Another Kid Like Me: TeddyxZick (Monster Allergy)
Title: Another Kid Like Me: A Proof
Author:
kate_chan91 (Kady the Red Panda)
Fandom: Monster Allergy
Pairing: Teddy Thaur x Ezekiel Zick
Word Count: 3071
Spoilers: Yes, oui, si, ja, hai, oo. (For both canons)
Author’s Notes: When the time is appropriate, I am definitely going to make a 2.0 of this. In the meantime, enjoy!
“They look like they’re in love, don’t they!”
“Looks like it. I’ve never asked you this, but… Have you ever been in love?”
[blushes] “Are you kidding? And you?”
“Are you kidding?”
-Ezekiel Zick and Elena Potato (Issue 15)
*****
Series Background
Q: Monster Allergy (or is it Monster Allergies?)? What the heck’s that?
Short Answer: One of the best comics I’ve read in a long, long time.
Long Answer: Monster Allergy (referred to as MA by its fans) centers on a world where monsters exist, but are invisible to most humans and live aboveground in suspended cities. While the majority stays out of trouble, those considerably unruly or troublesome get “taken care of” by monster tamers, humans (or, in the comic, human looking monsters) possessing the powers needed to control, or “tame,” such monsters.
The actual story focuses its attention on two preteens, Ezekiel Zick (a tamer) and Elena Potato (a human-later-turned-keeper (a human who can see monsters))’s escapades and mishaps in and around the town of Old Mill Village as they encounter monsters, ghosts, and witches of all kinds.
The OTP
Ezekiel “Zick” Zick
Age: 10 in the comics, 12 in the cartoon
First Appearance: Comic: Issue 1 (“The House of Monsters”); Cartoon: Episode 1 (“House of Monsters”)
For as long as he could remember, Zick differed from his peers: he suffered from terrible asthma and allergies (hence the “Allergy” in the title), and also possessed the gift to see monsters and dead people ghosts, a true “sixth sense” as one can say. Until Elena moves next door in the first issue, his classmates consider him insane and someone to avoid at all costs; the closest thing he has to friends are the monsters imprisoned at his family’s “detention oasis.”
Zick’s life turns upside-down the very moment he meets Elena at his door. He finds out the true purposes of his monster sight. The father he thought disappeared in the Amazon when he was three years old is not only alive and well, but has lived in a dollhouse in the greenhouse next door for seven-plus years (long story; just read issue 9 if you really want an explanation). He discovers his situation is not exactly as unique as he once believed. Obviously, Zick is not exactly pleased to know he had been living a lie for a decade.
Tadduja “Teddy” Thaur
Age: 12 in the comic, 14 in the cartoon
First Appearance: Comic: Issue 12 (“The Other Tamer”); Cartoon: Episode 9 (“Canned Monsters”)
Like Zick, Teddy is a tamer residing in Old Mill. Unlike Zick, however, he had long been familiar with his background. He has a tendency to boast, even saying during his first conversation with Zick: “Risking your life is stupid… Anyway, I’ve canned bigger monsters than the mugalak! You should take a look at my taming box collection.”
Teddy can be quite the jerkass; he enjoys pestering Elena (calling her only “Potato” in the cartoon, for example) whenever he’s with Zick and her, for one thing. He also hero-worships his father and will do anything to make him proud, even luring Zick to a trap set up by Zick’s Aunt Emily and him to acquire the mugalak breath needed to restore his father, who had been shrunken, back to normal size. Naturally, few people actually like being around him.
Interaction and Proof this Could Actually Work
Teddy and Zick’s chemistry is about as good as Zick and Elena’s, if not better. Whilst Zick’s relationship with Elena had a rocky start (see or read issue 1), Zick’s relationship with Teddy began more a bit more cooperatively between the two parties. Here are some notable examples of this.
