#dannywrites

[erbferbatinlerb]

sorry for the long post, i'm on mobile and cant put a read more but.... drumroll please.... due to popular demand here it is! Phineas Has ADHD: The Essay.

Hyperfixation on building/inventing things: Even more specifically amusement park rides ("Rollercoaster", "Rollercoaster The Musical", "One Good Scare", "Leave The Busting To Us", "Don't Even Blink", "Cheer Up Candace", "Delivery Of Destiny", etc.) Now, you can argue that he's a kid, and rides are fun, so of course he likes them, but if you look at it from a building standpoint, from an engineering standpoint? Phineas' interest lies in fun, of course, but he also must have an extreme interest in the engineering aspect of a ride in order to be skilled and knowledgeable enough to build them, and to be able to focus on the task so wholly.

He also gets incredibly attached to very specific things that some people often find strange, which seems like evidence of hyperfixation to me. (E.g.: aglets in "Tip of the Day", dental hygiene in "Bully Bust", Bulgarian folk dancing in "The Beak", detective movies in "Finding Mary McGuffin") hot tubs in "Bully Bromance Breakup", "Lotsa Latkes", "Swiss Family Phineas")

HYPERFOCUS: He and Ferb will dedicate their whole day to just one idea that they have. Phineas is able to weaponize his hyperfocusing talent incredibly well and stick to one task, but only if it is something he is extremely interested in — for example: In "Bully Bromance Breakup", he becomes almost unable to function without the stimulation of inventing, to the point where climbing a mountain with his friends—something he, by all accounts, should enjoy—becomes a difficult task for him.

He displays forgetfulness: In "Mom's Birthday", Phineas forgets it is his mom's birthday until he hears Candace mention it, and then he feels extremely guilty. We then see a montage of him, during various situations from the previous episodes (on the rollercoaster, etc.) telling Ferb: "We can't forget mom's birthday." Even though this was of course, a bit, if you take this as being canon (which there's no real reason not to), it means Phineas was constantly talking about their mom's birthday for weeks leading up to the event because he really didn't want to forget it and he was worried that he would (and in the end, he did), implying he may have a consistent tendency to be forgetful.

Phineas has an intense love of summer, and is implied to have a dislike for school—  which is natural for any kid his age, but it's not hard to imagine that he might feel cooped up and creatively stifled during school. Especially if we put his attitude towards school next to that of Baljeet, with whom he shares a love of learning and knowledge, it's hard to ignore the difference. Being as we've seen Phineas get agitated when he's not able to build and invent freely and on his own terms ("Bully Bromance Breakup", "Summer Belongs To You"), it's easy to imagine he may struggle in a public school environment.

He has impulsive and thrill-seeking tendencies, which are evident in many of the big ideas. ("Escape From Phineas Tower", "Rollercoaster", "Ain't No Kiddie Ride", "The Beak", "One Good Scare", "Phineas and Ferb-Busters", "Leave The Busting To Us", ETC.) Adrenaline-seeking behaviour is common in individuals with ADHD and goes hand-in-hand with a low tolerance for boredom which Phineas explicitly states himself to possess in the very first episode of the show. ("Rollercoaster")

However, on the flip side to his aversion to boredom, he can also spend literally hours just standing in the backyard, not even talking, if that's just what he feels like doing that day. ("Best Lazy Day Ever")

He is highly energetic and is the most talkative one of his friends. He has also suggested having an awareness and perhaps an insecurity that he talks too much in some situations. ("Misperceived Monotreme")

He sometimes has trouble with listening, and interrupts people, especially when he's excited: in "Ready For The Bettys", when they stumble upon Perry's lair, Phineas assumes Ferb built everything and doesn't listen, constantly interrupting when Ferb tries to protest; in "Hail Doofania", he assumes that he knows what Isabella is talking about (not having seen a rainbow before) and makes it his mission for the day to do what he thinks she means, and doesn't take the time to hear her out when she tries to explain otherwise because he's too invested in/excited about the project he has in mind.

Obliviousness / missing of social cues: The most obvious example is Isabella's crush on him, which he consistently fails to notice. ("Chronicles of Meap", "Meapless in Seattle", "That Sinking Feeling", "Happy New Year", "Summer Belongs To You", "Happy Birthday Isabella", "Doofapus", "It's No Picnic") He also seems not to understand that Candace wants to get them in trouble, nor that he actually probably would get in trouble if his mom knew what he and Ferb were doing. In fact, he gets excited about sharing their endeavors with Linda, clearly oblivious to the potential repercussions. ("Traffic Cam Caper", "What'd I Miss", "Suddenly Suzy")

Highlighted Episodic Evidence

Chronicles of Meap/Meapless in Seattle

Phineas's dismissal of Isabella's "cuteness" comments shows again his difficulty picking up on social cues, especially when distracted by a mission. He does not seem to understand, or at least does not acknowledge, Isabella's clear frustration with him. He does not understand that he is dismissing Isabella's feelings, because to him it feels obvious that she is cute and he doesn't think he needs to say it. Followed up in "Meapless in Seattle" with the "You think I'm cute?" "It's a scientific fact!" interaction—Phineas is not understanding that this isn't really how to give a compliment; he does not seem to realize that by not acknowledging Isabella's cuteness he could be hurting her feelings/nurturing her insecurities.

