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wherevenusholdssomeofficespace · 12 days

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How Murphy's Handle the Law

At the core of MML is how differently people handle Murphy's Law, both those who have and do not have it.

Martin - Martin I think is more sensitive about Murphy's Law than Milo. (Apologizing for his presence sobbing). He also seems more prone to exasperation with his condition than both his son and brother (as evidenced when he was left with the ponies on his roof). Martin I think is more aware of when it might be for the best for him to leave. He has his moments, but has avoided areas where Milo is to avoid doubling up on Murphy's Law. He owns Murphy's law by working in an industry perfectly suited for it, where his presence makes it easier to find safety hazards, his familiarity with dealing with problems makes his skills appreciated, and generally in an industry where people area already prone to trying to be safe, so he's not so out of place, and there's already safety precautions in place for things going wrong. To a certain extent I think he plays it safer than everyone else in their family. That isn't to say he lives in fear of his condition, he still goes on road trips, roller skates as a hobby, and played sports. But he tends to live a little more in the lines of his condition.

Milo - A lot of how Milo deals with Murphy's law goes without saying, as he is the titular character, but it's still distinct from everyone else's handling of it. I think Milo is one of the more proactive people when it comes to EHML. His backpack allows him to prepare and react to it. He doesn't seek out danger, per se, though isn't afraid of taking risks. He understands people's fear of him, and sometimes feels the need to apologize, or act in ways to minimize the effects he has on other people. But he takes nearly every chance to be present or to try something new, often having to be asked to take a step back for everyone else's sake. He grew up in a family not easily phased by Murphy's law. His mother a bit of a daredevil (not that she advertised it), who had a go with the flow attitude about life. His dad was calmer about Murphy's law, and as a safety inspector actively sought out ways of minimizing its effects. Obviously he admires his dad and models how he handles EHML in part after him, knowing the value of safety precautions, what is and isn't worth working with Murphy's law, and it's his dad who taught him its okay to be afraid but you have to keep going, which is probably the most important key in handling Murphy's law. But Milo does have his own way of doing things too. His mom's patience and endless support I think also contribute to Milo's optimistic attitude. But I think one of the biggest contributors to how Milo handle's EHML is his expansive support network beyond his parents. He started with a sister to act as a built in friend and non-EHML support aside from his mother which provided a baseline I think for how he interacted with non-EHML peers. Unconditionally loved, worth taking risks, but sometimes please give space. He had Veronica, who is just freakishly resourceful, as a babysitter to prove to him that Murphy's Law can be managed and isn't worth being afraid of, which I think gave him the confidence boost that he has over Nate and Martin. And last but not least, he had Melissa, who was someone he could count on in school, who was certainly not there out of obligation. Melissa was able to look out for Milo, we see her defend him against substitutes, but he was able to look out for her against Murphy's law. While we don't really get the social lives of any other Murphy's, judging how Milo had one real friend, who he's had since 1st grade, probably isn't a good sign for other Murphy's. He also, of course, has Diogee, who shows up to bail him out of some of his problems, and the value of a loyal, huggable friend cannot be understated.

Joey - We don't see much of Joey, but from what we do see he's hard to rattle and is a glass half-full kind of person, seemingly with almost the opposite attitude as Martin. While we don't really know about the exact situation of their childhoods, they were probably quite similar, so its notable how different their attitudes ended up being. He was just surrounded by a lot of Murphy's law. Between his brother and father, who he certainly spent a lot of time with, Murphy's law solo probably seemed much more manageable. Laura - We don't see much of Laura either, but she's clearly just as chill about the whole situation. Not very easily phased, which makes her a good fit for Joey. They can just deal with the problem, and move on. It is what it is.

Nate - I think Nate's Murphy's Law denial is an extension of just how unflappable his parents are about Murphy's law. Crazy things happen to him, and he just. Denies. I think he genuinely has a skewed sense of normal. XYZ happens, no big deal. (Definitely not Murphy's law) totally normal. Now this is more extrapolation, but I do think he's genuinely going through a bit of a phase, trying to sort out his own feelings about his family curse, which I think he may have struggled to do in a household of "this terrible thing isn't bad actually". So he wants to be able to be frustrated with stuff, but he feels he has to be okay with the bad things. And he's figuring out who he is outside of Murphy's law (and the Murphy family). We don't know much about his branch of the family, but it may be fair to say there was a bit less attempt to control Murphy's law, than on Milo's side, (based on what little we know about his parents) so Nate probably never felt particularly in control of his life in the way Milo has learned to gain some form of control. (It's also likely he didn't have the same level of outside support as Milo). Not to say Joey and Laura are necessarily bad parents, it can be exhausting trying to fight to control something uncontrollable, so just minimizing energy spent resisting is a valuable strategy. It just maybe didn't work out for Nate specifically.

