forswornn | Worldbuilding Exchange 2026

Thank you for creating something for me! My username is

forsworn and I requested fic in three fandoms. I didn't request in-universe media, because I want to see my blorbos experiencing/discovering/explaining the worldbuilding, but I'm fine with epistolary sections that they then react to. Your work could be gen, or involve the ships I mention, and it's fine to include fluff, angst, adventure, hurt/comfort or smut alongside the worldbuilding. Treats are welcome!

All of these topics fascinate me, I have so many ideas and questions - so the sections ended up a little long. Please don't feel you need to consider everything I mention! Examining just one thing is fine. And if the multiple paragraphs are overwhelming, just take the tag itself as your prompt - everything in here is a suggestion. I only picked topics where the whole concept interests me. I just love reading about how things work, what they feel like; how people conceptualise them, what they mean; the different views on them, or different experiences of them; the big details and the everyday ones; the quiet routines and the heavy moments that happen offscreen... Just tell me more, whatever part of that most grabs you.

Navigation: DNWs | General Likes | Hurt/Comfort Likes | Smut Likes
DNDHAT: Simon | Xenk
Henry Danger: Henry
Rufus: Rufus

DNWs:

1st or 2nd person POV (epistolary sections are fine)
Cheating
Breakups
Noncon
Major character death
Gore
Vore
Bestiality, sex while in animal form
Scat, watersports, vomit in a sexual context (non-sexual vomiting is fine)
Underage sex (18+ only)
Canon characters explicitly depicted as aromantic or asexual
For DNDHAT: Edgin/Holga, Kira/anyone. Past Holga/Marlamin is fine; past Edgin/Zia is fine.
For Henry Danger: Piper's crush on Kid Danger (inc mentions); Henry/Ray getting together before Henry is 17, or Ray having feelings for Henry before Henry is 17; implied sex while underage (18+ only; kissing before that is fine)
For Rufus: sexual content, even implied (kissing is fine); references to the animals' lifespans; Rufus and/or Kat being permanently stuck in animal form

General Likes:

Fluff. Domestic fluff. Hopeful spring vibes. Cosy autumn or winter vibes. Rainy evenings in. Lazy sunny mornings. Cooking together, eating together. Playing board games. The daily routines of work and home.
Banter. Getting together. Established relationship. Found family. Characters showing affection in their own way. Groups amusing themselves with jokes and stories while spending every day together. Characters trusting in each other's skills. Competence kink.
Cheek touches. Hand on the back of the neck. Hugs and cuddling. Cheek kisses. Forehead kisses. (Platonic versions welcome!)
Holding hands. Kisses described in loving detail. Brushing fingers over lips. Size difference (if canon).
Angst with a happy ending. Hurt/comfort. Mutual pining. Repression and self-denial. Intense sense of duty or loyalty. Complicated family legacies. Self-esteem issues.
Dreams and nightmares. Shared dreams. Prophetic dreams, dreams of future soulmate. Nightmares of past trauma.
Truth spells. Telepathic bonds. Soulbonds, accidental or deliberate. Magical tattoos that show connections: soulmate marks, pistilverse, etc.
Kidfic, of the canon character being de-aged type. Kidfic, of the having and caring for children type. Pregnancy, including mpreg. Pregnancy fluff: anticipating child, preparing, taking care of pregnant partner. Pregnancy angst: worrying about being a good parent, worrying about the birth (esp for mpreg). Pregnancy hurt/comfort: morning sickness, pampering partner.
Forced proximity: stuck in a prison cell together, only one bed, trapped by a cave-in, hiding in a closet, handcuffed together, magic spell, etc.
Sparring and combat tutoring. Character A defending character B with character B's weapon.

Hurt/Comfort Likes:

Emotional hurt/comfort. Physical hurt/comfort. Whump. Mild hurt/comfort.
Nightmares. Flashbacks. Crying. Staying with character B as they fall asleep.
Impact bruises. Being manually choked. Twisted ankles.
Stab wounds. Arrow wounds. Pulling the arrow out. Nosebleeds as fight injury. Grazes and abrasions.
Magical torture, psychic torture, and other kinds of pain inflicted without harming the body.
Bedside vigils. Holding injured character close. Carrying or supporting someone who can't walk. Character A catching character B as they collapse (even if character A isn't strong enough to hold them up and just helps slow their descent to the floor). Helping injured character undress, remove armour, etc.
Seasickness. Morning sickness. "Oh no, that thing you just ate was poisoned." Vomiting in the context of hurt/comfort - the loss of control, the pain of throwing up, the vulnerability of being seen that way - whether due to nausea, induced by emetic, or induced by fingers (theirs or partner's). Not interested in the vomit itself, though fine to mention it looks/smells/tastes gross.
Struggling through sex pollen/an omegaverse heat/etc without having sex, only giving non-sexual comfort for the symptoms.
Premature ejaculation. Erectile dysfunction. Shame over sexual desires.
The awkward vulnerability of comfort requiring a new level of intimacy.
Stern/gruff characters making tiny gestures as a comforter and the comfortee understanding that significance. A comforter understanding when the comfortee only wants tiny gestures, and the comfortee being grateful for that understanding. People who are comfortable with each other giving and accepting large amounts of comfort.
Stoic hurt characters refusing to break down. Stoic hurt characters letting it all out.
I love both the hurt and comfort parts of the equation! Go heavy on one part and less on the other, or have an equal mix of both.

Smut Likes:

Positions: Missionary, riding and other face-to-face positions, for eye contact and/or lots of kissing. But spooning pairs well with gentle sex, and oral fingering's probably more easily done from behind.
Locations: In bed, in a chair, against a wall, on the floor... In the bedroom, in the living room, in an alley, in a forest, in a dungeon, on a ship, on the victorious battlefield... Basically anywhere? Yeah.
Acts: Anal sex, including het anal. Vaginal sex. Loss of virginity. First time bottoming. Pegging. Strap-ons. Deepthroating. Oral fingering. Kissing during sex. Breastplay (fondling, gently squeezing, kissing). Nippleplay (pinching, kissing, licking).
Moods: Gentle sex. Tender sex. Fluffy sex. Hurt/comfort sex. Sex with lots of feelings. Vulnerability and trust.
BDSM: Dom/sub. Bondage. Pinned down. Kneeling. Collaring. Praise kink. Orgasm delay/edging. BDSM AUs.
Dubcon: Sex pollen. Fuck or die. Sex caused by magic or to perform magic. Pining during dubcon. (Whether they admit their feelings during, after, or not at all.) Having to trust each other with the unexpected intimacy. Worrying about being so vulnerable but being kind to each other and coming out stronger on the other side.
Size kink and stretching: Big cocks. Painful penetration. Lots of foreplay/prep, slow and gentle penetration so it isn't painful. Large object insertions. Sounding.
Omegaverse: Alpha/Omega. Painfully big alpha dicks. Knotting. Sexy pheromones. Pheromones that communicate fear, or anger, or other emotions. Alpha pheromones that make the omega feel safe, or protected, or calm.

Simon Aumar

Simon is adorable. I love his combination of awkward, nervous sincerity with his sarcastic humour (and occasional sulkiness). For all his grumping about his magic struggles, he clearly has great power - it's just hard to control. And that's partly because of his self-confidence issues (sorcerers are a charisma class!) but also because sorcery is just like that. It's a natural gift that can't be learned in the way that wizardry can, and I find that really interesting in the context of Simon being from wizarding blood - and how that legacy affects his life.

Legacy of the Aumar Family

Elminster Aumar is such a huge figure in D&D lore. He's legendary in a way even Xenk isn't - everyone would know his name. And that must be such a heavy thing for Simon to carry. Especially as he's a sorcerer, with innate but hard to control magic, when Elminster's a wizard who's studied and honed his powers to an incredible level - no wonder Simon has struggled with his confidence. I'm interested in how the general perception of the Aumar legacy affects the way Simon is treated, how the rest of the Aumar family's own perception of their legacy affects the way they treat Simon, and how all of those things impact Simon's own thoughts and beliefs about himself, his powers, and his place in the family.

