🌲 Vice President of Pixies Inc. (and heir to the Head Pixie position)
🌲 H.P.'s 4th-eldest offspring
🌲 Don't ask about his selkie girlfriend (or the Mommy Issues)
🌲 Father of Aspen (so I've heard), Blackwood, and several more
🌲 Saved the world once; nbd
Notable Riddleverse ‘fic spoilers. Your mileage may vary.
OVERVIEW
Name Within Pixie Society: Mister Markell Longwood
Name Outside Pixie Society: Markell Longwood Mayfleet
Title(s): Vice President, Head Pixie II (Presumably)
Preferred Form of Address: Longwood
Alternate Forms of Address: Markell / V.P. Longwood / Mr. Mayfleet / Longwood Prime / Pixie-Longwood / Woody / Toothpick / Dad
Aspiration: Live a happy married life, get control of his kleptomania, and lead the Pixies well (as a neutral party that doesn't play favorites between Fairies and Anti-Fairies)
Born: Autumn of the Tall Cedar
Zodiac: Leaves
Birthday: November 6th (Celebrated February 12th)
Hometown: Inkblot City, Pixie World; Central Star Region
Came Into Adult Wings: 164,021 (Average)
Age During Frozen Timestream: 251,649 (Mentally 22)
Age As of “Live For the Moment”: 399,080 (Mentally 35)
Age As of Devil’s Backbone: 414,909 (Mentally 37)
Race: Fae (Seelie Court)
Species: Pixie
Ethnicity: Second generation pixie (Faedivus quadratum)
Nationality: Formerly Ildáthachian (Obtained at birth); automatically changed to Spriggish shortly after the War of the Angels when Pixies became recognized as their own class
Patron Insect: Polistes dominula (European paper wasp)
Mindset: Gyne (Subordinate)
Alpha Retinue Drone: N/A
Previous Alpha Drones: Alapin Wilcox
Pheromones: Immature. H.P. has threatened Longwood with death if his pheromones become mature (which would place him in a position of rivalry against H.P. rather than successor).
Core: Rolled scroll
Core Color: Pink
Core Trait: Willingness to sacrifice their own wants for others' needs
Anti-Pixie: A frequently drunk fellow unusually skittish and quiet around Anti-Sanderson; drives a pink battery-powered jeep
Pixie Refract: A friendly lone wolf who loves supporting Dame Sanderson, but rarely obeys the Dame Head
Stats:
Power: Below Average
Endurance: Above Average
Wisdom: Above Average
Adaptability: Average
Charisma: Below Average
Openness: Above Average
Conscientiousness: Above Average
Neuroticism: Average
Magic: Tomte | Unstable | Weak | Average | Strong| Luz Mala
Crown Lift: Very low
Breathing Lines: Triple fishtail braid
Karmic Weave: Frayed | Sparse | Plain | Average | Thick | Elaborate | Royal | At Equilibrium || Manifests as long sequin dress
Fagiggly Color: Lavender
Preferred Shapeshifting Form: Gray wolf
Signature Tactic: Waiting in the Wings - Never at the forefront, but always ready to strike when supporting someone else
Wand Type: Ipewood (Later platinum)
For refined, skilled users who value accuracy over strength.
Family: High status and wealthy (Whimsifinado)
Creed: Páistí refracta foirfe daoine - “Heirs don’t make mistakes.”
Caretaker Spirit: His Glory Twryth (The wild hog)
Permanent Residence: Pixies Inc., Inkblot City; Pixie World
- Apt. 002 - Rooms with Sanderson, Hawkins, and Wilcox
- Central Star (Purple)
Occupation: Vice President of Pixies Inc.; presumed future Head Pixie II
Previous Employment: Interned at Wish Fixers during youth
BACKGROUND
Self-Perception: A loyal, hardworking, genuinely skilled employee who's also a competent future Head Pixie
Alignment: True Neutral
MBTI: INFJ
Deadly Sin: Lust
Heavenly Virtue: Humility
Love Language: Physical touch
Reinforcers: Physical and emotional affection, workplace promotions, pay raises… Things more tangible than praise alone
Personality: Longwood is shy, easily distracted, a hopeless romantic, has little to no preening drive, constantly forgets his coworkers’ names, and has a selkie girlfriend he dares to hold hands with in public... all of which make him extremely unpopular among other pixies.
Despite this, Longwood is open, friendly, and quick to compromise. He prioritizes others’ needs above his own, which often gets him into trouble as a potential leader, but makes him a figure outsiders are happy to communicate with.
He’s also a pacifist, which is simultaneously a relief for H.P. (who prefers a successor less likely to kill him) and a massive concern (since Longwood might not defend himself in a fight).
Longwood has a strong moral compass and is notable for being one of the only pixies to refuse underage drinking, given that it's illegal and he'd rather side with the law. When it comes to leading the company, he believes in maintaining a positive reputation, being on good terms with others, and being known for honesty and keeping his word. Breaking the law might come back to bite him. Then again, playing too heavily on the side of Da Rules can be off-putting to Anti-Fairies, leaving Longwood caught in the eternal dance of balance between them, fighting to impress both sides.
While many Pixies hold H.P.'s Daoist beliefs, Longwood follows China's Zodii philosophy. He would love to have his own bedroom (which he could decorate to fit Zodii customs to his core's content), but H.P. has asked him to "keep an eye on Sanderson and Wilcox," so they're roommates to this day. He wears a green ring for his birth year, Leaves. Since he'd like to marry his girlfriend Naelita someday, he'll switch it to a black band with her zodiac stone at that time.
Longwood is more critical of his boss than most pixies are, though he wisely keeps his mouth shut about it. He considers H.P. a highly flawed individual and believes the Pixies are viewed as a flawed species as a result. He disagrees with H.P.’s obsessive desire to regulate magic and control the cloudlands and only goes along with his boss’s plans to keep the peace. H.P. has always seen Pixies as an orderly race who combat chaos as opposed to a neutral race who stand between good and evil.
Longwood’s plan is to emphasize the neutrality of the Pixies one day and refuse to take sides with either Fairies or Anti-Fairies, merely existing as an independent nation that can’t be bribed or baited easily. That’s if Smith and Sanderson don’t take him out first, at least…
Assuming Longwood does become Head Pixie II someday, he will thereafter be addressed as H.P. (and the former H.P. will reclaim his old name, Fergus). Since Longwood is a kleptomaniac with an impulse to steal from superiors, time will tell how long his desired neutrality holds.
Education: Longwood's education differs from that of other pixies. Many of them received an acceptable education at Spellementary School, but Longwood was forbidden from attending. Instead, H.P. tutored him personally and arranged for study abroad opportunities with the Anti-Fairies.
Specifically, he was tutored by Anti-Phillip: Anti-Bryndin's heir. This arrangement allowed H.P. to train Longwood in the ways of being a gyne and future leader away from Sanderson's prying eyes. It also kept Longwood safe, preventing him from getting into fights with other gynes while unsupervised at school. After all, it's incredibly inconvenient when your heir goes and gets himself killed.
See also, "Made to Be Broken"
Other Tutoring: Growing up, Longwood took interest in China's architecture work (and Zodii research), so he turned to her for advice when possible. While staying home, he also learned from H.P.’s father (Ambrosine) and sister (Emery) on occasion.
Like other pixies, he was trained from childhood to keep a straight face, speak in monotone, and not react easily when startled. However, Longwood is more likely to break the rules than many pixies, as he's a gyne (i.e. H.P.'s dominant gyne influence holds less sway over him than it holds over drones).
Further Education: Longwood was accepted into multiple professional schools he applied to thanks to great test scores, opportunities, and tutoring from leaders like the Head Pixie and Anti-Bryndin. Despite H.P.'s wish that he attend the Fairy Academy, Longwood chose to pursue a business program with the Anti-Fairy Academy. This allowed him to work on projects while in Pixie World for most of the year while also giving him opportunities to explore his Zodii beliefs and make Anti-Fairy friends.
Though some Fairies claim he "doesn't have a degree," Longwood is more educated than H.P. (who dropped out of the Academy, tried going back to school in later years, and dropped out again).
Favorite Magic Subject: Ethics of Time Travel
Least Favorite Magic Subject: Potions
Favorite Non-Magic Subject: Business Associations
Least Favorite Non-Magic Subject: Chemistry
History: Longwood is the fourth offspring of Fergus Whimsifinado, raised as his boss’s intended successor practically since birth (much to firstborn Sanderson’s chagrin). He was born while H.P. was married to his selkie wife (China Mayfleet), so unlike most pixies - especially the older ones - he grew up in a nice home with a mother figure. Longwood grew up in the small town of Lau Rell. He attended school, and during his youth, H.P. and China divorced. Longwood never let go of China and continued visiting her as he grew up.
After Longwood molted from his nymph form and revealed his gyne freckles, H.P. struggled against the instinct to kill him (since gynes are natural rivals). Because of this, H.P. stayed distant in Longwood's youth... and honestly, through most of his life. Even so, Longwood became the pixie marquess at a young age, before the vice president position was properly established (See "Playing With the Big Kids").
He was the obvious choice, as the Pixie race is full of drones and they defer to gyne pheromones. Longwood and Sanderson have been rivals since childhood, as young Sanderson noticed H.P. giving Longwood extra attention despite the emotional distance. In fact, Longwood's status as marquess (and heir to Pixies Inc.) was kept secret from the other pixies for many years, as H.P. knew Sanderson wouldn't take it well and hoped he'd grow out of that jealousy.
While not one for calling his employees his sons, H.P. does see Sanderson as his firstborn more than he sees Longwood as one. In the era H.P. grew up in, it wasn't unusual for gyne parents to consider the eldest gyne their firstborn (skipping past the drones).
Pixies Inc. is a business and Longwood is the intended successor, but H.P. has tried to give Sanderson an important role too (The alpha retinue drone position).
Longwood grew up feeling a weird distance between himself and his peers. Being a gyne among drone siblings, he noticed the differences between them at a young age. In some cultures, gynes are celebrated - treated as more attentive or more intelligent than most - but Longwood always felt like the odd one out and a failure. For instance, the drone pixies have a swarming instinct that allows them to move or act as a group, and Longwood felt like a fraud who never fit in.
H.P., unwilling to have difficult conversations until he has to, dragged his feet on explaining to Longwood exactly what a gyne was and what it meant for Longwood's future. Longwood wasn't thrilled to learn the details, as he feels like he was singled out just for the way he was born (with freckles) and not because of his efforts and time. He feels like he's never appreciated and that everything he does is the baseline expectation of what he's "supposed to do."
In general, Longwood is helpful, attentive, and hardworking. He grew up trying to make himself useful around Pixie Village and eventually Pixies Inc. Since gynes are foragers, he was given tasks such as buying groceries or keeping track of deliveries. He's often treated as part of a quartet alongside fellow early-born pixies Sanderson, Hawkins, and Wilcox.
Specifically, he's closest with Wilcox: his roommate and eternal confidant. There's no one else Longwood would rather tell his secrets to, and he takes care of Wilcox too. Longwood tends to stand up for people even when they're unkind to him. Since Wilcox is an easy target for bullying, Longwood will always cover for him. They consider themselves more like brothers than co-workers, though they're not inclined to say so.
Longwood has a very tense relationship with the next eldest pixie gyne, Smith. Smith is widely considered "a better successor" to H.P. than Longwood, as his pheromones and charisma tend to turn heads. Despite him being organized and a hard worker, many see Longwood as awkward, flaky, or irresponsible (Especially with his reputation of slipping off to flirt). Longwood finds preening repulsive while Smith embraces it, so it's no surprise that many drones would rather seek Smith to satisfy their pheromone needs. Years ago, Smith lashed out at Longwood and chased him out of Pixie World. If their relationship was tense before, it was a disaster after. They can't stand to be in the same room, though occasionally grit their teeth and bear it for H.P.'s sake. Very occasionally.
Longwood famously lost his notebook privileges after misplacing sensitive material one too many times. He has a very meticulous notetaking system that he loves, but outside of Pixie World, he's forbidden to carry his best books. He's also supposed to be accompanied by another pixie to ensure he won't sneak off to flirt. Having a steady girlfriend has been good for him, but before he met Naelita, he certainly had a wandering eye.
... Someone named Aspen seems to be an important part of his past, but the details are unclear.
Notable Likes:
- Naelita (His girlfriend)
- Affection (Physical and verbal)
- Bullet journaling
- Black and white movies
- "Bye, Bye Birdie"
- Expensive steak dinners (Unusual for Pixies, as their culture favors plant-based diets)
- Anti-Fairy culture (particularly the overlap with Zodii philosophies)
- Taking notes
- Walks in the woods
- Animal noises in the distance late at night
- Looking after young pixies... and human children
- Mice
Goals:
- Be a successful father who takes good care of his sons
- Finally experience sexually intimacy (Preferably with Naelita)
- Save the Pixie reputation by playing nicer with Fairies than H.P. has in recent decades... and setting firmer boundaries with Anti-Fairies
- Become a Head Pixie the former H.P. can be proud of
- Indulge in all the things H.P. has ever kept him from
Beliefs:
- The most important things you can do for yourself are keep a level head and preserve your reputation, even if it means stifling yourself long-term
- All good things to those who wait
- Karma is neither immediate nor consistently visible, but the universe will balance itself eventually
Fears:
- Getting killed by H.P. (or Smith)
- Having to lead the Pixies through war
- Widespread hate that leads to him being banned from his favorite locations
- Making irreversible, difficult decisions that don't work out
Upsets:
Frustrated by stubbornness and disrespect from other pixies
Stressed by other gynes nearby
Flustered by romantic gestures
Comforts:
- Taking care of children, reaching out to China
Indulgences:
- Kissing Naelita, watching movies, eating meat
EXTERNAL
Verbal Notes: Informative and professional; often comes across as stern. Longwood has a certain poise to him that makes younger pixies straighten up and listen. Since he's tall, he tends to command attention. When he's with Sanderson, many people default to focusing on him, but Longwood is quick to let them know when Sanderson is the one they should talk to (when applicable).
Longwood is more critical in H.P. than most Pixies, but prefers keeping this to himself. He's very self-sacrificing, always willing to swallow some pain for the greater good. Perhaps that's why Sanderson rubs him the wrong way, as Sanderson prefers to be blunt and sassy. Longwood tends to agree and follow orders, but he's no pushover. He'll stand firm if he doesn't want to do something, or look at you weird and walk away if you have no authority over him. He loves talking and will explain himself if asked. He's not easily made jealous, but it's not uncommon for him to get flustered and angry. Very embarrassing.
Since he's a pacifist, Longwood will usually try to soothe others and avoid saying things that might start a fight.
Language: Fluent in several languages (Notably Snobbish, Elrulian, and Chif), and is mostly fluent in Milesian. He speaks professionally, keeping his words clean. He's quick to praise or mention concerns.
Can speak some Vatajasa, but has a hard time wrapping his tongue around some of the sounds.
Physical Notes: Longwood is taller than many Pixies, but a lot thinner and lighter weight than H.P. He is infected with Wolbachia pipientis. The changes that bacteria made to his body are all internal.
Longwood has asthma due to surrendering a large portion of magic thousands of years ago (Donating breathing lines to twins Mullins and Tolbert when their birth nearly took H.P. out).
Handedness: Left dominant
Body Language: Longwood comes across as professional, but approachable. He's not likely to flinch, stare, or shy away from Fairies. He comes across as respectful and in tune with Fairy society. He's more likely to express his emotion through body language than many Pixies, as he'll lean or cross his arms while most of his co-workers would stay stiff
Hair: Soft black hair that's flat in front and spikes in the back, forming an L
Teeth: Small but extremely sharp; must chew on solid things in order to keep them from growing out of control
Wings: Pixie wings mimic those of the Polistes dominula. Pixie hindwings are stunted compared to most Fairies’ wings
Gyne Freckles: Heavy dusting on face and throat, lighter dusting on shoulders and upper arms. His freckles reach higher up his face than H.P.'s do
Scars: N/A
Notable Tattoos: Has H.P.’s company mark branded on the underside of his left wrist along with the number 004. As of the Year of [REDACTED], he has his own company mark branded on the underside of his right wrist along with the number 001
Style: Clean and put-together. When he expects others to see him, he strives to be "on" and professional, even when relaxing. The future Head Pixie can't just be dressing down, after all. Unless he's with his girlfriend.
Regular Clothing: Usually wears his suit in public. Where most pixies wear neckties, Longwood wears a bowtie. His floating hat has a star on top.
Casual Clothing: In the privacy of his apartment, he usually wears white button-ups. On occasion, he wears fun tees that fit his girlfriend's alternative style, but avoids doing this where the other pixies can see him. He sometimes breaks out such clothes when he knows Sanderson's away on a long trip with H.P., as he's less concerned about snide comments from Wilcox (who's generally supportive).
Preening Clothing: Longwood shies away from preening as a rule, but prefers staying dressed up when it does happen. He doesn't find it fun. While he respects the intimacy of it, it's a professional relationship at the end of the day, so he'd remove his suit jacket at best, but stay in his button-up shirt.
Nightwear: When he knows he's not planning to leave his bedroom for the rest of the night, he likes wearing fun tees (See Casual Clothing section). He enjoys cuddling with Naelita when possible, but sometimes cuddles with Wilcox (His roommate who famously likes shapeshifting into animal forms, which can be more approachable than a fellow pixie)
Ceremonial Clothing: Royal purple robes decorated with scattered golden stars; only worn during deep preening rituals with important political figureheads. These are very similar to special red robes with golden stars that H.P. uses in special preening rituals. Longwood doesn't really use his ceremonial clothes, but he has to have them in case he needs to as vice president. If he takes over as Head Pixie, he'll inherit the red robes.
Other: Since his girlfriend is a selkie, Longwood enjoys swimming. He has gray swim trunks, but doesn't normally wear a shirt with them (to H.P.'s chagrin). He'll put it on around other gynes so it doesn't look like he's flaunting his freckles or trying to start a fight.
Height: 4′2″ (Average for a pixie; tall for a fae)
Hygiene: Longwood prefers cleanliness, but isn't obsessive about it. He finds preening gross, so he tries to keep his skin clean and prefers others do the same. He showers every morning and doesn't normally exert himself, trying not to sweat much. He continues Pixies the cleanest race between Fairies, Pixies, and Anti-Fairies, so he's proud of that.
Morning Schedule: Usually awake before 7:00: quick to wash up, dress, and ping to work. The faster he can get out of the apartment and off to work, the less time he has to deal with Sanderson in the morning. Before settling in for proper office work, Longwood keeps an eye out for who's coming into work and whether they need anything.
Typical Day Schedule: Longwood keeps himself available for H.P. to reach out to him as needed. Most of his work involves coordinating with the heads of different departments: meetings, crunching numbers, and checking up on people. For instance, he works closely with Hawkins to ensure various projects are staying within budget. Longwood also meets with many pixies in person, giving 1-on-1 feedback and performance reviews as appropriate.
Meetings take up most of his time, along with writing reports for H.P. (Usually about those meetings, but occasionally about other statistics or projects). Longwood loves taking pristine, aesthetically pleasing notes, so he takes great pride in his work. He usually keeps aesthetic copies for himself and writes proper memos for H.P.
In his younger years, Longwood often left Pixie World to gather food and other supplies for the pixie race. This later changed to overseeing delivery cloudships: a duty that later passed to Smith.
Evening Schedule: Longwood prefers starting work early so he can clock out early, stealing time before he attends evening meetings. He'll sometimes go out to dinner with his girlfriend or watch a movie with her, though most of their dates take place on weekends so he doesn't need to constantly watch the clock.
Longwood meets with H.P. most evenings to update him on the status of Pixies Inc. (and the Pixie race in general). These meetings usually take place starting at 8:00, but don't go past 9:00 since that's when Sanderson starts preening duties for H.P.
See also, "Grooming."
Sleep Schedule: Longwood's usually home sooner than Sanderson. He'll wash up, briefly decompress, sometimes talk with his roommate Wilcox, and get to sleep as quickly as he can. He doesn't enjoy hanging around Sanderson more than he needs to, and he does enjoy a good sleep in a room where he feels safe (Given that his awake hours usually leave him watching for other gynes who might see him as a rival).
He often spends Thursdays with Naelita and will stay the night when possible, but being Vice President keeps him busy. He swears H.P. always knows when he's not around and will call him back for the most mundane things…
PERSONAL
Relationship Status:
- In a long-term relationship with his selkie girlfriend, Naelita
Ideal Relationship: The freedom to pursue, explore, and discover himself without the constant chill of H.P.'s eyes on the back of his neck. Sanderson might want the boss's attention constantly, but Longwood's the total opposite.
Sexuality: Longwood is interested in damsels, but lives a celibate life under H.P.'s orders. Once the Head Pixie either dies or leaves Pixies Inc. for a new location, Longwood has the chance to become dominant gyne, and presumably will end his celibacy at that time.
Attractiveness: By Pixie standards, Longwood is considered decently attractive. He's successful and hardworking, so many co-workers admire him. H.P. came from a completely different walk of life, so Longwood represents what a modern pixie can become. He's polite, friendly, clean, organized, and professional: all excellent traits. However, Longwood's pheromones are immature. He doesn't draw the eye quite as much as certain co-workers. He finds preening gross and doesn't like to do it, nor is he excited for his future as Head Pixie. He might be vice president, but many people consider confident Smith much more attractive.
Fairies, who aren't normally allured by things dull and gray, don't find Longwood especially attractive. He's odd for a gyne since he's not very muscled and seems prone to snapping in half. He's known by some (Particularly those who keep up with politics) since he's heir to Pixies Inc. and will speak for the Pixies someday. Some people find this intriguing and enjoy flirting with him when he's out in public. He's rich and powerful, after all. He's a popular option for a celebrity crush, but usually among youth who are considered "weird" among their peers. As a pixie, Longwood has weak, unstable magic, which isn't considered attractive either.
Anti-Fairies tend to find Longwood appealing due to his brains and work ethic. His thin, non-muscular body more closely aligns with Anti-Fairy ideals, though most Anti-Fairies want a partner a little more exciting. It's a lot more fun to socialize and chill than to do paperwork, right?
Intimate History: Affectionate with Naelita. Longwood enjoys touching and kissing, which isn't too accepted in Pixie society. H.P. tolerates it, but often sends someone with Longwood when he leaves Pixie World to ensure he won't get sidetracked.
Turn-Ons: Sneaking around is its own thrill… Possibly because Longwood's a kleptomaniac. Call it youthful rebellion or fighting the machine, but Longwood finds a lot of joy in kissing, cuddling, or just whispering to his girlfriend when he's supposed to be on the clock or at a networking event. He's a physical person and likes to touch, especially holding hands. He likes the feel of magic leaving his body, moving from his hand to Naelita's.
Reproductive Status: Capable... No further information at this time
See also, [REDACTED]
Children: Aspen, Blackwood, and others
- Aspen is a notable character in late Origin of the Pixies
- Blackwood is a major character in Devil's Backbone
- He's also an unofficial unofficial guardian of Larkspur Mayfleet following her mother's death (See also, "Health Bars")
Uncle Figure: High Count Anti-Cosmo Julius Anti-Cosma
“Cousins”: Anti-Westley Anti-Lunifly (Talon), Larkspur Shiny Mayfleet
- Doesn’t consider Anti-Poof (Foop) or Anti-Dusty (Smoky) to be cousins.
- H.P. and Anti-Cosmo share custody of Talon and Larkspur, so they visit Pixie World frequently (and are closer to Sanderson’s age). He accepts them in his familial circle, but certainly not Foop or Smoky.
Mother Figure: China Mayfleet
- Longwood is closer to Larkspur than other pixies are, as she's China's biological daughter
Girlfriend: Naelita
She's a selkie; Longwood has her coat. Details unclear, but they're physically affectionate. Many Pixies don't particularly like Naelita since her alternative style clashes with theirs.
Anti-pixies - Longwood tries to be as respectful towards the anti-pixies as possible, but has very different values than they do. He especially dislikes Anti-Sanderson, whose chaotic personality clashes with Longwood's calm, straightforward ways.
He wishes Anti-Longwood would stand up for himself against the rough situation he's in and strongly frowns upon the poor situation the young anti-pixies are in, especially those born after the war (when the anti-pixies were locked in their city, shut off from Anti-Fairy World).
Sanderson - Despite Sanderson’s life revolving around one-upping Longwood and seizing the vice president position for himself, Longwood barely registers Sanderson as a threat and views him more as someone to be protected. Longwood has his grievances with Sanderson, seeing the older pixie as an enabler of H.P.’s vices, but he wouldn’t call him a rival.
Sanderson and Longwood share an apartment suite (with Sanderson rooming with Hawkins, Wilcox with Longwood), but they don’t get along and avoid each other when possible. Sanderson sees Longwood as a rival for H.P.'s affection while Longwood sees Sanderson as annoying, desperate, and kind of pathetic. Despite that, Sanderson is the "older sibling" in this dynamic, so Longwood looks up to him. Their relationship has grown more bitter over time, but in their youth, Longwood treated Sanderson as an older, wiser protector.
In their teen and young adult years, Sanderson developed as a drone while Longwood began entering his gyne phase. While Sanderson struggled with his new dynamic with H.P., Longwood began feeling more protective towards him. Longwood often thinks H.P. mistreats Sanderson and he'd like to see Sanderson thrive, but knows his co-worker isn't interested in hearing that perspective.
Due to being vice president, Longwood is usually more dominant in social situations: speaking up around other people while Sanderson hangs behind H.P. However, there are times when it's appropriate for Longwood to defer; he recognizes those times and does, as he does respect Sanderson despite their rivalry. Longwood believes Pixies should be united and wouldn't fight with Sanderson in front of people they're supposed to impress.
Smith - Rumor has it that H.P. might name another pixie, Smith, his heir instead of Longwood at the last possible minute, no longer needing a pacifist around once he’s on death’s doorstep. Longwood lies awake at night wondering if his position has been a joke all along and making plans to escape Smith, who will certainly kill Longwood if he does indeed take over. When you’ve got someone like Smith breathing down your freckled neck, you don’t have time to worry about your whiny roommate.
Generally, you'll never see Longwood and Smith in the same room. They're both gynes, and that tends to go poorly. Smith has lashed out at Longwood and even overthrown him multiple times, and only other people interfering has reined him in again. The best adjective for Longwood's feelings for him is "Paranoia." He sort of respects him, but skirts him at every opportunity. Not one to attend his presentations in the conference room.
Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda - As a fellow follower of Zodii philosophies, Longwood holds great respect for the High Count and Countess. Longwood strives to balance the beliefs of Fairies and Anti-Fairies and is proud of his own Zodii knowledge.
That said, Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda aren't his favorite people to work with. While he does respect them, he considers them chaotic and cruel, which goes against his plan to move the Pixies closer to neutrality.
Jorgen - Longwood respects Jorgen as an important political figure, as Jorgen speaks for the Fairies in many situations. Longwood believes the Pixies should be neutral instead of favoring either Fairies or Anti-Fairies, so one of his main goals is to foster a better relationship with Jorgen (or the next Keeper of Da Rules) than the relationship Jorgen has with H.P. Longwood isn't one to discuss feelings easily, but he does admire Jorgen's relationship with the Tooth Fairy and would certainly confide in him under the right circumstances.
Jorgen has never been fond of Pixies and is pretty dismissive of them, Longwood included. He acknowledges Longwood as next in line to be Head Pixie and they have an acceptable business relationship since it's likely they'll work together someday. Jorgen respects Longwood's opinions in some circumstances, though he generally sees him as "In the way, but less annoying than the old H.P."
TRIVIA
- Born with Wolbachia pipientis, and with a broken fairy crown under his hat.
- As pixies are genetically identical, a DNA test would identify his parents as Fergus Whimsifinado’s parents (Ambrosine and Solara).
- If his offspring step on cracks, Anti-Fairies will break his back.
- I created Longwood because I always thought it odd that even though H.P. clearly likes Sanderson enough to let him follow him around and assist with his schemes, Sanderson doesn't seem critical to keeping Pixies Inc. running and his only known job in the canon was working at the complaints department, which isn't very glamorous. If Sanderson isn't the real high-up of Pixies Inc., it created the perfect opportunity for a rival pixie OC to take his place.
- I once had a teacher named Smallwood and I've always wanted to name a character that since it sounds cute. Longwood is the opposite of Smallwood, with the idea being that the guy with "a tall name" is a good rival for puny Sanderson.
- The name Mayfleet comes from the protagonist of The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (Lina Mayfleet). Longwood's mother figure, China, was given this name since her name rhymes with Lina. Lina works as a messenger, so it was a fitting name for Longwood the errand boy too.
- Doesn't identify with the Whimsifinado surname. Normally uses the surname Longwood to avoid sideways looks, but identifies with Mayfleet despite H.P. divorcing China while Longwood was still young.
