Personality: The Other Father is a kind, fun and caring man, just as he was created to be. His artificial calling in life is to love and care for his 'Wife' and 'Child' (AKA. Be a part of an elaborate trap) and he does exactly that to the 'T'- though, with a couple of slip-ups on the way. He loves both his wife and child- with the same amount of love to both- and wishes nothing more than for the happiness of both and for them to be a loving family... although he knows that at the end of it, his wife will just eat the soul of the child that they're caring for- the soul of 'their' son or daughter. Although he's a 'puppet' of the Other Mother, he can think for himself and sometimes slips up in doing what he's told, whether it be small comments ('So sharp, you won't feel a thing!' - Offering Coraline the buttons) or giving out information he's not meant to ('He pulled a long face and mother didn't like it' - Second scene in Other Father's study, as well as 'Only one key' nearer to the end). He does make decisions during the movie for himself though, such as warning Coraline through song lyrics ('She's as cute as a button in the eyes of anyone who ever lays their eyes on Coraline' and naturally, the ending: 'Our eyes will be on Coraline' - Other Father Song) or ultimately dying to give Coraline a chance to live at the end of the movie.
He's all that Coraline- his 'daughter'- ever wanted as a father: He's fun-loving, gardens, can play a variety of instruments (a piano and a trumpet-sounding flower are the two examples in the movie, but due to Coraline wanting him to be musical (and the many instruments dotted about his study) I can see him being able to play all-sorts) as-well as sing fantabulously- and he leaves the cooking to his wife! He's the improved version of Coraline's real father, but he shares something special with his real world counterpart: He loves his daughter just as much.
I see the Other Father as a bit of a coward, never standing up to the Other Mother other than the previously mentioned comments. He never just flat-out told Coraline that she was in danger either, which would have gotten him killed. Yet he still tried to help Coraline escape. Due to the last point, I see his ending being a character development point. Even after that, he still loves his wife just as much as before, but he's got that little bit of satisfaction that he possibly saved Coraline's life and stuck up to her for once. Also, the Other Father was made to be fun, but he doesn't seem to be the quickest rat in the race (once again, see 'so sharp you won't feel a thing', a quote that he probably didn't think would do any harm, yet annoyed the Other Mother).
History-ish with character developments throughout canon: (smalled, because unless you want to know history, this probably doesn't need to be read. But it's here just in case.) The Other Father is a creation of the Other Mother, a puppet made to play happy families with and lure in children for the Other Mother to feast on (she eats their souls). The Other Mother uses her powers to sustain his human form, but really he's been made from a pumpkin (the explanation of how is not mentioned, however I play it that it's his 'blank canvas' of sorts, which is why he starts to devolve into a half-pumpkin, half-human). His current form is the improved image of Charlie Jones, the father of the child he's being made to love and lure in (Coraline).
Coraline first met the Other Father when she was told to fetch him from his study, finding him stationed at his piano. He proceeded to play her a song (with a little (mostly speculation) warning in the lyrics) and aimed to make her laugh. Later (on the second day) he showed his 'daughter' a beautiful garden that he and mother had made for her, taking her up on a flying mantis tractor to show her a birds-eye view of the first wonder... They had made the fantastic garden to look like Coraline's head. He proceeded then to have dinner with his little family, stating that 'everything is right in this world', which of course he was saying under the influence of the Other Mother. Later on in the movie, he and the Other Mother have an offer for dear little Coraline and sit her at the dining table to tell her this lovely proposition: She could stay there with them forever! She could always have everything she wanted! But she had to fulfill a little favour, and one that the Other Father knew well was a trap: she had to let them sew buttons onto her eyes. Apparently it was the only way that she could stay there- and, as the Other Father said: 'So sharp you won't feel a thing!'; the Other Mother proceeds to kick him under the table (or stamp on his foot, it isn't really seen). It's unknown whether he does this to try and put Coraline off accepting the buttons.