That Sinking Feeling

Once again, he misses cues from Isabella about her feelings for him, or if he understands them, he does not outwardly acknowledge them. He also tries to create romance for Mishti and Baljeet by taking "scientifically" romantic things, based upon his research (mostly the movie Titanic): candles, live music, the situation of a sinking ship... He over-does these things in a calculated way to try and curate the most scientifically romantic situation possible. This also mirrors Candace's opinion about his cold, calculated methods in "Perry Lays an Egg".

Cheer Up Candace

Phineas cares about Candace and when he sees her upset, he wants to help her, and he makes it his goal to do so. He hears the first step from Isabella's magazine is a makeover and he immediately thinks of a clown. He sets off to execute his plan without consulting anyone (except Ferb) and after it goes, as you can expect, not well, he realizes in hindsight that his impulsive idea was built on flawed logic. However, rather than dwell on this, he decides to dive right into the next step and he continues to do wildly over the top, fantastical versions of the magazine suggestions. I think this demonstrates a lack of understanding for social cues as well as impulsivity and impatience. Furthermore, he doesn't even wait to hear step two before setting out to achieve step one, and he doesn't ask Isabella her opinion or even listen to her suggestions once he has entered his own Idea Zone. Also, the Mix 'n' Mingle Machine is a great example of his unconventional and greatly efficiency-focused thought processes—  

he thinks of it as the most efficient way to meet as many people as possible in a short time, demonstrating a clear misunderstanding of what the actual intent of "meeting someone" was in the magazine. He is also basing this idea on his personal notions of what he finds fun, not what Candace would necessarily want.

Summer Belongs To You

When stranded on the island, Phineas shows an intense frustration when he's unable to put an optimistic spin on things. He also has a clear discomfort when he is without any tools to build with. Again, we see his hyperfocus on inventing (in this case: fixing the plane) get in the way of Isabella trying to have a romantic moment with him, and in the way of relaxing in general. She sees the sights of Paris, alone time with him, and chances to enjoy themselves, whereas Phineas sees things he could use as airplane parts, single-mindedly focused on his mission. And again he misses or does not acknowledge Isabella's frustration with him in the "It seemed like romance was a foregone conclusion" scene. This is strong evidence for Phineas' hyperfixation because he gets so caught up in his own world when it comes to inventing/building/working that he doesn't even notice what's going on around him, then he fails to see the irony of him identifying Candace&Jeremy and Ferb&Vanessa as romantic interests while entirely missing the fact that Isabella & him are also "a boy and a girl, alone in the city of love."

Also of note is his complete focus on completing the Summer Solstice goal. Because, despite the fact that they made it back to Danville safely after being in a pretty perilous situation—which should have become their main concern being as they were just stranded on an island with no food or way to call for help—he cannot be satisfied with that. Needing to get home before the sun sets for the sake of winning his bet and symbolically representing his worldview, he yells at candace when she doesn't want to get on the trike, because he's determined to still get there on time, intensely focused on both proving a point and upholding his personal values.

Happy Birthday Isabella

Isabella does not want an over-the-top surprise party, all she wants is to spend time alone with Phineas, but Phineas is so focused on his idea of her perfect birthday party that he does not seem to realize what her wishes are. He sends her away from him so that she won't know about the surprise, and does not even do so very gently (getting Buford to carry her away in a sack) instead of even asking her what she wants.

Bully Bromance Breakup

In this episode, Phineas is shown to get extremely distressed when he has to go even a short period of time without building/inventing anything. This is representative of a need for constant stimulation (which would explain why he is so adamant that he cannot put up with boredom). This also evidences his hyperfixation on building/inventing. The whole time that they're climbing the mountain with Baljeet, Phineas is completely preoccupied by his ideas for inventions, and after Baljeet rejects his ideas a few times, he gets increasingly agitated, eventually gets to a point where he is unable to climb anymore and has to get pulled up by the others, and he is shown rambling to himself about all of the invention ideas he has.

