Hey, I've noticed you sometimes like to over analyze things about the characters on Total Drama and turn them into headcanons. Could you maybe over analyze something about Topher, Amy, or Anne Maria? I personally think all three of them are kind of underrated.
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I’m so, SO sorry, Anon! This Ask got buried in my box, I think because Tumblr never gave me a notification for it. Wow. That’s embarrassing. This is a sideblog and sometimes Tumblr forgets to tell me when I get Asks. Either that, or I forgot, but that would be weird because this is a cool question. Sorry. (It also never allows me to see my queue, which is kind of weird, but okay.)
Uh…
As for Anne Maria, I think all my thoughts about her have been summed up in the comments I made when I was agreeing with THIS amazing post about her being canonically attracted to Vito’s personality more than his body, as well as the Anne Maria one-shot I wrote, “Shore to Shore”.
I’ve wanted to write a post comparing the manipulation styles of Topher, the Head Pixie, and Rochester from Jane Eyre for a year now. I LOVE Topher! He’s the best manipulator character I’ve ever seen, but he’s so good at being subtle that most people don’t notice it. Rochester is terrible at everything ever and I don’t like him, and H.P. is observant, but Topher’s where it’s at, man.
I DID share a hefty chunk of one of the “Lions Under Palm Trees” chapters on my main FountainPenguin blog six months ago when I was talking about him and his manipulative psychological tricks, so… If you want Topher, here he is!
Every time I talk about Amy I get major backlash for it, so I’ll very carefully let you click this link to see the posts I have in her tag if you dare to tread there. I’m excited to show you guys what I’ve written for her in “Beatin’ Path”. She’s still a horrible person, but she has some fun one-liners too. My favorite part of the twins is that Amy never went good- Instead, Samey went bad. Awesome.
Why is it that “Beatin’ Path” and “Lions” are so far along when I can’t get past Chapter 3 of “Lyin’ Queen”? Oh, because Leonard’s pretty much the best character ever, that’s why.
Jimmy takes one pace down the stairs. Tango takes two paces back, keeping his eyebrow high. Oh. Jimmy makes himself stop. He can’t keep getting closer; he might scare Tango, and he might lash out, and he might take damage.
“You can think about it. I mean… if you’d like to. It would really mean a lot to me.”
In which Scott, Martyn, and Jimmy all pull the rug out from under their partners on the same night. Or… their partners and also Jimmy's ambiguous bud, I guess.
(First 1,200 words under the cut - mild #trafficshipping & heads up for Scott daydreaming about carrying Cleo's robes while she roleplays, which is worth a warning in this context. Task requires zero allay hybrids for... obvious reasons)
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Smajor1995
Location: Cleo’s unit, Core District, 2nd Floor, 872
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Mother Moon wears white like a bride, but her sword is poison-tipped. She yanks his eyelids back like they’re hooked on marionette strings, nostrils flaring at her command. With every step he takes down the hall back to his and Cleo’s room, Scott walks with his head high, as if a warm metal blade is pressed against his throat. Something red and hot and boiling blossoms in his chest, Cleo tugging the allay bond from just a chunk away. It’s cool. It’ll be cool. It’s… It’s weird, for sure, but it’s one conversation. He’ll be fine.
It’s like I’m talking to Irene and Linda. The Rotten Dragon and the Phantom Dragon. A lie, sure, but when he sets the scene inside his head, somehow it turns discussing what happened with Martyn and Cleo into a thing he can survive. If he can converse with their mums, he can converse with them. They’re on equal footing here.
When he eases the apartment door in again, Cleo and Martyn have moved to the couch, where they’re whispering with heads bent close. Scott can feel Cleo’s spiking nerves, but not their spoken words. Um. He veers mid-step towards the sink to fill a cup of water. Gods, he hates all of this. The people who like throuples seem to work them out, like it comes naturally. Scott’s far too particular about what he likes to gamble it all on juggling, but he admires those willing to risk the mess. To be clear, he isn’t bothered by Martyn specifically, but he wishes they weren’t talking in the room. This is his space too.
He drinks his water. Keeps his feelings folded at his chest. His duty is service with a smile. He’s not here to alter behavior; he’s just here to observe.
And I’d really like to drop my head in Cleo’s lap.
Scott jolts. He feels Cleo’s heartbeats startle, which it nothing he’s not used to. That thought about their lap, though, is something else. And Scott has seen Cub watch a squall with Scar curled peaceably against him enough times to recognize it.
Oh my gods… I really am becoming a vex! Even in my brain. With a shaky hand, Scott lowers the cup to the sink. He stands for three seconds, then rinses it out. He can feel two pairs of eyes burning the back of his neck. Why does this feel even worse than when everyone confronted him in Pearl’s apartment about possibly eating Sniff? Scott swallows, dries his hands, and walks over to join them in the living room.
“Hi. So, um…?”
“Yeah.” Cleo takes Martyn’s shoulder, gathering floppy head feathers in her fist. He looks at her in question. She guides his head down, nestling his cheek against her lap. “You can cuddle if you want, but you have to go on Deafen. I want to talk to Scott in private.”
Scott’s muscles tense up. Um. It’s not exactly polite - or super safe - to expect someone to shut their ears off, muting all surrounding sounds… But when Martyn looks up at her, Cleo’s stare is very firm. He gives the faintest nod. And Scott’s throat fills with scuttling endermite claws. My gods, how long have they been partners?
Martyn feels behind him for a pillow, which he moves into Cleo’s lap. Right. Smart; that will stop him from sinking through. Cleo scruffs her fingers in his feathers and Martyn Deafens without complaint. A couple clicking noises trickle through the air as internal systems adjust. He looks… pliable? Ready for instructions. His eyes dart up; Cleo lowers a hand to block them out.
“And no peeking, Mr. ‘Grew Up With Otters and Can Lip-Read.’”
