#ferb I adore you so much

[not-buffalo-marshmallow]

"In the UK, they call it a foon" is my FAVOURITE pnf line to quote but unfortunately whenever I quote it NO ONE gets it and they all think I'm just fucking saying that do you SEE my problem here

Anyway shout out to Kim Roberson and Mike Bell for writing that line bc it's genius.

[thehyperfixationcorner]

Phineas and Ferb S1 observations (after rewatching for the every episode review video):

Isabella doesn't appear nearly as much as I thought she would! In fact, she really only has one and a half focus eps (even one good scared not really about her). As an Isabella enjoyer, I was kinda disappointed, but it did improve by the end so I assume S2 does the legwork.

Baljeet and Buford also appeared less, though that definitely improved by the end too!

Phineas was way more likable than I remembered! Not that I disliked him, but I found him boring as a kid. Now I see the appeal. He's such a nice, kind kid! Plus super autistic we love it 🥰

First seasons usually feel like they take time to find their footing, but I'd say the show was pretty good from the getgo! Barely a rough patch! Very impressive!

In fact, there was ONE episode I found kinda mid. Not even bad. Just mid. ONE. ONE! YOU KNOW HOW IMPOSSIBLE THAT IS???

I was surprised by how many specials there were early on! Usually a show like this waiys for a second season, or at least does only one! Phineas and Ferb did 5 (It’s About Time, Dude We're Getting the Band Back Together, One Good Scare, Phineas and Ferb Get Busted and Out to Launch)! To use an apt comparison, Spongebob had 5 specials (Christmas Who, Party Pooper Pants, Ugh, Lost Ep, Have You Seen this Snail) by Season 4! The confidence is astounding (and fair, since every special got a pretty high ranking!)

The A and B plots have yet to intersect like I expected! Good idea, though, sets things up first before breaking

Insane how many iconic songs and eps have already happened, I'm shocked at how many top tier ones there are that will seemingly be ranked low by the iconic eps of future seasons! There could genuinely be episodes at 70th or 80th place that I adore!

Perry got more emotive and interesting as time passed

Only two episodes showed other agents!

Vanessa really doesn't appear that much huh

You can see how Norm was a one episode gag that slowly turned into a brilliant running bit XD

Candace joined in or had a whole different motivation or only got into the busting at the very end way more than I expected too, which I'm happy about but still, wow!

I thought it would take a bit for Candace to be written really well. Scratch that. She's now one of my all time favourite fictional characters and we're only at S1

Stacy. That is all.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

What I find weird about Marinette's crush is that Origins has her not caring about Adrien being a celebrity or the son of a fashion designer she admires which sets it as being a normal crush on a person you know (who happens to be a celebrity) but then the rest of the show mostly treats it as a celebrity crush

There's a reason that I've often said that Origins the best writing that the show ever gave us. While it's not perfect, for me, it was the moment where the show suddenly got good and had true potential. My possibly far too generous read of that squandered potential is that the writers wanted to write a strong romance, but they used the wrong trope to guide that romance in the wider story, so we get a story that's the worst of both worlds. It fails to fit the mold that it's guiding trope is supposed to fit and it fails to be a strong romance because the chosen trope doesn't allow for a strong romance, so let's talk about why that is!

It's really common for formula shows with a teenage lead to have a character for that lead to crush on. Kim Possible had Kim crushing on Josh Mankey for the first few seasons. Phineas and Ferb gave Isabella a crush on Phineas and Candace a crush on Jeremy Johnson. Danny Phantom had Danny crushing on Paulina. I could keep going with examples because this is such standard trope! In fact, if you look at how these shows play these crushes, then you'll actually find a tame version of Marinette's writing where the crushes are often used for comedy.

The problem is that this trope is pretty much never used to develop a serious romance between two leads. It's either used to create tension between the true romantic leads or to give a character a little extra depth because people get crushes and it's a nice, relatable element for kids and teenagers.

The reason why you don't use this trope with romantic leads is because romantic leads are supposed to have an actual romance. We're supposed to watch them fall in love and be invested in their relationship! That simply doesn't fit the way this trope works because this trope is all about the experience of having a crush, not about the experience of truly falling in love.

To go back to the Kim Possible example, Josh Mankey is what TV tropes calls a "satellite love interest." He is truly just there to be shipped with Kim because she's a teenage girl and teenage girls have crushes so we need our cool teen girl heroine to have a cool crush. However, somewhere along the line, the writers decided that Kim and her partner Ron were going to be the end game couple. Once that choice was made, Mankey was out! But Kim didn't start treating Ron the same way that she'd treated Josh because Ron wasn't just a cute boy for our cool teenage lead to crush on. Her was her costar. A romance between them mattered as it's success would redefine the entire show! It's failure would straight up end the show! That meant that this couldn't be your standard teen romance. It needed to feel so much more real and powerful and lasting.

This is where Miraculous' problems come in. When we look at Origins, we can see that the writers really do want our romantic leads to feel like romantic leads. They want this romance to feel real and powerful. We can also look at season five to back this up. Once the square is together, they have some truly adorable moments. For example, the hand raise scene in Kwami's Choice was about the only good thing that episode gave us. We can even look at the final episode of season five to back this read. While it's generally a massive failure, it is all about Marinette's relationship to Adrien. He isn't just a cute boy that she's crushing on. He is massively impacting her life.

But when we look at the leadup to this romance happening? The things that took place between Origins and Kwami's Choice? There's nothing of substances. I can't even tell you why Adrien's crush flipped to Marinette or if Marinette's crush on Chat Noir was supposed to feel like anything more than a rebound. There's not even much substance once they get together because substance would require them to have deep conversations about their lives and they can't do that while the secret identities remain a thing.

This is part of the wider problem that every side of the square feels like casual friends at best because the their story wasn't written like a romance. It was written like two sets of impossible crushes where the focus was on the struggle of having an unrequited crush and not the thrill of a romance. Adrien isn't Marinette's Ron, he's her Josh Mankey. Same goes for Ladybug and Chat Noir. While Ladynoir was closer than Adrienette, we never got moments that showed them as close friends with a bond like no other. Alya and Marinette are closer than any side of the square and that's a pretty massive writing failure for a rom-com unless Alya is secretly Marinette's end game romantic partner.

To continue our Kim Possible case study, Kim and Ron really don't feel like a couple for most of the show. For the first three seasons, the focus was on their friendship to the point where I didn't even think about shipping them when I first watched the show. But when the relationship suddenly happened in the final season? It still felt natural and right! Of course these two would get together! How did I not see that?

If Miraculous wanted to make the square feel like a true romance, then they needed to take a lesson from shows like Kim Possible. They need focus on making Ladynoir and Adrienette extremely strong friendships with a background element of pining and romantic tension. You could keep Marinette's failed confessions, but they should almost always fail into cute friendship moments like Adrienette gaming in Gamer. Same goes for Ladynoir with moments like that one episode where Chat Noir could have learned Ladybug's identity, but chose to respect her boundaries instead. These kind of moments keep us excited for the square because they make it feel like they're obviously meant to be. But when it's just Chat Noir hitting on Ladybug and failing to get a positive reaction or Marinette failing to even talk to Adrien? That's not love. That's a hopeless crush.

This doesn't mean getting rid of Alya. Kim Possible had a female best friend, too! Her name was Monique and I loved her, but Monique and Kim's relationship never felt more important than Kim's relationship with Ron. There was even an episode where Monique tried to replace Ron since he was unavailable and she failed hard because, without Ron, Kim can't be a hero. If you want another show to look at to see how the square should have been written, then I'd check out Danny Phantom. That show has an endgame couple - Danny and Sam - and their relationship always had a romantic tension to it, but it was primarily a friendship for most of the show. I'm not saying that these two shows were perfect, but they did a great job with the romance element and show how Miraculous could have made the square work.

There are actually a lot of ways that show's like Kim Possible could have inspired and guided Miraculous. It's why I like using it as an example where I can. It's really sad to see a 2016 show failing so hard when there's a wildly successful 2002 show out there that had already shown how to succeed when using similar concepts. Marinette and Kim are even similar characters as are Adrien and Ron and even Plagg and Rufus. The template was out there, guys! Kim Possible even shows us how to take a comedy side kick and develop him into something more as the series goes on. Episode one Ron and end of show Ron aren't the same character. End of show Ron feels way more important!

This is also why it's so useful to study tropes. They're the building blocks of stories so it's very useful to understand why certain builds are popular so that you know when and where to use them. Don't like a trope? That's totally fine, but you generally want to start by asking "why is this popular" instead of just dismissing the trope all together assuming you're working in a genre where that trope dominates. Like I'm personally not a big fan of the satellite love interest, but I appreciate why they're a thing and understand when you should use them.

[tokuvivor]

Due to circumstances beyond the control of any others, @violetganache42 and I are splitting duty on this week’s highlights post (Competition Night edition). She did it for the shorts and episodes, I’m doing it for An Extremely Goofy Movie.

So without further ado, here we go.

“Polar Trappers”:

We bring ‘em back alive

@puffyducks: bro where is pabo

Donald hunting a penguin, which is now illegal to do so

Not the kid!

The baby penguin’s tear becoming a massive snowball

“Need 4 Speed”:

QUACK PACK (Again!)

Disney Ducks meet The Fast and the Furious

@spamtoon: huey you guys aren't in phineas and ferb

Daisy appearance!