A. Comic Examples
Teddy’s Apology
(Issue 12, “The Other Tamer”)
Towards the end of the tale, Zick and Teddy have been rescued by Elena and Zob, Zick’s father, after almost getting killed by monsters and black phantoms that gathered at the command of the Mask of Fire. Upon Zob clearly showing what he feels about this, Zick helps escort Teddy out of his house. On the way, they exchange this little conversation:
Teddy: I’m sorry about all this! I only agreed to help the old bag-
Zick: Because you wanted to help your father. You can stop apologizing…
Teddy: I feel twice as stupid because it was all for nothing! I lost the vial with the mugalak’s breath…
So what exactly is significant about this? It’s the only time I can think of in canon where Teddy both recognizes what an asshole he’s been and directly apologizes for it. Teddy is clearly sorry for what he’s done. He doesn’t apologize to Zob, nor Elena… Just Zick.
And guess what? It lead to Zick offering his own mugalak breath-soaked sponge to Teddy; this is also one of two times I can clearly remember Zick doing so (the second happening in the final pages of the final issue).
Man Talk
(Issue 28, “The Hundredth and First Door”)
Once again, this occurs at the end of the issue.
Zick is talking to Lay Mamery, a female tamer who first appeared in issue 15. Their teacher, Dan Tulasech, has left after being possessed by an ancestor that was also a dark tamer. Lay becomes so distraught that she runs off crying before Zick can do anything. Teddy, who was walking by, notices Zick’s long face and says:
Teddy: Don’t bother looking at her like that! Guys like Dan are much more interesting than us pipsqueaks!
Zick: I’m younger than Lay is! She doesn’t even see me, of course! But you…
Teddy: To her I’m a kid, and then let’s be honest, she doesn’t like me!
Zick: Do you think Dan will come back?
Teddy: I don’t know! He was confused, and bitter! He’s gone to find himself and I don’t think hell find all the answers very quickly!
WOW. Please remind me that Teddy was not assigned to Zick under the Big Brothers program. This is bliss.
Here, Teddy is trying to cheer up Zick and acts more mature than usual. Teddy’s profile states he is intelligent, but lazy. His intelligence gleams here as he admits Lay, which both boys have shown a liking to, doesn’t share his feelings. Also, like a good “brother,” he answers Zick’s question about Dan without insulting his intelligence once.
Teddy’s behavior without Zick present is no different than his interactions with Elena, Lay, etc. With Zick, he can be himself without being a jerk. Hmm…
B. Cartoon Examples
“By the Order of the Tamer…”
(Episode 13, “Mugalak!”)
“Mugalak!” is hands down my favorite episode, partially because due to the sheer amounts of TeddyxZick interaction. Here is one reason why.
Zick, Elena, and Teddy are at Geyser Park, searching for the Mugalak, a monster whose breath can cure Zick’s and Teddy’s fathers’s “ailments.”
This place is covered with geysers. As a joke, Teddy asks Elena to look for a way underground near one. She goes near it, the geyser erupts, she goes flying, Teddy laughs his ass off. Zick tells him to stop. He stops immediately.
Teddy is like a wild stallion: naughty and hard to tame. He does what he wants and often continues, despite others’s scolding or how much trouble he gets in. He rarely obeys his own mother, for crissakes. Aside from this moment, the only other time when he is controlled is when his father instructs him to attack Zick, as seen at the end of issue 13. Not bad for a twelve-year-old, am I right?
“Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall/All You Got to do is Call…”
(Episode 21, “The Skeleton Army”)
Halfway through this episode (the final aired on American airwaves), Elena gets kidnapped by Magnacat, the main antagonist’s, goons. Zick chases after them at first, and the very first thing Zick says when they’re long gone is that he has got to find Teddy as soon as possible.
Zick was in a bad situation. He couldn’t ask his parents for help; he would be in deep shit considering how beforehand, Elena and he were in a car driven by a monster in his detention oasis. He couldn’t ask the police either; he’d just be dismissed as a very imaginative kid. All he had left were either rescue Elena solo or request Teddy’s aid.