I like the idea that the Aumar family is a pretty big family, lots of siblings and cousins and so on, and that while some of them have no magic, most of them do - and they're all wizards, except Simon. Do his relatives put a lot of pressure on him to measure up? Do they keep shoving wizarding books at him, which provide zero help to a sorcerer? Have some of Simon's relatives given up on him - is he viewed as a failure by the family? (And does that change at all now he's a Hero of Neverwinter?) And how does he feel about the way they treat him - does he feel loved but misunderstood, or does he feel like an outsider? ...But this is the worldbuilding exchange! Show me how you imagine the Aumars, how their legacy is viewed, and why Simon is the way he is. There are plenty of possibilities.

Feel free to invent OCs or involve the party as needed. Maybe you want to show me Simon's childhood, or a family reunion, with him interacting with his relatives. Maybe while adventuring with the party, they team up with someone who has a lot of opinions about Aumars - or he hears a whisper in the market, or a bard singing of their great deeds. Maybe Simon has a vulnerable chat with Doric, or Edgin, or Holga, talking about his past and his family. Maybe when Simon first joined the party, young Kira was awed by him being an Aumar. We know Xenk worked with Simon's uncle - was that uncle on the Aumar side? Does Xenk have a more nuanced opinion of the Aumar legacy as a result? Or maybe Xenk just knows what it's like to have stories attached to his name, which may or may not be exaggerated - but affect how people treat him, either way. Maybe the party bump into one of Simon's relatives, even end up doing a quest together, and they understand him much better afterwards. (But is that quest a positive or negative experience for Simon?)

If you know Elminster from other D&D canon (eg Baldur's Gate) and want to incorporate stories about things he actually did, I'm fine with that. Or you could browse the wiki and use snippets. But I'm very happy for you to just make up whatever you need about Elminster, other Aumars, what people know - or think they know - about the Aumars, and how their legacy is viewed. (My own knowledge of Elminster comes from the wiki, so I know who he is but I'm not attached to any of his lore.)

I'm happy for this to include Simon/Doric (and background Xenk/Edgin), or even Simon/Edgin or Simon/Xenk. Or gen, of course!

Xenk Yendar

Despite his small amount of screentime, Xenk is such an interesting and richly developed character. He was altered forever by a magical trauma during his childhood, making him a visible target for prejudice everywhere he goes, but as an adult he's chosen to dedicate himself to goodness and justice and purity - to an extent far beyond what most people are willing to do. And as well as personal questions about how those two influences combine, there are magical questions too...

His long life means he's experienced so much, and no doubt seen many things change over the decades - treasured things becoming memory, new traditions springing up. Is the weight of all those contradictory experiences, and being a beloved/reviled exile so far from home, part of the reason he's so literal and struggles with social things? Or is it because he's autistic? (I'm fine with both autistic and non-autistic interpretations of Xenk!) He's just such a strongwilled character, with emotional vulnerabilities/trauma despite his physical prowess, and has to navigate being both a symbol of moral purity and moral corruption. I find him absolutely fascinating, especially in the context of these topics.

Effects of the Beckoning Death

We have a reasonable idea of how the Beckoning Death affects those it claims: turning them into the undead, binding their will to Szass Tam, physically altering them with symbolic tattoos, causing them to lose their hair. But we don't know as much about what it means to be nearly touched by the Beckoning Death, the way Xenk was. Is he undead? Is he mortal? Somewhere in between? Dralas scornfully says Xenk is aging because he has mortal blood... But is that just Dralas being an undead zealot? Is Xenk partially undead? He's very long-lived: despite Dralas's insults, Xenk doesn't look like he's aged in 100 years. But maybe that's just the limitations of needing the same actor. Sometime between 100 years ago and 130-140 years ago, Xenk grew up... But did the Beckoning Death slow that too? Did poor Xenk get stuck as a teenager for 20 years? That might create some interesting situations as a fresh paladin or another paladin's squire, where he's mentally 22 but still looks 15. But maybe the slow aging only kicked in as an adult. (Is that why he grew a beard? So people would take him more seriously, lmao.)

Xenk clearly isn't fully undead, because he's aging, and because he hasn't lost his hair. But is he undead enough for that to interact with his paladin status, or other magic? His paladin senses mean he can smell Dralas and the other Thayan assassins. Does Xenk smell undead to himself? Or to other paladins? Is he so determined to do good, to be a paragon of virtue, because he's haunted by the fact his body and/or his soul have the taint of evil on them? Does he worry that he doesn't have a soul any more? Or that his soul is corrupted, or that he only has part of a soul left? We do see him cast a spell, making his daggersword glow. But are there spells he can't cast, because they're holy and something about him isn't? Or because the spell would negatively interact with his maybe-undead nature? Although I enjoy Xenk as a healer, I'm also interested by the idea that his curse prevents him from casting healing spells - or mean that healing (or being healed) is physically painful for him. But being Xenk, would excruciating pain stop him saving someone else's life? (He does use healing magic on himself in the tie-in comic, but you don't have to take that as canon.) And what happens if other people cast spells on him, or near him? Would Turn Undead affect him? (And how horrified would he be if it did? Or relieved if it didn't?) What about other spells? Feel free to make up ones which don't exist in D&D lore!

From what we can see, the mark on his forehead is the only mark of Szass Tam that Xenk bears. But does he have others that we can't see? And is that mark just visual, or does it have an actual effect on him? Does Szass Tam have a low-level influence on Xenk, and that's why he fled as far from Thay as it's physically possible to go without crossing the ocean? Has Xenk been resisting that all this time? Maybe he can even hear Szass Tam whispering to him, the way Sofina can. Or Szass Tam has been using something like a Dream spell to try and convert him? Maybe Xenk has been free of Tam's influence all this time... until Tam suddenly figures out a way to pull on Xenk's curse? Maybe Xenk is worried that if, or when, he actually dies he'll become a mindless undead servant - and has taken steps to try and prevent that? And if he was stabbed with a Red Wizard's blade, would it have a different effect on him? Maybe instead of a quick death, a slow corruption that spreads through his body and tries to bend his will? And if he dies from it, he'd be raised to undeath? (But a slow corruption that gives enough time to find a cure! I'm okay with Xenk worrying about dying/worrying about becoming a corrupted undead, but please avoid my character death DNW here.)

I'm happy for this to involve OCs - such as other paladins (including a paladin mentor), or Harpers, or Red Wizards or independent necromancers - or characters like Dralas who could provide a contrast and questions about whether their nature applies to Xenk too. But I'd also love these things to come up in the context of Xenk travelling with the party. Maybe they're on a quest and they're dealing with undead, and that leads them to discover where Xenk is similar - or different. Maybe their quest involves paladins or clerics, and that shows Xenk's similarities/differences. Or they need to find and use a holy magical artifact - or stop someone else from using it - and its effect on Xenk is unexpected. Or he worries it will do something bad to him and it doesn't! Maybe Szass Tam or some other evil power starts (trying to) corrupt Xenk and they have to save him from it? Maybe they're exploring a forgotten library, and find a relevant book. Or discover one among the Harpers' books? Gen is fine, with any of the party or others, but I'd also like Xenk/Edgin, Xenk/Simon or Xenk/Doric. (Background Simon/Doric is fine too.)

Thayan Cuisine in the Sword Coast Area

The Sword Coast is about as far as you can get from Thay without crossing the ocean. The film takes place about 130 years after Szass Tam's coup, and we know Xenk has been hanging out there for at least 100 of those years. I'm really interested in how he's held onto his culture across that period, what opportunities he has to share it, and whether the passage of time has affected that.