The idea of Comet Guy Night

@ducklooney and puffy going off about humans being in the Duckverse

Us calling Donald and the authorities to kill Rocky the Rocket Throttle

From Negaduck ass car to Ratcatcher

@writebackatya: "This is like the Family Guy of the Duckverse"

Ludwig appearance!

puffy: "where's dick dastardly"

Puffy, Missy, and I using 90s slang

Daisy seeing the triplets in the race:

RIP ethnically stereotyped racers

WriteBackAtYa: "DuckTales 2017 needed a car race episode"

Violet: "Would Huey and Launchpad be commentators?"

WriteBackAtYa: "Yes Always"

Violet: "SOLD!"

Ludwig's toy kangaroo winning the race

@tealottie: erection joke

“The Missing Links of Moorshire!”:

Webby giving Scrooge semi-permanent hearing loss

Launchpad: "This lake will be used for the swimming portion of the competition."

Huey: T_T

Violet: "Cue theme song!"

Missy betraying Della with Daisy

Tony the Tiger?!

The entire coin toss scene 🤣

Us praising Glomgold

Missy commenting how Scrooge and Glomgold can't tuck their tails for golfing

The audio glitching like CRAZY

Fluttershy and Bubbles the Kelpies

Webby: "Talking animals wearing clothes?! :D"

@fantasticenthusiasttale: "Webby…"

Violet, internally:

"Bologna. Trampoline."

THE MUSIC USED FOR THE MONTAGE!

Louie yoinking money out of Glomgold's sweater pocket

Emo Dewey

"You people are no fun."

Webby: "Not everything has to be a life lesson."

Violet:

Violet pretending to be turned to stone by the Medusa Mist (as I like to call it)

Launchpad ending the episode with a life lesson… before trying to devour golf balls

“Dog Show”:

puffy: "you know who else is an orphan"

Dreamy: "Everyone in this shit is an orphan"

The dog show people being dogs

Goofy literally begging

Pixar ball

Mickey unleashing his inner dog

An Extremely Goofy Movie

Calling out all the characters from the previous movie as they show up

The fact that Pete is celebrating his own son leaving💀

How is Goofy single?

Goofy having major rizz (this point comes up quite a bit during the movie, and for good reason)

Max’s character development from A Goofy Movie being undone

Sad Goofy☹️

HDL mention!

Bradley Uppercrust III

@kaitosduckmania: “god this shit is so pretentious LMAO”

Will: “I want this review on the back of the DVD”

Max/Roxanne vs. Max/Bradley on Tumblr

Beret Girl!

Puffy: “you know who ELSE is called tank”

Violet: “MY MOM”

Puffy: “they’re snapping at us…MENACINGLY”

Bradley having the same VA as Johnny Bravo (also, The Man with the Yellow Hat)

Max’s horrified face when he sees that he and his dad are in the same class

Bobby wearing pink panties/briefs

Hidden Mickey

Goofy’s mispronunciation of the word “trigonometry”

Puffy: “the WHAT decimal system”

Sylvia being adorable

Goofy does a Donald-esque voice

Kai: “WHAT THE FUCK GOOFY YOU CAN MAKE THAT VOICE?”

Will: “Max’s whole character is that he doesn’t want to be like Goofy but like he is so much like his father that he doesn’t even know it”

More cheese pull (pizza in the last movie, nachos in this one)

BONGO MUSIC

PJ has rizz, too

Goofy and Sylvia dancing to Shake Your Groove Thing

Papa Dog

Us dumping on the inherent cult-like nature of fraternities, sororities, and the National Honor Society

The German judge low-balling everyone

Dreamy: “Is this the olympics all again”

Puffy: “this is MY olympics”

Max shooting down Goofy in the worst way possible

Goofy’s weed/acid trip dream (plus the Goofy holler!)

More Goofy sadness

Meta humor about almost everyone wearing gloves

Missy betraying Daisy with Sylvia

CHEATING!!!!!

PJ flying off

Dreamy: “He went to visit Della”

“Mud! My only weakness!”

Will mentioning that the scene with the X crashing down was removed from the broadcast version of the movie after 9/11 (which we completely understand, because holy shit)

Also, sort of a Hindenburg reference

Goofy graduating! (And then telling Max he was getting a job at the school)

Sylvia having the same VA as Emma Glamour

Spam floating the idea of Max vs. Gosalyn for the X Games

Disco end credits!

Also, that was a goofy movie. Extremely, even.

[authenticcadence18]

this is not really my brand at all but I’m just going to rant about Toy Story 5 for a hot second because the D23 sneak peek made me so mad.

TLDR: Toy Story 5 (and 4) ruin what made the first three films so special.

I’ll start this off by saying I ADORE Toy Story 3. It’s one of my favorite Pixar films. I was 10 when this movie came out, I remember going to like three Walmarts just to find a Jessie doll, and carrying her around with me in my bag all summer. I still have that doll, she’s very special to me.

Part of what makes the first three films so good is the passage of time. First two movies came out within 4 years of each other (1995 and 1999), third movie came out 11 years later in 2010. Andy is a kid in the first two films, maybe he doesn’t age exactly four years between 1 and 2 but he doesn’t have to we’re still in the range of childhood years, in the 90s. When the third movie came out a significant amount of time had passed in the real world, and thus it had in TS3. We quite literally felt the passage of time in that movie along with the toys. THAT is what made that movie so captivating and special, those trailers were so bittersweet and magical and REAL. I remember it so well. The third movie also FEELS like 2010 that movie EXUDES early 2010s it’s so comfy and nice (minus the traumatizing fire scene ofc)

(more below the cut)

Nine years later TS4 comes along and even tho the animation is prettier and the film seems to take place in the 2020s. everyone is the same age. Bonnie has aged what, a year? Over the course of nine real years? whereas Andy went from kid to college bound in a similar amount of time? where is the real world connection?

but ya know I gave the film the benefit of the doubt, I saw it I liked it I loved forky. But the emotional connection wasn’t there the way it was for TS3. But oh well that’s it right? How do you continue the franchise after that ending?

but OH! NOW TS5 is coming out in 2026, seven years later and GUESS WHAT!!! BONNIE IS STILL A KID. Look at this concept art!! She is very clearly still a kid.

she’ll have been a kid for 16 years at this point!! what is this, despicable me? (that’s a rant for another day shdjdjdj)

And she’s an iPad kid now which I mean. Yes. That’s a relevant issue for today’s kids. A GREAT concept for a TS movie. But Bonnie is not the character to portray this storyline. She’s not one of today’s kids she is a kid of the 2010s she was born in like. 2005. BONNIE should be in college and/or starting her own career now. Not an iPad kid. The toys should be with someone else, maybe a younger sister or cousin.

Plus!!! Guess who’s back in Bonnie’s room! Woody!!! so much for him saying goodbye to the others forever to be with his one true love right? The end of TS4 was not my favorite initially but I applauded the writers’ decision to make such a bold choice and change to the status quo. It echoed TS3 in a way, even if it cheapened the end of that film somewhat for me (in my heart the true TS canon ends at TS3 and TS4 is just a possible timeline it could branch off into).

But I guess the moving sacrificial end of your film doesn’t really matter when you can just change it in the next film!! 🙄

I love the sequence of the first three films so much, I love how they take place in the eras they come out in while also moving the timeline along.

Bonnie going from being born in 2005 to the late 2010s AT THE EARLIEST for these films to make any sense makes no sense. and if she’s born in 2005 how is she an iPad kid??? TS4 should’ve come out way sooner, and it should’ve been about a different kid.

(and I KNOW lots of movies and shows have a floating timeline where the kids never age. Charlie Brown, Phineas and Ferb, The Simpsons. but for those shows the setting changing with time while the characters don’t is part of the charm. The Toy Story franchise could’ve been that way but Toy Story 3 fundamentally changed that.)

(And look let’s say the movie takes place in 2012 and Bonnie has a rudimentary IPad 4 or something. why are we just seeing the movie now in 2026?? the timelines don’t match up it doesn’t make sense no matter what.)

I feel an emotional connection to the Bonnie of TS3 because she belongs in that time period, in the early 2010s when cellphone technology was just starting to pick up, when I was still a kid. And I think of TS3 and my brain screams 2010S!! MIDDLE SCHOOL!!!!!

whereas when I think of TS4 I’m like “has it actually been five years? it feels like it came out like two years ago” bc there’s no passage of time within that film to anchor it to the year 2019. That film came out the year before covid and it STILL feels like it came out like two years ago. that is telling to me.

Seeing Bonnie still be a kid 14 (and what will be 16) years after her debut feels inauthentic to the precedent set by Andy and TS3. I’m sure the movie will be good bc Toy Story movies are always good. But they’ve lost that sense of realism, of moving time, of leaving something behind and NOT being able to pick back up right where you left off. That kept the TS movies grounded in bittersweet reality, that’s kinda the whole point. :/

[veryblushyswitch]

Phineas x Isabella ~ 🎀(relationship/tickle hcs)

I need more tickle content for this show and if I have to make it myself then so be it 🎀

*These two are crazy for each other 💖

*Once they start dating, Phineas becomes just as obsessed with Isabella as she was for him when they were younger.

*He starts to realize just how much he really valued and loved her when they were kids.