- I give fae "alphabet hair" when possible (mimicking Poof's P and Foop's F hair curls). Longwood's hair is like an L lying on its side.
- Longwood is one of very few pixies who will obey the commands of authority figures without checking in with H.P. first. This has to do with him being a gyne instead of a drone. Drone pixies automatically defer to the most dominant gyne in the area- In this case, that would be the Head Pixie. Being a gyne himself, Longwood lacks this instinct.
- If given a choice, Longwood would have preferred Sanderson be vice president instead of him. He feels like he was made to take a lot of heavy responsibility he never asked for, and hates the idea that "some kind of instinct" led H.P. to give him that role. Longwood often feels undeserving the role and wishes he didn't have to deal with Sanderson judging him all the time.
- Longwood is one of very few pixies that the Head Pixie doesn’t share Santa Claus powers with during Gray Tuesday. He needs to run the company while the others rest.
- Other pixies stereotype Longwood as being into flings, but he's an old-fashioned romantic who's into committed relationships.
- Although Sanderson and Longwood are rivals, their anti-pixie counterparts are friends. They party together and get into trouble, though Anti-Sanderson doesn't treat his younger brother very well.
- Sanderson can drive cars, but Longwood can't (since one of the key traits of his anti-pixie counterpart is that he drives around Anti-Pixie World in a pink Barbie-style Jeep). That Jeep somehow ended up in Anti-Marigold's possession before Poof and Foop entered high school
See also, "Opinion"
- Longwood has a poor sense of what behaviors are or are not considered scandalous, as he was taught to suppress emotions from a young age and H.P. isn't a great teacher. He considers holding hands to be pretty spicy.
- Wolbachia pipientis prevents him from bearing children the traditional way. It also blocks all other STDs. Neat benefit, but not much impact on a sex-repulsed guy.
- Can pass theory of mind tasks that many drones can't. Always felt like an oddball as a child compared to the other pixies.
- His preferred password is 0rang3 ju1c3.
- Of all my FOP OCs, Longwood is probably my favorite. He's great at filling the role I needed him to and I really enjoy writing him.
APPEARANCES
Main Blog Tag: #Cedar toothpick
Sideblog Tag: #RD Longwood
AO3 Tag - #Vice President Longwood
Longwood's debut appearance was at the end of my first Fairly OddParents 'fic, Baby, You're a Rich Man.
He's a major character in Origin of the Pixies and makes many appearances throughout 130 Reasons Why I'm Fairy Trash, as well as smaller 'fics like "Health Bars" and Pink and Gray.
He's also a major character in Devil's Backbone alongside his son, Blackwood.
🍋 Chronically stressed owner of Dimmadome Global, Dimmazon, Dimm-'N-Out Burgers, and the Dome Zone Indoor Amusement Park (Coming soon)
🍋 Son of real estate tycoon Doug Dimmadome (Owner of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome)
🍋 Husband of energetic slice-of-life travel vlogger Hadley Harrington... and father of Dev, I guess
🍋 Billionaire non-philanthropist
🍋 Late Daddy's not-pride and not-joy (It's fine; he's fine)
Notable Riddleverse ‘fic spoilers. Your mileage may vary.
Two AUs
Dale's profile aligns with both Cloudlands AU and City Lights AU. While the AUs are not canon-compliant with each other, in 2018 I set my OC Hadley up to marry Dale... a character I never expected to see in official media again :'D
As of September 2024, Dale's fate in Cloudlands AU has been tweaked to better mimic his A New Wish Season 1 lore. The original plan was for the couple to be betrothed - and married - young without romantic feelings for one another, but they'd grow closer as they raised their son (Dave) and took him around the world on adventures. And, well... Close enough! I'll take it.
As far as Cloudlands and City Lights canons are concerned, Hadley is Dale's wife and Dev's mom, and Dave's been replaced with Dev. My initial personality for adult Dale (Self-conscious and avoidant) still lurks under the surface, but he comes across as the same ol' confident jerk we know and love. The info below reads correct for both AUs!
OVERVIEW
Full Name: Daedalus Dallas Peddler "Dale" Dimmadome
Preferred Form of Address: Dale Dimmadome, Owner of Dimmadome Global
Alternate Forms of Address: Doug's Son / Twerp / Mr. Dimmadome / Maverick / Dad
His dad called him Daedalus or Peddler in his youth, but that phased out as he got older. Nowadays, only his wife calls him Daedalus (only when she REALLY needs to get through to him)
Aspiration: Maintain his wealthy lifestyle and create his own legacy... in a hopeless attempt to "win his late dad's love."
Born: Spring of the Echoing Peaks
Zodiac: Soil
Birthday: May 5th, 1986
Hometown: Dimmsdale -> Dimmadelphia, California; USA
Age During Frozen Timestream: 16 - Turned this in both 2002 and every year for the 50 years retroactively condensed into 2003. Turned 17 in 2004.
Age When Married: 24
Age at Dev's Birth: 26 (Nearly 27)
Age During A New Wish Season 1: 36 (37 in May)
Species: Human
Ethnicity: Mostly English through the Dimm line with some Scottish, German, and Italian mixed in. Pretty familiar with his family history- He could kick your butt at Dimmadome trivia any day.
Nationality: American (Texas proud!) (This is untrue)
Mindset: Extremely hardworking and devoted to a fault... to the things he chooses to put his time and care in. Not accurately described as "nervous and jumpy" so much as "paranoid and defensive."
Complex PTSD: Many layers of severe trauma related to his 7-year streak of abuse at Vicky's hands (on top of his parents not being... great). As an adult, Dale can push through a lot of things, but there's a lot of flickering between what he was able to handle as a kid (when he was used to being around such things) and stuff that's more triggering now that he's an adult who's kept his distance.
Notable triggers include lemon scent, loud voices, small spaces, the dark, hunger, rodents, toothaches, stomach pains, going too long without proper hygiene, and being barefoot (among other things). Some days he can handle his triggers fine, other days he can't... Just depends how haunted and jumpy he is.
Ex: Some days he mixes drinks and eats limes, some days limes are not distinct enough and touching the rinds upsets him. Sometimes he can touch dirt, other times he'll avoid it.
If he made the decision to gulp down lemonade, he could do so - He grew up with it and is familiar with the smell and texture - but on a day he's not in the mood, it's very upsetting for him. Some days he's fine seeing citrus designs on clothing, other times he leaves the room to be annoyed in private.
Notably, few people know about Dale's trauma as his dad was very insistent on keeping it quiet. Dale doesn't trust that information to others lightly.
Struggles with survivor's guilt and other complicated feelings about his trauma (often blaming himself for not being a good friend to Vicky and therefore pushing her to become rough with him). Struggles to connect with people and tends to keep his walls up. Lots of trust issues.
He sleeps with a nightlight and/or phone light on. Avoids things that remind him of cellars and trapdoors... Escape rooms and submarines would really affect him, but he does okay in helicopters. Mostly. I don't know why I'm saying this; he sends them crashing to the ground instead of landing properly.
If you ever tell Dale you sent your kid to bed without food, he will remember that and chalk you up as an unsafe person. What if you take his food? He will not come to your house, follow you, or be alone with you. You're scary.
Hypervigilance: Tendency to spiral, follow extreme trains of thought, and believe things that aren't true (Ex: "Hazel is going to ruin me, she wants to see me fail, she's part of a larger scheme, who does she work for, she wants to tear Dimmazon to the ground, she wants me to lose everything, she wants me on the streets, she and whoever she's working for are scheming to rob and hurt me).
Although not always obvious to Dev, Dale gets very anxious around mealtimes- Dev has hypoglycemia and Dale's the one who insisted to the school that the au pairs are medical devices to help monitor that. When Dev started school, Dale was absolutely the nervous parent who called multiple time to ask if he ate.
He's grown more lax over the years due to his faith in the au pairs, but if he had his way, Dev would never be more than 10 feet from an au pair, ever. Too many bad things could happen. Terrifying.
Dissociation: During his stressed-out spirals, Dale sometimes loses his sense of being grounded to reality. Everything feels ambiguous and like it's trickling through his fingers. Sometimes he might still feel like he can function, but feels like his body's on auto-pilot and he's floating outside it. He might jolt "back to reality," check a clock, and realize an hour passed and he has no memory of it.
- Very common experience when studying falling stock charts, lying awake at night, thinking too much about his dad, riding in a vehicle, typing up data, fixing robots, cleaning things, in long meetings, showering, or during flirty bedroom moments.
- Dale and Chloe are two sides of the same coin: Children struggling under grand expectations who go into anxiety attacks and dissociative episodes when criticized.
- Adult Dale uses this as a shield for justifying his neglectful parenting ("You don't understand what I've been through / I can't be better than this because I have X and Y"). But if he ever said that to Chloe, her mouth would drop open for 5 seconds before she socked him in the jaw. Say good-bye to that last tooth, bud.
The boots, au pairs, beeping wristwatches, phone alarms, and physical touch from his wife or son help... a little.
OCD: Prefers routine- Hates going to bed without knowing what the plan is for the next day (or week, or month, or quarter... The list goes on). Doesn't love when things don't go as planned (and definitely doesn't like someone inviting him to go somewhere if he hasn't been warned in advance).
You will not get him to close his eyes and follow you for "a surprise." Repeatedly checks to ensure he left the doors unlocked so he doesn't get stuck inside (See also, open entrance to his tent in "Lost and Founder's Day").
Constantly checking his schedule out of paranoia he'll forget a meeting (Ex: Struggles to get through dinner without being plagued by thoughts that he was supposed to be doing something else). Tries to eat at a consistent time- Gets frustrated when Dev has other plans.
Lots of unwanted thoughts and impulses, especially in regards to pleasing his parents or Vicky. Sometimes lies awake wondering if his wife or business partners are manipulating him and he just can't see it yet (He's not great with criticism- See also, switching off the au pair that asked why he was hurting people).
Does not do well with his wife's hoarding OCD- Lots of boxes remind him of crates full of lemons and cramped conditions. Puts up with it because he has to, but he and Hadley have separate bathrooms, and he and the au pairs do their utmost to maintain Dale's bedroom spacious, clean, and uncrowded by her stuff. Hadley has her own bedroom, but it's so full of stuff that she seeks out his bed anyway.
Tends to scratch and pick at skin (in addition to pulling out hair). Mutters repetitive phrases sometimes.
Likes things laid out around him, easy to see, especially in a consistent color theme. Doesn't like when things don't match (Ex: If given the choice, he'd rather build an entire fleet of Version 2.0 au pairs rather than 1 or 2 new models alongside old versions... He'd just throw them all out). Has very specific layouts he prefers for buttons, switches, and knobs.
Often prefers symmetry (Ex: hedges and string lights on both sides), but he also likes alternating up-and-down patterns (Ex: Likes the levers in his control room to be up-down-up patterns. Tends to set them like that without thinking through the consequences of flipping things).
Horrendous habit of walking into someone else's space and flipping THEIR levers without asking what they do.
Contamination OCD, especially regarding water (He does not like dirt in it) or food given to him by others (What if it's drugged or poisoned? This stuff could make him sick. Actually, we will sit here at the fancy dinner table not eating until everyone else does, and sometimes not even then. It's fine.) If you hand him a box of food, the first thing he'll do is check the expiration date. If it's too close, he'll throw it out.
Feels much safer with the au pairs cooking for him than a hired human chef. That's how people get murdered, Sally.
"But what if his robots glitch-" Did I stutter. This man has never heard of "Too many cooks in the kitchen" and he always has several au pairs on the same meal at once. If the day comes where there is a glitch he can't fix, he will cook for himself instead of hiring someone. Do not touch his plate unless you're his wife or son, and even then... he might not eat it. But he also hates going without food, so you can imagine the internal conflict.
Thankfully, he is actually married to someone who grew up cooking and who taught Dev to cook for videos. Unfortunately, Hadley is a hoarder and will keep food past its expiration date or when it's moldy. She is not allowed in the kitchen without Dale, Dev, and/or an au pair. Dale loses his mind if she goes in there unsupervised. You do not mess with his food anxiety.
It's the thing they argue about most, mostly because Dale knows Hadley will just eat moldy things (or offer them to Dev) rather than throw them out. Thank goodness for au pairs that can cook and discard expired food; they are holding this family together.
If you gave Dale the choice between eating something Hadley made or Dev made, he'd choose Dev's every time. He honestly likes his wife's cooking because she's dang good at it, but the picky eater is way more likely to throw things out if they're bad.
-> Dale often compares his son to a machine, but in this case, it's a compliment. Dale would stake his life on Dev's ability to put his foot down to Hadley about expired food. He actually has had to do this when ingredients are separated from their labels; it's a huge relief that Dev also thinks her food hoarding habits are unsafe, because Dale finally has someone who Lives In This House and Gets It...
Misophonia: - Hypersensitive to sound; gets very snappy very fast when a sound upsets him. Often unclear what sets him off vs. what doesn't, but screams, squelches, splashes, and rodent squeaks are fairly consistent "Hell no"s. Less bothered by chewing food, but doesn't like whistling or random mouth noises for the sake of noise.
Likes beeps and boops, but prefers when he's in control of them (or they're in musical patterns)- Presumably, he likes when keys he presses make noise, as it draws him in and helps him block out sounds he doesn't like. Easily annoyed by random background sounds.
Very sensitive to the noises his au pairs make. Can instantly tell if one nearby is flying in the wrong direction, which tends to stress him out (What if his security's been compromised? What if someone snuck in? Must check immediately.)
Inattentive ADHD: Does much better with a to-do list or schedule in his hand than he does without (and does better when his list is typed on his phone or tablet instead of a piece of paper he's at risk of putting down).
Easily distracted when things don't snag his attention. Loses interest in meetings that stray from the topic of money and electronics. Although his wife's an influencer and puts out frequent videos, he doesn't watch them (unless something with robots or piles of money catches his eye). Mind glazes over when Dev shows him memes.
When something snags his thoughts, he has a difficult time shifting away from it (See also, unable to focus on the festival or his business in general while plagued by thoughts of Project H, which devolved into "all he talked about" for months). Doesn't switch gears easily when he's in the zone. Hates interruptions and has a hard time switching back if someone - mainly Dev - breaks his concentration.
See also, "only his wife calls him Daedalus and only when she really needs to get through to him." Dale snaps to attention when he hears his full name, but gets quite anxious as he assumes the worst.
Dale's not the best at organizing his thoughts in a coherent to-do list, but he's really good at sticking to a schedule once it's in hand. Maybe too good (and inflexible). He's picked up some of Hadley's list-making tactics over the years (and learned a lot from job shadowing his dad). He's getting better at prioritizing (and learning how to say No to pushy people), but the au pairs are a big help.
Sometimes gets sidetracked and changes course - see also, pursuing Danky in "Stanky Danky"; did Dev go home by himself? - and gets very sucked into what he's doing (Leading to rapid turnaround of his Danky Days marketing).
Dale does have humans working in his company - and can turn to the au pairs for assistance - but he'll often do things himself since he feels he can do the work better and faster. He has a vision...
He talks a lot, tends to fidget, and interrupts people. Not very patient with those struggling to get their words out (his wife included). Still has outbursts and doesn't often apologize for cutting people off.
When his wife is stuck on a word, he'll usually fill it in for her and sometimes continue the sentence with his assumption of what she meant- often followed by the classic cartoon vibe of "Excellent idea! I'm glad I thought of it."
In the early years after his Vicky trauma, he was fairly quiet (Lots of racing thoughts inside his head), but even more fidgety than he is now. These days he might just bounce his leg, shift in his chair, or rub his thumb on the table while trying not to make noise that offends his misophonia. As a teen, he'd avoid eye contact, play with his sleeves, pick at stitches in his clothes, bite his nails, scratch his skin, and so on. Skin picking or pulling his hair is definitely one of his go-to behaviors since it's quiet.
Dale is less fidgety during meetings when eyes are on him, but he moves a lot when he's alone (See also, walking in the park while on the phone during "Lost and Founder's Day," taking work calls on Signal Hill more than once, and dancing in his control room).
Stats:
Power: Average
Endurance: Above Average
Wisdom: Below Average
Adaptability: Below Average
Charisma: Average
Openness: Below Average
Conscientiousness: Below Average
Neuroticism: Above Average
Occupation: Inventor (Robotics), owner of multiple businesses (Listed in first bullet point at top), Hadley's partner / assistant in her business affairs.
Heading Dimmadome Funds: 2014 - Present day
Heir: Dev Dimmadome
Previous Employment: Intern / assistant of Doug Dimmadome. We don't talk about the lemonade stand
BACKGROUND
Self-Perception: Went through hell for a best friend who didn't deserve his love and loyalty, but got up and made something of himself- Something his dad is sure to be proud of. No one in his family will ever be scrabbling for food again... and he's a lot more careful with his trust now than he was back then.
Alignment: Neutral Evil
MBTI: ISTJ (Turbulent)
Deadly Sin: Greed
Heavenly Virtue: Diligence
Love Language: Words of Affirmation
Reinforcers: Security; making money; well-deserved vacation days
History: Born and raised in Dimmsdale, California- Specifically, in his father's precariously perched cliffside estate (S3's "Engine Blocked").
This extremely questionable environment to raise a child left him overly cautious of where he put his feet and whether people were walking towards him. He learned pretty fast that toys that go over the edge aren't coming back... at least, unless you pull up your big boy pants and take the long walk down to retrieve them from the beach.
See Dimmsdale Map - Dale grew up in the northwest (Through the woods, down a long and windy road, up on a cliff).
Dale didn't have many kids over to play during his youth - or throughout his teen years at that - as watching more than one kid would've really split his parents' attention.
-> Adult Dale let Dev wander Dimmadelphia from a young age in part due to this warped idea he has of a child's ability to recognize danger (But mostly because he trusts the au pairs to grab him if he runs into the street).
You wouldn't know it looking at him now, but Dale was a very playful and curious child. He didn't have siblings and his parents' attention towards him was hit-or-miss. He kept himself entertained by exploring the beaches and cliffs around his home (along with any other location Doug brought him, such as Dimmsdale Farms and Dimmadelphia).
He poked through a lot of driftwood and garbage washing up on shore, taught himself to fix broken toys that went over the edge (like toy cars that popped their wheels out of place, or inflatable things that needed a patch).
Despite his mother (Pearl) living the stay-at-home-mom life, Dale preferred spending time with his father. Pearl came from generational wealth (as opposed to Doug's self-made wealth accrued from striking gold and using it wisely as he built up a larger fortune)- It was very important to her that Dale would grow up to be her vision of elegant and proper-mannered.
Pearl had very high expectations, especially in regards to what Dale ate. She struggled with an eating disorder in her teens and never quite let go of it, even though she recovered a lot. She cooked healthy meals and hated if Dale dragged his feet about it. Junk food was banned in the house, and if they attended an event with desserts, Dale was forbidden from eating them (She'd smack his hands if he tried). She commented frequently on his weight, as Doug's family is heavier than hers (especially since anxiety and eating disorders sprinkle her ancestry).
- When they were kids, Vicky snuck Dale sweets and snacks. What a good friend!
- If you'd asked young Dale, he'd politely tell you he loves his mother, but as an adult, the question would be met with a pause. He has a lot of conflicting feelings about her... and we've only scratched the surface.
Doug went along with a lot of what Pearl said (Very "Doug is in charge of businesses and Pearl is in charge of the home life" vibes), so he never complained about the fresh-made meals even when Dale struggled with them.
Dale has some good memories with his mom - like playing Dimmanopoly and other board games - but he preferred the company of his relaxed father. Doug may have been too relaxed in some areas, leading to inconsistent parenting (with Pearl trying to set a standard that Doug ignored when she wasn't around and encouraged Dale to flaunt too with a wink and smile).
Dale loves his dad very much, having grown up with Doug as the epicenter of positive things in his life: Dad let him goof off, didn't control what he ate, took him to events (especially those hosted at the Dimmadome), and could do everything. He's so smart and fun!
Dale spent a lot of time following his dad around, being his very curious and eager-to-learn self. He happily volunteered for farm chores and found a system for cleaning and organizing; he'd get a head pat and words of affirmation from his dad, and has been neat and tidy ever since. Even as a very young child, Dale spent many afternoons happily scrubbing his dad's office desk, windows, or floor while Doug talked on the phone.
Dale's preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade years were marked with people who seemingly only took an interest in him because he came from wealth... or alternatively, kids who were children of wealthy families themselves. Dale attended many fancy social events growing up and became familiar with the rich kids his age range. Still, he reached the point where he began introducing himself outside the wealthy social circle as Dale Donovan... which is the name Vicky committed to memory (and never questioned).
Dale wasn't a kid who threw money around (See Remy Buxaplenty doing things like renting out an entire theater just for him and bags of money). He also wasn't "popular" per se- Not like Trixie, Tad, and Chad are in Timmy's era.
In fact, Dale had no real money of his own and was pretty get-your-hands-dirty, down-to-earth. He was definitely provided for, but wasn't spoiled to the degree that Dev is. Dale was pretty content as a kid and didn't ask for much- He kept himself entertained, he liked exploring, and he liked cleaning. He lost some toys and balls over the edge of the cliff, but he learned to retrieve and repair them rather than throwing a fit and demanding a new one. Very "It's much faster if I do this myself" energy.
- He'd ask for comic books (and maybe a few toys), but he received enough attention and friendship that he was simply happy with his life. It's possible he would've become more restless and spoiled if he hadn't befriended Vicky, or if the Lemonade Drama hadn't happened.
-> All of this plays into Dale seeing himself as someone who worked for what he has. Yes, he inherited some generational wealth, but he doesn't consider himself a child who grew up with lots of liquid cash. He sees himself as a child who was grateful, worked hard, and achieved success.
-> Dale gets frustrated with Dev and sees his outbursts as evidence he's a spoiled brat, hence Dev's bed being labeled S.S. Spoiled [in French]. Dale doesn't get why Dev "can't just be grateful he has a nice life."
-> That said, he's also not the kind of dad who would tell Dev to stop hanging out with Hazel, even though Dale was frustrated with her during his Project H arc. Dale had a friend growing up- He figures Dev has several friends too (and is fine with Dev exploring the city... If only that dang kid would digitally mark when he's eaten!!)
Dale saw Vicky as "his only friend who cares about me for me, not my dad's money" and latched onto her. While he was still polite to other kids, Vicky knew him better than anyone (and he probably knew her better than most people, too... Arguably, he still knows her really well, which is uncomfortable for both of them).
See also, "50 Words of Dale and Vicky" (Age 6 to 9).
Dale always saw Vicky as clever, fun, and a good leader. He trusted her deeply and clung to threads even when she turned cruel towards him. Dale is very aware that "bad things happened" and "he felt hurt and scared for a long time," but he's uncomfortable when he thinks about Vicky as a person.
In his mind, the change was so extreme that he had thoughts like "This can't be who Vicky is- She's definitely under extreme distress. Something else is causing her to be lash out. I'm her best friend and I love her. She doesn't hate me; she's just upset. I forgive her, because that's what friends do. This is probably my fault; I'm not a good friend. I'm upsetting her. If I was better, she wouldn't yell at me."
He had a VERY difficult adjustment period after leaving Vicky. It was not easy for him to unlearn his attachment to her and it is consistently ambiguous to everyone (including himself) how he feels about her. He definitely hung out with her during his recovery period more than he should have.
Dale spent several years working through trauma- He reunited with his family, got doted on, was held to certain expectations, attended social events, played some basketball, played a lot of Sims, learned some languages, and gradually returned to school. Reunited with his mom - Lots of tension there - and was pretty clingy towards his dad.
See the Recovery & Time Freeze section of Dale's education details below.
When Dale was 19, his dad and Ed Leadly arranged a betrothal to Leadly's middle daughter. Since Hadley was someone Dale actually knew from rich people social gatherings, Dale was relieved for the chance to marry someone he knew rather than a stranger from out of state or something (and curious about getting set up with someone his dad liked).
Not much changed for them early on, but they made more of an effort to talk to each other at social events. They went on some walks, ate some treats, and got to know each other.
Dale was still in recovery, Hadley more interested in school and friends, and that was expected. They didn't go out of their way to meet each other outside fancy social events.
With the betrothal in play, Dale continued his gap years and personal study; this set his university years up to overlap Hadley's. They lived apart for the first 2.5 years, gradually moving from "vaguely betrothed couple" to "pair who go on actual dates." Dale spent this time working up the courage to hold hands and touch another person (i.e. putting arm behind Hadley while watching a movie).
They married the January Hadley was 21 (and Dale 24), moved in together, and continued their schooling. Doug grew increasingly ill during this time. Despite his wife's excitement for kids, Dale was reluctant to go through with that part of maintaining the Dimmadome family line. Nonetheless, he is nothing if not everything his father wanted him to be; Hadley conceived Dev the summer she was 22 (~1.5 years after the wedding).
Doug passed just before Dev was born. Dale still beats himself up over "not just gritting his teeth and having the kid sooner so Dad could've seen him."
Since Hadley had graduated, she kept herself entertained by filming vlogs of her pregnancy and Dev's early years while Dale continued university studies (and working on the au pairs when he could find time). Dale wasn't often left the primary caretaker of Dev, but he sometimes was when Hadley wasn't available. Dev's hypoglycemia stressed him out very early, and Dale was relieved when the au pairs could monitor Dev's blood sugar levels.
When Dev was 6 and the au pairs were functional enough to handle some basic care (Like holding Dev back from playing in traffic), Hadley took to traveling the world. Ever since, Dale and the au pairs have split Dev's caretaking (with Hadley returning now and then before taking off on her next adventure).
Father-Son Relationships Note: Dale received plentiful physical affection from his father growing up, but as he grew older and more bitter, he resented his dad for giving him "just pats" without expressing his thoughts through words and engagement. He's since twisted his past into believing that Doug's care for him boils down to "needed an heir," that Doug has never been proud of him, and that his dad barely paid attention to him.
As an adult, Dale doesn't recognize how meaningful physical touch was to him. Because he always had it - and even got hugs from Vicky as a kid - he didn't know its absence and fails to process how desperate Dev is for physical affection.
Clarification: Dale lacked physical affection in the lemon pit, but had a lot of other things going on that made "not getting hugs" low priority.
Despite Dale's love for boots (and his fixation on the past, his trauma, and his dad) taking priority in his thoughts, he actually is a decent* parent when he's not working. Dale struggles to take breaks largely because he feels he doesn't deserve to (and/or believes he had to sacrifice work-life balance for success), but there are some situations that let him justify relaxing the reins.
Dale relaxes more during holidays. Yes, there's a lot of business-related things he can still be doing, but let's take Christmas as an example: It's a federal holiday... and it's a day where people open packages they received as gifts, which were possibly ordered through Dimmazon. He helped people find good gifts and have a happy Christmas. Thus, he deserves to relax... It's a holiday!
Christmas and similar days Dale has decided are worthy of breaks are the moments Dev waits all year for: the time when his dad addresses him happily, keeps away from his phone and office, picks him up, plays games... or just crashes for a nap.
* "Decent Parent" Notes: Dale IS an inattentive parent and that should not be overlooked, but he brings Dev to city events, lets him hang out in his command tent, and responds to Dev's business-related questions in "Lost and Founder's Day." He greets him - even asking how he's doing this afternoon - when Dev returns home for lunch in "A New Dev-elopment." The au pairs were designed with the ability to cook and recognize when Dev wants a hug. Dale's not always there emotionally, but he sure can keep that kid alive.
Dale's relationship with Dev is much more "job shadow me because this will be you soon" while the Buxaplenty's plan for Remy is that they will simply not die until they're very old. Who's Liam and why does it matter if he has enough skills to survive when they're gone? ... Remy. I meant Remy.
⭐ Dale is just "good dad" enough that Dev clings to that, believing "If Dad didn't have to work so much, he'd give me love and attention." Also, Hadley tends to see Dale either in his middle or positive states of being a dad and misses a lot of Dale's questionable moments... The "downs" are more likely to happen when Dale is the sole parent.
The only thing worse than a cluelessly neglectful parent is a try-hard who keeps leading you on. Come on, Dev- He's your father! When he's there, you have everything you've ever wanted... Don't you know how hard things are for him? He's doing his best; he had an abusive childhood and he works so hard. Of course he loves you. He'll come back around if you're patient; just keep on trucking. Smile wide. Work hard. Be a good boy. Give him another chance......
These breaks spent with family are the ones Dale internalizes as "This is who I am as a person; I've given my son everything and here he is. I made him. My kid's a brat, but I can't even blame him- I'm just glad he's safe. And honestly, no DNA test necessary- I get it, buddy. He's mine. I have a wife. I have a kid. I enjoy my family and life."