“Ooh, hot,” Martyn says, but Scott can tell his hearts aren’t in it. He guides one wing towards his beak and starts chewing around one of his few feathers despite the awkward angle. He might be Deafened, but he isn’t Silenced, and every rustle of beak against phantom membrane sends a twitch down Scott’s back. He clears his throat against his fist. Should he sit? Maybe he’ll stand. No, maybe he’ll sit… on the coffee table. Erm. Maybe not. He settles for bracing himself on his hands, tapping lightly at the wood.
“So, um. You and Martyn?”
“It’s not…” Cleo looks unsure, waffling their bond. It twangs against his skin. “It’s only physical. Just, you know… settling down the mob brain. I don’t get my costumes out for him.”
Scott bites his lip. You never let me see you in costume.
Oh, shoot- Something wildly tangled and undefinable flares like a star inside his chest. Scott puts a hand there, pinching skin with respawn-sharp claws. He didn’t mean to come across this cranky. Um. He and Cleo don’t- They actually don’t talk about her costume thing. He’s hung around long enough to catch them working on a sewing project, but they’ll usually finish a thread and put it up shortly after he arrives. She’s shown him current projects, but never anything from The Closet Drawer. No. That place, even if he is her allay, isn’t his to touch.
He swallows spit again. What if I want to see you dress pretty someday, though? He gets that it’s a sensual thing for Cleo - He gets it, he GETS it - and knows playing dress-up is something she’s very sensitive about, what with her past life as a villager before she got bitten by a zombie young. Olivia can’t just raise zombies with her villagers for the exact same reasons Alice and Sylvia were never friends. So Cleo left her mum, left her home, and moved to Underdark Crossing instead. Maybe it was needed for the greater good, but the world of villager role-swapping was ripped away from her. She pours love in every stitch of every robe, cloaking herself in power (and control).
… Scott knows he has no right to see her wear her silly things. He’s curious for purely fashionista reasons. If Cleo ever flirts with him while wearing her gear, then wires got maaaajorly crossed- He likes men, and that’s never changing. No matter how much he wants to watch anime and eat giant pretzels with Pearl again, or how jealous he is of the way WellsGlazes looked at Scar like he held the best territory in the whole perimeter. What’s that even about? Ugh. That better not become a thing. Literally no one wants to see them gooey-eyed. If she were still a guy, Scott’d be tempted to ask her out. Might as well show her what an allay can do that a vex cannot.
He’s happily gay. Don’t forget that for a second. Cleo does not owe him a peek at her sewing projects. Those are her private things.
“I could bring your gear out when you’re with Martyn,” he blurts, then claps a palm over his mouth. The sting jolts his whole system. It hurts his hand; the flash of a glitch makes Martyn jerk up his head. “Cleo, I did not mean to say that.”
“It’s… it’s fine,” she says, cupping Martyn’s eyes again, but she looks as shaken as he is. Scott’s legs get jelly-wobbly. She doesn’t want him in the room. Not when she’s in costume. Scott tries not to let that rattle him, even though allays are a player’s friend. Maybe friends would just be in the way.
Made a Part 2 to my last "Riddle's unposted drafts out of context" post, ft. some recent sillies & the rest mostly Life Series-flavored.
(A lot of these stay drafts because I don't have citations for them or I second-guess whether I actually want them on my blog, but I can't bear to delete them </3)
This last one is actually critically important in my 'fics- Kudos if you guess why.
Not me watching in disbelief as Etho shows in his S10#15 video that he's started using Flashback for camera angles and montage scenes... Oh, it is a BIG DAY for fans who portray the cam accounts [and similar modern cam tools] as actual separate characters in art and fic.
Listen, when I wrote that 'fic about SnifferMyFeet becoming Etho's cameraman so he could still hang out with PiglinMyNose (Joel's cam) it WAS A JOKE-
“I’m ranked captain,” BigB says when he’s all the way up to three silent seconds locking eyes. “I can take care of myself.”
“Stand down, captain. You are not the headman here.”
BigB growls in the back of his throat. Like a wolf. Like a dragon.
While BigB struggles against his illager instincts, Ren helps him take a bath without calling a raid. Pearl and Bdubs trade notes on how to train a dragon and Jimmy spills a secret Scott didn't know about Cleo.
(First 1,000 words under the cut - Light trafficshipping for Ren taking care of BigB)
Renthedog
Location: Ren’s bedroom, Core District, Central New Star Station
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Ren is by no means an illager. He wasn’t raised near them, he’s never lingered in the Cherry Peninsula, and he makes absolutely no claims of being familiar with the culture. All his learning comes from hefty books and what friends like Cub, Hypno, and BigB have told him about life where they grew up. Mmmaybe a dash of Welsknight and Tango on the side, through the sheer nature of where the blaze spawner stands. Plus Impulse and Skizz’s adventures, of course. Doc’s long-distance friends. Joel and Lizzie’s wild tales. A dashing pinch of Martyn from long summers he spent in the otter spawn hub. There was a time in Last Life when he, BigB, and Lizzie cooked food and washed their skins, which gave them space to talk. BigB answered honest questions, and Ren learned a side of Illager life he never had before.
Ren is Ren. He knows what he knows; he rolls up his sleeves and fact-checks what he doesn’t. You can’t be too careful out there. Either way, he does his very best.
“Doc and I can make some food,” he says to BigB, laying one of his stumps against the man’s glowing elbow. BigB’s fully flared, absolutely: cyan from head to toe. Y’know, some people ask Ren why he wears the shades indoors. Flared friends frolicking fearlessly for friendship frequently fits the reason why. Let’s not get funny about the details, all right?
Look at him, though… BigB stands like an enderman in the middle of his room, his hands stuffed inside his sleeves. He’s a bit stooped in the shoulders, blinking like he might summon phantoms overhead at any moment, but he paints a regal portrait standing there.
Ren scratches his brain like he’s going at it with a back paw. He can’t quite recall the last time he saw BigB in his illusioner robes. He does reveal them on occasion- There’s a hunting sport a good lot of the Illager folks are into, and Ren’s cheered in the stadium for all his friends when they’re out running the field. The fabric’s blue and speckled beneath the all-consuming glow, rippling like a river down his body to the ankles. He’s still wearing leather boots.