Grandpa - It's kind of hard to gauge him due to his limited screentime and always talking over grandma. But he's proud of Murphy's law, and seems to think about it in an old fashioned sort of way. It's the basis of their family, the foundation of their identity and their traditions. He's who raised Martin and Joey. He has the unfazedness that seems to come from being a Murphy, the pride in their identity, and an appreciation of family that all Murphy's seem to have.

Grandma - Even harder to gauge than grandpa. But she raised 2 sons with Murphy's law, and has proven herself to be a tough old woman who doesn't take nonsense. I get the impression she's the kind who deals with Murphy's Law via brute force. So she's about as much of an expert on EHML as one can be without actually having EHML. She loves her family dearly, but still appreciates time without Murphy's law, which I guarantee she had very little of back in the day. I think it's worth noting that her hairstyle is reminecent of Sara's. Dare I say, she and Sara are the two woman in the family most accustomed to Murphy's Law but from opposite ends, where Grandma's is an acquired familiarity after decades building a family in its reach, Sara doesn't know any different than a life with Murphy's law.

Sheriff - Honestly, doesn't even seem to notice Murphy's Law, his outlook isn't unlike Joey or Nate's in that regard. (You think he married a time-traveler?)

Brigette - Brigette marrying Martin and her handling of Murphy's law makes sense with what little we know about her person outside her family. She's a daredevil, and she isn't a particularly decisive person (having changed careers several times). She's flexible and loves the thrill. So marrying a walking hazard zone makes sense. Obviously she gets frustrated with it sometimes, everyone does, but she never really seems to hold it against her husband or son, and tries to work with them to succeed.

Sara - She may not be born with EHML but she's lived with its effects her whole life. She's learned to prepare, what to prepare for, and lives her life around its ebb and flowing presence in her life (not unlike her mother), taking advantage of when her dad and brother are out or sick to work on more delicate work. She probably learned to dial 911 before she even knew how to write her own name. She's not unfazable in the same way Milo or Joey, or even Melissa often is. But she's not bothered by life threatening things. However she's bothered by things that are important to her (ie Dr. Zone and Neal from the Comic Shop) being damaged or ruined, but she doesn't blame her father or brother, and would rather they be there. With the Dr. Zone movie, she went to extremes to keep Milo from messing them up, but genuinely wanted Milo there more than anything (she wanted things to go well for him too), and with Neal, things worked out even with Milo showing up (she didn't want to scare Neal away from her and her absurd family). I think the biggest way Murphy's Law has effected Sara is that she is very independent. On some level its typical for a girl of her age, but to a certain extent its atypical of the very close knit bond the Murphy family has (probably due to being each others main form of emotional support in a world that isn't always the most welcoming). For instance during christmas she was watching Dr. Zone while her family ate, and got invested in Dr. Zone fandom shenanigans while her parents went shopping and her brother and his friends when horseback riding. And then her parents forgot about her. Part of this is just her being very absorbed in her own specific interest. (Dr. Zone). But it makes sense that growing up in a household with a brother (and to a lesser extent father), who needed a bit of extra support, Sara got relatively less attention, and figured out how to look out for (and entertain) herself. (NOT blaming the Murphy parents. It's just one of those things that happens). Milo is pretty independent too (not being able to count on anyone else to look out for Murphy's Law). I think both Murphy kids grew up needing to figure out how to fend against dangers. But for Milo the dangers were a more ever present problem, one that the Murphy family was built around, and for Sara she had to figure out her own identity outside of Murphy's law and the family (Though notably, it was her father who introduced her to Dr. Zone, and Milo himself is a Dr. Zone fan, even if he, isn't as huge a superfan of Dr. Zone. Their family is also a Dr. Zone family. That's just dwarfed by the Murphy's Law thing. And for Sara, having grown up in a family where basic things can be a battle, and a positive hardworking attitude is the only way to survive, Sara, without Murphy's Law, probably has a lot of energy, and no constant outlet the way Milo does. Neal says he admires how she has strong feelings about things. All the Murphy's have strong feelings about things, (the ocean, Murphy's Law, concrete), but Sara's strong feelings are just a bit more laser focused on Dr. Zone.