Is he the only Thayan exile who fled that far, or is there a community of them - and has Xenk watched that culture being passed down, experienced differently as each generation gets further and further from the memory of Thay? Are people trying to keep their cuisine alive, sharing meals and recipes, keeping up the old traditions and celebrations, among their families and with outsiders? Or is the fear of necromancy such a stain that people are hiding their Thayan origins, even rejecting it, leaving Xenk as the sole visible free Thayan around?

Which flavours are common in Thayan cuisine? What about availability of ingredients? Are there herbs, spices and vegetables that are common in Thay, but are hard to grow in the Sword Coast, so Xenk can rarely find them or can't get hold of them at all? Does he have to substitute things to keep the same flavour and texture, and how close are the results? He was a child when he fled Thay, and already an orphan - how many recipes had he learned by then? Has anyone taught him others since? Are some of them just a memory he can never recreate? Or has he found a Thayan recipe book, and taught himself from that?

When does he get to share Thayan cuisine? I'd be interested in anything from young Xenk eating with other exiles, to meals with a paladin mentor, or other adventurers, or of course Edgin and co. Maybe a milestone celebration, after the Thayan exiles get established in the Sword Coast, and are starting to feel safe. Maybe Xenk cooking on the campfire, turning to Thayan recipes when the chore falls to him. Or he stops at a tavern, and the chef happens to be Thayan. Is sharing Thayan cuisine a way he bonds with Edgin and the gang, something that helps them feel closer to him? Does he cook Thayan meals as everyday food - or shyly ask to prepare something special as a celebration? Maybe his companions find a Thayan recipe book, and gift it to him. Maybe he's starting to open up to the party, and in a vulnerable moment laments to Doric that it just doesn't taste the same without this herb - but she happens to know one which is much closer than what he's been using? Maybe a telepathic link or some other spell means one of the party gets to experience Xenk's memories... and in the aftermath they help him recreate a meal he doesn't know the recipe for?

This could be something angsty, about Xenk feeling like he's the only free Thayan who remembers real Thayan food, or something bittersweet or even fluffy as he gets the opportunity to share his culture with new friends, and have them respect and enjoy it. Gen is fine, but I'd also like Xenk/Edgin, Xenk/Simon or Xenk/Doric. (Background Simon/Doric is fine too.)

Thayan Language in the Sword Coast Area

The Sword Coast is about as far as you can get from Thay without crossing the ocean. The film takes place about 130 years after Szass Tam's coup, and we know Xenk has been hanging out there for at least 100 of those years. I'm really interested in how he's held onto his culture across that period, what opportunities he has to share it, and whether the passage of time has affected that.

Is he the only Thayan exile who fled that far, or is there a community of them - and has Xenk watched that culture being passed down, experienced differently as each generation gets further and further from the memory of Thay? Are people trying to keep their language alive, speaking it in their homes, bringing their children up with it? But each generation, the accent changes a little? Or is the fear of necromancy such a stain that people are hiding their Thayan origins, even rejecting it, leaving Xenk as the sole visible free Thayan around?

How often does Xenk get to speak Thayan with other people? We see him talking to Dralas in Thayan - is that the only time he gets to use it now? Has his mother tongue become just the language of his enemies? What about books? Being so far from Thay, books in Thayan might be a rarity - he'd probably cherish any he found. Maybe he's even written his own, or keeps a diary in Thayan, just to have some tangible form of the language.

If he starts adventuring with the party, do they get to hear him speak Thayan? Maybe full sentences, maybe muttering while he has a nightmare, maybe as he grows closer to them he starts using Thayan endearments? If he starts dating Edgin or one of the others, maybe they pick up his endearments too - or decide to learn the language. Maybe Xenk teaches them himself, and it turns into a bonding moment. Maybe Xenk explains Thayan grammar and it's horrendously/hilariously complicated. (Or easy to grasp!) Maybe Edgin or someone needs to go undercover, and they have to know some Thayan for it. Maybe they find a book while on a quest, and Xenk gives it to them to learn from that - or they find it, don't tell Xenk, and secretly start learning to surprise him? Maybe an accidental soulbond or some other spell ties Xenk to them, and now they can understand Thayan. Or they can't understand Thayan, but they can constantly hear Xenk thinking in Thayan - and maybe start to work out some words?

This could be something angsty, about Xenk feeling like he's the only free Thayan who speaks the language now, or something bittersweet or even fluffy as he gets the opportunity to share his culture with new friends, and have them respect and even learn it. Gen is fine, with any of the party or others, but I'd also like Xenk/Edgin, Xenk/Simon or Xenk/Doric. (Background Simon/Doric is fine too.)

Henry Hart

This kids sitcom, with its silly humour and dark subtext, grabbed me so much harder than I expected. I love Henry - he can be so goofy and so earnest, but also cheeky or sarcastic, and he's so open with his feelings despite his neglectful parents and all the trauma he goes through as a sidekick. He can be so sweet and caring, and he loves flowers. But he also gets jealous, he can be petty and smug, and he's definitely a teenage boy... yet he's capable of extreme self-sacrifice too. He loves his little sister, even when she's a brat, and I love their complicated, challenging, ride-or-die sibling relationship. Henry's rapport with Ray just sparkles, and Ray is weirdly likeable - even though he's immature, arrogant, volatile and selfish. But under that oblivious, thoughtless surface, Ray has moments of selflessness too - and there's lots of depth to uncover in his backstory. Jasper is amusingly dim and adorably loyal; Charlotte is so smart and sassy, with her own kind of weird, and she deserved better than she often got; I love their friendship with Henry. And Schwoz is such an oddball but I can't help but like him.

I requested Henry because I definitely want him to feature in the work, but that doesn't mean it has to be from his POV or focused on his experience of the worldbuilding topic - as long as he's a major focus, he doesn't have to be the main focus. Shipwise, I'm interested in Henry&Piper, Henry/Ray or Henry&Ray, Henry&Charlotte, Henry&Jasper... Feel free to throw Schwoz in there too if you want the whole ensemble, or to involve Henry's parents, or to use canon villains. (My faves are Drex, Dr Minyak and Jeff - but you could invent your own if you want!) Some of my prompts would be great with Henry&Missy too. She has so much potential, as a personality and as a narrative force.

I requested this under Henry Danger as I want that to be taken as the main source of worldbuilding canon. Danger Force retcons and contradicts some parts of Henry Danger, so I'd like you to prioritise Henry Danger's info for those bits, but you can definitely use other things from Danger Force, or from the movie - and feel free to set your work any time from The Danger Begins through Henry's school years, to the Danger Force era, to post-movie. Despite the canon crossovers, I don't consider anything from Game Shakers, Knight Squad, or The Thundermans to be canon here. (Much as I love The Thundermans, the way superheroes/superpowers/supe training/supe bureaucracy work in that show are completely incompatible with Henry Danger.) Please don't incorporate anything from The Adventures of Kid Danger either. But I'm so, so curious about the topics I've requested and I'd love to see how you expand on them!

Henry's Superpowers

I'm really interested in details about any of the three superpowers that Henry has or had across the canon: the science of how they work, the experience of using them, their capabilities and limits, how he trained to use them, how he thinks about them, how he thinks about losing them...

Hypermotility:
They refer to this as "super fast reflexes" and yet it seems like Henry isn't just responding faster - he's actually moving faster. Faster than people can see! Faster than projectiles! But he doesn't appear to be a true speedster - we never see him run at superspeed. Why is that? Too difficult to maintain balance? Maybe it's easy for his brain to calculate the trajectory of one approaching object, but processing the sight of the entire world moving at speed is too overwhelming. (Or nausea-inducing?) Maybe there's a short refractory period, like half a second, after each burst of speed where his body and/or brain need to recover before he can do it again - so he can catch missiles one after another, but a completely continuous action like running isn't possible. Maybe the power works better in his arms than his legs - he can keep up with tapping four phones in The Great Cactus Con, but when he fights he punches more than he kicks. (Maybe Henry's just bad at running; he does smack into the wall when he arives at the old internet factory in A New Hero.)