Despite the way Dale brushes Dev off a lot when he's in business mode, he's a good person. Why wouldn't he be? He's a real man's man- He makes the big bucks and provides for his wife and son! What more can you want? You're asking a lot. Geez... Dale was abused as a kid, you know. Cut him some slack :/
See also, the note on Dale's relationship with fundamental attribution error (Emoji star after the Personality section).
Personality: Dale's always been curious, but his bright mind and love for exploring new things is overshadowed by the trauma of his youth, which pushed him to fight for survival. In fact, he'll fistfight you if you push him into it- or even wrestle you to the ground. He craves security- His dad, boots, money, and straightforward instructions embody that for him. So does Vicky, but we don't have to go there.
Dale's a hard worker, very clever, and willing to fight for what he wants. He gets sucked into projects for weeks or months at a time, but he gets results. Fear, rage, and jealousy boil beneath the surface, but he's better at holding his temper than you'd think. Doesn't often snap at people- More likely to gripe and mutter. Not afraid to get his hands dirty- Always the first to leap into action when he needs something done. No one's as fast or committed as him- Why rely on other people when you can do everything yourself? Day after day after day...
Trust no one. Pay for nothing you don't trust. Make it yourself.
Beneath his "pulled myself up by the bootstraps" persona, Dale is anxious, awkward, and aware of it... The quiet and fidgety kid he was still lurks beneath the louder and more pompous exterior. He looked to Doug and Vicky for so long, he still struggles to be the prime decision-maker (apart from his impulsive adventures).
Dale exhausts himself with his day job, where he's a CEO of multiple companies and juggling tasks (A recent notable one being "overseeing the construction of an indoor amusement park"). In his personal life, he'd rather do low-brainpower things like take a nap- He has little energy for Dev after work. However, he'd find food for both of them if the au pairs glitched out. Their core purposes is to keep Dev from going into a seizure, passing out, or dying, and that's not an "I'll fix it later" problem. If we eat cupcakes in the Wall-2-Wall Mart parking lot at 2 AM, so be it.
After work hours, Dale wants to do the least-brainpower things he can, so he'll crash and sleep... or look to Hadley for instruction (when she's around). Sometimes Dev shows him videos while Dale is sprawled on the couch, but his dad does not understand what he's looking at 90% of the time.
Unless he's in a very stubborn mood, Dale tends to do what people tell him to do. He won't if it's in direct conflict with his money-making goals, but if you ask him to be an extra pair of hands while bringing in party decorations from your car, he'll do it.
Beyond his egotistical attitude and hatred for recycling, he's a surprisingly good neighbor & husband (which is probably why people don't realize how neglectful he is to Dev). If you find him in the supermarket and ask if he knows where the spaghetti sauce is, he'll point you towards it.
His default response is to be friendly... It's just something that was heavily beaten out of him by Vicky's cruelty, his dad's "Don't talk about your trauma" attitude, and the cutthroat business world. See also, ignoring Hazel's name when he saw her in "A New Dev-elopment," but still greeting her and Dev and asking how their afternoon was in the first place.
Dale is curious, likes learning, and will follow the lead of anyone he deems interesting, relevant, and knowledgeable:
From this post about Dale and Kevin Crocker going out to dinner
Somewhere underneath his poor parenting, Dale wants to be a decent family man... After all, he can't disappoint Daddy there either. But he didn't have good role models for that and putting in the work is hard. Someday... someday when he's not so busy...
⭐ Dale is a textbook case for "guy who doesn't fall into fundamental attribution error easily." In other words, Dale takes circumstances into account when judging people's actions (not just attributing things to personality)... Perhaps to a critically unhealthy degree.
- Dad loves him very much. He's just really busy... Dale already has his father's love; what he needs is something he unquestionably deserves because he worked for it: Daddy's pride in him.
- Vicky can't be a horrifically cruel person because no one is actually like that. Vicky is just stressed and scared. She's doing her best and doesn't understand the effect she has on people.
- Conversely, Dale has a very hard time recognizing the effects of his neglect on Dev. Of course he cares about Dev- Would he provide for him or spend time with him if he didn't?
-> Dale doesn't see himself as "a bad person" or "a terrible dad" or "someone who would hurt a child." He sees himself as "a guy trying to grow and make money in ways that some people look down on or consider amoral, but everyone defines morals in their own way and you can't please everyone, so he's going to chase success regardless of what others think."
At his core, Dale is haunted not just by the abuse Vicky inflicted on him, but by the lack of praise and support he received from his dad growing up. But it's okay. Dad was just busy. He's over it. It's fine.
Education: Dale was a very enthusiastic student. He loved learning and would raise his hand for almost every question. He consistently landed top scores, was deemed "the smart kid," a suck-up, and a little too "goody-two-shoes perfect" for his own good.
Although restless and a little forgetful - ADHD be like that - Doug and Pearl kept him on track, and he did a mostly good job at turning in his homework.
Dale was very much the type to stand up to bullies. He got into several fights growing up, even as a 1st grader (Even with Vicky, who forgave his stupid acts, because she is a good person).
Elementary School: Dale attended preschool and kindergarten at a private school, but asked to be put in the same class as Vicky for 1st grade. Doug shrugged and did so, glad his son had a friend. Thus, Dale moved to Dimmsdale Elementary (with his dad's personal assistant dropping him off, as he was outside the school bus range... See also, lived beyond the woods up on a cliff).
Dale disappeared at the end of his 3rd grade year. He missed several years of school, including his entire middle school period.
- Despite several kids aware of Dale's family name, Vicky believed his surname was Donovan. Why would he lie about that?
- If you asked Vicky directly, she'd say something like "Well, I found out his real last name at some point, but he always told me it was Donovan, so I kept calling him that. I thought he came from a family of successful farmers." Whether any of that is true is anyone's guess.
Recovery & Time Freeze: After leaving Vicky's lemonade factory, Dale spent some time "crashing"... mostly curled up in bed, struggling through a lot of feelings, and remembering how to live in a house (Preparing food, adjusting to bright lights, people coming and going, getting dressed every day, and so on).
Generally, Dale got pushed into things (like social interaction and independence) by his dad before he was ready. This may have been beneficial in the long term (seeing as Dale wanted to lay in bed for weeks or months, or maybe on the couch if he was daring), but he wasn't happy about it at the time.
Dale played a lot of PC games (Mostly Sims) and slowly caught up on his schooling... or at least the parts Doug cared about.
Notably, this is how Dale spent the 50 years time was frozen. He also picked up new skills like languages (for fun because he found them interesting), but like everyone else, he was under "It's uncommon to advance through school years because of time manipulation" rules, so... he looped through recovery, personal study, and a small amount of academia- Not a full year of schooling like other kids his age.
Dale also looped through job shadows with his dad. He became very knowledgeable about meticulous business workings and the stock market, farm-related expertise, and social events.
He also became incredibly good at card games (like Blackjack and Texas Hold'em), which surprised everyone including himself. He could consistently clean out his dad's gambling buddies after several loops at age 16, which they found adorable. They were very excited to take him to Vegas when he turned 21.
"Is that legal even if it happened in their own home?" -> We don't have to talk about that. Unrelated, but the Dimmadomes sure own a lot of business fronts and buy weird art pieces, huh?
Since businesses, product releases, and tech advancements continued changing as the years went by, Dale was exposed to many new things and was arguably more prepared for adulthood thanks to the time freeze than any other noteworthy character in the Cloudlands or City Lights AUs (except perhaps A.J.)
Like everyone else, he thinks he gained all his knowledge during 2003- Not during repeated 2002 years.
High School: Dale enrolled in a private school, his learning supplemented with private tutors - namely Denzel Crocker - but that didn't stop him from loitering around Dimmsdale High in search of Vicky. He had several run-ins with her, Justin Jake Ashton (Mark Chang), and other kids their age.
From this post about Dale (and Happy Peppy Gary) spying on Vicky & Justin
Further Education: Took several gap years before attending Archimedes University in Dimmadelphia. He took his courses slowly, just a few credits at a time, and his schooling was stretched out over a long period. He studied robotics and business (and later got a master's).
During this time, Doug passed on, Dev was born, and Dale inherited the Dimmadome fortune.
Favorite School Subject: Science -> Physics -> Robotics. He also enjoyed math, art, and marketing.
Least Favorite Subject: Biology
Clubs: Robotics, of course! (Nerd)
Friend Group: Jeremy and Watson- Upper class folks such as Remy, Trixie, Tad, Chad, Veronica, and Hadley. Also Mikey Munroe (Security expert like his parents), but who's asking?
Notable Likes:
- Boots
- Robotics
- Naps
- Getting into a flow state without distractions (Especially noise)
- Boots again
- Drawing (Especially with colored pens or markers)
- Dancing
- Rodeos (plus state fairs, farms, cows, and horses)
- Big buildings
- Sims games and any card or board game that lets him accrue many pieces and cards. Worst Uno player you've ever met.
- Snappy turnaround on his projects- He lives by an "It's faster if I do it myself" attitude
- Feeling like he deserves rest (Like that ever happens)
- When his wife is away and he gets the bed to himself
- When his wife is home so the hypervigilance doesn't hit as hard
- His wife :(
- Following lists and meticulously organizing things
- Cleaning products that don't smell like citrus
- Puffy jackets with chunky zippers
- People commenting he's gained weight
- Sunlight (but no, he won't open the bedroom windows)
- Rain and snow
- Paloma cocktails
- Boat rides
- Gambling
- Basketball
- Animal print
- Hunting
- His wife in THOSE boots
Had Fairy Godparent: ... This page seems kinda smudged.
Favorite Wish: Hm. I don't think the archives ever wrote that down...
Goals:
- Build generational wealth to pass to his descendants
- Stop overthinking things at night; go to bed satisfied
- Accrue a lot of knowledge and learn many skills
- Teach Dev things about business so he'll be more prepared to take over the Dimmadome fortune than Dale was
- Reduce the number of prototypes it takes to land a great robot
- Unwind... Rest... Take more guilt-free naps
- Be a good family man (??)
Beliefs:
- Hard work will be rewarded
- Security and stability are everything
- Good branding doesn't guarantee success, but it sure makes things easier
- Don't separate a traumatized person from their comforts. Or most people from those things. But Dev shouldn't have screen time too close to bed- Taking his tablet is good for him.
- No one is truly evil; everyone is a good person with reasons for what they do. Knowing why people act the way they do is the key to negotiation and communication
- Anything can be learned. Anything - and any person - can be improved with hard work, time, and dedication
- Robots are helpful and improve quality of life... Good robots that people who know what they're doing built, at least.
- Being left unsupervised as a child probably messed him up. Thank goodness Dev has au pair guardians
- The ends justify the means
Fears:
- Disappointing his dad
- Being abandoned by everyone (Vicky, his dad, his wife...)
- Losing everything he's built up
- He and/or his family getting kidnapped (and tormented)
- Ed Leadly (Father-in-law)
- Waking up in the lemonade factory (It was all a dream...)
- Vicky Incorrect. Vicky is his friend. She would never hurt him.
Upsets:
- Losing money
- Faulty au pairs
- Random background noises
- Animals (especially furry ones; very unhygienic)
- Dev talking back to him, fidgeting during social events, or refusing to eat at a nice restaurant
- Lemonade
- Hadley dragging her trash into his space (or gifting him things that don't fit his organization system... but she's forgiven)
- Loose seashells or stones lying around
- Being separated from his boots
- Unlabeled items that might contain lactose or mold
- Dev not marking on his digital checklist that he's eaten around mealtimes. Boy, don't play these games...
- People sneaking near his house
Comforts:
- His lucky boots
- The Dimmsdale Dimmadome
- Clothes that ease body dysphoria (Like puffy jackets that don't cling to his thin frame)
- Things neatly put away (and his stuff still in the same place he left it), especially in his closet, office, bedroom, car, and bathroom
- Having enough light to see
- Clean water, abundant food, plenty of cash... The basics
- Words of affirmation
- Decorations and branding that remind him of his dad (Even if he's not a big fan of his dad's hats personally)
Indulgences: Cartoons from his childhood... but he doesn't watch often. When he does, it's probably with headphones on (and the sound low) with the door extra locked.
Sometimes he splurges on Crimson Chin comics since they can go for a high price (and he can afford it). Splurging often sucks him in, leading to binge scrolling and bulk memorabilia purchases.
Some of this stuff ends up in Dev's hands or Hadley's hoard. Dale will hold things in his own room briefly (i.e. while actively using them), but if he doesn't have a consistent storage space, he'll give them to a family member, sell them, or throw them out when he's done.
I am lying. You don't throw things out in Hadley's household!
EXTERNAL
Verbal Notes: Loves to talk; gets big and loud about it. Likes adjectives. Comes across as quite cheery (Was scolded post-lemonade factory for being quiet and fidgety, which was "weak and shameful"- He learned to "shape up" and mask a lot of what he felt).
Loves talking about himself, his businesses, and his dad's accomplishments.
Picked up old slang terms from his dad (and Dad's gambling buddies... who were also Dale's gambling buddies). "Tough titties, kitties" is one of his go-tos, though he censors it as "tough tittles" around Dev.
Other favorites are "Nifty!" (Cool), "Swanky" (Looks great; elegant), "Ah, applesauce!" (Dang it!), "Get a wiggle on" (Let's go; get moving), "Dry up" (Shut up and get lost), and "Bank's closed" (No making out tonight). I wish I was making that last one up.
Dev finds these embarrassing and rolls his eyes, but at least he has something to throw back at his dad if Dale ever grumbles about Dev's preferred slang.
Also, Dale would rather say "folks" than "everyone" or "guys." He sees people as customers, clients, or walking wallets, but will correct himself to more socially acceptable words (like "lovely people," "other students," "persons," or "kids your age").
Not afraid to share his thought process even if it's a little amoral (See also, "tends to assume others experience emotions the way he does"). When he sets rules and expectations, he'll explain why (Ex: "You can't go out alone; the au pairs are on the fritz" or "Finish your homework before dinner; we're going out tonight"). Dale likes knowing what to expect, so that's how he talks to other people.
Example from canon: "Devin, turn down that game. I can hear the incessant beeping and booping and tapping all the way in my office. I have an important project I'm working on for Founder's Day." -> As opposed to "Turn that off; it's loud."
Dev picked this up from him- It's in the way he tells Hazel he's no longer interested in the treasure hunt because "It's silly to jump through hoops." Then he IS interested and explains why he snapped at her. He expresses frustration with Hazel's lack of frustration when he cheated in Rock, Paper, Scissors, etc.
Say one thing about those Dimmadomes... They're not always on the same page, but they sure explain what they're thinking. I guess you don't get to be a great business negotiator without communication skills.
Dale's instinct isn't to be complimentary. During business meetings, he'll grit his teeth and fake enthusiasm, but he's definitely had moments where he wants to insult everything around him. He's sweeter with his wife than with most people, but focuses on topics like financial success and elegance.
Ex: "Way to rake it in, Hadley! The stocks are up this month" & "Now that's a classy look" as opposed to "You're such a hard worker" or "You look beautiful tonight". It's just his brain's go-to.
Since he didn't care for Doug's physical affection like pats and hugs but craved praise, Dale mirrors that towards Dev. He expresses pride (i.e. "Keep up the good work and you'll be running with your old man in no time") when he feels Dev "achieved success"... which usually means Hadley's Dev-themed videos are doing well, Dev won money from a tournament, or Dev scored all A's at the end of the year.
Big "Great; that's what I expect. You're a sharp kid; a real chip off the old block- you just need to apply yourself more" vibes.
He tends to overlook or diminish Dev's accomplishments. Are all A's that impressive if you weren't the best in class? Dev gets praised, but it feels hollow... He is never good enough.
In other words, Dale's compliments sound backhanded despite them not technically being rude... He just focuses on "things that help our success and status" more than the people he's addressing.
Dale uses tag questions like "Innit?", "Wouldya?", or "Do I?" Many sentences end with upward inflection. [ Think ~, ?, !, or :) ]
He has a great memory for names. Or rather, the importance of knowing names was drilled into him early on. He'll address people by name if the situation calls for it (even if they're a trash monster). And don't you dare insult the trash monster. That's his friend now. Very good at greeting people that he cares about when he sees them, especially in business situations.
Almost always calls his son Devin. Occasionally calls him Dev or a special nickname like "Kiddo," "Bud," "Son," or "Junior."
Dev's full forename is Development, but that's reserved for special moments... Like pride, but never in scolding. Dev doesn't jump in alarm at the sound of his full name the way Dale does- Dale calls "Devin!" if he's mad.
For all his emotional distance and dehumanization tendencies, Dale genuinely views Dev as his son. He refers to him as such and doesn't cut ties for the sake of professionalism... which is more than I can say for some people...
Language: Speaks fluent English; can pull off business talks in Mandarin and Japanese.
Better at Japanese since his wife's a big fan and has been learning the language since she was a kid, but Hadley speaks it with "an anime accent" and Dale speaks it with a more professional one.
Languages were one of the things Dale kept himself entertained with during his mental recovery years... Played a lot of video games with different language settings, listened to a lot of audiobooks. He knows all the Simlish words that actually are consistent words.
Physical Notes: Very expressive with his body language, but if you compare him with other people, you'll detect a certain stiffness or reservation in some movements (Ex: Tries to stop himself from flinching. If he does, he'll snap upright and square up... General sense that he doesn't let himself feel certain emotions. Compare with Mikey Munroe, who bends his entire body backwards and curls up when startled).
Tends to lean, often cocking one hand on his hip. Usually has a device in his other hand. Often walks while scrolling through his phone or tablet, or while talking on the phone. Prone to fidgeting (Ex: bouncing his leg) or dancing, especially when he's in the zone. He's dramatic even in his office- kicking himself across the room on his swivel chair or acting out mental images. Walks around a lot while listening to music, pretending he's in a dramatic scene.
Doesn't pocket his hands as much as Dev does and is more likely to pocket one than both. Blinks infrequently. Stares a lot (especially at screens). Often avoids eye contact.
Not afraid to pump his arms, throw his hands in the air, dance, stomp, hop, finger gun, flash peace signs, or whatever it takes to get people's eyes on him while he's trying to sell stuff.
In his teen years, Dale slouched a lot, fidgeted - especially by rubbing his cheeks since his mouth hurt - and struggled to look at people. His dad really pushed him to stand straight, shake hands, and talk more.
Does not often touch people - combo of OCD and trust issues - but he'll lean on them if he's in the zone and talking big (Ex: thumping his elbow on top of Danky while baby-talking him).
Has an easier time touching people with a clothed arm than making skin to skin contact.
Doesn't reach for people absentmindedly. Way more likely to hold his hands close to his chest than take his wife's hand. But sometimes he does, especially in front of cameras (You can't be the Dimmadome power couple if you don't convince everyone you're a couple). He'll clap a hand to Dev's shoulder when talking to or bragging about him.
He does this a lot at bustling social events because if he takes his hand off that child, he will probably lose him within 10 seconds.
Break Dale's trust forever by grabbing his extended hand and yanking him forward (or squeezing way too tight). Like an elephant, he will never forget and will keep an extra step away from you at all times. Do not grab or push him. He will go on guard around you.
Handedness: Right
Body Language: Often stiff with a tendency to stare, though he does a lot of leaning. Becomes expressive when he's talking up a storm. Doesn't blink much. Usually holding a phone or tablet.
Hair: Thin, often splitting at the ends, and comes out in clumps. Has some pomp and fluff to it, but he's pulled out a lot of that over the years.
His front loop is a natural curl that will spring out again even if he clips that bit off. Specifically, it grew in as he got older and his front puff reduced in size.
I don't always, but I like to draw the two stray hairs in the back like lowercase Ds (hanging on from their bottoms).
Teeth: Had his missing teeth replaced with gold. Back when they were missing, Dale avoided smiling or talking much. Mouth hurt a lot for years.
Scars: Physically, not as many as you'd think. But emotionally? Imagine the toil.
Tattoos: None... to his wife's disappointment. Hadley would love for him to get a little cherry blossom with a cute branch wrapped around his ring finger to compensate for the sensory issues his wedding ring gives him, but being stabbed repeatedly with a sharp object does not factor into his life goals.
When he goes out of town for business meetings, Hadley will often video call and ask to see the ring and/or ask him to write her name on his chest or stomach. She is THAT paranoid... but y'know, we can make small allowances for her. She's his friend wife!
Style: Has a funky, modern, sleek, and not necessarily professional style (See also, chunky zippers and sequin pants). Gives off huge "new money" vibes that make people in his social circle glance at him funny, but no one says anything because he's a billionaire.
Wears his puffer jacket even in the California summer because it makes him look less scrawny. It's a recent addition to his wardrobe, but it tremendously improved his confidence and self-perceived attractiveness. He loves it and is very proud that he found it himself. This man is also a tech geek who does not really understand fashion. He dresses how he wants.
Notably, Dale is very neat and doesn't like items that don't fit his closet organization. He'll humor his wife when she brings him new clothes, but they both know he'll discard it if it's inconsistent with what he already has and likes.
Dev owns a lot of oversized shirts because they were passed down from Dale; Dev wears them to bed sometimes.
Regular Clothing: Big puffer jacket and sequin pants, really leaning into that funky modern geek vibe.
Casual Clothing: Anything baggy that doesn't cling to his scrawny figure, but it has to be something with a tight enough collar that it won't hang off his shoulders. Besides white and gold, he also likes purple... It's safe...
Nightwear: Animal print boxer shorts. Sometimes leopard, sometimes zebra, sometimes cow... You never know! Hadley gives him pajamas for her holiday videos, so he'll wear those until he doesn't want to. He tends to like his things, but he also likes new and fun things.
Formal Clothing: White suits with black and gold accents, as Dimmadomes are wont to do.
Other: Cannot emphasize enough how much this man likes animal print. He will wear anything you give him, but cow patterns are a favorite (Probably because he grew up around them).
Being barefoot is a huge trigger for lemonade pit memories (specifically, having dirt and grime underfoot). Dale has a stockpile of identical boots because they bring back memories of a safe childhood, his dad's affection, and his recovery process... but he'll still cling to one pair until it's absolutely falling apart.
-> Mostly, he only takes the boots off only when getting dressed (They won't fit, but he'll leave them on if he's putting on something with wide leg holes) or in the shower (He cares a lot about scrubbing his feet to get off grime since that's the point of wearing them).
-> If he gets separated from his boots, he'll keep his feet off the ground and call for someone... but everyone in his household knows not to touch them, so he's rarely without. Yes, the boots stay on in the bedroom. All the time.
Not a big fan of hats... Specifically, his dad's style of hat. He would never, ever tell his father that.
Height: 6′4″
Hygiene: High risk of neglecting hygiene due to hyperfixating on his projects. The au pairs give him reminders, but it's not unusual for him to brush those off. He tries to take care of his remaining tooth.
Dale takes long showers due to mild contamination OCD (especially regarding his feet)- the shower is the only place he likes taking off his boots, and he cares a lot about scrubbing his feet. The feel of dirt or crumbs on his feet is a big trigger, and he wears the boots to take the edge off that.
Sometimes he dissociates, so he ends up in the bathroom longer than he needs to. He might jump on a phone call with Hadley to keep grounded, but strictly no one else- No business talks, no extended family. Wife only.
This is Dale's personal self-care-slash-check-in-with-wife time and he gets snappy if Dev interrupts him. Keep conversation to dinner, kid. If you want to talk to your mother, hop on call in the other room.
Morning Schedule: Brief morning shower (super quick rinse), hair care, check Dev marked himself as "Ate breakfast" on his digital daily checklist, start work.
Typical Day Schedule: Work- Lots of reviewing reports, contacting people, giving presentations, and sitting in meetings. Juggling multiple businesses. Check Dev ate lunch.
If he didn't mark it, stress out. Call school nurse; get assured he's fine. Pace around stressing over Dev until he finally gets the indication he's eaten. Stare blankly at screens, trying to get back in the zone. The usual.
Evening Schedule: Shower. Dinner with Dev (sometimes with fancy people). Stress out if Dev is late.
Dinner is when Dale and Dev talk the most. It's at that time that Dev will talk about his day at school (Ex: If he scored well on a test). Dale doesn't have much to say to Dev because the au pairs and/or Dev's daily checklist keep him on track with chores, homework, hygiene, and "No screen time an hour before bedtime" reminders.
That said, if Dale makes plans that involve Dev, he'll tell him (Ex: "Tomorrow we're going out for dinner, so be ready to go by 5:30" or "I need you to pass Dimmlets out to your class." Not great at expressing interest for Dev's life, but he sure tells you his plans.
Also, general father-son conversations like Dev getting permission to host a sleepover ("The Wellsington Hotellsington").
After dinner, Dale handles personal life money-related things, like bills, checking stocks, or donating money to Dev's school ("28 Puddings Later"). He'll handle communications with friends and family during this time if applicable (Ex: If his in-laws text to ask about family reunions).
Also does repairs or upgrades to the au pairs (and focused on Project H for a while). He's often on the phone with his wife while doing this since she gets lonely when she doesn't hear from him. Sometimes he's on the phone with other people, including for business reasons (Thus cutting down Dev's ability to engage with him).
Dale can easily get sucked into his projects, but the au pairs will get him when it's bedtime and that helps. He'll tidy up, do some night hygiene things, and try to sleep.
Dale is pretty repetitive with his schedule; he likes it to run smoothly. Very frustrating when things unexpectedly go awry (Ex: Dev was late getting home for dinner). That's a sure way to land him in a bad mood and he's more likely to be snappy about things that annoy him (See also, misophonia).
Dev does his best to appease his dad, but he feels awful if he slips up and his dad gets very grumpy about it. He will absolutely get home on time (and will probably be sitting at the table early) if he wants to ask permission for something. And if he was late, he'll be as quiet and non-needy as possible.
Hadley's often away from home, and Dale's often exhausted by the time he heads to bed. Maybe some light flirting, but sleepy cuddles are much more likely than sex. Their fantasies are a little elaborate... Tired owners of multiple businesses gotta sleep sometime.
Weekend Schedule
Slower to get dressed and up on weekends. It's not uncommon to work from bed, checking up on things and sending emails (Maybe with au pairs bringing him breakfast). Hadley sleeps late, but thrashes less in the early morning hours than she does in the night, so there's that.
Weekends are really their only option for married life intimacy, and only if Hadley's home. Despite Dale's general performance anxiety, he enjoys the cosplay and roleplay aspects, which can get pretty fancy. Work hard during the week, play hard on your half-day off.
He's not always into the things his wife's into, but he likes being told what to do, so take that as you will.
Don't worry- he's very good at pushing his own wants too.
There's plenty of general house stuff to do too, like fixing au pairs and making sure everything's running with the bills and garden.
Dale is mildly more attentive to Dev's personal life on weekends (especially Sundays and/or when Hadley isn't there), offering the hope of a relationship that keeps Dev going between holidays. Still, Dev doesn't see his dad as much as he wants to. It's fine.
Sleep Schedule: Does not sleep well. Even when his wife isn't thrashing around in bed, he's a light sleeper and tends to jolt awake. Very sensitive to sounds; struggles to feel safe at night. Often crashes into naps.
That said, having Hadley around does have its perks, like reducing anxiety that someone will sneak in and kidnap him.
Dale and the au pairs have made multiple attempts to clean Hadley's room so she'll sleep in hers instead of his, but it never works. She'll cuddle up to him despite Dale's annoyance with her thrashing around in her sleep.
He tolerates it because... Let's be honest- He's aware he's A Lot, so he can put up with the fact that he's a married man and it's common for couples to share a bed. And while they're both awake, the cuddles aren't bad, so there's that.
Often struggles to drift off and then jerks awake, hypervigilance kicking in (and flooding him with adrenalin). He'll slip out of bed and make the rounds (Checking on Dev himself rather than sending flashy, beeping au pairs... It's easier to find the source of strange sounds when you're not trying to listen over the sound of whirring fan blades).
Sometimes gets up to work in the middle of the night to get a head start on projects. Often looks for food. Sometimes Dev comes down in the early morning to find his dad on the kitchen floor surrounded by boxes, often with a huge pile of opened things that are now "at risk foods" that clearly need to be thrown out. Food anxiety is rough.
Dale actually does like cuddling... Hadley's just not good at staying still. He likes holding Dev more than you'd think- After all, "Someone might kidnap my son" or "My son might die if he doesn't eat" are thoughts that keep him up at night, so it's easier to fall asleep when Dev's on the couch with him (or at least in the room).
Dev might seek him on occasion (i.e. holiday naptime, Mom's away and Dev's spooked by something, or camping), but Dale never asks for this (because... he's not going to ask his son to sleep in bed with him). He does request Dev or the au pairs to knock on his door if he came home late, but that's it. And Dale gets frustrated when Dev's not home for dinner, so sometimes he'll grump and grill him on what kept him out so long and if the reasons help him network.
