#dnd posting

My pet peeve is when people call Chip and Ollie’s relationship father and son NO WRONG they are BROTHERS and the fact that they are brothers is VERY important to their respective stories >:(

Disorganized and probably incoherent ramblings below: ⬇️

Chip tried pushing the fatherly relationship at first because he wanted to be like Arlin. But he realized the longer Ollie stayed with them that Ollie doesn’t need a father figure, he needs a brother.

Ollie grew up with only his mother and no friends. He was bullied whenever he tried playing with the other kids on Zero. So when Ollie met Chip, he finally had the chance to make a real friend. Which is why I love that they call him “the small boy we keep on the ship”. It was a silly joke at first with Ichabod, but became a very endearing title for him.

Ollie was worried about not being helpful to the crew after the curse was lifted. The belt helped, but that silly title showed him that the crew loves him and want him on the ship no matter what. The moment after Chip showed Ollie his new room is SO SWEET. Chip saying Ollie being himself was all they ever needed from him means so much to me. And all Ollie needed from Chip was a big brother who keeps his promises. And even though Chip isn’t great at keeping promises, I think he’s amazing at being a big brother to Ollie. Good role model? Hell no lmao but he tries his best.

Ollie being cursed is what it took for Chip to start to really change for the better. He isn’t perfect by any means but the difference between early campaign Chip and late campaign Chip is STARK. And I strongly believe Ollie played a big role in that. And the difference between Ollie in the early campaign vs late is huge as well! Ollie was this shy, timid and awkward kid, and now he’s (in Grizzly’s own words) spunky lmao.

Ollie has this huge desire to grow up fast so he can stay with the riptide pirates. He saw that as the only way he could be helpful. But Chip wants Ollie to have a normal childhood because Chip himself never got that. He’s an orphan who was picked up by a pirate crew at a young age, and then he spent the rest of his childhood and teenage years with Reubens gang. He doesn’t want that for Ollie, even though he loves him and loves having him around. He recognizes that he can’t give Ollie the proper childhood that he deserves. A great experience, sure, but Ollie can’t grow up like that. And it took Chip a long time to recognize that.

Ollie (clearly) means a lot to me, and a HUGE portion of that love comes from his relationship with Chip. If Chip wasn’t there Ollie would have been returned to his home a lot sooner, but he wouldn’t have learned to come out of his shell and show people what he’s capable of. And Chip learned that he can be his own person outside of what happened to him with the black rose pirates and Arlin.

Getting into headcanon territory here, but I strongly believe Chip was scared at first to be a brother to Ollie because he didn’t want to end up like Price. He was abusive and controlling over the members of his gang including Chip, and pushed a toxic family dynamic. So the fear of being like that was likely very real for Chip. But Ollie is a kindhearted kid who showed Chip that he can be better than Reuben. Ollie isn’t the type of person to get mad. When he was cursed, he wasn’t angry at Chip, he was just scared. And when he was turned back he wasn’t upset, he was worried about being considered useless. And when he got the belt he saw it as an opportunity to prove himself as an important member of the crew. That much strength and power could easily corrupt someone, especially someone so young, but Ollie saw it as Chip fully trusting him. And Chip didn’t give him the belt just because he wanted Ollie to be stronger, he gave him the belt because he wanted Ollie to be safe.

I’d also like to talk about Arlins coin. Chip gave it to Ollie before they went to the Black Sea. Chip was holding on to a piece of his past that kept him from truly moving on and becoming his own person beyond Arlin. Giving it to Ollie really showed how much he’d grown as a character. Grizzly himself said that it showed so much more character growth when Chip gave it to Ollie rather than holding on to it. Which is why I’m bothered by the fact that The Council forgot this in episode 116. It leaves quite a big plot hole because Chip didn’t have the coin when they finally found Arlin. I do have a few headcanons though:

One headcanon to explain how Chip has the coin is a Schrödingers coin situation. Both Chip and Ollie had the coin because they both needed it. The idea of Chips unstable mental state affecting the 4th wall and canon is Very interesting to me.

Another explanation is that Ollie snuck it back to Chip. This is my personal favorite explanation! When Chip gave Ollie the coin, he said to hold on to it when he felt sad or scared. Knowing where the crew was going, Ollie knew they’d need it more than him. So like the little rogue that he is, he snuck it back into Chips pocket. :)

I am hoping and praying with my entire soul that Ollie snuck onto the ship in episode 119, I need to see him again and I need him to interact with Arlin!!!

Vampires may need blood to survive, but that doesn’t mean they like blood. Perhaps Blood is like vegetables to vampires and garlic is tasty but unhealthy sweets?