What does using hypermotility actually feel like? Does it give him an adrenaline rush, a sense of euphoria, a sensory overload - or is it just easy and normal, the superpower smoothing the experience so superspeed feels calm and good? But does moving so fast tire him out, make his muscles ache more easily? Does it use up more calories, give him a bigger appetite - is that why we see Ray and Henry going for fast food so often? How did Henry refine his control over it? He starts using his hypermotility right after the ritual, quickly downing Drex - but Drex still trips him during that fight. Did Ray help Henry train to fight better with it, even fight differently?

I'd love to know more about the ritual that gave Henry his hypermotility too. It seems to be a weird combo of science and borderline magic. Is all the mumbojumbo actually necessary, or is that just for show? How does the power actually work inside him? Schwoz later says that using his hypermotility "creates a special chemical that runs through his blood stream" - but is that more of a side effect? Because at the speeds Henry's reacting at, his blood definitely isn't pumping it to whichever part of his body needs it in time, if it's produced centrally. Or is the chemical created by whichever muscles are moving at superspeed? Like a kind of lactic acid? (And does this chemical have any downsides, like lactic acid does?)

What does the antivirus actually do to his hypermotility? Is it like the flabber gas, permanently in his system but inactive? (And could other powers, or other weapons, interact weirdly with his dormant hypermotility?) Or has the hypermotility actually been removed from his system? Can Henry feel the lack of it? And how does he adjust to its loss - after he fails to catch that thrown gumtube, he says it's "gonna take some getting used to"... How long does it take him to recalibrate his reactions? Is it a slow process, or a quick one? And what is the psychological impact of losing his hypermotility? Shortly after this, a villain breaks his arm - the worst injury he's suffered - and Henry visibly gets more anxious as season five progresses. Does he feel vulnerable without it? Resent its loss, mourn it, have times where he forgets - have dreams where he still has it? Without a superpower, does he start to question whether he should be involved in superhero business - or consider whether he could break free?

Forcefield:
When Henry first activates this superpower, it's a shimmering surface wrapped tight around his body, summoned instinctually - he's bracing himself against the intense pain he expects. And for a long time after, Henry activates it by tensing or flinching. Does it actually need to be done like that? Is it tied into his emotions, or his subconscious, calling on some deep sense of vulnerability? Or does that instinct just make it easier - but it takes him a while to get the hang of calling it up more consciously? Between the blimp crash and the funeral, Henry figures out how to produce a bubble around himself - and by the time of The Supies, he can extend it further, pinning Ray to the wall. During the movie, Henry seems to have even better control over it, both in combat and out - and levels up again by the end. I'd love some info about how he learned this - the process of practising, maybe training with people, how it feels when he's using it, what controlling it actually involves... and has he even reached his full potential yet? (Can he do any weird or cool tricks with it?)

And how does his forcefield actually work? What is it made of? Is it some kind of energy - because Rick Twitler sucks it out of him in A Henry Among Us. (Also, that seems really painful for Henry! What is Twitler's machine doing to him? How is it sucking out the forcefield? Why can't Henry disengage? What's causing the pain?) Where is that energy when Henry's not using his forcefield, or how does he generate it when he makes one? Is it powered by his emotional state, his concentration, the energy his body uses to move? Does using his forcefield tire him out? Does it have any kind of cooldown? Is that why he didn't use it against Blackout in Return of the Kid - or did being tied up prevent him?

The omega weapon gave different powers to Henry and each of Danger Force. Why did Henry get a forcefield? Was it the particular combination or concentration of things he was exposed to? Or was it because of their individual biologies? Or are their powers based on their flaws or fears? Because a forcefield that can protect him offers Henry a sense of safety, much needed after losing his hypermotility and his ratcheting anxiety through season five. Is that how he sees it, as a solution his worries? Does it give him a deep-seated assurance - maybe similar to the kind that indestructibility gives Ray (or which Henry imagines it gives Ray)? And how does acquiring his forcefield factor into Henry's psyche and his psychological position, as a person who's just quit being a sidekick, almost escaped that life, reluctantly but temporarily returned, and then very nearly died horribly - only to be saved by this new power. Does his close shave leave Henry with a kind of survivor's guilt? Now that he's superpowered again, does Henry (consciously or subconsciously) believe that he has no choice but to be a superhero? Does he ever discuss that with anyone - Charlotte and/or Jasper as they plan for Dystopia, or while they're there? Piper, when he comes back to Swellview, or when she visits Dystopia? Ray, at any time? And does Henry fear losing his forcefield - like he lost hypermotility, like he lost indestructibility - because then he'd be vulnerable again? Even if having a superpower is the only thing tying him to the superhero life that has traumatised him so much?

Indestructibility:
Henry only had this power briefly, but it still counts! You could look at that short time: what it was like to know he couldn't be hurt, what the process of being hit and being in pain and then suddenly being okay feels like, what the firebreathing side effect was like - and whether any of that changed how Henry thinks about Ray's power. Or you could look at Henry's thoughts and feelings about this power after he lost it - comparing the time with it to superhero life without it, musing on its limits, wondering why it wasn't a success for him... But I'm also interested in this power as it applies to Ray and/or Drex! (So feel free to interpret this topic as "worldbuilding about specific superpowers Henry has had" and not just "these superpowers as they apply to Henry specifically"...)

What is being indestructible actually like for Ray - physically, psychologically? We see him get hit all the time - even if the pain vanishes, is it traumatising to be repeatedly hurt like that, has it rewired his neurons? Ray clearly doesn't like having chairs smashed on him for fun, and yet being indestructible creates a certain social expectation that not only will he constantly put himself in danger, but that it's good fun for people to hurt him recreationally. What is that like to live with? Does he feel like he has no ownership over his own pain? Does he feel like his body is public property? How does he balance that with the positive attention he gets as an indestructible superhero - which is a part he clearly loves. You could examine this from Ray's POV, interacting with Henry, or you could have Henry witnessing Ray's triumphs and struggles - and, again, comparing with Henry's own experience of being indestructible.

Ray has been indestructible since he was eight. How integral is that to his sense of identity? How does he feel about Henry becoming indestructible, and then Henry losing that power? Does Drex becoming indestructible pose a threat to Ray's psyche? There have been a few times where Ray temporarily loses his indestructibility. What are those really like for him? Henry tries to sacrifice himself on the blimp because Ray is actually capable of dying then. How does that impact Ray's psyche? And how did they know that the jolly beetle could take away Ray's powers even before it happened? Has Ray (or Schwoz or Gooch or Carl) done research into what densitization did to him? Why does Ray need a "biyearly quantitative physiological densitization test"? Are they worried he'll become less indestructible as he gets older? Does it fluctuate slightly anyway? Maybe the exact same object hitting him with the exact same force could hurt for 0.5 seconds one time and 0.7 seconds another... What would cause that - diet, tiredness, exercise, hormones? And is Drex exactly as susceptible to pain as Ray is? Why does it function the way it does - that is, why does Ray still feel pain even though nothing causes any damage? What's going on with his nerves there? Is it just that they're calibrated to interpret X amount of force/pressure as painful?