Notably, while Brigette and Sara don't have EHML, that doesn't mean they only suffer its effects when Milo and Martin are around. Several incidents have involved Murphy's Law basically finding them, when they were nowhere near them. Cast Party shows this is true for… multiple people, but Brigette's archetectial work and Sara's date were still ruined by Murphy's Law, even though they started far apart in Toboggan of Love. (And its still Danville, Murphy's Law isn't the only weird stuff going on in town).

Diogee - Has no idea what Murphy's Law is probably. Just knows that if he helps Milo when he's in trouble he'll get praised! And maybe treats! (And told to go home).

Non-Murphys Melissa - Melissa may not be a Murphy, but as the one non-Murphy ever invited to Murphy events (pre-Zack), she might as well be. In many way's she'd kind of the anti-Sara. Unlike Sara who was born into a cyclone of calamity that orbited her loved ones, Melissa saw it, and decided she wanted on the ride. And unlike Sara who lives with Milo, but has her own separate day to day, Melissa lives apart, but spends most of her day to day with him, due to being classmates. And it's probably fair to say that Melissa spends more time with Milo now that their both older (as opposed to Sara who probably spends less time with Milo). Sara and Melissa I think fit complementary niche's in Milo's support system. Melissa has been exposed to Milo's EHML since she was very young. Melissa's a naturally fearless person, but I think being exposed to EHML at age 6 before she fully developed risk assessment probably helped. So while she probably fears death a bit more than Sara "called an ambulance multiple times by age 4" Murphy she's been along for so many of Milo's adventure's that she doesn't start to panic easily. Despite being with Milo all this time, she still doesn't get everything he does, as helping him finish a race is still an accomplishment. Melissa is also a nerd. A huge nerd. Just a nerd. And her main area of curiosity is Murphy's law. She wasn't born into Murphy's law, so it wasn't something she intuitively understood like Milo and Sara. But she's passionate, and curious, and so when she saw Murphy's law, she was driven by curiosity to figure it out. This intellectual approach to Murphy's Law has lead her to being the most able to predict the otherwise unpredicable condition, and the most able to figure out how to weaponize it.

Amanda - Amanda has an amazing arc where she starts out fearing how Murphy's Law interferes with her schedule, to respecting how Milo can get things on track when the set up breaks, to turning into someone who has back up plans on back up plans. So turning from micromanaging in the sense of knowing what every moment is, to micromanaging in the sense that she always has a backup plan. It's like a challenge to her. Which if you think about it is not unlike Milo's backpack, as a preventative measure against Murphy's Law consequences. I can definitely see her fitting right in with the Murphy's as the one who plans gets togethers and keeps everything running smoothly despite the chaos.

Zack - I'd almost call Zack the Candace of MML. He's not the real main character, but I think he demonstrates some of the most growth in the show. Milo's grown up with EHML, he's experienced with it and has accepted it and knows how to manage it. And Melissa's grown up with him. This is all new to Zack so he's an audience surrogate, and gives an opportunity to show someone learning to accept EHML. He's an ordinary kid, whose putting in the effort to befriend the near unbefriendable, whose learning how to do the unusual. To brave through the scary parts of life. To learn how to deal with Milo's life re-contextualizes Zack's life. It goes both ways of course, Zack brings more normalcy to Milo's life: Football games, birthday parties, and a band. But to Zack, Murphy's Law is a new way of experiencing life and a lifestyle that requires him to better himself.

Milo's other schoolmates - Most of Milo's classmates have grown p with him. They may not understand Murphy's law. But they know if you sit too close to him your asking for a broken bone. Some complain about it, most are friendly but will sit far away from him. And probably bring some PPE with them. All of them have a bit more familiarity with it than the average person, and therefore are more capapable of dealing with the unexpected than the average person, even if it's nowhere near Milo's level.

Veronica - It's her skill with dealing with Murphy's Law: Preparedness, calmness in the face of danger, and being clever enough to use what she has on hand that made Milo who he is. She's just a babysitter absurdly competent enough to deal with it, but it sure shaped Milo.

#mml #milo murphy's law #literally every character in this show I swear #well not really #none of the Time-Travel alien characters subplot #I could add how people deal with Orguluth's law but this is already too long #whatever

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wherevenusholdssomeofficespace · 14 days

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I just went through like... almost all of your posts. And loved all of them (mostly pnf and mml, haven't seen the other one yet).

But I came to ramble to you about a specific pnf character.

