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franki-lew-yo · 3 months

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An 'A-ha!' fandom moment, ft. The Owl House

These comments I screencapped from a user I watch elsewhere really hit like a brick in the face to me. I'm blotting out OP's name, mostly cuz this was just a shower thought they had rather than any meaningful open discussion with people, but it ended up making me realize something (also NO they're not some contrarian AntiSJW type or even hate TOH; they're a very gay+trans writer themselves. Sorry if youknowwhoyouare sees this and recognizes ur posts but you don't allow reblogs or comments and I wanted to present it on my own):

The Owl House was always hampered by being killed halfway through, writing wise and that will always be it's greatest 'sin'. However, OP's comment made me realize how much the show kind of tells you it's characters are flawed rather than actually give them arcs to suggest it, especially in season 1. When I say flawed I don't mean lacking quirks that are relatable but human: Eda is a recluse criminal; King thought he could kill people and acted like it; Luz is a genki girl; Amity starts off as a bully; Hunter...is unfortunately Hunter, ect. Those ARE flaws, character wise, but in the presence of the complete story (as complete as the show will ever be) they really aren't actually flawed, bad people in anyway.

Before I go further, two things: 1, IN ALL FAIRNESS, this is why myself and others particularly LOVE the characters and why TOH was a comfort show for me rather than a 'high-tension narrative'. The characters are a lot of what you want and hope to be like and I think that's really sweet and enjoyable, especially for horror and especially for kids.

2, NO! I DON'T think any particular bad faith cartoon reviewer opinions about coddling certain characters and punishing others IS WHAT DANA and co did at all here! Steven Universe and certain crap-reviewer's takes ON Steven Universe and how it's characters were flawed but overly forgiven by the fandom the show itself are NOT the b-all end-all of this discussion, nor are they the reason The Owl House is the way it is!

The context op was talking about was how in the upcoming hate crime The Last Airbender live-action show the showrunners are going to tone down Sokka's sexism because they think it's 'unlikable'. Even though, we all knew as children that this was an arc for him and it was WRONG, so axing it because we the audience lack nuance to recognize characters we love doing problamtic-sisms is BEYOND annoying.

Op's point is how The Owl House in particular doesn't actually expect much or want much out of it's characters. Or audience. For any infighting early on about how much Amity should 'die' because of reasons, that's really just fandom infighting when you get right down to it. There's nothing on par with the disagreement people have over, say, the Diamonds from Steven Universe and how Steven 'totally forgave them or 'should have murdered them in cold blood' about The Owl House. And like...from a fandom point of view that's good, but otherwise the show is pretty concrete the way you're supposed to see certain characters vs other shows which allow you to make up your own mind.

Avatar, Star vs the Forces of Evil (pre finale), Centaurworld and Amphibia all showcase your protagonists being genuinely, intensely flawed. Sure, maybe some neckbreather crap-pseudocritic complains that they 'made the unlikable' or whatever (i.e. me with Friendship is Magic) but overall the actual point is HOW the characters actually have grown and have ended up with the ending and morality they need. The villains, no not Zukos or 'redeemed' villains who joined the protagonist squad, VILLAIN-villains, will always be at least one serious step behind the protagonists and that's what give the protagonists the cautionary wherewithal to end them like they should and not 'be like them'. It's such a fufilling narrative, there's a reason people like it so much because it's really good when it's delivered well.

Removed from my fandom gaze; the Owl House feels like it's saying it has that ultimate messaging and character arc when it actually doesn't. Your protagonists have the endearing aspirational-part totally covered, but as far as the actual 'edge' and nuance? Well...

Eda is, at most, naughty. She really isn't any kind of morally sidetracked character. She's an outlaw because literally her society is awful to her and she's in the right to be against it. She's cursed but she's not addicted to her potions or hiding it or not really taking care of herself or her loved ones because of it. Her actual biggest flaw is that she's been 'running away' from problems rather than dealing with them, but I'd be lying if that wasn't suggested more than it's actually portrayed; or at least, dealt with fast enough in "Eda's Requiem". A bigger issue I see, even if it's what's also endearing about her, is that she REALLY isn't a flawed caregiver at all. It's portrayed as her most redeeming feature that she's otherwise a good mom and mentor, but Eda having virtually no problems in raising Luz and King just, again, makes her feel ONLY aspirational. All of the angst about 'failing' to parent and making up for it is moved all onto Camilla and sadly all of that angst for her is mostly within an already bloated episode. Eda, while an absolute mood, lacks any real kind of edge. Does she need it or not? I don't know. Discuss, kids.

Luz, like OP says, is treated like this high-energy super-optimist. She's like Star Butterfly in that her fangirlism and impulsivness are supposed to get her in trouble. But, she absolutely just isn't one when you break it down. Besides episode 2, Luz really is never that inconsiderate or lost in her fantasies ever again throughout the show. She never has anything like what Steven goes through where he hops into Larz' body and makes things worse for people by trying to fix things- which is not only good filler but it calls forward to the ultimate ending of Steven's arc for the series - Luz is just sort of adorable. Luz has blindsided by hype moments of weakness, like when she accidentally hurts Owlbert or messes with Amity's secret room, but still always level headed and down-to-earth. Her impulses are always kind of treated like...excusable? Because, again, they usually are. This is a large part about what makes her self-hatred at the end of the show about accidentally helping Belos' feel 'forced'. Even MOREso than what Hunter and Daddy Titan explain about Belos using her, we the audience never see Luz's choice to go back in time and try and get answers from Philip as being anything other than just, you know, logical. Because it is. The show acts like what Luz did was reckless and bad and that she was SOOO overtaken by her fangirlism about Philip and now just how much she has to live with the guilt and regret of helping being duped by him...it just doesn't come off that way at all. She was only so much excited about meeting him and her interest was getting home to her mother. In terms of comparing her to Philip, that's all fine and good, but again it's not 'flawed'. Not really, anyway.

Lilith absolutely has it the worst...but I kinda think people know that. She arguably does have the most morally-gray turning point in the show given what she did to her own sister. But neither the characters nor her nor the show really hold her accountable in any lasting way for cursing Eda. Lilith is the closest we get to that 'Diamond'-dilemma. She does 'make things right way too quickly and it's obvious to even her biggest fans that her character is really rushed in this area. They lampshade what Lilith did and that she was their villain in season 2 and 2B, but lampshading isn't the same thing as progress. As a result, as a Lilith fan you kind of never really forgive her for what she did. None of that's her fault, cause' you know...she doesn't exist, but it makes it frustrating that you the fan watching the show is doing the heavy-lifting in your mind in this area.What you come away from is this feeling of loving the characters for being able to work everything out. They're engaging and nuanced in theory, but you also feel robbed, w or w/o the Disney interference, of them being fully rounded or WHOLE. It kinda feels like 'and suddenly, he wasn't racist, anymore' all the time with every character ever with except Amity's mom, the Titan Trappers and Belos.

The reason everyone dunks on Star vs the Forces of Evil's finale, (besides being salty over ship wars and declaring THAT'S the reason for the drop in quality) is that 'Cleaved' could have not only worked but REALLY worked. It just needed to be better written and processed as an ending. Instead people reviled Star, the protagonist we're supposed to be rooting for, for what feels like impulsive apathy and cruelty towards everyone else by destroying magic, as opposed to it being an actually selfless sacrifice that makes her different than Toffee. Ultimatley, I do prefer The Owl House, unfinished as it is, to any of that. But yeah... I can now never unsee the characters as being what they are: fun but indulgent when they're supposedly complex. Indulgent is never bad u guys, but the problem is when you only have that to go on while insisting you have fully developed characters, there's a lot of the show telling you how to feel and how to come away from it rather than letting you, the audience, make of that yourself. As annoying as fan-wars can be over this stuff and when people are either WAAAY to forgiving of their villain blorbo or form hate-campaigns over Glub Shitto for ruining their life, it is ultimately a good thing that shows give you that chance to really see the characters that way at all.

The Owl House is, as OP calls it, "tumblr feels" not for being gay and magical and fun and wholesome and indulgent like that stuff is GREAT. It feels 'tumblr oriented' in that it all kind of feels too easy even when it's not for your protagonists. It's never actually "challenging". I guess, in as far as 'good' indulgence is concerned, it's as warm and fuzzy and a happy AU fanfic you found but not so much the Pacifist Ending of Undertale where you really do feel bad if you rectify the good ending in anyway. It's fun and it's comfort food, but not entirely lasting as you want it to be???

Amphibia, I think, was also way better than Owl House in this respect. It wasn't perfect cause nothing is but you really got a feeling for HOW flawed Marcy, Sasha, the townsfolk and even Hop Pop throughout their arcs-- which made it so SO rewarding to see them get their happy endings and come together to defeat the core and be the better people they needed to become.

The Owl House is my favorite where I think Amphibia is the better of the two.

#ramble #the owl house #toh critical #good lord did any of this make any sense Idk #franki's features #I guess technically King had the most fufilled arc #considering he thought he was a dictator-realized he wasn't-and then w he found out his true past was horrified by it but coped #discuss

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stanlunter · 6 months

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Why Amity is a bad character

Not my post, Ive just translated it, but I can't agree more

This can be called not even a hate, but a perplexity, since Amity as a character is not integral with us. It's like a solid plot hole hastily glued into a ready-made idea of the series. Let's take it in order.