*Isabella loves being on the other end of it for once. She’ll be the one sitting down doing something and Phineas will come up behind her and rest his head on top of hers and say her iconic “Wactha doin’?” line.

*Phineas gives Isabella lots of behind hugs. She adores them 💖 Except for when he gives her some side squeezes or pokes her ribs.

*She always makes sure to get him back.

*Isabella is definitely more of a ler and prefers to be on the tickler end of the tickle fights. But she can’t deny that it doesn’t make her all full of butterflies when Phineas tickles her.

*She just loves making her boyfriend laugh. And she’s for sure stronger than Phineas. Therefore, Phineas is on the receiving end 80% of the time.

*Phineas is the curl up into a ball kind of lee when he gets tickled while he randomly tries to grab or swat at his offenders hands.

*Or he’ll hold Isabella’s hand while covering his face with the other when she gets a melt spot.

*Isabella’s heart melts every time because she knows he genuinely loves the affection 💖

*She can’t help but cover his face in kisses when that happens which just makes Phineas keep giggling and blush even more than he already was.

*I love the idea of Phineas having a ticklish face!

*He’s so susceptible to multiple kisses along his face and neck as well as when Isabella wants to practice makeup on him.

*Phineas is such a chill guy. He lets Isabella practice different makeup looks on him and he genuinely gives notes and compliments. He also lets Isabella do his nails. 💖

*She gave him a pedicure once and he almost kicked her in face-

*Ferb and Candace spill all of Phineas’s ticklish secrets to Isabella. They’ve all teamed up on him before too. Poor Phineas 💖

*He gets his revenge though by asking the fireside girls for intel.

*Isabella is a great baker and Phineas is a great cook. They both show each other their favorite recipes and coordinate dinners with their friends.

*THEY DANCE TOGETHER IN THE KITCHEN!! 💖

*They always win at game nights with their friends and family if they’re partners.

*You better believe that Phineas has made tickle inventions. He found an old tickle belt he made when he was a kid with Ferb and gave it to Isabella to see if it still worked.

*It worked. And Isabella got him back tenfold.

*I feel like Phineas is really ticklish on his feet, stomach, neck/face, and the bottom of his ribs.

*Isabella is really ticklish on her shoulders, thighs, sides, and arms/hands.

*I can see Isabella tackling Phineas onto their bed and latching onto his lower ribs and scribbling to her hearts content. It’s a killer spot for Phineas.

*Anticipation kills Phineas. He will try and bargain his way out or just go “Nononono! Isabella c’mon!”

*Phineas squeals and Isabella snorts 💖

*They both lovingly tease each other about it.

*Isabella getting help from Ferb to make tickle machines. She’s a sweet evil ler guys.

*She will innocently give Phineas a new pair of socks or a shirt then they’ll be watching a movie and she turns them on to watch Phineas absolutely lose his mind.

*He falls for it every time. He’s oblivious and loves that his girlfriend got him something 💖

*Phineas loves giving Isabella random thigh squeezes when they’re out with their friends to make her jump. She shoves his shoulder while he giggles about how she jumps every time.

*She can’t be mad though because it makes him happy.

*Phineas definitely seems like the kind of guy to say “Tickle tickle tickle!” while tickling Isabella.

*He also comments on how she’s blushing almost as pink as her bow 🎀

*Isabella comments on how adorable Phineas looks which makes him cover his face and kick his legs. Teases get to him so badly!!

*He just gets so giddy and flustered 💖💖💖

“Isahabellahaha!”

“What my adorable, ticklish Phineas~”

“Nohoho!”

*Cue him trying to roll over into his side or stomach which just makes Isabella lay on top of him and kiss his face and neck which makes him die even more!!

*Phineas likes to pick Isabella up bridal style and spin her around to make her laugh!! He treats her like a princess.

*Phineas’s stomach is his melt spot. The two will be cuddling together and she’ll lightly run her fingers under his shirt along his stomach to make him melt into happy giggles.

*Then she’ll quickly lift up his shirt and burry her face into his stomach and give him multiple little raspberries and kisses.

*HE SQUEALS SO MUCH AND KICKS HIS LEGS!!

*Phineas is a morning person and Isabella is a night owl. Therefore, Isabella gets wake up tickles and Phineas gets sleepy tickles.

*Sometimes it’s hard for Phineas’s brain to turn off at night to go to sleep, so Isabella will turn on some music or their favorite YouTube videos and gently tickle him until he’s all relaxed.

*Isabella is woken up by tickles almost every morning. But Phineas makes her breakfast in bed a lot so it makes up for it in her mind.

*Candace taught Phineas and Ferb how to braid hair when they were little so Phineas can do a bunch of different braids for Isabella.

*He could make an invention to do it for her, but he loves the quality time and how relaxed it makes Isabella. She loves it too 💖

*Playing with Isabella’s hair is a great way to help her feel better when she’s having a bad day.

*He found this out when she had a bad day at work and started ranting angrily while he brushed and played with her hair. After she was done and took some deep breaths she said she felt a lot better and melted into his hands.

*For Phineas when he’s not having a good day, he needs some time to himself. Maybe reading a book or just taking a break from everything.

*Then he’ll approach Isabella when he’s ready for a hug and to talk. They’re both really great at communicating what they need 💖

*Phineas gets into lee moods for tickles, but lots of ler moods specifically just because he loves Isabella’s laugh.

*Isabella gets ler moods constantly because she loves reducing her boyfriend to a giggly puddle.

*Phineas is all cuddly and shy after he’s tickled.

*Isabella acts all pouty then proceeds to smile at her boyfriend through her fake pouts.

*Their friends have all witnessed them having tickle fights and always bet on Isabella to win.

~

Overall, I love these two so much. I hope we get to see more of their dynamic in the new seasons that are being made. Maybe even another future episode!! 💖

[wherevenusholdssomeofficespace]

Can I just say the storyboards for Step Into the Great Unknown highlight even further what the song itself was already highlighting. Because the song is basically just each member of the gang one by one deciding to commit to finding Candace.

It starts with Phineas, he's been Candace's little brother literally his whole life. We see the most of their relationship. There is very little that fazes him, and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He adores his older sister and would go to the ends of the earth without hesitating for her. He's an inspirational type of leader, so he tends to be the one to provide the gang direction and encouragement when they start showing doubts and that's exactly what he does here. The one who kind of lays out the situation to the gang but also is the first to affirm he's going anyway.

And then Ferb. He's been Candace's little brother for years now too at this point, and of course he stands by Phineas for most things. But this movie does show that Ferb cares just as much about Candace in his own way, with what he chooses to say and the affection Candace gives him. He's a man of action so he demonstrates his position by quietly joining in the dance. And Ferb is almost always on Phineas's side, but while Phineas is defined by being completely unfazed by nearly everything, Ferb DOES get fazed by more than Phineas, though less than the rest of the gang. He's generally cautious about supernatural threats as such, so unknown threats would be something that are more likely to give him pause even if they aren't supernatural per se, and we've seen him avoid Candace before due to this aversion. But aside from that aversion he is usually as unfazed as Phineas. Of course he wouldn't leave either of his siblings hanging.

And then Isabella joins in the song. The girl across the street. Who has also known Candace for a long time. Literally future sister-in-laws, but already basically sisters. Isabella and Candace sort of have a relationship built on mutual understanding. They occasionally talk together about crushes, and team up when a situation is gender specific. Candace is one of Isabella's fireside girls. Of course Isabella would join. She's said no to Phineas about dangerous things before, but only rarely. When someone they care about is on the line, there's no way. She's as tough and doesn't hesitate to put herself in danger unless there is literally no reason to. Candace is more than enough reason to. For this she'll follow Phineas to the end of the universe, and take the lead if she has to.

Buford and Baljeet are the last to join. They've only been part of the gang since this summer. So they're the most hesitant. And I do think when it comes to personal safety they are a bit more sensitive (see Buford freaking out NOTLP, Baljeet being paralyzed by indecision in Primal Perry, Buford freaking out about Baljeet's safety in the Beak... those two are the most prone to panic in general). But when push comes to shove on something as important as saving the tri-state area, or rescuing Candace, they're in on it too. They don't really WANT to deal with all this scary stuff... but to them the alternative of not going along isn't an option either.

All of these kids love Candace so much. She may be obsessed with getting her brothers caught, but in the process she's become big sister to all 5 of them. I've said it before I'll say it again. I LOVE the sense of community in the series.

And it's so uncommon for the kids to be nervous about something. So the fact that they are nervous does help raise the stakes a bit. And Phineas has to muster all of his leadership to say hey: This will be scary, you don't have to come but I can't just leave her. And the other kids going. Yeah well. Not without us.

They just all care about each other so much.

[fanfic-inator795]

WoY: A Decade Later (A personal retrospection)

Wander Over Yonder… for a time, it was - in my opinion - the best cartoon ever. It was my number one, and I wasn't sure that anything else could top it. While I don't necessarily feel the same way these days, it's still a cartoon that very much lives in my heart and I don't think I'll ever truly leave it behind.

From a personal perspective, it was probably the biggest and most active Fandom I had been in at that time. It wasn't my first fandom/hyperfixation - prior to WoY, there had been Cartoon Network's Chowder and Regular Show, as well as Disney's Phineas and Ferb. But Chowder was short-lived and RS and PnF were both shows I had lost interest in due to them beginning to dip in quality.