However, he decided on his solution almost immediately afterwards. Most people would be saying, “Oh, shit, what am I gonna do? WHAT AM I GONNA DO?!” Even I don’t think of asking for my friend’s help immediately 95% of the time I find myself in a pickle. Just the fact he decides to seek Teddy’s help shows he trusts Teddy and views him as an ally. Otherwise, Zick may have exerted more effort rescuing Elena by himself.
“Another Kid Like Me”
(Episode 14, “Family Reunion”)
*Points at screen*
THIS.
This is it, boys and girls. This is what the TeddyxZick python did to finally swallow me whole, flat ass and all. I loved the pairing beforehand, and I wrote fanfic for it beforehand. This just sealed the deal real good. No turning back after this.
Good news: in the previous episode, Teddy’s father, Terrence, and Zob have been restored to their normal selves courtesy of the Mugalak breath. Bad news: due to Terrence’s betrayal to Zob in their last battle with Magnacat, they’re not exactly the best of friends they were before.
But there’s a silver lining in every cloud. A monster named Chumba needs to be transferred to another detention oasis. Teddy’s and Zick’s mothers view this as a good way for the two men to repair their relationship and for the two tamer families to bond. Consequently, Teddy and Zick have to tag along.
Before Zick’s departure, he’s in his room chatting with Elena. She is sad she can’t come, complains about her cold, and asks why the heck he lets Teddy, who has been nothing but a douche bag, accompany him on their recent adventures. Zick explains with a smile that while he can be quite the jerk, “… it’s nice to know there’s another kid like me.”
Until Teddy shows up in both canons, Zick is the only young tamer present (Charlie Schuster appeared earlier than Teddy in the comics, but since he was Elena’s imaginary friend, he doesn’t exactly count). With Teddy’s debut, Zick can identify with someone his own age (or anyone of any age for that matter). Best of all, the other boy is not only older, but more experienced; this means he can not only identify with someone his own age, but also potentially learn something about his new topic from Teddy. What deal is better than that?
Kady the Red Panda on the Show and TeddyxZick (in Her Own Words)
Despite knowing about Monster Allergy since 2004 (Singapore was at issue ten, the Filipino publication site was fucking useless even then), it wasn’t until 2006 when I finally got to watch the animated version on Kids WB! The second episode I saw: “Canned Monsters,” episode nine: Teddy’s first appearance in that canon. Usually, I decide if I’m going to keep watching a program after watching three episodes. Here, I liked Teddy so much I declared out loud, “Okay, its official-I’m so staying for the long run.” This guy was so damn fun to watch; I immediately labeled him one of my favorite MA characters.
I made sure not to miss a single episode (I only missed one during the rest of the show’s American tenure, and it was the one on YouTube at the time anyway. I love coincidence!). Teddy appeared in more episodes, and I enjoyed Zick and Elena’s interaction with him, especially Zick’s; it was pretty cute in the later episodes. Overtime, while I liked Elena and her adventures with Zick, I yearned to see Teddy and Zick together alone… for longer than a couple of segments of an episode.
Don’t get me wrong-I am a fan of the fandom OTP, ElenaxZick; I’m just a casual fan is all. Honestly, considering how until around the time I wrote the earliest drafts of my fanfic Eraser I wasn’t a fan at all, I think I can deal if an MA fic lacks the pairing. The thing with TeddyxZick is that it was not only the first slash pairing I truly, madly adored (there were other favorite slash pairings, but they were, again, merely casual), but also the first that came as sudden as a flash flood. The Decemeber of 2006, I began writing a couple of “for-my-eyes only” MA fanfics to “fill the void” so to speak. Most were TeddyxZick, including my first attempt, a darkfic titled Cremation.