And why is Ray the only one who didn't get a side effect from being densitized? Schwoz floats a theory that it was a combination of Ray's youth and the motion of the skateboard, but trying to replicate that with Henry still results in a side effect. Is that because Henry's too old, even at fourteen? Is the skateboard even relevant - in Back to the Danger, Henry pushes little Ray into the densitizer, and it seems to work properly. Maybe there's just something unique to Ray's biology that means he doesn't get a side effect. Or maybe he did! Maybe Ray has had a side effect all along and it's just not easily noticed, because it's internal or psychological. What could it be? Some people have theorised it did something to his brain - although, honestly, missing out on all social development after the age of eight and being repeatedly thrown into traumatic situations would also explain why Ray is the way he is. And devolving over the series could be partly Henry's POV maturing and seeing the reality of Ray's behaviour, and partly Ray letting loose as Henry's growing competency helps Ray relax. But what if the skateboard was important, and Henry just pushing little Ray into the densitizer caused a side effect to appear when adult Ray regained his indestructibility? (And how did that heal Ray's broken arm?! Does he also have a healing factor? Maybe that's his side effect!) Also, is there any relevance to the side effects? Violent Drex gets a monster hand and is thrilled with his new weapon. Henry, who loves bantering with Ray but has to keep the real purpose of that mentorship a secret, gets a very visible burst of firebreath whenever he laughs. Are the side effects tied to the person's deepest fears or desires? Or are they simply random?

Some possible story ideas:
The sensations and skill of using superpowers during a fight, with optional banter.
A villain's new gadget unexpectedly reveals something about how Henry and/or Ray's superpowers work.
Henry practises his superpowers, with help from one of the gang.
A villain's evil plan accidentally soulbonds Henry and Ray together - now they can feel exactly what it's like every time the other one's superpower is activated.
Henry tries to use his new hypermotility to run fast, but the experience is overwhelming or makes him nauseous; Ray comforts him, and/or offers "helpful" tips.
In the aftermath of losing his hypermotility, one of the gang comforts an angsty Henry.
Piper's heard all of the Man Fans' theories and has plenty of her own. When she finally learns Henry's secret, she pumps her reluctant brother for info on how hypermotility worked/densitization works.
Another confrontation with Drex challenges what Ray believes about his own indestructibility.
Charlotte and/or Jasper help Henry hone his forcefield in Dystopia.
Henry shows off his forcefield to Ray, Danger Force, or Missy.

Superhero Training

We see a lot of Henry and Ray hanging out, or doing actual superhero work - but for a show with the premise of a superhero training a sidekick to eventually take his place, there's surprisingly little real training on screen. But Henry's growing competency across the seasons proves he must be learning everything, and not just from watching Captain Man in action.

The biggest thing Henry needs to learn is how to fight. And while Ray's style is more direct, mostly about pure power, Henry tends to use villains' weight and vulnerabilities against them - dodging, finding openings, using throws. And that makes sense, because he was tiny when he started. But he does also know how to punch and kick, so someone must have taught him. And he must've practised over and over to get them right. And all of the physical changes as Henry grows mean he would've needed to keep adjusting how he fights, relearning even, plus picking up new moves he was too small for before. This must have taken up so much of his time! And we see almost nothing of it, but I would love to know more.

Ray is probably Henry's main teacher, and I guess that involves a combo of lessons and practise. Does Ray demonstrate new techniques for Henry, and then get him to copy them? Does correcting Henry's mistakes involve banter, or getting hands on, or both? Maybe Ray starts hands on, physically guiding Henry through the new move. And is Ray a good teacher? Maybe a middling one who muddles through on the strength of his rapport with Henry? Or does Ray's Rayness make it a little fraught - does he get grumpy when Henry successfully throws him, even though that's a success for them both? And what did all that necessary practise look like - does Ray spar with Henry? And how would such sparring sessions change over the years - Ray indulging tiny Henry, playfully taunting newly gangly Henry, barely holding back with (almost) adult Henry? We do see Ray sparring with Bork in Henry's Jelly, with mats in the main room and Bork wearing a chestguard. How similar is it with Henry, either in vibes or in setup? And does Henry ever spar with Bork, or anyone else? Ray gets three random fighters to teach Charlotte during Brawl in the Hall, but that seems like a one-time deal, though it might offer some inspiration. Likewise in Twin Henrys, Ray does a demonstration for Charlotte. And she seems to be part of Henry's training too in One Henry, Three Girls - with Henry and Ray wearing kneepads/elbowpads/handplates, dodging and deflecting as Charlotte fires lasers at them from a giant zapper ball in the ceiling. Do they use that thing often? What other specialised gadgets do they have to train skills like threat evasion, balance, cardio, strength, or whatever Ray thinks Henry needs? Are some of those gadgets weird, or glitchy? Does Jasper ever get to run them? What about Piper?

Ray being Ray, I can imagine him using some fun and unconventional ways to train Henry too - either officially, or keeping the true purpose secret. In Jasper's Real Girlfriend, we see them playing a lot of ping pong - in fact, they have a championship belt for it. Is this just a leisure activity? Because it could definitely help Henry train his hand-eye coordination. Do they play any other sports for that reason? Too Much Game reveals there's a basketball hoop in the Man Cave. What about games that aren't sports? And there are whole parts of the Man Cave we never see. Are there some cool or useful training rooms, like maybe an obstacle course? (The Man's Nest has an axe-throwing room so you could get pretty inventive here.)

Also, they have a lot of gadgets and weapons for Henry to get the hang of. By the time of Captain Jerk, he seems pretty familiar with the wall of weaponry, so presumably Ray has introduced Henry to them - but that doesn't mean Henry's mastered them all. And Schwoz keeps inventing new ones! But even the laser zappers they use all the time must require practise to shoot accurately. Do they have sessions where Henry has to hit certain targets? Maybe involving some techy setup? And are the zappers in their wristwatches more complicated? Do Henry and Ray have quickdraw contests, firing those like cowboys? One of the few proper lessons we see Ray give Henry is how to fly a helicopter. But that was a rental, and the actual Mancopter is tricked out with all kinds of tech - once he can fly, does Ray teach Henry how to use all the Mancopter's weapons? (And do they warn Swellview before they start firing shit?)

And of course, Henry needs to train his superpowers. He takes easily to fighting with hypermotility, downing Drex without much trouble. But there were probably kinks to work out. And Henry's new speed would've opened up moves he couldn't pull off before. Plus we see Schwoz testing Henry's reflexes a few times, including giving him that thermal fusion baseball bat and firing highspeed balls at him. What kinds of things do they get up to in training his hypermotility? And how does training change once Henry loses that hypermotility - after relying on it for so long, he probably has to practise a whole new way of fighting without it. Is that physically difficult, emotionally frustrating, even a source of angst? How does Ray guide him through that - what teaching methods does Ray use, how does he deal with Henry's feelings about it?

I'm also interested in what Ray's training was like, either as a light contrast or as the main focus. It could just be sprinkled into the dialogue - Ray sassing Henry about how much worse his own training was, or grumping because it's his super anniversary again - as a comparison to whatever training Ray is currently giving Henry. But you could also delve right into Ray's training, whether in a vulnerable heart to heart with Henry, or maybe tropey shenanigans reveal to Henry just how bad it was. Because everything we know about it suggests it wasn't a happy process for Ray. We know his father took him out of school, isolated him, prevented him from doing fun kid things specifically to train him. And Carl's reaction to realising his son's been densitized is to hit him over the head with a metal bat. Carl doesn't seem to have appropriate concern for Ray's emotional or physical wellbeing. And Carl is an "irresponsible scientist" - he's not a teacher, not a combat specialist, has seemingly had no prior connection to superhero matters... Does he even know what he's doing? How did he teach Ray to fight? Did Carl subject Ray to painful tests of his indestructibility, either as measurement or to teach him endurance? Was any of it actually useful, or did it leave Ray woefully underprepared against his first villain? Maybe the most effective part was training Ray's behaviour - instilling rules about not sharing the secret, or the belief that Ray's pain doesn't matter, or how being indestructible makes Ray's body public property... And how does Ray's own experience with all that influence the way he trains Henry? Because Ray surely wouldn't want to put Henry through the same thing - but taking the opposite strategy doesn't mean Ray knows what he's doing either.