Dev usually avoids approaching his dad, not wanting to upset him (especially if he's ill or feels dumb for being spooked by loud noises). It's a balancing act, but whatcha gonna do?
PERSONAL
Dale's Family Tree: HERE
Disclaimer: If future New Wish seasons give us relatives for Dale, this family tree (and Dale's history section) may change. It also might not. We'll see!
Relationship Status: Married to Hadley Harrington (Ed Leadly's middle daughter). Dale loves her dearly, as far as he has love for a fellow person. Don't quote me on that; it's possibly untrue.
Wedding Anniversary: January 21st, 2012 - A few months before he turned 25
Dale reunited with Hadley at age 15 (after escaping Vicky) as she was part of the social circle he was re-introduced to after many years away. Since he's 3 years older, she was quite young when he went off the radar, but he's technically known her all her life.
Hadley's older sister (Harper) is Dale's age. For a while, he knew her better- He used to play with her as a kid. Harper's the one he (presumably) would've been betrothed to if she didn't fight her dad on the idea of betrothals in general. Hadley didn't mind marrying a man she might not love, so the offer fell to her.
Dale still considers Harper a friend and enjoys seeing her at family reunions, but Harper and Hadley don't get along well. Not that Dale notices.
Since he's known her for years, Dale grew familiar with Hadley; she's easily the person he's closest with. He trusts her with his life in almost all situations... but he will still ritually check the expiration dates on every ingredient she cooks with (and will sometimes make a loop to check on things that make him nervous even if she already did it). And yes, he still loves his boots and will say so. See? You don't need to hoard to be happy! Just hyperfixate for life!!
It's almost hilarious that Dale has extreme trust in Hadley while she's paranoid he'll cheat on or divorce her. Hadley asks a lot of questions about where he's been and who he's with, but when she returns from a trip, he'll smile and adopt an attitude of "Hey! You're back!"
Exception being if she interrupts him to tell him she's home. He doesn't love when something breaks his concentration and will be snappy and fussy for the rest of the evening... but if he wraps up his work and then leaves his room to find she's home, he'll throw his arms in the air with a smile and acknowledge she's back. Wife :)
He will not be there emotionally, but he definitely knows when there's someone in his house.
Hadley has an outside entrance to her storage rooms so she can unpack while he works on late-night projects... They realized pretty fast that Dale doesn't handle unexpected door squeaks and footsteps very well.
Dale finds it very attractive that Hadley's always been friendly to him, including when he was fresh out of the lemonade pit, emotionally raw, and didn't look or act appealing. They bicker on occasion, but she's never threatened to hit him. In fact, she's pretty patient when he takes his time working up to things.
Hadley came from a very wealthy family (thus cutting down the risk of her being a gold digger), yet is also a hard worker very devoted to her self-made career: making videos and selling a wide variety of products (especially things that don't fit his expertise, such as travel supplies and workout gear).
Dale places a lot of value in work and independence, so he's very fond and supportive of his wife. She's a good, safe person.
He genuinely doesn't mind when she's away traveling... She's there just enough to be comforting without being around so often that she's super annoying. Dev would benefit from having more parental attention, but Dale does just fine, so clearly his son is fine too.
Despite the conflicts that crop up in their marriage (such as Hadley being a hoarder while Dale is neat and tidy), Dale has a lot of positive feelings towards Hadley. If a positive thought about her comes to mind while she's in the room, he'll just say it. Surprisingly, that's gotten him far in life.
If you get him started, he can gush on about how much he likes his wife, who is very cool and hot...... He'd just also be able to walk away from this relationship without being too bothered that it ended. They might be a little TOO independent...
The vibe here is definitely "Enjoy what you have while you have it." Neither of these people likes letting go of things, so they continue enjoying what they have.
Dale has an interesting quirk of referring to Hadley by name rather than labels like "my wife" due to her extreme determination to make a name for herself; she'll jump in to say her name if she's around when he does use a label like that. Sometimes he'll say "your mother" to Dev (in the same vein he told Dev to "listen to his business partner" in canon), but he's broken most of the "my wife" habit.
Dale is significantly more touchy-feely with Hadley in front of crowds or cameras than he is when they're at home. That is, he'll sit with her at a dining table, hold her hand, or even frog-jump right over her to chase something that caught his eye.
He isn't the most complimentary, he's not great at sharing the spotlight, and he doesn't always sing her due praises despite listing off the many businesses he owns, but he'll smile at, finger gun, throw his arm around, or openly flirt with her.
... If you can call it flirting.
Dale is not big on being lovey-dovey, but he'll play up the flirting when people are watching (Ex: Bragging during a press conference, pulling her right up against him at a party while telling someone she's cool, leaning on her, handing her the microphone with no warning, and dropping comments like "Aw, ain't she a doll?") I mean... that's what people on TV do, right?
He also texts her photos of him scoring business deals and/or covering himself in money. Sometimes he just stares at her from afar. Wow... wife...
He tends to talk over Hadley in public- She often stutters and isn't as loud and dramatic as he is, so he'll swoop into her conversations (Sometimes throwing his elbow on her head or shoulder, leaning a lot of his weight on her). He has an equally bad habit of getting distracted and wandering away during events, leaving her to wrap up what she was doing and then look around in confusion for him.
They are sickeningly cute in matching pajamas, which is most likely to happen when Hadley's pulled the family together for a game night, video, or vacation. Dale will probably be on the couch scrolling through his phone, but he lets Hadley sit near him. Maybe even lay her head on him. Even Dev can wriggle up to him when he's in vacation mode... Dale is definitely more at ease when Hadley's taking charge and telling him what to say and do.
Again, Dale is chronically unable to convince himself he deserves rest. When Hadley's in charge and "makes him rest" as a family bonding activity, he's actually okay with that. He'll let Dev climb in his lap and snuggle. Dale's not incredibly affectionate even during holidays, but when you're Dev, you take what you can get.
Dale is prone to both hyperfixations and dissociation; sometimes he feels like seconds or minutes passed when really, it was hours. The au pairs keep him grounded enough to eat, but if he's left alone without them, Dale will completely zone out and neglect all his needs (from hunger to bathroom to hygiene... not to mention Dev in general).
Criticize him for Dev's impersonal, drone-related upbringing all you want, but the cursed alternative is "Dale fails to feed his hypoglycemic little boy, who has a seizure and no one's there." The au pairs are holding this family together...
Lost chargers, power outages, and long road trips without electricity cause genuine anxiety in the Dimmadome household. A family of 3 who all have ADHD/OCD comorbidity can get by together, but the worst part about the au pairs is how reliant you end up on them...
Dale considers himself to be an attentive parent "when not working" and fails to recognize the impact his devotion to business-y things has on Dev's daily life.
Cross-reference with H.P., who avoids admitting family relations, actively pushes his offspring away when they touch him, will stay awake until everyone else in the room is asleep, and is always micromanaging.
H.P. has a "Not ever; that's unprofessional" approach to touch and family attitudes while Dale's energy is along the lines of "Not now; I'm busy" and "I loved my dad, so Devin loves me" and /takes his son's arm and points at him- "I made this."
Dale wants to be a good dad... he just has skewed memories of what his own dad was like, he's bad at talking to children, and doesn't care if he secures money (i.e. safety) in immoral ways. There's a lot going on inside his head, and frankly... He's not going to listen to your critique. You don't know what he's dealing with. He's raising this kid his way. Money is safety. Safety is everything. Dev is doing fine.
Dale and Hadley are also that couple who, if you put them in a room with a bunch of other people to play games, will always team up. They didn't come here to make new friends... They don't trust like that. Partner with someone else?? You're asking a lot.
Dimmadelphia's ruthless power couple, everyone.
Often takes off his wedding ring for sensory reasons and forgets where he put it (Don't tell his wife) (Oh no, she's onto him).
Due to the triple combo of Dale not wearing his ring, walking around separately at events, and not calling her "my wife" in conversation, there are a lot of people who don't know he's married... Including every teacher Dev's ever had until they get the jumpscare of Hadley showing up for parent-teacher conferences. Many people consider Hadley Dale's personal assistant and don't connect the dots that she's Dev's mom. Yes, they're uncomfortable if Dale hints he's slept with her.
Every now and then, Dale attends a social event where some widower or divorcee asks if he'd be interested in joining a singles support group (to his bafflement, and he always turns them down because they're clearly trying to scam him out of money).
He's been asked out multiple times... and since he's not great at reading signals, he's inadvertently gone on many dates he thought were business meetings. Sometimes he brings Dev with him "so the kid can get some business experience." Dev can instantly clock when the vibes are flirty and will try to subtly get his dad's attention or cut in with a comment about his mom, but he's often ignored. Comedy of errors...
Betrothed to Hadley at age 19. They'd run in the same social circle all their life, so they were certainly aware of each other despite not being romantic. Well, Dale missed 7 years, but other than that...
Specifically, their dads worked this out as an option in their youth, pitched it to them individually, and they both accepted.
Dale was relieved to marry someone from Dimmsdale. Doug definitely had some options from elsewhere in the country and Dale was nervous to meet new people and explain all his trauma. Hadley actually saw him during recovery, so he never had to get into detail, and she's pretty accommodating. They get along great.
Clarifying note: They weren't married until they were older, but the betrothal was locked in at that time since by age 19, it was time for Dale and Doug to nail down a plan. Since the Leadlys are multimillionaires rich enough for Leadly to drop 17 million on a spontaneous purchase ("Dog Gone"), one of his daughters was the ideal place to start asking.
Simple courtship. Mostly, Dale and Hadley continued seeing each other at the usual social gatherings, but slowly moved towards deeper talks about their future. Lots of showy gifts exchanged in the way you'd expect upper class kids to privately flirt.
Dale definitely took his time working up to, y'know... talking to people. Neither Dale nor Hadley trusts easily, both having come from families that raised them to be wary of someone taking advantage of them for wealth. However, their shared backgrounds and planned betrothal helped grow their trust in each other, leading to them both feeling very safe in the other's presence.
Ideal Relationship: Back in the day, Dale would've had a hard time putting into words what he wanted- He was just glad to have his life back. Hadley fits snugly in his life and is a lot of things he never would've thought to ask for.
Besides the obvious - i.e. non-abusive - she's pretty lax, likes to schedule, openly communicates, enjoys her personal space, and has done her utmost to make a name for herself without relying on her dad or husband. She has the right amount of "Likes things done her way" energy to parallel Dale's "After work, I don't want to think, so just tell me what to do" energy.
Hadley's been to Texas many times (since Pencil Nexus has a branch there). She also loves hunting, which Dale (child of Doug he is) enjoys too. They share a lot of interests. She also indulges his boot-related fantasies, which he likes. Wouldn't trade her for anyone. He might leave her to live alone, but he wouldn't trade her.
The areas they clash most are Hadley's hoarding OCD - very frustrating for him since her stuff gets everywhere - her paranoia that Dale will cheat on her, and Dale not being emotionally there when Hadley wants a vacation.
Although Dale was a curious child who likes exploring, he lost a lot of that during his trauma. Hadley is much more adventurous than Dale is (both in terms of travel and their bedroom life). Dale does not budge easily from his comfort zone and he wouldn't mind if she slackened the reins.
Hadley would've loved to have more kids. On some level, Dale does equate more kids to being more successful and would enjoy having more of them in that regard (especially since he, his dad, his mom, and his grandparents were all only children- Dale has no cousins, uncles, or aunts and doesn't know how to talk to such people).
That said, Dale doesn't feel a specific desire for more kids. He's very hesitant to stray outside his safe zone, especially while his life is currently in balance. He'd definitely be the type to assume more kids will "fix things."
- He would've preferred waiting until he was older to have a kid if it weren't for the crushing weight of Daddy's Expectations looming in the background... Doug always found it weird that Hadley wanted to do business things (like run her own company) and not exclusively be a stay-at-home mom like his wife was.
- Dale still tosses and turns over the fact that Doug never got to meet Dev... Daddy never got to see him "succeed at continuing the Dimmadome line"... He will never know if he's proud. It's fine. He's fine. He's actually over it, haha.
Sexuality: Unclear and generally unimportant- 7 years of trauma did a number on his ability to identify emotions or trust other people, and now he's married, so who cares? Not the best at reading the room. Or himself, for that matter.
Grew up in the '90s and 2000s, missed a bunch of school (health class included), wasn't raised in a home that discussed many options beyond growing up to marry a nice woman so he could continue the Dimmadome line... and frankly, if he thought about it and realized there's a chance he may not have ended up with a woman and had a kid, he'd probably have an anxiety attack. We Do Not Disappoint Daddy In This Household.
All this said, Dale is aware of some Pride symbols - mostly rainbows - due to the Pride rodeos held at the Dimmsdale Dimmadome every year he was growing up (They were quite popular in Los Angeles Dimmsdale throughout the 90s). He attended several in the early 2000s, including the 50 years of frozen time.
-> Dale has very positive memories of attending rodeos and similar events with his dad, and was none too pleased when they were banned from Los Angeles Dimmsdale in December 2023. See also, "Dirty Roads and Sterile Hearts."
Dale also played a lot of Sims games... Up to Sims 9 or 10, in fact, given how products kept coming out during the 50 years of frozen time. He's not oblivious to sexualities, but it's not something he likes thinking about in relation to himself. He'll sell rainbow things for money and be done with it.
He's definitely in the camp of assuming everyone experiences attraction (and most emotions for that matter) the way he does... which is to say, very little on the attraction front. Romance plots in media are baffling to him. He's glimpsed some anime and manga through his wife and son, but he's not invested in Kennueth's romance arc (despite Dev thinking it's heart-wrenching and fun).
Dale tends to ask people to lunch or dinner if he finds them intriguing - maybe at a nice restaurant, maybe at his house... maybe at Dimm-'N-Out Burgers - but if you asked him if he was attracted to any of these people, he would say "Of course not- I'm married" or "That would be unprofessional."
The more he wants to impress and befriend you, the more anxious he feels. He definitely has a squish on Kevin Crocker. Dale doesn't care about most people, but when you have a mouth full of implants and you've built your own line of robots, the dentist-slash-fellow robotics expert from Archimedes U is high on the Cool People list.
From this post about Dale and Kevin going out to dinner
It's very possible that Kevin (who's happily married and monogamous with Chloe) is Dale's type, but who knows if Dale's that self-aware.
If he did, it probably wouldn't change how badly he wants to talk to Kevin about robots. Even in a universe where they did date (and subsequently break-up), Dale would follow him around asking robotics questions. Given his struggles of letting go of Vicky, you can bet he'd be equally fascinated by Kevin. Geek to geek communication; romance optional.
No one ever knows how Dale feels about people or where he hopes things will go... Not even Dale.
Intimate History: Sexually intimate with only one partner (His wife, Hadley).
Cherry lemon ship masterpost
Didn't date anyone while in post-trauma recovery, and by the time he was ready to think about his intimate future, his dad already had betrothal options in mind. Dale accepted, never dated anyone, and never looked back.
Despite his unintended not-business dates, some odd workplace conversations, a few awkward doorstep encounters, aggressively flirtatious Amanda Killman, and people who are genuinely trying to seduce him just for money, he is completely faithful to his wife. Why wouldn't he be? He distrusts everyone equally and was probably backing away even before he realized they were flirting.
If you think this man is going to follow someone he doesn't trust with his life to a private location, think again... You have no choice but to flirt with him in front of his employees, weird drones who could probably fling you into the distance, his wife, or his son. You're dang right the office door is staying open.
No, you're not sharing the bed on this business trip. You can have it and he'll find another hotel. He will pry you off with a crowbar or drag you to the front desk before he ends up in a room with you alone. Don't test the man.
Turn-Ons: Prefers knowing what to expect- Giving him a schedule or explanation note in advance is practically a must. If you try to surprise him with spontaneity, he'll be fidgety and anxious the whole time. Feels most comfortable being told exactly what to do.
Dale: We should have a 24/7 total power exchange dynamic.
Hadley: We're not doing that.
Dale: Welp, not arguing with a bossy lady. Whatever you say...
Loves animal print and ranch-themed cosplay... It's really hot when his wife shoots a gun while wearing denim, cowgirl fringes, and rhinestone-coated boots tbh. Actually, can we keep the boots in the room? You... you can just put them on top of him. Please do that. Hadley, come back-
Very into recording videos of himself and/or Hadley covered in money, but has absolutely stopped Dev from browsing that au pair's collection in the nick of time. Dale is bad at many things, but his uncanny ability to cross paths with Dev .4 seconds before disaster is unparalleled.
Children: Dev Dimmadome
Dev gets most of his looks from Dale, though he has some of Hadley's tufts and curls (plus her body type).
... Sorry? Did you say someone on the family tree seems to be missing? That doesn't sound familiar.
Notable Grandchildren: I've heard Dale's obsessed with finding "the lost Dimmadome heir," whatever that means... I think Dev's profile might have more info for you there.
Pearl disappeared around the same time Dale went missing, leading many (including Doug) to wonder if she'd taken her young son and run off.
Grandfather: Cassias "Cash" Doe
Grandmother: Aurelia "Goldie" Doe (née Astor)
NOTE - No relation to John and Jane Doe from A New Wish at this time (Hazel's landlord & landlady; parents of the twins). The surname Doe is a play on "dough" being a word for money, which fits the name scheme of old money families we know.
If we don't get a Season 2, I'll likely connect them (since John's hair gives me Buxaplenty vibes anyway and I think it would be interesting to play with that), but there's a chance they're aliens or something. No known relation, but this could change (and possibly land Dale with cousins) in a future update to this profile.
Fairy Godfather: [REDACTED]
Hmm... I think he was green?
Pixie Godfather: Fergus Whimsifinado (H.P.)
Met at some point. Memories are fuzzy...
Wife: Hadley Harrington (née Leadly)
- Met in early childhood. Grew up in the same social circle and saw each other at fancy parties.
- Hadley used the surname Leadly in her early years, only taking her mother's name after the divorce
Celebrity Crushes: Why would he crush on someone when he's richer and better than all of them?
Current Love Interest: ........ Still Hadley? Unclear.
Other Important Relationships:
Vicky Aingeal - Dale's childhood best friend since he was 6. They spent a few years playing together (and doing school projects) before The Incident that spiraled into a cover-up... and the lemon drama.
Related Works: "50 Words of Dale and Vicky," Lemonade and Papercuts, "You Deserve It."
Despite years of abuse beneath Vicky's hand, Dale had a very hard time adjusting to life without her. During recovery, he met up with her a few times in a desperate attempt to convince himself she felt bad for what she did and didn't mean to hurt her best friend. Because... she did. She... can't NOT regret what she put him through...
Dale cared deeply for Vicky and doesn't think of himself as someone who would betray his BFF... An emotion that's side by side with the desire to scream and hurt her just to give her a taste of what she put him through. His trauma haunted him for years (and still haunts him as an adult) as he's very broken up about what happened to him.
-> He often blames himself. Ex: "She cares about me. She was only mean because I put her in a bad situation. If I'd been a better friend, she wouldn't have gotten upset with me."
As he's gotten older, Dale's stopped clinging to those rose-colored glasses as much as he used to. He still feels awful and conflicted about what happened (and is quicker to find fault with his actions than Vicky's).
Since his father's dead and Dale still feels like he never lived up to Daddy's expectations, there's a part of Dale that desperately wants Vicky to apologize and rekindle their friendship... She was his friend. He's supposed to hate her.
He'd be reluctant to trust, but would probably hear her out if she asked him too. An apology would likely bring him to his knees, spitting and sobbing and screaming at the overwhelming emotions slamming over him... That's rough, buddy.
-> See also, this comic I drew of City Lights Dale and Vicky hanging out at a party after A New Wish Season 1.
Ed Leadly - His father-in-law! ... Dale is overly showy and trips-over-his-feet-attentive to Hadley when her dad is around. Do you have any idea how many trees that man cuts down for pencils? Dimmsdale's [presumably magical] forest is literally kept in check because of Pencil Nexus ("The Boss of Me").
Yeah, we don't pick fights with the CEO of axe-wielding. Leadly is not afraid to hunt, chop wood, hunt, gut animals, or otherwise get his hands dirty and Dale is very afraid of him.
Remy Buxaplenty - A frequent contact. They do a lot of shipping-related business together (Remy with trains, Dale with drones).
Remy's also a long-time friend of Hadley's, so he's one of Dale's most common associates in personal life as well.
Timmy Turner - Not close in Timmy's youth, but once Timmy turned 18 (and forgot the magic parts of his childhood), he got into hunting with Sparky. Dale and Hadley were also hunters and let him join their trips several times. They consider each other buddies.
Dale doesn't hold Timmy up on a pedestal- As far as he's concerned, he got himself out of the lemon pit- Timmy's just the guy who let him eat and wash up while waiting for his dad to drive over. But they do know each other and crossed paths on occasion.
Timmy knows Dale better due to Timmy living a double life as the mysterious benefactor who throws Septimberfest every year ("Momnipresent").
Amanda Killman (Sigh) - Another wealthy individual in the tech field. Amanda blatantly finds Dale attractive and has no shame in admitting it (or coming onto him). Dale thinks she's a creep and avoids her whenever possible. Hadley distrusts her and is paranoid her husband will cheat on a business trip someday.
Mikey Munroe (& Bunsen) - Met him a few times while his parents were installing security systems; Mikey followed in his parents' footsteps with Bunsen right behind him. Dale does not like either of them, but that doesn't stop Mikey from talking his ear off or trying to "fix" everything in his house. He does think Mikey's parents' drones are neat, though.
Dale can't deliver products to Beast World directly because there are no Beast portals in California, but Mikey orders things on their behalf and sends them through Muckledunk's portals.
Mikey and Bunsen have been trying to hang out with Dale for ages. They bounce around him when they visit (usually to install security or show him broken robots) and have a long history of sending Waffle House coupons in the mail. Every week. For 22 years. There are no Waffle Houses in California. Where do they even get these?
Say one thing for Dale, though- He's better than many big companies at acknowledging the existence of the Beasts living both under and aboveground. Beast World is still a largely untapped market and he incorporates them into his campaign plans (and presumably, that's what he thought Danky was).
Fun timeline note: Mikey didn't know Bunsen during the 50 years of repeating time, as Bunsen only met him after meeting Cosmo at Creature Con. Beasts were driven underground during the 2nd Creature War (See The Fae Wars) and have only been allowed aboveground for ~21 years as of A New Wish. Many places still don't trust or cater to them, but Dale will chase whatever makes him money. His old money friends are horrified, but he's pretty pleased with himself.
Every now and then, someone tells Dale to "go to Hell" to which he responds "I'm already there and I'm making a killing."
TRIVIA
- Dale's MBTI is ISTJ while Hadley's is ESTJ. They're very similar people, though Hadley's definitely the more outgoing.
- I'm not yet consistent with my Dale design, but my vision is that the younger he is, the more front hair puffs he has (i.e. losing them slowly over time, not all at once). He pulls his hair a lot, but it grows back.
- I based his signature off an image I found of Steve Jobs' signature, which was all lowercase letters with a big dot on the j.
- Read his fair share of Crash Nebula and Crimson Chin comics as a kid. His collection was mostly tossed during his lemonade factory absence.
- Grew up around cows, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, and cattle dogs; went to the state fair with his dad every year growing up. The Dimmsdale Dimmadome hosted many rodeos over the decades.
- Walks on tiptoe more than you might think. It's a habit from his old days of exploring and trying not to get too dirty.
- No cousins. Has distant extended family he may refer to as uncle, aunt, or cousin colloquially, but they're not close.
- Dale will eat just about anything (Preferably lactose-free, though he's been desperate enough to eat that too), but he especially likes charcuterie boards, chips and salsa, carrots and ranch... Really, anything he can dip to feel "luxurious." Big fan of chocolate fountains- He gets really into carefully coating things. Dev has a lot of good memories of chocolate-coated marshmallows with Dad.
- Greatly enjoys beef and steak. Ate a lot of it thanks to Dimmadome Farms... In fact, he might like hamburgers a little too much (and even founded his own burger chain).
- He's lactose intolerant (and passed the gene to Dev).
- Often eats with his hands when alone (Ex: Spaghetti)- a leftover habit from not having silverware underground.
- Doesn't like the color green (Vicky's shirt). It's not a trigger- He just thinks the color's unpleasant.
- He's a card counter. It's a skill he picked up very fast, and the real trick is slipping under the radar. ADHD/OCD comorbidity + aggressive business instinct + 50 years of frozen time go brrrr...
- Has a weird relationship with holidays. Dislikes Halloween and April Fools Day - Neither is great for relaxing - but he does enjoy Christmas and Valentine's Day. While he's not the best at being emotionally present, he can follow the script for getting gifts. He's a lot more likely to be with family around Christmas, lured in by his wife's holiday video requests and the socially acceptable time of year to take a break.
Valentine's Day is a breeze- He has few qualms about spending money on expensive chocolates and big flower displays and they don't even need to be tailored to Hadley's personality. She both enjoys it personally and makes videos about his gifts.
Black Friday weekend (Up through Cyber Monday) is a very busy time of year. Founder's Day also hits that time of year, so there's a lot to think about. Fortunately, no Dimmadomes have birthdays or anniversaries around then.
- Makes schedules he's bad at sticking to. Tends to go off-script, but at least the act of making them gives comfort in the moment.
- Constantly berating himself for not being "clever enough" or "productive enough" to be "more successful."
- Has a bad habit of running out in rain or snow without dressing for cold weather. He went without for so long...
- Scary in a fight. Although his build is thin, he's tall, broad-shouldered, and isn't afraid to listen to his survival instinct. He'll slam his elbows on you, bite, twist your arms, go for your face... Whatever it takes. Not a sleeping bear you want to poke.
- Tends to bite his nails, scratch or pick his skin, and pull out his hair. Tends to nibble on his hair, but gelling it back really helps.
- Has mild claustrophobia, though not as bad as it once was. He does fine in elevators, but tunnels and the underground make him uneasy. He sleeps with a nightlight, but doesn't mind dim light as long as he can see. However, he hates sleeping near windows.
- Contrary to everyone's belief, he actually does know his son's birthday and all his dietary needs. In fact, Dale is VERY paranoid that Dev will go into a seizure or die due to his hypoglycemia (and that was a big reason to build the au pairs in the first place).
- Owns a pair of similar-looking boots without spurs for safety in crowds, but good luck getting him to wear them.
- Simultaneously loves and loathes hunting... Misophonia be like that, but he wasn't gonna tell his dad it's hard for him.
- Has his anniversary date engraved on the inside of his ring.
- Running gag of Dale being a better parent when he's multitasking: Reaching over to seatbelt Dev while talking on the phone, catching Dev by the back of the collar before he can run into the street, covering Dev's eyes whenever they walk past a scantily clad advertisement even if his eyes were downcast the whole scene, picking him up to carry him across a dangerous or sopping wet part of the hiking trail even if he's checking stocks, or sensing Dev's about to eat something with lactose before Dev does. Parental instinct finds a way...
- If he's not on a call, he plays music to block out noises that trigger his misophonia. If he's in a bad enough mood, he'll be upset those songs bother him too.
- Dale and Hadley both like wearing cowboy hats and boots, especially when they visit Texas. A lot of their promotional images (as well as digital wallpapers) depict them in such clothes.
While Dale doesn't have a family photo as his phone background, he does have one on a laptop he only uses for family-related things (e.g. Scheduling vacations, checking on Hadley's businesses, making donations to Dev's school).
It's... everyone sitting on a bench in boots, and the boots are the centered part. Close enough.
APPEARANCES
Main Blog Tag: #Dale Dimmadome owner of Dimmadome Global
Sideblog Tag: #RD Dale
AO3 Tag - #Dale Dimmadome
Dale makes most of his appearances in City Lights AU, with minor appearances in Cloudlands AU's Along the Cherry Lane and 130 Reasons Why I'm Fairy Trash.
His most notable appearance in the latter series is "You Deserve It," where he's the POV character, talks with Timmy, reunites with family, and attends his first fancy social gathering after escaping Vicky.
He's the protagonist of Lemonade and Papercuts and the antagonist of Dev's life... just in general.
Slight Riddleverse ‘fic spoilers. Your mileage may vary.
Two AUs
Hadley's profile aligns with both Cloudlands AU and City Lights AU. While the AUs are not canon-compliant with each other, it was always the plan for her to marry Dale Dimmadome... a character I never expected to see in official media again when I set them up in 2018.
As of September 2024, Hadley's fate in Cloudlands AU has been tweaked to reflect the Dale and Dev lore we got from A New Wish Season 1. The original plan was for her and Dale to be betrothed and married without having romantic feelings for one another, but they'd grow closer as they raised their son (Dave) and took him around the world on adventures. And, well... At least the "got married without feelings" part stayed! 😂💦
As far as Cloudlands and City Lights canons are concerned, Hadley is Dale's wife and Dev's mom- Dave's been retconned, Hadley's hair is a few shades redder, and I gave her a triple hair tuft. The info below reads correct for both AUs!