Stacy Hirano

Like. She's Candaces' best friend, down for anything, and doesn't get mad (much) when Candace goes to bust her brothers. Loves hanging out with Phineas and Ferb. She dated Coltrane, a band member, who barely appears again (I think, I remember him in like, 3 episodes (it has been awhile since I've watched it.))

She binged Sherlock books in a night with Candace. Tries to help bust Phineas and Ferb with and for Candace. Becomes president of... someplace.

Canonically knows Perry is a secret agent. Has helped Vanessa out in that one Halloween episode.

Just. Stacy.

I noticed you going through my stuff today and taking a break from my long day to look at someone appreciating my stuff certainly helped make my day!

And yes. Stacy is AMAZING. She's honestly such a wild character in her own right and its kind of hidden behind the fact that while she is Candace's best friend, she's not quite a major character in her own right the way Phineas and Ferb's friends are, and that honestly the kids side of things tends to be a bit under appreciated to begin with. So she mostly exists as an auxiliary character to Candace, but Candace being well, Candace, that leaves a lot of room.

On first glance Stacy seems like she's just Candace's cooler best friend. There to provide contrast on what a normal teenage girl is. Stacy's generally more fashionable, more chilled out. She's Candace's straight man. But like any of the characters she has her own moments.

We may not have seen any Candace levels of stuff from Stacy. But Stacy is pretty capable herself. Being a good skater and a Disco Miniature Golf Queen, being able to keep up with Candace on some level in some of her escapades, and handle the obstacle course. But also her just accidentally surviving the pharmacist apocalypse. She's also rather smart, somehow becomes President of Uruguay, puts together an elaborate home entertainment system. Though that said its kind of anyone's guess what she knows on a given subject, horrendously bad at geography, but has been shown to enjoy documentaries, reading Sherlock Holmes and knows when hieroglyphs were deciphered. She is at least able to keep calm in situations that others may freak out in, such as when she got bit by a spider and when Doof broke into her house she was relatively calm about the whole thing. Also relatively calm about the whole being on a ship in turbulent water fighting a shark thing.

Stacy has been Candace's friend since they were 5. As in they've been friends longer than Ferb and Lawrence have been in Candace's life. And they will continue to be friends into the future, truly a lifelong friendship. While we have seen Stacy get upset with Candace before, for prioritizing her brothers and her boyfriend, Stacy all things. Stacy does generally get the short end of the stick, such as in Run Candace Run. I think Stacy provides a sort of frame of reference for Candace's new relationships, with Jeremy and Vanessa in particular. They are people she thinks are cool and wants to impress. Stacy already knows she's a disaster, but is one that Stacy appreciates.

I LOVE her and Jeremy's relationships, what little we get of it. Jeremy is madly in love with Candace and Stacy is her long suffering friend. Both care for her a LOT but it manifests very differently between the two of them, but also very much the same. Jeremy finds a lot of Candace's flaws cute and endearing, Stacy calls her out. Jeremy encourages her in a sort of overly saccharine sort of way. Stacy hypes her up in a more "you're better than this" sort of way. But both sort of tease her with the same sort of fondness. The comfortableness they display with each other is nice. In Nerds of a Feather they call each other to ask about Candace. In the Curse of Candace where Jeremy teases her about taking Candace to a movie, both fully aware of how Candace sometimes dials things up to 11. I also adore the CATU scene with the two of the, where Stacy teases Jeremy about LARPing. Stacy is also the one who told Jeremy about Candace being Queen of Mars which also implies they talk outside of Candace which I love.

I don't think it's unfair to say that Candace isn't as good a friend to Stacy as vice versa, but I think this just has to do with the framing of the show, where Stacy doesn't have any huge wants. But when we DO see Stacy want something: for instance a trophy, Candace does so without hesitation even if she doesn't have the complete context. Also, Candace never holds it against Stacy for failing to do what she wants. I think it is also sort of sweet that by the end of the show that Stacy will just do her own thing if she can't get Candace to do what she wants, even in a normal friendship that's a sign of not being a priority.

With Stacy finding out about Perry's secret identity she really has found herself in a position to understand all sides of the mysterious force. We haven't really seen it come to fruition, but Stacy knows a lot. And I think this is great. Now, mind you, I am a firm believer that all of the teens are quite close to cracking the situation open, Candace I believe knows subconsciously, Vanessa just has to actually be invited over to the Flynn-Fletcher's once, and to a lesser extent Jeremy has taught guitar lessons to Doof and Monogram.