In the first episodes with Amity, she is shown as a bully (when she poured shit on Willow), always competing with everyone's nerd (remember the episode where she couldn't stand that at least someone was better than her in abominations?) and in general, something like a kind of Draco Malfoy from the world of the Owl House. Even the twins Edric and Emira Blite quietly disliked her, as they considered her an arrogant reptile, shitting other students out of boredom. And so it was, in fact.

But then they started showing us Amity from the other side, and then the first inconsistencies began. In the series with the library, where Amity read books to little witches and other fabulous creatures, it struck me for the first time - like, all this time, Amity had a soft nature hiding under a mask of arrogance, but her brother and sister didn't even know about it and considered her just a harmful bastard? Okay, okay, let's say. But then we learn from Amity's memories that she was always good and Willow left only at the request of overbearing parents who were against their friendship. I'm sorry, what? I remind you that at her first appearance, Amity mocks Willow when no one is around, clearly enjoying it herself. Who forced her to do nasty things then?? And anyway, if Amity had a kind nature from the very beginning, why would she mock and laugh at others? She would have walked around with an arrogant look and that was it. My parents told me not to be friends with witches of a different status, and not to bully everyone who doesn't like them.

And after Luz and Amity start dating, Amity transforms incredibly radically and quickly. And I'm not talking about the hairstyle (which was much better in the original version, imho). She completely changes her worldview, her behavior, her plans for life, after all. And everything would be fine, but... These events take place in one summer. One summer, Carl! In one summer, an arrogant witch who loves to bully others, trying to be the best at everything, dreaming of becoming part of the imperial coven, turns into her absolute opposite. And do you know what I can't understand about such transformations? Footing. What is it like here? Okay, Amity fell in love with Luz, but why did she suddenly change ALL her principles for her? After all, she had somehow justified her dreams, her goals for herself before? Before, she really wanted to be the best, to join the imperial coven. Or how did it happen according to the creators - the evil mom ordered Amity to wish for certain things and zombified her, and as soon as the good Luz came, Amity immediately realized everything in the world and was filled? The same Hunter is shown much more realistically, we see he has an incredibly strong motivation to change, and then he doesn't do it in two episodes.

Damn, how much Amity doesn't fit into the story can be seen by the end of the first season, when we have an awesome important event and the main characters have to risk their lives to rescue Ida from captivity. And Amity did it in this fucking important episode in the finale... absolutely nothing. A few episodes before that, we were shown how Amity falls in love with Luz, worries about Luz, is already crazy about Luz, but when Luz risks his life in the center of events, Amity just lies at home with his injured leg and watches everything on magic TV. Like, seriously, man?? They didn't even bother to put it in the plot. Logically, she should be one of the main characters, but in fact she looks like a typical cardboard "girlfriend of the main character", like helpless half-naked girls from films about some Indiana Jones (I have nothing against Indiana, but the girls of gg in those days were really mostly cardboard in the background). In the following seasons, there is a place for Amity, but it doesn't get any better - she continues to look cardboard, a girl who can only scream about her love for Luz. Who gave up all her goals for the sake of Loot, but she didn't come up with new ones, and now her whole life revolves around Luz, while Luz, like gg, quietly lives her life and solves her problems. In the last episode, she has a job, she succeeded her father and works with abominations, but kamon, did it ever mention before the third season that she wants to take over his profession?? No. Starting dating Luz, she loses her personality, and all that remains of her is the delight at the sight of Luz and perfectly correct conscientious decisions, which do not go well with the image of Amity from the first series.

And it's impossible to call it Amity hate, because if you hate, then who exactly? We have three completely unrelated witches: The arrogant bully Amity, the kind Amity, Who Suffered From Evil Parents/Friends'/"Substitute An Excuse" and finally A Madly In Love Amity Without Her Own Goals And Principles. Which one of them to focus on, speaking of the image of Amity, is not in my heart. And yes, it's kind of sad to realize that at the beginning of the first season, Amity had a normal image that had chances for good development, a gradual realization that she treats people incorrectly, a GRADUAL transformation from a spoiled pest into a good friend for Luz and company, into a good secondary character. Even with falling in love with Luz, it was possible to do something interesting - to show how Amity rushes between two fires, tries to date Luz without quarreling with her family, wants to combine an affair with Luz and joining the imperial coven, eventually realizes that this is a failed idea and suffers from having to quit either a family and a dream, or a loved one... And as a result, all the potential was poured into the toilet for the hyper-accelerated development of a "serious romance for life" between two 14-year-olds. And Amity just follows Luz like a goat on a string, completely changing her life and her personality for the sake of a man she has known for less than three months. Yeah, very plausible.

#the owl house #toh #unpopular opinion #toh criticism #toh critical #Anti amity blight #Wish she was written better #anti lumity #If ut counts bc it's one of the reasons I dislike it

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merchantziro · 1 year

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Since a good few of y'all liked my Danny Phantom post about wanting a less angsty spin on Danny being dissected/vivisected by his own parents or the Guys in White. I might as add this idea that's been bumping around my brain for a little while now.

Danny Phantom X Castlevania AU

Basically the idea of this is that Danny Phantom exists in the Castlevania universe. I imagine given even his ancestors were Ghost Hunters, there would probably be a few Fentons that probably met or were at least aware of the Belmonts and their battles against Dracula over the century.

Maybe Count Dracula and Pariah Dark were both servants of Chaos, acting as the Dark Lord and the Ghost King respectively under Chaos (the true big bad of Castlevania and source of Dracula's powers and potentially Pariah Dark as well in this AU).

So anyway, flash forward to the 2030's where Danny Fenton is now in college and roommates with an exchange student from Japan named Soma Cruz.

Unbeknownst to each other, Danny has earned the title of the new Ghost King after defeating Pariah Dark but he doesn't want the throne yet, meanwhile Soma is the reincarnation of Dracula himself and the candidate to become the new Dark Lord but Soma has fought Chaos itself just to defy his destiny.

Soma and Danny are completely unaware of each other initially but still deal with supernatural threats separate from each other and sometimes dealing with each other's threats.

Like Danny could be on one side of town fighting a skeleton monster or something and wondering why it's not going in the thermos, while Soma is on the other side battling some high tech ghost guy talking about a whelp.

How this AU plays out can honestly go a lot of interesting ways so here's a few of my favorites.

Danny and Soma find out about each other at some point and both find a friendship now that they can abuse their powers freely in their own dorm room for the most mundane purposes or just showing off to each other, like Soma eating completely rotten food using his Ghoul soul while Danny just causally uses his ice powers to cool things down. Maybe both also bitch about the responsibilities they never asked for nor want to deal with among trading stories of adventures.

Danny is made aware of the Dark Lord hiding in Amity Park by a local cult claiming they plan to reawaken him while Soma is made aware of the Ghost King hiding among the living by Genya Arikado (Alucard). Shenanigans ensue until both finally meet and are confused but during a battle they realize the other isn't evil and both meet with Arikado to clear things up.

Alternative to the above it has rival cults attempt to summon the Ghost King and Dark Lord to them to battle for them and both Soma and Danny appear in forms showcasing their dark powers, stare at each other with recognition and confusion, and are just processing what the fuck is going on and why these cult people are yelling at them to fight.

Soma and Danny eventually accept their titles as Dark Lord and Ghost King because they both come to an understanding, accepting their burdons so nobody else should have to and use their dark powers to protect the world to spite Chaos. With Fright Knight and Death as their right hand men (both of whom also might be dating each other).

There's probably like a bunch of other ideas this could include. Such as Genya Arikado being contacted by the Guys in White to assist them. Which leads to GIW operatives showcasing to Arikado their plans for destroying all sorts of paranormal beings such as Danny Phantom.

Meanwhile Alucard, a half vampire who knows from experience that not all supernatural beings are evil, is just staring at them blankly and wondering what's the best way to completely sabotage and destroy this entire government branch before they do something they will regret.

#danny fenton #danny phantom #soma cruz #castlevania: aria of sorrow #castlevania #alucard (castlevania)#alucard #dracula #count dracula #fanfiction #fanfic #danny phantom x castlevania crossover au #crossover #crossover au #college #roommates #shenanigans ensue #genya arikado #guys in white

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raayllum · 2 years

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I feel like the owl house fandom takes things way too srsly esp with ships and preferences on characters. idk I love hunter and amity's backstory and I love luz but I'm more interested in hunter and amity's backstory that doesn't make me racist their storylines are more interesting

So this probably won't be what you expected or asked for but I'm grabbing the opportunity anyway to address some of the ways I think TOH falters from a Storytelling perspective and why I think those issues (as well as how young a lot of the fans are, although when I was 11-13 in fandom I was much more chill and "live and let live" so just shows what a decade can do in terms of fan community) unintentionally perpetuate some of what you mention.

Also don't think you're racist for preferring Amity and Hunter (Hunter, Gus, and Luz are my faves) but I do think TOH has some issues with how it handles its characters of colour, so I am going to touch on that. While I'm white. this is reflected on / verbatim from conversations I've had with Black and Asian friends / fans of the show and how racial stuff can tend to play out in fandom (circa 2013 onwards from personal experience of how people have treated fave characters, like Finn from Star Wars, in the past).

