased, I love Heinz

and the deus ex machina. which is... not quite out of nowhere, but. hhhhhh I have Opinions.

Cav's squee is adorable

nice use of the Doctor Zone theme

ah yes the letter, almost forgot about that plot point from Missing Milo

"I don't feel so good" okay that's not the dialogue but still!

nooooooo not Giant Pistachion ;_;

oh right, in this timeline Doctor Zone wasn't a thing, so Sara's shirt was blank

"wait a minute, why am I still part plant?" amazing

"we're going to be in serious trouble aren't we" yup

rip DEI

"my building! ugh. can I crash on your couch?" CALLED IT

"feel free to cross over any time" heh

oh Heinz XD "where do you guys keep the extra toilet paper? I'm asking for a friend" so either he had an "accident" or Perry had an "accident" (...it's the latter. it's gotta be the latter. Agent Pee strikes again)

[revenblue]

I’d be so much more excited at the character development potential of Sick Day if MML hadn’t given me a pavlovian “nope” reaction to everything involving Heinz

like, “Perry gets called on his shit” is a genre of narrative I’m so into (he’s my fave, I like seeing my faves called on their flaws), but the way MML’s pushing the Professor Time bullshit feels like it goes against everything I love Heinz for and that’s souring the whole thing

I want to fic it, I have a song in mind to fic the fallout, but I can’t reconcile it with the plot point that’s been shitting me off for the last month and a half

(maybe I should just go “fuck canon, Norm’s the real Professor Time”, which is a whole other plotbun)

[revenblue]

Fucking hell. Phineas And Ferb Effect-spawned angst plotbun, because I hate happiness.

Context: this came from the conversation that inspired this post from Noddy, where because of this ~oh so amazing~ plot point of the boys getting everything they want just by existing, the suffering of everyone around the boys is, on some level, what they want.

I've stripped surrounding conversation out (except two comments from Toxic, left in with permission, for extra heartbreak), so this is just Perry angst. In two sections, bc reasons (read: the conversation tangented and then ended up at the movie).

Without further ado:

something that bothers me...

so like. there's a plausible headcanon that Perry's trans

he has a secret identity (which could be a metaphor for being closeted)

and if P&F would reject who he is upon discovering that... the implications there are nasty

did I just make it worse

the boys find out, kick Perry out, he stays with Heinz

crying himself to sleep in Heinz's arms

"I've lost everything but my nemesis"

"and I don't know how long that will last"

the movie showed Perry why he shouldn't want to be open with his family who mean more to him than anything

god, imagine Perry's heart breaking when he realises

it'd sour even the photos of him and the boys that he had in the credits of the movie

imagine him ripping off the collar and crying

and leaving his whole life behind

(except the vase Heinz gave him)

[ToxicWaste: And the sinking realization that if he can leave, it means they don’t deeply care anyway]

showing up at Heinz's, looking broken

oh shit

[ToxicWaste: Because if they did, he wouldn’t be able to leave at all]

oh no I figured out how to make it worse

he stops at the edge of the gate and turns back to look

and Phinas is smiling

and he can't leave

so he pushes down everything he is that isn't "Perry, family pet"

reduces himself down to that role

and stays

because at least Phineas is smiling

the vase lies broken at the edge of the house

[riaxaraco]

Seeing this was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one.

PNF: The real difference between the First Dimension and Second Dimension

Because it’s not the train.

First, some context. Heinz Doofenshmirtz is a man with a whole lot of trauma, thanks to his many, many backstories. To the point that I feel he has undeniable PTSD.

The main source of his childhood trauma is his parents, particularly his mother, not that he’s consciously aware of this in any way. As a result Heinz grew up with no (0) parental affection, while his brother was showered with (at least superficial) love. Worse, Heinz seems to believe he needs to “earn” the love of his mother because he doesn’t deserve affection now. (On a tangential note, he’s also convinced, according to a para-canon in-character Radio Disney interview, that he “doesn’t deserve” his favourite colour.)