WoY, however, was new, fresh, exciting and growing rapidly. It inspired me to write probably at least a hundred fanfics. It was a blast live-reacting to new episodes with everyone and seeing all the art that would come afterwards. It brought me into the RP scene and, if not for that, I might have never met my best friend of 10 years (and counting! Love you, Tessa).

Looking back on it 10 years after the fact, I can't fully say that WoY is still my favorite cartoon (shows like Kid Cosmic, The Ghost and Molly McGee, Big City Greens and Craig of the Creek have all outshined it in one way or another), nor can I claim that it is/was a perfect show. But man… It sure was a hell of a ride.

(Keep reading for all my admittedly VERY LONG personal thoughts or opinions regarding this one of a kind show)

Humble Beginnings

Pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but I actually didn't care for WoY at first. It was the summer right before college, and I remember watching the sneak peek - The Picnic - early one morning after not being able to go back to sleep. I remember not really laughing much or even seeing the appeal… and yet the episode stuck in my mind, to the point that I ended up watching it again during a free moment I had from Freshman Orientation Week. I had a similar reaction to the show's proper pilot, The Greatest - not loving it, but not hating it either.

The fact that people/friends from my RS and PnF days were also posting about it helped keep the show in my mind (shoutout to Taylor, Erin and Darkwing). But it wasn't until two specific episodes - The Fugitives and The Good Deed - that I managed to finally start to connect with the characters myself. 

I started to see the appeal in this little furry orange spoon who just wanted to do good and make others happy, even when it was a struggle. I really liked the show's core theme of not just optimism and positivity, but also just being kind. I also started to really enjoy the show's sci-fi and space aesthetic and grew to adore its animation and gorgeous backgrounds, as well as laugh at its wacky sense of humor (I still laugh at The Fugitives/Good Deed quite a bit, even though I probably have their entire scripts memorized at this point).

So, it was official. I was hooked. Whenever there were new eps, I'd either try to watch them on the basement TV in my college dorm or wait for a livestream or FreeCartoonsOnline upload. If we're being honest, the first half of season 1, while being much more low-key than the wackiness that the show would end up eventually shifting to, was probably when it was at its most consistent. Other eps later on would reach higher highs, but getting stuff like The Bad Guy, the Prisoner, the Troll, the Pet, the Box and The Little Guy back-to-back just made my love for the show grow more and more.

The Little Guy specifically is one that is just incredibly well-crafted in its dialogue, story-telling and pacing, being both enjoyable and heartfelt. (Also the last time I watched it the ending made me bawl so, there's that, lol). Shortly afterwards, The Hero was another ep that I distinctly remember sticking in my head for whatever reason (Dracor and Demurra are still adorable, ngl). Then we had another favorite of mine, The Nice Guy.

I know I may be in the minority on this one - I remember my parents being annoyed and frustrated when they watched it with me, haha - but I absolutely love this episode. I find the jokes funny enough - the cashier is one of my favorite minor characters tbh - and the space gas station appeals to my aesthetic. But what really sells this episode for me is how it handles and portrays its moral of "being nice isn't always easy, but it's still right and still worth doing". Its ending never fails to get an "awwww" out of me, and honestly I could probably go on for an hour about all the little details and things I like/appreciate. I've also grown to really like its sister episode, the Time Bomb.

But no show is perfect, and right around here is where the show, in my opinion, started having some misses. It was mostly just "meh" affairs like The Night, The Toddler and The Big Job (weird, since I usually like heist eps… though I haven't rewatched this one in a while so *shrugs*). Other eps like The Tourist and ESPECIALLY The Helper (which I consider to be the show's worst outing, the vibes are just SO WEIRD on this one) I just didn't care for at all. 

Nothing terrible (save for the Helper), just cases of the jokes not landing or the stories being boring. This was also when the show really started leaning into the wackiness - which wasn't BAD persay, since it led to some really funny jokes and memorable moments when it was used well - it's just that looking back, I sorta miss the simplicity of early s1.

Thankfully, the season put out some real bangers by its end, with my personal faves being The Epic Quest (that ending will never not make me cackle. Again, it's a case of the wackiness actually working incredibly well), the Halloween/Christmas special, and the Rider, which is a great adventure to cap off the season and also the Horse from Horsin’ Around guest stars in it! (and does a pretty good job too. Will Arnett is def one of my favorite celeb VAs at this point, ngl)

So yeah, between the two seasons, s1 is easily my favorite. Call it nostalgia or personal taste, but for me it's all about that consistency. Adding in the fact that s2 has some pretty notable flaws and is thus a lot harder to look back on without noticing those flaws, and it's really no contest for me. 

New season, New problems

I certainly remember the excitement - as well as the fandom's stir craziness - in the lead-up to s2. There were crackships that were invented, silly RP blogs were rampant, Craig McCracken and crew (back when they were still on Tumblr) kept us fed with cool behind the scenes info as well as sneak peeks of the new season, and while I can't recall when it specifically happened, I also vividly remember the 'Bad End to Episodes' phase that the fandom was in at one point. Ah, the joys of still being in your angst phase.

Come that year's Comic Con, and a new round of hype came from the reveal that our new villain of the season was going to be a girl! …yeahhh, it sorta sucks recalling how hyped we all were about Dominator now that we know that she didn't quite work out the way we were all hoping for…

But regardless, s2 had a very strong start. Outside of the premiere, my favorites of this first batch would easily be The Boy Wander and The It for both just being incredibly funny. Although, if you had asked me at the time though, I probably would have said the Skeleton Dance fueled eps that were The Big Day and the Fremergency Fronfract - and like, yeah those eps can still be funny and enjoyable, but I've definitely cooled on the Skeleton Dance ship since these eps first premiered. (Still love a lot of the cute fanon stuff though)

Skipping past the next tent-pole episode for right now, this season had two of my favorite episodes of the ENTIRE SERIES - these being The Cartoon and The Black Cube. The former is just hilarious while the latter has a unique visual presentation and feels like an early s1 ep, and I mean that in the best possible way. I also really enjoy the Eye on the Skullship as well as the Hole… 'Lotta Nuthin' (this one especially, as it's another instance where, for as good as the ep is as a whole, it's the heartwarming lesson and hilarious ending that makes it such a winner in my book).

But for as much as the show was still putting out hits, I'll admit that there were also quite a few meh or just okay eps, especially as the season goes on. Some eps I found funny when I first watched them, but that humor doesn't hit as well when I watch them now. I also feel like there were points where it tried to be TOO silly to the point where it inhibited the actual humor and made the characters flatter and a bit flanderized compared to how they were in s1 (Hater especially got hit bad with this, where it’s less about him ‘softening up’ to show that he has the potential to be a good guy, and more just him constantly leaning into him being a bratty teenager instead of having that mix of dumb/bratty teen boy and legit evil conqueror).

Other times, it was just another case of a story not being as good as it could have been - and by this point in the season, while there are still enjoyable eps with fun concepts/jokes in the latter half of the series, the only one to get near the peak of the show's typical high quality is the musical ep, and if we're being real, it's Andy Bean's impeccable songwriting that saves this ep and makes it so good to rewatch despite its connection to the season's flawed overall story.

And I think it's about time we talk about that…

Not Quite Ready for Serialization

Being a show that was made right after Gravity Falls but before stuff like Star VS, Amphibia, and Owl House, s2 of WoY felt like a show with one foot stuck in episodic stuff and one foot trying to step into serialization. Because of this, the season’s overarching plot feels incredibly underbaked.

Now… Am I saying that I’d want the show to be like ATLA where every episode had to relate back to either the overarching story or one of the side-arcs? No, absolutely not. We’d be missing out on some of my favorite one-shot episodes if they did that, and if I had to choose between the season we have now and the season we could have gotten had the WoY crew gotten more freedom and were allowed more serialization, I’m going with the former each and every time.

HOWEVER, I still have to acknowledge just how poorly done the structure of this season was when it came to the overarching story. Basically we got four tentpole episodes acting as the season’s beginning, arc shifts and ending. During the season’s second and third arcs, there would be certain episodes afterwards reacting to the change in the show’s status quo.

Now, I get what they were TRYING to do but in my opinion it just really didn’t work as well as it could have. I’ll talk more about this in a bit but the season’s second arc (the “romance” arc) definitely got tiring after a while, meanwhile the third “Stop Dominator” arc felt like it was sort of killing time given that it was mostly just the main 4 trying to find some sort of weapon/figure out some sort of plan that ultimately resulted in some ‘funny’ failures and some quick lessons, with the occasional character piece thrown in here or there.

Now, I didn’t hate these episodes. By this point, it should be evident that one of my favorite elements of WoY are its morals and lessons, so even if the episodes themselves didn’t amount to much in the grand scheme of things and were essentially filler, I can at least appreciate a message like “being sad doesn’t mean you’ve given up hope” or “allowing yourself to laugh even in the dark times can help a ton”. So yeah, not completely pointless.

Unfortunately, even with a few bright spots here and there, the overarching plot of s2 still feels underbaked somewhat - and that’s ultimately because of the new character its focused around.

Dominator’s Dilemma

Okay, fess up. Whose idea was it to completely exclude Dominator from the first six episodes of the season (after the s2 premiere)? Because WOW does this decision backfire a lot. I don’t even like Dom that much and I can still acknowledge that she needed much more screen time and focus than she got.