Anti-TeddyxZick fans complain that they can’t be together because it is “not right” and that Elena is made for Zick and Lay is made for Teddy. Again, don’t get me wrong-I am a supporter of ElenaxZick, TeddyxLay, and the two girls in general. However, I believe Teddy and Zick are the most…“compatible.” Elena and Zick care for each other, but are more like close friends at the moment. Lay and Teddy are both tamers, but no matter how many times she threatens or inflicts physical injury on him, Teddy is still his same ol’ jerkass self the next time around. Zick, on the other hand, has been able to in some ways “tame” him in canon; only Teddy’s father has come close to Zick’s degree of control.
Modern psychology shows that people are not attracted to opposites, but to similar people. Teddy and Zick share things that Elena and Zick can never do. They’re tamers, monsters, only children (Elena’s twin siblings are born later into the series), and lived without their fathers truly there with them. Zick clearly admires Teddy, and Teddy clearly respects Zick. Even though (at least in canon) they can never go beyond a platonic relationship, they have a chance of becoming the best damn friends ever. And that, my friends, is just a beautiful as any romantic relationship.
Fuck Conformity (to ElenaxZick): The Recommendations
Surprisingly, for such a little supported pairing, TeddyxZick is perhaps the second most written pairing in Monster Allergy fandom (after, of course, the well-loved ElenaxZick). This is a fairly complete list (good thing (?) that the MA fandom is still pretty small). The criteria for this list include TeddyxZick as a dominant pairing or characters in a platonic relationship.
Work in progress. Rated T/PG-13.
Zick just realized that he feels a different feeling towards Teddy. Should he tell him about it? Even if he knows they’re both men?
Drabble. Rated K+/PG.
Zick wants to ask someone to the dance. But he needs help...
Oneshot. No rating.
Because this doesn’t have a summary: Inside and outside, Zick is in a just plain bad situation. All he needs is a hug.
By me (under LM Simpson at the Pit):
Drabble. Rated K/G.
Zick reflecting on why Teddy is the big brother he never had.
Dark Side: Twoshot. Rated M/R.
Identity Crisis: Drabble. Rated T/PG-13.
These two are some of my most recent fanfiction in general. In Dark Side of the Moon, it’s hinted (especially in the epilogue) that Teddy is gay. For DSOTM readers that wanted more, see Identity Crisis as those clips that sometimes play after movie credits end.
(Yes, this is the same art in the oneshot listed above.)
Someday, I’m gonna use them. Someday.
‘Nuff said. This holds a good majority (but definitely far from all) of MA fanfic on the web. If you don’t find what you want here, chances are it’s either on DeviantArt or not on the web at all.
Created and ran by retsnom, this is the largest and most active MA forum I know of. Included with the general MA-related and off-topic threads are a comic scan archive that holds most of the issues and a fanfic directory that compiles as much of the fic on FF.Net and DA as possible.
Wanna see the complete cartoon series in poor quality video, Italian audio, and no English subtitles whatsoever? Well, your wish has come true, you lucky bastard you!
I’d view this one at your own risk, since it’s still far from perfect (but there have been efforts by fans to clean up/elaborate on information on the page). It has some decent information (and SPOILERS), though.
~~~0000~~~
Dedication
Before going, I need to credit those whose contributions gave the manifesto the lightning bolt needed to give it life. After all, I couldn’t have done all this by myself.
Special thanks to all TeddyxZick followers all over the web, especially those who wrote or drew for this pairing.
A big thank you also needs to be given to
commander30 , who is not only one of my favorite fanwriters but also provided a link to her Blossom/Mojo Jojo manifesto on her Pit profile. Without her, I may have never come across this fantabulous community.
And finally, merci beaucoup to retsnom_Adedekutsu, who is perhaps the big name fan of the MA fandom. Without your HUGE efforts, the MA fandom may still be miniscule as hell and Monster Allergy itself may be mostly forgotten by its former fans. Also, you’re fucking awesome at knowing how to make a certain red panda happy for other non-MA reasons. Mind if I call you viewtiful, Joe? ^^
Author:
kate_chan91 (Kady the Red Panda)
Fandom: Monster Allergy
Pairing: Teddy Thaur x Ezekiel Zick
Word Count: 3071
Spoilers: Yes, oui, si, ja, hai, oo. (For both canons)
Author’s Notes: When the time is appropriate, I am definitely going to make a 2.0 of this. In the meantime, enjoy!