I've seen the idea of Stacy being like another older sister to the Flynn-Fletcher boys floating around and I buy it. Stacy is very often Candace's extra set of hands, attempting to bust Candace's brothers on her behalf. Stacy accompanied the Flynn-Fletcher's to England, and was Candace's Tree House Fight buddy. Stacy being an older sister herself also means Stacy GETS it, maybe she doesn't get Candace's exact situation. But she gets the "overly talented younger siblings who admire you for some reason even if all their attempts to get your approval really just makes you feel bad" thing.

Also besides knowing Perry's secret, the fact that she is Ginger's sister has allowed us to see more of Ginger outside of the Fireside Girls, which kind of puts her in a position of having a sort of connection to both the Fireside Girl plots, the Candace plots, and the Perry plots. No direct connection to the boys plots, but the fireside and Candace plots both intersect enough. She's kind of in a position to get to understand the whole mysterious force situation better than anyone else, aside from Perry, which I think might be interesting.

#stacy hirano #appreciate the ask!#just some of my stacy thoughts not in any particular order #there's probably more to say on Stacy's role in the story and in Candace's life but that's all I got right now

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wherevenusholdssomeofficespace · 15 days

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#Candace Flynn #Phineas Flynn #Ferb Fletcher #Linda Flynn-Fletcher #she's not in the picture but she is the one telling them not to touch it #I think the screenshot speaks for itself #phineas and ferb #pnf

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wherevenusholdssomeofficespace · 17 days

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He moved the flow of water in Bully Bromance Breakup. I am thoroughly convinced at this point that at the very least it is possible to intimidate gravity in the pnf universe to obey you (as Buford does), if its not just a Buford thing.

Does Buford have gravity powers?

Baljeet said he was heavier on the moon.

He somehow dragged a bounce floating bounce house with a rope, by jumping out of said bounce house, which was lampshaded as not how that would work.

He fell in slow motion when in Africa.

This doesn't really count but his solution to make the load lighter the during the Hot Air Balloon race was to throw Baljeet out.

That's 3 examples I can think of off the top of my head and I wouldn't be surprised if there was more. Still, 3 I think is enough to be a notable pattern and not a one off. That or they just keep making the same joke. It's not like Phineas and Ferb is known for its repeated gags or anything.

#3 times is a pattern #4 times is just about an established fact #though it could be other characters do it to and I haven't noticed

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wherevenusholdssomeofficespace · 18 days

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#pnf #ferb fletcher #phineas and ferb

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wherevenusholdssomeofficespace · 18 days

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5 Man Band

It is not a controversial statement to say that the backyard kids fit the 5 man band archetype. They're even color coded!

Phineas - Leader He's the one who comes up with the gangs activities for the day. And when world saving gets involved, he's the one who directs conversation around plans: (see Klimpaloon Ultimatum's Buford Van Stomm scene, CATU's cut Step into the Great Unknown, and in NOTLP).

Ferb - Lancer The foil to the leader. While often times the leader may act as an opposing force to the leader this is not necessary. Ferb acts as a foil in other ways. The quiet man of action to Phineas's loud enthusiasm. Ferb is also the more likely of the two to break the rules or mess with people while Phineas is overwhelmingly sincere. He gets Phineas's plans to work and often subtly provides input.

Isabella - Heart/Chick Isabella is the girl. Unfortunately, that's what this role boils down to historically (2007). The girl who does girl things, like make-up or being flirty or whatever in the infiniteness of femininity is relevant to the character and context. In the context of girl only groups, this role is generally the girly-girl; the pretty or cute one. In the context of Phineas and Ferb, it's Isabella's cuteness that makes me confident she fits this role. She literally has weaponizable cuteness. But that doesn't mean physical appearance is all there is to this role. The reason this trope is shifted to "the Heart" in modern usage, is a reflection of what stereotypical femininity offers to a group dynamic. Emotions. Not to say that the whole group isn't emotional, or Isabella isn't also very smart, strong and a good leader. But Isabella's emotions do play a big enough part in her character that to ignore that would be disingenuous. But a large portion of Isabella's character does have to do with her crush on Phineas. These emotions have been a driving point to her character in several episodes. Not to mention an upset Isabella is an instant Phineas motivator. In addition Isabella is potentially the most empathetic member of the cast. She relates to Candace and is probably the only one of the kids we see really GET Candace, (Out to Launch, Mission Marvel). They all love her, but they don't really understand her. She encourages Phineas when he's feeling down in Summer Belongs to You. She's the one who comforts Buford when he's missing Biff. She's the one who recognizes Mitch as a poacher and is the one most distressed by the Klimpaloon experiments. Sure she's also oblivious at times (focusing on capri pants as the world is ending). But so is every other person in this town to some degree or another. She's a "Strong Female Character" (physically tough, and very skilled), but she does also fit the traditional Chick role by being unabashedly girly and sweet, and able make use of it. She's both. (Very magical girl). I'd almost say it edges into the trope of the female character not having flaws (which when you only have one character of a group there's a tendency to not give them big flaws because it reflects on the whole group, a then you get the whole Mary Sue effect), but because the same goes for Phineas and Ferb themselves (and Perry), so it's not like its just because she's a girl. And also Candace is here. On another note, it is typical for 5 man bands to be able to be split into two sets: Leader and Lancer, Big Guy and Smart Guy, with the Heart going in one of the categories. Isabella as Phineas and Ferb's next door neighbor and long time friend easily forms a trio with them. Very often she is with them even when Buford and Baljeet aren't. But also as brothers Phineas and Ferb are a duo without her too, and she's been known for form a trio with Buford and Baljeet from time to time.