I don’t know if this was to build up the ‘mystery’ surrounding her or because they wanted to get back in the groove of writing the main 4, but this was the crew’s first crucial mistake. Hell, in the first two episodes she plays an active role in, she’s nearly silent in both of them, only having her little fangirl rant in The Greater Hater and a small handful of lines in The Battle Royals. (Which, if I’m being honest, is still a really fun episode for 90% of it, having both great action and absolutely hilarious jokes that still make me laugh, but I get the ending of it making people sour on the episode as a whole.)

Again, it felt like trying to build up this artificial mystery surrounding her when it really wasn’t necessary. Dominator was meant to be a MAIN MEMBER of the cast! Yet I’m pretty sure Emperor Awesome got more significant screen time than her in the end!

Things got a teeny bit better as the show went on, with Dom at the very least getting more lines and more moments to be both badass and totally villainous, but she still felt more like a goal/obstacle than an actual character. I’m not sure if the writers MEANT to do this persay, or if it was just an accident.

Ultimately, it wasn’t until The Night Out when Dom finally got a spotlight episode… which was a little over 3/4ths of the way through the season. You could argue that she also got a bit of characterization in the musical episode, but it was really more emphasizing what we already knew or could infer about her. 

The Night Out, meanwhile, gives us something new - that she’s lonely - and we get a teeny hint of this again in The Robomechabotatron before being told outright in the series finale. Ultimately, it truly does feel like too little too late - especially when her secretly desiring friends just sorta feels like it’s aping off Hater’s secret motivations of wanting to be liked/admired and to have friends/people who love him for who he is.

So yeah, the crew completely dropped the ball on Dom’s characterization, using her as just a goal/threat/obstacle/etc. for nearly all of her appearances. Not only does it make Dom feel like a shallow character, but it also just feels unfair in general. Practically everything we know about Dom is for the sake of other characters.

She’s a test for Wander, an enemy/temporary love interest for Hater, an obstacle for our main four to overcome, and a threat to the characters we already love. Again, there’s nothing wrong with having a character that’s only meant to serve a purpose in the narrative, nor is there anything wrong with a character being shallowly evil… it’s just that the WoY crew hyped her up so much and claimed that she was a fifth main character (implying that she would get about as much development as the main four), so it just felt all the more disappointing when we didn’t get that. Add in her character design - a mix of goth/punk girl energy with Hartman Hips - and it does feel just a tad misogynistic.

There were things I liked about Dom - her cool lava powers and gadgets, her excitable personality, her villain spotlight moments, and her fun vocal performance provided by Noel Wells were all excellent. But unfortunately, these were all surface-level elements, and the crew just didn’t put in enough time to give her much else, essentially saving all her deeper character stuff for the never-made season 3…

A love-hate relationship (leaning towards hate)

Of course you can’t talk about Dom without discussing the season’s second arc, which many see as both a tumor on the plot and the absolute low point of the season. Admittedly when I was watching the season for the first time, I didn’t mind the romance arc all that much. I didn’t care if Dom was getting short-changed, I was too busy laughing at Hater falling all over himself like a dork and thought all the ‘critics’ of the arc were just focusing on the wrong thing and didn’t know how to have fun with a silly cartoon.

Obviously, this was the wrong perspective to have about this sort of thing (I was in the mindset of “I don’t want to accidentally make myself hate this thing I love so I’m going to ignore all criticism of it”. Definitely not the right approach), one that I still apologize for because the critics were totally in the right. From both an objective and a storytelling standpoint, this arc was just the worst - and for several reasons.

Leaning into the overall problem with Dom herself as mentioned previously, this arc was focused solely on Hater and Wander (and to an extent Syl and Peeps as they tried to talk some sense into their respective friends). Whenever Dom was brought in, she either used Hater’s crush to mess with him or just ignored it entirely, being obviously annoyed - and that was the extent of focus that her feelings got.

Outside of those moments, however, Dom’s feelings are relegated to the background, deemed as ‘unimportant’. Sure, in the climax of the arc, she gets this big whole musical number about how she’s “not the damsel” and isn’t interested in Hater’s affections - but again, it’s at the VERY END of the arc and the moment is less about Dom standing up for herself and more about emphasizing just how cruel she can be, as instead of simply rejecting Hater’s advances, she laughs in his face, continuing to mess with him to try and make the rejection as painful as possible before ultimately trying to kill Hater.

But while the arc ends in a showy (and admittedly still kinda fun, thank you Andy Bean and your musical talents) way, the way it starts sorta proves why this idea was so rotten to the core. The ONLY reason why Wander tries to get Hater and Dom together is ONLY because he knows Hater wants a GF and believes that a ‘positive’ thing like love could only ever result in the two villains finding happiness and no longer being evil. Nevermind the fact that Wander is shown only really caring about Hater’s perspective, not once considering Dom’s feelings or even asking if she wants a BF or romantic partner in general.

We get Syl calling him out on this a couple of times, but it’s in that ‘oh that Wander, always with the crazy ideas’ way. You’d think Sylvia, the icon that she is, would be just a bit more blunt and maybe even a bit harsh about how Wander’s treating Dominator - it’s not just a matter of it being a dumb and dangerous plan, but it’s essentially objectifying Dom, treating her like Hater’s missing piece. But hey, it’s fiiiiine, because Wander learns his lesson in the end, right? Except, no not really.

Because even when Wander FINALLY realizes this and feels guilty about causing so much trouble, Syl is more concerned with comforting Wander about it, because he TRIED to do what he thought was right and that “acknowledging you messed up is the first step towards making things right”. Like… yeah I guess but you could have let Wander actually acknowledge what he did was wrong and super messed up, focusing more on the personal aspect of how his whole romance scheme affected Dom AS WELL AS Hater (not JUST Hater) instead of how his scheme broke Hater’s heart and inadvertently made Dom more powerful.

(Also we see Wander shipping and actively pairing up the little Pikmin things in “The Sky Guy” soooooo no I don’t think he fully learned his lesson)

I also have to bring up how there are fans who view Dominator and her whole anti-love thing as aphobic. As someone who only recently figured out she was almost definitely aromantic, I’m certainly not the authority on this, but I can certainly understand the critiques.

What I THINK the WoY Crew was trying to go for was a ‘strong female villain who don’t need no man’, but between Dom constantly being described as ‘heartless’ and Peeps saying that he “doesn’t think she likes anybody” and her cruelty being turned up to 11 whenever someone expressed romantic feelings towards her, it does sorta imply “She can’t love and THAT’S why she’s a villainous monster” rather than simply “she’s a villainous monster”. And because we don’t get any real development or strong characterization with Dom, it’s hard to say where exactly her cruelty comes from, so it’s hard to really argue against these implications without simply inserting headcanons like “Dom is a lesbian”.

Now to be fair, I have seen some aromantics see Dom as good representation - I recall a month or so back when I saw people praising her after she was included in one of those Tumblr polls, with this one being focused on aromantic characters, saying that they liked how she didn’t sugarcoat her rejections and seeing her as this strong, cool, badass villainous who didn’t need romance. So yeah, obviously not every person who shares an identity is going to agree on representation and whether or not it's good, but considering all of Dom’s baggage and the inability to determine whether or not her heartlessness is the cause of her evil or simply a by-product of it, I personally feel like she’s just too messy of an example of a potential aro character.

(Honestly, Syl feels like a better example of an aromantic character to me, given that she and Ryder seemed just as platonic as she and Wander are, as well as her multiple rejections of Awesome and general disinterest/discomfort with romance. Buuut given that those latter examples are specifically with villains and thus it makes sense why she’d reject them regardless of her orientation, it’s still just a vibe/headcanon).

Before I close off this section, I do wanna acknowledge that beyond the potentially aphobic nature of Dominator, WoY’s LGBTQ+ rep isn’t nearly as great as I thought it was once upon a time as a young shipper. Some parts are still pretty okay, like Wander being coded as genderfluid/agender, but overall it still feels more like an old Looney Tunes cartoon than an episode of “The Owl House”, if you get what I’m saying.

In Craig’s defense, the man has never been all too interested in romance in his shows nor has he claimed otherwise - he either uses it as a joke while portraying it as a negative (see Ms.KeenexProf.Utonium, BlooxBerry or, obviously, DomxHater) or it’s a wholesome relationship that ultimately still stays in the background because it’s not all that important (see DracorxDemurra or Ramona and Carlos Flores from “Kid Cosmic”). 

BUT given that there were LGBTQ+ crew members working on the show in s2, such as N.D. Stevenson, as well as LGBTQ+ allies, it is a shame that no proper representation came of that. We got a whole episode where the joke was “oh, Wander and Hater are planning Wander’s execution like it’s a wedding”, an episode where Peeps and Hater essentially break up when Hater fires him, and an “I just can’t quit you” sort of moment from Peeps in the s2 finale when he goes all heart-eyed over Hater deciding to continue being a villain. That’s it, all jokes but nothing substantial. Even the show’s number one lesbian/wlw pairing of SylxDom got a quick Girls Night montage and one sweet moment between them, nothing else.

Again, it’s fine if you’re just looking for jokes, and yeah the WoY Crew never outright promised any romances… buuuut given how much they chose to lean into the Skeleton Dance and DeathGlare stuff while at the same time never outright confirming any of these characters as LGBTQ+ (they didn’t even have to make any ships canon, they just had to say whether or not Wander/Hater/Peeps were gay/bi/pan/etc), I’m not gonna invalidate people who feel just a bit queerbaited about the whole thing.