“They look like they’re in love, don’t they!”
“Looks like it. I’ve never asked you this, but… Have you ever been in love?”
[blushes] “Are you kidding? And you?”
“Are you kidding?”
-Ezekiel Zick and Elena Potato (Issue 15)
*****
Series Background
Q: Monster Allergy (or is it Monster Allergies?)? What the heck’s that?
Short Answer: One of the best comics I’ve read in a long, long time.
Long Answer: Monster Allergy (referred to as MA by its fans) centers on a world where monsters exist, but are invisible to most humans and live aboveground in suspended cities. While the majority stays out of trouble, those considerably unruly or troublesome get “taken care of” by monster tamers, humans (or, in the comic, human looking monsters) possessing the powers needed to control, or “tame,” such monsters.
The actual story focuses its attention on two preteens, Ezekiel Zick (a tamer) and Elena Potato (a human-later-turned-keeper (a human who can see monsters))’s escapades and mishaps in and around the town of Old Mill Village as they encounter monsters, ghosts, and witches of all kinds.
The OTP
Ezekiel “Zick” Zick
Age: 10 in the comics, 12 in the cartoon
First Appearance: Comic: Issue 1 (“The House of Monsters”); Cartoon: Episode 1 (“House of Monsters”)
For as long as he could remember, Zick differed from his peers: he suffered from terrible asthma and allergies (hence the “Allergy” in the title), and also possessed the gift to see monsters and dead people ghosts, a true “sixth sense” as one can say. Until Elena moves next door in the first issue, his classmates consider him insane and someone to avoid at all costs; the closest thing he has to friends are the monsters imprisoned at his family’s “detention oasis.”
Zick’s life turns upside-down the very moment he meets Elena at his door. He finds out the true purposes of his monster sight. The father he thought disappeared in the Amazon when he was three years old is not only alive and well, but has lived in a dollhouse in the greenhouse next door for seven-plus years (long story; just read issue 9 if you really want an explanation). He discovers his situation is not exactly as unique as he once believed. Obviously, Zick is not exactly pleased to know he had been living a lie for a decade.
Tadduja “Teddy” Thaur
Age: 12 in the comic, 14 in the cartoon
First Appearance: Comic: Issue 12 (“The Other Tamer”); Cartoon: Episode 9 (“Canned Monsters”)
Like Zick, Teddy is a tamer residing in Old Mill. Unlike Zick, however, he had long been familiar with his background. He has a tendency to boast, even saying during his first conversation with Zick: “Risking your life is stupid… Anyway, I’ve canned bigger monsters than the mugalak! You should take a look at my taming box collection.”
Teddy can be quite the jerkass; he enjoys pestering Elena (calling her only “Potato” in the cartoon, for example) whenever he’s with Zick and her, for one thing. He also hero-worships his father and will do anything to make him proud, even luring Zick to a trap set up by Zick’s Aunt Emily and him to acquire the mugalak breath needed to restore his father, who had been shrunken, back to normal size. Naturally, few people actually like being around him.
Interaction and Proof this Could Actually Work
Teddy and Zick’s chemistry is about as good as Zick and Elena’s, if not better. Whilst Zick’s relationship with Elena had a rocky start (see or read issue 1), Zick’s relationship with Teddy began more a bit more cooperatively between the two parties. Here are some notable examples of this.
