#like the evil ferb plot

[danvillecheese]

the thing about a three way crossover is that the mml one was already so jam-packed with characters that plot points got cut and it was a hodgepodge of an episode and it was ending a story arc and also trying to squeeze in characters from pnf at the same time. imagine adding a third show full of characters to it could you even imagine the chaos

[misperceived-monotreme]

very crude doodles but do you guys think that ppl who have been hit by inators's eyes glow in the dark <- insane

[msmimundo]

Question tho where is he here???

[whencartoonsruletheworld]

honestly phineas and ferb is so funny bc like. okay it's an episodic comedy whose core is just how much the characters love each other, you wouldn't expect angst writers to get a whole lot of out of that. like the first episode does clarify that perry can never reveal his personality or sapience to his family or else he will be forcibly removed from them but that's just setup for jokes, right? oh but then towards the end of the season they also drop "hey if candace succeeds in busting her brothers, they get sent to a military camp where all the creativity is literally tortured out of them." and you're like. ah. but also that was just a nightmare sequence, right? second season is like "don't worry! we will also clarify that busting phineas and ferb will result in a complete dystopia. also if perry fails to stop doofenshmirtz's wacky plots even one (1) time he becomes a truly evil supreme dictator. also one of the candaces literally disappears from the timeline but that's just a joke" and you're like. okay? you start thinking about how unfair this all is from candace's POV and while you're doing that they're like "oh here's our big movie btw! this is another alternate timeline where doofenshmirtz is running a despotism, we are going to focus on how this mentally affected all the funny main characters. also perry was forcibly roboticized. oh and our first dimension characters are almost fed to a monster over a pit of lava and also phineas is having a crashout over the perry b-plot" and you're like wait and then they release the pharmacists

[howtonerdoutovereverything]

Phineas and Ferb Revival Art Prompt Challenge!

Hey, fellow PnF fans! In order to celebrate the upcoming fifth season of the show, I decided to organize a little art prompt challenge! This is my first time organizing something like this, but I felt so compelled by how talented this fanbase is and decided to try it out! There will be 48 prompts as there are 48 days until the season premiere!

Please tag me in any entries and use the pnfrevivalchallenge tag!

Without further ado, here are the prompts!

Day 1 (4/19): First Day of Summer

Day 2 (4/20): Weather

Day 3 (4/21): Appetite

Day 4 (4/22): Driver's License

Day 5 (4/23): Dry

Day 6 (4/24): Doofenshmirtz

Day 7 (4/25): Tropes

Day 8 (4/26): Books

Day 9 (4/27): Perry

Day 10 (4/28): Carl Karl

Day 11 (4/29): Nighttime

Day 12 (4/30): Fireside Girls

Day 13 (5/1): Stacy

Day 14 (5/2): Backstory

Day 15 (5/3): Candace

Day 16 (5/4): Star Wars

Day 17 (5/5): Meap

Day 18 (5/6): Phineas

Day 19 (5/7): Gecko

Day 20 (5/8): Freeze

Day 21 (5/9): Invention

Day 22 (5/10): Evil

Day 23 (5/11): Vanessa

Day 24 (5/12): Agent

Day 25 (5/13): Major Monogram

Day 26 (5/14): Music

Day 27 (5/15): Celebrity

Day 28 (5/16): Crossover

Day 29 (5/17): Water

Day 30 (5/18): Buford

Day 31 (5/19): Callback

Day 32 (5/20): Fedora

Day 33 (5/21): Breaking The Fourth Wall

Day 34 (5/22): Marvel

Day 35 (5/23): Baljeet

Day 36 (5/24): Plot Twist

Day 37 (5/25): Love Handel

Day 38 (5/26): 2nd Dimension

Day 39 (5/27): Isabella

Day 40 (5/28): Concert

Day 41 (5/29): Ferb

Day 42 (5/30): Fire

Day 43 (5/31): Museum

Day 44 (6/1): Pride

Day 45 (6/2): Christmas

Day 46 (6/3): Dan and Swampy

Day 47 (6/4): Space

Day 48 (6/5): Last Day of Summer

Have fun!

[juniorsailmakermattcruse]

I’m glad you agree that Doof works better in Phineas and Ferb when he’s evil. I have thought it for so long, and I know a lot of others in the fandom think it’s regressive of him to go back to being evil but the show really does work better that way. Also, the times we’ve seen him not be evil are in the OWCA files and in Milo Murphy’s Law, and those definitely aren’t his best moments.

yeah that’s what I was thinking, it just doesn’t work in those instances at all. his character suffers a lot and he goes from being pretty much the most popular character in the fandom (or at least one of them) to being super polarizing. like I love him and all but he pisses me off in mml and owca files is a lot of the same. he just works better when he’s being evil and when it’s just him ranting at perry instead of just existing to bug other characters. I know people have said “oh but it’s because he’s audhd and has bad social skills” which I completely relate to but it’s still annoying to watch on tv y’know. especially because without him building shit he’s just reduced to being a fucking idiot and that bugs me because he deserves a bit more credit than that. I think he’s more competent than the writers seem to think he is but when he’s not shown doing anything… like anything at all (what exactly does he do in mml? sit on the couch and cry about missing perry?) he just kind of sucks and it sucks to watch. but that’s another topic I could rant about forever

anyway it’s the same thing with candace returning to busting, like this show has had 4 seasons of going back to the status quo every episode and changing the formula so drastically in season 5 just doesn’t make sense. sure in other tv shows having big character arcs and growth is good but this show is so much of the same stuff over and over that having such big character changes be permanent would feel weird. sure I would’ve loved having doof be a science teacher but that would work for a spinoff, not for the main show. and if the new seasons take place in summer that wouldn’t even work anyway because he wouldn’t be teaching then. so if not that then we’re left with him being in owca or being prof time and I don’t like either of those (especially prof time I really hate everything about that). so pretty much the only option is for him to go back to evil. it makes it a lot easier to come up with episode plots too I’m sure

I’m fine with the idea of him giving up evil in the future, like when season 6 eventually has a finale we’ll see what happens then. but in the meantime I feel like this just makes way more sense for the show. it also helps solve the plot holes of why he’s evil in the winter episodes which have been topics of conversation for over a decade

ALSO he has adhd and he’s very fickle. so that also makes sense for him to change his mind and go back into old habits

[thehyperfixationcorner]

Sunny's official hype rating for each episode:

“Summer Block Buster” – The boys decide to ramp up their local summer block party with supersized attractions.