After this point, Coraline begins to grow wary and runs away from them. Usually the Other Mother would have the child's soul by then, but due to it not going to plan, she begins to grow weak. As she grows weak, she lacks the power to sustain the forms of her creations and so the Other Father begins to slowly revert back into a pumpkin. The first sign of this is when Coraline approaches him in his study for the second time. If you look you can see that he's grown a little orange, his weight seems to have shifted up a bit and he looks a little like he's deforming. He tells her that he can't help her and let slip that the Other Wybourne disobeyed the Other Mother, so she punished him for it.
Coraline managed to escape home for a day, but soon had to return to save her parents. The Other Father is then first seen in his 'Pumpkin phase'. His lower body had taken on the shape of a pumpkin, his skin turned orange and his face had 'melted' into a permanent Scream-like face; his hair had also taken on the form of green vines and leaves and upon speaking, it's found that he's lost most form of speech, able only to let out the odd word (and even that's barely audible). After Coraline challenged the Other Mother (who had also taken on a darker form), he was placed into the garden and strapped to the mantis-tractor from earlier. When approached by Coraline, mechanical gloves forced him to attack her; he was able to break free from them and give the soul of a previous child to Coraline (whilst exclaiming that he didn't want to hurt her and that he was sorry). Immediately afterwards he fell into the lake and the dying world swallowed him whole- or at least just before it managed to, I've taken him.
Route canon: Throughout his year+ of previously being in Route, he learnt a heck of a lot. He adopted many children under the impression that he was 'an Other Father' ('the'? He still isn't sure if there's more than him) and lots of kids need an Other Father in Route, what with the abscence of their real ones! He grew close to a lot of his kids quite quickly, and just as much to his Pokémon.
He had befriended two of the Homestuck crew at a very early stage- John and Rose- and very soon 'adopted' them. He adopted many other children (some didn't even know it), but John and Rose were the two that caused his journey to take form. They invited him to travel with their group, and thanks to an event he ended up in Goldenrod even sooner. Instead of travelling though, he took home in Goldenrod and invited every child that needed an Other Father or a place to stay (later dubbed 'the Other Home'), which he himself stayed in for the rest of the year he was there (and it still stands in Goldenrod, being cared for by others). He adopted and befriended many people (as well as ended up in bad ways with Reaver), Jack Skellington being a main friend, as well as one who helped him approach his past in a different light.
In the end, the open, un-staged interaction with people who weren't (all) afraid of him, didn't abuse him, and as well as were natural (some of them) people actually helped him develop as a person very quickly; having been sheltered from the real world, the sudden full force of it knocked knowledge into him. Over time he learnt friendship, not to be afraid (as taught by Jack), that not all children needed someone to look after them (yet still deserved the love they'd get). He also learnt (and disliked learning) anger and that you didn't need to be the Beldam to be a bad person (see: Reaver, after he started telling his view on marraige and families). He's learnt pointless information, important information and overall he's learnt to be his own person and not just a puppet of the Other Mother. He loves his life in Johto, although it still lacks his wife (who he seriously can't fall out of love with, no matter how bad she is).
His personality itself has barely changed, but his confidence and outlook on things have. Where as he never used to say much unless told, he'll now say what he thinks (or what he thinks people need or want to hear). Although he does still slip up ocasionally (nobody (with free-will) is perfect, even if they were made to be). And ever since the Other Mother turned up shortly, his outlook on that had bubbled back up to the surface and he was forced to think over it all with his new outlook. Suffice to say, he thinks of her a little differently after how she acted.
Coming back to Route, he'll be glad to be back. Though he doesn't remember anything from the time in between departure and arrival, the fact he left in the first place made him sad. To be back with the family- that he's entirely sure love him in return- and to care for them is what makes Johto his new home. As much as he would love his wife to be in the world of Pokémon with him, he knows if he was at their home then the world wouldn't be right... Not to mention, he now knows more than ever that there's nothing to go back to.