That said, I do still like the show. I love the strong found family, everything surrounding Eda and her allegories for mental health are super solid and important, I'm thrilled by the queer rep (I’m queer & watched Korrasami happen live), and I don't think a show has to be perfect or to check off my personal preference to be good. But I do think the show is... an interesting mixed bag for a few key reasons I haven't seen anyone talk about, so here they are.

Under a read more bc this gets long, like, real long, even though there’s only four things on this freaking list, LMAO. For whoever reads it, have fun!

1. The Owl House writes like first impressions don't matter.

This is one of the biggest things in the show that breaks elements of setup + payoff. After all, if your setup is misleading or unaddressed by payoff later, characters and plot lines may come across as stilted. This also ties into other areas (such as screentime) that I'll touch on later.

By far the character who has broken setup the most, though, is Amity. For example, Amity is introduced as someone who has bullied Willow for years, even when no one else is around (i.e. it's not a pure performance), and even though they used to be friends when they were young. Their friendship fall out / Amity distancing herself from Willow is explained by Amity being forced to by her parents, and understandably struggling with how to deal with and explain it as a child.

I haven't seen the last few episodes of S2 (aka I got up to "Hollow Mind") and I was disappointed in S2A when it seemed like this plot element would never be addressed again. So I was very pleased to learn that there is an episode in S2B that talks about their friendship. Except... it doesn't address the bullying. Because yes, Amity tried to protect Willow by distancing herself... but Amity also didn’t need to Bully Willow, like, at all. Not within the confines of the story and not within the landscape of the character; her parents didn’t tell her to be cruel to Willow. She chose to do that. Repeatedly. And that facet of their bond... has never been adequately addressed. It could be, in the future (but I personally doubt it).

It’s particularly strange, because Luz was 1) canonically bullied in the human realm and 2) perpetually struggled at making friends. It makes sense that she’d be extra against bullies and protective over the friends she does have, and wanting to see real change before bonding with a practical stranger (even if Amity did show a slightly nicer side at the end of “Covention,” it wasn’t an even ratio whatsoever, either of her niceness or Luz’s meanness). But we’ll circle back to this.

We see this issue of initially bad behaviour being overruled, sometimes retconned, or ignored to the point of being rewritten a few more times in the series.

The one that ties into Amity’s character are her siblings. In their debut episode, they have plans to share private pages of their little sister’s diary. This is mentioned in another episode as something they’re trying to make up for, but they weren’t there when shit hit the fan at the library, anyway. So we never see 1) why they were going to be so cruel to Amity in the first place (and I have siblings myself, so no, it’s not a sibling thing, or just a sibling thing), 2) what exactly made them change their mind, and 3) this type of behaviour never reappears or is addressed in the show, either. While Luz gets called a bully for it, the twins get off basically scot free. Yes, they’re obviously affected by their mother, too, but there’s never even a whiff or a hint about why they felt the need to humiliate Amity on a public scale besides thinking she was uptight.

We see this one more time with Darius, which was the most baffling and completely jarred me the first time I watched it. Darius was being cruel and dismissive to Hunter, but warms up when he realizes the kid does have a spine and will stand up for what he believes this. This is not the heart warming moment or message the show seems to think it is. All I heard and saw was an adult going “Oh, this kid is too indoctrinated and abused to be worthwhile until he proves otherwise, I’ll treat him like trash and ignore that I’m exacerbating his symptoms of abuse until then.” And no matter what comes latter, this is a downright weird set up, emotionally.

I’m not saying that none of these characters can be set up this way, but the introduction and how different they are in all other preceding episodes — or even when information is given to re-contextualize certain things — feels like whiplash. So the setup is a little weird, making pay off either non existent or unnecessary. This stumbling block makes the emotional continuity feel disjointed too, in some aspects. The way this affects emotional continuity can best be seen in Gus, Willow, and Luz’s friendship — but again, more that later.

As for set up and pay off, it can lead to missed opportunities, namely: why the hell was Amity Lilith’s protege in Convention? Again, not saying the show is bad or this is a bad writing choice, but it’s a weird one. I remember watching that episode, seeing Amity be introduced as Lilith’s pseudo apprentice, and being excited. It meant Lilith-Eda, Luz-Amity, and possibly the two menor-mentee relationships could all be developed simultaneously! It’d be interesting to see the parallels and differences.

At the very least, it would give a personal stake to Amity and Luz’s possible developing bond, with Lilith at the very least going to disapprove, and give Amity and Luz a chance to compete against each other and to see that progression.

Then it was never addressed again. And it wasn’t set up as a “one day thing” either. It seems that Lilith possibly tutored Amity for months, maybe even years, for Amity to be considered her “strongest protege” (exact line). So we miss out on that possible, episodic but still connected plot line (especially because after Convention, we never see Amity caring a whole lot about actual school, even though that as her whole thing in her intro and second episode). Then, even when Amity and Lilith are back on the same side (imagine how interesting exploring that fracturing could’ve been!) they... never interact, never mention, and never act like they know each other.

They’re two characters with the same theme and similar arcs split down the middle, have an interesting setup, and it goes.... Nowhere.

Because first impressions don’t matter in the show, which is particularly weird, as typically 1) what you set up in the very beginning of the show is what you want the audience to be invested in, and 2) the audience is going to / has to pay more attention in the beginning of a show because they’re actively trying to learn the rules of the world and character dynamics / personalities.

And it’s not the only time TOH does this, so let’s talk about

2. Screentime, Race, and Chosen Diaspora

Specifically that Gus and Willow barely get any, and how this ties into race. So I’ve touched on this before in an article I wrote on Vocal where I share meta-adjacent stuff that doesn’t fit my tumblr vibe, so if for some reason this is your thing, they may be other stuff you enjoy on there, whatever. I’m not gonna repeat myself too much here, but basically:

The majority of the Owl House cast is white, particularly when it comes to who matters in the plot. Eda, Lilith, and their family are all white. Hooty and King exist in what we’re going to call an aracial space, as they don’t have race and aren’t coded as any particular thing, either; just tried and true demons. Hunter is white; Belos is white. Gus and Willow are regulated to background characters and most of the time when Willow is being developed as a character (“Understanding Willow,” “Any Sport in a Storm”) it’s typically also used to further a white character’s growth of... learning to treat her better? Gus fares a bit better, but gets less screentime.

So not only is Luz the only primary character of colour, she’s largely cut off in forming meaningful relationships with other characters of colour, and having those bonds highlighted and given strong screen time (as thus far in S2, every time Gus and Willow have gotten significant screentime, it’s been largely removed from Luz, with her often doing something else with Amity). Remember when “Star Wars: Rogue One” came out, and there were discussions being had of “a lone woman only having meaningful relationships with men and no other women”?

[ Side note: as for the first point, I’m not going to say things I love, like TDP, don’t fall into the “woman surrounded by men” trope for its two main female leads, as Rayla is friends with the boys and was raised by her dads, and Claudia’s primary relationships are also with other men. However, I believe this is mitigated with plot lines like Ellis and Lujanne in S1, as well as Janai-Amaya-Khessa in S2 and particularly in S3, and I think this will only continue to grow moving forward into S4 and beyond ]

At the same time as Rogue One, there were conversations regarding the films status of “people of colour purely as the supporting cast but never as the primary lead”? TOH meets in as a weird hybrid in the middle, with a person of colour as the main lead, but largely surrounded by white people — and this is the case for most characters in the show.

Raine’s main relationship is with Eda. Darius is in the rebellion with them, but his only meaningful relationship on screen in any way is really with Hunter and the past golden guards. Gus and Willow are mostly side characters. We basically never see their families/parents (and know far more about the Blights / Edric and Emira in every way. Gus and Willow ultimately don’t get the time with Luz for me to call their relationship meaningful. This is especially strange, given that often times kids who are bullied (like all three of them are) cling harder to the friends they do have, and that while S1 was better about making Gus and Willow be extremely important to Luz as her First Friends Ever, S2 has dropped the ball even more so.

Luz is like an island, ironically on the Isles and cut off from her cultural community and from other characters of colour even when they do exist in her new community. So that’s talk about that in full.

Now, there is Luz, who is the primary protagonist (honestly, you could argue Eda is her co-protagonist) and she’s lovely and I love her. However, more than once, Luz’s plot line for an episode is a B plot or less plot relevant compared to other characters (particularly Eda). I touched on this in my Vocal article, but Luz is living in diaspora in the Boiling Isles. Yes, the demon realm suits her much better than Earth largely did, but I would still love to see elements of her culture in ways other than her / her family’s name and her occasionally speaking Spanish. What about holidays, what about missing her mother’s cooking and the cultural connotations it holds?

The show does engage with aspects of the Isekkai genre that are sometimes overlooked, namely Luz being torn between two worlds (and given that she’s mixed, it’s not like the allegory isn’t already there), but it only goes halfway. It only shows Luz wanting to be in the Boiling Isles with none of the possibilities about cultural shock, assimilation, and other aspects that can play into immigrating countries — or realms. I’m not saying the the show not engaging with Luz’s diaspora is a bad thing, but it does feel like a missed opportunity (as most of this is) particularly since they do try to engage with her on a cultural level with her speaking Spanish and writing her as purposefully Afro-Latina and from the Dominican Republic.