(Hype rating: 8/10. Phineas and Ferb's good at these kinda openers, but it DOES sound a little too much "more of the same". It could also fumble the reasoning for why both Doof and Candace have relapsed. Still, I have high hopes, and the HSM2 opening scene homage could be good!)

“Cloud With a Chance of Mom” – The kids work to save Mom after she is hit by Doof’s inator.

(Hype rating: 10/10. Fr, this sounds like such a promising and different kind of ep, I like it when the kids work together to stop something bad, and finally, a Linda plot that doesn't sound like ass (I don't like Linda, okay)

“Submarine Sandwich Submarine” – The kids build a giant submarine sandwich submarine while Doof steals food.

(Hype rating: 6/10. Doesn't sound THAT amazing, but I love the visual gag of a submarine sandwich submarine.)

“License to Bust” – Candace tries to bust the boys while taking her driving test, and Doof causes chaos in traffic.

(Hype rating: 7/10. A lil simple maybe, but it's a Candace driving ep, and could have a new banger song.)

“Dry Another Day” – The boys build an endless ice luge to beat the heat while Doof brings oil to a waterpark.

(Hype rating: 3/10. Sounds pretty boring tbh, outside of maybe the doof plot.)

“Deconstructing Doof” – Candace and Doof see the same psychologist, who thinks their experiences may be connected.

(Hype rating: 10/10. If they hit the landing this is a new classic.)

“Tropey McTropeFace” – The boys build a giant zoetrope that goes on an adventure of its own.

(Hype rating: 7/10. It sounds very odd and if I had a nickle for every time dwampy used a zoetrope, you know the rest, but hey, at least it sounds interesting too!)

“Biblio-Blast!” – The kids build a massive bookcase that gets attacked by an army of Doof-plants.

(Hype rating: 7/10 too. Like... What could this even be???)

“A Chip to the Vet” – The boys bring Perry to the vet for a checkup and build a pet wash while they wait.

(Hype rating: 9/10. HOW HAVE THEY NOT DONE THIS YET)

“More Than an Intern” – Carl tries to help Perry stop Doof while working three other part-time jobs.

(Hype rating: 9/10. Love my boy Carl, and this feels like a perfect way to give him an episode!)

“The Aurora Perry-Alis” – The Flynn-Fletchers take a cruise while Doof steals shrunken goods.

(Hype rating: 7/10. Normally I hate the PNF Vacation episodes, but this one has a fun Indiana Jones sounding vibe.)

“Lord of the Firesides” – Isabella struggles to lead the Fireside Girls on her own while Doof renews his evil business license.

(Hype rating: 10/10. An Isabella focus ep not about her crush. One that might expand on the fireside girls a bit. GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE)

“The Candace Suit” – Candace puts Mom in a Candace costume in hopes that she’ll finally see the boys’ invention.

(Hype rating: 10/10, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE FUCK AND HOW THIS LEADS TO BUFORD IN THE SUIT AND WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY WHY DID THEY MAKE THIS?!)

“Agent T (for Teen)” – Stacy takes on an agent role with OWCA to rescue Perry from some evil scientists.

(Hype rating: 100/10, INFINITY/10, WORDS DO NOT DESCRIBE. FUCK. YES.)

“The Haberdasher” – After Doof turns into a Mothman and eats Perry’s hat, they pay a visit to the OWCA Haberdasher.

(Hype rating: 10/10. This sounds fucking INSANE, THEY HAVE SOME WILD IDEAS THIS SEASON)

“Out of Character” – The boys build a space adventure film set to help Baljeet learn to act.

(Hype rating: 9/10. Love plots like this, and fun focus ep on Baljeet too!)

[this-is-a-name-dont-worry]

pride episode where there's a pride parade in Danville and the boys decide to participate with their friends but Buford is confused about what any of the flags and labels mean. So after he asks the other what the trans flag is and they explain, he's like "I don't get it, everyone wants to be a girl",

"I don't. What about you, Ferb?"

"I don't really think about it much."

"Yeah I don't either."

"And I really don't want to be a boy."

"Wait so none of you guys want to be a girl sometimes?"

"No."

"Already am!"

The A plot is the gang making fun Pride stuff with Buford's gender identity crisis going on in the background (he likes being a girl, but he ALSO likes being a boy!! sometimes it feels better to be one and sometimes it feels better to be the other!! he doesn't get it, he has to try everything in the most stereotypical way and make a tally to see which one he prefers!)

