OMG! I am an idiot, how did I never make the connection between Alchemist being a Dragon and Yuffie being a princess!?! That...that is freaking hilarious and so poetic. Alchemist is basically a dragon who stole a princess. Talk about finding a unique workaround for the dragon instincts, he just found a neglected princess and became her adoptive dad. LOL oh, this is has tickled me just right.
Given the lack of anyone posting an "I
knew it!" or similar comment, it seems likely that none of us made that connection. And yes, she is a rather unusual princess, whilst Al is a very unusual Dragon.
Whoever performs and embraces the Job of parent earns the Title of parent.
Her biological dad gave up his rights to it years ago.
So yes, Raven, she is his "real" daughter.
Well put!
- Protecting houseguests from Tiffany, as Robin couldn't verbally retaliate without offending his host.
And without giving Tiffany any excuse to go off at him, defusing the situation for now and also giving her time and space to calm down from her fight/flight/fawn/etc trauma response to feeling like she was in danger (which she wasn't), just because she's been very startled in what she felt was a completely safe place. Which she very much was. Between the PTSD/traumas and her age, I'd have been completely shocked if she hadn't immediately reacted like the familiars did!
From the Watsonian perspective, this was very deftly and even kindly done by Al, and thinking over it, I can't think of any better way he could have handled it for everyone involved. I can say for certain that neither I nor most of the people I know could have threaded that needle even without the pressure of doing so instantly in the moment. And I know a bunch of very wise people, both parents and not.
From the Doyleist perspective it is an equally deft bit of writing on MF's part, both for the above reasons, but also because it strongly implies that Al has been doing some seriously intensive consideration on how best to help Tiffany, or else a lot of intermittent thinking on that topic. Knowing Al, it was probably both. All done without even actually showing so much as a shadow from the mantelpiece. 👏👏👏
I think that last scene is a great illustration of who Tiffany is as a person. She's taken off guard by strangers being in a place where she feels comfortable, even if she herself is a guest, and she lashes out instead of just... going to find some privacy, because they upset her, and so that's all that matters.
People keep on forgetting that Tiffany is not only traumatised, but also is only just barely a teenager at all. Yes, she can and does act like an utter brat sometimes, and sometimes she absolutely does need or deserve a metaphorical smack upside the head, but she's been used, abused, ignored, belittled and isolated from nearly everyone that should have been her support network. She's lost, hurt and has been repeatedly betrayed, of course she's going to lash out more than even your 'standard' brand new teen would. Al has only had a little while to help her since Tiamat deliberately tore away the one safety net she had for Her own reasons.
This is going to be a literally years-long effort, just like it would be for any child in our world that had gone through the same deeply ugly situation.
Raven drunk on the...feel of the demi-plane...
Raven hadn't even realised just how much she was missing the higher mana levels that she was used to before escaping to this world, poor kid.
It's pretty funny, just like how Robin went from bruised banana, and back into a real boy. Who decided to pick a fight with Tiffany. accusing her of everything.
Not sure that could have been avoided in any way, given how big the adrenaline spike was that Tiff just got hit with.
Alchemist yells out her name. scaring her, and then just calmly asked for apples... Is kind of a strange thing, but at least he didn't tear her down verbally.
See above.
Also Yuffie as we can see mused on how the world lacked the feel of magic and spirits. witnessed the defenestration of Cyborg and Robin via the Hive Kids from there own tower.
Then offered them a place at her home was sweet, and hilarious since if Jinx had been in her human form... The Teen Titans would have had questions...
And thus MF lay down a big clue for why Raven is reacting this way to the demi-plane. Though if Jinx had been present in her non-dragon form when the team arrived, it likely would have gotten really messy, really fast. And not at all to the TT's liking.
I don't know about how you phrased that. Allergies can be life-threatening. Not sure how "I avoid nuts because they could kill me via anaphylactic shock" could be considered an "alternative lifestyle."
And yet, that was how it was called and treated by far too many at the time. I do find it a timely and heart-warming reminder of how much ground the reactionary types have lost and continue to lose even in their endless 'culture wars'.
I think just being out of the cesspit city filled with literal evil leaking into reality for an extended period of time (10+ years) will do Tiffany a world of good. Not that she doesn't desperately need a good therapist, mind.
Gotham really could do with the full mythical Carthage treatment, but that's not ever going to actually happen outside of fanfic, or
maybe an Elseworld, but even that is vanishingly unlikely.
Certainly pretty much everyone that has to live there could really do with almost anywhere else to live instead.
As for Tiff, yes, she does desperately need a good and competent therapist. Gods know she hasn't seen one so far!
She's the color of Chaos™.
Well, at least she's not Octorine, 'cause being invisible to everyone not in the Magical world (or a cat) would likely be kinda awkward at best.