Now, there’s a good-lookin’ man. Ren won’t force BigB to show his hands. Be a bit inappropriate, don’t you think? Illagers do all their magic with their hands, so to hold one is to rob them of the ease of self-defense! Most affronting! BigB swivels his head, gazing at him with fuzzy vision. He says nothing. Ren tries again, gently, and brings his other stump up to brush BigB’s cheek. “Busy day, right? Let’s get you out of those robes. You wash up and we’ll cook a meal you won’t forget.”
“I am hungry,” BigB agrees in the soft tones of Illagealt. Oh, baby- They sound like butter on his lips. “That’s very sweet.”
Ren hopes he’s translating all that right. BigB’s body language supports the chill way he’s speaking, though Ren’s grasp on the words is rockier than he’d like admitting. He knows a lot of words that relate to blocks and actions. He knows ‘hungry.’ Sweet? It’s blurry, but he feels like he learned that once upon a time. Ender’s always come a little easier to him; it’s what dragons speak, you know. Had some motivation to figure that one out early on.
“Would you appreciate any help with your dresser-age?”
BigB nods, grunting in the affirmative, so Ren moves his hands to the front of the robes. BigB does the buttons and Ren pulls them up and over his head like a towel off a wet crafting table. He turns away to fold them, and BigB bends to remove his boots on his own. His movements are slow - awkward, undeniably - but he gets them unlatched without assistance. B slides off first one boot, than the other. These, he hands to Ren.
No problem. Ren accepts, resolving to set them by the front door. For now, he vanishes them into his inventory. Illagers freshly back from a patrol seek connection with their tribemates, right? BigB’s giving him the boots on purpose. A sort of, You’re part of the crew gesture that Ren won’t violate by tossing the shoes aside right in front of him.
BigB’s fingers scratch his sweater vest. Taking the invitation, Ren helps him out of that too. It’s not a simple thing to do when you’ve got stumps for hands! Nonetheless, off comes the shimmery cyan shirt, and then the glowing trousers. Easy breezy. “You’ve been here before,” he says, watching BigB cross his hands uncomfortably in front of his chest. Without the sleeves, he’s got nowhere else to put them. Sweet-lookin’ bod, though. Not that he ever forgot. BigB doesn’t spend much time building in Minecraft, but regular jogging sessions and whatever else he does in Roblox (among other worlds) has certainly carved his abs. Nice. “Should I walk you to the tub?” Tub’s new. Toilet’s still in the same place it’s always been.
“Yes. Help. Ren, please- I’m so close, so close-”
Oh no. “To starting a raid?” he asks gently, and BigB grunts. His fingers itch his arms; his chest. Ren eyes the Bad Omen mark on his right-hand shoulder. “Okay. Uh. You’re doing quite well, for a first-timer! Can I bring in Doc to help?”
BigB exhales. His shoulders loosen up a bit, and maybe (Maybe) he’s finally learning to let go. “Yes. Protect the city.”
“Got it.” He turns to walk away, and BigB’s footsteps tail him down the hall. A soft, chirring whine trickles through the air. Ren twitches his ears. He glances at BigB just once, to which the man pulls back his head. If he weren’t already cyan, he’d probably be flushing.
“I need supervision.”
“No problem. If you want to hug me at any time, you’re more than welcome to.”
BigB hums in approval. “To stop my hands. Clever.”
I love Dimmsdale's rich families... You've got the Dimmadomes who are all about real estate, fancy buildings, hosting city events, and (Thanks to Dale) they got into tech and shipping.
Contrast that with the "old-fashioned pencil and paper" vibes of the Leadlys, plus the Buxaplentys running the trains... It's a triangle of supporting each other's businesses (and thus, the rich get richer).
This post written under the assumption we're treating these episodes as canon, though I cherrypick "Country Clubbed" in my worldbuilding and I use Dimmsdale's founding year from Season 3 over the one given in Season 9.
General Background
Several flashback episodes imply the FOP world exists in a timeline where the English settled at least part of the west coast in 1665 (as opposed to the Spanish).
- Presumably, this is one of the unique things a universe-hopper like Jimmy Neutron would identify this world by.
- On that note, people are heavily implied to "stand differently" in the FOP world, which is why visitors from other dimensions react with surprise when they see their bodies (and fall over before they get their footing):
Just some fun "alt reality" vibes. Enjoy your visit; sea legs required.
Notably, this is also a universe where trains existed on the west long before they existed in ours, but we'll get to that.
Today I'm discussing the Dimmadomes, Leadlys, and Buxaplentys, but for anyone who's interested in learning more about rich families, Season 9's "Country Clubbed" namedrops a bunch.
Dimmadome Family
We know the Dimmadomes for their impact in the modern world- they're always innovating, hopping from one thing to the next. Dale does seem to have consistency in the businesses he owns (though I am DYING to question what his plans are for that indoor amusement park).
Doug doesn't seem able to commit to anything for long, though we know he's very proud of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome. He hosts many events throughout the series, from music shows to wrestling to demolition derbies.
Dimmsdale was founded in 1665, named after Dale Dimm (following him throwing Alden Bitterroot the witch down a well). It's possible Dale Dimm is an ancestor of the Dimmadomes, given what we know about:
- Dimmadomes having their hand in things (including the founding of Dimmadelphia).
- One Dimmadome ancestor using the surname Dimm ("Lost and Founder's Day").
- Dale Dimm's very tall, barefoot figure is a hilarious ancestor choice for Doug "tall hat" and Dale "boot obsessed" descendants when you think about it.
While it's heavily implied Dale was born into generational wealth, we can't confirm whether that was (or wasn't) true for Doug. It's possible his family helped him get his start, but he seems to have kicked off his own success story by mining for gold (Presumably at a young age given that was back in 1953 and the main FOP series kicks off in 2001).
I like to think Doug (prior Dale's birth) changed his family's surname to Dimmadome to move away from the negative connotation of Dimm and commit himself fully to his big and shiny brand image.
Doug's a pretty interesting character! He's not afraid to get involved in his projects and work hard personally, as opposed to outsourcing- a trait he and his son Dale seem to share.