Buford - Big Guy He's is literally the biggest. He likes physical confrontation. What more needs to be said. He defines himself by his brawn. He is the first one the group turns to when they need physical strength. And he forms a duo with Baljeet.

Baljeet - Smart Guy He defines himself by being a nerd. Phineas and Ferb notably look to him for more concrete math stuff (Klimpaloon Ultimatum and Undercover Carl). He's on a whole other when it comes to nerdiness. He is, kind of a nerd even amongst nerds, as Buford sometimes notes.

Candace - 6th Ranger Candace is obsessed with the boys activities. So to the boys, she's often a participant, so they include her, and see her involvement, be it motivated by her own self-interest or not, they see her as part of the group to a certain extent. They made her a ninja costume in Quietest Day Ever, she's part of their 6 man world saving squad in Last Day of Summer and Save Summer. Their Klimpaloon rescue team in Klimpaloon Ultimatum, and she is one of the 6 who circumnavigate the globe. She's the 6th member of the team. It's just instead of joining the team later, she operates outside of the group and sometimes gets roped in. One could even say she is of the villain turned good variety: she often attempts to bust the days activities (acts as an antagonist), but when push comes to shove she joins them without hesitation, particularly later on.

Of course I think it is very important to recognize that these characters are not defined by these roles. Buford's also a nerd. Isabella's also really tough and a natural leader. All of them could feasibly fit anywhere. That's not me misassigning the characters, that's the characters being nuanced and well rounded. It's not about what role these characters fit as individuals, but rather the role they play on the team. They're all smart, but Baljeet is still the smart one, who checks their math and cares about education. Buford may be the most emotional, but he is still the wall of meat who is physically the biggest and chooses to play roles like bouncer and bodyguard. Isabella may be the fireside girls leader, but in this group its Phineas who leads the way with his optimism and the one who rallies the troupes and makes decisions on the days activities.

I don't know where I was going with this just I like how they clearly fit into the archetypes expected of the 5 man band. There's a reason that trope works. It leads to a team with a solid spread of skills, so can work well together, and and often different personalities that lead to unique dynamics. But I think the fact that the individuals in this group are strong in areas outside of their designated role really helps with the groups cohesion too. Each character can have more than one role. Buford can have dumb muscle jokes, but also jokes about the arts. Isabella can be the cute one, but also the tough one as the situation calls and rival Buford in that regard. Baljeet may be the nerd, but Ferb might have some sort of knowledge that he doesn't. It makes them fully fledged characters and adds nuance to their dynamics where they can swap roles circumstantially.

#pnf #phineas and ferb #isabella's section is the longest #but that's because the chick/heart is easily the most complex member of the 5 man band #everyone else can be described in 1 or 2 words #leader #leaders foil #nerd #jock #and theoretically chick/heart is the same #girl #but we've got more of a nuance for what it means to be a girl and also are building casts with more than 1 female character #to be clear #Phineas Isabella Perry and Ferb do have traits that are flaws in the right contexts #we just don't get a whole lot of these flaws causing actual problems for them #and quite frankly that's not the point of their characters the point of their characters are to be really cool #Buford Baljeet Candace and Doof have the flaws and dysfunction #really this is: Isabella as a a female character with a little bit of how the rest of the team works as well a team #isabella garcia shapiro #candace flynn #phineas flynn #ferb fletcher #baljeet tjinder #buford van stomm

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wherevenusholdssomeofficespace · 20 days

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Candace has been planning a wedding since she was 10... so... you think we can assume Linda and Lawrence got married when Candace was 10? 4 or 5 years before the series started?

