History YMMV / PixieAndBrutus

** A lot of readers suspected that Brutus suffers some PTSD from his time as a military dog, before it was confirmed in a later comic. [[http://www.msasecurity.net/security-and-counterterrorism-blog/12-facts-about-canine-ptsd Believe it or not, this is based in reality.]] Dogs that have been through traumatic events can get PTSD, same as any human -- ''especially'' working dogs.

* NightmareFuel:
** [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brutus_scary_face.PNG Brutus snarling at Randal]] to prevent him from resisting Pixie's "arrest." From his backstory, it's clear he must have been scary once upon a time, but understanding that isn't the same as seeing him baring his teeth with a DeathGlare and a warning growl, looking practically feral.
** Pixie being ''snatched by an eagle''. So much that Brutus goes full blown PapaWolf on the eagle, even ''when'' the Eagle already made peace with Pixie and didn't see her as food.
** An abstract case for when Pixie points out that anything can look like a face after pointing toward a power socket looking like a sad face. After that, both she and Brutus look at an upside down jacket on a nearby couch. Look at it hard enough like they did and you too will understand [[NightmareFace why they were disturbed]].

* {{Alternative Character Interpretation}}: During the strip with the thunderstorm, was Pixie really scared, or did she notice Brutus was scared, and want to help him, but save his ego by claiming she was?

** Brutus snarling at Randal to prevent him from resisting Pixie's "arrest." From his backstory, it's clear he must have been scary once upon a time, but understanding that isn't the same as seeing him baring his teeth with a DeathGlare and a warning growl, looking practically feral.

** A lot of readers think that Brutus suffers some PTSD from his time as a military dog, though this has only been hinted at in canon so far. [[http://www.msasecurity.net/security-and-counterterrorism-blog/12-facts-about-canine-ptsd Believe it or not, this is based in reality.]] Dogs that have been through traumatic events can get PTSD, same as any human -- ''especially'' working dogs. This would be confirmed in a comic where a thunderstorm triggers a flashback of a combat situation for him.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Many readers have criticized Brutus for being hostile towards Randal long after warning him against hurting Pixie. Seemingly in response, one comic has Brutus telling Randal that maybe he's been too harsh, given that the raccoon hasn't caused any trouble in some time.

* ViewerGenderConfusion: Despite her pink neckerchief, it wasn't immediately obvious that Pixie was female (leading some readers to be surprised when Brutus referred to her with feminine pronouns).

* BrokenBase: In one particular strip, Brutus forces an unwilling Randall to play with Pixie. Many fans found themselves sympathizing with the raccoon, because even though he could be a jerk at times, he did nothing wrong in this particular strip, and Brutus was effectively bullying him. On the other hand, many (including the creator) have justified the strip by pointing out that Brutus isn't out of character, and past strips have given him good reasons to be harsh on Randall.

* GeniusBonus: either a case of ShownTheirWork or AccidentallyCorrectWriting - there is a real-life charity called [[https://www.petsforvets.com/ Pets for Vets]] which pairs up combat veterans with shelter animals in order to help the former adjust to civilian life and the latter to have a home. This is, essentially, what happens in the strip, except Pixie already has a home and Brutus is, well, himself a dog.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Brutus's constant attempts to shield Pixie from anything that might even slightly bother her sometimes resemble a helicopter parent. He clearly means well and he does put some effort into teaching her self-defense (or at least trying to). However, most of the time, he deals with things himself. Given that Pixie is much younger than Brutus, it's doubtful he'll always be there for her. However, with Pixie being aged up in some strips this is being downplayed.
** This is finally addressed [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CPtjzpbJMcV/ here]].
* ViewerGenderConfusion: Despite her pink neckerchief, it wasn't immediately obvious that Pixie was female (leading some readers to be surprised when Brutus referred to her with feminine pronouns).
* {{Wimpification}}: Fan comics frequently make Brutus out to be more psychologically damaged than he is in the comic, exaggerating his PTSD and grief over Sergio's death. In canon, Brutus is a StoicWoobie who rarely angsts about his past.

** A lot of readers think that Brutus suffers some PTSD from his time as a military dog, though this has only been hinted at in canon so far. [[http://www.msasecurity.net/security-and-counterterrorism-blog/12-facts-about-canine-ptsd Believe it or not, this is based in reality.]] Dogs that have been through traumatic events can get PTSD, same as any human -- ''especially'' working dogs.
*** This would be confirmed in a comic where a thunderstorm triggers a flashback of a combat situation for him.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Brutus's constant attempts to shield Pixie from anything that might even slightly bother her sometimes resemble a helicopter parent. He clearly means well and he does put some effort into teaching her self-defense (or at least trying to). However, most of the time, he deals with things himself. Given that Pixie is much younger than Brutus, it's doubtful he'll always be there for her.
** With Pixie being aged up in some strips this is being downplayed.
* ViewerGenderConfusion: Despite her pink neckerchief, it wasn't immediately obvious that Pixie was female (leading some readers to be surprised when Brutus referred to her with feminine pronouns).

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Brutus's constant attempts to shield Pixie from anything that might even slightly bother her sometimes resemble a helicopter parent. He clearly means well and he does put some effort into teaching her self-defense (or at least trying to). However, most of the time, he deals with things himself. Given that Pixie is much younger than Brutus, it's doubtful he'll always be there for her.

* BrokenBase: In one particular strip, Brutus forces an unwilling Randall to play with Pixie. Many fans found themselves sympathizing with the raccoon, because even though he could be a jerk at times, he did nothing wrong in this particular strip, and Brutus was effectively bullying him. On the other hand, many (including the creator) have justified the strip by pointing out that Brutus isn't out of character, and he has good reasons to be harsh on Randall.

* {{AlternativeCharacterInterpretation}}: During the strip with the thunderstorm, was Pixie really scared, or did she notice Brutus was, and want to save his ego by claiming she was?

* SpiritualAdaptation: The comics, which are the amusing and {{WAFF}}y adventures of a soft-hearted tough dog with a Roman name and an innocent CuteKitten, resembles the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short ''WesternAnimation/FeedTheKitty.''