Doug also seems pained to surrender a check to Timmy in "Odd Ball" (even asking for a minute to say good-bye to his money), which isn't far off from Dale's attitude towards stocks.
He was even down to move to Alaska to follow the Ballhogs basketball team. He loves throwing all his chips on the table and doesn't back out easily. He also goes all-in with promotional outfits, like the parka above or his chicken costume in "Chicken Poofs."
That said, he might have some "sunk cost fallacy" views towards some of the stuff he buys. While the basketball team cheered they'd won the game by a close shave, Doug's first remark was that now he'd have to figure out what to do with all the stuff he bought in prep for their move to Alaska. He immediately started eating the Blubber Nuggets he would no longer be able to sell.
In "Chicken Poofs," when Doug sees the town inside his restaurant's chicken-dunking cages, his first thought isn't "Oh my gosh, I have to save these people." It's "These people stole my chickens- I'm ruined!" However (at Timmy's advice), he comes back from the loss of his chickens by selling the eggs they left behind. He wasn't about to go home empty-handed.
I'm obsessed with Doug's chicken-dipping machinery having labels so the thing one step up from Deep Fry is The Sun, and the step up from Sun is Lava. When would he ever need a dial that goes that high?
A "waste not, want not" attitude is fascinating in contrast to Dale being so incredibly wasteful, he brought two single-use helicopters on his trip to the park in "Stanky Danky."
Is Dale rebelling against Doug's "We have to make the most of everything" parenting style? I think that plays really well into my vision of Dale being the first born into excessive wealth, while Doug possibly worked his way up after striking gold in 1953. Dale is wasteful, Doug more practical.
Doug is also over-the-top ridiculous and would sooner work around his love for tall hats than stop wearing them.
He owns a boot-shaped phone and a laptop with an armadillo logo, apparently. I'm not sure what they were going for with the armadillo - it's probably just random or meant to represent high security - but I looked it up and in Mayan folklore, armadillos are perceived as cunning critters that outwit people and dodge consequences thanks to their shells, which... Yeah, I think that sums the Dimmadomes up pretty well.
Fun fact, but armadillos are one of the only things Fairy magic can't affect ("Teacher's Pet") because magic bounces off their shells. My Anti-Fairy biology incorporates pink fairy armadillo biology because we know Anti-Fairies are also immune to most Fairy magic. Just kind of a "Hm" implication, especially since "Crock Talk"' here and "Teacher's Pet" are both Season 7 episodes.
I guess the other horrifying option is that Doug eats armadillos the way you eat apples, but...
I'm also of the opinion that Doug torched things in the Learnatorium, given what we know about the Learnatorium's interior ("Totally Spaced Out") and this scene of Doug "destroying childhood memories" in "Odd, Odd West"
In fact, it's not even a reach to say Doug takes pride in destroying people's cherished childhood memories. He seems to "look down on wasteful, childish things" and seems to value anything that is more useful in performing a task or turning a profit. Again, that's big "Everything must be useful and we can't waste space" energy (and presumably reflects on his offscreen parenting).
Where my fanworks are concerned, I love the idea that Doug paid for personal tutors to help Dale adjust to society and/or some basic schooling. Say... maybe an elementary teacher to start with?
I don't think it would be unreasonable to theorize Crocker was involved with that, at least at first, as it helps justify the money he would've needed to expand the Crocker cave in the early days.
-> We know from S4's "Genie Meanie Miney Mo" that Mr. Birkenbake states he can't afford a garage because he "doesn't make Crocker money," implying resentment... which is pretty interesting when you consider that Crocker also doesn't have his own place because he moved back in with his mom after university, and not even to his old room (Instead to a room above the garage).
-> We know from S6's "Wishology Pt. 2" that Crocker stole the money intended for "the school's new science wing" and used that to pay for some of his tech, like his rocket.
Both these episodes come well after S2's "Nectar of the Odds," so it's interesting to consider Crocker getting money earlier to support his tech pursuits in Seasons 2 and 3.
Dale seems to feel strongly about his dad- If it's not love, it's obsession and Grade-A Daddy Issues. His tent is shaped like his dad's head - despite Doug not being present at the event as far as we know - and even his house features statues of his dad.
Considering the nervous, over-the-top, aggressively money-chasing person Dale turned out to be, it's no surprise we can see a lot of Dale in Doug. While Vicky did a number on Dale's psyche, there's definitely some Doug influence in his behavior too.
Fun Fact: The Dimmadome gives off Roman Colosseum vibes, so it's fitting that one of the ancestors we saw in "Lost and Founder's Day" is an ancient Roman!
I would also be remiss not to look at the Dimmadome fortune, glance at the sheer number of businesses Doug is constantly opening... and question if there's some money laundering going on there. Seems kinda sus, ngl...
I'm just saying, Doug with a ton of "disposable income" (gold) because he ended up with a lot of it very quickly seems like a "great" way to get into gambling. Shout-out to the Dimmadomes and their obsessions that hint at addictive personalities.
Actually, that makes Dev's game addiction so much darker and now I'm horrified. He could get into trouble so easily...
Also, in "Engine Blocked," Doug literally tries to pay Vicky with a bunch of [I assume fake] money with his face on it, so that's questionable...
One last interesting note is that the Dimmadrones (called such in "Stanky Danky" when chasing Cosmo, Wanda, and Hazel) are clearly based on the early model of Amazon delivery drones.
I think the obvious assumption is that Dale* built them for Dimmazon, but repurposed a few of them for Dev's caretaking (as opposed to them being built for Dev in the first place).
* It's possible the robots were built by a team, but knowing Dale programmed the statues in "Lost and Founder's Day" & Dale's seeming preference to do things himself rather than outsourcing, I'm going with the "Dale built them" theory.
This repurposing might be backed up by Dev referring to the ones that hang out with him as au pairs - a phrase meaning "caretaker" - and even claiming his au pairs are Au Pair #1 and Au Pair #2.