But honestly, basically everything I’ve talked about already — occasionally misleading set up w/ a lack of follow through, screentime (both considering and not considering its racial elements) — are all compounded into my biggest issue with the show, however, which are its

3. Disengaged stakes

So while I love Luz, I mostly love her for her personality and sweet hearted nature. I don’t actually love her that much for how she drives the plot forward — even though she does, and even though she’s the protagonist. And this is largely because Luz — and many of the characters — exist in a limbo of what I’m going to call Disengaged Stakes. Basically, they have stakes, but due to a lack of set up, or pay off in regards to emotional continuity (never mind a lack of consistency, i.e. sometimes Eda needs to hide, sometimes she can be flashy in public with zero consequences, sometimes getting caught by guards matters when the story decides it needs a conflict, and sometimes it doesn’t etc) it’s hard to actually be invested in those stakes. At least for me.

For most of S2, this meant I wasn’t really invested in Luz’s efforts to get a portal to see her mom (although this improved when we actually got a singular episode with Camila). It’s clear Luz isn’t going to live full time, if at all, in going back to the human realm. I also wasn’t worried for Camila, as she hasn’t been fearing for Luz this whole time, instead believing things are perfectly fine if not better than they were before.

Let me give you an example, and this was actually pointed out in a youtube review of the S2 finale that helped me put my finger on why it... felt weird as a finale (again, even though I haven’t fully watched it yet, but I have watched the bulk of it).

The four kids are stranded in the human realm, but what does that actually mean, for most of them? For Luz, this carries a lot of weight. She’s spent all season trying to find a way home to see her mother, but is now there under awful circumstances with no way back to the place she actually wants to be. It will also offer Camilla the perfect opportunity to see why the Boiling Isles and her family there is so important to Luz.

But what does this mean for the other three kids? Shockingly little. Like I’ve touched on before, we know nothing about Gus and Willow’s families. Yes, I’m sad they’re separated from them, but I’m sad because generally, kids being separated from their parents is sad. I’m not invested in their specific relationship (same issue I had with Rogue One and Jyn’s relationship with her father, as well). All Luz actually wants, in her core, is to stay in the Boiling Isles. Amity’s relationship with her father is on the mend and her siblings are there for her, but Luz is still clearly the most important person in the world to her, and they’re not separated. Hunter has absolutely nothing back for him in the Boiling Isles, largely, and he’s actually as safe as he can be from Belos’ machinations in the human realm.

So you have four kids tossed into the human realm, and it only really matters for one of them.

This is amplified in their relationships. Willow and Gus rarely have anything beyond interpersonal stakes; Amity had her mother, but now her father has turned over a new leaf, there are no interpersonal stakes any longer for her family (and she radically stood up to her mother very early on in S2 as well). She and Luz have had no problems in their relationship besides very brief miscommunication and Amity’s mother. Amity has hardly any stakes outside of Luz. The characters who are dealing with very high stakes, such as Raine, are largely shuttered away outside of the story — or Hunter.

Dear lord, Hunter. Which, now that we’ve gotten here, let’s talk about what I think could have aided in remedying a lot of these issues

4. Merging

Now I know TOH had to jump through a lot of executive hoops (including the existence and plot relevance of Hexside particularly in S1) so I don’t know what sort of orders came down, or mandates they have to follow but:

TOH has too many characters, and plenty of them could have been condensed as pairs into half as many characters.

I know this, because I went through a similar process of originally having a central group of thirteen characters, and cleaved that shit down to seven. So what are my proposed mergings?

The twins become one character. They more or less are now, fulfil the same purposes and character points as one another (flesh out Amity’s family, tease her and be a listening ear, show their mother’s control, operate as illusionists, etc). Whether it’s brother or sister doesn’t really matter.

Gus and Willow become one character. I would say keep more of Willow’s backstory (w/ Amity), dads, and plant magic alight, as the merged-twin character could substitute as the group illusionist whenever need be. It means that instead of only having splintered individual episodes with Luz or for their development, the small collection would be bolstered and improved marginally. It still wouldn’t fix where screentime or set up fails them, but it would be a significant start. I adore Gus, he’s one of my favourites in the whole show — but he’s less plot relevant than Willow, who is already largely not plot relevant (at least, not outside Hunter’s arc in S2) and we gotta be economical somewhere.

Economical storytelling is when a character, scene, or plot beat is doing at least three things at once, largely — and right now Gus is doing the least, as much as I love my boy, with Willow right next to him. Thus, there we go.

Now for the big, perhaps flat out unpopular one:

Hunter and Amity should’ve been one character. Like the twins, and even Amity and Lilith, they’re largely one theme split down the middle. The show draws intentional parallels between their world views, callousness, and need to be the best due to their abusive families, their strong relationships / connections to Luz, who works to friendship and who are changed by her kindness. There are also less thematic but still overt parallels, like their artificial wands, opposing palismans (bird vs cat), travelling into mindscapes where they uncover secrets. Hell, they both even have a reformed father figure who works with the Abominable coven with a shittier parent who believes in their own superiority at any cost.

Say Golden Guard Amity is enrolled in Hexside — she has to be trained somewhere — and throughout the season we hear her refer to her uncle, who raised her. He just wants the best for her, and for her to be a worthy member of the Emperor’s coven! It’s only at the end of S1 we learn that Amity’s uncle is Belos, and that her growing bond with Luz may be tested in the future. Then, in S2, she has to make a choice between her familial loyalty, ideological defection, and Luz and her friends (who will have more time to be friends, because there are less characters running around). You can even keep the condensed twin as a surrogate sibling mentor — perhaps one of Belos’ more successful grimwalkers, or flat out not a clone at all.

This merger gives Luz and Amity real stakes in their relationship, a higher sense of drama amid the sweet fluffiness, gives more characters more screentime... And amplifies everything that already exists in Amity’s arc. Yes, seeing a quieter form of child abuse from Odalia is worthwhile, particularly for abused children — but as of S2 she’s basically gone full bad guy and has already done so before in early S2, as her abomaton nearly kills Luz in “Escaping Expulsion” so... moot point? Sorta? Is what I’m saying.

It would also, for the love of god, give Amity a solidified reason to dye her hair after she finds out she’s a grimwalker. She wants to reassert her own identity, she wants to be different than her successors while also honouring their good nature, etc etc. Imagine “Hollow Mind” but with Amity in Hunter’s place, and all the weight that would hold for each of them, and for Hunter’s character, now condensed into Amity’s. Also stronger parallels of Belos’ clones becoming less like his brother (because Amity is a girl) over time and with parallels of the implied plot line, of Belos killing his brother because Caleb fell in love with a witch, and it’s happening again, this time just with Luz and Amity, directly.

Basically the only things that would have to change would be a little of S1′s pacing, some of S2′s Blight parent related episodes (so largely two until the finale, which again, Darius or the condensed twin could easily substitute)oOr, to come full circle, you could have Lilith also play a factor, the way she did in Amity’s arc in the beginning. This would provide a greater sense that characters actually had lives and connections and little ship passing in the night moments before Luz showed up, and they would all feel more like!! REAL PEOPLE!!

The only thing that would possibly, likely have to go is Willow’s history with Amity.But given that the show has never really addressed the bullying, perhaps that backstory element would be better left dropped, in general. Amity can be a jerky bully without specifically bullying Luz’s friend for like, 4-6 years beforehand, y’know.

Anyway I will never not believe in the validity of what I call TOH Merger and how it would strengthen basically almost every single aspect of the show, take it or leave it.

Conclusion / Nitpicks

Other notes before we wrap up.

I got bored with just how many episodes relied on the “Character A doesn’t want to fess up to something bc they’re insecure, scared, or trying to look Cool, but inevitably lie and make things ten times worse, and then learn it’s important to be honest” in S1 (hi King, Luz, Willow, and Gus eps respectively).

Amity’s laser character focus on Luz stifles her relationships with both Willow and Gus (as it is more or less non existent outside of a few lines or group scenes); all of Amity’s character growth is largely because of her relationship with Luz, but the same cannot be said for Luz, leaving their relationship lopsided. This is particularly true for me (and is a total personal Aro-spec induced nitpick) and is all the more glaringly obvious considering they barely had one episode where the two were on friendly / friend-ish terms before crush feelings on Amity’s side came in. This makes me feel less invested in their relationship as a whole, as while it’s exceedingly cute, it feels like it’s based on nothing but Crush™ Feelings and that will also be less compelling to me than a strong Foundational Friendship that develops into a crush. I don’t mind that development happening fast, but this was a little too fast in my book.

Final disclaimer: Still like the show, still think it’s good, these are just some of the reasons I don’t think it’s Great. The lack of a Merger will haunt me. Thank you goodnight

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charizardstolemynickname · 1 year

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THE OWL HOUSE SEASON 2 HAS CAPTIVATED ME, so here are my reactions/thoughts to episodes 18 and 19

Episode 18: FINALLY MORE GUS TALK!!!! We get so much information about all the other characters I WAS BEGINNING TO THINK MY GUY GUS WAS BEING NEGLECTED!!

His power is so cool, I need more people to be as excited about illusionist magic as me and Gus are! HE LITERALLY CHANGED THE WHOLE SCHOOL AND TRICKED THE HEAD OF ILLUSIONIST COVEN!

Speaking of, the head of the Illusionist Coven being just some wanna be director is fucking hilarious, he is a snob and I hate him with a passion but I want to laugh at him, so much

Gus literally saving all the students at the school too is being SEVERELY looked over right now, like DUDE HE LITERALLY SAVED ALL OF YOU!!!!