This is by no means a definitive list, and I'm sure there are many more moments in the show that provide evidence of these ideas, but this is the ones that stood out to me. Anyway, in conclusion, Phineas has ADHD. If you're still reading this incredibly long post by this point: uhh, thank you, I guess! Have a nice day. 💖

[mostbeautifulgirl]

I feel so dysphoric and nothing can help

[erbferbatinlerb]

"Why do we do this?" the most recent Dakota asks, taking a seat beside another Dakota, who sits alone in the front of the amphitheatre, long after the other Dakotas have retired to bed for the night, rewinding a segment of the security camera feed. Cavendish and the Alpha Dakota, on the screen, are bickering about something.

"It's Cavendish, what are ya gonna do?" the other Dakota shrugs. 

"Couldn't we have had a life outside of him? I mean, what about Milo? What about the others? The whole timelines we abandoned?"

"Believe me, kid, I've tried. It's just not the same without Cavendish."

"But isn't this a little...messed up? A little, I dunno, counterintuitive to our whole grieving process? I mean, our Cavendish d-"

"I know." The other Dakota holds up a hand to stop him from finishing his sentence. "I know. But, we can't just let him die when we have the power to stop it."

"I know... I know. But is this really better? 500 of us just hanging out like recluses on this stupid island? I mean, don't get me wrong, I like me as much as the rest of me, but... is all this really worth it?"

"It's worth it. Just to see him smile." He points at the screen, where Cavendish is now laughing at some dumb joke the Alpha Dakota made. They're sitting side by side, just a few inches apart in the ratty old time vehicle, Dakota with a warm smile on his face.

"To see them smile. Or... us? I-I dunno how this stuff works, really. But it's worth it for that."

"Oh, that's really quite funny," says Cavendish from the screen, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

"I know it is."

"Ha! Ha ha ha!"

"...Okay, it's not that funny. Get a hold of yourself."

The two Dakotas smile up at the screen. Out of the corner of his vision, Recent Dakota sees what might be tears shining in his confidant's eyes. He doesn't blame him.

"I mean, what are you gonna do?" the other Dakota says again, voice cracking a little.

[erbferbatinlerb]

Happy Birthday, Ferb!

it is a very good boy's birthday today and it's also the leap day so i thought he deserved something special being as it only gets to happen every 4 years, so here's a quick lil thing i wrote!

▪▪▪

Phineas waited until he was sure Ferb was asleep to get out of bed. Ferb was normally perfectly quiet when he's awake, so he could feign sleep exceptionally well... to anyone except Phineas. Phineas knew the difference between the Ferb silence and the Ferb sleep silence. It couldn't be more clear. It was night and day, honestly.

Phineas held his breath for a few seconds to confirm what he was hearing. Yup, he was asleep.

He crawled out of bed, careful as possible, to minimize noise and to ensure he didn't disturb Perry, who was asleep at the end of his bed, snoring gently. Phineas paused to take a look at him. He smiled.

He braced his body against the door to combat its natural creak, before slipping through, out into the hallway. He tiptoed past Mom and Dad's room and slinked towards Candace's pink door.

He peered into the room to see his sister fitfully stirring in her sleep.

"But, your honour..." she mumbled.

"Oh, Candace must be having that bank robbery dream again. I'll wait. I really do want to know if she's guilty or not." 

Phineas clicked the door closed gently behind him and quietly found a seat at Candace's vanity.

Candace stirred, murmured some less comprehensible words. Phineas tapped his fingers on the table as he waited.

"...but how could the talking zebra have been my accomplice if we only met when-" Candace sat up, coming back into consciousness. She looked right at him, but it took a few seconds before she processed it. "Phineas?" she asked groggily.

"Hi Candace! I'm sorry, did I interrupt your dream? I was really hoping we'd get to find out what happens after the talking zebra this time."

"What are you doing in my room?"

"I need your help planning Ferb's surprise party."

"Phineas, it is..." Candace glanced over at the clock. "Four in the morning."

"Well, Ferb and I's identical circadian rhythms wake us up at precisely 6:59, so we don't have a lot of time."

"Okay, I'm going to ignore how insanely weird that thing you just said was and let you get to the point."

"Ferb's birthday is this weekend — as you know. And it's REALLY his birthday this year, unlike three quarters of the years, where we have to either celebrate it a day before or after, depending on which one falls more weekend-adjacent. I wanna plan something extra special for him, but I'm gonna need your help."

"Okay, I'm in, what do you need me to do?"

...

Phineas was up at the crack of dawn on Ferb's birthday, and this time, Candace was waiting down the hall for him already, having set her own alarm to wake up on time to prepare. She nodded at him, and they made their way down the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible. 

They slipped on their shoes and jackets and slid back the glass door to the backyard. There was still a thin veil of snow covering the lawn, and Phineas could hear Candace shivering already as she closed the door behind them. 

Phineas relished in the crunch of the snow beneath his sneakers. He was more of a summer guy, of course, but he loved to make the most of the snow for the few short months it lasted.