A. Comic Examples
Teddy’s Apology
(Issue 12, “The Other Tamer”)
Towards the end of the tale, Zick and Teddy have been rescued by Elena and Zob, Zick’s father, after almost getting killed by monsters and black phantoms that gathered at the command of the Mask of Fire. Upon Zob clearly showing what he feels about this, Zick helps escort Teddy out of his house. On the way, they exchange this little conversation:
Teddy: I’m sorry about all this! I only agreed to help the old bag-
Zick: Because you wanted to help your father. You can stop apologizing…
Teddy: I feel twice as stupid because it was all for nothing! I lost the vial with the mugalak’s breath…
So what exactly is significant about this? It’s the only time I can think of in canon where Teddy both recognizes what an asshole he’s been and directly apologizes for it. Teddy is clearly sorry for what he’s done. He doesn’t apologize to Zob, nor Elena… Just Zick.
And guess what? It lead to Zick offering his own mugalak breath-soaked sponge to Teddy; this is also one of two times I can clearly remember Zick doing so (the second happening in the final pages of the final issue).
Man Talk
(Issue 28, “The Hundredth and First Door”)
Once again, this occurs at the end of the issue.
Zick is talking to Lay Mamery, a female tamer who first appeared in issue 15. Their teacher, Dan Tulasech, has left after being possessed by an ancestor that was also a dark tamer. Lay becomes so distraught that she runs off crying before Zick can do anything. Teddy, who was walking by, notices Zick’s long face and says:
Teddy: Don’t bother looking at her like that! Guys like Dan are much more interesting than us pipsqueaks!
Zick: I’m younger than Lay is! She doesn’t even see me, of course! But you…
Teddy: To her I’m a kid, and then let’s be honest, she doesn’t like me!
Zick: Do you think Dan will come back?
Teddy: I don’t know! He was confused, and bitter! He’s gone to find himself and I don’t think hell find all the answers very quickly!
WOW. Please remind me that Teddy was not assigned to Zick under the Big Brothers program. This is bliss.
Here, Teddy is trying to cheer up Zick and acts more mature than usual. Teddy’s profile states he is intelligent, but lazy. His intelligence gleams here as he admits Lay, which both boys have shown a liking to, doesn’t share his feelings. Also, like a good “brother,” he answers Zick’s question about Dan without insulting his intelligence once.
Teddy’s behavior without Zick present is no different than his interactions with Elena, Lay, etc. With Zick, he can be himself without being a jerk. Hmm…
B. Cartoon Examples
“By the Order of the Tamer…”
(Episode 13, “Mugalak!”)
“Mugalak!” is hands down my favorite episode, partially because due to the sheer amounts of TeddyxZick interaction. Here is one reason why.
Zick, Elena, and Teddy are at Geyser Park, searching for the Mugalak, a monster whose breath can cure Zick’s and Teddy’s fathers’s “ailments.”
This place is covered with geysers. As a joke, Teddy asks Elena to look for a way underground near one. She goes near it, the geyser erupts, she goes flying, Teddy laughs his ass off. Zick tells him to stop. He stops immediately.
Teddy is like a wild stallion: naughty and hard to tame. He does what he wants and often continues, despite others’s scolding or how much trouble he gets in. He rarely obeys his own mother, for crissakes. Aside from this moment, the only other time when he is controlled is when his father instructs him to attack Zick, as seen at the end of issue 13. Not bad for a twelve-year-old, am I right?
“Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall/All You Got to do is Call…”
(Episode 21, “The Skeleton Army”)
Halfway through this episode (the final aired on American airwaves), Elena gets kidnapped by Magnacat, the main antagonist’s, goons. Zick chases after them at first, and the very first thing Zick says when they’re long gone is that he has got to find Teddy as soon as possible.
Zick was in a bad situation. He couldn’t ask his parents for help; he would be in deep shit considering how beforehand, Elena and he were in a car driven by a monster in his detention oasis. He couldn’t ask the police either; he’d just be dismissed as a very imaginative kid. All he had left were either rescue Elena solo or request Teddy’s aid.
However, he decided on his solution almost immediately afterwards. Most people would be saying, “Oh, shit, what am I gonna do? WHAT AM I GONNA DO?!” Even I don’t think of asking for my friend’s help immediately 95% of the time I find myself in a pickle. Just the fact he decides to seek Teddy’s help shows he trusts Teddy and views him as an ally. Otherwise, Zick may have exerted more effort rescuing Elena by himself.