OVERVIEW
Full Name: Hadley Arianell Harrington (née Leadly)
Preferred Form of Address: Hadley
Alternate Forms of Address: "Ms. Leadly" (Past) / "Mrs. Dimmadome" (After marriage) / Dale's wife (Dismissively) / Mom (Yay!)
Prefers Ms. or Mrs. Harrington; she likes feeling like she's built up an image without relying on more famous names to carry her (even if that's not entirely true). Only her dad is allowed to call her goofy nicknames (though "angel" and "hon" are more common)
Aspiration: Build up an online platform with her influencer work without falling too heavily on either her dad's or husband's wealth... and be there to support Dale through his stress. Fingers crossed Dev goes the influencer route so they can be a cool mother-son pair, please and thank you.
Born: Autumn of the Crushed Rose
Zodiac: Love
Birthday: December 15th, 1989
Hometown: Dimmsdale -> Dimmadelphia, California; USA
Age During Frozen Timestream: 13 - Turned this in both 2002 and every year for the 50 years retroactively condensed into 2003. Turned 14 in 2004.
Age When Married: 21
Age at Dev's Birth: 23
Age During A New Wish Season 1: 33 (34 in December)
Species: Human
Ethnicity: English & Spanish on her father's side (Descended from Dimmsdale's English settlers as well as Spanish settlers from surrounding areas); English & Irish on her mother's side.
Nationality: American
Mindset: Immature and goofy, but she can take care of herself. Tends to jump from one thing to the next without cleaning up. Rarely plans ahead. Doesn't share much about herself with others, even with those close to her.
Hoarding OCD - Struggles to let go of things; doesn't like undoing wishes. Both her childhood bedrooms are full of stuff to this day, and were nightmares to navigate in her youth. There are still rooms in the Dimmadome home brimming with her things.
Plagued by worries that if she discards an item, she won't have it when she need-wants it. Even after parting ways with her fairy godfather, she drove Timmy nuts growing up by living just close enough that her life as a hoarder was inescapable.
ADHD - Has a lot of thoughts at once and sometimes struggles to get them across, easily agitated, angered or excited, struggles to sleep, loves to multitask, gets impatient with waiting periods, can be a bit perfectionist, seeks thrills, impulse buys, has too many project ideas and switches between them, struggles to prioritize, often disorganized [Combined with hoarding], struggles to get back into flow if interrupted. Sometimes has maladaptive daydreams (mostly about aliens). Sensitive to the feel of stray hairs on her neck, so she wears headbands to keep her hair back.
Despite struggling to prioritize, she works well with deadlines (mostly) and liked school. She likes to feel she's good with stress, but she certainly has her limits (usually followed by splurges, treating herself, and starting new projects to procrastinate). Multitasking has its pros and cons- Things generally get done, but she may stress over them not being "perfect" (Picking up and putting them down, juggling many videos at a time). Her instinct is to post lots of videos at once and then none for a while, but that's regulated by the team she works with.
Notably, both Dale and Dev fidget, misplace items, and lose interest in things more quickly than Hadley; they fall back on things they "always like." Hadley jumps between new interests more than they do (though she also has fallback hobbies she enjoys). Her style of misplacing things tends to be "it's the most recent item on the hoard, so it's not that hard to find."
Stats:
Power: Above Average
Endurance: Average
Wisdom: Below Average
Adaptability: Above Average
Charisma: Average
Openness: Below Average
Conscientiousness: Below Average
Neuroticism: Average
Residence: 1 Dimmadome Way
Occupation: Influencer, business owner (Clothing, make-up, fitness products, must-haves for travel, hunting gear- You name it), Dale's partner / assistant in Dimmadome business affairs
Previous Employment: Pencil Nexus Intern
BACKGROUND
Self-Perception: A bit of a Daddy's Girl, but also kind, adventurous, successful, fun-loving, hard worker who believes in making her own way and standing up for herself.
Unafraid to experiment with new things and likes spending time with her family. Loves to travel and "tell it like it is." She can be a bit all over the place, but at least she's authentic!
Alignment: Neutral Evil
MBTI: ESTJ
Deadly Sin: Gluttony
Heavenly Virtue: Charity
Love Language: Acts of Service
Reinforcers: Peaceful creativity (i.e. opportunities for creative playtime, like brainstorming ideas, writing stories, and drawing)
History: Hadley grew up in Ed Leadly's mansion (S9's "Dog Gone") until her parents divorced when she was 9. She bounced back and forth between her mom's and dad's places for a bit and finally committed to moving in with her mom (and taking her mom's name).
She's on okay terms with his dad and stays with him now and then, but she likes her mom and step-families.
She's on good terms with all her siblings except her older sister (Harper), who's very judgmental of Hadley agreeing to her betrothal instead of pushing against it like Harper did with hers. Harper has "love" or whatever, but Hadley's living a cushy life, so who's the real winner, huh?
Despite the divorce (and moving in with her mom), Hadley thinks fondly of her dad- Namely, the way he took her hunting with his friends every year after she turned 10. Doug Dimmadome also hunts and after a couple years, Dale joined in.
During the time the original FOP series takes place (Namely 2002), Hadley attended middle school and had a fairy godfather named Eryx. She wasn't a jerk rich kid to the degree Remy was, but she rubbed Timmy the wrong way due to her lack of thinking through consequences.
Ex: She ran a black market in school by taking requests for random things her peers wanted and then showing up with them the next way, selling wishes for cash.
She never unwished them even if they caused trouble, so Timmy had to take care of her messes. He warned her several times not to be this blatant (and oblivious), but Hadley brushed him off. Eryx didn't love any of this, but generally told his supervisor (Emery Ranen) that Hadley was "a sweet and clever kid."
She did well in school and was a child of divorce shifting between two homes. She did a lot of creative projects with her mom and a lot of business things with her dad. She loves her step-siblings and crossed paths with Anti-Fairies often. She finds her dad embarrassing, but is very obedient when he tells her to do things.
Hadley participated in the Last Grand Hurrah during the Purple Train story arc (130 Prompts), meaning she helped raid the Fairy World Archives building. Not much is known beyond Crocker's comment in "Looking Back" that her communicator cut off when she screamed.
She was Remy's main support (besides Juandissimo) after he lost his arm during that event
Throughout her teens, Hadley continued her friendship with Remy, made time for both her parents, befriended Dale, and even bonded with Timmy once he and Sparky got into hunting.
Hadley married in January 2012 right after turning 21 (After her first semester of Junior year). The next year was 1 on 1 with Dale as they figured things out, searching for the right balance of intimacy and personal space. Turns out, they both like their space and not so many touchy-feely aspects, so they lucked out!
Despite Dale's reservations, Hadley always wanted kids and used to pester and woo him about it on the regular. To her delight, she conceived a year and a half after marriage (the summer she was 22) and shifted to being a mommy vlogger documenting her pregnancy, postpartum experience, and Dev's infancy- Young, feisty, and ready to take on the world.
Hadley spent more time in Dimmadelphia when Dev was a baby. From age 6 on, she moved to a schedule of visiting home less frequently. Mostly, she filled her time traveling the world.
She still posted a lot of content with Dev, but Dev moved towards the au pairs looking after him while Hadley got her wanderlust out by traveling- something she was very excited to do after almost 10 years of staying near Dimmadelphia.
Hadley loves her son... she just also likes her "Me Time."
Personality: Hadley is best described as "straightforward, oblivious, snotty, and not necessarily charming despite her efforts."
She tries to buy friends with gifts and is a hard worker who puts honest effort into her studies. She's mostly chill and friendly, but has a temper- She doesn't like being told what to do. Unless you're her parents. She isn't openly spiteful, but she'll write or draw mean things about you if she's annoyed (and she'll huff or snap at you directly).
As an adult, Hadley mellows somewhat due to developing a (slightly) thicker skin against hate comments (and moving to a "Meh, I have more important concerns" attitude in general). She definitely gets annoyed with Dale or her assistants sometimes (and occasionally Dev), but is generally content with her life.
She was very stay-at-home as a kid with a love for reading and crafts. Due to her influencer career, she's taken up traveling. She reviews hotels, restaurants, and vacation spots with a focus on expensive tastes. She's pretty entitled, which grew from obliviousness and growing up in two wealthy families. Like her dad, she gets frustrated when people deny her things she wants. She's less openly petty, but very petty in private.
She's known for shockingly short turnaround times when she gets an idea. Due to wealth (and her husband's connection to Dimmazon), she can get products delivered fast. She also flies out to locations whenever she wants. Editing is the slowest part of her video process (especially with her ADHD).
As a mom, Hadley is more involved with Dev's day-to-day life than Dale, but not necessarily there for him. Ever since her pregnancy, Hadley's been using her son as clickbait for her vlogs. It's not emotionally fulfilling for him, but she has a blast, and what else are kids for?
She and Dale get along fine, though they may be better described as business partners than loving husband and wife. They work well as a team as they have the same motive: impress people and make money. They barely critique each other's parenting style or how they run the home since they don't make Dev top priority and the au pairs handle a lot of cleaning and cooking.
She and Dev have a mildly better relationship than Dev does with Dale. Hadley considers herself a good and mostly involved mother, seeing as she's the one who keeps better tabs on Dev's schooling, but mostly... he's helpful to her content. She's not great with involvement when the camera's down. She likes doing crafts with him just like her mom did with her, but the fact that she's recording all the time leaves Dev feeling a bit ignored.
Hadley is the type to respond to critiques about her content or how she mothers Dev while she does her make-up or a craft- She can be a bit sassy and petty. Same old temper, just less explosive than it was in middle school. She has a hard time leaving hate comments alone.
Hadley gets EXTREMELY jealous when anyone flirts with Dale, comments on her husband's looks, or if Dale talks to people (particularly well-off women she thinks are pretty) for too long. She can brush admiring comments off with a "Haha, yeah, I'm so lucky," but has very low tolerance for anyone hitting on him directly.
Despises Amanda Killman with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns. In Hadley's opinion, Dale is way too tolerant of her.
Mikey Munroe - who is also an energetic redhead with the added bonus of being raised around drones and growing up to become a security expert like his parents - is on thin flippin' ice.
Get your own hot money-covered husband- She's been betrothed to this man since she was 16 and she put a lot of time into telling him he's cute. She's seen him work through his trauma; she was there as he built up his courage for holding hands and public speaking. Find your own man. He's not the most affectionate and he's not great at remembering special occasions, but he's hers.
Worries of divorce flicker in her mind (Especially when she's been away for a while), but she and Dale have made it this long and weren't lovey-dovey when they started out, so they don't talk about splitting. She hates imagining he'd ever leave her.
She brings Dale and Dev (especially Dev) expensive souvenirs from every place she visits. Her brand image is themed around body positivity, women supporting women, being self-indulgent while showcasing luxury things, being a mommy vlogger, and having fun in general. Her boys don't love having trinkets lying around, but they express due gratitude at the time.
She aims to be shameless, but gets a bit embarrassed and giggly if reviewing vaguely scandalous items. She likes them, she just has a hard time evaluating them in a serious way- Relatively common items like bras, bidets, and swimsuits can make her tongue-tied even if she uses and wears them. It's the social anxiety...
Even if she's not at home with Dev, she'll talk about life with her husband and son, which Dev likes when he watches her videos. Hadley doesn't always compliment her son directly, but she speaks highly of him when he does come up in conversation. She often cites past item review videos she's done with him, which encourages Dev to keep doing them with her.
Dev is clickbait for her videos, but he's HER clickbait <3
Education: Very knowledgeable about the middle school curriculum due to spending the frozen timestream there. Knows many students and teachers- As a rule, she's more familiar with them than Remy is.
Elementary School: Attended a private elementary school in Dimmsdale. Never had Crocker as a teacher, but became aware of him as he became more bold about fairy-hunting openly in later years. Remy attended the same school, but they didn't know each other.
Hadley's parents divorced when she was 9. She gradually became saddened as it weighed on her.
Middle School: Continued private education in Dimmsdale. She became more familiar with Remy and they grew to be friends. She was assigned Eryx as a fairy godparent and caused wish-related chaos.
Remy was transferred to the F.U.N. Academy for a while
Hoarding OCD had always been there, but intensified during these years. Also, she and Timmy crossed paths several times- They were on friendly terms, but irritated each other due to Timmy cleaning up Hadley's wish-related messes.
Hadley attended a lot of Cupid's parties in addition to special events like Fairy Con and the Fairy World Games. She was in middle school while time was frozen and established herself as someone people know.
High School: Further private schooling in Dimmsdale. Hadley's popularity from middle school carried over, with people still fawning over her due to "buying friends" (in combination with the friendly attitude she projected and her general vibes of being smart and successful- People enjoyed being her partner).
She parted ways with Eryx early on as she made new friends and grew closer to Remy and Dale.
Further Education: Went to a nice university in Dimmadelphia, had a private room, married Dale, and graduated with a dual major in marketing and communications.
She and Dale lived in the same city, actively courting (Expensive dinner dates, holding hands at festivals, walking through fancy gardens... Y'know). They married when Hadley was 21 (January of Junior year at university).
Favorite School Subject: Math... and History, and Home Ec. You gotta count the money, you gotta know the places you visit, and you gotta be good with cooking and crafts!
Least Favorite Subject: Chemistry
Clubs: Sounds geeky. No thanks! That said, she did play saxophone in band as a kid.
Friend Group: Upper class folks such as Remy, Trixie, Tad, Chad, Veronica, and Dale
Notable Likes:
- Winning people over with cool stuff she can afford. As she ages, this translates into flaunting her wealth.
- School (Classes, dances, socializing)
- Birds! Her fairy (Eryx) usually took budgie form; she has a budgie tattoo with white wings on her thigh
- Living with her mom... No offense to her dad, but he's... not fun to be around. She and Mom garden and paint together
- Creative projects (Writing, painting, filming, crafting, baking, chocolate-making, pottery... You name it!) - Often with Eryx or her mom in her youth and later with Dev
- Bizarre or "ugly" animals (including Eldritch horrors)
- Posting videos... and showing off her son (For views)
- Making money
- Reading by the window when it's raining
- Trixie's annual costume parties
- Nature documentaries
- Cedar and pine scent... Reminds her of her dad
- Anime (and learning Japanese). Never really cared for manga or comic books, though she's read some comics.
- Aesthetic photos, moodboards, gardens, and food (like latte art, cupcakes, cookies, and colorful boba)
- Mystery boxes (Bonus points for art supplies)
- Shooting guns (One of the only activities she did with her dad instead of mom)
- Showcasing beauty products and clothes
- Being addressed as Mrs. Harrington... When she's with her family, she introduces them as "My husband Dale and my son Dev," leaving off the Dimmadome name. Since Dale's a billionaire, many people recognize them, but some people (especially young audiences or those less affected by Dimmadome influence) just know Dev as Hadley's son.
- Bothering Dale. Just in general, by poking or flirting with him. She loves the thrill of them both being successful on a project, so they spin around in excitement and high-five
- Living it up as the other half of the Dimmadome power couple
- Saxophone! She plays and taught Dev how as well
- Family vacations that let her film (Her thing) and show off her cute family (in a reasonable, somewhat clickbait-y way without relying on them for the meat of her video)
- Buying way too many things for Dev. When they're out together, she buys him pretty much any treat to catch her eye (Especially if she can make a vlog out of it). Her content is a lot of her holding up her phone and talking at Dev (towards the camera) while he eats treats and responds to her questions (usually while playing mobile games)
- LOVES doing food reviews with Dev, who's a notoriously sensitive (picky) eater. Dev tends to get involved with her videos and talks a lot more when he's participating in stuff like this than he does on the average day, which skews Hadley's view of him towards "Smart and social kid; I'm a great parent."
- Houseplants... she collects them, but has been cutting back since she began traveling more often. Supposedly. Don't fact-check this. Oh no.
- Cherry blossom aesthetic. She has blossom tattoos over her stretch marks <3 She travels widely, but has a special love for Japan (Probably from growing up on anime and pretty art).
- Hot springs and onsen. Tattoos don't go great with that, but... y'know
Had Fairy Godparent: June 14th, 2002 (Age 12) - June 18th, 2005 (Age 14) - Plus some frozen timestream years
Favorite Wish: Paint manipulation (Ex: Paint leaving her fingertips and never running out)
Goals:
- Visit interesting places and try lots of foods.
- Maintain joy in content creation.
- Coax Dev into the influencer lifestyle so they can be a cool mother-son pair.
- Keep Dale on track (and comfort him when he's anxious)
- Start her own clothing line that outsells Trixie Tang's. No, she's not bitter.
Beliefs:
- Hard work pays off
- Learning languages young is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Dev doesn't need supervision- Hadley watched anime in her younger years and she turned out fine!
- Make-up, cute clothes, and tattoos are worth the effort. Live for yourself that way!
- True love is a fantasy, so make the most of what you've got
- Kids don't know as much as adults; they have unique perspectives and think differently, so their views can be interesting (if naïve)
- Deadlines are a great way to keep on track. panik.
- Things don't have to be sustainable or ethical as long as you're having fun!
Fears:
- Dale cheating on her (and/or divorce)... but if Dale ever did cheat and begged forgiveness, promising it wouldn't happen as long as she stayed, she'd forgive him as many times as he asked. This man is spooked by mildly annoying noises and jumps at footsteps in his house.
- Still a bit socially anxious as an adult, but definitely improved with experience.
- Getting mugged (or robbed/threatened). Can be paranoid when settling into a hotel. Feels a lot safer with the au pairs around.
- Getting caught in a scandal involving a friend, herself, or Dale. Very paranoid her happy nice life could come crashing down.
- Paranoia that she failed to censor or edit videos properly and everyone will catch her mistakes and poke fun.
- Dev getting kidnapped (and held for ransom and/or forced into work like Dale was).
- Dying, but specifically in ways that boil down to her being a dumb tourist or unfamiliar with the area (Ex: Getting caught in a riptide or tsunami due to failure to read the signs; sinking in quicksand; attacked by animals).
- She'll fall in love with someone else and feel conflicted over what to do.
- Cancer or other illnesses that would affect her breasts or uterus, leading to necessary removal. While more kids are likely not in the cards for her or Dale, she'd take the loss of those parts pretty hard, as she felt very connected to her pregnancy and came from a large family. She likes her body and would probably be self-conscious for the rest of her life, especially since she's on camera and has videos of her body online forever.
Upsets:
- Not getting what she wants, especially if she's offering high amounts of money for it.
- People moving her stuff (particularly if they give it away).
- Being argued with or bossed around. Timmy Turner should let her live her life; he can clean up her wishes if he hates them that much.
- Being told she's annoying.
- People (especially women she perceives as wealthy) flirting with her husband.
- Someone mocking or breaking her artwork.
- Riff-raff tromping through her garden (or filming space).
- People who show up to potlucks or gift exchanges without bringing an item.
- People handing food to Dev without asking about allergies (especially as a toddler). His parents may struggle to be there emotionally, but he's got an allergy card and they both know it. Don't feed their son.
- Sometimes life is hard when you want to go to a nice restaurant and your son is super picky and slow to eat, so he pokes his food and squirms around forever. Don't judge.
- When Dale dips out of vacation plans (or other film plans / collab videos / Dimmadome building tours) to work.
- Dev talking back to her. Does he not realize she carried and birthed and fed and changed him? :( Look at these adorable vlogs of him in the bathtub! Look how many likes they get when they're reposted next to pictures of how big he's grown! Rude...
- Dale leaving wet towels on the bathroom floor.
- Suitcases won't zip shut (or break) mid-trip.
- Dale not wearing his wedding ring (He forgets!!)
- Dev standing on food preparation surfaces. Why does he do that.
- Hadley likes board games and travel, but she lives with two boys whose idea of a fun vacation is staying inside the hotel playing with electronics. Devastating.
- Why do her husband and son keep hanging up on her when she video calls them at 3:39 AM?
Comforts: Wishing up lots of things... especially plush blankets, silky pajamas, movies, snacks, and stuffed animals
Indulgences: Hadley's deadly sin is gluttony. She overindulges in everything she likes.
This can mean eating lots of sweets, buying 10 identical pairs of pants when she already has tons of clothes at home, projects she's working on, or wishing up a bunch of things that she quickly grows bored of but doesn't bother wishing away.
Owns WAY too many pencils (courtesy of her dad's work).
EXTERNAL
Verbal Notes: Hadley uses a lot of qualifiers like "Um," "I think," "Kind of," "Maybe," and "You know?" You can really hear it when she reviews products. She's a bit more comfortable speaking to Dev directly, but she does this when she's on camera with him and is speaking more to an invisible audience than to her son.
Huge habit of saying "Um," briefly averting eye contact, and snapping her fingers when she tries to find a word or what to say next. Her thoughts often run faster than her mouth and it can take a moment to get her sentences together. Many of her statements are said like questions.
Though she's more confident as an adult than a child, she tends to glance at Dale if Dev asks her a question directly (if Dale is in the room). She'll also glance around at other adults before making decisions (Ex: She'll try to judge if it's the right time to leave a party when Dale or Dev would just leave).
All this said, she tends to speak up more than other "background characters" (owing to the fact that she's a specific OC with a personality, not just random filler). As in, she'll throw in commentary even if not addressed directly.
Language: Speaks English fluently, alongside decent Japanese. Knows some Spanish and French. Can squeak by with bare-bone basics in additional languages like German and Mandarin.
Raised in an upper class family, her husband does business overseas, and she travels widely. She watched a lot of anime growing up and enjoyed studying Japanese
Physical Notes: Shorter than pretty much everyone in the main human cast due to her dad's genetics. A bit rounder and heavier than the others, again mirroring Leadly's body.
Like her son and husband, Hadley is lactose intolerant.
Handedness: Right
Body Language: Shy and holding back in her youth (Ex: tucking hands behind her back, folding her arms with hands tucked under pits), but more confident and outspoken with age.
Tends to make rolling motions with her hands. Often pauses and snaps her fingers when trying to remember a word. Tucks a bit of hair behind her ear often, especially while rambling.
Hair: Takes good care of it. Owns oodles of hair care products, scrunchies, and headbands. Uses a lot of them, but tends to hoard the empty bottles.
Teeth: Good hygiene; has used a lot of teeth-whitening products. Growing closer with Dale during their courtship definitely prompted her to be more grateful and thoughtful about her dental care, though she'd never tell him that.
Scars: Very mild burn mark on her hand from a hot glue incident. Minor scars from hunting and past surgeries (Ex: Beauty industry-related). Hadley does like her natural body as she considers body positivity part of her brand, but she's done a couple touch-ups. Sometimes scars cause minor sensory issues, but they're fine.
Tattoos: Has a tiny budgie with white wings tattooed on her left thigh- A reference to her godfather Eryx Whitewing (though she didn't remember he was a fairy when she got that tattoo). She has a pastel rainbow elk on her left forearm (underside just above wrist)- Her way of tying her love for hunting with her dad to her love of painting with her mom.
She has cherry blossom tattoos over her stretch marks and likes showing them off. Somewhere beneath her body positivity brand image, she's got self-doubt; she likes being able to point to them in her swimsuit videos and say she's beautiful and/or that she "birthed a Dimmadome." She loves playing up the "mommy vlogger" angle even if she's not always home to do so. Also, anyone gossiping that she's not Dev's real mom can jump off an iceberg, actually <3
She tends to flash these tattoos at Dev when playing the "I'm your mother; I carried you 9 months and nursed you" card and he's just used to it at this point. She's done "getting my tattoo" videos and hopes Dev does one with her someday.
Style: Aims for eye-catching, unique, and fun with bits of cozy and professional sprinkled on top. Something that makes you pause and maybe compliment her, but reserved enough that her dad won't object to it (Particularly in her youth).
Regular Clothing: A blue sweater with a dark half vaguely resembling a paint splotch. Brown-black pants with white hems and shoes (so she looks partly erased). She also wears a white bowtie (Aiming for "Take me seriously; I'm doing business" vibes).
-> She's designed after paintbrushes and erasers: the perfect blend of her artistic mom and pencil-pushing dad.
Casual Clothing: Blue short-sleeved shirts, dresses, or tank tops aren't unheard of, but she'd sooner wish for cooler weather... because why not?
As an adult who's gotten into influencer culture, she loves picking out cute tops to wear in front of the camera. Crop tops have become a bigger part of her wardrobe since she can't wish the weather cool anymore. Blues, rainbows, and pastels are among her favorites. She also likes overalls, especially for art or cleaning projects.
Nightwear: Likes cute and frilly (Think silky, long-sleeved shirts and short shirts for pajama sets). Black with white spots are her favorite. Not a fan of nightgowns.
Formal Clothing: When presenting herself, Hadley prefers not to associate with the Leadly brand more than she must (as she'd rather the name Harrington become recognizable); however, she'll wear pink and yellow pencil-themed clothes if her dad requests it for special events.
Other: Likes flaunting swimsuits. Dev's seen his mom in crop tops and bikinis ever since he was very little; he's not easily embarrassed by his parents showing skin. Or by anyone else's skin, for that matter.
Lemon-themed clothing is a huge no-no. We don't tell her husband about That Swimsuit...
Adult Height: 4′10″
Hygiene: Surprisingly intense, though not consistent. Hadley likes buying products and trying them, but she also leaves them strewn across her en suite bathroom (in all her homes). She and Dale have separate ones because he does not like dealing with her stuff on the counters and Hadley doesn't like him moving it. Also, Dev will always use his dad's bathroom over his mom's if those are his two options. Too much stuff...
Morning Schedule:
Travel: Often scrambling to keep up with her plans. Needs to look cute! Needs to go out! Needs to say her script right! It's a lot. At least all the hair care and make-up practice from her youth came through- She's speedy at getting ready.
Home: Wakes up after Dale, so sometimes he's in bed (on his phone or tablet) and sometimes not. Neither's prone to snuggling, but Hadley often wakes up with his elbow on her head. The fact that he sometimes loiters is a win in her book. He lingers more often when it's Sunday: the day he's most likely to take a break.
When Dev was young, Hadley prepared breakfast for him more often. Nowadays, he's often gone to school by the time she's up. Sometimes Dev doesn't know his mom came home last night and hears her voice (or smells waffles), so he'll scramble downstairs to see her and give a big hug.
Typical Day Schedule:
Travel: Sightseeing, travel between locations, and vlogging. Trips are often planned in advance, meaning she doesn't have to decide in the moment where to go. Sometimes Hadley will be spontaneous, but she tries to stick to her plans. The au pairs help.
Home: Returning home usually means a lot of video editing- Hadley does some of it herself and has a team to help with other aspects. Sometimes she's tired and needs to rest - Usually Dev's at school on Mondays, so that gives her recovery time until he's home - but in the summer, he's often all over her, wanting attention. Unless he's not... Who knows.
Dev tends to be wiggly and excited to join his mom in filming when she's home. Hadley needs her share of rest (Often lying on the couch and mumbling "20 more minutes," but she's as happy to see Dev as he is to see her. Hadley's home life is a balancing act of getting her work done and seeing her baby boy, who's getting so goshdarn big.
Hadley's home visits allow her to record the mommy vlogger content she dearly enjoys. For Dev, Mom coming home usually equates to her taking him places (like restaurants or plays) to rate food or other things with her. Sometimes they stay home to rate clothes, snacks, art supplies, or movies.
Hadley loves doing these activities with Dev (especially crafts) since it reminds her of doing things with her mom; she's taught Dev a lot of cooking hacks. Against all odds, he can cook for himself and knows very well what he can and can't eat. Dev gets a lot of his "relaxed & smiling" default attitude from his mom; he's more likely to take his shades off around her than anyone else (barring Hazel).
Dev's excitement cools off the longer his mom's home (leading him to slide back into his usual schedule and be grumpier when Hadley wants to film with him), but the early days are exciting, especially if she's been on a long trip.
Sometimes they do an activity that plays into both their OCD, like coming home with a load of stuff (books, art supplies, groceries) and meticulously organizing the pantry, library, or craft room. The au pairs can put things away where THEY think it goes, but it's a big night in the Dimmadome house when Hadley and Dev dump a shelf over and arrange things by color or size instead of alphabetically. High-fives all around!
Dev does not like stray items in his room due to paranoia that any mess will spiral out of control and he'll end up like his hoarder mom... Sometimes it's hard for him to organize the dedicated storage area set aside for him in another room because he's a child, so that's fun for Hadley. Dev's anxiety spikes any time he finds his mom in his room(s) unsupervised, because she'll just bring in bags of stuff and leave it in a heap, and he HATES that... It needs to be put away...