Meanwhile, Perry arrives at Doofenschmirtz Evil Inc., but Doof tells him there's no evil plan this time, because Vanessa amd his ex wife told him about this Pride Month thing and apparently today is Danville's Pride Parade and Vanessa said she's going with some friends. And because he's trying to be more involved in her hobbies, he asked if he could participate, and Vanessa told him that sure, they could meet up at some points and do a part of it together. So he decided to build a chariot because he knows that in every Danville's parade there are chariots, but the issue is that he has no idea what a Pride Parade is, and doesn't even understand what Pride Month is, so he had to improvise. At first he wanted to make a sculpture of everything he was proud of but it looked like shit, so instead he decided to focus on one thing and did two birds one stone; he'll make his chariot about Vanessa, because he's proud of her, and she can be proud of herself too!

Perry knows exactly what Pride is and that Doof is misunderstanding the whole thing, but he gladly accepts to help. Then Vanessa arrives and gets upset when she sees the final product that's all about her.

She's not going to the Parade for herself, but for her friends, and the chariot is like. Going to a friend's birthday party, but then the cake and decorations are shaped like your face. Perry tries to comfort her, and Doof feels bad.

For Candace's plot, she is stressing out because she volunteered to give water and food to the attendees when they pass by, thinking that it's ok because she'd get to hang out with her friends or Jeremy, but it turns out they all participate at the Parade, and not even Jeremy invited her, so she starts wondering if she was a bad friend or did something wrong that made them not want her to accompany them. And also not want them to answer her calls. She starts overcorrecting herself about everything, worried she'd look like a bad ally, and it becomes ridiculous.

At the end the chariot has been slightly remade to be about Vanessa and her friends (that or about doof, perry, vanessa, and norm, becoming really Heinz's chariot, im not sure), and Candace gets comforted by everyone that it was ok, it's just that they knew she already had something else going on and had planned to stop when they reached her. They couldn't hear their phones in the crowd, and they're sorry for not thinking about telling her.

For the A plot?

"So Buford, how is your identity crisis going?"

"Meh, I've decided to not think about it for now. I'm like, 11, I've got plenty of time to figure it out later."

"Well when you do, we'll be happy to help!"

"Thanks guys."

and then idk we have a joke that confirms a sexuality or gender that takes people by surprise to finish it all off

[authenticcadence18]

The revival of my Phineas and Ferb hyperfixation has led me to question / dislike AYA in the sense of...Why did it take so long, why did everyone wait so long, why would Phineas just outright not do anything when he noticed Isabella was gone or bothered to such an extent. He's oblivious to romance directed at him to AN extent, but it felt more so like molding characters to fit a sitcom romance plot rather than a "Phineas and Ferb Romance Plot" HOWEVER, that is not why I am here.

...

Rather I'm thinking about how AYA is more so soft-canon than hard-canon since Season 5. You see AYA shows us that Isabella was still interested as a tween and even still showing up as a teen. A tween is between 9 to 12 HOWEVER (again), Season 5 shows she's still deeply interested AND that they go to Danville MIDDLE School which in America would mean 11 to 14. Meaning Phineas and the Kid Cast must be between 11 - 12, but not outright teenagers (13 - 14) because that would definitely be implied / shown / said if they were. So the "Passive Fallout" between the events of Base Show and Act Your Age, must occur at the earliest by Age 14 Isabella. Meaning that if we simply go with the logic that they simply missed out on HIGH SCHOOL Romance - The Passive Fallout took place at the earliest 14 - 15, and lasted until 17. Whereas they got together at 18 (Act Your Age). So effectively, their angst-era could only had lasted between three to four years (13/14 - 17).

Even then it's shown Teen Isabella still visited Phineas (and Ferb) so the outright avoidance must've been near the END of High School (16 - 17).

So ultimately, the brunt of it only really lasted less than a handful of years. Whether it be three / four, or simply halfway through High School. Honestly, unless those rumored episodes of Post-Act Your Age for the Revival occur, would it just be fair to not concern myself with Act Your Age. They're clearly doing Vanessa x Monty content but why would you do that if Vanessa x Ferb is canon / destined, why put in the effort into something if it's hard-canon cannot happen. Why reference Doof 101 as the last time Doof was evil if he was evil still the summer afterward. Basically, can Act Your Act be viewed as a possible outcome rather than THE outcome. Can other interpretations of their future still exist, or is this hard defined, no takebacks

First of all anon, I’d encourage you to take all t your thoughts and ideas and make your own story!!!!! That is what I do whenever I do not like canon and it is so fun.

I personally have accepted that AYA is the canon path for Phineas and Isabella.

I do have thoughts as to how they would’ve drifted apart! if you want a full, in-depth exploration of those thoughts, I go into it in a story I wrote, Can’t Help Falling in Love.

If you do not want to read that my explanation for them, drifting apart in that story (and also in canon) is:

Isabella decided to give up pursuing Phineas when they got to high school but she wanted to stay his friend. She was not able to be around him without remembering she was in love with him. So she chose to keep herself busy and distance herself from him, in an attempt to lose her feelings, so that they could still be friends. Unfortunately, overtime she got so used the distance she kind of lost sight of why she started maintaining it.

Phineas, on the other hand, consciously realized he had a crush on Isabella right before high school started. (He has a crush on her now in the show he just is not conscious of that.) But! Phineas picks up on Isabella being distant from him once he starts consciously paying her more attention. He doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable, so he doesn’t push. he does still do big things for her in high school to “relentlessly pursue” her (as the show Bible put it) But! He doesn’t push it. Isabella never reads into it because he’s been doing this her whole life and she loves that about him, but it doesn’t mean anything more than friendship.

That is how they drifted apart. Isabella was just trying to get over Phineas so she could stay his friend and unfortunately that ended up hurting their friendship in the long run but that was never her intention. Phineas was just trying to give Isabella space cause he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable and like!!! having a crush that is unrequited is scary!!! Phineas is kinda scared he doesn’t wanna do the wrong thing he doesn’t wanna say the wrong thing Isabella is so cool and it freaks him out!

