There’s definitely something to be said that praise from their mom or a human in their lives would definitely be more immediate and real to them, yeah. Seems like Jim is currently going more with the glass half full interpretation of fluffies at the moment. At the very least, it’s hard to see Rosemary as actively being malicious with treating Fred better than the others; it’s not like she’s seen the results of how making someone a bestes’ babbeh usually shakes out since her circumstances were unique.
Not liking Fred’s long term prospects, though, all things considered and I suspect that however things turn out it might put a strain on John’s and Rosemary’s relationship (even if it hopefully turns out alright in the end).
Also, I love all of the speculation and theory and discussion that’s coming from all of this. Warms my heart to see so many people enjoying the story and having discussions that will hopefully inspire future stories from others. Y’all are great.
Big thing with Jim is it seems he has a good group to draw from, he seems to follow advice, and seems genuinely good so we’re cheering for him and Rosemary. If his support network gets hurt somehow then… Er… We’ll see.
I tried to keep them as realistic as I could without falling into too many tropes. I wanted to show John as imperfect, constantly learning, and out of his element while having a good heart and a desire to do the right things if he’s going to take in a fluffy. I know the whole “main dude strikes up a relationship with a shelter worker” thing is overdone, so I wanted to keep it as more of a background thing that’s just there as a supporting, plot-enhancing device. A lot of female love interests aren’t really given any depth, so I wanted to flesh her out more and show that she’s more than just a love interest. I wanted her to be knowledgeable, capable, and willing to teach John anything she can. I wanted them to be actual people instead of cardboard tropes, and I feel like maybe I did okay with that.
Oh no. And he’s a unicorn. It won’t be long until he starts declaring he’s the best and demanding things from John. He’s the bestest after all, so he deserves more. And she says he’s the first at everything… she’ll probably call him smart too.
I’m dreading how things are going to play out.
Out of note, too, humans often have children they get on with better too. I do realize there’s a natural tendency to prefer one person over another, but still, it really sucks to see what it does to fluffies.
It was only a matter of time before there would be trouble in paradise. I hope fred doesnt become a smarty. Or he does, both would be fun to see play out!