You could also look at the wider context, and what society or the superhero community expects training to be like. There's a certain amount of bureaucracy for superheroing - Captain Man has a contract with Swellview, and The Supies suggest there's at least some overarching organisation for superheroes. Are there any guidelines for training? Even rules? And is Ray breaking all of them? Either in innocent ways - maybe Ray and Henry's cheerful lack of personal space would be considered unprofessional, or ping pong would be considered irrelevant - but maybe in more concerning ways, like Ray's wonky assessment of risk, or his tendency to overwork Henry. (Presumably Carl didn't follow any outside rules. Was there anyone to care about that?) Maybe there are also resources for training - like lesson plans, or instructional videos. But are they useful, useless, or hilariously bizarre?

Some possible story ideas:
Banter amidst an otherwise intense training session.
A villain outwits Captain Man and Kid Danger, and stopping the evil plan requires Henry to learn a new move from Ray.
Hurt/comfort after a training mishap injures Henry - or after a week of intensive training leaves him too bruised and exhausted for today's lesson.
An angsty training session as Henry struggles to relearn how to fight after losing his hypermotility.
Now Henry's an adult, sparring with Ray both hones his skills and sharpens the sexual tension between them.
Five times Henry learns a new attack over the years - or relearning the same one as he grows.
Five different people who help with Henry's training.
Ray's super anniversary still upsets him, despite the good times of Caved In, and this year Henry gets him to open up.
The villain of the week traps Henry and Ray in Ray's memories, forcing them to watch Carl's training of Ray to play out.
Henry gets sent back in time alone and seeks out Ray for help - but Ray was still in training then, and now Henry's seeing those bad times up close.

Superhero-Sidekick Relationships

The central relationship in the show is Ray's mentoring of Henry, and I'm so interested in possible worldbuilding around that - how they each conceptualise it, how other people view it, how it compares to other superhero-sidekick relationships... But I'm also fascinated by the interconnected web of superhero-sidekick relationships that develop: their nemesis Drex being Ray's former sidekick adds so much narrative tension, Ray constantly compares Danger Force to Henry, and Henry eventually gains a sidekick himself in Missy. Plus everything with Lil' Dynomite. I love the way all these things link up, create cycles, offer the opportunity to break cycles, threaten their stability, and shine a light on each other with their similarities and differences - and how they reflect what it really means to be a superhero and a sidekick, the different experiences in those roles, and the different expectations and opinions that can be attached to those roles by the participants and by the public.

Besides meeting the Thundermans and attending The Supies, Henry and Ray don't have much interaction with any wider superhero community - but they must hear stories, see news reports, watch viral clips, even have occasional encounters, hear jibes from villains, or be sent missives by city hall... All of which could allow them to understand their superhero-sidekick relationship in its context. Is it expected to be a professional mentorship, or a lifelong friendship? Is it scandalous for a superhero and sidekick to become enemies - and who gets the blame? Does Drex ever threaten to publicise the truth about his past with Ray? Is it more scandalous for a superhero to date their (former) sidekick? What would happen if Ray and Henry got together - or they saw another superhero-sidekick couple that did? When he gives Henry that first bracelet, Ray jokes that they're engaged - are a superhero and sidekick expected to be committed to each other, in some non-romance way? On one side more so than the other, or equally? Under what circumstances is it acceptable to dissolve a superhero-sidekick partnership? Ray made Henry swear an oath - is that standard practise, or was that Ray being weird? Do superhero-sidekick relationships outside Swellview usually fall into a pattern, or is there a wide range of examples? Do people expect a sidekick who becomes a fully fledged hero to emulate their mentor's mentorship style when they gain their own sidekick? Are (former) sidekicks of the same superhero expected to be rivals or allies? Is Henry meant to be an example, a lowkey mentor, or an older brother figure to Danger Force - and is that complicated by the fact Kid Danger is "dead"? What is a mentor's mentor to the newest generation of sidekick - who is Ray expected to be to Missy, if anyone at all? Who is Missy to Danger Force, or to Drex?

And what kind of people fill the role of sidekicks and mentors? Are sidekicks usually minors? Henry and Danger Force were teens, Lil Dynomite and Missy were tweens, but Drex was roughly Ray's age... Is Henry young to be mentoring Missy? Are most mentors closer to Ray's age? Or older? Are there retired superheros who take on "sidekicks" as students, training them in a more academic setting - like SWAG, but without Ray taking Danger Force on missions? And what is the expected trajectory of a sidekick? Ray initially hires Henry as a future replacement, but mainly treats him like an assistant. Do most sidekicks become solo superheroes? Or do some stay sidekicks forever? Or retire to a normal life when they reach adulthood? If someone unexpectedly gains superpowers, is the local superhero expected to take them under their wing - before a supervillain does? Was hiring a kid who replied to an advert a really odd way for Ray to get himself a sidekick? Was Missy summoning Henry a faux pas, or totally acceptable?

Some possible story ideas:
KLVY News interview Captain Man and Kid Danger about that mentorship - and maybe they continue thinking, or discuss, the subject back in the Man Cave afterwards.
Another encounter with Drex forces Henry and Ray to examine what being a superhero's sidekick really means - or facing an existential threat to that relationship.
Kid Danger is injured on the job, and some dogooder begins publicly questioning Captain Man's treatment of his sidekick.
When Jasper joins the Man Cave crew, he wants to know all about what it's like to be Captain Man's sidekick.
Another superhero-and-sidekick pair chase their villain to Swellview and team up with Ray and Henry, providing a mirror (or total contrast) to their relationship.
Henry and Ray secretly start dating - and the constant need to hide it makes them hyperaware of the expectations various people have for their superhero-sidekick connection.
Missy begins asking Henry questions about Captain Man, leading him to reflect on their time together, versus his current situation. Maybe prompted by an adventure with Captain Man.
A dangerous situation where Missy is (almost) injured leaves Henry questioning whether his experience as a sidekick has really equipped him to be a mentor, and whether he can break the cycle of trauma with his young charge.

Rufus

The whole concept of a dog that turns into a boy is bonkers crack and yet this canon completely stole my heart. I love Rufus himself, and I love the combo of doggy cuteness with transformation tropes. These movies both fully indulge the wackiness of the premise, but also allow the characters to have grounded and realistic feelings about the events, and I love that vibe.

Rufus is so incredibly earnest, a real bundle of enthusiasm and joy as he soaks up all these newly possible experiences. The way his doggy traits translate to his human form make him an adorable oddball - it's so strange to see a teenage boy pleading for treats, nuzzling into scritches, lighting up when he sees a ball... but he's so intensely genuine about expressing his feelings that it all becomes sweet. He's also keen to pick up human ways, to keep the ruse going, but he's so irrepressibly canine that he's constantly doing the "wrong" thing - but his sincerity always makes it the right thing, at least with his favourite people. He's playful, affectionate, brave, and loyal - Rufus is a very good boy, even when he's not very good at being a boy. His relationships with Manny, Paige and Kat are so cute, and I'd love to see more of them as you show me more of their world. You're welcome to bring in Mr and Mrs Garcia too, or to include Rufus/Kat or background Manny/Paige, and feel free to lean towards the silliness or to establish a more serious tone - I just want to know more about the magical things in this obscure canon!

Being a dog in human form

I'm so interested in what it's like for Rufus to live in human form - physically, psychologically, socially, sensorially...

When Rufus first transforms, he has no trouble controlling his new limbs, even though he now stands upright and his knees point the other way. Presumably the magic helps him with that somehow - either imprinting his human brain with the needed skills, or actively translating his doggy thoughts to his human synapses. But what does that actually feel like? Even if he never really stops to analyse the situation, or how it works, it must be affecting every moment of his experience as a human. Is it strange for him, even if the magic is flawless? He seems pretty alarmed when he realises he doesn't have a tail - even if he quickly becomes excited about the thumbs he's gained. Do those thumbs ever feel alien to him, or are they more wondrous? Does he have the sense that his tail is missing, either a physical lack or just a repeatedly shattered mental expectation that it's behind him? He seems like a pretty laidback individual, and not really prone to self-reflection either, so he's probably not actively musing on those - but maybe there's a subconscious sense of something... Or is it part of the magic, that the amulet prevents feelings like that?