Five years ago before I wrote my big phinbella fanfiction I was the same way as you. I hated AYA but now that I’m older I appreciate it as a more realistic and sad love story (specifically relating to Isabella and Phineas, the supporting cast subplot in that episode sucks.)

Now that I have my story that kind of fills in the gaps that’s really all I need. I got my story out of the way, and now im just thankful to be getting new content at all!! I don’t think they’re gonna retcon AYA, but I do think we’re gonna get to see Phineas growing in season five and I hope we get a high school episode where we see Phineas actually having a thing for Isabella.

I will say they could give us a cute moment of Phineas and Isa high school that isn’t a “they get together moment” but a cute one of them sharing a sweet moment in HS like they do in the show proper. AYA age is one—if not the only—season 4 episodes most casual fans are aware of so they can’t retcon it😅😅.

Now anon, I do see your point that season five is a little loose with continuity. Season five is kind of like a soft reset. Doof is back to normal. Candace is back to normal. As for the whole Monty/Vanessa thing: i would be SHOCKED if they acknowledge Ferbnessa in this survival because it’s such a hot topic I think they’re just going to ignore it entirely (and I think that’s the right call), so I am all for Montessa. Because AYA is so popular though, I don’t see them retconning it. We could def get a high school episode but Isabella and Phineas will not get together in that episode. 

And truly there are SOOOO many good fanfics that explore these concepts, both canon compliant and canon divergent! I have a ton of recommendations on this page and bookmarked on my ao3.

[platypaws]

I just realized something interesting about Candace & Vanessa & how they're parallels. In Vanessa's first appearance,she's basically a mirror of Candace in wanting to bust Doof,& their song basically reinforces that,but almost immediately after in her next appearance(granted it's slow),it shows that she's grown out of that,literally being just a phase,& is more interested in typical teen stuff while also growing to have a much better relationship with Heinz,whereas Candace never grows up. Even when she's in a relationship with Jeremy & tries to spend time with him,no matter what happens,she is never able to resist the urge to bust her brothers. But hopefully since they did start as parallels,Candace can eventually have the growth & maturity that Vanessa has.

probably an unpopular opinion but candace is so right for busting her brothers and her stopping doesn’t seem like growth to me bECAUSE SISTER IS SO RIGHT THEY SHOULD BE BUSTED NFNFNCJDNC

like yeah vanessa gets the growth cuz she was dealing with her grown adult father who by the end of the day can do whatever he wants anyway and it’s not like his evil schemes will work anyway since he has perry stopping him so honestly vanessa just being like “ok idc actually” was amazing, outstanding, you’re so right queen, who cares what father does in his spare time

BUT TWO LITTLE BOYS???? listen i know phin and ferb are amazing but they’re also like…10 or something, if my sibling pulled that shit on me every single day i would be so mad and worried ESPECIALLY if my mom didn’t BELIEVE ME. NO MATTER HOW MUCH CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT YOU WOULD GIVE ME. I WOULD STILL NOT GIVE UP 💀 She’s so right actually and someone needs to give her the validation she DESERVES.

she does overdo it tbf like yeah girl you don’t need to watch them like a hawk when they haven’t even started anything yet or like if you’re spending time with your bf then spend time with your bf but also jeremy absolutely knowing she’s Like That and loving her for it is so sweet. but like yeah, the perfect growth for her in my eyes would be Chilling out a little with busting but not stopping altogether like vanessa did i GUESS

anyway it’s not something i care a lot about tbf, that’s just how the plot goes and i’m here for the silly, but seeing so many people being annoyed that she goes back to busting in the new season did make me giggle a bit cuz my honest reaction was just “yeah good for you sister” hfnfjcjdj i can absolutely see why people want her to stop, it’s fair!!! all great points!! i just personally think she doesn’t need to stop to grow up 🤷‍♂️

sorry for yapping again i’m once again eating alone and have no one to yap to 😔

[ordinaryschmuck]

You know, Phineas and Ferb's finale being more about Candace and Doofenshmirtz instead of Phineas, Ferb, or even Perry is fascinating. Because, when you really think about it, Candace and Doof are the REAL heart of the show, the characters that actually have some stakes in the plot. Phineas, Ferb, and Perry always win, that's a fact. The only times when they come close to losing or actually HAVE something to lose are often in the formula shaking episodes/specials/movies. For Candace and Doof, they often have something to lose. Candace fails to bust her brothers and Doof fails to take over the Tri-State Area. Not a great goal, but the series and the finale do great in showing why they want it. Candace just wants to show her mother she isn't crazy and that the boys DO get into some dangerous stuff from time to time. And Doof wants to take control to validate his own horrid existence. Even in episodes where he plays kickball to beat his brother or trying in vein to impress his awful father supports that idea before Vanessa spells it out for the audience in this finale. So the final episode is less about the boys or Perry going on one last adventure and more about giving Candace and Doof one last chance to get what they've been fighting for.

What's most interesting is how the finale gives Doofenshirtz what he thinks he wants while giving Candace...perspective. Admittedly, that's kind of cheap. If I could dock points from the finale, I WOULD wish that Candace DID bust the boys only for time to reset again and THAT'S when she realizes she has to stop the loop or that it's too dangerous. Then again, it IS good that she doesn't, as the purpose for Candace's story is to learn that her obsession to bust the boys is unhealthy, being a detriment to herself and, this time, to others. Being unable to let go and allow the boys to have fun and to allow HERSELF to take it easy on the very LAST day of summer. None of this would have happened if she just let it go, and I'm glad that it's HER that ends up having to stop the loop when it was Candace that started it in the first place.