While that might just be convenient shorthand since those are the two he interacts with, maybe those are a different type of Dimmadrone that was designed (or tweaked) specifically for Dev's care.
In a previous post, I discussed my headcanon of Dev having hypoglycemia and referenced the au pairs having the ability to "alert on him," or at least use both visuals and noise to signal him, as in this screenshot from "28 Puddings Later" showcasing a glowing exclamation point:
We also know Dev has specific food needs (Lactose intolerance), that he's very picky with his food (Even a treat like cupcakes that you would expect a 9-year-old to enjoy regardless), and that the au pairs are capable of food preparation (since Dev tells Hazel in "A New Dev-elopment" they can make sushi).
The au pairs are probably the most advanced, expensive, time-consuming models (compared to the ones that simply need to be mass produced for package pick-up and put-down).
I do like the thought that - for all his faults I didn't touch on here - Dale does care enough about Dev that he took the time to design two robots that could look after Dev in his absence... and specifically, took the time to think of what a child actually needs.
Dale probably thinks "I spent 7 years struggling... I would've loved the comfort of knowing my base needs like food were taken care of."
In my hypoglycemia post, I said the au pairs seem to know what hugs are and can recognize when Dev wants comfort. That implies Dale put a lot of thought into the design of the au pair and its ability to assess Dev's needs. Dale's not oblivious to what a child needs, like safety, appropriate food, and physical affection... He just lets the au pairs handle Dev.
Dale definitely gives the impression of someone who's making a genuine effort to parent, considering he missed out on healthy role models for at least 7 years of his life (Not to mention Doug is a wild character and probably fell short of being an excellent parent himself).
Along with designing the au pairs to look after him, Dale involves Dev in his projects, greets Dev, and answers his questions, and that's so interesting when you compare him with people like:
- Remy's parents (after the shipwreck in "Fairy Fairy Quite Contrary"'s closing scene) opting to count their surviving money and open a luxury hotel while still dressed in rags, forcing Remy to forage for his and their survival
- Vicky and Tootie's parents opting to stay with perceived cannibals rather than disobey Vicky ("Timmy's 2D House of Horror"); they consistently let Vicky run the show and beg her forgiveness when they upset her. You could 100% make an argument that Vicky is Tootie's actual caregiver.
- The "Fairy Idol" alt version of Bucky (Chester's dad) who lost his house and went off to party instead of securing food or shelter for his son. Also, Regular Bucky canonically feeds Chester animals he stole from the zoo or aquarium ("Who's Your Daddy?") and I think we should talk about that.
- A.J.'s parents are fantastic in many ways, but there's something incredibly dark about the way they don't like A.J. going outside where there are germs ("Who's Your Daddy?"), they have a laser set up in front of their house to vaporize visitors ("The Big Scoop"), and A.J. seems to believe they dislike Chester (given his long silence after Chester asks why A.J.'s parents' security system got more aggressive after finding out he was Chester).
- Later-season neglectful Timmy's parents (though I acknowledge I don't love that flanderized aspect of their character unless viewed from the 'got burned out after 50 extra years of parenting' lens, personally).
- Clark and Connie who walked out on their daughter having an anxiety attack (and sent Chloe into a dissociative episode 3 times in the first episode they appeared).
- A distracted adult Timmy ("Channel Chasers") leaving his kids with a robot Vicky babysitter despite the sight of weapons and his children begging.
Dale IS an antagonist and a neglectful parent. This post is not meant to take away from that or excuse it, but I think it's interesting that within the bounds of FOP characterization... He is pretty consistently in line with how parents in this show behave, and he does have many positives alongside his flaws. I totally understand why child protective services have not taken Dev from him.
Disclaimer: All characters are morally gray and this list is for amusing discussion purposes. I'm not calling these characters "bad parents" so much as highlighting interesting behaviors for consideration.
FOP's characterization leans into adults being foolish and neglectful - Dimmsdale is named after the idea that the adults are dim, after all - and I think it's worth evaluating all the FOP parents within that framework.
Related Dimmadome Posts:
- This post where I had the thought that Doug might have ADHD/OCD comorbidity (Hilariously, something I'd already decided to do with Dale and Dev...)
- This post comparing Doug and Dale body language
Leadly Family
S9's "Dog Gone" is a bonkers episode, and I love it so much. Notably, it's the episode that confirms Leadly is personally rich- Not just Pencil Nexus as a company, which has multiple branches in other states and can afford a jet.
In fact, Leadly is so rich, he offers to buy Sparky from the Turners for 17 million dollars, just because Sparky gave him the Heimlich maneuver and Leadly thought it was neat.
My personal headcanon for Leadly is that he's somewhat aware of magical beings and is actively seeking them.
The Leadly mansion is pencil-themed, of course.
The Dimmadomes and Buxaplentys are both confirmed to have generational wealth. We have no proof one way or the other for Leadly. It's likely his is too, but it's not impossible he founded Pencil Nexus and committed to its branding because he's proud of what he does.
Leadly doesn't have many appearances, but we know some very important things about him:
- He's convinced he's being haunted by a hot tub ghost, reason being that Cosmo likes to use his hot tub at night (whether Leadly's in it or not). Sparky also claims that he had an accident on Leadly's lawn (Crashing his car), but that Leadly blamed the hot tub ghost.
- He's super buff.
- His company is literally the only thing keeping a [presumably magical] forest from overtaking Dimmsdale, considering that when Pencil Nexus reduces their tree chopping in "The Boss of Me," the forest overtakes the city within a couple hours.
Did some godkid out there just wish for renewable trees and now Dimmsdale is cursed and suffering??
Leadly just flexes like this and has massive muscles, but his aren't as big as the people affected by the Everleadys.
The episode makes it explicitly clear that people's massive muscles are magic and aren't going away (Hence the lawsuits and decision to remove Everleady pencils from the world), but Leadly's muscles do fade when he stops flexing. His are natural.
Despite the jokes that he flies the company jet around to goof off, it's not unreasonable to think he's out there personally chopping trees and I respect him for it.