All the guards this episode had me in stiches!!! I WANT MORE GUARDS BEING FUNNY IDIOTS!! ESPECIALLY SEVERINE, god, someone get Severine some therapy, like SLAYYY GO BACK TO THE TINY CAT COVEN! GET SOME SELF ESTEEM BACK!

Obviously, i cannot talk about this episode WITHOUT talking about our boy, Hunter.... who was living in the school stage. Listen, I won't judge the guy, he is homeless, his whole life has been thrown upside down, I feel for the guy it was just a surprise! (/lh) ANYWAY, I LOVED THE GUS AND HUNTER FRIENDSHIP GROWTH! From the sharing of the breathing thing (TWICE!!!) and the comforting each other AMAZING

Amity and Willow learning how to be friends again was also an amazing plot line, I love to see how their friendship will expand

Episode 19: THE WEIRD DREAM THING??? AND KING BEING CONNECTED TO THE COLLECTOR?!? Listen, I still don't fully understand who the collector is BUT THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THEY HAVE APPEARED IN ONE OF THE GANG'S DREAMS! Yeah, I haven't forgot about it being in Eda's dream too! I am very confused, it seems lonely, but evil, but also just a chaotic vibe, I am conflicted

POOR KING! He literally just found out traumatising news and THEN people keep treating him differently now?? I spent the whole start of the episode wanting to just hold King and keep him safe from everyone, HE IS JUST A LITTLE GUY!!! HE IS JUST A BABY!!!

BUT! Steve to save the day. I am now a Steve Stan. I am a Steve fangirl. If Steve has 1 fan, its me, if Steve has 0 fans, I am dead. BRING BACK STEVE!!!! I adore Steve, with every essence of my being, HE WAS ACTING LIKE KING WAS FAMILY AND- AHHH, best friends your honour, they are best friends

FUCKKK The Eda and Raine and Luz angst was a plotline I was NOT ready for after the absolute fluff that was King and Steve helping people and vibing. SOMEONE GET MY PAL RAINE OUT OF THERE!!! Plant coven girl is literally obsessed with them, tf

Eda just wanting to save the kids, to protect Luz and King- I will admit, it hit me in my feels, Eda still treating King as a kid (AS HE SHOULD BE) and Luz and wanting them both away from danger AHHHHHHH

Luz bestie, I love you, but PLEASE EDA WAS RIGHT

HOWEVER HARPY EDA CAMEO!!! RAHHHHHH, I am still obsessed with it, we need more of Harpy Eda in this show.

AND FINALLY, THE ALLIES!!!! GOD. I am obsessed DARIUS I KNEW I COULD TRUST YOU!!! I don't know if I posted, but I REALLY liked Darius but knew (well, thought) he was evil, BUT NO I CAN NOW FINALLY LOVE HIM! AND EBERWOLF! Didn't forget him (did just have to search his name tho)

OH AND! The Palisman!!! I was going to mention this as I hadn't been mentioned in a while, BUT CARING FAMILY BONDING BETWEEN EDA, LUZ AND KING!!! I fucking love found family. Can you tell!!#

IN OTHER EXCITING NEWS! I am about to watch the season 2 finale episodes! No idea what to expect, but I am literally addicted so will take anything, i am sad I am so close to finishing it though, as Season 3 has less episodes

BUT it means I can finally interact with the fandom, etc etc

Thank you to all following my journey watching the series for the first time

#the owl house #the owl house spoilers #the owl house season 2 #the owl house season 2 spoilers #eda the owl lady #luz owl house #toh #toh spoilers #edalyn clawthorne #toh raine #the owl house darius #toh hunter #the owl house hunter #toh gus #the owl house gus #FINALLY SOME GUS LOVE #the owl house willow #toh willow

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neoncherryblossom · 6 months

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Luz 2-3, Darius 8-13 👀

Hi!

Luz! I don't talk much about you but I love you! You were fantastic!

2. Her relationship with Eda and King! I adored how the finale handled them so so much! They do just be 3 weirdos, and they won and it's fantastic!

3. I don't really know, the only thing popping into mind right now is more a trope problem than a Luz one, but her entire section in Hooty's episode sucked. I have despised love tunnels since I was a kid (I think Fairly Oddparents did it but I will never check because I have some self respect) and dear lord, watching Luz internally die the whole time was my exact mood. I just skipped to Hooty's breakdown and the confession because I couldn't be bothered to cringe through that. (I'm more of a Ferris Wheel confession kinda person because those are at least romantic, but hey people seemed to like it so do you and there is no Ferris Wheel at the BI anyway😔.) I'm a little harsh but once again, more a trope thing than a Luz one. I really do like her charcter and it did seem like a really natural progession from ep 1 to the finale. Any real problems are addressed in the show and I think that's perfect.

Darius

8. I wouldn't say I despise this, but I really don't like him and Alador together. I don't like it so I (normally) don't read or look at fanart unless I already like the other person's other works, but I don't see what benefit it gives either of them? Just force them into situations together because of Hunter and Amity or for them to genuinely want to try their friendship again, but anything romantic with them is eh to me. Not toxic or character breaking (except when people imply their in show pettiness to it then that's very annoying), just not my cup of tea.

9. Darius would hate me and my fashion choices and since I am not Hunter I would get roasted. No.

10. Darius' guide to friendship is 'you're still as annoying as the day I met you so why the hell can't I imagine living without you' so maybe if I'm in close vicinty and talk a lot, I maybe could. Anyone probably could, you just have to be interesting/some degree of feral (Eber, Eda and Lilith).

11. Maybe.

12. I always have Darius thoughts but one of them is he does not want give his blessing for Hunter to get married until the boy is 26. He will be supportive if Hunter does get married earlier or even then, he just thinks that that's kinda losing him.

(It's not and Hunter does have that talk with him, but it still feels like it y'know?)

13. Hunter and Eber have given the court degree :

😒

(I think it fits with his vibe.)

#i don't know dating but darius would probably be a good romantic partner #the owl house #answers #thanks for the ask!

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felesrubrum · 1 year

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The Owl House S3

or what EXISTS OF IT ANYWAY

ep01 - Thanks to Them I loved this!!! I love all the snapshots of their lives in the human realm, I love the way Amity says "hedgehogs" like she's never heard that word before, I love Amity and Luz and their relationship, I love HUNTER and WILLOW and their adorable relationship, I love Camilla's secret Star Trek Cosmic Frontier obsession, I love how it really truly shows HOW MUCH she is like Luz, I love the dream sequence where we get to know why Camilla thought that going to that "normalizing" camp would help Luz, I love Hunter's interest in sewing, I love Gus and Hunter's friendship, I love Hunter's Zuko-ass arc-

but WHO IS EVELYN??? Like i know "who" she is, but WHO IS SHE? WHY IS SHE CONNECTED TO FLAPJACK AND HOW??? Was Flapjack Caleb's palisman? Was it Evelyn's?? What REALLY happened between her and Caleb and Phillip??? Was it like a "they both loved her but she only loved Caleb"? Was it a "Caleb and Phillip hated her and hunted her but Caleb fell in love with her"? HOW DID PHILLIP STAB CALEB IN THE BACK??? LIKE. HOW?????

also POOR FREAKING FLAPJACK. POOR FREAKING HUNTER. I LOVE Camilla's fucking attitude and supportiveness to go to the DEMON REALM for Luz. 10/10 mom. Also I love how she's just like. "Ok I guess i have 6 children and also 4 pets now".

#the feles house #the owl house #toh #spoilers #toh spoilers #the owl house spoilers #if you saw my previous posts about this.#no you didn't.#this is my first time CHRONOLOGICALLY SHARING MY THOUGHTS.

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thousand-winters · 1 year

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HELLO HELLO I just found and read "So, what was your name again?" on AO3 while surfing the Darius Adopts Hunter tag, and I am IN LOVE WITH IT.

I love how each chapter focused on a different character's interactions with Hunter and just their thoughts in general — the way Willow resolves to be strong for her friends, Camila taking care of Hunter (mother figure Camila!! Even if she doesn't adopt him I do love her being Hunter's soft-launch to parental affection, because the Titan knows Belos was a dickwad to him), the way Luz derailed her own (vaguely self-destructive) plans to sit with Hunter, Gus and Hunter being brothers, Amity and Hunter having a stilted but slowly mending friendship. All of these were so damn good!!!

And the last chapter was so sweet and comforting and homely that I could practically feel Darius's affection myself. I read that chapter twice. It's stunning. I love that the kids were all willing to take Hunter in if he had nowhere to go (but he did!!!!) and how Darius was sorely tempted to mirror Hunter's muffled screaming. Actually just Darius being embarrassed in general, because I love his dynamic with the other rebels (Eda/Raine/Eber) and the Aladarius rivalry going strong as always (those two will never not be funny).

Especially Uncle Eber!! I love that Eber and Darius are brothers. I live for Dadrius fics in general but when Eber gets included in their family it just makes the fic 1000 times better. Eber's gonna be the best uncle ever, eat that Belos (not that the bar was very high but STILL).

Anyway there is so much more I want to say about this but it's starting to escape me and I'd read the last chapter again to recall all the details but that would take me very long (there are MANY details that I love) and I have like three overdue assignments.

tl;dr I loved your fic!!!

I spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to find a gif of Eda being weepy after King hands her the adoption papers to express my feelings about this and didn't succeed so I need you to picture that 😭

Oh, right! Hello there!! 💖🥺 This is such a sweet message, thank you so much for taking the time to come here and share your thoughts, I was filled with joy as soon as I saw this

First of all, I think it's the oldest Dadrius fic I have there? So it surprises me whenever someone comments on it or such. A good surprise, of course! And this is exactly that, so thank you so much 💕

I had such fun with the different chapters so I'm glad those were fun to read as well! I was so worried about the Darius chapter tho, haha. That was my first time ever writing him, damn, it's been a while. I'm just happy it came out nicely, and I'm flattered that you read it twice 🥺

Oh, Eber and Darius are so siblings in my heart, haha. Well, Dana did say they were like that too, so I was definitely always rooting for Eber as an uncle/co-parent. My uncl-Eber agenda that has grown quite nicely after WAD 🧡 So happy to see everyone embracing the little creecher as part of the family

This was such a sweet message!!! I already said so, but it bears repeating, I'm genuinely grateful you took the time to write this 💖💖💖 And I hope you had luck with those assignments!!!

Have a lovely day 💖

#asks #this made me weepy asjhfdsg #💖💖💖

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none-prob · 1 year

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I write about a character per day

Day 16: Willow Park

Alright, let's get this out of the way. I'm just gonna say it, Willow is not a good fat representation. I didn't mind it at first, but it started to make sense, and with the few frames in the ending of her being extremely thin-ified made it even worse, I feel the need to say it. It's a disappointment for sure, since Willow is my kin, and I crave for fat representation as a fat person myself. That being said, I love and respect anyone who draws Willow fat, it honestly means a lot to me. I guess the Willow Park lived in my mind is the fat Willow Park in fanarts. (This may or may not contributed to the reason why I love Steven Universe more, but that's another story for another day)

(Do I want to tag this as fat representation? Probably not, because after this is just me writing about Willow)

Anyway, Willow is my kin, as I relate to her in so many sense. She was bullied, stressed, had a breakdown, and a nerd. She's so awesome. The friend, the reliable helper of everyone, yet sometimes still need someone to rely one. So many similarities to Steven Universe as well, and she's not even the biggest main character.

Where do we even begin with this complex character? How about from the beginning with her best friend, then bully, then best friend again. Willow was striped away from Amity's group by Amity's parents (can't thank Odalia enough, Alador didn't help either). And nothing's worse than your old friend just embracing your bully and joining to bully you. Like I feel that. It sucks. It's a stab in the back. Do I feel like there should be more time for them to talk about things? Maybe, there're a lot of things we didn't see in the show. Ever since the dreadful moment of Amity tried to burn the memory of Willow, things changed quite drastically. It only took Amity a near death experience and she and Willow is fine again. After that, it all went pretty for them, from prom pic to the grudgby team. There are still moments of them stepping on each other in Labyrinth Runners, but overall it settled down. Amity no matter how far away she distanced herself from Willow, just managed to get back to her closer than ever.

Would Amity reconcile with Willow without Luz? It's an interesting question, but I can tell you that no, it wouldn't happen. Luz built so many bridges in the show, but the bridge between Willow and Amity is one of the greatest. Willow meant a lot to Luz. Luz's first friend is Willow. Willow helped Luz experiencing life outside of the owl house, while Luz helped Willow opened up to others more. Luz loved hanging out with Willow and Gus, probably more than Eda and King. And on the other hand, when either got in trouble (mostly just Luz), Willow seeked help for her. It kinda disappointed me a bit that Willow and Luz doesn't interact nearly as much in Season 2 and 3, they had such a good time in Season 1 terrorizing the Isles with the Moon spell for funsies.

Willow is like a big sister in Hexsquad, and it showed quite clearly towards Gus. I think Labyrinth Runners isn't one of the best episode of the show plot-wise because so many backgrounds of characters being explained. Willow found Gus in a panic attack, helped him out and started a long time friendship in Hexside. Two students that are pretty alienated inside the school, found each other and help each other. It amplifies the need of someone to rely on when you're alienated.

Her confidence improved significantly during Season 2, as we saw in Any Sports in a Storm. That scene of her just controlled the entire team with her power while pulling Hunter down. I talked about Huntlow before, they were nice, they helped each other, Hunter saved Willow when she had her breakdown. Everyone acknowledged Willow's contribution to helping people, but Hunter is the first to appreciate it so much, to value her higher than she thought. All my hatred towards Boscha can turn into love and delivered to Hunter, because Hunter had pulled Willow out of self-doubt and self-devaluation.

I don't think I could hold that much pressure at a young age, let alone being alienated and bullied out of existence like Willow. And that's something that I will appreciate a lot from Willow and Steven Universe, they're physically strong but not as strong mentally, and it is fine. They love helping others, but forget to help themselves. They tried to hide it from others, but the more they hide the worse it got. They taught us a valuable lesson of opening up to those you can trust, and mutually come to a solution.

#toh #the owl house #willow park #luz noceda #amity blight

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gangrel-pride · 2 years

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-I knew it! Gus was a part of team powerhouse all along! Wish we got more episodes exploring his insecurities but I guess we do what we can with the time we have so anyway fuck didny

-i don’t even care about Hunter but even i have to admit his friendship with Willow and Gus is cute

-FJSHFHSDHAGSGJDJ SAILOR MOON REFERENCE HELL YEAH

-you know, I figured Ed and Em would multitrack eventually but Matt was a surprise

-ok but consider: instead of talking to her parents Amity, like, lets Willow loose on them so anyway Amity and Willow Owlhouse’s friendship lives rent-free in my head

-principal badass. That is all

-lmao the emperor’s coven is so competent it routinely gets foiled by a bunch of kids 10/10 definitely see why people would join

Guess now it’s wait another week to see what happened with Luz and Eda and Lilith. My money is on Gwendolyn showing up and decimating the ec squad

#the owl house #the owl house spoilers #toh spoilers

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nerves-nebula · 3 years

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Hi going through you art tag and Im seeing the "home hunter au" and Im seeing bits and pieces so I'm wondering if you could explain it for me please?

i mean all the posts about it are tagged "home hunter au" Still it's kinda disorganized, and there's a lot of "home hunter block party" stuff that’s kind of unrelated gunking up the tag now, so yeah sure I'll do a quick summary.

Home Hunter AU: This AU takes place some time after Eclipse lake. The basics are that Hunter pisses off Belos really badly and has to run away, obtaining an injury during the fight. So, typical stuff for a runaway AU. The main point of mine though is that I don’t think Hunter is close enough to the owl house crew to want to like, stay at their place. To me it seems more likely that he’d strike out on his own. I think he’d have trouble trusting them, and even if he did trust them, the idea that he has to rely on someone for food and shelter and all that stuff, after having JUST been run out of his previous home, is terrifying.

I also use this AU to explore a lot of Hunters unresolved trauma, conflicting feelings (mostly about Belos, the nature of his friendships with the owl house crew, and his issues with self worth), and meandering personal goals. He planned to return to Belos, but after being unable to find anything good enough to give Belos to warrant his return he instead decided to research wild magic, telling himself he’d return once he figured it all out and had some ideas for curing Belos’ curse. After a while though, and a lot of conversations with Luz and Eda and Amity and the others, he kind of doesn’t want to return anymore. And though he doesn’t say it out loud, he kind of hopes Belos has forgotten about him. But that’s conflicting, because he desperately wants Belos to need and love him. That’s how it is with your abusers sometimes, though.

Anyway, Belos is looking for him, and mostly just wants to have his nephew “safe” under his control again, but we’ll get to that later haha

oh yeah and Hunter is definitely trans too, just cause I feel like it. But I haven’t really addressed that yet in like, a comic or anything.

Home Hunter Block Party: this is really just me having fun and goofing around. almost entirely pencil sketches. Mostly just people asking me to draw funny shit. It’s not really related to the main AU other than that Hunter lives in the woods due to the same situation, but none of the stuff that happens in the block party universe is part of the main Home Hunter AU.

There’s a lot of other stuff that happens in the AU, but it’s all over a bunch of posts and comics, so, I’d encourage you to just search through the tag chronologically to make sense of it.

Hope his helped and wasn’t too wordy or difficult to understand. I’m not really proof reading it, it’s too long and I have homework I should get to lmao.

#toh #the owl house #toh hunter #hunter toh #home hunter au #home hunter block party #ask #nnstuff

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ordinaryschmuck · 3 years

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What I Thought About “Separate Tides” from The Owl House

Salutations, random people on the internet who most likely won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

...>A-hem< F**KING CALLED IT!

I said that the earliest that The Owl House would return would be late June and early July. And some of YYYOOOUUU sons of witches doubted me by saying it would be fall or winter. Well, guess what! "Separate Tides'' has come and gone, the show is back and better than ever, and we are all happy about it! You see how it pays to be optimistic, you persistent PACK OF PESSIMISTS!

...Sorry. Got a little hot there. I'm just so happy it's BACK!

10 MONTHS! It's been nearly 10 months since this show began its hiatus, large in part because of the pandemic. It was painful. BOY, was it painful. But I can already tell that the new season is going to be well worth the wait just by this episode alone.

But beware you mangey sea dogs! Thar be spoilers ahead when discussing such a premier.

