Ellie and Oddy
Added 2021-05-15 22:25:27 +0000 UTCWith friends to know,
And ways to grow,
Reading Rainbow~
So these two get along really well.
Montezuma and Smokescreen were having some trouble catching Ellie up academically, what with her being a feral child and all. They applied research and private tutors and specialized psychologists, but teaching Ellie to read/write/communicate was still very much a slow process...and further compounded by Monty's reluctance to have her poked and prodded at by ponies that wanted to study her. Smoky and Monty were privately very worried, torn between pushing Ellie harder to catch up, or letting her struggle along at her own pace. Ellie is easily frustrated and overstimulated- public school isn't an option, but she's miserable with private tutors. Smoky and Monty are truly at a loss.
Enter Ellie's cousin, Oddball.
It was supposed to be a casual playdate- Smoky catching up with his "Aunt" Pandora and introducing Odd to his new cousin....the adults have tea while the kids romp around in Oddy's playroom. At least, that's what Smoke thought the kids were doing. When he pokes his head in to check on them, he sees Odd handing Ellie a fistful of candies and asking her some strange math problem....before he can remind Odd that Ellie's not quite up to fractions yet, he's flabbergasted to see Ellie count and produce the correct number of candies, demonstrating not only a clear grasp of fractions, but division as well. What.
Upon noticing her dad standing there, Ellie excitedly grabs a piece of crayon and proceeds to show her work- When did she learn to long divide? Are those variables and coefficients? What?
Oddball is a very good teacher. I don't think I ever announced it formally, but Odd is autistic (Cupcake is as well, it's pretty common in the Pie family). He went through a nonverbal period himself from about ages 2-5, making his moms worry if he was ever going to talk, then startling the hell out of them both when he abruptly began speaking in complete sentences. He just kinda "gets" Ellie, and wasn't phased when she didn't understand his teachings- he just switched tracks, applying different methods (direct instruction, visual learning, inquiry-based learning, kinesthetic learning, etc), until he hit on a teaching style she understood and thrived under. Odd likes reading to Ellie and giving her "homework"- something Monty and Smoky thought to be a joke, but were surprised to find Ellie taking it quite seriously. Odd is the first person to get El excited about books- he's got his own private library of kid's books (gifts from Nana Twilight- Odd appreciates them but is largely disinterested in fiction) and Ellie's allowed to take as many as she likes. Currently, she quite enjoys horror, and is rapidly devouring increasingly advanced books. Monty is now having to awkwardly explain to a huffy Ellie why Smoky's personal collection of Stephen King is inappropriate for bedtime stories, and having to negotiate a chapter from Spooky Stories To Tell In The Dark instead.
The pair enjoy nothing more than a quiet afternoon reading together. I imagine Monty and Smoky are busy in the background whipping up some fresh-baked cookies for the kiddos~
Comments
I don’t see the issue, but then again, adhering to strict timelines has never been a concern of mine. Pan is not that much older than Smoky, only a couple of years. It does indeed take her a good long while to find the courage to confess her feelings to Cupcake- and even longer for them to have Oddball, who was spontaneously conceived through love and pure magic. This is why Oddball is younger than say, Wave Rider (Bruce and Stormy figured their shit out/settled down way quicker than Pan did). It makes sense to me, but if it doesn’t to you, just don’t worry about it. It’s why I keep character ages and story time frames vague, so nothing ever conflicts.
Lopoddity
2021-05-17 10:28:23 +0000 UTCI've been trying to figure out how this would all work into the timeline, but there are so many factors to put in! Like, how old were Pan and Spike when Spike married Thorax and had Smoky? And if Smoky and Monte took a good long while to find Ellie (after all, they still have to go from enemies to friends to lovers, then both get pardoned by Equestria), and Ellie's only a few years younger than Odd, did it take Pandora and Cupcake a long time to have Odd? Or is it easier to just write it off as magic pony timeline haha
Colbyr
2021-05-17 04:20:21 +0000 UTCOdd is very regal, Ellie just gets scarier with time. Ponies are terrified of the local cryptid with the monstrous teeth and eyes that glow red in the dark....really that's just Ellie out for a late night burrito
Lopoddity
2021-05-16 15:35:15 +0000 UTCIt'd be cute to see these two hanging out when they're older. Odd was such a regal boi, I bet Ellie would be bitchin' cute.
pookaWOODS
2021-05-16 06:39:37 +0000 UTCOdd is maybe 10-11 here, while Ellie is 7-8. Ellie would LOVE Claire's. She's drawn to shiny accessories, loud colors and mismatched patterns- which naturally wins her the instant approval of her Auntie Pandora. Maybe Pan gathers up Odd, Wave Rider, Finn, and Ellie and has little trash fashion shows (contests to assemble the best outfits out of stuff you found in the trash can). It's a big hit with the kids
Lopoddity
2021-05-16 02:40:45 +0000 UTCsooo cute 😭 what's the age difference between Ellie and Odd ? like older child to young? (9 vs 6?) obviously they have had diff upbringings and experiences w themselves in the world but I am just wondering ! the slightly older by just a scosh mentoring kid to younger by just a little dynamic always makes me heartwarmed it reminds me a lot of me and my cousins 🥺 also I am living for Ellies clothing choices, is she a bit of a chaotic Claire's accessories type ?