Y'know, I did wonder how on earth selling pencils made him rich enough that he can afford to spontaneously buy things for 17 million dollars (and keep a pet snow leopard that he apparently rides, considering it was tame enough for Timmy's Dad to ride it home from work and he parked it outside his house and it just stayed there).
Did he fight the snow leopard? Did he raise it? I'm afraid of him.
Conclusion: Ed Leadly has a monopoly on an infinitely replenishing wood source. His company can never take a break or the city will be overtaken by magic plants. Big "curse of Midas" vibes.
I can't stop thinking about how in "T.U.F.F. Puppy," it's implied that Petropolis exists in the same general location as Dimmsdale... Los Angeles county:
- Los Angeles' population in the 2010 census was 3,792,621. Dimmsdale's hillside letters parallel the Hollywood sign.
- 91502 is the Burbank area code, where the Nickelodeon studio is
- Jorgen claims in "Meet the OddParents" that the power he has to do that was vested in him by both Fairy World and Whittier, California. This seems to match the city borders seen in "Fairy Idol" while he's zooming in on Chester to assign Norm as his godparent.
This implies parallel universe vibes, though in my lore, I have all four Hartman shows blended into one continuity.
See my 2019 post, "A T.U.F.F. Timeline" or the shorter "How Hartman Shows Co-Exist" post if you want details on that
Here's the thing... In "T.U.F.F.," it's implied the forest near the city has been allowed to spread and evolve. Its bizarre flora and fauna certainly give a "non-natural evolution" vibe, so it's not implausible magic could be at play.
It's made very clear in "T.U.F.F. Puppy" that this show is still set on Earth, yet "Flower Power" refers to the Petropolis Rainforest. That implies this forest exists around the city. In fact, we know it's separate from the Amazon, which is referenced in "To Bee or Not to Bee").
Interestingly, the episode "Til Doom Do Us Part" depicts Petropolis being overrun by brightly colored flowers once weddings are mass canceled-
- which implies the florists are keeping the creep of nature back from Petropolis.
I feel like this is especially cursed in my lore where "T.U.F.F." exists in a post-FOP future... Leadly, your woods!! Oh no, he can't hear us... He's been gone for 2,000 years...
Shout-out to Pencil Nexus keeping Dimmsdale safe, one pencil at a time. And shout-out to Leadly's unique body language of gripping the sides of his coat, because he does it a lot and it makes me smile every time. He is just some background guy with a pencil-themed gimmick, but he has a special body language quirk and I love it.
Related Leadly Things:
- If you haven't watched S9's "Dog Gone," I recommend it. It's silly. There are some late-series episodes that give secondhand embarrassment vibes, but for some reason "Dog Gone"'s bizarre energy is so charming to me.
- Leadly appeared in these one-shots of mine, if you're interested in my portrayal of him hunting down magical creatures (and just generally being entitled and getting in the way): "Opportunity" & "Trying Too Hard"
Buxaplenty Family
The Buxaplentys have been running the railroads ever since Dimmsdale's early days, with Orville Buxaplenty the first to do so. Timmy's distant grandfather (Ebeneezer) mocks trains by claiming they're "just a fad" and there's no future in them- Thus, he chooses not to involve himself with trains and leaves Orville to do so alone.
This establishes the Buxaplenty wealth as being generational through these trains. Presumably, Dimmsdale has a large train station, as this seems to be where the Buxaplentys have set up shop.
If the Dimmadomes have businesses spanning Los Angeles to Dimmadelphia, it's very likely the trains play a key role. Assuming we take the 1665 founding date of Dimmsdale as canon ("Which Witch is Which?"), the trains may have been essential at moving resources from Dimmsdale to later found Dimmadelphia.
-> See also, respawning magic woods (?) Rich people crossover of the centuries??
Notably, their family takes some heavy hits in "Country Clubbed" when Mr. Buxaplenty is forced to watch the destruction of the club, his mansion, yacht, and limo in quick succession.
The surname Buxaplenty is clearly a play on the phrase "bucks aplenty" (and I want to shout-out a 'fic I read many years ago - but unfortunately do not remember - that had a whole thing about Remy's surname actually being Buxley and everyone just calling them Buxaplentys in a derogatory way, because that's hilarious).
A neat detail about Remy is that in the Spanish version of Fairly OddParents, his surname is Cajallena, which (to my understanding) translates as "full cash register."
In my lore, I made Cajallena the maiden name of Remy's mom.
I did some poking around. Apparently, Remy is based on comic/cartoon character Richie Rich, popular from the 60s to the 90s or so (and who still shows up in modern reboots of things today).
I'm not familiar with this series, but both are blond, the only child in their family, and wear big red bows. After brief research, I get the impression Richie was at least a little associated with trains... even owning a toy trainset that costs 1 million dollars (and paying 8 million to buy the factory that makes a part of his set that broke).
I want to highlight this comparison:
From the Hanna-Barbera cartoon, I believe, and it looks like Richie owned other gold vehicles like a boat as well.
As for Remy himself, I believe I read a few years ago that he's designed around the concept of "green-eyed envy," so he has literal green eyes. I think envious is a very good way to describe his character, considering that his immediate reaction to learning Timmy has fairies was "If he has fairies, he could wish himself richer than me; I wish his fairies were gone."
This is a minor detail, but I rewatched some Remy scenes (especially the lunch scene in "Remy Rides Again" and the breakfast scene in "Stupid Cupid") because I could've sworn Remy said at some point that he likes caviar. That might be true - I didn't find it in my hasty rewatch - but I definitely laughed when I checked and saw that instead of eating caviar for lunch like I'd remembered, he ate steak. Kid knows what he wants.
We also know Remy enjoys Crimson Chin and Crash Nebula. Specifically, we know that he's a fan of Cleft the Boy Chin Wonder, but that when Remy ventures inside the comic world, he made the character more relatable to him by making Cleft rich... in addition to minor costume changes, such as slapping the Buxaplenty logo on him in place of Cleft's usual C.
Remy sees something in Cleft that connects with him, but that extra "I want Cleft to feel like me" bit is interesting. Admiring Cleft isn't enough. He needs to be "I am Cleft's secret identity. I, Remy Buxaplenty, have this alt life."