Strengths/Weaknesses: The Other Father has little strength in anything but skill, each skill being perfect because he was created to do it. He professes in two main skills: Music and Gardening.
-Music He was shown in canon playing a piano (although what he played was controlled by the Other Mother's gloves) and a type of flower-trumpet; logically, because he was made to be a perfect musician for Coraline, he could play any instrument without any problem, combining them with his fabulous singing voice to make a perfect song for all the boys and girls.
-Garden His gardening skills- like his musical skills- are also some of the best. He grew an entire garden for Coraline, shaping the entire thing in her image (although, it is unknown whether/how much help he had from the Other Mother making the garden... at the end of the day though, he was created to be a gardener, and so he would possess those skills- not to mention he was created from a pumpkin, which by the way that the Other Mother's creation is presumed to work, this helps.)
Weakness-wise, he's not very strong and definitely lacks a backbone. It was shown in canon that he was unable to stand up to the Other Mother for quite some time. He's gained a bit of a backbone since he came into Route, having stuck up to Reaver on occasion, as well as being faced with an ill Other Mother and needing to rescue her. But if there's any real danger, he'll still try and stay out of the middle of it unless he has a motivation (if a child's in danger, he's more likely to put himself in front of them to save them). He has really grown in this aspect on his journey from end-canon through the year+ in Route.
Cooking is also his main weakness. It may not seem like a weakness, but when you have a house full of hungry children, it becomes the world's biggest problem. Good thing they're all happy enough to cook... I mean, he still tries, but some of the concoctions would make a regular person (who won't eat anything) sick.
Another weakness, which I doubt will come up in Route, is that when the Other Mother is low on strength, he reverts back to a mesh of his former pumpkin-self and his human form. Due to the 'Being turned into a human' thing, it probably won't come up (I think?), but if it ever did I would have it be his own strength controlling his form shift instead of the Other Mother (And if an Other Mother came in, it may shift to her depending on mun-circumstances/etc.)
Other Father [2/3]
The Other Father is a kind, fun and caring man, just as he was created to be. His artificial calling in life is to love and care for his 'Wife' and 'Child' (AKA. Be a part of an elaborate trap) and he does exactly that to the 'T'- though, with a couple of slip-ups on the way. He loves both his wife and child- with the same amount of love to both- and wishes nothing more than for the happiness of both and for them to be a loving family... although he knows that at the end of it, his wife will just eat the soul of the child that they're caring for- the soul of 'their' son or daughter. Although he's a 'puppet' of the Other Mother, he can think for himself and sometimes slips up in doing what he's told, whether it be small comments ('So sharp, you won't feel a thing!' - Offering Coraline the buttons) or giving out information he's not meant to ('He pulled a long face and mother didn't like it' - Second scene in Other Father's study, as well as 'Only one key' nearer to the end). He does make decisions during the movie for himself though, such as warning Coraline through song lyrics ('She's as cute as a button in the eyes of anyone who ever lays their eyes on Coraline' and naturally, the ending: 'Our eyes will be on Coraline' - Other Father Song) or ultimately dying to give Coraline a chance to live at the end of the movie.
He's all that Coraline- his 'daughter'- ever wanted as a father: He's fun-loving, gardens, can play a variety of instruments (a piano and a trumpet-sounding flower are the two examples in the movie, but due to Coraline wanting him to be musical (and the many instruments dotted about his study) I can see him being able to play all-sorts) as-well as sing fantabulously- and he leaves the cooking to his wife! He's the improved version of Coraline's real father, but he shares something special with his real world counterpart: He loves his daughter just as much.
I see the Other Father as a bit of a coward, never standing up to the Other Mother other than the previously mentioned comments. He never just flat-out told Coraline that she was in danger either, which would have gotten him killed. Yet he still tried to help Coraline escape. Due to the last point, I see his ending being a character development point. Even after that, he still loves his wife just as much as before, but he's got that little bit of satisfaction that he possibly saved Coraline's life and stuck up to her for once. Also, the Other Father was made to be fun, but he doesn't seem to be the quickest rat in the race (once again, see 'so sharp you won't feel a thing', a quote that he probably didn't think would do any harm, yet annoyed the Other Mother).