As for Doof, he DOES get what he wants...but fails to get what he NEEDS. He wanted to be in power, he wanted to be better than his brother, and he wanted to prove he WASN'T a loser. For a bit, it's actually kind of satisfying to see him win for once, especially when he taunts Roger. When you know how much Doof went through and how easy Roger had it in life, you can't help but appreciate him getting this victory...only for the finale to cleverly make a point that it's not what he NEEDS in life. He needed a healthy relationship with his daughter and be better than the ungrateful parents he had growing up. In fact, he needed to be better in general, and I like that he chooses to be a good guy instead of being evil. What I like even more is that he didn't really STOP the time loop, showing that he's just as ineffective as being good as he is being evil. Maybe it even hints that being good is another case of him acting off of what he WANTS instead of what he NEEDS? I don't know, that's a discussion for another time.

In short, it's actually brilliant that the finale is more about Doof and Candace. In the end, they get one more chance for victory only to learn that they were going about things the wrong way and it's best to TRY to be better...The message is harmed by the revival bringing them back to basics, but hopefully the writers will have something planned for them...Hopefully.

[puppiesareperfect]

Imagine if the movie Yesterday but the plot was that no one remembered the Disney Channel original series, Phineas and Ferb. Absolute insanity. But it starts out ok enough. The protagonist goes up to his friends and is like “you snapped your aglet” and they all look at him blankly and he starts singing the aglet song but they’re just like “are you feeling ok, man?” Maybe they’re just messing with him or didn’t grow up with the show.

And then another time someone uses “Tri-state area” in a sentence and he’s like “I’M GOING TO RULE THE TRI-STATE AREAAA” and the other person just awkwardly laughs. Ok so they think he’s doing a generic villain voice. Insulting to the absolute icon who is Heinz Doofenshmirtz but ok.

But then his friends are talking about platypuses and how weird they are and he’s like “a little known fact, of course, is that some platypuses have been used to fight evil pharmacists. But most of them don’t do much”. And this time his friends are REALLY confused bc “what the hell is an EVIL pharmacist” and “what are you even talking about here?!! is this a joke? what is the PUNCHLINE?! Why does this MEAN” and he’s like “you guys can’t be serious I’m literally just making a joke about Perry the Platypus” . But this just confuses them more bc “who the hell is PERRY THE PLATYPUS” . His friends try to make some guesses (“was he a famous platypus kept in the zoo?” ��Was he the mascot for a pharmaceutical company?” “Is this like an old comic strip or something?”) and meanwhile the protagonist is freaking out. “How do guys not remember Perry, he was literally one of the main characters in Phineas and Ferb?” And then finally the “what is Phineas and Ferb??”

And the protagonist tries in vain to explain it (“well it was this 2000s cartoon where these boys make all sorts of crazy inventions while their older sister tries to bust them for it” “never heard of it” “what?! it’s one of the most popular cartoons of that era! anyway, there’s also a subplot where their pet platypus, Perry, works as a secret agent for the Organization Without A Cool Acronym or ‘OWCA’ and fights an evil scientist named Dr.Doofenshmirtz—who is often mistaken for a pharmacist due to his lab coat—and stops him from taking over the Tri-state area—“ “JUST the Tri-stare area?” “Yeah?” “This subplot seems unrelated are we sure it’s not from another show” “it is related Perry is Phineas and Ferb’s pet and one his biggest struggles is keeping his secret” “one of?? what are his other struggles” “well one time Doofenshmirtz fights another agent named Peter the panda and they have to go on a talk show to sort out their differences” “is this a bit? this show does not sound real at all man”)

Anyway that night he googles Phineas and Ferb and, to his horror, nothing pops up

[midnightshindig]

Deep inhale

Deep exhale

Okay official thoughts on the new invincible episode

Spoilers (duh)

I’m going to get a LOT of hate for this but the Invincible writers need to get more comfortable with plot alterations because I’m starting to suspect the comics weren’t well written.

That’s a scathing and DAMNING criticism but hear me out: there’s too much.

This was a 52 minute episode and I was emotionally exhausted by the end of it. To the point I FORGOT why Eve was in the hospital because it was like forever ago.

There’s too much. There’s no room to breathe. Having longer episodes doesn’t mean you should cram as many plot lines into it as possible, it means you get to take your time with the most important ones.

This episode felt like that one phineas and ferb episode where everything is being told backwards through a series of parallel flashbacks and I LOATHED that episode as a child. But that was for absurdist humor not genuine bad storytelling.

Mark has been too angsty for too long. Like, he doesn’t listen to anybody about anything and I genuinely can’t tell if the show is framing Mark as being wrong but sympathetic (because he’s obviously sympathetic as hell he’s a young adult child in the face of everything) OR if the show genuinely thinks Cecil is the wrong one and Mark is vindicated in his police state bullshit. Mark can’t decide if people should die or not and damns Cecil for contradicting a moral system Mark hasn’t even solidified himself.

And the show just. Doesn’t care? Because there’s no time to care. The pathos is getting put on the back burner so we can infinity war POOF like half the cast- except- nope! We lose the only side character with any real growth or investment and keep, what,.. exactly? Kate pregnancy arc? Shapesmith? Fucking- Black Samson???? Why? Rex’s sacrifice kills one Mark, equivalent to a couple of Cecil’s reanimen. That sucks. And his death didn’t even get the comeuppance it deserved because the show HAD NO TIME to give a fuck about it.

I loved the Mark variants, and I thought it was cool how they have such distinct characters and motivations, they weren’t just all copies of evil asshole mark. Some of them killed Nolan, some killed Debbie. They didn’t recognize Oliver. THEY DIDNT RECOGKNIZE OLIVER. god I’m realizing that as I write this Jesus Christ

But that’s because it gets glossed over!