Bittersweet Goodbyes

As I said before, I was starting college when WoY first premiered. It’s the show that led me to my best friend and it’s the show that helped me through those first two years of college (easily the roughest part of college). It was a show that made me laugh and got me excited, even during the times where I was stressed out or worried. For all its flaws, it was one of the brightest lights in my life at that time.

So, needless to say, when I heard the show was canceled, I was devastated. I remember crying about it that night and even the day after, and I remember joining in as many online strategies as possible to try and get the show back, from letter writing to petition signing. Of course none of that worked, but as a bright side, going through this helped emotionally prepare me for the next time one of my favorite shows was suddenly canceled (looking at you Nickelodeon. Though considering how the RotTMNT movie turned out maaaaybe it was for the best…)

Honestly, for as much as I can look at the show through a critical lens nowadays and point out all the ways it could have been better, I think there will always be a small part of me that wishes we could have gotten some sort of continuation, whether it be through a special, a TV movie or a comic - or hell, I’d even take the plans for s3 leaking at this point. Now, given that the end of WoY brought about the creation of “Kid Cosmic”, I feel like this part has faded a bit, but I’m always gonna want closure on things like Hater’s arc as well as his origins given how much they were teased.

But that in itself is another critique I could give the show. Whether it be Wander facing a different type of threat that wasn’t just another villain, Hater’s transition into becoming a good guy, Peepers getting fed up with his boss and striking out on his own, or Dom’s true characterization that the crew kept insisting was there - the show simply saved a lot of it’s most interesting ideas for a potential Season 3. It was a gamble, and it was one they ultimately lost. It sucks, but it is what it is.

There’s a few more things I could critique about the show, such as its take on the idea of character redemption and Wander becoming a bit of a karma houdini that the show pretty much stopped calling out, and while these critiques are valid I feel like there are other fans who could do a better job talking about those points. But in the end, while season 2 was both a let down in some parts and a bit of a mess in others, I still feel like there were ultimately more good things to be found within the show than bad things.

It’s not a perfect show, far from it. Frankly, I don’t look down on anyone who fell out of love with this show or enjoyed s1 but hated s2. But for what it’s worth, the memories I got from the show are still ones I treasure, and episodes like “The Good Deed”, “The Little Guy”, “The Nice Guy”, “The Epic Quest”, “The Rider”, “The Boy Wander”, “The Black Cube”, “The Hole… Lotta’ Nuthin’” and “The Cartoon” are ones I still love to bits and will probably always love as I watch them over and over.

Disney Channel itself may not care all that much about this show these days save for an occasional rerun or a quick cameo in their Chibi-Verse shorts, but I’m always gonna remember it - for better and for worse. So here’s to 10 years, WoY. I may not always like you, but I still love you.

[dat-silvers-girl]

Hi Akemi - I'm reaching out here again because Youtube is being stupid and not showing/saving my comments once again. -_-

I enjoyed your video on the Durmstrang TLSQ and I'm glad that not doing most of the TLSQs anymore is proving to be good for you! :) When you mentioned how alike you and Pieter's school experiences are, "Brand New Best Friend" from the Phineas and Ferb movie started playing in my head. XD I also made this meme recently about Hogwarts Mystery TLSQs then vs. now - maybe it'll give you a chuckle. Anyway, I don't know why Youtube is being difficult again, but since I couldn't comment successfully on that video - I'm looking forward to seeing some Lego Harry Potter content on your new channel if you decide you are interested in playing that! Also, if I recall correctly, you have a birthday coming up soon, so I hope you have a great one! Cheers!

~Josh

Me who's been waiting on your comment all day: YOUTUBE WHAT THE FU-

This meme is so accurate, like remember when TLSQ's were actually a special event to be excited about? 😅

Honestly, this TLSQ kind of put into perspective how the difference between Durmstrang, (and by extension, my school), and Hogwarts is night and day. I pretty much grew up like Pieter, with the difference being that I was an obedient kid- and even my near perfect obedience wasn't enough for most adults. I pretty much zombied my way through life because I never discovered anything new at that age. So it's legit nice to see Pieter being so optimistic upon seeing a new side of life.

In my opinion, this TLSQ matches the quality of the early TLSQs, at least when it comes to plot a new characters. I know little of Durmstrang. From what few facts I had seen in Goblet fo Fire, I wasn't expecting a very pleasant individual. Pieter literally threw all my expectations out the window. I absolutely adore that he is well-aware of his flaws, and that he's ready and willing to admit when he is wrong, and to learn the right facts. All I could think about playing this TLSQ is how Pieter is clearly showing that it doesn't take much to be a decent person. I can totally see Sarahi and Pieter becoming good friends even in my own headcanons. Screw you, Merula!

Also YEAH my bday is in a couple days! Thanks! :D

Btw I saw your dm. I just didn't know how to respond to it. I just did that on the asks since you sent one.

[fried-eggs152]

What are your Phineas and Ferb ships and how do you imagine their dynamics? Love your blog btw! :)

I saw this question and suddenly I wasn’t as tired as I thought I was I sat up and ran to the kitchen I felt like entrapta

(Thank you so much)

OK OKOK!! I have a couple in hand not much but some :D (I went on a rant I’m so sorry)

Let’s start with my two obvious favourites

1. Buford x phineas, sure bully x nerd cliche but this is a different type of relationship I see.

Slowly but surely they become close friends and even buddies, I feel like Buford would be a the same just less defensive with phineas and his random unhinged moments. Usually listening phineas rant about what seems to be a bug (or other things) and what type of bugs he’s allowed and not allowed to eat (summer belongs to you episode), and Buford would talk about his fish they both could keep each other going if they didn’t have their best friend (baljeet and ferb) they can remind each other of the small things they forget say perhaps phineas waking up as early as Buford does. Or reminding Buford to take care of himself once in a while that type of thing. As much as Buford tried to be a bully he has a limit of being a bully and honestly he isn’t so bad of a guy and I can see phineas reading that pretty well.

Their dynamic would be like..not like baljeet and Buford’s it just as much as a symbiotic relationship but a lil differently. Clownfish and anemones!!! That’s their relationship! Buford’s the anemone and phineas is the clownfish! (Ironic because of his shirt) it’s healthy and they keep each other going and safe! (Also phineas would prolly help with biff alot)

2. Perry the platypus x Peter the panda

Yeah I know I doubt Perry likes Peter after doof ‘cheated’ on him with Peter but when they work together (when they saved doofenshmirtz) I feel like Perry’s bitterness would fade slowly. (Also the time they went on a date when they fixed the balloon) as it did happen. Perry would find a way to get Peter in the picture, long term relationship wise. Their dynamic is kinda like ‘I secretly love you but I have to much of a lone wolf ego to say it’ and Peter ‘I know.’ Peter understands Perry’s relationship with Heinz and respects what was probably said boundary wise. The two having to listen to their nemesis or not listen it would be nice to just be with someone you can open up to even if it means in your own agency. And different species. It’s like a..hero x hero typa thing! They can keep each other up and going if their nemesis gets abit..much..I also feel like he’s be texting Peter on how stupidly naive Heinz could be and Peter rant about mysterious (what’s his name) being too closed off to open abit more.

Ok this one is especially weird- like ‘wtf 🤨’ weird

3. Lawrence x Heinz; OK hear me out (pls)

They had one interaction (when Lawrence temporarily became evil..it didn’t last) I didn’t think of it, it’s the dynamic I thought of.

Lawrence watching as Heinz talks to himself about it some platypus and the explosion leaving marks behind he would probably tend to the dirt and messes. Listening to Heinz rant and rant and rant- and when Heinz is done he’d ask for Lawrence’s info about antiques and such and they’d just share each others special interest (ADHD + Autism) and he’d take care of norm every once and awhile so Heinz doesn’t flip out on him. It’s healthy and Heinz would be so affectionate (probably) AND ferb would get to meet Heinz which works out to help Heinz make some fun inator’s (not evil Heinz’s attention would be on ferb and Lawrence’s safety his own is irrelevant) Lawrence would be oblivious to the evil but not to oblivious to see the inator’s. He’d prolly go “what is this dear?” -L

“It’s my new inator that vines down to a traumatic period of my life!” -H

“That’s healthy to put it in scientific technology. Do you want to talk about it over some almond brittle and tea?”-L

“You know me so well” -H

IT WOULD BE ADORABLE. (In my eyes)

4. Buford x ferb.

Alright almost the same thing as BxP but ferb’s silent demeanour would probably have an affect with Buford’s bully behaviour. Like put them in a room together Buford would say a couple mean things then suddenly he’s quiet. Almost sleepy at this point. Then suddenly ferb says one fact and Buford adds on to that fact and suddenly they’re having a one sided conversation as Buford debates said fact and ferb debates silently.

One would be the voice of the other (Buford being ferbs voice) about what’s right or wrong.

(Not much on this ship tbh)

5. Baljeet x phineas the two’s dynamic is simple and easy!

Anddd baljeet would be there to fix little mistakes phineas would do (Audhd) and phineas would be sorta annoyed but literally happy he doesn’t think about that small mistake for the rest of his life.

Another symbiotic relationship. Unknown animals though I’d say Coyote and badger, both smart in their own ways.