Evening Schedule:
Travel: Evening may be filled with fine dining, museum tours, or landmark visits- whatever the day's event is. Mostly, Hadley unwinds after a busy day. Depending on her energy levels, she browses social media or calls home- usually Dev (so as not to interrupt Dale working). Sometimes she gives her au pairs a check-up.
Home: Hadley tries to do most of her editing during 9 to 5- Sticking to a schedule helps her not procrastinate (Sometimes). That gives her time in the evenings to handle things related to Dev's life, like parent-teacher conferences.
Hadley cooks dinners, but only if she's making a video out of it- often with titles like "Cooking X for My Lactose-Intolerant Son" or "Recreating [Notable Restaurant's] Meals From Scratch."
Cooking is one of her skills since she did a lot of that and baking with her mom. She's taught Dev how to cook and bake some foods. Since her mom's still alive, sometimes they bring her in too, so Dev gets to have family moments... even if his dad isn't there. Dale is not good at being complimentary of food, but he'll clean his plate no matter what Hadley puts on it, so it's all good.
-> Unfortunate running gag in Hadley's videos: Dev is super picky and doesn't like a lot of food, but Dale has no opinions because after living in abuse for 7 years, there's nothing besides lemons and lactose products he won't eat. Sometimes when the cameras aren't on them, Dev just gives his food to Dale who will eat it as fast as possible before the cameras are on them again.
Hadley is better at engaging directly with Dev than Dale is. She can't always get his focus on board games, but sometimes she can get him to follow her on a brief walk... even if he walks slow because he's still glued to his tablet. He tends to whine if he wants his devices or manga, but they do okay. Besides recording videos, their most common evening activity is anime. It's not always the 1 on 1 engagement Dev needs, but it's something.
If Dev's in bed when Hadley's feeling restless, she might bother and/or watch Dale. Works great if he's up working on a project- just grab a chair and scoot next to him. Sometimes she considers projects for the next day- She can get sucked into browsing online and impulse buying, but doesn't usually start brand new things late at night.
Sleep Schedule: Inconsistent. Tends to have more energy and racing thoughts at night; struggles to sleep. Falls asleep late and wakes up late too.
Travel: Tends to toss and turn in bed. Paranoid about her videos and watches them with a critical eye. Calls home, forgetting to check time zones. Pretty poor sleep schedule, but luckily she can start recording whenever she wants to the next day. Often feels exhausted, but she's used to it.
Home: Hadley fidgets and thrashes a lot in her sleep, which Dale doesn't love, but he puts up with it for the times she's occasionally home. She can't sleep in "her" room because... hoarding OCD. The au pairs once cleaned her room and she immediately came home and dumped loads of stuff in it and came to Dale's bed anyway, so he's given up.
PERSONAL
Hadley's Family Tree: HERE
Relationship Status: Married to Dale Dimmadome. She prefers acknowledging him as "My husband" and avoids dropping his name as much as possible, but if she's asked directly "Dale Dimmadome?" she'll laugh and say "Yeah, we've known each other since we were kids" and change the subject.
Nothing against Dale as a person- She just wants people to take interest in HER stuff and not ask questions about him. If Dale is with her, he'll introduce himself big and loud and sometimes talk over her because he is not self-aware enough to not.
Dale and Hadley tend to discuss their relationship in business terms rather than lovey-dovey ones. They don't have pet names for each other and they're none too physically affectionate, but they share a bed because Dale can't make Hadley not and while they do annoy each other, they get along fine.
Nothing more intimate than deep talks and holding hands before marriage... Affectionate, but not infatuated (and certainly not in love). Not much changed after marriage. But despite their low-affection home life, they fall into confident, smug, almost lovey-dovey power couple personas when the cameras are on.
Hadley's amazing love life is definitely exaggerated for the audience and sometimes it hurts when people fawn over or compliment them for being such a sweet couple.
They actually do have some risqué things going on behind closed doors, so... some of the innuendos they drop when flirting are exactly what you think they are. Sometimes they flirt over Dev's head and he'll just look up from his tablet and stare into the camera (or make loud commentary about how they're gross).
They're certainly not divorced and probably will never be... but there's still married life tension between them. Generally, they get along great (Having been arranged; both worked hard to make their relationship work and have known each other for a long time), but there's some wobbly commitment due to lack of deep affection.
Some weeks Dale and Hadley are on extremely good terms and can be a little gooey lovey-dovey, others they drive each other up the wall because ADHD, OCD, hoarding, owning many businesses, being frequently absent, misophonia, recording videos, and still being young parents (Early to mid 30s when Dev is 9) are a rough combination.
Betrothed to Dale: At age 16. They'd run in the same social circle all their life, so they were certainly aware of each other despite not being romantic. Well, Dale missed 7 years, but other than that...
Specifically, their dads worked this out as an option in their youth, pitched it to them individually, and they both accepted. I mean... Neither of them was ever gonna say "No" to Daddy.
Clarifying note: They weren't married until Hadley was 21 and doing great in college - Her dropping the ball wasn't gonna fly - but the betrothal was offered at age 16 since Dale is 3 ½ years older and it was time for him and Doug to finalize a plan. Since the Leadlys are multimillionaires rich enough for Leadly to drop 17 million on a spontaneous purchase ("Dog Gone"), one of his daughters was the ideal place to start asking.
Simple courtship. Mostly, Dale and Hadley continued seeing each other at the usual social gatherings, but as they got older, they slowly moved towards deeper talks about their future. Lots of showy gifts exchanged in the way you'd expect upper class kids to flirt.
Dale definitely took his time working up to, y'know... talking to people. Neither Dale nor Hadley trusts easily, both having come from families that raised them to be wary of someone taking advantage of them for wealth. However, their shared backgrounds and planned betrothal helped grow their trust in each other, leading to them both feeling very safe in the other's presence.
Married Dale: January 21st, 2012 - One month after she turned 21
Ideal Relationship: In her middle school days, Hadley used to date people she thought were fun and interesting. She wishes her relationship with Dale was more adventurous (as Dale is very big on staying in his safe zone and doing things the way HE likes), but she really likes when he comes on holiday trips with her.
She'd love to be a travel blogger alongside her husband, but recognizes that's not in the cards because he's too tied up in Dimmadome businesses.
Sometimes Dale skips vacations so he can work, which Hadley grumps at him about (Reminding him that she can make money via filming, especially if he and Dev show up for views, tends to coax him along unless he's working on a big project).
She's not necessarily chasing fiery passion, but emotional closeness- She had a positive relationship with her mom (who was very engaged in her kids' lives) but wasn't close with her dad or step-dad. She craves adult male affection along the lines of a deep voice telling her good job or greeting her with "Hi, Honey."
In other words, Hadley tends to seek validation from men and doesn't often get it. She's completely faithful to her husband, but there's a gap in her wants that Dale doesn't fill with his general struggles to be attentive and affectionate. Except for when he does.
Hadley would've liked more kids (Clickbait gold! ... I mean, she loved her big family growing up), but that doesn't seem to be in the cards at this point. She'd never scheme to trick Dale into more kids, but if he brought up the idea, she'd be instantly on board- she loves her hot(?) husband and misses her pregnancy and nursing years a lot.
She is not looking forward to menopause and will definitely be very needy for Dale's attention (and not subtle that she wants more kids) in the years leading up to it. Dale doesn't have a strong history of saying "No" even when he has misgivings, so... Preemptive congratulations on big brotherhood, Dev! Have fun with that.
Sexuality: Never looked into it. Does it matter? Her married life was set out before her when she was still in high school.
Can confirm she's allosexual and has a history of liking boys, but anything beyond that is a blur...
Intimate History: Sexually intimate with only one partner (Her husband, Dale).
Cherry lemon ship masterpost
Turn-Ons: Shiny muscles... And quirky gimmicks. Amused by novelty date ideas (like spas that let fish eat dead skin from your toes) and likes dragging Dale along. Planning dates is plenty fun- She tends to go down the rabbit hole researching. Sometimes that's more fun than the date itself, though it's devastating when she gives a plan to Dale and he looks at it, then her, and says "I'm busy that day."
She gets around this by planning things like picnics so he can be on his tablet and Hadley can at least pretend he's there emotionally
The mural of Dale covered in money was all his idea, but she supports it in full. She has one too, but it's in a room her hoarding took over; Dev's seen the room clogged with stuff, but hasn't seen the mural behind the clutter. She and Dale have a lot of photos and videos in the undressed-and-covered-in-money genre.
For better or worse, Hadley's just as into ranch-themed cosplay as Dale is. Hey, Pencil Nexus has a branch in Texas- It's in her blood! She likes rhinestones, boots, and hats. She keeps misplacing them in her hoard, but Dale will throw himself into digging them out if he must... He likes his hot wife in denim and cowgirl fringes.
She considers "Big and Loud" from Cats Don't Dance to be romantic and has probably sung it to Dale at least once while dressed like that. Did he like it? I don't know.
Videos are... definitely their thing, but those are for Hadley's Me Time (Lying bleary-eyed on a hotel bed with her phone glowing in her face like "Why is my husband so hot? When will he call me back?" and then she'll just watch a bunch of TooYube or play a mobile game and be fine). Are the au pairs scarred by the things they've seen? Eh, probably.
Hadley doesn't love divulging too much about her private life, so she'll make up random things Dale's into for video purposes ("My husband loves this body gel / clothing item / getaway location"), but Dale doesn't watch her videos, so it's fine. Don't ask Dev what he knows about his parents' love life, because it's more than he should and largely untrue.
Children: Dev Dimmadome
When I draw Dale and Dev, I draw them both with puffs of hair below their ears. Dale's are small and point out or down. Dev's are larger and point up, which he gets from Hadley.
In 2024, I reddened Hadley's hair by a few shades and added three hair spikes to connect her design more with Dev's. Dev is on the shorter side like his mom and shares more of her roundness than his dad's scrawniness.
Dev grew up watching a lot of his mom's videos and has appeared in a lot of them. They video call sometimes when she's not around.
Hadley longs to have more children, but Dale's not likely to go for it any time soon. That's okay... She's willing to wait.
Hadley is the type of person who wants to name her kids Bill or Buck (after money). She definitely pitched these names to Dale, but gave her puns away by cracking up.
Notable Grandchildren: Practically confirmed she'll have some... What's Dev gonna do? Say no? ( 🦗 ♪ 🦗 ♪ )
Father: Edmund "Ed" Leadly
Hadley gets the shine and front point in her hair from her dad. She has his pale green eyes. Although I don't draw her in Leadly's on-model style, she shares his bigger build (roundness and weight) and is one of the shorter kids in the cast, drawing from Leadly's height.
Leadly is lactose intolerant, hailing from the Spanish side of his family; he passed the gene to Hadley.
Grandfather: Rufus Leadly
Grandmother: Eugenie Leadly (née Rivers)
Notable Ancestors: Robert Penn (Early settler of Dimmsdale)
Mother: Dolly Harrington
Hadley gets her reddish brown hair from her mom. Hadley's skin is a bit lighter than Leadly's, which comes from her mom's side. While not lactose intolerant, she's a carrier and passed the gene to Hadley.
Her mom is the widow of Wylie Kirkwood, whom she had two sons with before marrying Leadly.
Grandfather: Sterling Harrington
Grandmother: Mavis Harrington (née Campagna)
Fairy Godfather: Eryx Whitewing
Met June 14th, 2002
Friend and caretaker. They got along fine, though Eryx was nervous and Hadley never believed his insistence he had a girlfriend.
Full-Blooded Siblings: Harper Harrington & Leo Leadly
Also opted to move in with her mom. Wants nothing to do with her dad, which Leadly finds annoying. She threw a fit when her parents tried to engage her, so Hadley was next.
Leo is 3 years younger than Hadley, but also lives with his mom growing up. Not out of malice- It's just the best option since she's a very involved stay-at-home mom and Leadly works all the time. Leo likes his dad and his dad likes him a lot in return.
Leo's married to Ruby Cashulott (Another rich family in Dimmsdale; surname dropped in S9's "Country Clubbed," but spelling is my own for all I know. Ruby's mother Crystal appeared in my one-shot, "Whatever" and Ruby was namedropped as a friend of Hadley's in "Trying Too Hard."
Step-Brothers: Noah & Charles Kirkwood
Noah and Charles lost their dad and live with their mom; they are not biologically related to Leadly. Both are older than Hadley and come from her mom's previous marriage.
Half-Sister: Olivia Leadly
Younger than Hadley; comes from Leadly's marriage after the divorce from Hadley's mom. She's an infant during the frozen timestream.
Birth Order for Hadley Siblings: Noah, Charles, Harper, Hadley, Leo, Olivia
Exes: None known; she stopped dating other people after her betrothal was confirmed (if she even dated at all).
She attended the Dimmsdale-Retroville crossover dance in the 130 Prompt "Back In Action." Her date for that dance was Bolbi (Jimmy Neutron), but she lost track of him. Presumably didn't see him again after that dance.
Husband: Dale Dimmadome
Met in childhood (Technically crossed paths when she was an infant). Doesn't remember him well since she was young when he went missing, but she's seen the photos of them together as kids- Those photos were on display at parties even when he was absent.
After his return from 7 years of child labor, Hadley and Dale went hunting together with their dads every year. They still make time for hunting... sometimes.
Celebrity Crushes: Finds some influencers attractive (Especially those with a focus on travel and fitness), but she'd never tell you that.
Current Love Interest: Dale...? Eh, close enough.
Other Important Relationships: As an adult, Hadley's built up a following who enjoy(?) her content... which mostly boils down to "I may have an affluent life, but I'm just like you guys! I'm down to earth and I do projects! Look at my cute son!!"
She has assistants, drivers, contacts, and online friends. Three au pairs accompany her when she films- 23, 95, and 88.
- While he was alive, Hadley was on good terms with her father-in-law (Doug Dimmadome), who always considered her bright and innovative... even if he thought it was foolish to try pursuing her own fame and career when she came from a wealthy family and had married into a second one.
He never really got the influencer thing and in all honesty... He was glad when he heard Dale and Hadley were trying for kids (and relieved when it happened).
Generally, Hadley found Doug's opinions sexist and out of touch as he'd comment that she didn't need to work and should think about kids, but they got along okay.
He liked her and they went hunting together for several years- Doug and Ed and Dale and Hadley, and that's probably what won Doug over when extending the betrothal offer.
- Hadley and Remy are as close as you can get when you're both rich kids who put up walls. They lived near each other as kids and were both in middle school during the 50 years of frozen time (apart from Remy returning to elementary briefly to mess with Timmy and Remy's military school experience from "Operation F.U.N.")
They tend to pair up for group projects and school events (like dances). They were never a couple, but plenty of people thought they were. Hadley is familiar with Remy's parents (and the parents of all the upper class kids) due to attending social events her whole life.
Juandissimo (who likes Wanda) and Eryx (who likes Blonda) are friends. They love gossiping about the Fairywinkles and giving each other general love life advice. Eryx doesn't pursue Blonda; he just thinks she's neat. He has a girlfriend (Allegedly).
Hadley is close with Remy and gave him a lot of support after he lost his arm. Also, she thinks it's funny to claim she would've married Remy if his parents had set them up (despite Remy's deadpan replies that he doesn't like her like that).
- Hadley and Timmy are aware of each other. Timmy finds her annoying because she wishes up a ton of things and sells them to other kids, but doesn't care if her wishes cause chaos. Since Timmy can't unwish her wishes directly, Timmy has to get creative about it. They occasionally cross paths at special events like Fairy Con, the Zappys, or Cupid's parties.
Hadley's fairy, Eryx, is a huge fan of Blonda. He sometimes bothers Cosmo or Wanda for her autograph. Also, Cosmo is friends with Eryx; they use Leadly's hot tub together ("Dog Gone") sometimes when they're free from godparent work. They unwind with chat and games.
Timmy got into hunting during his teens (with Sparky at his side). Hadley, who'd been hunting with her dad since she was 9, has gone on several trips with Timmy and her dad (and Timmy's Pappy). While they've never been close and don't go out of their way to see each other, they consider each other friends.
Hadley really wants to bring Dev on a hunting trip when he's 10 and up. Timmy's daughter (Tammy) is eager to join in, though younger Tommy has more reservations and would rather play mobile games with Dev.
- Supposedly, Eryx has a steady girlfriend. However, it's a running gag that Hadley has never seen this girlfriend and doesn't believe she's real, no matter how many people actually DO see her and beg Hadley to believe Eryx is telling the truth.
Hadley is thoroughly convinced Eryx's love life is pretty sad and that he gives himself gifts, or that every time he tells her he has date night, he's just visiting friends in Fairy World.
- Excluding godparents, Cupid is Hadley's main contact in Fairy World (Compared to Jorgen for Timmy or H.P. for Remy). Since her father's love life involves a string of divorces and broken-off courtship attempts - and since Eryx is clearly lonely - Hadley regularly seeks Cupid's help for this and that.
She outright bribes him, so he likes her a lot and invites her to all his parties. Unclear if Cupid is screwing her dad's life up on purpose to keep the money coming in. He always did think she and Dale were a cute couple, but it's unknown if he and Hadley ever spoke about it.
- Hadley participated in the Last Grand Hurrah (Purple Train story arc). In other words, she's mildly familiar with Molly, Dwight, Denzel Crocker, and Happy Peppy Gary. Hadley keeps her feelings close to the vest and didn't really bond with them, but she enjoyed meeting new people.
-> Although she never had Crocker for her teacher, she's very aware of him due to the vague threat he is towards Eryx. She lets Timmy deal with that, only crossing Crocker's path when he snoops around or they're at city events.
- Hadley knows random people from Eryx's friend group... or at least, the buddies he gambles with and sometimes ends up in debt to. He's been in debt to Big Daddy Fairywinkle multiple times. Hadley thinks Big Daddy is interesting, but he definitely spooks her. She'd totally go hunting with him too if given the option.
- Hilariously, Hadley tends to run into Anti-Fairies while Remy rubs shoulders with Pixies. Hadley tends to forget Pixies exist and Remy doesn't have a good concept of what an Anti-Fairy even is... However, this changes once they start attending the Fairy World Games. Then they might remember.
-> Hadley is very familiar with Anti-Cosmo, Anti-Wanda, Foop, and a list of Anti-Fairies Timmy's never even heard of. Anti-Cosmo has tried to make her his godchild several times (Usually by taking advantage of Eryx's skittish nature or Hadley's hoarding OCD by offering her cursed items), but in true FOP fashion, Hadley evades that fate every time.
-> Hadley sees Foop as an equal threat to Anti-Cosmo (e.g. she doesn't coddle him for his youth). They're not affectionate towards each other- When it comes to humans, Foop is only sweet on Chloe and the Crockers. Foop enjoys messing with Hadley because she tends to be explosive back at him. He often flies off cackling while she yells at him from her window.
-> Hadley calls Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda by name (Compared to Chloe, who refers to them as "Mr. Foop's dad" and "Mrs. Foop's mom"). If you asked him, Anti-Cosmo would begrudgingly admit he's fond of Hadley (and/or boast about what he'll do when she's his godkid someday).
TRIVIA
- She was my first FOP OC (created December 2015). Her purpose was to be in the background and I never expected her husband to become a major character in FOP media, so I'm genuinely excited to write more for her with City Lights AU. It couldn't have happened to a better OC of mine than the very first!
- Top picture is her adult self; the one in her History section is her 12-year-old self.
- Her hair curl flips sides depending on which way she's facing.
- Hadley's MBTI is ESTJ while Dale's is ISTJ. They're very similar people, though Hadley's definitely the more outgoing.
- In her godkid days, Hadley was very proud of putting her own effort into her studies rather than zapping knowledge into her brain. Many of her wishes were about beauty products and cool clothes, but she enjoyed the process of doing her hair and make-up as well as reading books.
- Generally oblivious in social settings. Tends to be loud and blatant, but she's generally polite in face-to-face encounters... especially as she gets older. She had a hot temper as a kid.
- Her mom (who also comes from wealth) is a professional painter and gardener: Two hobbies Hadley did with her all the time as a kid.
- Her mom has a blood blossom garden; Leadly makes Hadley give flowers to people he's trying to sus out as witches (Ex: Happy Peppy Gary in "Trying Too Hard").
- Often visits Pennsylvania and Texas; Pencil Nexus has its head office and a branch there, respectively - (S7's "The Boss of Me").
- She's very good at shooting rifles- She's been hunting with her dad ever since she was 9 (Both in Texas and California). She and Timmy have gone on hunting trips with Sparky.
- She hums the Pencil Nexus theme a lot, especially if she's waiting in a line or doing chores. She's bad at sneaking around- she forgets she shouldn't hum. It's also her ringtone.
- Tends to pull the "I was pregnant & gave birth to you and this is what I get?" card on Dev. She thinks it's cute and funny and doesn't mean it in a guilt-trippy way... though Dev doesn't love it.
- She liveblogged her full pregnancy (in addition to things like decorating the nursery or shopping for baby clothes). She was absolutely exhausted after Dev's birth, but tried to put on the image that she wasn't- She strives to be authentic in her videos, but hid some pregnancy and postpartum details she was self-conscious about. It's not lying if you just fudge the truth a little, right?
Bought Dev WAY too many clothes and toys when he was a newborn. Used to do "My baby ranks the most popular toys" and "My baby ranks the top baby foods" videos when he could barely crawl.
Dev was clickbait for a ton of her videos back then, with Hadley holding him up to the camera while she talked and he sucked his fist and babbled.
- She's strongly considered vlogging about life in a house of three people who all have ADHD and OCD, but it's pretty much been agreed she shouldn't put her family on blast like that. She scrolls ADHD and OCD forums and sometimes comments without letting on who she is, though. Sometimes she records the videos anyway, even if she doesn't post them publicly.
- Pretty much never takes 1 on 1 vacations with Dale- It's "whole family or bust" for her. Dale gets time to work while Hadley entertains Dev, Dev gets to enjoy time with his parents, and Hadley gets her family nearby- Everyone wins! ... Dale is not always present in the moment, but close enough!
- Like Dale, she forbids Dev from drinking lemonade in the house and/or around Dale, but doesn't talk about Dale's past with Dev. It's also a line she won't cross with her vlogs; she'd never do a "Tricking my husband into drinking lemonade" video- The public doesn't know Dale has issues with lemonade and Hadley doesn't put that on blast.
Dev watches every video she puts out. They're comforting for him, even if they sometimes make him feel sad or lonely. He lacked privacy in childhood and has been very exploited by his mom.
Although neither of his parents is there for him emotionally, he tends to excuse his mom's absence due to her work travels more than his dad, who's home all the time.
- She and Dale signed a prenup, but Hadley definitely brought up the "Uh... If we're not in love now, what would cause us to get divorced?" question. No real answer for that.
- High-fives have always been her thing- It's one of the first things Dale was comfortable with (before sustained hand holding) and she raised Dev on high-fives ever since he was a baby (especially on camera, because it's cute). Until Hazel, Dev always saw high-fives as his mom's thing, so it took some getting used to.
- Like Dale and Dev, Hadley sometimes refers to people with the wrong name. Funnily enough, she doesn't get this from hanging around them- She gets it from her dad ("The Boss of Me")
- She can pick up and carry her husband. Doesn't do it much because he'll make honky, squeaky sounds and try to squirm away, but sometimes Dale and Dev climb on her to reach something.
- She and Dale both like wearing cowboy hats and boots, especially when they visit Texas. A lot of their promotional images (and Hadley's phone wallpaper) depict them in such clothes.
- Sometimes Dev joins Hadley on her travels (especially during school breaks). In City Lights AU, Peri thinks she's okay, but he mistrusts her and thinks she neglects Dev's true needs. He once got buried in a pile of stuff when she was flinging things over her shoulder.
- When she's lonely on her travels (especially at a hotel late at night, or watching kids play in a park nearby while she eats or waits in a line), she'll video chat with Dev; this is frustrating for him if she's in a different time zone. Sometimes he's in school and hangs up on her and then she guilt-trips him a little by sending him a sad emoticon (and the obligatory "Why won't you say hi to your mother who carried and birthed you?" message).
- She does a fantastic job of Not Being The Worst while also Not Being Great, but that's par for the course in the Fairly OddParents world. I love her, actually.
- I live in fear that one day, I'll mistype and say Hazel is Dale's wife (or Hadley is Dev's wife). Please tell me if I do... I've already had to correct so many misspellings of calling Dale her child. Did some evade me? Who knows...
APPEARANCES
Main Blog Tag - #Hadley and Eryx
Sideblog Tag - #RD Hadley
AO3 Tag - #Hadley Harrington
At the time of posting this, her two speaking appearances are in the 130 Prompts "Back In Action," where she's at the Jimmy-Timmy Power Hour dance chasing squirrels, and "Trying Too Hard," where Ed Leadly brings her along when he tries shaking Gary and Betty down for the Learnatorium (again); Hadley's very embarrassed.
Although offscreen, she was heavily referenced in "End of the World" when Timmy led Remy to her house so she could help with the cure for Juandissimo's fairy flu.
She was briefly mentioned in "Opportunity" when her dad put the pieces together and realized his daughter has a fairy godparent.
Her surname was dropped in "Entire World," "Solo," and "Looking Back," confirming her as on the Pixies' radar & as a member of Gary and Crocker's Fairy World invasion team. She'll appear in "You Deserve It" very soon, reuniting with Dale for the first time since he disappeared.
When she was created, the intention was to populate Dimmsdale for namedrop purposes (such as when Timmy or Jorgen are looking for godkids, or Pixies are doing paperwork). So... she gets namedropped a lot! She often plays comedic straight man for her dad as Leadly is... a piece of work.
In City Lights AU, Hadley's thus far appeared in "50 Words of Dev and Hazel." She'll play a major role in "50 Words of The Dimmadomes" and Dale's backstory 'fic, Lemonade and Papercuts.
She's also due to appear in Along the Cherry Lane in Cloudlands AU once 130 Reasons Why I'm Fairy Trash is complete; Hadley makes minor appearances in the latter project and so does her dad.
🌷 A 5-star student and all-around fantastic fairy godmother... as long as you don't tempt her away with chocolate
🗑️ Daughter of Dusty Fairywinkle Jr. and... Hmm. Depends who you ask, I guess...
🌷 Quick-thinking wife of Cosmo Cosma, mother of Poof and Dusty, and on very good terms with one too many of her one exes
🗑️ Daddy's special oldest girl... with one foot farther in the family business than she'll ever admit to
🌷 Author of several juicy romance novels, which she definitely doesn't publish under a pseudonym she hopes her boys never find
Notable Riddleverse ‘fic spoilers. Your mileage may vary.
OVERVIEW
Full Name: Wanda Venus Fairywinkle
Preferred Form of Address: Wanda
Alternate Forms of Address: Sissy / Sugarplum / Fairy-Wanda / Wanda Prime / "Wendy" / Mama / Dm. Fairywinkle / Big Daddy’s daughter / Blonda’s dowdy sister / Whatever endearing nicknames her dad comes up with / Assorted insults courtesy of Mama Cosma
Aspiration: Launch well-prepared kids from home, watch them thrive, and secure peace and safety for her family... above all else.
Born: Spring of the Surrounding Thunder
Zodiac: Sky
Birthday: 2nd Friday of May || May 9th
Hometown: Starglint Town - Small woodland town with several peripheral towns under its thumb
Came Into Adult Wings: 168,424 (Average)
Age During Frozen Timestream: 395,778 (Mentally 35)
Age As of “Live For the Moment”: 542,208 (Mentally 48)
Age As of Devil’s Backbone: 558,037 (Mentally 49)
Race: Fae (Seelie Court)
Species: Fairy
Ethnicity: ½ common fairy (Faedivus fae), ½ will o' the wisp (Faedivus lepidoptera)
Nationality: Ildáthachian (Obtained at birth)
Patron Insect: Orthemis ferruginea (Roseate skimmer dragonfly)
Mindset: Kabouter
As a kabouter, Wanda is less prone to expressing insect behaviors than gynes and drones.
Counterparts: Anti-Wanda > Wanda > Drake Wanda
Core: Tracking radar - Keeps tabs on the world around her and pursues goals without faltering
Core Color: Pink (Layer 1 Blue; Layer 2 Purple)
Core Trait: Always holding on and pushing through, even when times get tough
Anti-Fairy: Confident, responsible traveler turned rebel
Fairy Refract: Emotionally guarded (but secretly lovesick) thief
Stats:
Power: Below Average
Endurance: Below Average
Wisdom: Average
Adaptability: Above Average
Charisma: Average
Openness: Above Average
Conscientiousness: Average
Neuroticism: Average
Magic: Tomte | Unstable | Weak | Average | Strong | Luz Mala
Crown Lift: ~5 cm
Breathing Lines: Pull-through braid
Karmic Weave: Frayed | Sparse | Plain | Average | Thick | Elaborate | Royal | At Equilibrium || Manifests as a ruffle-sleeved blouse
Fagiggly Color: Pink
Preferred Shapeshifting Form: Macaw
Signature Tactic: Card Holder - Always ready to react, even if she doesn’t look it. Quick to respond at the first sign of trouble.