The Crimson Chin can't seem to tell the difference between Timmy and Remy as Cleft - unsurprising since he's a comic character playing his role - but Remy saving the Chin from falling is one of the only acts of kindness we see him engage in. That implies Remy does value the Chin and/or feeling like a hero in some way... or if nothing else, he values the praise the Chin gives him.
As parents, the Buxaplentys are pretty interesting. Even by "dim FOP parents" standards, they're exceptionally bad at being loving - or even effective - parents.
- Remy's dad is so awkward, he's not even sure how to address Remy when we see them in "Fairy Fairy Quite Contrary." It's his wife that suggests he try "Son." Also, Remy's parents time themselves so they spend no more than 2 minutes per day with him, which they tell him openly.
- Remy's dad calls him "Liam" later, which isn't close to his name... but Remy's grateful to be acknowledged anyway, which has interesting implications. Remy takes anything he can get; putting up with what little scraps they offer to avoid the risk of turning them off the idea of reaching out to him.
- At the end of the episode, Timmy wishes Remy could spend more time with his parents. We can assume Cosmo and Wanda didn't want to hurt the Buxaplentys on purpose - especially given what we know (from episodes like "Boys In a Band" & "Go Young, West Man") about Da Rules preventing godkids from harming others directly.
So that begs the question... Was shipwrecking the Buxaplentys the only option to get them to pay attention to their son? That's kinda dark... Angela will turn down a book pitch to care for sick Hazel, but "Remy gets sick and a parent tends to him" was seemingly not on the table. Which does make sense in-universe- After all, there are plenty of butlers and staff who wait on Remy.
Remy even tells us that his parents stopped paying attention to him after about 3 seconds despite being stranded with him on a desert island, which is pretty bad... but it gets worse when you realize Remy was stranded between Seasons 2 and 5.
When he returns in "Remy Rides Again," he asks Timmy to "guess where he's been," and informs him he "just got back from an uncharted island."
Combining that with Remy's claim that his parents only paid attention to him for 3 seconds - and looking at the scenes of Remy foraging for food while he wears rags and his parents get involved with business despite being stranded - That's..... just awful.
That's a long time for Remy to be without the comforts of home or the comforts of Juandissimo while struggling to survive (and keep his parents alive along with him). Depending on where you personally place Timmy's time freeze, it can get way worse.
And Remy was just happy he had time with his parents... Happy to forage for food... Happy to get a headpat... and for what? They don't deserve you, kid.
For all his greediness and schemes, he is pretty grateful for what little he has. In addition to looking forward to spending time with his parents, when Remy is venting to Timmy at the end of "Remy Rides Again," not once does he mention "And I didn't have my nice things." He says "I didn't have my fairy, Juandissimo, to comfort me."
Remy's parents don't even take care of themselves, let alone pay attention to his needs. They chose not to leave the deserted island - and apparently took their sweet time calling for clothes to be delivered - and Remy seems to be the one in charge of food.
Also, the implication here is that Juandissimo gave some part of his physical form up so Remy could eat, which is horrifying??
Did that happen multiple times, considering these scenes take place immediately after the shipwreck and later after Remy's mom opens her luxury resort, so definitely different days?
Did... did Remy reach the point where he was struggling to find food - or the more awful option, struggling to find food for himself because he was giving it to his parents first - and Juandissimo said "F that" ??? ... help.
On top of all this, the official canon is that Juandissimo couldn't hold a job after being separated from Remy because he was so hung up on Remy's situation (and his own shame that he failed), he couldn't stop crying, so he bounced from job to job.
It's the thing I love most about Juandissimo, because when he's introduced in FFQC, he's a huge lapdog for Da Rules, even going off about how not following them would lead to madness. But we learn one very, very important thing about Juandissimo in "Remy Rides Again"... which is that Juandissimo openly broke Da Rules to return Remy's memories.
He's very clear about this: "I decided to help you no matter what Da Rules say, so I gave you back your memories." Because he loved him... and he knew Remy's situation wouldn't get any better if he sat and did nothing. The godparenting program and Jorgen weren't going to help, so Juandissimo - who LOVES Da Rules - broke them.
We know Juandissimo returned those memories while Remy was on the island. That suggests Remy's parents had no intention to return to Dimmsdale... and presumably, they also didn't care Remy was missing school.
We know Remy got real clothes again at some point on the island, and we can assume he had food and a bed because his mom opened a luxury resort, but there's more a child needs... Schooling, medical care, social interaction with peers... everything about that situation just screams neglect. Serious neglect. "We literally do not care" levels of neglect.
Even when Remy's parents do return to Dimmsdale and care about his schooling again, they send him to a military school full of older kids and adults. And that seems at least a little reasonable on the surface - After all, Remy's been a brat, so of course they'd send him to a school for ne'er-do-wells - but that begs the question...
... What has he ever done to upset his parents?
Remy's envy leads him to be rude, sure. And he's presumably committing some kind of fraud or deception crimes in the background due to the implication in "The Big Bash" that he bribes people with checks, but puts stops on them later so they don't go through. These are things that happened when he was doing magical stuff away from home.
But all signs point to him being extremely respectful towards his parents even when they're very dismissive of him... even when he's been placed in terrible, scary situations like being shipwrecked on an uncharted island, not knowing if they'll survive. Remy is polite, does what he's told, never talks back, and volunteers to find food.
It's almost worse that his dad acknowledged Remy finding food was a good idea and still didn't lend a hand in that. The Buxaplentys are such concerning people, and that's just my recap of things that happened in Season 2 and Season 5.
According to Season 9's "Country Clubbed," Remy's dad hits "classless saps" with his limo on purpose every month - which sounds horrible even without the next part - and he does that so he has an excuse to invite them to the Fancy Schmancy Country Club and he and his friends can mock them (under the guise of allowing them access to the club in exchange for them not suing). He heavily implies he'd like to hit Timmy later since he didn't get him while hitting his parents.
That's really messed up... WHAT is going on in the Buxaplenty parents' heads?
