EVERYONE: Babá Day

[Welkamo]

Wallace and Ferdinand have a conversation about family, gender, and crayons.

CW//Discussions of bigotry

Ferdinand waddled over to the kitchen, where Babá was making breakfast. The Quaxly gently tapped Babá's foot with his, and Babá looked down at him.

(“I drew Papá a Papá Day present!”) Ferdinand quacked.

Babá smiled as he knelt down to Ferdinand’s level to take the drawing. Babá looked at it with awe. It was a drawing of a big cave with lots of pretty crystals. Ferdinand had used lots of different crayon colors to draw it—100 out of 200 of his crayons!

“It’s beautiful, Ferdinand,” Babá said, patting Ferdinand’s head. “I’m sure Papá will love it.”

Ferdinand loved to draw things for his family. For Mamá Day, he had drawn a sky filled with birds. For Children’s Day, he had drawn Robin with her new family. For Babá Day…

Wait a second.

(Babá, when’s Babá Day?”) When was Ferdinand going to draw Babá a pretty ocean with pretty fish?

Babá’s smile was gone. He seemed to be… thinking? Surely Babá knew when Babá Day was! Babá knew everything!

(“There’s Parents Day for all padres,") Ferdinand said. ("There’s Mamá Day for Mamás. There’s Papá Day for Papás. When's Babá Day for Babás?”)

“Well… I suppose you could celebrate your Babá—me—on Father’s Day. I wouldn’t mind if you did that. I’m a father, in a way, kind of. But there’s no Babá Day.”

(“No Babá Day?! Why not?”)

-

They were in the fancy-nest. Babá was lining up crayons on the ground, sorting them by colors. There was soon a row of purple crayons, a row of blue crayons, a row of green crayons, and a row of yellow crayons.

Babá explained, “Let’s imagine that the purple crayons are Mamás, the blue crayons are Papás, the green crayons are Babás, and the yellow crayons are children.”

Babá put a purple crayon, a blue crayon, a green crayon, and three yellow crayons together. “This group of crayons represents Mamá, Papá, Babá, Ble, you, and Robin. We're a family."

Next, Babá put a purple crayon and a blue crayon together with a yellow crayon. “Most families are made up of a Mamá, a Papá, and their child or children. And that’s what the world often expects a family to look like. But families can look very different for everyone.”

He put two purple crayons together with a yellow one. “Some children have two Mamás or two Papás.”

(“Like Cousin Fishel!”) Ferdinand responded.

“Exactly,” Babá said. “Cousin Fishel has two Mamás: Tía Nessie and Tía Nia.”

He put a green crayon and a blue crayon together. “Some children have a Babá and a Papá, or a Babá and a Mamá, or two Babás.”

Babá put a blue crayon and a yellow crayon together. “Some children have one parent—That parent is called a single parent.”

(“I had one Mamá. Before I had three padres.”) Ferdinand shook his head with fear. He remembered how his former Mamá had to abandon him because she couldn't take care of him. But now... Now Ferdinand had three padres: a Papá, a Mamá, and a Babá. He smiled. They all took good care of him. They all loved him. He couldn't be happier!

Babá put a purple crayon, a blue crayon, a yellow crayon, and even a black, white, gray, and orange crayon together. “And sometimes other family live with the parents and the children: grandparents, cousins, nieces and nephews and niblings.”

Babá moved a yellow crayon between the groups of crayons. “Some children—foster children—live in a temporary home or homes until they can find a forever family.” He put the yellow crayon with the two purple crayons. “Some children—like Robin—are born into a family, while others—like you—are adopted." Babá patted Ferdinand's head. "Adopted or not, we love you both equally, because we love you both with all of our hearts."

("But how does that work? If 1-1=0, how can you love us both with all your hearts?")

"Because love is infinite and exponential. The more you give, the more you have."

Babá pointed a finger. "Now I should probably explain what exactly a Babá is.

“Some people are born female and know they’re female in their hearts. Some people are born in a female body but know they’re male in their hearts, or they're born in a male body but know they're female in their hearts. That's called being transgender. Some people are born with neither a male nor female body—that’s called being intersex. Some people are born in a male or female body but know in their hearts that they’re male and female, or neither, or something else entirely. That range of identities is called ‘nonbinary’. I fall in the range of nonbinary.”

(“Where?”)

“Somewhere close to male—but not quite—a little bit of female, and a little bit of something else. That's why I use special words to indicate I'm not exactly male or female—I use 'Babá', and I use they/them pronouns as well as he/him and sometimes even she/her pronouns. My gender is like the sea: fluid and beautiful. What about you?”

(“Mm… Ferdinand. I’m a Ferdinand.”)

“That’s a good thing to be.” Babá smiled. “Every person and Pokémon is different. Every person and Pokémon is beautiful.”

(“But if there are Babás, why is there no Babá Day?”)