Eve and Mark grew on me a little, but watching Mark choose Eve’s safety over his brothers and his completely powerless mothers was character assassination go fuck yourself. I could buy Oliver, he has powers and Mark has trained him in not worried about him

But Mark choosing to be Eves ADDITIONAL security instead of procreating his mother, when, in alternate universes Eve doesn’t even matter to Mark, but Debbie is ALWAYS his mother, and explaining his decision with “what if they come for Eve?”

BRO WHAT IF THEH COME FOR DEBBIE????

And we see that they literally tried to!! I imagine killing/threatening Debbie was part of Angstrom Levy’s plan. Yknow. Seeing as they’re at her fucking house???

There’s too much and the only character with real enjoyable development is dead and the second best character is Oliver imo.

ALSO- Darkwing suddenly gets redeemed enough to sacrifice himself for the greater good and like. For what? When? Why? If his sacrifice means nothing about redemption to Mark then he can go fuck himself he has been genuinely so unlikable this season

Which is a shame because Mark in season one and two was my favorite show protagonist like ever. I LOVED the way he interacted with the world and was reasonably flawed but still enjoyable. The show is forgetting what made it enjoyable. It’s a complete tone shift that- I can rock with- but isn’t being handled gracefully. I almost wish this episode had been split up, for breathing room, to give the mark invasion more of an impact and less of a “monster of the week” feel.

Making Rae a love interest only for Rex to die was cheap and trite and really robbed us of an opportunity for Mark or Eve or even like Rudy to mourn Rex. Rudy has been reduced to the smart guy in love with Amanda and I don’t think Amanda actually had any lines this episode which is damning because shes delightfully catty at times. Give Rex telling Rudy to make good use of his dna, give me Rex apologizing to Eve for not being a better boyfriend, give me- idk man- Rex asking Bulletproof to take care of things for him, or reconciling with a joke with Amanda, or crying or SOMETHING. His death wasn’t even triumphant, it was miserable

Characters the show could probably kill with minimal consequence: Amanda, Shapesmith, Black Samson, Bulletproof, Rae, POWERPLEX, and many, many others

Like Allen and Nolan aren’t in this episode at ALL and I just noticed because it felt so crammed full and they still didn’t have space for Nolan and Allen.

It’s too much. They’re writing five different shows all at once and it’s too much to write and too much to put into one hour long episode and it’s too much to watch in one sitting. It’s a monster of a project and it doesn’t/shouldn’t have to be.

The positives:

Oliver SHINED this episode, consistent in that he disobeys when he thinks he’s right, but he’s so damn cute and we see him know his limits, focusing on saving people when earlier S3 Oliver would’ve went straight to killing variant Marks.

I can see Oliver being manipulated by a variant Mark at some point in the future.

Debbie. Debbie is always a win.

The Varient Marks were a fucking marvel. Say what I will, they juggled different costumes and personalities so well. Someone else on here pointed this out but they’re all annoying in different ways it’s so well crafted and the voice actor (Steven Yeun?) did a great job of distinguishing their inflections and speech patterns without them sounding too different

Cyborg Donald and Donald’s gradual acceptance of what he is was so nice and understated and I liked it a lot. Who the fuck is Brit? They’re mentioned by name like three times. I’m so curious

Cecil was a total babe this episode fsfs

The animation? Peak. The animated gore?

I winced and cried out and genuinely screamed in shock multiple times.

When Angstrom is showing how he got put back together and his bottom jaw moves in different directions? My dad and I had to look away when we rewound to show my sister it was genuinely sickening. MAJOR props to them for that. Eves leg snapping made me almost throw up it was so suddenly nauseating to hear and see

Oliver having to crouch a little to stop midair versus the varient Marks being able to stop while standing straight like Nolan is such a good little detail. Oliver is flying like he’s swimming because he’s just a kid.

Paul? I guess? Idk I like the implication that he coaxed Debbie into relocating to his house for safety. Wish they’d had the time to show that.

All the background superheroes looked appropriately nice and recognizing them from the GotG tryout episode from s1 was a nice callback

Uhm, Rudy and Amanda. Always a win. Wish we’d seen Amanda take advantage of her new belt but I’m sure that’s coming soon enough

Eves parents are devastatingly well written as always. The mom being well meaning but still awful is so grotesquely true to form. Watching them reminds me of my exes parents and makes me a little sick to think about, 10/10 writing for them

The chemistry between Eve and Mark was pleasant this episode, i wish Eve still felt like her own character </3

I LOVED the William/Rick moment and the brief Amber/keith(? Is that his name?) moment. Rick realizing the positives of his tragedy is a nice moment albeit understated as hell.

Uhhhhhhhh shit… the background art was particularly nice. Buildings crumbling looked good as fuck

I think that’s all from me for now, feel free to respond or ask me additional stuff!!

[pftones3482]

"Ummm they toned down the abuse from Gabe in Percy Jackson because it's a kids show, stop being mad about it"

Ignoring the fact that it's also a children's book, let's take a look at some children's media in the last couple decades that depict parental abuse towards children that isn't physical, but still makes the abuse feel real:

1. Harry Potter. I'm loathe to even put it on here bc of how much I hate JKR, but HP DOES depict child abuse in probably one of the best ways of any modern media. As far as I can remember (correct me if I'm wrong), the Dursley's never lay a hand on Harry. But it is never even questioned if they're awful people towards Harry - they literally make him sleep in a closet.