Word of God says Linda and Lawrence have been together for 8 years at the time of the series (since the boys were about 1 or 2).

The kids have known each other for at least 6 years (since the boys were 3 or 4, which matches with the dream flashback), and would almost certainly have met BEFORE the wedding.

And Ferb has been living in America for 5+ years during the series.

So Linda and Lawrence probably got married about 5 years pre-series.

Also Tiana promised she could be a bridesmaid in her wedding. So 10 year old Candace probably wanted to be a bridesmaid in her moms wedding. The boys were almost definitely ring bearers, but 10 is that awkward age where she maybe felt a bit too old to be a flower girl, but she wasn't old enough to be a bridesmaid.

#pnf #phineas and ferb #Flynn-Fletcher Family #linda flynn-fletcher #lawrence fletcher #this is a lot of extrapolation from two lines of dialogue #but that line of dialogue kicked off a whole episode so #once again #I think a Flynn-Fletcher wedding flashback would be cute

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wherevenusholdssomeofficespace · 21 days

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Well I didn't want to just go out and SAY IT.

Actually I was really really close to saying it.

But yeah. It's the sexism. :)

Linda Flynn-Fletcher

I think Linda Flynn-Fletcher is potentially one of the most misunderstood characters in the show.

It think comes from a natural enough place. Her role in the show is of course, to act as the potential threat to their summers of fun. While they boys never see her as a threat, narratively she's the big bad. If she sees it, its game over.

Here's the thing though. She's a not a bad mom. Her children LOVE her. Similarly to how Phineas and Ferb absolutely adore Candace and would do nearly anything she asked, Phineas, Ferb and Candace all love and respect their mother and don't disobey her. Now a bit of this is clearly Linda being a more permissive parent, but any rules that Linda has Phineas and Ferb never do anything to disobey their mother. While I wouldn't be surprised if there were one or two instances where Candace disobeyed her mother willfully, the closest I can think off off hand is Candace not doing a bunch of chores that she was supposed to do. Really, the fact that all her kids love her, shows how much all her kids feel loved in their household. And I think that's super important. Candace wrote a song about how much she feels loved by her mom, even if her mom is dismissive of Candace. But she still goes with Candace to see what the boys are up to even if she doesn't believe it. She sets boundaries on how often Candace can bust the boys sure. But she hasn't forbidden Candace from doing it altogether. Nor does she punish Candace for presumably lying?

At MOST Linda will say something like: "let's get you out of the sun" after a failed bust. The worst of it I think is probably the time Linda made her promise not to try or suffer the Pharaohs curse. Which, was just some guy in a Pharaoh costume telling Candace curse you. Linda goes out of her way to read books to try and deal with her daughter. She and Candace still clearly hold a lot of affection for each other and do spend a decent amount of mother daughter time together. Linda gives books to her daughter, tries to direct her to other activities, and finds her sleep busting cute, and sometimes goes out of her way to do activities her daughter wants to do with her. All things considered Linda is REALLY patient about Candace's busting. Could she be doing more to get to the bottom of why Candace is presumably acting out? Sure. But Doofensmirtz could also be doing a better job of listening to his daughter and not insulting her (or do we not remember why Vanessa wears earbuds around the house) but we all call him a really good dad.

A LOT of shows have kids hiding a secret from a parent for one reason of another. But while the crux of the show rests on Linda not knowing what her sons are doing, its not because its a secret. The boys aren't hiding it from her. The boys genuinely believe she knows. Lawrence genuinely believes she knows. Candace is the only one in the family who really grasps the situation.

Linda's ignorance, her disbelief of the wild shenanigans that her children get into is easily mistakable for normality. For representing the oppressive day to day. The same thematic antagonist as school. A mom who wants whats best for her kids, and thinks that whats best for them is them being normal, without realizing what's really best for them. After all why else we saw what would happen if she found out in Quantum Boogaloo. But the fact of the matter is aside from that one future (which also featured an effectively evil leader in Doofensmirtz, and therefore implies more factors at play than just Doofensmirtz and Linda's characters), we don't really know how it would play out in the long term. Future Linda even just kinda moves on after discovering the truth.

Linda is exactly like her kids. She just does the same things on a less physics breaking scale. The woman has like 37 different hobbies. She takes a cooking class, donated an art sculpture, is part of a jazz group. She has a background in astrophysics. She was a pop star. She won a meatloaf contest. She takes french lessons. The fact that Linda has several hobbies is part of the reason the formula works at all. Linda is constantly trying new things which gets her out of the house, while her sons are trying their own new things. Her absence is what prompts Candace to have to go looking for her. Also, What Do It Do when the moment Linda gets put in Candace's position she acts the exact same way.