Babá’s smile fell into a frown. “Some people think that people can only be male or female, whichever the doctors assigned them at birth. Some people think that men and women can only dress certain ways or act certain ways. Some people think that men can only marry women and women can only marry men.”

(“But why? Why do they think that when there are Babás?”)

Babá shook his head. “Sometimes it’s ignorance. Sometimes it’s hate.”

He picked up Ferdinand. “But everyday, people make change. Rallies are held. Laws are signed. People learn. Things get better.”

He smiled. “And I want you to know that Papá and Mamá and I will love you no matter who you are, what you identify as, what you grow up to be. We want you to feel safe and loved, and we want you to love the people and Pokémon around you.”

(“Babá?”)

“Yes?”

(“Can we make a Babá Day?”)

Babá chuckled. “Of course we can,” he said in a soft, warm voice.

(“And can we draw more pictures to make people happy?”)

Babá hugged Ferdinand. “Of course we can.”

 

[lisianthus]

i'm currently having a not so good moment, but... thank you for this precious fic torchic. i really can't say much other than it's so cute, and it made me beam

thank you

 

[Welkamo]

i'm currently having a not so good moment, but... thank you for this precious fic torchic. i really can't say much other than it's so cute, and it made me beam

thank you

Glad my fic could make you happy during a not so good moment. The beam feeling is a very good feeling to feel. Hoping things get better for you, and hoping for many good moments in your future

 

[Cherry_BombBees]

This was a really cute fanfic! I liked how Wallace simplified a complicated topic to someone as small as Ferdinand!
My only major feedback is that some of the verbs were a little simple i.e. instead of "They were in the fancy-nest." maybe replace 'were' with 'gathered'. There was also a missing quotation mark from ""Now I should probably explain what exactly a Babá is." (just one at the end)

Aside from those two errors, this was a nice oneshot to relax with.

 

[Welkamo]

This was a really cute fanfic! I liked how Wallace simplified a complicated topic to someone as small as Ferdinand!

Thank you very much! ^^

My only major feedback is that some of the verbs were a little simple i.e. instead of "They were in the fancy-nest." maybe replace 'were' with 'gathered'.

The simplistic prose is intentional, with the POV character being a young child. That being said, I think there are moments where I could have used stronger verbs. I struggle a lot with overusing "they were". Thank you for pointing that out!

There was also a missing quotation mark from ""Now I should probably explain what exactly a Babá is." (just one at the end)

That's also intentional:
"...if one character is speaking for so long they have separate paragraphs, the quotation marks on the end are removed, but you start the next paragraph with them."

Aside from those two errors, this was a nice oneshot to relax with.

Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[columboisreal]

awwww gosh... thats just adorable!!! i love ferdinand with all my heart, what a good kid. the crayon comparison was really cute, like how people teach kids to add with crayons I am so happy to hear the ferdinand has 200 crayons. wallace and winona and steven are sparing no expenses. i hope to see more about his cute drawings and crayon collection in the future, because that's really wholesome

 

[Cresselia92]

Sup, mate! At long last I'm reading something of yours, and my attention landed on this oneshot as it sounded the most promising and that best clicked with my preferences.

I'll start with a few line-to-line reactions before giving a general commentary.

So, without further ado, let's get started!

The Reactions

Ferdinand waddled over to the kitchen, where Babá was making breakfast. The Quaxly gently tapped Babá's foot with his, and Babá looked down at him.

(“I drew Papá a Papá Day present!”) Ferdinand quacked.

Babá smiled as he knelt down to Ferdinand’s level to take the drawing. Babá looked at it with awe. It was a drawing of a big cave with lots of pretty crystals. Ferdinand had used lots of different crayon colors to draw it—100 out of 200 of his crayons!

Awww!! This is just so adorable! Cute little duckling is cute!

And wow, that's a vast assortment of crayons! I never got more than 100 crayons per package, haha!

Ferdinand loved to draw things for his family. For Mamá Day, he had drawn a sky filled with birds. For Children’s Day, he had drawn Robin with her new family. For Babá Day…

Hm? Who is Robin? I assume she is a fellow Quaxly? I recall something vague in my memories...

Babá’s smile was gone. He seemed to be… thinking? Surely Babá knew when Babá Day was! Babá knew everything!

Uh oh. My bad news radar is tingling.

(“There’s Parents Day for all padres,") Ferdinand said. ("There’s Mamá Day for Mamás. There’s Papá Day for Papás. When's Babá Day for Babás?”)

Ah, padres. So Ferd knows Spanish or has Spanish roots, I assume?

(“No Babá Day?! Why not?”)

-

They were in the fancy-nest. Babá was lining up crayons on the ground, sorting them by colors. There was soon a row of purple crayons, a row of blue crayons, a row of green crayons, and a row of yellow crayons.

I took a moment to realize that the - was a line break and not a typo of some kind. Perhaps it would help to make it stand out more as a line break, maybe by using -- or putting it in the center of the page?