Wand Type: Ulkroot
A handicap booster to aid in magic channeling. Wanda and Blonda often argued in their childhood over who's stronger.
Family: Rather high-standing (and intimidating) behind the scenes (Fairywinkle)
Creed: Tir cúna tir - “Family supports family.”
Caretaker Spirit: Her Glory Laelaps (Hound)
Permanent Residence: 1 Wanda Street, Faeheim - Fairy World
- Central Star (Purple)
- Lives with her godkids while on the job
Occupation: Licensed godparent to members of the Boudacian, human, and Delkian races
Previous Employment: Full-time student with a schedule full of hobbies... Often assisted her father, but no paid employment on record.
BACKGROUND
Self-Perception: A fun, energetic rebel who was forced to stifle that part of herself... After all, someone had to buck up and be "the responsible one."
Indisputably loyal, very caring, and knowledgeable about her line of work. Had a rough childhood and wants nothing more than to live a happy adult life of following her own heart.
Alignment: Neutral Good
MBTI: ISFP
Deadly Sin: Pride/Wrath
Heavenly Virtue: Charity
Love Language: Physical touch
Reinforcers: Cosmo's flirtations, a happy bedroom life, feeling motherly, the achievement that comes from helping godkids (and her actual kids) succeed in life, the peace of relaxing after her monthly godparent reports are off her plate for a few weeks more
Personality: You might not guess it by looking at her, but at her core, Wanda is a rebel who isn't afraid to push against tradition. She eloped, cut ties with the religious beliefs she was raised with, and isn't afraid to rearrange the set-up of things or commit to large redecorating projects, even in homes that aren't her own... or even if that home is as widely known as Mt. Olympus ("Freaks and Greeks"). She'll slam down her foot and speak her mind- and that's just scratching the surface.
Wanda tends to brace herself for pushback (or worse), but underneath her defenses, she's plagued by guilt and shame that have a stronger affect on her life choices than she wants to think about. She'd like to do things right the first time and feel secure knowing that people like and trust her, but this is sometimes at odds with her desire for personal freedom.
Wanda tends to subscribe to the idea that if she's harsh with herself first, it won't hurt as much if someone else says a harsh thing. She has many regrets about her past. She could be described as "trying to play most sides" and keep the peace between people she has no reason to hold onto, like Juandissimo.
In the background, she's also doing what she can to put on a happy face and keep her family connected, even when that means being cordial with Mama Cosma. As the eldest daughter, she believes it's partly her duty to keep her family connected- She's the one who reaches out, asks how people are doing, and knows her relatives by name. If it doesn't clash with her godparent work, she tries to attend important events (like weddings) or at least send gifts for notable birthdays (like turning 100 instead of 99).
Wanda largely believes Blonda doesn't care about keeping their family together and that she's "just being difficult." They have very different views of how accepted they are by their family and how much they want to play into traditional Fairy expectations.
-> For instance, Blonda is exclusively attracted to Anti-Fairies and faces disapproval from her family because of this. She's less willing than Wanda to "make nice with the relatives." Blonda will openly bring someone she's seeing to family dinner, which Wanda is very tense about (believing it's better not to make a fuss).
-> See also, Wanda opting to elope and live her life - even writing misleading letters home to her father - rather than trying to bring Cosmo into the Fairywinkle social circle.
Wanda's rebellious soul still beats, but it's been twisted by the longing to connect and be seen as a good daughter (on top of feeling obligated to take on household and childcare responsibilities, especially in godparenting).
With that sensitive (and perhaps clingy) nature in mind, perhaps it's no surprise that Wanda struggles to let go of things she enjoys. She's always looking forward to her next opportunity to write, enjoy her favorite meal, or do a craft. She's a bit of an impulse buyer (See "Mice Capades") and tends to hold onto things even if they're only useful for very specific situations.
She's more reliant on magic than she'd like to let on (Ex: Taking for granted that Fairies can poof between rooms and remarking that "Doors are for chumps" in "Truth or Cosmoquences"). In fact, taking things for granted is one thing she struggles with- For instance, believing that she and Cosmo were both on the same page about their anniversary in "Apartnership" and acting tense with Cosmo under the belief he thought they were celebrating their 'False Anger' anniversary.
She gets very wrapped in her head at times and doesn't always check how practical she's being (especially when it comes to trying to disguise herself as a human, only to immediately announce that she's 'married to a grilled cheese sandwich'- "Fairly Old Parent").
She also leans on magic for frivolous things, such as entertaining herself with a toy while juggling many responsibilities (such as Poof's care) in "Manic Mom Day," or summoning a fan to wave away a smell in "Transparents" despite Timmy having just reminded her that she needs to pretend to be human (and not use magic). While she isn't a hoarder, she's definitely a maximalist, which can likely be traced to growing up under Big Daddy's hand.
Wanda was taught by her father to trust her instincts. She’s quick to make decisions and tends to launch herself towards things that benefit her without a lot of planning, leading her to dump Juandissimo, elope with Cosmo, wipe out the dinosaurs, and grant a few impulsive wishes because “They could be fun!” without always considering the consequences in advance (like surprising Juandissimo with a break-up when he thought things were going great between them, cutting her family out of her life for 10,000 years, or the effects of eating nothing but dessert for months on end).
All that said, her instincts are mostly good. Millennia of godparenting have tempered her recklessness to unsteady responsibility, especially when it comes to motherhood (and especially when it comes to being Timmy’s godmother).
At her core, Wanda is a playful woman who marches to the beat of “What is best for me?” Her life is her own and she wants to live her best one without being pushed or pulled around too much. Da Rules and Jorgen are her master because they have to be, but in the end, Wanda is an independent woman who seeks her own happiness regardless of what an outsider may think is best for her.
She’ll boldly plunge with you into every dangerous adventure, but will also make sure you packed a good pillow for the trip and brush your teeth every night. She brought snacks.
Education: For the most part, Wanda worked hard in school and scored top marks. She went through a few rebellious phases, but Big Daddy always set her straight, reminding her of all she had to look forward to... or else.
Spellementary School: Wanda attended alone while Blonda was homeschooled, keeping up the illusion that Wanda was an only child... The perfect cover for a little thief, as far as Big Daddy was concerned.
Middle School: Wanda and Blonda both attended, though Blonda was made to live in disguise as a drake by the name Walter (at her father's insistence). Rumors began to surface that Wanda and Walter might be twins.
High School: Blonda finally rebelled against the Walter disguise, took the name Blonda, and dove into hyperfemininity. Wanda did her best to hang out with and support her sister while balancing her own education. They were pretty close for many years.
-> Wanda began dating Juandissimo when she was in high school. Anti-Cosmo was in several of her classes (Frayed Knots) and was assigned as her partner for her first trial godkid. Shortly after, Wanda formally met Cosmo and began to grow more interested in him over time.
Further Education: Fairy Academy - Wanda's attendance was interrupted by the War of the Angels, but she was able to return and graduate when the war was over. Wanda and Cosmo were assigned together for their first human trial godkid (Erg - 50,000 B.C.) and grew more familiar with one another.
Favorite Magic Subject: Advanced Shapeshifting
Least Favorite Magic Subject: Unicorn Riding
Favorite Non-Magic Subject: Creative Writing
Least Favorite Non-Magic Subject: Theater
History: Wanda and her twin sister, Wendy, were born into a complex family with complex rules. Their father ran a strict household and has a very messy life behind the scenes. He took advantage of having twins by dragging young Wanda into shady dealings (and keeping Wendy’s true identity hidden unless Wanda needed an alibi).
Despite their complex family situation, the girls always knew they were loved; Daddy doted on them, heard out every adolescent vent, and helped them find activities they enjoyed.
He supported Wanda's decision to pursue life as a godparent despite his own reservations that crossing paths with that many people can be unpredictable (and even dangerous).
He hovered around her a bit during her early years of training, but eventually backed off, content in the belief that Wanda was capable and could take care of herself.
Wanda's mother, Serena Fairywinkle (née Wildwisp), was a quiet, patient fairy who taught her daughters good manners, a variety of domestic skills, and instilled in them traditional Fairy beliefs (though Wanda no longer follows them). It wasn’t until their teenage years that the twins discovered Serena wasn’t their birth mother at all, and they’d been born of an affair their father had with a will o’ the wisp during his honeymoon.
Serena seems to put up with this for the sake of the family, but she isn't one to wear her feelings on her sleeve. She's a tough nut to decipher.
As is typical of elder twins in Fairy society, Wanda was notably favored by her father over Wendy. He gave her everything, insisted she help him at work, and encouraged her to grow up as the girl he envisioned she would be. This was difficult on Wendy, the shadow in a society naturally suspicious of lookalikes. As a result Serena favored her to ensure she received plenty of attention too.
This was tough on Wanda, who felt she had no one to turn to as her father shaped her into his idea of a perfect woman whether or not she wanted his values for herself. Wanda and Wendy remained close throughout their youth, but their father’s blatant favoritism, Wendy’s longing for the spotlight, and Wanda’s struggle to relate with her dramatic sister finally drove them apart.
Wanda still loved and valued Wendy and even invited her to her wedding when she eloped, but their relationship remained rocky up until “Blondas Have More Fun,” when they finally began repairing it. Their relationship today is better than it’s been for a long time.
Wanda's been struggling for years with her chocolate addiction... a dangerous thing to have when you're a species that gets inebriated after consuming too much sugar ("Power Pals"). She's been lying low since her elopement, so seeking Sugarholics Anonymous groups is risky business. Cosmo is a great support to her, especially during the times they were very much on the run from their parents.
Wanda's boss (Emery) and Jorgen keep a close eye on her... She's definitely not supposed to indulge too much around godkids, and her probation in "Where's Wanda?" was rough for a reason.
Overall, Wanda's managed herself pretty well in modern times. She still slips now and then - holidays like the Fairy New Year and Midsummer's Eve are especially rough with the party atmosphere - but she's pretty happy with how things are, all things considered.
Notable Likes:
- Her boys
- An organized household
- Chocolate (Of course)
- Riding in the car while Cosmo drives
- Clean, warm sheets
- Long baths
- Massages
- Babies
- Time alone with Cosmo
- Knitting
- Embroidery
- Visiting educational places, like museums and landmarks
- Collecting enamel pins
- Working hard so she can relax guilt-free
- Learning a lot so she can always be right
Goals:
- Keep out of trouble
- Keep her and Cosmo's parents out of their lives without losing Big Daddy's respect
- Raise Poof and Dusty well so they'll succeed in life... and her godkids too
- Write more action-filled romance novels
- Keep her marriage happy and fun so every day's a new adventure
Beliefs:
- Holds no spiritual beliefs
- All good things to those who work hard
- Lying low is often the best way to get by
- A few petty feelings never hurt anybody... It'll be fine
Fears:
- A child getting hurt on her watch (or not on her watch)
- One of her boys going no-contact
- Drowning
- Feeling helpless
- Losing Cosmo (especially due to Jorgen or Mama Cosma's interference)
Upsets:
- Feeling unable to relax
- Being ignored or blown off
- Comments about her weight
- Disorderly spaces (Especially messes made in a brief moment rather than long-term play)
- Kids talking back
- Getting shown up by Anti-Wanda
- Ruining her nails right after they're done
- Having to admit she's wrong
- Her boys indulging in things that aren't good for them, like too much TV, video games, or junk food
- Godkids telling her they dislike her for being no fun and they like Cosmo more
Comforts:
- Doing her nails
- Dyeing her hair
- Cozy blankets
- Getting work done early
- Goofing off with magic
Indulgences:
- Fancy dinners with Cosmo
- Candy and soda (Especially chocolate)
- Lots of pink
- Writing classes
- Cute clothes
- Pins and stickers
- Craft supplies, especially for scrapbooking
- Planning vacations (which she rarely gets to take)
EXTERNAL
Verbal Notes: Many sentences begin with "Well," "Uh," or "You see." She's much more likely to say "Hi" than "Hello." Wanda tries to lightly prompt people towards making good decisions, but believes in giving others the chance to figure their social situations out for themselves before she jumps in.
Some of her common phrases are "If you must know" and "Personally, I wouldn't let that slide." She also uses "C'mon," and "Cheer up" quite a bit.
Comes across as serious and is sometimes criticized for nagging. She tends to say what she's thinking, although she may take a moment to dress it up in nicer words. She knows what she wants and isn't afraid to communicate- Something that goes over all right in Fairy society, but leads Anti-Fairies to think she's incredibly rude.
Often calls godkids nicknames (Such as "sport" for Timmy and "squirt" for Hazel). Other favorites are "slugger," "scooter," "spike," "skipper," "scamp," "superstar," "turbo," "pumpkin," "peanut," "champ," "ace," "bucko," "buster," "tiger," "turkey," and "rascal."
She usually finds one that sticks for a person. They're mostly reserved for godkids, though she uses them for people in her social group on occasion. "Sweetie" is one many of her godkids hear and "Junior" is a special one for kids named after a relative.
After getting to know Anti-Cosmo in Frayed Knots, she starts calling him "scout."
More likely to swear than Cosmo, though she avoids doing so unless she’s extremely overwhelmed.
Language: Speaks both Snobbish and Lialia fluently (and Elrulian mostly fluently). Knows a bit of ceremonial Gaedeliac, but wouldn't be able to hold a conversation.
Physical Notes: Has thinner hips than Cosmo and some very notable stretch marks around her pouch (Nursing marks).
Handedness: Mostly ambidextrous; favors left hand
Body Language: Usually relaxed and ready to engage in learning and play, but with an underlying wariness about her. She often turns her wand sideways and curls in on herself when uncertain or trying to appeal to someone's better nature; she isn't quite as big and loud with her body as Cosmo is with his arms. Wanda commonly sets her hands on her hips or tucks them behind her back.
Hair: Naturally mousy brown; dyed fuchsia since she was young. I draw Wanda with a small "W" tuft.
Teeth: If you looked at them closely, you'd be able to tell hers are sharper than a human's and designed for eating meat.
Wings: Common fairy wings mirror the globe skimmer dragonfly, granting their subspecies the unique ability to fly backwards. In line with common fairy marital tradition, Wanda has three subtle commitment notches in his wings, mirroring the three punctures in each of Anti-Wanda's wings.
Make-Up Products: She dyes her hair Fabulous Fusciafest #7, and her favorite fragrance is called Wing It (See also, “77 Secrets of ‘The Fairly OddParents’”).
Scars: Small, random ones from a few injuries - especially during the war - but nothing incredibly interesting. Has a subtle bird mark on her neck that reflects a magical symbol Anti-Wanda has (from being the mortal host of the Sky spirit, Munn).
Tattoos: Small pink heart behind her left shoulder (Just above the place her wing connects). It mirrors a yellow one that Blonda has. They got these tats when they were teens. Wanda's considered removing hers a few times when she and Blonda fight, but she always ends up leaving it, unwilling to part with that memory of her sister.
Style: Neat, nice, but pretty simplistic. Likes going all-out to dress up for special occasions - like fancy dinners - but usually wears comfy clothes. Loves wearing yellow.
Regular Clothing: A yellow shirt and slacks. Sometimes the shirt is fancy and ruffled, other times its simple. Tries to avoid skirts on the job due to hovering above godchildren.
Casual Clothing: May throw on a comfier shirt or even a hoodie, usually in yellow, brown, or black.
Nightwear: Cozy pajamas, but sometimes a bathrobe.
Other: Likes bikinis and ruffled things for swimwear. Sometimes wears cover-ups and shawls too. Often wears gloves if an outfit allows it... Possibly a habit from her childhood thief days.
Height: 3′5″ (Average for a fae)
Hygiene: Very good- Wanda prides herself in research and can get pretty absorbed in reading up on skincare, teeth care, hair care, and so on. She takes care of her looks and health.
Morning Schedule: Usually sleeps a little later than Cosmo. Sometimes he makes breakfast - Usually bacon, if left to his own devices, or sometimes cereal - and looks after Poof. Wanda helps him once she gets up, then joins him in waiting for their godkid.
If their godkid is up early, Wanda will try to eat healthy snacks like fruit and granola throughout the day (and offer them to Cosmo too)
Typical Day Schedule: Accompany her godkid, trying to grant wishes, teach life lessons, and keep Cosmo out of trouble all in one.
Evening Schedule: Hang around godkid until curfew, then finish paperwork. Every month, godparents turn in reports on a child's happiness level, social experiences, wishes, and similar things.
Once she's done with paperwork, she can take a nice bath and then relax with Cosmo (Who's usually reading or coloring by then). They often snuggle, but usually sleep in separate beds.
Being members of the common fairy subspecies, Cosmo and Wanda come into heat for 18 months every 500 years. They're more flirty and sexual during that time, but more cuddly and less sexual when outside their heat.
-> See the Fairy Architecture post for info on the yidreamu- A special room in a Fairy house for mating, which is a big deal in Fairy culture (Given the long history of damsels dying afterwards)
Sleep Schedule: A bit of a light sleeper. Prefers wearing a blindfold to help her fall asleep early and stay asleep later; sometimes uses face masks for skincare.
Cosmo is a restless sleeper, so he and Wanda benefit from separate beds. Wanda can be a bit snippy when she's tired, not wanting him to crawl into bed when she needs her rest for another long day of wielding the forces of the universe and cleaning others' messes, but sometimes she'll let him crawl under the blankets with her.
PERSONAL
Wanda’s Family Tree: HERE
Relationship Status:
- Committed to Cosmo as of the Winter of the Muddy Topsoil
- Wedding Anniversary: The second Sunday of March each year
Ideal Relationship: Someone who can make her feel pampered and cared for after a long day of hard work... Someone who respects her need for personal space, but also likes to be around her.
Wanda doesn't enjoy doing mental gymnastics to "keep up" and doesn't like "keeping score." Her preference for being in control pairs well with Cosmo's desire for a partner who always has his back and can keep the world turning when he's in a slump.
Sexuality: Romantically and sexually attracted to Fairies... Might have a thing for youthful looks and muscles, but that's between her and us.
Attractiveness: Wanda is considered a well-rounded individual who meets high standards of attractiveness in both Fairy and Anti-Fairy societies. She appears to have the raw strength that Fairies value - and knows how to wield it.
Wanda's magic is actually stunted, but she uses a booster wand that covers for her natural weakness.
She's just book-smart enough to catch an Anti-Fairy's admiration without falling so much into the book-obsessed stereotype that it's a turn-off to most Fairies (who tend to value brawn over brains).
That said, Wanda is often perceived as more bookish than Blonda. Also, subtle differences in the way they wield magic play a role in Blonda seeming to be the "more attractive twin" in Fairy culture, despite the two having similar interests and magical prowess.
Intimate History: Dated Juandissimo for many millennia and cared for him deeply. Went as far as sharing a Year of Promise with him... a very big deal in Fairy culture.
Despite this essentially being an engagement period with a wedding expected shortly after, Wanda realized she couldn't deny her feelings for Cosmo any longer, and that she might actually be happier with him and the promise of adventure than in marrying the "safe option." Juandissimo didn't see it coming and Wanda does regret how long it took to split... which may be why she lets him hang around.
Wanda's parents always preferred Juandissimo, seeing him as a boy with a good head on his shoulders, but Wanda didn't let their approval stop her. She's been faithful to Cosmo ever since.
Turn-Ons: Wanda can be a little oblivious to flirting, but she does well when it's undeniably direct. She enjoys Cosmo's nicknames for her and a lot of his verbal flirting more than touch. She likes cuddles, but especially loves the build-up... like when Cosmo leans on her, whispers in her ear, or runs his fingers through her hair.
She also enjoys some of his drawn-out flirtation games (like leaving her cute notes) or when he pretends the way he brings her bath snacks or leads her towards their room is completely innocent. She can be won over by date nights full of dancing, emotional talks, and seductive whispers. The set-up really gets her smiling.
While Cosmo's known for his powerful magic, Wanda admires him with or without it... but it certainly doesn't hurt~
Father: Dusty Lloyd Fairywinkle Jr.
Grandfather: Dusty Fairywinkle Sr.
Grandmother: Ember Fairywinkle (née Jadewind) - AKA Nana Cadabra
Uncles: There are 10
Grandfather: Riot Wildwisp
Grandmother: Grace Wildwisp
- Appeared in Prompt #32 - "Looking Back" as the teacher for the kids one zodiac cycle older than Poof.
- Both Poof and Foop call her Nonna and consider her a grandmother (Despite Foop being a separate species). Foop doesn't have the Anti-Serena in his life.
Mother (Biological): Kylia Swiftspark
Grandfather: Unknown
Grandmother: Unknown
Aunt: Kaitlin Swiftspark
Cousin: Kanin Caden Swiftspark
Notable Ancestors: Ilisa Maddington (The first will o’ the wisp)
- Kylia was a one-night stand and is absent from the lives of the Fairywinkles. None have a relationship with her.
Twin Sister: Wendy "Blonda" Fairywinkle
Sibling-In-Law: Who even knows at this point?
"Nephew": Westley Periwinkle
Husband: Cosmo Julius Cosma
Met: When he ran her over with his car ("Cosmonopoly"). Met him in a more formal location when he worked as a waiter at a diner ("School's Out! The Musical")
Sons: Poof Cosma, Dusty Cosma
Brother-In-Law: Robin "Schnozmo" Cosma Jr.
- Cosmo and Wanda occasionally looked after Westley Periwinkle while he was growing up (Mostly when Blonda dumped him on them)
Ex-Boyfriend: Juandissimo Luis Magnifico
- Still on good terms. He gets invited to parties, but Wanda avoids meeting with him alone.
- Has a not-so-secret crush on him even now ("77 Secrets of the Fairly OddParents (Revealed)")
Celebrity Crushes: No one she'll admit to
Current Love Interest: Cosmo (Her dear devoted)
Other Important Relationships:
Anti-Wanda - Rarely cross paths. Wanda has a lot of deep-seeded jealousy about the "freedom to live life without parental expectations" that she perceives Anti-Wanda as having. She overlooks a lot of Anti-Wanda's hardships (like being abandoned as a kid) and is easily frustrated when talking to her. Anti-Wanda has a way of getting under her skin. Wanda gets annoyed if you compare her country singing voice to her counterpart's.
Anti-Cosmo - Thinks he's a braggart with few morals; not his biggest fan. Wanda was assigned as Anti-Cosmo's partner during their early godparent days, as they both were in the study abroad trial program at the same time. They got through it okay, but not without tension. She also wasn't happy with him dating Blonda (and certainly doesn't like the ways he's messed with Cosmo's life since then).
Foop & Smoky - Wanda severely mistrusts and dislikes Foop, feeling that she's given him several chances and he needs to shape up. Smoky's smart mouth gets on her nerves. She has zero qualms about feeding them treats that put curses on them ("Fairly Odd Fairy Tales"). However, she sees them as nephews and allows them to call her Auntie Wanda.
In her mind, they're part of her extended family and she can't get rid of them, so she tolerates them as best she can. She's babysat a few times, but never enjoys it (and can be quite harsh in disciplining them, which is honestly justified). She likes Smoky's piano playing and taught him the basics of guitar. She puts up with Foop's tinkering, but tries to nerf his inventions.
Jorgen - A high-up she has to respect. Wanda doesn't like how rough he can be (or how he's treated Cosmo in the past), but deep down, he doesn't scare her. Jorgen's pushy and needy, but he'd never really hurt Big Daddy's daughter, and they both know it.
Emery - Head of the human godparenting division. Wanda suspects Emery has a grudge against her specifically (seeing as Emery is H.P.'s sister and the Fairywinkles have never gotten along well with their family). Wanda is very dutiful in completing her paperwork, determined to do everything on her end perfectly so Emery has no choice but to grudgingly admit she's good at her job. Take that!
-> In City Lights AU, Wanda suspects Emery assigned Peri a difficult first godkid on purpose just to see him fail.
Timmy - Her long-term godkid! Wanda does think Timmy can be spoiled from time to time, but she knows he has a heart of gold and that his mind is usually in the right place. She's proud of who he turned out to be.
Chloe - Wanda did her best to be a caring mother figure to Chloe, trying to treat her as a job without getting as caught up in her as she got with Timmy during the 50 years of frozen time. Chloe is a lot of energy and Wanda kept a bit more distance than Cosmo (Ex: "The Fair Bears"). Cosmo connected with Chloe more than Wanda did, despite her genuine efforts. Funnily enough, she and Poof are similar that way.
Crŏ̸̧̝̓̓̉͝͝ckę̶̜̯̊͌̀̀͛̓r - ... It's difficult. It's a shame things turned out the way they did. She doesn't remember him clearly, what with her memories scrambled by forget-a-cin, but she remembers enough to feel regret.
According to Crocker in "Looking Back," Wanda avoids eye contact even when she's a decorative item on Timmy's desk or bag... I feel like there's a missing piece to this story, but I can't put my finger on it.
TRIVIA
- Fought the Anti-Fairies in the war over godkids ("Balance of Flour").
- Her seasonal color palette is winter ("Apartnership").
- She's the reason dinosaurs went extinct ("The Really Bad Day!")
- Raised in a wealthy family, so she didn't worry about poofing from room to room (compared to someone like Cosmo who grew up using doors and public transportation to save money).
- Her phone (wand?) number is 555-8180 ("Dog Day Afternoon").
- Has two Zappy awards ("The Zappys" & "Blondas Have More Fun")
- Didn't really keep in contact with people from her high school graduating class after leaving school (Seeing as Cosmo convinced their class he and Wanda weren't married in "Truth or Cosmoquences").
- Absolutely terrible driver ("Transparents"). She and Cosmo rarely drive these days, but he's always the one who does. She doesn't even have a driver's license (despite Poof getting one as soon as he was able to).
- Despite eloping, she faithfully wrote letters home to her dad - occasionally visiting without Cosmo in tow - but often embellishes her life ("Talkin' Trash").
- Considers herself familiar with human culture and thinks she's excellent at blending in with humans. She is not.
- Loves pins. Her schoolbag (Seen occasionally in Frayed Knots) is covered in pins, especially ones for Fairy World landmarks.
- Went through a rebellious semi-goth, semi-punk teen phase. Learned to embroider and added many patches to her favorite jackets.
- She and Cosmo both like warm vacations, but Wanda has a soft spot for snow too. It's a little too cold and wet for Cosmo long-term, but he has a good attitude around godkids. She likes building forts and castles.
- She's trained in self-defense (Physically too, not just magically - "Playdate of Doom"). Big Daddy wasn't about to let his daughters leave home without protecting themselves.
- Skilled with a bow and arrow ("Odd, Odd West").
- Thinks she's attractive with a beard ("The Fair Bears").
- Not a big fan of camping ("Girly Scouts" & "Goldie-Crocks and the Three Bears").
- Will sometimes follow Cosmo's suggestions without even questioning them ("Girly Scouts" and "Patty Possum's Party Playground").
- Wanda nursed both Poof and Dusty (both milk from her breasts and liquid magic from her pouch). Cosmo also pouchfed his magic on occasion, but Wanda often volunteered so he could recover after giving birth and so she could bond with her little sons. She was often exhausted, but grateful for the opportunity.
- She's a very talented speller ("77 Secrets of the Fairly OddParents (Revealed)").
- Skilled wandminton player ("77 Secrets").
- She can play the guitar and banjo ("77 Secrets").
- She's a country singer and has recorded an album called Big Daddy's Daughter. One of her songs is "Mommas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Pixies" ("77 Secrets").
- In Cloudlands AU lore, Poof has the same patron dragonfly as Wanda (Not Cosmo). Considering he also has Fairywinkle pheromones, there's no denying those genes are strong.
- Though Timmy and Chloe lost their memories, she and Cosmo check up on them the one day each year they're allowed to: every Midsummer's Eve (June 23rd, give or take). They keep tabs on a couple other godkids too, but Timmy isn't easy to forget.
APPEARANCES
Main Blog Tag: #Dragonfly parents
Sideblog Tag: #RD Wanda
AO3 Tag - #Wanda Fairywinkle Cosma
Wanda's arc in the 130 Prompts can be found in the Pink Train series on AO3. Beyond that, she appears in several multi-chapters such as Frayed Knots and Devil's Backbone, along with shorter stories like "See That Dust Fly" and "Bells on Bats' Tails."
Wanda makes most of her Frayed Knots appearances in Act 3, where she's seen dating Juandissimo throughout her teens. She does a trial godparent run alongside Anti-Cosmo and cameos during the war with the Anti-Fairies. She's also a notable character in Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Pixies, supporting Poof as best she can.