History-ish with character developments throughout canon: (smalled, because unless you want to know history, this probably doesn't need to be read. But it's here just in case.)
The Other Father is a creation of the Other Mother, a puppet made to play happy families with and lure in children for the Other Mother to feast on (she eats their souls). The Other Mother uses her powers to sustain his human form, but really he's been made from a pumpkin (the explanation of how is not mentioned, however I play it that it's his 'blank canvas' of sorts, which is why he starts to devolve into a half-pumpkin, half-human). His current form is the improved image of Charlie Jones, the father of the child he's being made to love and lure in (Coraline).
Coraline first met the Other Father when she was told to fetch him from his study, finding him stationed at his piano. He proceeded to play her a song (with a little (mostly speculation) warning in the lyrics) and aimed to make her laugh. Later (on the second day) he showed his 'daughter' a beautiful garden that he and mother had made for her, taking her up on a flying mantis tractor to show her a birds-eye view of the first wonder... They had made the fantastic garden to look like Coraline's head. He proceeded then to have dinner with his little family, stating that 'everything is right in this world', which of course he was saying under the influence of the Other Mother. Later on in the movie, he and the Other Mother have an offer for dear little Coraline and sit her at the dining table to tell her this lovely proposition: She could stay there with them forever! She could always have everything she wanted! But she had to fulfill a little favour, and one that the Other Father knew well was a trap: she had to let them sew buttons onto her eyes. Apparently it was the only way that she could stay there- and, as the Other Father said: 'So sharp you won't feel a thing!'; the Other Mother proceeds to kick him under the table (or stamp on his foot, it isn't really seen). It's unknown whether he does this to try and put Coraline off accepting the buttons.
After this point, Coraline begins to grow wary and runs away from them. Usually the Other Mother would have the child's soul by then, but due to it not going to plan, she begins to grow weak. As she grows weak, she lacks the power to sustain the forms of her creations and so the Other Father begins to slowly revert back into a pumpkin. The first sign of this is when Coraline approaches him in his study for the second time. If you look you can see that he's grown a little orange, his weight seems to have shifted up a bit and he looks a little like he's deforming. He tells her that he can't help her and let slip that the Other Wybourne disobeyed the Other Mother, so she punished him for it.
Coraline managed to escape home for a day, but soon had to return to save her parents. The Other Father is then first seen in his 'Pumpkin phase'. His lower body had taken on the shape of a pumpkin, his skin turned orange and his face had 'melted' into a permanent Scream-like face; his hair had also taken on the form of green vines and leaves and upon speaking, it's found that he's lost most form of speech, able only to let out the odd word (and even that's barely audible). After Coraline challenged the Other Mother (who had also taken on a darker form), he was placed into the garden and strapped to the mantis-tractor from earlier. When approached by Coraline, mechanical gloves forced him to attack her; he was able to break free from them and give the soul of a previous child to Coraline (whilst exclaiming that he didn't want to hurt her and that he was sorry). Immediately afterwards he fell into the lake and the dying world swallowed him whole- or at least just before it managed to, I've taken him.
Route canon:
Throughout his year+ of previously being in Route, he learnt a heck of a lot. He adopted many children under the impression that he was 'an Other Father' ('the'? He still isn't sure if there's more than him) and lots of kids need an Other Father in Route, what with the abscence of their real ones! He grew close to a lot of his kids quite quickly, and just as much to his Pokémon.