He put two purple crayons together with a yellow one. “Some children have two Mamás or two Papás.”

(“Like Cousin Fishel!”) Ferdinand responded.

“Exactly,” Babá said. “Cousin Fishel has two Mamás: Tía Nessie and Tía Nia.”

More lore and family ties explained!

(“I had one Mamá. Before I had three padres.”) Ferdinand shook his head with fear. He remembered how his former Mamá had to abandon him because she couldn't take care of him.

Oh? Does that mean that Ferd was the runt of his family? And his mother abandoned him?

That's so sad, but I suppose that's wild nature for you. (Assuming we're following animal instincts here and Ferd has a more human view of things due to imprinting and all those instincts.)

But now... Now Ferdinand had three padres: a Papá, a Mamá, and a Babá. He smiled. They all took good care of him. They all loved him. He couldn't be happier!

Ferdinand:

Babá moved a yellow crayon between the groups of crayons. “Some children—foster children—live in a temporary home or homes until they can find a forever family.” He put the yellow crayon with the two purple crayons. “Some children—like Robin—are born into a family, while others—like you—are adopted." Babá patted Ferdinand's head. "Adopted or not, we love you both equally, because we love you both with all of our hearts."

Yes, good!! Love goes way beyond the ties of the bloodline. Wallace sounds like such a good Babá~!

("But how does that work? If 1-1=0, how can you love us both with all your hearts?")

"Because love is infinite and exponential. The more you give, the more you have."

Considering how a lot of movies keep saying that "humans have only a limited amount of love they can give away", this is maximum wholesomeness!

Babá pointed a finger. "Now I should probably explain what exactly a Babá is.

“Some people are born female and know they’re female in their hearts. Some people are born in a female body but know they’re male in their hearts, or they're born in a male body but know they're female in their hearts. That's called being transgender. Some people are born with neither a male nor female body—that’s called being intersex. Some people are born in a male or female body but know in their hearts that they’re male and female, or neither, or something else entirely. That range of identities is called ‘nonbinary’. I fall in the range of nonbinary.”

(“Where?”)

“Somewhere close to male—but not quite—a little bit of female, and a little bit of something else. That's why I use special words to indicate I'm not exactly male or female—I use 'Babá', and I use they/them pronouns as well as he/him and sometimes even she/her pronouns. My gender is like the sea: fluid and beautiful. What about you?”

Ah. So, Wallace is somewhat close to genderfluid? Hmm, it explains the choice of clothing to a certain extent, and I vibe with that.

(“Mm… Ferdinand. I’m a Ferdinand.”)

“That’s a good thing to be.” Babá smiled. “Every person and Pokémon is different. Every person and Pokémon is beautiful.”

Quote of the Year!

(“But if there are Babás, why is there no Babá Day?”)

Babá’s smile fell into a frown. “Some people think that people can only be male or female, whichever the doctors assigned them at birth. Some people think that men and women can only dress certain ways or act certain ways. Some people think that men can only marry women and women can only marry men.”

(“But why? Why do they think that when there are Babás?”)

Babá shook his head. “Sometimes it’s ignorance. Sometimes it’s hate.”

Ah... Yes. This is a sad reality that can hit home very close to many people.

Wallace did a good job at explaining such a tough concept to a child. The words are simple and understandable.

He picked up Ferdinand. “But everyday, people make change. Rallies are held. Laws are signed. People learn. Things get better.”

Aaah, good to see some hopeful vibes!!

He smiled. “And I want you to know that Papá and Mamá and I will love you no matter who you are, what you identify as, what you grow up to be. We want you to feel safe and loved, and we want you to love the people and Pokémon around you.”

Did I say already that Wallace is a good Babá? Well, lemme say that again! Good Babá!

(“Babá?”)

“Yes?”

(“Can we make a Babá Day?”)

Babá chuckled. “Of course we can,” he said in a soft, warm voice.

(“And can we draw more pictures to make people happy?”)

Babá hugged Ferdinand. “Of course we can.”

My heaaaart!! Wanna bet that that day became Babá Day for them?

---

The Final Thoughts

Whoa! That was such a lovely read, and I'm really glad I decided to take a look! It might have been a short story, but darn! It managed to cover a lot of ground in a few words, so kudos for achieving this feat! :clap:

The characterization and interactions of Wallace and Ferdinand were so great, and it was so lovely to have a moment between a parent and a child. It truly showed that it doesn't matter if Ferdinand is adopted and of another species -- love knows no boundaries, and it was a big theme in this story even with the RL reflections thrown in the middle.

Now I see why so many folks are excited to read your works. You have a way with words that is concise and effective. You should feel proud of that! :3

I really don't have much else to say, other than I enjoyed this work so, so much! Please, write more Everyone stories so that I can delve into this good stuff more often! ;p

That's all for now! See ya around~!