2. Matilda. Like do I even need to explain this one? Abuse from not only her whole family (again, NONE of it physical from what I recall), but also from other authority figures. And she's not the only character who deals with parental abuse - Miss Honey is a grown adult shown to be dealing with the negative effects of an abusive parental figure.

3. Phineas and Ferb. Laugh all you want, but Doofenshmirtz's parents were genuinely awful to him. His stories are just tamed down in a way that's palpable to a much younger audience while still also being clear abuse - a young child can chuckle at his stories but STILL understand why maybe some of his stories would turn him evil.

4. Avatar the Last Airbender. Zuko's father physically disables his own son. Not to mention the constant emotional neglect and manipulation on top of it, the writers never held back on how bad his father was. Even if he hadn't scarred Zuko, he would still be a clear depiction of an abusive parent.

5. The Willoughbys. The parents are so awful that the kids literally plot to murder them. The parents abandoned them to freeze to death on top of a mountain. Enough said.

6. Percy fucking Jackson.

Percy Jackson IS a book made for kids that depicts child abuse from a parent - and not only does it depict child abuse, it depicts spousal abuse.

I know Percy doesn't know that Gabe is physically hurting Sally in the beginning of the book. But we as the audience know that Gabe DOES hurt Percy. There is not a single sign in the new show that Percy has anything more than a snarky, annoyed view of Gabe.

Gabe is supposed to be smelly and disgusting, a drunk (which, even if they can't depict that in a Disney show, you can still play around with his grossness), a slob, and a gambler. He's barely even greasy in the show. Literally they could have just had him belch a few times or eat messily and it would have given off a better impression of his character. Instead, he just quips back and forth with Percy and then later is just...whining. He's whiney. He does not ring as a man who abuses his family, emotionally OR physically, he rings as a pathetic step-dad figure who can't support himself (which is ALSO not canon, because in the book he runs an auto store! His abuse towards Sally is not for lack of money, it's just because he's a dick!!!) The fact that I think that Doof's parents in Phineas and Ferb are more overtly abusive than him on screen is actually absurd.

And Sally fell flat. Her character in the book doesn't yell literally ever - not once in the whole series can I recall her legitimately yelling at someone. Her persona is kind and gentle in the books and as for wits, she's clever, and sneaky, and cunning. She fights back with Gabe in ways that we as the audience can see, but Gabe misses because he's so dense.

Take the bean dip scene.

In the show, she basically is like "Yeah yeah I'll make the bean dip, shut up" and Gabe just whines about the sour cream while they yell at each other.

In the book? That's her bargaining chip to take the car for the weekend. That's her ticket out of the house. Bribery. Not just placating a whining husband - she bribes him in the books.

And her yelling back? Just feels so unnatural to Sally Jackson as a whole. I saw someone say she feels like Disney girl-bossed her, and they're right. She doesn't feel like Sally Jackson. She feels like just another cut and paste Disney woman who's snappy and doesn't take shit.

And to be clear - the OG Sally Jackson also didn't take shit. She was just so much more clever about it, in a way that made sure Percy never saw her actively yell. She doesn't have to be snarky and rude to get her way. Percy knows she's fighting back without physically fighting, and that's what makes her so strong. Sometimes you have to fight more with your wits and cleverness than you do with screaming and fists

(Gee...wonder what other character Percy ends up really admiring that also holds that philosophy in life?)

Anyway...all that said, stop blaming the fact that it's a children's show on Gabe's watered down personality. Children's shows/movies and family shows/movies have been depicting serious parental abuse and neglect for decades, in both realistic and more humorous ways that don't take away from the neglect. Kids can handle it, because there are kids going through it.

To say that "It's a kids show, kids shouldn't have to see that," is a disservice to the kids who need to see that, so they know that they can get away too, and they don't have to get physical to do it.

Also, this version of Gabe? Doesn't deserve to die. He's just annoying, not an asshole that scares Percy more than literal monsters do.

[pruneunfair]

I wish that Helluva Boss' plot should've have kept being like this pilot cover

The Imps are being their funny asshole murderous selves, Loona is still a give no fucks teen, Stolas may not be a antagonist, but he can be a fun comic relief villain like Lord hater and Doofenshmirtz from Wander over Yonder and Phineas and Ferb

Like there's nothing wrong with keeping Stolas as a villain, not just the twinkified bullshit treatment he got in the actual show, LIKE COME ON THIS GUY IS A DEMON PRINCE

Y'know the plot with Stolas sleeping with an Imp, Blitzo could've not gone bad at all, if they didn't make Stella an angry wife who's absolutely pissed at her unfaithful husband, they literally made Stolas' entire existence her story, like she's only relevant if it's about Stolas, I feel like the upper echelons don't give 2 fucks that Stolas slept with an imp or whatever, they would only care if Stolas is throwing his wife away for an imp and even that's another can of worms

Y'know I would rather Stella and Stolas being this iconic villain couple: They're the epitome of the Ars Goetia, Stella not caring that her husband is sleeping with an Imp, y'know maybe she has issues in bed so her husband got someone to satisfy his needs, if anyone ask, she would just tell them that her husband is just having fun with a new plaything, I'm pretty sure Blitzo consented to it and it's basically a business deal, hell Stella can get her own imp sex friend and Stolas is all like "Good for you too, wifey"

Stolas and Stella may not love eachother at all, but at least they know well that leaving eachother may not be the best for them, I can imagine a scene where Stolas says Blitzo is a good time for him, but he's not enough for him to leave his wife, trust me, whether or not they had affection at all, it's not easy to leave a marriage as it sounds, Stella and Stolas even had a child, y'know I feel like scenes where they pretend to be a normal loving' married couple for the sake of Octavia's happiness would be nice, they can hate eachother but if it's for their child, they can push past the differences, instead of the punching bag Stella treatment