Also it's why she and Lawrence are so compatible. They have a lot of weird hobbies they spend together. She likes Lawrence's history references. They watch car racing together. They went spelunking together. They go bowling regularly enough to have equipment. She has played the bagpipes while Lawrence danced (which sidenote: do you think she taught Candace how to play the bagpipes?).

Not to mention her extended family. Think about it. Her mom was a competitive roller derby skater who once bit a skate and shook it like a dog with a chew toy and pulls elaborate pranks with her identical twin. Really she's a lot like Candace with her aggressive passion. Her dad apparently won a balloon race, but tells the story in the most straightforward way possible, sometimes very oblivious, but is overall a lot like Phineas. Her sister is an adrenaline junky. And back to Quantum Boogaloo for a minute: Her granddaughter is just like Candace, Grown up Candace is a lot like Linda. Do you not see the implications!!?!?!? LIKE???? DO YOU NOT REALIZE THAT LINDA WAS PROBABLY A LOT LIKE CANDACE AND PHINEAS WHEN SHE WAS YOUNGER?!!?! YOU THINK IT SKIPPED A GENERATION OR SOMETHING???

Do you think Linda used to complain about Tiana??? Do you think Linda thought her family was weird and was embarrassed by them??? Do you think Linda ever called herself the only mature/normal member of her family?? LIKE CANDACE DOES????

Anyway, Linda is just like her family. Sure, she is RELATIVELY more normal, but that's relative, and probably simply because the universe bends itself around to keep her from knowing. Linda literally cannot find out about the real nature of her universe. Linda is just a grown up version of her children, seeking to make the most of each day, but within the bounds the universe has set upon her, both as an adult woman and mother, but also in the laws of physics expected of her. But she still makes the most of her life. You don't have to build a roller coaster to make the most of each day and all that.

I think if Linda is representing anything its that even parents can have rich fulfilling lives. Where they make the most out of each day. Having fun with your life doesn't stop with adulthood. Even if you have more responsibilities doesn't mean you can't have fun? Sure childhood is something you can't get back but growing up isn't inherently bad either?

#hope you don't mind me showing off your tags #its this #literally this #This is why I keep talking Doof trash.#I love him but people keep erasing his flaws #which are so important to his character #and then call Linda a gaslighter or Candace a snitch #I love the entire flynn-fletcher family #including Linda #INCLUDING PERRY #they are so weird (affectionate)#I have very very very strong feelings on all of this

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wherevenusholdssomeofficespace · 21 days

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AND NO SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HER SONS ARE DOING. SHE IS NOT GASLIGHTING CANDACE. IT HAS LITERALLY BEEN SHOWN IN SHOW HOW SHE WOULD REACT TO FINDING OUT HER BOYS DID SOMETHING. WHAT DID IT DO, A REAL BOY, and QUANTUM BOOGALOO all prove the fact LINDA DOESN'T KNOW.

Linda Flynn-Fletcher

I think Linda Flynn-Fletcher is potentially one of the most misunderstood characters in the show.

#this one is on her voice actress who keeps claiming this #for some reason #even though canon has clearly shown us otherwise

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wherevenusholdssomeofficespace · 21 days

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Linda Flynn-Fletcher

I think Linda Flynn-Fletcher is potentially one of the most misunderstood characters in the show.

#pnf #phineas and ferb #linda flynn fletcher #The woman is a former pop star #and has a secret background in astrophysics #you would think that would be enough but nooo #i generally don't care to comment on the suspected neurodivergent status of cartoon characters #because neurodivergency exists in the context of society #and cartoon characters exist in a completely different context #and when characters are inspired by real people (like Linda being inspired by Dan's sister) it can get messy #but if Phineas and Candace and Doofensmirtz are ADHD so is Linda #she just has adult woman flavor ADHD #aka the reason that woman and girls go underdiagnosed or are often diagnosed with anxiety instead #I think we often don't recognize how frequently she forgets things #I'm thinking back to that one time she forgot the “stuff” at the grocery store #she stayed up all night making last minute pies #working up to the deadline on an art sculpture #at one point runs out of contacts (presumably because she forgot to get more)#gets overwhelmed when planning the block party #and that's just what I can think of off hand #anyway I will not stand for Linda slander

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