Jam Gram
2021-05-16 02:14:17 +0000 UTCOh my god, this is too precious! Especially since it reminds me of my own time in school, having a hard time paying attention or understanding certain concepts. But things took a turn for the better when I reached college, and attended classes at a school for adults with learning disabilities. I finally felt like I was in a place where I belonged, where I fit right in, and the teachers were so understanding and helpful, helping me to find learning methods that worked for me. So it's really heartwarming to see little Ellie fitting in, and finding teaching methods that work for her. It's an opportunity that I wish everyone had <3
SmilesPerHour
2021-05-16 02:05:47 +0000 UTCI can’t seem to make replies, but cool!! Thank you for answering. That’s very cool and it’d be satisfying to hear if it tarnished Daring Do’s longstanding reputation, what with all her honorably excavated artifacts being returned to where they were previously. Can’t be a good look
D
2021-05-16 01:29:09 +0000 UTCheck yeah, Phoenix is Ellie's godmom and loves that weird kid to pieces
Lopoddity
2021-05-16 01:26:37 +0000 UTCThis is way, way in the future. There's indeed some nasty business after Smoky quits his agency to join Monty (his agency PANICS at the idea of their asset landing in Montezuma's hands), Smoky ends up wanted and on the run with Monty for a good while. But Smoky has a connection through BonBon, who eventually (against the agency's orders) begins to chip away at the powers that be, eventually landing Montezuma and Smoky audience with Celestia....who pardons them both and throws her hat into Monte's artifact recovery efforts. In the future, while Monty's still kind of a controversial figure (especially by longtime Daring Do fans), he's no longer regarded as a terrorist- not after years of charity work and thwarting would-be villains with Smoky.
Lopoddity
2021-05-16 01:23:56 +0000 UTCAlso, how on earth is Montezuma just able to drop into ponyville after all his “crimes”? Do they have to pull some sneaky spy tactics just to get Uncle Monty over to Pandora’s for tea? (Assuming she lives in Ponyville)
D
2021-05-16 00:56:31 +0000 UTCThis is ridiculously sweet. Do you have an idea of which specific kind of teaching worked best for her?
D
2021-05-16 00:54:28 +0000 UTCYou mentioned in a previous post that Phoenix knitted a scarf and hat for Smoke. Is this perhaps also a gift from Ellie’s awesome, orange “aunt?”
Haley Riggs
2021-05-16 00:47:36 +0000 UTCWell now I wanna about Monty's interactions with the in-laws?
Vio_dacreator
2021-05-15 22:53:43 +0000 UTCI originally had Ellie reading King's The Mist (cuz I just read it myself), before I remembered it was waaaaaaay inappropriate for a kid. Not that Goosebumps wasn't kinda fucked up sometimes too tho
Lopoddity
2021-05-15 22:47:33 +0000 UTCHe's kinda both (nephew and grandson), since Spike is kinda Twilight's son/little brother. But Twilight refers to Smoke as her grandson, typically to the confusion of everypony around her. She did officially adopt Spike years ago, after all. This makes Ellie Twi's great-granddaughter (this kicks off a midlife crisis in Twilight), though she just refers to Odd and Ellie as her grandkids. She dotes on Ellie as much as she does with Odd, and in return Ellie is infuriatingly well-behaved/sweet with Twilight (Monty wonders where this sweetness was when Ellie was trying to chew off his ear). If you can't tell by now, Twilight kinda has a soft spot for lil chaotic kids, Ellie reminds her a lot of little Panny, but without the infinite god-like power to give Twi a heart attack. Odd is (technically) Smokescreen's younger cousin, but politely refers to Smoky as his uncle.
Lopoddity
2021-05-15 22:45:55 +0000 UTCThat's adorable! As a kid who (through parental neglect) started reading King at the tender age of 8, though.../soon/
Scyllarus
2021-05-15 22:45:02 +0000 UTCWhat is her interaction with Twilight? Since Smoky is technically her family. What is Smoky's relation to twilight? Nephew or grandson?
Nette Marie
2021-05-15 22:33:52 +0000 UTCWOW I love Ellie. Like wow.
pookaWOODS
2021-05-15 22:33:24 +0000 UTCYou're gonna kill someone with this sweetness, too cute
Beatleboy62
2021-05-15 22:28:00 +0000 UTC