“Another Kid Like Me”
(Episode 14, “Family Reunion”)
*Points at screen*
THIS.
This is it, boys and girls. This is what the TeddyxZick python did to finally swallow me whole, flat ass and all. I loved the pairing beforehand, and I wrote fanfic for it beforehand. This just sealed the deal real good. No turning back after this.
Good news: in the previous episode, Teddy’s father, Terrence, and Zob have been restored to their normal selves courtesy of the Mugalak breath. Bad news: due to Terrence’s betrayal to Zob in their last battle with Magnacat, they’re not exactly the best of friends they were before.
But there’s a silver lining in every cloud. A monster named Chumba needs to be transferred to another detention oasis. Teddy’s and Zick’s mothers view this as a good way for the two men to repair their relationship and for the two tamer families to bond. Consequently, Teddy and Zick have to tag along.
Before Zick’s departure, he’s in his room chatting with Elena. She is sad she can’t come, complains about her cold, and asks why the heck he lets Teddy, who has been nothing but a douche bag, accompany him on their recent adventures. Zick explains with a smile that while he can be quite the jerk, “… it’s nice to know there’s another kid like me.”
Until Teddy shows up in both canons, Zick is the only young tamer present (Charlie Schuster appeared earlier than Teddy in the comics, but since he was Elena’s imaginary friend, he doesn’t exactly count). With Teddy’s debut, Zick can identify with someone his own age (or anyone of any age for that matter). Best of all, the other boy is not only older, but more experienced; this means he can not only identify with someone his own age, but also potentially learn something about his new topic from Teddy. What deal is better than that?
Kady the Red Panda on the Show and TeddyxZick (in Her Own Words)
Despite knowing about Monster Allergy since 2004 (Singapore was at issue ten, the Filipino publication site was fucking useless even then), it wasn’t until 2006 when I finally got to watch the animated version on Kids WB! The second episode I saw: “Canned Monsters,” episode nine: Teddy’s first appearance in that canon. Usually, I decide if I’m going to keep watching a program after watching three episodes. Here, I liked Teddy so much I declared out loud, “Okay, its official-I’m so staying for the long run.” This guy was so damn fun to watch; I immediately labeled him one of my favorite MA characters.
I made sure not to miss a single episode (I only missed one during the rest of the show’s American tenure, and it was the one on YouTube at the time anyway. I love coincidence!). Teddy appeared in more episodes, and I enjoyed Zick and Elena’s interaction with him, especially Zick’s; it was pretty cute in the later episodes. Overtime, while I liked Elena and her adventures with Zick, I yearned to see Teddy and Zick together alone… for longer than a couple of segments of an episode.
Don’t get me wrong-I am a fan of the fandom OTP, ElenaxZick; I’m just a casual fan is all. Honestly, considering how until around the time I wrote the earliest drafts of my fanfic Eraser I wasn’t a fan at all, I think I can deal if an MA fic lacks the pairing. The thing with TeddyxZick is that it was not only the first slash pairing I truly, madly adored (there were other favorite slash pairings, but they were, again, merely casual), but also the first that came as sudden as a flash flood. The Decemeber of 2006, I began writing a couple of “for-my-eyes only” MA fanfics to “fill the void” so to speak. Most were TeddyxZick, including my first attempt, a darkfic titled Cremation.
Anti-TeddyxZick fans complain that they can’t be together because it is “not right” and that Elena is made for Zick and Lay is made for Teddy. Again, don’t get me wrong-I am a supporter of ElenaxZick, TeddyxLay, and the two girls in general. However, I believe Teddy and Zick are the most…“compatible.” Elena and Zick care for each other, but are more like close friends at the moment. Lay and Teddy are both tamers, but no matter how many times she threatens or inflicts physical injury on him, Teddy is still his same ol’ jerkass self the next time around. Zick, on the other hand, has been able to in some ways “tame” him in canon; only Teddy’s father has come close to Zick’s degree of control.