Plus Stolas abandoning his ranks for Blitzo is something super complex and it's not working much cuz this guy has been raised in luxury since his birth, is it that easy for him to get rid of that? Especially when you see him treating the imps servants just like Stella did: Practically a tool, I'm suprised Stolas didn't have scenes where he orders Blitzo around like a pompous rich man, even if he's not seeing ranks when looking at imps, at least he should be aware just how evil this status quo, you can still be extremely privileged while also being aware of how bad the bottom lives are, this is Hell, anything is possible

I can see Stolas and Stella as a couple works if they're honestly shallow and products of their social statuses: Stella throwing a fit cuz Stolas' imp toy made a mess at her tea party and Stolas being apologetic to his wife by gifting her precious gifts like jewelry or new dresses she has eyes for before, he can even put on a cute act and Stella being amused by it, they're a royal couple aren't they? Even if they may not love eachother at all, they may be on the same wavelength (Having a basic understanding of eachother), these two are married for so long, judging by Octavia's age and all, 20+ at least in hell years, even if two people are in the most shallow arranged marriage, at least they know something about the other party

Gosh imagine Stolas and Stella as this comedy relief villain couple can be so fun, they can be "Lol poor people" most of the time and even that's entertaining than what was actually done to them

You can argue that Stella is an example that women can be abusive too, but even that is a badly poor attempt, I might be wrong, but Stolas doesn't showcase any signs that he's an abused victim, just that his life sucked but not a victim, you want Stella to be an abuser? Make Stolas absolutely frightened at the idea of divorcing her, Stolas seemed to have no issues with divorcing Stella at all, hell it could've been better if Stella is this abuser who is a master gaslighter, she practically made Stolas afraid of leaving her even if he knows he should leave her, trust me marriage abuse is scary and it can go both ways, ofc I have nothing against a female abuser in Fiction, but what they did with Stella wasn't her being an abuser, just some bitch to pretty up Stolas as a sad bird baby boy, maybe Stella and Stolas started up good, Stolas could've began having some affection for her before she show him her scary abusive behavior, even if divorced I'm pretty sure that trauma Stella gave Stolas can be quite a interesting aspect to go into, after all, Demons or not, traumas aren't non-existent to them, plus it's fiction, it's not hurting anyone, it would actually be a great depiction if Stella is shown to be this master manipulator and abuser, who seems to be a calm elegant lady but when you're in her ex-husband Stolas' place, she's a nightmare

The trial episode is weird, I haven't watched it fully but it's funny they hold an imp for a trial while this should be an Ars Goetia only affair and it's public to all rings in Hell? I'm sorry but trials can be a great concept in Hell, just not this, not to mention, why would the Sins care about an Imp taking advantage of a Goetian prince? Hell, why is that even a thing? This is Hell, I'm pretty sure they condone crimes since it's literally in their nature, it's also laughable that if a lower imp takes advantage of a higher Goetian prince, they would require a trial for that when it's certain that most demons get away for crimes less terrible, plus if the Goetian prince is the victim here, he can just get rid of that imp himself or the Ars Goetia deal with it so it won't affect their public image? I'm not insinuating the implied assault (I think) is so easy to deal with, but that's another matter altogether, I can't believe that's even a thing in Canon

Also Hell is where criminals are punished but actual criminals seem to be in their version of Heavens more like, sinners like Valentino didn't get punished, he got more powerful more like, in a place where Evil reigns, they sure only focus on happy sunshine stories, not how terrible Hell is, sure it's not wrong to have happiness in a place like Hell, but they're ignoring the absolute horror called Hell and that's not great, I wanted a show where demons are demons, not humans in the forms of demons

Gosh the great show Viv could've made if she focused more on the worldbuilding than the characters

Hellaverse is supposed to be Demons in Hell, they acted like demons for like a few episode and that's gone out of the window

Honestly I can write a book on how Helluva Boss can be better, it didn't go well with what it started at all, just shitty shipping bullshit, I'm sorry but looking through a shipping lens is always a bad writing method, you can have the characters with great romance chemistry while also be 100% real about them as characters

These reasons all are reasons I would actually love helluva boss the way I did when it came out, this feels mean to say but the show we got felt like it was written by a fanfiction writer. Wife bashing as I like to call was and still is a common staple in plenty of MLM ships, usually by making the wife/girlfriend look awful, it distracts you from anything bad the main pair actually does. Same goes for the twinkifying of certain characters, throwing other characters personalities into the bin of one dimensionalness, and overall forgetting about the original plot in exchange for fanservice

Pilot helluva boss is the one I will forever see as the Canon because that was when it had potential for all these ideas you laid out. I always loved the idea of a goofy villian Stolas and I got so sad when I found out that was all scrapped so he the Stoliz ship wouldn't be toxic (and while I could deal with Stolas being on the protagonist umbrella, they took every worse choice possible)

[hungryhungrybeetle]

I was watching Phineas and Ferb, specifically the toy to the world episode, and Doofenshmirtz’s evil scheme of the day is to build a wall around the tristate area. This wall is meant to keep citizens in and if you want to get in/leave the confines of the wall you have to pay a toll at the Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc. toll booth. And all I can think of is trump’s (uncapitalized in a derogatory way) 2016 campaign. Like one of bros main sticking points is a plot for the most cartoony ass villain to ever evil. And it’s not even a chicken and the egg situation because the Phineas and Ferb episode aired in 2008 and it was first suggested by trump in 2014. I’m just imagining a 62 year old trump just watching Phineas and Ferb and just thinking ‘i NEED to call my campaign manager’. I swear this man has to be some sort of mass hallucination.