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MisterBlueTopic: My Own Obsession--A Tootie Essay This was from my dA journal.I wrote this because I really wanna get this off my chest. I've been a fan of Tootie for over three years now, and even though my affinity for the Fairly Odd Parents fandom is a shell of what it used to be, my admiration for this minor character has been consistent. About four years ago, when I was recently unemployed, I started tuning into FOP. Its catchy humor, lovable characters and addictive theme song quickly hooked into me. It was the number two show on Nickelodeon at the time, and there were a healthy handful of fan pages. I saw an airing "Boy Toy" around January 2004, and discovered Vicky's "creepy" little sister. She's obviously got it bad for Timmy, but I found her crush cute, and at the end, I adored the moment where she blasted Timmy with the water balloon. It just went to show that while she loves him with every fiber of her body, she's not a pushover. In "Kung Timmy" (a basis for a story I plan to write), she shows her "stalker" side (how in the heck did she obtain those gadgets?). Near the end, though, she does what his parents don't even bother to do- believe in him. Without her, Timmy would've lost his goldfish (Cosmo and Wanda), and the Turners would've been homeless. Around that time, I began searching for fan fiction on FOP, where I made friends with a few authors (one of them I still talk with to this day), and we discussed Trixie Tang, Tootie, and who was right for Timmy. For the most part, we agreed that Tootie was best. She was true to her feelings, and while she may be obnoxious, obsessive and generally unattractive, she loved him unconditionally. The more Timmy/Tootie fan fiction I read, my respect for Tootie swelled. Fics like BratChild-2's (now BratChild-3) bygone "Tootie's Wish" and Lonestarr's Life Goes On put Tootie in a positive light that may never be seen on the actual show. The summer of that year, I think there was a point where I believed that Tootie's crush on Timmy was silly and that she could do better. It could have been from a drought of Timmy/Tootie fan fiction or a collective disdain of FOP fans who didn't like her- I can't recall exactly. Ever since then, it's caused my respect for Timmy to range from "Misguided but Nice Kid" to "Total Friggin' Jerk," depending on my mood and the atmosphere of the FOP community and its opinions of Timmy when Tootie's involved. It fluctuates a lot, even to this day. With the show's apparent deterioration of quality, there has been speculation (mainly by Timmy/Trixie fans) that the writers have become pro-Tootie and anti-Trixie, which I disagree highly with. All the characters were treated the same way- terribly. Not only did it hurt the fandom, it killed any chance of Tootie getting more depth into her. Sure, they cover Crocker's origins (very good episode), why Vicky is so mean (not-so-good) and why Trixie treats Timmy the way she does (decent episodes), no additional info was given on Tootie. I don't see that as fair, as Tootie (as the devious, if easily recognizable Deep Toot) was great in "Channel Chasers." After months of waiting for a good Tootie episode and being ultimately disappointed, I stopped watching FOP and tried envisioning her in my own light. My views differed largely from others, due to my lack of humor, and my frustration with the general consensus of FOP that Tootie is a weak, pathetic stalker who deserves pity. Luckily, I've met with a handful of people that disagree with that logic over the years, cementing my continued support for her. She's not as bold as Atomic Betty, nor is she evil like Mandy, nor can she kick ** like Juniper Lee, nor is she overly brainy like Phoebe Heyerdahl. Of course, she's not pretty, either (though the future may tell a different story). Despite not having a relatively positive trait that stands out, I still think she's one of the best concepts ever drawn out. She's caring, honest, and modest- something that can not be said for many of today's leading cartoon females. Okay, I hope I haven't bored you too much. However, I really hope that I can start a few discussions on this, especially from those who may not like Tootie as much as I do. *sigh* I don't wanna look like a pathetic man whom no one understands, you know. |