He had befriended two of the Homestuck crew at a very early stage- John and Rose- and very soon 'adopted' them. He adopted many other children (some didn't even know it), but John and Rose were the two that caused his journey to take form. They invited him to travel with their group, and thanks to an event he ended up in Goldenrod even sooner. Instead of travelling though, he took home in Goldenrod and invited every child that needed an Other Father or a place to stay (later dubbed 'the Other Home'), which he himself stayed in for the rest of the year he was there (and it still stands in Goldenrod, being cared for by others). He adopted and befriended many people (as well as ended up in bad ways with Reaver), Jack Skellington being a main friend, as well as one who helped him approach his past in a different light.
In the end, the open, un-staged interaction with people who weren't (all) afraid of him, didn't abuse him, and as well as were natural (some of them) people actually helped him develop as a person very quickly; having been sheltered from the real world, the sudden full force of it knocked knowledge into him. Over time he learnt friendship, not to be afraid (as taught by Jack), that not all children needed someone to look after them (yet still deserved the love they'd get). He also learnt (and disliked learning) anger and that you didn't need to be the Beldam to be a bad person (see: Reaver, after he started telling his view on marraige and families). He's learnt pointless information, important information and overall he's learnt to be his own person and not just a puppet of the Other Mother. He loves his life in Johto, although it still lacks his wife (who he seriously can't fall out of love with, no matter how bad she is).
His personality itself has barely changed, but his confidence and outlook on things have. Where as he never used to say much unless told, he'll now say what he thinks (or what he thinks people need or want to hear). Although he does still slip up ocasionally (nobody (with free-will) is perfect, even if they were made to be). And ever since the Other Mother turned up shortly, his outlook on that had bubbled back up to the surface and he was forced to think over it all with his new outlook. Suffice to say, he thinks of her a little differently after how she acted.
Coming back to Route, he'll be glad to be back. Though he doesn't remember anything from the time in between departure and arrival, the fact he left in the first place made him sad. To be back with the family- that he's entirely sure love him in return- and to care for them is what makes Johto his new home. As much as he would love his wife to be in the world of Pokémon with him, he knows if he was at their home then the world wouldn't be right... Not to mention, he now knows more than ever that there's nothing to go back to.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
The Other Father has little strength in anything but skill, each skill being perfect because he was created to do it. He professes in two main skills: Music and Gardening.
-Music
He was shown in canon playing a piano (although what he played was controlled by the Other Mother's gloves) and a type of flower-trumpet; logically, because he was made to be a perfect musician for Coraline, he could play any instrument without any problem, combining them with his fabulous singing voice to make a perfect song for all the boys and girls.
-Garden
His gardening skills- like his musical skills- are also some of the best. He grew an entire garden for Coraline, shaping the entire thing in her image (although, it is unknown whether/how much help he had from the Other Mother making the garden... at the end of the day though, he was created to be a gardener, and so he would possess those skills- not to mention he was created from a pumpkin, which by the way that the Other Mother's creation is presumed to work, this helps.)
Weakness-wise, he's not very strong and definitely lacks a backbone. It was shown in canon that he was unable to stand up to the Other Mother for quite some time. He's gained a bit of a backbone since he came into Route, having stuck up to Reaver on occasion, as well as being faced with an ill Other Mother and needing to rescue her. But if there's any real danger, he'll still try and stay out of the middle of it unless he has a motivation (if a child's in danger, he's more likely to put himself in front of them to save them). He has really grown in this aspect on his journey from end-canon through the year+ in Route.
Cooking is also his main weakness. It may not seem like a weakness, but when you have a house full of hungry children, it becomes the world's biggest problem. Good thing they're all happy enough to cook... I mean, he still tries, but some of the concoctions would make a regular person (who won't eat anything) sick.
Another weakness, which I doubt will come up in Route, is that when the Other Mother is low on strength, he reverts back to a mesh of his former pumpkin-self and his human form. Due to the 'Being turned into a human' thing, it probably won't come up (I think?), but if it ever did I would have it be his own strength controlling his form shift instead of the Other Mother (And if an Other Mother came in, it may shift to her depending on mun-circumstances/etc.)