the munâs interpretation |Â @magixmade
â Do you agree with the fandom interpretation of your character?
So hereâs the deal: the fandom is tiny. Practically non-existent, except for some people who spontaneously remember the show exists after finding it on Netflix and are eager to relive their childhood. Which thereâs definitely nothing wrong with that ! But that just means that there isnât a ton of interpretation and more just general commentary ?Â
Anyway, hereâs what I gather from the fandom: Rikki is one of the most popular characters, along with Cleo. So most people have pretty positive views of Rikki, often remarking on how mcfreakin savage she was (and she so was). A lot of people also love Rikki and Zaneâs relationship and HATE when it was destroyed in season 3. And there is also a considerable amount of people who regard Rikki as a lesbian in love with Emma.
So I kinda do agree with a lot of these things. Rikki is hilarious. I do think Rikki and Zane are a great couple and their breakup was upsetting. And I also think that Rikki and Emma would make a great couple.
But I donât write Rikki off as a lesbian. Sheâs bi. And I interpret Rikki using humor as a defense mechanism to bury her feelings. What people donât talk about (and maybe not even notice) is that Rikki is angry. She has A LOT of anger. She has a lot of emotions that she just doesnât want to deal with. And she has a lot of power, but unfortunately, the showâs writing undermines that.
The fandom accepts Rikki and all the characters at face value. I mean, yeah, itâs a kidâs show, but still. Thereâs MORE to Rikki than humor. And it goes for all the characters. Cleoâs kindness is not naivetĂŠ. Bella is not just some boy-crazy teenage girl. And thereâs more to Emma than just shipping her with Rikki. More often than not, I find myself disagreeing with the fandomâs opinions on the other characters, not so much with Rikki.Â
â§ Any part of their canon portrayal you dislike?
HmmmâŚitâs hard to say. Kinda like what I was saying before, I find myself more upset with how other characters are portrayed than Rikki (like Bella and Will for example).
I wish they expanded more on Rikkiâs home life. Like Rikki and Zaneâs conversation on the rooftop in season 1 was nothing. It was great for progressing their relationship but I really feel like we donât LEARN anything until The Wrong Side of the Tracks in season 2 (a classic).
I wish they expanded more on Rikkiâs powers too. I feel like there was SO MUCH POTENTIAL there ! There have been numerous instances where Rikki has frightened people, including herself, with her powers and they donât talk about it ! Sheâs given fire and electricity powers in the first episode of season 2 and after that itâs likeâŚnonexistent. I get that she doesnât necessarily need to use those powers but they couldâve explored that more. I really think it undermines her.
Also: this will FOREVER bug me. In season 1, Emma had the strength to smash a metal door to save Zane from drowning, right ? ?  Then the girls could have EASILY smashed the gate off when they were trapped in the moon pool by Dr. Denman. Itâs so minor but omg Iâm so annoyed by that lmao.
And I have mixed feelings about Rikkiâs portrayal in M.ako M.ermaids. There are some parts I like, and some parts I donât. Like, okay, I donât like the part where Rikki talks about how she and her friends grew apart. I get that it could happen to anyone, even mermaids, but it just wasnâtâŚconvincing. After EVERYTHING theyâve been through ? And clearly the writers donât know what to do with Bella which is frustrating af. And I just didnât like how Rikki was undermined when Ondina, Mimmi, and Weilan confronted her for the bracelet. That whole scene felt very weak to me.
â Has new canon material ever forced you to adjust your headcanons?
A LITTLE, but not really. So Iâve been writing Rikki for a long time, even before she appeared on Ma.ko Mer.maids, so when she appeared on the show, I didnât really adjust my headcanons. I just made it an au because I was already comfortable with how I was writing her. But as I started watching the spin-off in its entirety, I started developing headcanons to expand on its lore (because itâs a mess).
As I sorta talked about in my previous post, when I first started writing Rikki, I ignored season 3 because I didnât like it. But then I watched it again, liked it, and incorporated it into my portrayal. And kinda going back to what I was saying before about how thereâs more to Rikki than just humor: we see that in season 3. Season 3 helped me explore Rikkiâs emotions, especially when she crossed over to âthe dark sideâ for a time and when she and Zane fought.
I donât know if youâd call season 3 ânew canon materialâ considering itâs been out longer than Iâve been writing Rikki, but I opened up to it more and adjusted my headcanons accordingly.