And I swear to you that it's only spoilers for "Separate Tides." I haven't seen "Escaping Expulsion" either, and I promise you will be safe from anybody ruining it for you. But maybe don't read any responses from this post. Thar may be d**ks in these waters. So let's review, shall we!

WHAT I LIKE

Mirroring Season One’s Opening Scene: First off, this is a neat callback to what is the perfect first impression of the series. That scene perfectly introduces us to the type of show The Owl House is, while this one acts as a reintroduction to the world we left for way too long.

Second, this is also a well-hidden character moment. Luz is finally living the life she dreamed of, but it isn't exactly all that she expected. It's a great showcase that despite literally running away to a fantasy world, Luz is still getting a regular dose of reality. And I still love the irony in all of that.

(Plus, King eating the bounty is just funny).

The Recap Recording: This is a smart way to recap events from the season finale. It might be weird that Luz says things that the audience already knows, but she's not talking to us. She's talking to her mom. So she's going to explain all that she can in a way for Camila to fully understand. Besides, not every fan had repeatedly watched The Owl House Season One over and over again like a bunch of frickin' lunatics...You know who you are.

Plus, as an upside, Luz gets to explain new events and concepts for how she and the rest of the Owl House are making a living. In no way does it feel like forced exposition because, again, she's trying to describe as much as she can to her mother. It's a reasonable and natural way to talk to the audience in order to catch them up while also showing what's been happening since we've last left this show.

Luz Can’t Send Texts to Her Mom: ...Well, Texts to Home, it was fun while it lasted, but the current canon has decided that you're done. I'll miss you and appreciate all that you've done for me, but, yeah, this is the end. Sorry.

Alright, now that I got my jokes out of the way, allow me to explain how this is really a heartbreaking moment. Because the fact that Luz is forever cut off from her mother, even through texts, is an idea that just twists the knife in your heart when you really sit down to think about it. Luz's little goodbye at the end of her video does nothing but makes it worse.

On the upside, we get some solid character development as Luz doesn't even hesitate to send the video to Camila, learning her lesson from "Enchanted Grom Fright" about being more honest. She finally faced her fear, even if it was a fruitless effort.

They’re Doing Odd Jobs Now: This is a smart workaround for how the Owl House residents are making money. Some fans guessed that maybe Eda had so much junk piled up that they wouldn’t worry, but this seems more of a logical direction. Even if Eda had enough garbage to sell, she’ll can and will eventually run out at some point, meaning that they will all have to take the odd jobs anyway. So I appreciate the writers used that plot point sooner rather than later, as a fun romp as bounty hunters is something you want to do early in the season instead of later on. Especially with how Dana Terrace confirmed that s**t’s gonna go down in the future.

Lilith: ...I'm still willing to hold off--What the f**k did I say his name was? *looks up past review* Frederick Ulis--Frederick Ulisinsburg!

I am willing to hold off Frederick Ulisinsburg, for now, because Lilith is...sort of on the right track. I mean, I don't like how quick she was to playfully mock Eda or rudely yell at Hooty. But I do think that there is potential for her character. She feels genuine guilt for what she's done, and there's a chance that the new season will explore that further if the writers are smart (which they are). On top of that, there's a possibility that every time Lilith tries to act cocky or full of herself, she will be treated as a proverbial punching bag because of it. Like how her poster got burned down after boasting how impressive she looks. Or how Golden Guard's poster magically sealed itself to her face when Lilith tried to throw it away. It's the latter that primarily got me cackling like a madman due to how deservingly hilarious it was.

And, well...she happily clapped like a schoolgirl! Which was adorable! I can't hate characters who have the potential to be adorable! It's not in my nature!

So, while I am a little hesitant in liking her, I think there's a chance for improvement in her character in the future that I look forward to. We just have to wait and see if the writers pull it off.

(By the way, to the person that came up with Lilith wearing a "battery low" shirt...you're a genius in visual gags/storytelling.)

Greg’s List: Have I ever mentioned that this show is funny?

Who's Greg? Why does he organize a list of perfect bounties?

I don't know, but the idea of some random person in the Boiling Isles is putting it on himself to set up a list to make bounties...I'm sorry, but that's funny to me. It's also probably for how Craig's List was made, but when you really think about it, Craig's List is a funny idea as well.

Eda Isn’t Feared Anymore: I sort of guessed that this would happen, but seeing it is a whole different level of sympathy to feel for the character. Eda's main schtick was being the most powerful witch on the Isles, and that's gone now. She's forced to adapt to this new normal, which she's quick to do, but still. Tt's got to be a rough kick to the ego now that no one even cares about who she is anymore.

It's a low moment for her character that hopefully sets up her own arc for the rest of the season.

Luz Feels Like She’s a Burden: I will demolish her with love and kindness if she even CONSIDERS talking so poorly about herself again! Because Luz is not a burden. She is a beam of light that literally brightens up the lives of nearly everyone she meets. Eda already explains how her life is better because of Luz (through a heart-tugging speech that almost got to me, by the way), but it's not just Eda.

King now has his first real friend who admires him and treats him like the king he wants to be.

Willow has become much more confident and cheerful because Luz was always in her corner.

Gus learns more about the humans he appreciates with his whole heart while also having a friend that treats him like an equal rather than a kid.

And do I even have to say ANYTHING about Amity?

The Boiling Isles wouldn't be better off without Luz. It's better because of her. And shame on this girl for thinking otherwise...even though I fully understand where she's coming from.

I'm about to get personal for a second, so strap in. Because I am a twenty-somthing-year-old who is currently living with his mom. It's as pathetic as it sounds. But it's because I'm still attending college, and she says school comes first and jobs and apartments come second. Despite that, I feel like trash for just...living here as she still takes care of me and pays for the food I can't afford. She says that I shouldn't worry about it, but I still wait for the day I can finally pay her back for everything. Not some things, but everything. And that's Luz's mentality in this episode. The overwhelming guilt she's feeling for thinking she's inconveniencing Eda's life is something that hits really hard for me. It doesn't matter if it's true, but that she believes it's true. It's a heartbreaking character arc she's forced into for this episode that also adds more to why she's one of the many characters I heavily relate to.

Lulu and Hootstipher: Whoever thought of this idea...I f**king love you.

This is similar to when Noah and Owen became friends in Total Drama World Tour. Seemingly one-sided at first, you see a cute friendship that you would have never expected, but it works! Hooty is this happy and naive character who hardly understands what's going on half the time, and Lilith is...Lilith. Their chemistry is instantly fun as their dynamic is quick to understand.

This also shines with potential for character growth, for it could give Lilith a chance to be more caring and Hooty a chance to be more than just the comic relief. If you were to tell me that this is what was going to happen when the season premiered, I would have thought you were crazy. But now, after seeing it in action, I'm genuinely excited to see where this cute friendship between these two goes.

(As long as it doesn't involve fans shipping them. Because Hooty can do better)

Luz Getting Better with Her Magic: Our little bisexual princess is growing up! And, man, is it awesome to see. Luz going from just barely knowing how to do magic to full-on using her spells like second nature just warms my heart with all the character growth it presents. Now, some people might want an explanation for how she's able to do said spells, to which I say: "Who the f**k cares?"

If you ask me, Luz's magic is one of those things that doesn't need a direct answer because it doesn't matter as much. But if you're going to be a baby about it, here's what I can offer: As far as I can tell, it's equal parts having the glyph and mentally picturing what the spell should do. It's much like how Willow draws a spell circle and can either make giant jungle vines or a patch of flowers to land on. Luz's glyphs are her own spell circles. As long as she concentrates hard enough, she can make the glyph do whatever she wants it to.

There. You have your explanation. Now let's just all appreciate the fact that Luz can now throw fireballs and make vine whips like the superpowered teenager she most likely fantasized of being. Ok? Ok.

A Pirate Losing His Head...Literally: ...And I'm gonna go ahead and add that to the list.

I mean, for f**k's sake, WE SEE BONE! He puts his head back on, but we still see the bone!

Eda in a Pirate Outfit: ...That is all.

The Golden Guard: This guy shows up for only a few minutes, and I'm already beginning to like him. He seems just as threatening as Belos while also coming across as a guy who loves his job and being a ton of fun to watch because of it. I adore villains that find that balance of being funny and terrifying. The result is a character who makes me laugh on top of making me scared of what they could do to our protagonists. So far, that's the Golden Guard in a nutshell, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the season has in store with him. Whether it involves seeing him play with food as he did with Eda and Luz in this episode or seeing him getting kicked in the crotch like a little punk like him deserves, I am all for it.

(Bonus points if it's Amity who does the crotch kicking if he ever makes an advancement on Luz)

Eda Wanting to Protect the Selkidomus: I love this. It plays into the idea that Eda cares about things being wild and free and despises how Emperor Belos would want to control everything, including the most insignificant of animals. It shows just how kind Eda really is rather than someone motivated by greed...even if she does end up filthy rich in the end.

Emperor Belos’ Brief Cameo: Yup, still terrifying!

And if it turns out that Belos can see the Scrying Potion that Lilith made...we're going to have some problems.

Much like the actual problems that I have with this episode!

(Like that transition?)