Modern psychology shows that people are not attracted to opposites, but to similar people. Teddy and Zick share things that Elena and Zick can never do. They’re tamers, monsters, only children (Elena’s twin siblings are born later into the series), and lived without their fathers truly there with them. Zick clearly admires Teddy, and Teddy clearly respects Zick. Even though (at least in canon) they can never go beyond a platonic relationship, they have a chance of becoming the best damn friends ever. And that, my friends, is just a beautiful as any romantic relationship.
Fuck Conformity (to ElenaxZick): The Recommendations
- Fanfiction
Surprisingly, for such a little supported pairing, TeddyxZick is perhaps the second most written pairing in Monster Allergy fandom (after, of course, the well-loved ElenaxZick). This is a fairly complete list (good thing (?) that the MA fandom is still pretty small). The criteria for this list include TeddyxZick as a dominant pairing or characters in a platonic relationship.
- Teddy Bear, by retsnom_Adedekutsu
Work in progress. Rated T/PG-13.
Zick just realized that he feels a different feeling towards Teddy. Should he tell him about it? Even if he knows they’re both men?
- Therapy for Ezekiel Zick, by cartoonartist
Drabble. Rated K+/PG.
Zick wants to ask someone to the dance. But he needs help...
- Together, by Twilightmia
Oneshot. No rating.
Because this doesn’t have a summary: Inside and outside, Zick is in a just plain bad situation. All he needs is a hug.
By me (under LM Simpson at the Pit):
- Big Brother (in the drabble collection “Little Moments”)
Drabble. Rated K/G.
Zick reflecting on why Teddy is the big brother he never had.
- Dark Side of the Moon and Identity Crisis (IC: serialized in “Little Moments”)
Dark Side: Twoshot. Rated M/R.
Identity Crisis: Drabble. Rated T/PG-13.
These two are some of my most recent fanfiction in general. In Dark Side of the Moon, it’s hinted (especially in the epilogue) that Teddy is gay. For DSOTM readers that wanted more, see Identity Crisis as those clips that sometimes play after movie credits end.
- Fanart
- Together by IllusionEvenstar
(Yes, this is the same art in the oneshot listed above.)
- Monster Allergy 6 by Ya-Chan85
Someday, I’m gonna use them. Someday.
- Other Links
‘Nuff said. This holds a good majority (but definitely far from all) of MA fanfic on the web. If you don’t find what you want here, chances are it’s either on DeviantArt or not on the web at all.
Created and ran by retsnom, this is the largest and most active MA forum I know of. Included with the general MA-related and off-topic threads are a comic scan archive that holds most of the issues and a fanfic directory that compiles as much of the fic on FF.Net and DA as possible.
- Monster Allergy World (ran by Reyco)
Wanna see the complete cartoon series in poor quality video, Italian audio, and no English subtitles whatsoever? Well, your wish has come true, you lucky bastard you!
I’d view this one at your own risk, since it’s still far from perfect (but there have been efforts by fans to clean up/elaborate on information on the page). It has some decent information (and SPOILERS), though.
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Dedication
Before going, I need to credit those whose contributions gave the manifesto the lightning bolt needed to give it life. After all, I couldn’t have done all this by myself.
Special thanks to all TeddyxZick followers all over the web, especially those who wrote or drew for this pairing.
A big thank you also needs to be given to
commander30 , who is not only one of my favorite fanwriters but also provided a link to her Blossom/Mojo Jojo manifesto on her Pit profile. Without her, I may have never come across this fantabulous community.
And finally, merci beaucoup to retsnom_Adedekutsu, who is perhaps the big name fan of the MA fandom. Without your HUGE efforts, the MA fandom may still be miniscule as hell and Monster Allergy itself may be mostly forgotten by its former fans. Also, you’re fucking awesome at knowing how to make a certain red panda happy for other non-MA reasons. Mind if I call you viewtiful, Joe? ^^