The only slightly relieving thing from that statement is that presumably, they don't run over Remy because we can assume Remy isn't a "classless sap," but I don't think "choosing not to run your son over because he shares your wealth" is a real point in their favor.
I make no claims that Dale is a fantastic parent, but the weird thing is... I don't think Dale is outside the range of how other subpar parents in the FOP universe act. Except the Buxaplentys- They're pretty much the lowest of the low.
There are so many concerning things going on in the Dimmadome house, like terrible safety rails, and Dale does cut his son off, dehumanize him, and make him feel unwanted. This is all true.
But at least Dale knows Dev's name and calls him that. It's very possible he's aware of Dev's lactose intolerance (seeing as Dev had to get his allergy card from somewhere). At least Dale provided the au pairs to look after Dev and gave them the ability to cook and recognize when he wants a hug. Even if Dale doesn't go out of his way to hug Dev, he seems to like him enough that he's happy to clap a hand to his shoulder and talk to him. At least he seems interested in talking to him and hearing about his day.
Dale even tries to get Dev outside, but didn't snap at Dev when Dev lay down to play his game instead in "Stanky Danky." That was their father-son thing, though it would've been easy to leave Dev at home.
Dale arguably took charge of Dev's care during that event, seeing as the au pairs don't hover around Dev. idk if Dale made his 9-year-old walk home himself across a very busy road while he chased after Danky, but that's not the point.
The implication is that Dev tags along on Dale's walks to Signal Hill - and has done so many times - because Dev knows Dale's calls drop up there. It's implied Dev plays on that hill when his dad is on a call because Dev knows the grass makes you itchy if you roll down it. He'd probably played there recently since that was the first place to come to mind during the treasure hunt with Hazel, and he remembered the itchiness of the grass.
Dale even makes donations to Dev's school, which is more than the Buxaplentys ever did (See also, Remy likely missing school while shipwrecked).
Remy could die and his parents probably wouldn't spend a cent on his funeral... or get his name right in a eulogy without a lot of note-checking and effort. In fact, it wouldn't shock me if they hid his death so no one found out, because a dead son would be bad press.
Actually... It's very sad to imagine them putting more effort into hiding Remy's death than into caring for his life.
Shout-out to Chapter 10 of the 'fic "Buy Me Love" by DeliverUsFromEvie where Remy addresses two mansion employees by name, but they're confused to find out their boss has a kid and that said kid has been in the house this whole time. I think about it constantly. hey. what on earth.
This 'fic has one of the most brutal interpretations of Remy I've ever seen, and Evie has this and several other awesome works, so consider checking them out!
All of this said, there's something else that's interesting here, so let's talk "Turner Back Time."
I can't stop thinking about how when Timmy wished his ancestor (Ebeneezer) had decided to work with trains rather than dismissing them, that led to a timeline where the following things happened:
- Timmy's Dad still married his beloved Timmy's Mom (lol). Yeah, you're not prying him away from the love of his life for anything.
- Dimmsdale fell to ruin because Timmy's Dad wouldn't play the Rich People game right (Supporting the city's growth) and instead opted to drive trains off the tracks and crash them through buildings.
- The Turners lived in a mansion, but Timmy's bedroom is exactly the same, presumably because in the timeline where his family's rich, he needed a safe space untouched by his parents' branding.
- Despite Timmy's effort to become miserable, Dad kept showering him with affection and toys, so Timmy didn't qualify for fairies until he was tied to railroad tracks with a train hurtling towards him.
- The first thing Timmy did in his attempt to become miserable enough to qualify for fairies was decide not to eat... Same energy as when he felt guilty and refused to sleep in Season 1 ("Dream Goat").
There is something here about Timmy's Dad ignoring the train system, but being attentive to his son, while the Buxaplentys ignore their son, but Dimmsdale isn't in ruins.
I'll say 1 and only 1 positive thing about the Buxaplentys: At least their trains are on the tracks instead of careening through hospital walls. Honestly, the bar is so low, it is below the floor.
Timmy's Dad became a greedy person in that timeline, but he still chose to marry someone of lower social status, have a son, and be kind to his son- He's happy to greet him, encourages him to enjoy their wealth, and gifts Timmy lots of nice things.
In that timeline, it's the Turners who have generational wealth. Dad was raised by generations of Turners and he still makes time for Timmy. Come on, Buxaplentys... Is it THAT hard to speak to your son like you're happy he exists?
Closing Thoughts
The Buxaplentys are definitely an old money family while the Dimmadomes and Ed Leadly give off new money energy (to me).
Neither Doug nor Ed was seen at the Fancy Schmancy Country Club in S9's "Country Clubbed." All the people who were there have names that play on wealth. They also dress in a much more "upper class" way than Leadly with his flashy yellow suit or Doug with his Southern/Western theme.
The Dimmadomes represent business-related wealth and big company vibes, and I'd call them eccentric. Compare Doug's precariously perched cliffside estate (S3's "Engine Blocked") to Remy's telescope-
I really hope he decorates that hat for the holidays
The energy I get from this is "Doug doing whatever he wants just because he can"... which is also the impression I get from the "Crock Talk" scene that shows his hat stretching through the limo roof. Doug does business things and hosts events, but keeps to himself unless he's doing business things.
Comparatively, Leadly is all-in on his pencil branding, and the Buxaplentys flaunt their wealth in everyday life. As in, they buy the most expensive version of anything they want and like to showcase their wealth.
But while Doug and Dale have "Do what I want" energy, the Buxaplentys seem more restricted by social expectation.
That is, the Buxaplentys dress very nice and dine with fancy people- even their 11-year-old wears a tux, bowtie, and cummerbund.
Buxaplentys are very "Flaunt wealth & do what people expect of us." They don't go out of their way to do "silly, eccentric" things like putting a hat on their mansion, but they sure will buy golden, diamond-studded things.
Well, that wraps up my analysis on Dimmsdale's wealthy families, who each intrigue and frighten me in their own unique ways... whether that be money laundering, holding back a magical forest, or being absolutely awful parents.