Even if the magic solves the physical side, the psychological experience must be so interesting. A lot of Rufus's doggy traits carry over to his human form - but are those just habit, or does he still have his dog instincts? Does he try to lick Manny's face because he thinks it's an affectionate gesture, or because he feels affectionate and that gives him the instinctual urge to lick? Does Rufus try to sniff people because he knows scents carry a lot of info, or because his doggy brain is begging him to? Why is he still obsessed with chewing shoes?! And when he's happy, does he still have the urge to wag his tail - and where does that urge go, now he has no tail? Does it cause a restless sense of thwarted movement in him, or a sense of emptiness because there's no tail for that urge to reside in? Or does the magic just translate the happiness to a smile - and is Rufus ever surprised to find himself smiling? (Or is he, again, just going with the flow and not thinking about that?)

And how hard is it for Rufus to suppress all that dogness? He definitely struggles with acting human when he's trying to fool Kat. But is that because his dog instincts keep flaring up and he's actively fighting them, or because they're habits he finds hard to break? Or is it just because it's so many new rules to learn, and that's overwhelming for him? (But is it overwhelming because he still has a doglike intellect and not the actual brain of a teenage boy? Or does he have a doggy psyche in a boy's brain: human intellect, but with none of the social programming?) And if he doesn't have dog instincts any more, does he have new and unfamiliar human instincts? Or does he end up with both kinds? Either because that's the nature of being a dog in human form, or because his amulet gets damaged...

Dogs have such different senses to humans; is that strange for Rufus? His sense of smell in particular must be much duller - does that feel grey in comparison for him? Is that something he actively misses, or at least the one thing he continually notices? But does he still have a dog's understanding of smell, able to identify subtle scents that he learned as a dog? Rufus certainly recognises another dog's scentmark on that hydrant. On the other hand, when Mr Black kidnaps Manny, Rufus says he can't track the scent with his human nose - is that just because it's not sensitive enough? And does he have the same problem with his hearing? Though Rufus does still seem to be able to understand other dogs when they bark, happily chatting back to them...

Also, one of the first things he wants to try as a human is eating pizza - and he drools over cupcakes, begs for a pudding cup, and gets excited about a hotdog. Rufus is pretty food-motivated to begin with, it seems, but a whole new world of taste has opened up for him. With more tastebuds as a human, is everything more intense, or more subtle, or both? Does his fave - Power Puppy Kibble - taste different to his human tongue? And is his eagerness for human food just an excitable dog wanting to chow down on all the things that were forbidden before (mainly because they were poisonous, like chocolate, or onions) or does it actually taste really good to him? What are his new favourite foods and flavours as a human - does he prefer sweet, savoury, salty, spicy...? (And does the marvel of having thumbs mean he now has the exciting ability to cook! For himself!! Even if, uh, he had to learn how.)

Dogs don't see colour the way most humans do, having only two types of colour cones. Does three cone vision look really vibrant and varied to Rufus? Is that why he wears such bright clothes (and in such clashing combinations), just because it's all new and amazing to him? Or because, being new, he has no concept of sartorial taste. Or indeed colour theory. In fact, maybe he even struggles to name all these new colours - yes, he can see them now, but that doesn't mean he knows what each one is called. Does Manny and/or Paige have to explain those? And does Rufus keep mixing the colour names up? Or does the magic somehow sort that knowledge out for him? Also, how different is the sensation of touching or being touched, now that Rufus has exposed skin instead of fur? He doesn't flinch from people, and he happily clasps shoulders, so it's presumably not overwhelming. But do familiar touches feel strange? Does someone patting his arm still feel nice, or even better? And when the weather's warm or he's been energetic, does Rufus have to get used to the feeling of sweating (sweat on his skin, sweat evaporating) because dogs don't really sweat?

I'm really curious how being a dog affects his social interactions too. We see some of that, but there's so much more to explore, and I will take any or all of it. There are only a couple of moments where human Rufus interacts with dogs, but what is it like to be a dog in human form when he's with other dogs? Seems like he can still understand them - but does his reduced senses of smell and hearing mean he misses some subtle signals? Is it weird for other dogs to have another dog talk to them like a human? Is Rufus something of a celebrity? He seems to have befriended all the local dogs very quickly after moving, but maybe dog society is just very active and welcoming like that - but a dog that looks like a boy, and talks like a boy, and can tell their problems to their humans... Now, that's unique. I'd be surprised if Rufus wasn't famous among the local dogs. But what does "famous" mean among dogs? And how does living as a human impact it?

We have more idea of what the social experience of being a dog in human form among actual humans is like, but I'm still hungry to know more - there's so much left unexplored. That clash between his dog behaviour and human social expectations is only going to get more pronounced. Apart from Kat, Rufus mostly doesn't seem to be trying to hide that he's a dog - but he is trying to fit in. His casual charisma, his eager sincerity, and his cheerful friendliness make Rufus well-liked... but his short attention span and difficulty with social niceties seem to hamper him in forging deeper connections. He tells Paige his strategy is to "bounce around them till they smile" but does that actually work on everyone? And middle school kids might be amused by Rufus slamming his face into food and catching frisbees in his mouth, but as they move up to high school will the other students start to see him as childish? And what do adults think of him?

As well as the rules he's having to learn, what about the ones that no longer apply to him? Rufus mentions that he's "not allowed to sit on the furniture at home" - but presumably the Garcias let him sit on the couch when he's in human form. (If for no other reason than it seems like there was a short period where Manny's parents thought Rufus was an actual boy.) Is that strange for him? Does it give him a thrill - because he feels accepted, or because it feels like getting away with something naughty, or both? Does part of Rufus keep expecting to be told, no, you're a dog, get off the furniture?

And does Rufus still expect, still want, people to interact with him like a dog? He seems to like Paige scritching his cheek. But when he's in human form, Manny and Paige mostly don't touch Rufus the way they'd touch a dog - does he miss being stroked and cuddled? And is it disappointing because that's what he thinks affection is, and he's no longer getting it, or is it more like a kind of physical touch starvation? Maybe he could ask them to do those with him still. But would it physically feel different? I imagine they'd find the idea of stroking his hair a bit weird, because to them Rufus looks like a teenage boy. But the tension between his dogness and his humanness, and what that means for other people as well as Rufus himself, and how they all navigate that... that's definitely part of what interests me about this topic. If you choose to explore this in particular, I'd like it to result in some softness, with Rufus's sincerity and goofy dogness maybe making Manny and/or Paige more comfortable with the idea. But don't be afraid to have them acknowledge how deeply odd the whole thing is. Because it is, objectively, pretty odd. And that makes it a rich vein for worldbuilding!

Likewise, the tension between Rufus now being expected to make decisions like a human, but being used to receiving commands like a dog - and how Manny maintains discipline with his still excitable dog, when that dog has thumbs, can talk back, and it's no longer socially acceptable to keep him on a leash. Does Rufus enjoy the freedom, or find it overwhelming sometimes? Does he resent being ordered around, or find it reassuring - or does he just think that's how it is? All of the above, maybe? (And what do other dogs think about his situation?) And what is it like for Manny, trying to train his dog to be a human, when that human behaves so much like a dog - but that dog looks so much like a teenage boy? Do treats still work as a training tool? Does Rufus's ability to ask questions when he's confused make it easier? Or does that just mean Manny also has to struggle with explaining things in a way a dog can understand? And does Rufus's ability to protest like a human ever leave Manny feeling conflicted about treating him like a pet? In fact, does Rufus still occupy a pet role in the Garcia household, or is he like a weird second son? One who looks older than Manny but in many ways acts much younger - and much stranger... We never actually see Linda Garcia disciplining Rufus for eating her shoes, but we know she's not pleased about it. How does she deal with bad behaviour from a dog when that dog looks like a teenage boy, except that boy can still make actual puppy dog eyes? Does she try to reason with him, ask him to explain why he does it - and does Rufus even know? Can they strike a deal where she buys cheap secondhand shoes just for Rufus to chew? What else do the Garcias buy him, what adjustments do they make? Even after a year, Rufus seems to be sharing Manny's clothes, but maybe they both like that. But does he get an allowance, is he expected to get a part time job, do they think he'll graduate high school? When do they treat him like a boy, and when do they treat him like a human?