"So," Candace demanded, hugging her arms around herself. "When are your little friends supposed to be getting here to-"

As if on cue, the back gate opened up to reveal Isabella, with the Fireside Girls in tow. Phineas rushed over to greet them.

"Hey Phineas. How ya doin'?"

"Isabella! Ladies. Thank you all so much for coming."

"You got it, Phineas. Let's get to work, girls!"

The party set-up went pretty smoothly. It was cold enough to motivate everyone to keep moving, and with Candace and all of the Fireside Girls helping, they made quick work of setting up all the party decorations, balloons, streamers, the works. Phineas knew it was unconventional to have a birthday party first thing in the morning, but Ferb loved it when he thought outside the box. And besides, the real party didn't start until tonight anyway; this was just an intimate get-together.

Baljeet and Buford arrived shortly after the girls, and with all of their help everything was set up in no time. With that, everyone got to waiting, while Candace went inside to get breakfast ready — Phineas had insisted that you can't eat cake until after a balanced breakfast.

Phineas on the other hand, went to put the finishing touches on his invention. 

…

Phineas slipped back into the house at about 6:45, having finished with just a few minutes to spare. He wiped the motor oil from his hands on a terry cloth as he came into the kitchen.

"I'll never know how you can build that stuff so fast," said Candace, deadpan. She was just putting the first plate of pancakes onto the table.

Phineas shrugged. He inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of Candace's homemade breakfast.

"Nice work, sis!"

Phineas washed his hands in the sink and helped Candace plate the bacon and eggs.

They took a step back to admire her work, high-fiving.

"Ferb will be down any minute, I'm sure." Phineas took a seat at the kitchen table. "I'll text Isabella to make sure all the party guests are in place."

…

A nonchalant birthday breakfast with Ferb was a success, but Phineas was practically vibrating in his seat the entire time, excited for him to see what he had built. Ferb thanked Candace for the meal, and stood up, and Phineas followed suit. He had planned for a more subtle approach, but his excitement got the better of him and he ended up pulling his brother by the arm to the backyard.

"Happy birthday, Ferb!!!" came a chorus of voices 

Ferb looked surprised for a second, then his expression shifted into a smile. He turned to Phineas, gratitude written on his face.

He looked out at the party. A union jack cake, yellow balloons, giant ice sculptures… Phineas had thought of everything.

Along with the girls, Baljeet, and Buford, were a few other guests. Standing next to the cake table were Irving, Stacy, Jeremy, and… Vanessa Doofenshmirtz. Ferb punched Phineas in the arm. Phineas laughed. "You haven't even seen the best part yet, c'mon!"

He led Ferb to the garage, where his real present lie.

"Presenting... the all-new... Phineas-and-Ferb Super Spectacular, Awe-inspiring, Awesome-tacular Automobile! Or, the Phineas-and-Ferb-mobile, for short."

Silence.

"What, is it the awesome-tacular? I know, I know, I use that word a lot, we can change it, if you-"

"Is this a solar-powered, remote-controlled hybrid car?"

"And it flies! Watch this."

Phineas pressed a button and a set of wings folded out.

"And it has extra cup holders, a surround sound stereo system with bluetooth hookup, a sunglass compartment, en-flight refreshments, and a holographic video screen in the backseat."

"Does it have a hot tub?"

"Does it--" Phineas stopped. "It-it doesn't, actually. I- wow. I didn't really expect you to ask that. I guess I... You know, I had considered the possibility, but I just didn't think-- Normally, I'm the one who-- Oh, you're just teasing me! I get it."

Ferb nodded.

"You're just teasing me, because... I already thought of everything?"

"Yes. Yes, I am. It's perfect."

Phineas pulled his brother into a hug. He held out the remote to him. "Wanna do the honours, bro?"

Ferb eagerly accepted the remote.

…

After an amazing fly around Danville in Phineas's spectacular new car, Phineas and Ferb returned to the party. The guests all cheered as they landed the vehicle.

The cake was cut, and Phineas went over to thank Isabella for her hard work, leaving Ferb by the refreshment table with Baljeet.

"There is no way you did not know about all of this," Baljeet commented. "We were using power tools in your backyard in the earliest hours of the morning. I am very surprised that your parents are not awake yet, actually."

"Of course I knew about this," Ferb confessed. "I've known he's been planning something for weeks. But Phineas loves to surprise people. It makes him happy. So of course I'll go along with it. Besides, this is a pretty cool party. Thank you guys."

Baljeet stared at him for a moment. "That is the most lines I have ever heard you say all at once. I feel quite privileged, yet at the same time, very weirded out." Ferb opened his mouth to respond to this, but Baljeet silenced him. "You are welcome. I am going to go see what Buford is doing now. Happy birthday."

Ferb watched Baljeet walk away.

He shrugged. "His loss, I suppose."