Additionally, he’s been told this so much he considers himself to be Evil, and is living down to that. Which isn’t all bad, villains get the best musical numbers, and Perry shows up to listen to his monologues and thwart him (any attention is better than no attention), but definitely isn’t ideal. Especially since Perry’s his primary social interaction.

Anyway. To achieve this (impossible) goal of “earning” his mother’s love, he’s determined to take over the Tri-State Area and become Successful™, only to be thwarted by Perry at every turn.

Meanwhile, Doof-2’s achieved his goal, claiming it’s the result of losing his toy train making him (more) Evil™. And yet, in another bit of para-canon, this time a tie-in comic, it’s shown that his creation of Perryborg was responsible, with Perryborg having taken over the Tri-State Area for him under orders (albeit, hilariously, not in his name). Add to that the fact flashback!Doof-2 still had an eyepatch, and I believe he’s blocked out the memory of all his trauma, tying any lingering pain to a mere toy train.

With that out of the way, here’s what I believe is the primary difference between the two dimensions:

In the Second Dimension, Perryborg (unwillingly) gave Doof-2 what Doof-2 thought he needed: Success.

In the First Dimension, Perry (willingly) gave Heinz what Heinz actually needed: Love and support.

(A clarification: I don’t necessarily mean romantic love. Familial love is just as important and just as plausible here. The important part is that Perry believes in Heinz and cares about his wellbeing.)

Actually, if you go deeper, Doof-2 took what he (thought he) wanted, while Heinz had the support to ask for, and receive, what he needed.

I mean, “Hold my hand, Perry the Platypus, I’m scared”, anyone? And Heinz’s life is better for that. With his mutually respectful nemesisship with Perry, where he can ask, where he knows he won’t be punished for the asking, where he can trust that Perry will come back, he’s happier. Also, with Perry’s meddling in his attempts at making a party for Vanessa so that she could see his good intentions and not just the resulting failures, he had the chance to build a meaningful relationship with his daughter too, leading to his revelation in Last Day Of Summer. Success never made him happy, but his family did. Perry, Vanessa, Norm, they’re what (who) matters to him.

Doof-2 never had any of that. He was successful, sure, but only ever superficially. “Successful” marriage, with a wife with nothing but contempt for him. “Successful” evil dictator, with a “loyal” underling with nothing but contempt for him. Vanessa-2 doesn’t seem to have all tha much genuine fondness for him either. And all Choo Choo ever did was distract from all of that.

Who’s the real winner here?

I guess my overall point is that Success™ won’t fix Heinz’s issues.

[looney-mooney]

I feel like Heinz's trying to be a hero out of an obligation to his future the same way he was a villain out of obligation to his past, and I just wish he'd let himself live in the present. Perry is his rock, his family, his home, his present, and he's rejecting that again. The worst part about this breakup is that it makes plot sense for them to stay apart, and that means Perry's getting shoved out of Heinz's future.

But it doesn't make NARRATIVE sense. Both of them are heartbroken, and if it weren't for the fact that we know the future I'd say that them making up is essential for both their character arcs. I'd say that this is just a bump in the road, necessary for them to redefine their relationship in the face of Heinz's shift from evil to good. That they're so used to being nemeses that they don't know how to be partners yet, and that it's necessary for Perry to learn how to work WITH Heinz when he's so used to working AGAINST him. Perry spent the episode unintentionally thwarting Heinz, just like he used to. They're so used to being nemeses, and a bump after that dramatic shift in their relationship would be inevitable. I would say that this is good for them, and that this break might help them figure out what they both need. And that might still be true.

But there's a concerning amout of evidence suggesting that they don't get to get back together, that this is permanent, and that they will remain separated. That's not good for them. Either of them. They broke up on a bad note, and in my eyes that can only lead to both of them desperately grasping for something they've both had all along in each other. Acceptance. Equality. Love.

Heinz will return to his self-destructive grasping at a self-identity created out of obligation to the time surrounding him. Perry will return to his emotionally constipated selfless dedication to his duty. They will both crumble under the weight of their own obligations, and this will either force them to reconstruct what they once had or force themselves to live a life of lies without fixing their problems. And I'm terrified the latter might be endgame.

Heinz meta, spoilers for the crossover ahead.

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