There are so many ways you could approach this topic and I'd be interested in any of them. Feel free to compare with Kat's experience as a cat in human form too! She still hisses, she purrs, and she laps her milk like a cat. Again, is this habit, or retained instincts? Kat also comments that she can't get used to her human body - does it feel lumbering compared to her graceful cat form? And is that less of a problem for Rufus, with his lolloping dog form? If Manny and/or Paige managed to use the amulets to transform into animals, you could even contrast their struggles with Rufus's experience!

Powers of the Amulets

I'd love to know more about how the amulets work, what they're capable of, and what their limits are. And how does the damage to Rufus's amulet affect things?

The main power that we see is transforming animals into humans, and that's actually a pretty complicated thing that doesn't really get any examination. Rufus transforms for the first time and straight away he can control his new arrangement of limbs - in fact, he seems to be really good at sports, catching frisbees and stopping goals. He probably learned English listening to Manny and his family, but Rufus can suddenly talk perfectly, even read - seems like he knows what the flyer for the dance says, and he must need to read and write at school. Did the amulet put all of those skills into his new human brain? Or is it actively translating his dog impulses into human ones - like, when Rufus moves his leg, the magic adjusts the movement to work with knees that bend the other way? How does the magic make the transformation so seamless? And does he keep his dog skills while he's human? We see him talk to other dogs, but he speaks in words, he doesn't bark - though he does still howl and whimper. Is that a choice, or is he just going with the flow and not really thinking about it? Kat says she can't get used to her human body... Is that a flaw in the magic, or just a personal discomfort with a less graceful form? Does Rufus experience the same problems - but his laidback attitude means he just happily bumbles ahead? Or does his acceptance means the magic works more smoothly? Or does it work better for dogs than cats, or better for some individuals than others? Or the same for everyone?

And how did the amulet pick Rufus's human form? Is it a representation of him - the equivalent of his dog age, carrying over the golden fur and brown eyes? But Kat is a black cat, and her human form has light brown hair. Did the amulet choose that form for her? Does each character have a single possible human appearance, determined by the amulet, based on something innate to them? Or did Kat influence her form, due to preference, or wanting a disguise? Could she change to a different form if she wanted? Maybe the amulet would keep her the same age, but she could be taller or shorter, or change her face - if she needed to infiltrate somewhere, but the enemies there already knew her current human form? Would that change be easy, or difficult - or totally impossible? (I feel like Rufus might struggle with the concept of having a human form that isn't the one he knows, the one he probably thinks of as himself... Maybe that's why his human form resembles his real form more than Kat's does?) And if the amulets can effortlessly change animals to humans and back, could they do the reverse - could Manny and/or Paige turn into dogs, or cats, if they swapped the amulets over? And could Rufus become a cat, or Kat become a dog? Or other animals if they wanted? The amulets were made by dragons - could someone even change into a dragon?

(Also, does the colour of the magic mean anything? When Rufus transforms, there's a pinky-purple cloud; Mr S gets orange and blue; Kat has green and pink; Kat's mother is green and orange. Is the colour specific to a person, or is it due to their original species? Are Kat and her mother the most similar because they're both cats, because they're related, or because they were both trained to use the amulet the same way? Will Rufus get swirls in a different shade once Kat starts training him? Is skill or talent reflected in the cloud somehow, or not at all?)

Whenever a character transforms from a human back to animal, their clothes vanish, and reappear when they become human again. What are the limits of that? How big an object could they hold, and still successfully have it stay with their human form? (Could Rufus hide an important artifact that way? Sneak it out of a villain's lair?) This process doesn't seem to damage electronics - Kat transforms several times with her phone on her, and still makes and receives calls on it. But what about other magical objects - could the amulet safely hide an artifact inside a transformation, or would the artifact just persist outside it? Would it make a difference whether the amulet or the artifact was more powerful?

And what other powers do these amulets have? Mr S's plan was to use the amulet to transmute one food into another. We never actually see him do it, but the idea seems pretty in line with the power of transformation that we know the amulets have. But if it works, it must work in a different way - whenever a transformed character has their amulet pulled off, they change back almost immediately, like the magic is actively working and has to be maintained. (Maybe because the amulet is translating for the different limbs, maybe just because changing a living being is complicated, maybe other reasons.) So if Mr S was going to succeed in transmuting all this food and sending it far from the amulet, that change would have to be permanent, which is a whole new level of power! What else could be transmuted? Could the amulets turn lead into gold? What about more complicated things - like electronic devices? Would the user have to know how the target object functioned, and instruct the amulet, or would the amulet be able to interpret a vague idea - even something that science couldn't yet create? Could someone even make an object that had its own magic?

Maybe creating new magic is beyond them, but the amulets could have other powers we just haven't seen. Kat has supposedly been trained to protect the amulets, and is now going to train Rufus - is that simply practical and logical skills, or is there actual protection magic? Healing wounds seems like an adjacent concept to transformation and transmutation too. But if Rufus got a cut on his human arm, could Kat heal that, or is healing a transformed body too magically complicated? (Would the cut transfer to his dog form if he changed back?) If the transformation process causes a colourful cloud, could the magic also create visual illusions? If the amulet knows when Rufus is feeling strong emotions, could it grant empathic powers, or telepathy? What about telekinesis? Or fire magic? Maybe the amulets have untapped powers - ones the dragons didn't tell the cats about, or that the cats never mastered, or they forgot about over the centuries... But there's a reference to both "dragon magic" and "cat magic" - maybe the cats have learned to use the amulets in ways the dragons never predicted. Maybe even ways that are unique to cats. So is there also "dog magic"? Could Rufus unlock a power nobody's seen before? Maybe only dogs would be able to do it - but that suggests there'd be powers only cats can unlock too. And are there things the dragons could do, that they expected the cats to be able to do, but which the cats can't? What could Manny or Paige discover, if given a turn with an amulet?

And how does the damage to Rufus's amulet affect its ability to do any of the above? Are there whole kinds of magic that are beyond it now? Or is it as powerful as ever, just a bit glitchy? When Rufus's transformation fails, and he accidentally turns back into a dog, it's because he's experiencing strong emotions. Are his feelings tied into the upkeep of the magic somehow, maybe because it's having to help him control his body, plugged right into his thoughts? And a disruption to his emotions therefore disrupts the magic? Or are his feelings somehow fighting the magic? Is the amulet noticing those in a way it shouldn't be, because of the damage? Or is it meant to feel his emotions, but now it's oversensitive? Before Rufus transforms for the first time, Manny wishes he could be human - does Rufus hear that and accidentally activate the amulet through his desire to make that wish real? And is that desire still the anchor of his transformation - so when something entirely diverts his thoughts for a moment, the magic falters? As Kat trains him, could Rufus gain better control over the amulet, even though it's damaged? Or would he need to be trained to control his feelings instead? Or does it not rely on him at all... When Manny wishes Rufus could be human, does the amulet itself try to grant that wish - implying that it's partly sentient? Maybe even sort of alive? When it was first damaged, Rufus lost the ability to transform at all, then later regained a faulty version - is the amulet actually healing? Will it eventually mend itself? Could Rufus (and/or Kat) even help it to do that?

There are so, so many things you could explore with this topic, from new powers, to a closer look at the ones we've already seen. I'm fascinated by the magic in this canon and I'd love to know anything about what the amulets can do, how they work, how it feels to be affected by that magic, how the users might influence it, how they could train to use it... Really just so many possibilities!