WHAT I DISLIKE

King Being Stupid: King has two different personalities in this series. Either he's a pathetic wannabe ruler who seems intelligent or an idiotic Disney comedic sidekick. That latter version of King is what we get in "Separate Tides," and I don't like it (obviously). I don't care how cute it is to see him cling onto Luz's leg and exclaim how he won't let her leave. The same character who helped Luz break into a prison to save Eda shouldn't be the same one who falls asleep when a sheet covers him like a dumbass parrot! King's at his best when he's as intelligent as the rest of the characters. And not as dumb as someone like Hooty.

Eda Being Too Nice Around Lilith: This one bothers me the most. After being cursed for thirty years and having her life ruined by the person she thought she could trust the most, Eda is still all smiley and jokey when talking to Lilith. Yeah, sorry, but I don't buy that. No one in their right mind would be that cool with a person who did all of what Lilith did. It's a major misstep that squanders what could have been a fantastic overarching story of Eda learning to forgive her sister and Lilith trying to earn it. We'll at least get Lilith's guilt, but as is, I feel Eda showing genuine anger towards her would elevate that story by a lot.

IN CONCLUSION

But that's about all the bad things I have to say about "Separate Tides." As is, it is a well-earned, solid A of a season premiere. It introduces new concepts and characters I can't wait to see more of, continues old storylines and character development instead of ignoring them, and still proves that The Owl House is as charming and funny as it always was. Maybe the rest of the season could continue to be great, or maybe things might get worse. Time can only tell. For now, all I can tell you is that "Separate Tides" is a great and fun episode that makes me excited as we set sail to this new season.

(And Scared. Mostly scared)

#the owl house #the owl house season 2 #the owl house review #luz noceda #edalyn clawthorne #lilith clawthorne #the golden guard #king of demons #toh hooty #what i thought about

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takerfoxx · 3 years

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The Owl House, Season 2, Episode 1, "Stranger Tides," First Impressions!

Yo ho, yo ho, it's a pirate's whaler's life for Luz!

Now, if you'll recall, a common problem I ran into while reviewing season 1 is that while I was definitely enjoying it, it was so episodic that I often found it difficult to find something new to say about each episode. There wasn't a whole lot carrying over from one episode to the next that I could really sink my teeth into and fill out a full review, with the plot not really kicking in until the final two episodes.

Fortunately, I did not have that problem here, and now that season 2 has started, I have PLENTY to say about its debut episode.

So, this is what you'd expect for the first episode of the new season, an episode basically intended to bring everyone up to speed on how the characters are dealing with the ramifications of the previous season and introduce a few new elements that will set the tone for the season to come.

And basically, things at the Owl House are...not really great. I mean, sure, everyone got away and it looks like Emperor Belos hasn't really made their recapture a priority (most likely deliberately), but thanks to Lilith deciding to share Eda's curse to neutralize it, they both have found themselves powerless. They're not completely without magic, but what they have left is so meager to be practically useless. All expect for Eda's detachable limbs. Those still work. For Luz, as she never had magic to begin with and had to work extra hard to get around that handicap and find ways to keep up with everyone else, that means she's suddenly the breadwinner of the family, the one with the most power despite living with two (previously) notoriously powerful witches, and thus has taken up bounty hunting (sort of ironic, if you ask me). For Lilith, that means coming to terms with losing literally everything important to her, from her power to her position as the Emperor's Coven's poster girl, having been replaced by a spoiled teen prodigy (and oh, ho, ho, we will get to him!) as well as her own feelings of guilt for having cursed Eda in the first place.

Actually, guilt is the main motivator in this episode. Luz feels guilty for having gotten Eda trapped and that Eda now has to prioritize what little money they have for Luz's sake, which motivates her to take on more and more dangerous bounties to try to make it up to her. And Lilith feels rotten for the curse and that the fix ended up sapping Eda's powers, so she's driven to find some way of making herself useful, which fills out this episode's A-plot and B-plot.

Meanwhile, Eda herself is...handling things like a champ, actually. Sure, she's not thrilled about losing her power, nor does she care for the sudden dip in respect from the locals as a result, but she's not wallowing in self-pity. No, she's working and innovating, finding ways to adapt and keep ahead of the game. And to rip off the Empire too, because fuck those guys.

So anyway! Let's start with our A-plot: Luz the bounty hunter. She's doing her best to keep her spirits up and keep food on the table, but bounty hunting is a tough job and because everyone knows that Eda is powerless, the bondsman has no problem ripping them off because he knows he can get away with it. Furthermore, with the portal gone, Luz's messages to her mom aren't getting through, which is weighing on her mind.

Okay, we already know that Luz's mom is probably going to get involved this season. I predict that at some point, Emperor Belos completes his repairs of the portal, and when he does, all those unsent message will suddenly spill out all at once, giving good ol' Mama a heart attack.

Sort've serves her right though, because, you know, G-RATED CONVERSION THERAPY!

But anyway, she overhears Eda talking about eschewing her booze in favor of getting Luz food she can actually eat, so she resolves to make it up to her by taking on the biggest bounty of them all, which so happens to be a magical creature called a Selkie-dama, which requires her to join a ship that's setting out to do that so she could get a cut.

A ship that just so happens to be under the command of Lilith's replacement, who also so happens to be the mysterious spy working for Emperor Belos that we met last season, whom we will get to!

Anyway, they fortunately rush through the bit of Luz proving herself to the crew, because who cares, King finds out agent's private room (in a reveal that calls back to a similar scene in Gravity Falls) and gets captured, and they find the Selkie-Dama, in which Luz shows us how far she's come by utterly wrecking shit.

Unfortunately, the bounty is stolen by a mysterious figure, and Luz isn't about to get ripped off again, so she goes after them, only to find that that SURPRISE, it's Eda, who figured she'd cut out the middleman and just steal the bounty directly, because you have to admit that that does make sense.

But anyway, none of that matters, because that's when HE finally is properly introduced.

Hear that? That's the sound of thousands of thirsty fangirls (and quite a few fanboys and fanenbys as well) shrieking.

Meet the Golden Guard. Yes, he's arrogant. Yes, he's sassy as fuck. Yes, he's voiced by Zeno Robinson. And according to his brief appearance in the OP...

HE'S A PALE-HAIRED PRETTY BOY, Y'ALL!!!

So. We now have this season's small antagonist.

And since Luz is the only resident of the Owl House with any real power (Hooty aside, but we'll get to that) and now with Amity as Luz's close friend (more on that later as well), that makes him Luz's new rival! Ooooh, I can smell the Enemies to Lovers fics already!

Yeah, it's gonna be a HUGE ship, but that's no prediction, everyone knew that anyway.

But while I doubt they're actually going to get together (though count on our bi-queen Luz getting smitten once she sees his face), I do smell a redemption arc for this guy. I mean, why would they make him so likeable otherwise?

Yes, he was a jerk, but he was a jerk in an endearingly entertaining sort of way.

But beyond that, I do note that he also has a tech-powered staff (seems to be the same one that held the palisman that Belos fed off of last season, but with an upgrade), and wields the same flesh-based magic as well. Now, his ears do show that he's not a human, but I still wonder if all that tech magic (which has to be manipulating the flesh of the Titan itself) is either a crutch for the magicless or a shortcut for those who want power fast.

Also, in addition to slotting in as Luz's rival, he also has taken Lilith's place as the face of the Emperor's Coven and also uses Eda's "BYYYEEEEE!!!" catchphrase, he's set up to be a foil to just about everybody!

Anyway, he's not here to take them out just yet, but instead forces them to kill the Selkie-dama. They don't, of course, and instead trick him into thinking that they did, but it does show that 1. Emperor Belos is content to leave them be for the moment, and 2. Emperor Belos is seeking the destruction of magical creatures. Huh.

Also, called it on Luz becoming Eda's teacher when it comes to glyphs.

But speaking of rivals and ships, the question over all of this is Amity, who's been MIA with a broken leg for a while. No doubt she's not going to be upset about Luz being stuck in the Boiling Isles, but if Luz does start crushing on Prettyboy Golden Guard, I can see her feel all sorts of upset about that. I still thinking that Lumity is endgame, but now she's got to work for it, and there is going to be angst.

Anyway, our B-plot has Lilith trying to make things up for Eda, by putting together a scrying potion to spy on the Emperor's castle. Nice, will probably be important later, but the real important part, in addition to her getting over her pride (not an easy thing) was the surprisingly touching friendship she's building with Hooty of all people! I didn't see this coming, but they honestly have some great comedic chemistry.

And honestly, I can see it. Lilith's first introduction to Hooty was him opening a can of whoopass on her and her men, and now he does it again to save her from the fire bees. Sure, he's weird and annoying, but he's strong and competent as hell, something that she would naturally respect. I honestly like what they have building, and the Lulu and Hooticifer nicknames were adorable.

And now, onto our brief glimpse of Belos, who still managed to steal the whole damned episode with just a few words. We see he's gone that long, white hair thing going for him, so not a rogue palisman. So, human or shortcut-exploiting conman. Regardless, just as he seems content to leave the Owl House be despite Luz having the key (which will definitely be important later), he also seems aware of the scrying, and has no problem letting it go on.

Okay, this season is shaping up to be a great one. And next episode is an Amity episode, in which her parents meet Luz, so let's fucking GOOOOOOOOOOO!!! on the Lumity teases and oh God NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! on the awkward cringe comedy that is sure to result!

#the owl house #luz noceda #eda clawthorne #lilith clawthorne #golden guard #hooty #amity blight #lumity #reaction #spoilers

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