Almost about It maybe Isabella one day attention for her x someone

Maybe a fireside girl

Alr let me think some more

[spajderserdel]

I love your Phineas and Ferb fanart!! It's adorable!! They are the brothers ever <3

IM GLAD YOU LIKE THEMM!! messages like these gives me SO MUCH DESIRE TO MAKE MOREEE!!! <33 these boys are so hard to draw but i'm literally trying my best 😭😭

[theaviatorthatcouldnotfly]

☕Phineas and Ferb

HELLO FELLOW MUTUAL <3

i just. absolutely adore phineas and ferb with every fibre of my being

the concept is so simple in theory: two brothers and their best friends making the most of summer and meanwhile their pet platypus fights an evil scientist and always wins! their older sister tries to bust them but always fails as a result of aforementioned b-plot! it's so so so crazy to me that even though phineas and ferb followed this same pattern in every single episode it managed to take in this entire life of its own with so much magic. like how do you do that. how did dan and swampy and the animators and writers and entire crew do that. how much creative power and sorcery do you need to have in order to make a cartoon that follows the same pattern in every episode so compelling and ahhhsmfblsngmksnfkdk

and even more than that it's so enjoyable to watch because of it's incredible characters. phineas and ferb are creative to a beyond astronomical point and chaotic and brave and optimistic and friendly. they work so well together and they love and support each other endlessly. candace may try to bust them all the time, but she also loves them and cares about them endlessly, and beyond that she's also incredibly chaotic and funny. and isabella and buford and baljeet my beloveds they're such great friends and they're courageous and funny and talented and loyal and random and chaotic (everyone in this show is chaotic EVERYONE) and doof is The Character Ever as is perry and everyone's characterization in this show is just all so incredible. they're all so loveable all the characters even the ones that aren't necessarily core characters and they're so precious and make me laugh out loud until my stomach hurts and my face hurts and I'm crying from laughing too hard.

the songs in the show too!!!!!!!!! they're beyond iconic. there is not a word in existence that can describe the impact the music has had. if the entire fandom could agree on one thing it is definitely the fact that the song are top notch and creative beyond belief. and even if you've never watched phineas and ferb you're bound to know that 'gitchee gitchee gitchee goo' exists. you're mostly likely going to recognize the theme song within the first few seconds. look if you can successfully teach about half the world what the tip of a shoelace is called through one song... that's some good music.

and the relationships in this show!!!!! I'm. I just.

I CANT. the friendship portrayal in this show is top notch for starters. they're all ride-or-die for each other. they stay with each other through thick and thin, help each other in any way that they can. they all go on wacky and wild and crazy adventures together because they know they'll all have fun together, regardless of what happens in the end. they spend all summer doing things with each other and for each other, helping each other out, and just spending as much time as they can with each other and not worrying about anything else. most of the friendships if not all of them (summer vacation gang, candace and stacy, etc) are all "I'm going to do this for you right now and we're going to do it together no matter how weird or chaotic it becomes and I'm not going to think about the consequences until later because if it happens it happens but we'll always be friends" kind of mentality and it's so precious to see a dynamic like that being shown all the time. it's friends being friends and wanting to be with each other in this carefree, wholesome way and it's so refreshing to see that without any of the unnecessary conflict.

family portrayal is also very superior. the unconditional love and support!!! even when candace is salty that she couldn't bust her brothers it's still so clear that she'd do anything for them! even when linda is annoyed at candace she still loves her chaotic kid endlessly!!! phineas and ferb may not be brothers by blood but they are brothers by soul and have the unbreakable bond ever. they love candace and lawrence and linda endlessly and always try to make them happy. they all even shower perry with so much love that it makes me shed a tear. the family relationships are just so "I'm always here for you!" and I love that so much.

and ohmygod I just need to ramble about the romantic aspect for a bit. I love how in this show friendship isn't characterized as anything less than romance. yes, isabella gets annoyed when phineas doesn't notice her obvious attempts at making things more than friendly, but the thought of her not being friends with phineas or resenting him for his obliviousness has never come into the equation at all. never. because he's her best friend and she's his best friend and she cares much more about his happiness than a loss of a romantic moment (SUMMER BELONGS TO YOU!! "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO ENJOY THIS BEAUTIFUL SUNSET"). and the romances aren't portrayed as perfect scenarios where the characters somehow know exactly what to do and exactly what to say and everything is all romantic all the time without being awkward or confusing at all. CANDEREMY FOR INSTANCE. CANDEREMY MY BELOVED. one of the reasons I love canderemy so much is because it's portrayed as the exact opposite. candace freaks out about jeremy all the time. she freaks out about sweet gestures to do for him and sweet gestures she receives from him and she does get awkward and insecure at times. but she does the best she can and she does it pretty well!! and furthermore jeremy never judges her for it. we've all seen the typical "you're kinda awkward and weird so I'm just gonna leave" thing going on in media but it never happens here. jeremy likes candace because she's candace, regardless of how she reacts sometimes and how awkward they can both be at times. it's so aHHHHHH-

and as mentioned before it's so crazy to me that despite following the same sequence of events in almost every episode that the show still managed to be so interesting. all the randomness and craziness and chaos in the daily inventions in the friendships in the way perry would defeat doof in the way the inventions would ultimately disappear every time came together so perfectly and it's so mind-blowing to watch honestly. even so many years later a huge fandom is still appreciating the show and this buildup. it's just that legendary.

basically phineas and ferb is The Show Ever and it makes me go feral I am the epitome of the picture below every time I even do as much as think about this goddamn cartoon

thank you for attending my ted talk

[unfortunate-songbird]

Can I have more information about your silles? (Ocs)

Yes yes yes absolutely I love you forever for asking

space gang!

Quill- he’s the team leader he’s the guy ever he was in college to be a marine biologist before he dropped out due to depression and joined the knockoff Star Wars Rebellion. His greatest fear is losing someone he loves to depression / general mental health but he gets so agitated whenever someone comes to him for help (and much of his worry manifests as anger) that it actually keeps people from reaching out to him. He’s obsessed with the Octonauts.

Em- she’s the muscle the brawler the ‘angry one’ as much as she wishes she wasn’t but it’s all she knows how to be. She has to hold grudges because if she doesn’t no one will and she’s always the last to leave any situation because she ran away once as a small child and lost everything. She’s said some unforgivably cruel things when she’s angry because she can’t think over the overwhelming urge to make someone else Hurt. She bullies people as a love language (both banter and actual physical rolling-on-the-ground tussling)

Owen- he’s the acrobat the gymnast the stealth the one in the rafters looking down. He spent his life alone and only recently discovered the joys of being a clown of being funny enough to finally have the attention he craves. He plays it up relentlessly but deep down he’s so scared he’ll end up too much and drive everyone away. He’s the youngest and the protected and it’s both gratifying and stifling. He’s cheeky he’s gullible one time he dyed Quill’s hair green and got away with it because no one suspected him.

Rowan- he’s a rich kid he’s a spy he’s the actor the infiltrator the rogue element the traitor. He decided to doom himself to a painful death rather than ask his friends for help. His natural posture is the letter C. He might be transfem but that won’t occur to him for many years because who has time for gender right now. He’s got a guilt complex. He’s a gay theater kid. He’s incredibly socially awkward. He doesn’t know who he is behind all the masks and is convinced he’ll never be more than his worst mistakes. He’s the reason the kitchen is equipped with four fire extinguishers.

Wedge- they’re the hacker the tech wizard. They’re not even all that good at computer stuff. They grew up as an Empire military kid and the guilt for still loving their family complicit in an evil system eats at them daily. They have ADHD. They’re terrified they’re going to let everyone down like they have all their life. Their family thinks they work at Space Walmart except Cousin Julia who knows what they are (rebel) and goes through Candace from Phineas and Ferb level shenanigans to expose them and it never works. They play Minecraft curled up in a kitchen cabinet. They got so worried about their abysmal pain tolerance and being the weak link that they briefly tried to blackmail Rowan into giving them lessons in torture resistance. They main Kirby in Smash Bros and suck at it.

the fantasy gang is unfortunately less developed but I’ll do my best

Alex- loser high schooler dies (cringe) and becomes a loser ghost. Died with a massive zit and now it’s part of his eternal appearance. No he’s not cripplingly lonely shut up.

Vida- your typical snarky unimpressed middle schooler. Misses her mom :( (died under mysterious circumstances and with a secret past). Secretly loves explosions and funky chemicals. Lowkey disappointed that Alex is just a dork teenager and not a proper gorey scary ominous ghost.

Jamie- Average tween girl likes 20 kinds of bugs is a statistical error. The average tween girl likes around 5 types of bugs (rolly pollies, butterflies, ladybugs, dragonflies, bees) Insects Jeorg who adores every single bug in existence is an outlier adn should not have been counted.

Evan- token cautious nerd. She couldn’t commit to one gender and you think he can make big plot important decisions? Massive fantasy book nerd but in the sense that she wants to stay Far Away from actual magic bc do you even know what happens to people in stories who mess with that kinda stuff?? Lifelong trauma at BEST.

Miko- your typical plucky orphan who lives in a magic boarding school learning to be a wizard. Absolute goober. >:D . They are party rockin in the house tonight. Surprisingly chill abt their home being invaded by Evil Conquering Anti-Magic Kingdom (lie). They’re so silly and that’s all dw about it.