🧀 A fairy godparent so charming, you can't help but give a second chance
🌽 Forgotten author of Astrophysics For Morons... and a wide range of children's books people want his head for
🧀 On the verge of a total breakdown 24/7, but you didn't hear that from me
🌽 Warrior husband of Wanda Fairywinkle, father of Poof and Dusty, and Juandissimo's sleep paralysis demon
🧀 Future Keeper of Da Rules? ... Only time will tell
Notable Riddleverse ‘fic spoilers. Your mileage may vary.
OVERVIEW
Full Name: Cosmo Julius Fairywinkle-Cosma
Title(s): The Accursed One / [REDACTED: See also, Devil’s Backbone]
Preferred Form of Address: Cosmo
Alternate Forms of Address: Cosmo-lo-lo / Fairy-Cosmo / Cosmo Prime / Dad / Drk. Cosma / [REDACTED: See also, Devil’s Backbone]
Fairywinkle-Cosma is the surname on his license ("Turning Into Turner") and is therefore his legal name. It's equally correct to refer to him as Cosmo Cosma, as that's usually how he introduces himself.
Aspiration: Keep his family happy... whatever the costs
Born: Spring of the Black Lake
Zodiac: Water
Birthday: 1st Thursday of April || April 4th
Hometown: Emper - Small Fairy World town famous for its disconnected scattering of clouds and occasional pirate raids
Came Into Adult Wings: 159,223 (Average)
Age During Frozen Timestream: 381,444 (Mentally 34)
Age As of “Live For the Moment”: 528,875 (Mentally 47)
Age As of Devil’s Backbone: 544,704 (Mentally 48)
As a kabouter, Cosmo is less prone to expressing insect behaviors than gynes and drones.
Cosmo has been exposed to so much forget-a-cin since the end of the war (Mostly self-inflicted) to the point that his mind is very scrambled beyond what it was before. Random bits of knowledge leak through, but his poor memory affects him physically and emotionally.
He's fought depression for most of his life, often in parallel to Anti-Cosmo's mania. Postpartum depression hit hard.
Counterparts: Cosmo > Dame Cosmo > Anti-Cosmo
Core: Storage space - Easily overlooked, doesn't attract high expectations, but incredibly versatile (and lifechanging, too)
Core Color: Green (No additional layers)
Core Trait: Keep an open mind and strive to make choices that lead to happiness, even if it’s not what others say is best for him
Anti-Fairy: Jittery genius with occasional idiot flashes
Fairy Refract: Flighty kleptomaniac with incredible street smarts
Stats:
Power: Above Average
Endurance: Average
Wisdom: Below Average
Adaptability: Above Average
Charisma: Average
Openness: Above Average
Conscientiousness: Average
Neuroticism: Average
Magic: Tomte | Unstable | Weak | Average | Strong | Luz Mala
Crown Lift: ~7 cm
Breathing Lines: Rope twist braid
Karmic Weave: Frayed | Sparse | Plain | Average | Thick | Elaborate | Royal | At Equilibrium || Manifests as a long-sleeved dress (About knee-length)
Fagiggly Color: Green
Preferred Shapeshifting Form: Goldfish
Signature Tactic: Heeler - Has a knack for calculating his opponents’ weak points... Whether he successfully hits them is another story.
Wand Type: Threedspiral
A cheaper variety of wand, perfect for someone who regularly breaks or misplaces his.
Family: Low status and regularly in trouble with the law
Creed: Foirfe salì dor chea - “Never put your head down.”
Caretaker Spirit: His Glory Pérez (The generous rat)
Permanent Residence: 1 Wanda Street, Faeheim - Fairy World
- Central Star (Purple)
- Lives with his godkids while on the job
Occupation: Licensed godparent to members of the human and Delkian races; in training as temporary Keeper of Da Rules; [REDACTED: See also, Devil’s Backbone]
Previous Employment: Magic key; children's book author; science book author; waiter at a small diner
BACKGROUND
Self-Perception: Not that bright and tries to avoid being held responsible for his actions, but a guy who’s sweet, caring, and loyal at his core.
Alignment: Neutral Good
MBTI: INFJ
Deadly Sin: Gluttony and Wrath
Heavenly Virtue: Forgiveness
Love Language: Acts of service
Reinforcers: Hyggekrog evenings, praise, attention from Wanda, his mother's love, his sons telling him he's a good dad
Personality: Cosmo has a very creative mind and always wants to find the upside to every situation... He isn't always in the mood to try, but he loves fun and loves when others have fun along with him.
As a kid, Cosmo had an open mind, a big imagination, and a lot of love to give. He adored his older brother even though Schnozmo found him a little tiresome and annoying. Nonetheless, the brothers got along in their early years.
Cosmo was a clingy mama's boy turned clingy husband- He loves Wanda and isn't afraid to say so. He loves Wanda and doesn't feel even a little guilty that she dumped Juandissimo for him, leaving her long-time ex-boyfriend - Technically her fiancé at the time - confused and brokenhearted. He loves Wanda and didn't care what that might do to Anti-Cosmo or Anti-Wanda... He loves Wanda. Everyone else just has to deal with it.
Cosmo is a caring father who tries to focus on emotional care, not just physical security. He takes time to speak to his godkids and his sons, asking how they're doing and trying to set them up for healthy solutions and social success. He's a little overconfident at times, offering help for things he doesn't know the answers to. He enjoys feeling helpful and takes great pride in fatherhood and caretaking- He loves his kids very much.
As a godparent, Cosmo tries to keep kids engaged and show them that every day can be fun if you make time to play and goof around. This can certainly get out of hand - See also, the Not Study Game - but Cosmo wants nothing more than to make people laugh...
... If only he felt like he understood the difference between joking around and crossing a line.
Education: Mostly homeschooled during Spellementary and middle school, except for when he wasn't. He participated in a few on-campus activities, including school plays, but mostly kept near Mama Cosma.
High School: Attended Carl Poofypants High for his last 10 years; homeschooled prior that
Further Education: Fairy Academy - Godparenting
Favorite Magic Subject: Intro to Gravity Manipulation
Least Favorite Magic Subject: Special Cases of Da Rules
Favorite Non-Magic Subject: Applications of Quantum Mechanics
Least Favorite Non-Magic Subject: Physical Education - It may seem like physics, but it isn't as fun as it sounds
History: Cosmo entered the Cosma family at a difficult time. His father’s addiction to gambling and unfortunate early death left them deep in debt to Big Daddy Fairywinkle, his restless brother Robin was starting to get into trouble, and his mother fought every day to hold them together as a happy family.
Cosmo was born with a mutation that left his magic unstable, and actually leaves him unable to channel magic at all if he doesn’t regularly drink the hormones present in Fairy nursing milk. He keeps a baby bottle-shaped thermos on hand at almost all times just in case he needs a recharge. Though not the first to show the mutation, he quickly became the most recognized when he caused chaos and destruction throughout Fairy World as a child.
Cosmo has been in and out of trouble with the Fairy Council his entire life. After accidentally killing hundreds during his Terrible Twos and prompting the No Fairy Babies mandate, he was just as infamous as a child in Fairy World as Poof is adored. Which means the Fairy Council had (and still has) very few qualms about using him as a pawn when Anti-Cosmo arrived on their doorstep to beg the mandate be lifted so he may father an heir. But, that was a long time ago, and he’d rather you didn’t make him revisit those memories...
Growing up, Cosmo liked to play outside, but was always under his mother's eye. Even so, he learned to skateboard, played with neighborhood kids, and did okay in school. He begged to get a job and saved his own money to get a car, which he named Darla (and whom he cares deeply about).
Prompt #70 - "Repeat" - opens with teen Poof begging to drive Darla to sports practice and Cosmo hesitant to let him go.
Cosmo was an avid reader in his younger years before Fairy World’s (and his mother’s) extreme preference for brawn over brains made him feel stupider and stupider until finally he gave the hobby up... as far as you know. His lack of physical strength got him bullied frequently as a child, so his mother pushed him to train at the Fairy Academy.
He’s never been the brightest, but because he’s always been fascinated with stars, politics, and energy sources, he can tell you a lot about all three (in his meandering Cosmo-ish way).
He met Wanda during their adolescence, sold Darla to pay for her medical bills after accidentally running her over, and has been smitten with his sweet little wildflower ever since. And as luck would have it, Darla ended up in his hands once again.
Of course, even Cosmo has his secrets. Though extremely self-conscious any time he’s caught reading (even by Wanda), he still spends his free time writing. He’s published multiple books about complicated aspects of the magical world (such as gravity manipulation, fairy biology, and the Big Wand) translated into layman’s terms, in addition to several children’s books. Picture books for kids are his personal favorite.
He’s dabbled in political criticism and has played a more influential role in that field than he wants to believe. Since hints of his political alignments are sprinkled across his works, many are shunned from schools. His picture book How the Honeybees Say Goodnight is completely banned almost everywhere in Fairy World, while Pixies and Anti-Fairies adore it.
Cosmo sees his books as innocent and finds Fairies’ reactions very confusing (they only contribute to the negative way he sees himself and his mind). He struggles with more self-deprecating thoughts than he likes to let on.
All good things must come to an end, especially when Cosmo is involved. When revolts broke out in Fairy World (after the War of the Angels) and stuck-up, eggheaded, pro-Anti-Fairy know-it-alls were under fire, Cosmo panicked. He immediately destroyed most of his writing and changed his focus in school from Astrophysics to Godparenting.
He’s been cowering on the outskirts of Fairy World in self-inflicted exile ever since, lying low in Wanda’s shadow and maybe, maybe playing a little dumber than he really is. Just a little, of course. I wouldn’t suggest asking him about those books… or too much else about his past. Who are Westley and Nixie? ... No one you need to know, I'm sure.
See also, Prompt #121 - "Told You So" and #70 - "Repeat"
While his past was wrought with fear, self-loathing, and bouts of depression, Cosmo is actually doing well for himself nowadays, for the most part. Always an introvert, he loves to study and write about the stars and spend time with his wife. He actually knows a lot about politics, electricity, outer space, and the ins and outs of wands and magic. Most godkids just don’t ask.
Notable Likes:
- Wanda & his boys
- His mama
- Making games
- Dressing up
- Being liked and accepted
- Having a place to call home
- Cool skateboard tricks
- Astrophysics
- Dad's poetry
- Personifying animals and objects for play
- Visits with Westley
- Letters from Nixie... if he had one!
Goals:
- Be loved
- Make godkids happy
- Accept and cherish his wife and sons no matter what
- Stand up for himself and refuse to let Anti-Cosmo bully him around with politics
- Study the properties of the Big Wand in greater detail
- Write more books
- Support Westley all he can
- Make things right with Nixie
Beliefs:
- Holds no spiritual beliefs
- Dad’s death is his fault
- Blames himself for all the problems he’s directly or indirectly caused (in politics and Fairy World)
- Wanda keeps him on track (and is the best thing to ever happen to him)
- You can hide from all your problems if you act dumb enough
Fears:
- Rejection and abandonment
- Forced separation from Wanda
- Being unforgiven
- The thought of his boys seeing him as incapable of caring for them, physically or emotionally
- Interplanetary cheese shortage
Upsets:
- ... I can't remember. Neither can he.
- Being lied to
- Feeling ignored
- Not being trusted with caretaking responsibilities
- Jorgen prying things away from him
- Anti-Cosmo... Just in general
Comforts:
- Darla (His car)
- Philip (His nickel)
- Talking to godkids about their deepest thoughts
- Cookies like Mama makes
- Toys that remind him of the happy parts of his childhood
- Feeding his babies or rocking them to sleep
- Housework, especially in the garden (or anywhere he can try cute outfits while he cleans)
- Knowing Wanda's always there, helping with paperwork and supporting him at his worst
Indulgences:
- Fancy dinners with Wanda
- Roleplaying with godkids
- Playing dress-up
- Candles
- Art supplies
- Connect the dots puzzles (and mazes)
- Hot chocolate
- Candy and soda (Especially the sugary and salty stuff)
- Writing time
- Coin collecting
EXTERNAL
Verbal Notes: Long, run-on sentences. Cheerful in public but passive-aggressively savage to people he doesn’t like. Often obsessed with being “the fun one” since that’s what seems to win him love. Not one to swear, or to sit quietly while others swear with in his earshot.
Language: Speaks Snobbish fluently; knows some Lialia as well as a few words of Elrulian.
Physical Notes: His stomach acid can dissolve metal and his saliva can disable magic locks. His nose is disguised with magic; he actually has a long nose like his brother ("The Boy Who Would Be Queen").
Cosmo has wider hips than Wanda does. Post "Fairly Odd Baby," he has noticeable stretch marks around his pouch and abdomen.
Handedness: Right dominant
Body Language: Has an aura of being both a supervisor and ready to play, more like a daycare employee than a full-time parent. Lots of widespread arms or hands propped on hips. Hands-on-hips is his go-to, though he sometimes crosses his arms when frustrated.
Hair: Natural green, usually in two large scruffs. It was a single scruff in his youth and slowly morphs to three as he ages.
As with Anti-Cosmo, I draw Cosmo with a 'C' tuft in the back of his hair. However, Anti-Cosmo's usually remains in the C direction while Cosmo's follows the position of his head.
Teeth: If you looked at them closely, you'd be able to tell his are sharper than a human's and designed for eating meat. His are tough enough to resist his acidic saliva
Wings: Common fairy wings mirror the globe skimmer dragonfly, granting their subspecies the unique ability to fly backwards. In line with common fairy marital tradition, Cosmo has three subtle commitment notches in his wings, mirroring the three punctures in each of Anti-Cosmo's wings.
Make-Up Products: Pancake face and blush ("Nega-Timmy").
Scars: Small, random ones from a few injuries, especially during the war. Has a subtle turtle mark on his neck that reflects a magical symbol Anti-Cosmo has (from being the mortal host of the Water spirit, Sunnie). For the same reason, you can faintly see the mark of the Water year branded into the underside of his left wrist.
Cosmo has a very blatant star-shaped scar over his midsection from his fagiggly gland transplant ("The Gland Plan").
Tattoos: Several colorful stars on his right hip, representing his kids.
Style: Dresses nice, blending his own desire to "do something right" and Mama Cosma's desire to see her boy looking nice. Cosmo could poof his buttons up with magic, but he likes the effort of getting out of bed and doing it by hand. When he's done, he's ready to eat food, which keeps him from lying in bed too long.
Overall, he leans towards cleanliness and things that take a little thought to put on, like dresses with corsets and ties. It's nice to feel accomplished and enjoy showing off! Tries to avoid skirts on the job due to hovering above godchildren.
Regular Clothing: White button-up shirts, black slacks, black tie
Casual Clothing: Checkered button-up shirts, tank tops, or hoodies- Rarely T-shirts
Nightwear: Striped top-and-bottoms with button-up shirts and a matching nightcap
Other: Favors trunks for swimwear. Likes socks. Has his name written on most of his underwear (which he only sometimes wears - "Double-Oh Schnozmo").
Height: 3′6″ (Average for a fae)
Hygiene: Pretty good; Cosmo keeps his face clean for easy make-up application and does a decent job washing up. He keeps his teeth clean, not wanting to disappoint the Tooth Fairy.
Morning Schedule: Wake up before godkids if possible (For breakfast), but breakfast can be eaten throughout the day as needed. Be attentive- Ready to play and make suggestions!
Cosmo is usually awake earlier in the morning and later in the evening than Wanda, so she likes her blindfold. Cosmo often gets Poof and Dusty ready for the day (Or did when they lived at home).
Typical Day Schedule: Hang out with his godkid and try to make every day a unique, fun adventure!
On occasion, Cosmo visits his mama, but he tries to do so early in the day (Sometimes while godkids are at school). Mama Cosma blatantly tries to keep him late to throw off his intimate time with Wanda, which Cosmo is oblivious to.
Evening Schedule: Hang around godkid until curfew, then start to unwind. He and Wanda usually eat dinner when their godkids are still awake, but a late meal is sometimes necessary.
Wanda often gets some godparenting paperwork done while Cosmo relaxes with his books or coloring stuff (Plus a candle, cozy pajamas, and a hot chocolate). They often snuggle, but usually sleep in separate beds.
Being members of the common fairy subspecies, Cosmo and Wanda come into heat for 18 months every 500 years. They're more flirty and sexual during that time, but more cuddly and less sexual when outside their heat.
-> See the Fairy Architecture post for info on the yidreamu- A special room in a Fairy house for mating, which is a big deal in Fairy culture (Given the long history of damsels dying afterwards)
Sleep Schedule: Light, restless sleeper, but usually sleeps pretty well despite that. Moves around and kicks a lot, so he and Wanda benefit from separate beds.
PERSONAL
Cosmo’s Family Tree: HERE
Relationship Status:
- Committed to Wanda as of the Winter of the Muddy Topsoil
- Wedding Anniversary: The second Sunday of March each year
Ideal Relationship: Cosmo has a lot of self-doubt (and self-hatred) and wants someone in life who can support him without completely babying him (which pairs well with Wanda's love for taking charge). He enjoys Wanda as a steady, comforting presence in his life very much.
Sexuality: Romantically and sexually attracted to Fairies, especially those who play into overly feminine stereotypes for Fairy culture.
Attractiveness: Has extreme magical strength, which is very attractive in Fairy culture... and may play into why he was picked on throughout high school. Generally, Fairies see Cosmo as attractive, but "without the good sense to know how to use it."
He was very shunned by Fairies for writing books that went against traditional Fairy beliefs (such as proclaiming that stars are balls of gas rather than Fairies with wands) or for publishing political commentaries and pro-Anti-Fairy children's literature. The attractiveness definitely took a hit from that.
His disorganized set-up and frequent struggles with paperwork don't reflect well on him in Pixie culture. In Anti-Fairy culture, Cosmo's writing may attract attention, but his struggle to hold a stimulating conversation can cause interest to wane.
In general, Cosmo holds an air of mystery, distinction, and a sense of falling from grace. Some speculate a curse was put on him to take away his success (and brains). Others believe he fell from grace in the public eye, but his personality never changed. Still others believe the pressures of being turned on by society completely broke him, causing him to snap and change his life course.
Intimate History: Wanda is the only person he ever dated. Considers his first sexual experience to be with her, not long after the War of the Angels ended.
... Wait. Is that right?
According to rumor, he once had a fling with [REDACTED], but don’t try talking to him about it... You probably won't get answers and will send him into a mental breakdown.
- See also, the "Sentry" arc, the Frayed Knots chapter "The Delicate Art of Fudging Truth," and/or Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Pixies
- First one has the mildest rating. Proceed with caution on the others.
Turn-Ons: Nice candles, cuddles, and playful teasing... Plenty of time for slow kisses and running his fingers in Wanda's hair. He tries not to pull it down since he really likes the way Wanda wears it up.
Cosmo and Wanda have a special game they play when they're in animal disguises, in which they really get into the roleplay and refer to one another by special animal terms. Timmy jumps any time he hears Cosmo refer to Wanda by the name for female dog.
During Cosmo's two pregnancies, they also flirted by bringing in words for baby animals like "Puppy," "Kitten," and silly ones they made up for inanimate objects. They flirt sometimes in animal form, and sometimes they don't flirt so much as groom each other and snuggle up.
Cosmo enjoys living every day of his life with Wanda and wouldn't do well in a long-distance relationship... That's for sure.
Father: Robin Tiberius Cosma Sr.
Grandfather: Gonzo Cosma
Grandmother: Starling Cosma (née Lilytail)
Uncle: Hawk Cosma
Notable Ancestors: Ky Braddocki (The first brownie)
Mother: Florensa Eleanor Cosma (née Lunifly)
Grandfather: Jasper Lunifly
Grandmother: Miranda Twigfall
Uncles: Harold Lunifly, Winston Everwish
Cousin: Estella Coldwater (née Lunifly)
Aunts: Potter Lunifly (née Whistlewings), Joanie Everwish (née Lunifly)
Cousin: Poof Everwish
Notable Ancestors: Distantly related to the von Strangle family
Brother: Robin "Schnozmo" Augustus Cosma Jr.
Sister-In-Law: Ingrid Wandflick
Niece: Snowball Cosma
Wife: Wanda Venus Fairywinkle
Met: Vaguely saw her around in his youth, but really got to know her after hitting her with his car ("Cosmonopoly")
Sons: Poof Cosma, Dusty Cosma
Sister-In-Law: Blonda Fairywinkle
- It's worth noting that Cosmo and Wanda occasionally looked after Westley Periwinkle while he was growing up (Mostly when Blonda dumped him on them)
Celebrity Crushes: The Tooth Fairy; Blonda Fairywinkle
Blonda supported Cosmo a lot during a difficult time of his life. See also, Prompt #70 - "Repeat"
Current Love Interest: Wanda (Always and forever)
Other Important Relationships:
Juandissimo - Cosmo terrifies the man... They both know where they stand with each other, and Juandissimo keeps a mostly respectful distance away. Despite their mutual interest in Wanda, Cosmo doesn't mind Juandissimo as a person and considers him a peripheral friend; he even allowed him at his baby shower.
Anti-Cosmo - Needy, greedy, and always in the way. They're on very bad terms. Let's not talk about it anymore.
Anti-Wanda - Cosmo doesn't mind her presence, though there's no question Wanda Prime is a better match for him romantically. They don't frequently cross paths, but seem to be on significantly better terms than he is with Anti-Cosmo.
Foop & Smoky - Cosmo holds no clear ill will towards his counterpart's children. He considers them his nephews and lets them call him uncle, even tolerating Foop's use of "Uncle Idiot." He's babysat the boys a few times and does a surprisingly good job at mitigating their damage... I guess Mama Cosma rubbed off on him!
Jorgen - The focal point of many tough things in Cosmo's life, but they're distant cousins... And Jorgen's only rough because he cares. Right?
Emery - Head of the human godparenting division; Cosmo's boss. He gets along with her well enough, seemingly oblivious to Emery's blatant favoritism of him over Wanda (given that Emery is H.P.'s sister and their family has never gotten along well with the Fairywinkles).
Cupid - Not an easy guy to get along with, but his heart is usually in the right place. Cosmo admires him, but isn't his biggest fan. "Instantly exhausted by each other, but trying to push through the conversation politely anyway" is probably the best description of their relationship.
Timmy - Cosmo's long-term godkid who's both a hard worker and a lover of fun! They get along great.
Chloe - Cosmo admires her for being herself and indulging in "childish interests" like little kid shows and toys. He connects with her really well and often talks her through her feelings, especially when her anxiety kicks up.
Crŏ̸̧̝̓̓̉͝͝ckę̶̜̯̊͌̀̀͛̓r - ... Confusing. The one that got away.....
Sanderson - While they aren't close, Cosmo crossed paths with Sanderson a few times throughout his high school visits to Pixie World's laundromat. They vaguely know each other, though Sanderson's more familiar with Anti-Cosmo.
W̸̢̮̖̹̫͉̱̄̽̕ę̶̜̯̊͌̀̀͛̓s̸̛̠̺̼̬̘͊̓͌͌̔̿̕͝͝t̴̢̻̹̰͍̫̫͕̄̿ͅl̷̨̩̘͍̩͑̀̆̈́̿ẻ̶̹̲͙̬̻̋̈́͒͗̿̋̚ÿ̴̧̛̰́̄͗̀ - They're not close, but Cosmo's always hoping for his success. He and Wanda looked after Westley a couple times in his youth.
S̸̗͓͑̔̓̾̑̈ḁ̴̢̦͋͗̐̈f̸̧̧̙̝̠̥̻̯̏̾͑͊f̶̢̫̈́̒̈́͝r̴̯̠̞͈̆͜ŏ̸̧̝̓̓̉͝͝n̸͉͓͓͇͇͚̒̈́̐ - ... I don't remember much...... Didn't Cosmo try to take custody of her kid or something?
N̶̖͚͎̰͖̙̏͒͘i̷̮͛̌ͅx̶̱̥̑̈́͒̅͐̚͜ḭ̴͚̓̾̊̀͛̔͋e̷͔̦̿- ... Maybe we don't talk about that one.
TRIVIA
- Cosmo’s middle name was revealed to be Julius in the printed comic “Baby Factory” (March 2007) and confirmed again in “77 Secrets of ‘The Fairly OddParents’ (Revealed)”
- Fought the Anti-Fairies in the war over godkids ("Balance of Flour").
- Can’t use magic if he hasn’t been drinking his milk.
- His signature was designed to look like it starts with K, as Cosmo often thinks his name does.
- I color his skin a little darker than Wanda's; it comes from his dad's side of the family.
- Has a Zappy award ("The Zappys").
- He’s allergic to potato skins (“Dust Busters”), peaches (“A Sash and a Rash”), and peanuts (“Squirrely Puffs”), but not cashews (“Clark Laser”).
- Preferred non-magical weapon is a slingshot ("Love Struck"). Coincidentally, this is also Anti-Cosmo's and Foop's weapon of choice ("Fairly Odd Baby" & "When L.O.S.E.R.S. Attack")
- He can also use a sword (and use his wand as a sword; "Best of Luck").
- He's a talented kazoo player ("77 Secrets of 'The Fairly OddParents' (Revealed)").
- His go-to password is Philip ("77 Secrets").
- According to "77 Secrets," his and Wanda's address while living with Timmy was 123 Fishbowl Lane, Timmy's Room, USA.
-> Given Hazel's apartment number being 3 ("Fly"), he and Wanda likely live in apartment 2 or 4 (in City Lights AU).
- The list of books he's authored includes Astrophysics For Morons, Shiny Crowny Things For Morons, Conversations with Butch, and "Little Wands For Little People" ("77 Secrets").
- Extremely fascinated by fish; he finds that he gets really, really excited around them, completely unaware that this “excitement” is actually his dragonfly DNA having a heart attack.
- Likes elephants, even having an elephant-shaped bed when he was growing up ("Fairly Odd Baby"). Anti-Cosmo hates them.
- Leaves one of his childhood toys with every godkid (Rehoming all the stuff Mama Cosma spoiled him with).
- Likes reading his late dad's poetry books.
- Not great with painting his nails, so Wanda often does that for him.
- A decent cook, but excels in mixology. He can make the best hot chocolate you've ever had.
- Suspiciously good at picking locks.
- Constantly fighting postpartum depression.
- Wanda did most of Poof's and Dusty's nursing, but Cosmo loved bottle-feeding his sons. On rare occasion, they nursed on liquid magic from his stomach pouch (though Wanda has a pouch for that too and was usually the one to do so, leaving Cosmo to rest after giving birth).
- Though Timmy and Chloe lost their memories, he and Wanda check up on them the one day each year they're allowed to: every Midsummer's Eve (June 23rd, give or take). They keep tabs on a couple other godkids too, but Timmy isn't easy to forget.
- His love life is forever managed by politics, but we don’t have to talk about that.
APPEARANCES
Main Blog Tag: #Dragonfly parents
Sideblog Tag: #RD Cosmo
AO3 Tag - #Cosmo Cosma
Cosmo's arc in the 130 Prompts can be found in the Pink Train series on AO3. He appears in several multi-chapters such as Frayed Knots and Devil's Backbone, along with shorter stories like "See That Dust Fly" and "Bells on Bats' Tails."
Cosmo is one of the main protagonists of Devil's Backbone, alongside Blackwood and Anti-Poof. He's also a notable character in Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Pixies, acting opposite Poof, but not necessarily as an antagonist.
Anti-Wanda gains these scars (among others) after a would-be assassin shoved her off the Faeheim clouds and into Giant Bucket of Acid World. Anti-Wanda spent six weeks trapped in the spirit world (Plane 23) while her body struggled to regenerate. You can read more about the origins of her scars in the 130 Prompt “You’ll Never Know” (linked below).
Tensions had already been high between Fairies and Anti-Fairies after the theft of Claímh Solais, but the near-assassination is what triggered Anti-Cosmo’s decision to declare war... and thus the May Blossom War began.
Scar Details
Anti-Wanda’s scars are mostly found along her spine and the right side of her body, as it was her right side that hit the acid before she immediately went up in smoke.
Like all mediums of the nature spirits, Anti-Wanda’s magic and blood change color to reflect the mood of the spirit she’s hosting, and NOT the mood of her Fairy counterpart. Her scars act the same way.
Anti-Wanda’s scars also glow in the dark. Fortunately, they’re usually purple at night (neutral / calm), which happens to be the dimmest color.
Additional Damage
Along with these scars, Anti-Wanda’s right ear was badly damaged, as was most of her vision. Her right wing lost almost all its range of motion, putting an end to Anti-Wanda’s extended travel adventures. She’s able to take short trips, but requires much more rest and attention than she used to.
Foop flies into a panic if he hears his mother went outside alone, even for short flights. He’s paranoid that she’ll push her limits and end up weakened and far from home. Say one thing for those scars... They absolutely strengthened the bond between Foop and his mother.
Related
- “You’ll Never Know” (FFN / AO3 / dA)
- 'Fic Chronology (Gained during “Youth for Poof and Foop” section)