Foaming at the mouth abt them they’re my sillies ❤️

[strugglingyetvibing]

let me put y'all on something real quick

we all know children's animation rocks (bluey, phineas and ferb, steven universe, etc etc etc)

well i've stumbled across a banger of a show that either i have yet to find the fandom for or is being incredibly slept on

it's called "Go! Go! Cory Carson," it's on netflix, and it is so freaking adorable

first of all, this is the character design:

i mean, look at them!! the little green one is Chrissy, and she is the goat of the show. the orange one chrissy is sitting on is Cory, the blue one in the background is Mama, and the one with wood paneling is Papa.

the world of the show is super cute as well! i won't bombard with photos, but the plant life is all this neat felt-looking texture (which you can kind of see in the tree in the background of this pic), and the world itself is quite adorable, using over-exaggerated hills for much of the landscaping with sparse trees and bushes adorning them (which is reminiscent of a child's landscape drawing)

the show isn't built for older kids, like shows such as steven universe, but it's also not structured in a 'dora-style' format like some shows for kids are (being overly interactive with the audience with overwhelmingly positive protagonists or pointing out the obvious every five seconds to really drive home whatever message the show is sending)

the show is about cory and how he learns about life through playing with his friends and his family. it's really endearing, with a solid cast of characters, and the storytelling is very well done. the episodes, while short, are usually nicely paced, and they provide good messaging about healthy relationships with friends, family, the world around you, and even with yourself.

the characters are decently fleshed out as well. of course, headline protagonist cory has the most character development, and we ride along with him for most of the episodes. but chrissy is a pretty fleshed out character for being a toddler who still calls 'superheroes' "Scooplbeeple," and Mama and Papa have their moments that connect with older audiences that aren't just overused stereotypes. some of the episodes also vaguely spoof popular movies and television (like mission impossible's theme and dance dance revolution), which make these already cute episode even cuter

part of my system of deciding whether a piece of media is good or not (in my super subjective opinion) is if it can make me cry. it's not always a factor, but usually, if it makes me cry that's a pretty good thing. that's because there was enough emotional heart in the media to tug at my heartstrings enough to make me cry. bluey absolutely smashed this category out of the park (sleepytime, granddad, rug island, to name a few episodes that made me sob), and i could talk about how good that show is for quite some time. cory carson has six seasons so far, and i'm part of the way through season three. so far, two episode have made me cry, "Grandpa's Treasure" and "Show and Tell," so this show definitely passes the test.

long story short, "Go! Go! Cory Carson" is an adorable little Netflix show to check out if you have about 8 minutes to spare for an episode and want to see adorable little cars zoom around their cute little town, and i highly recommend it if you like children's animation similar to shows like bluey

but, really though, chrissy is the best character in the show, hands down. she's a little car of few 'words,' but when she speaks, you listen

[irradiatedsnakes]

OH BTW watched catu today :] i havent seen it since it first came out in 2019 and id forgotten almost everything about it since then! i was worried it was gonna be mediocre, i know there's plenty of folks who weren't too keen on it, but i really liked it! not as much as the 2nd dimension, but it was definitely a fun time.

rather than the like, more Movie type experience that 2d or notlp have, catu felt more like just a looong episode of pnf. id mostly just say it was fun! i do love stuff like 2d/notlp where the drama is heightened and things get more on the serious side, but the "just slightly more dramatic than your typical pnf episode" isn't a bad place to be for a pnf movie.

i have a couple gripes for sure- i don't think many of the songs were up to the usual caliber, ferb had too many voice lines, and some bits were wayy too drawn out.. i'm glad ferb was more involved but i think if he talks too much to do that you really lose his ferbiness :( there were jokey lines where you definitely couldve replaced him talking with something else and it'd work just as well. i adore ferb, he doesnt need to talk to be involved!!

that said, i really like the art. they had fun with angles and a lot more fun than usual with character expressions which i really appreciate, it was all very good to look at. and the action-type animation has DEFINITELY improved a lot- actiony scenes from stuff like the 2d movie always had a certain awkwardness to them that was not present here. the lineart was a bit thicker and i think the way they did the lineart coloring was slightly different? the differences were, like, small enough to be hard to pinpoint but distracting because i'm very familiar with regular pnf. so, not something bad, just different and throwing me off because of it.

the writing also felt, for the most part, on point. there were a lot of super funny lines and good bits. and i enjoyed candace's story! i'm an older sister, and the difference between my & my little sister's age is just about the same as that between candace and p&f (depending on which episode's timeline you reference..) and a lot of her emotional development in the movie rang very true to shitty-teen me, my conception of my self-worth back then, and how my relationship with my little sister changed as we both got older.

overall i liked it and it makes me very excited for the new seasons :]

[thehuggingisajustfortodaything36]

Recently there has been some news about how Phineas and Ferb will be getting two more seasons. As exciting as that is, I for one think there are other Disney Channel shows that should get another season because they were cancelled and the creators as well as some fans of those shows wanted at least one more season. Do not get me wrong, I like Phineas and Ferb and thought it was a good show, but I also felt like it was a show that had just the right amount of airtime and it seems to be very popular amongst the Disney company itself and a whole lot of people, whereas the following shows I’m about to talk about were very short lived and are not considered to be nearly as popular as Phineas and Ferb in terms of how Disney handled these shows and how it seemed like there were not as many fans of these shows compared to Phineas and Ferb.

(Potential spoilers for this show)

Wander Over Yonder was a show created Craig McCracken about a traveler named Wander who travels alongside his best friend Sylvia throughout the galaxy trying to help people with their problems any way they can, while a villain named Lord Hater and his second in command Commander Peepers set out to take over and rule the entire galaxy, but constantly fail to do so because of Wander either always getting in the way or annoying Hater with wanting to be his friend thereby ruining his plans for galactic conquest. The first season was very episodic where there were not many episodes that connected to each other, but you could still have tons of fun with the characters and humor that were presented throughout. Season two is where things started to get a little more interesting with an overarching plot of how there’s a new threat to the galaxy named Lord Dominator, a much more competent and dangerous villain compared to Hater, whose plan isn’t to rule the galaxy so much as destroy it, so it’s up to Wander, Sylvia, Hater, and Peepers to come up with some way to stop her before the entire galaxy lays in ruins, a little more dramatic but still fun all the same. Sadly there would never be a third season because it got cancelled which was such a shame because there were definitely more stories that could’ve been told like ‘What if Wander’s greatest challenge isn’t to convince Hater to become good but Peepers, since he’s the one who really cares about taking over the galaxy and not Lord Hater who really only wants to be popular and isn’t really that much of a villain compared to Peepers’ or ‘What would happen if Wander was to go to Earth’ or maybe even do backstory episodes about Wander, Sylvia, Hater, and Peepers. It doesn’t seem like there might even be a season three since Craig McCracken no longer works at Disney, but it would’ve been nice to see one. 🪕

(Potential spoilers for this show)

Milo Murphy’s Law was a show created by the very people who made Phineas and Ferb, Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh about a boy named Milo Murphy living through life with the constantly chaotic and at times unpredictable Murphy’s Law always being with him wherever he goes, Murphy’s Law being ‘Whatever can go wrong will go wrong’. In my opinion, I liked this show a lot more than Phineas and Ferb and I really do wish it had the same type of popularity as Phineas and Ferb as well as a season three. I just absolutely adore the characters in this show, my overall favorites being Milo Murphy, a character who despite all the craziness and bad luck that Murphy’s Law brings into his life always tries to find a way to overcome all the chaos thrown his way and manages to do it with an upbeat attitude and he’s just so nice and adorable to boot, as well as Vinnie Dakota and Balthazar Cavendish, two time travelers from the future who are assigned with what may be the most important mission of their lives… protecting Milo Murphy, I mean pistachios. Seriously though I always thought it would have been amazing and sweet to see Milo potentially being their ward/protege as well as him kind of being like a son to them whereas they would be like teachers and father figures to Milo throughout season three if there would’ve been a season three. I really do wish there was a season three and I think the creators would’ve loved to have a Milo Murphy’s Law Season Three, but supposedly that’s still up in the air. Here’s to hoping! 🎒

(Potential spoilers for this show)

Finally we have DuckTales (2017) created by Matt Youngberg and Francisco Angones about Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby going on adventures all over the world, finding treasures and the meaning of family, with the greatest adventurer and richest duck in the world Scrooge McDuck. You might be wondering why I consider this to be a series that doesn’t seem as popular as Phineas and Ferb and the reason I think that is because not only was this cancelled when the staff had more ideas for the show including a Negaduck episode that never came to be, but also think about it Phineas and Ferb was a series that came out around 2007/2008 and to this day even though it ended originally in 2015 there are still tons of reruns of this extremely popular show whereas DuckTales (2017) ended in 2021 and there are little to no reruns at all and the only time it seems like they show any reruns are when it’s Halloween or Christmas and they simply show the holiday specials that were made which were only three in total. Even though it’s a series that’s been off the air for a short while, I still wish that there was a season four that could’ve properly given characters like Huey, Gyro, Boyd, Fenton, Gandra, Fethry, and even Negaduck more screen time and episodes dedicated to them. I have no idea if Disney will ever give this series a season four or maybe even some sort of TV movie, but not all hope is lost because even though so far this series doesn’t seem to be on the same level of popularity as Phineas and Ferb, maybe in a couple years time it will be and maybe there can be some sort of continuation because of that. At least I hope so. 🦆