#Ebberwolf

[the-cosmos-withinus]

Staff meetings

I can't seem to track down the original source, I got this far though (x)

[originalwinnercheesecake]

Palisman headcannons 2: Because I still Think about These Little Guys

There are 8 palismans in this picture. Only one of them (Flapjack) found a good home in hunting Palismans. They all deserve good homes. Staring at them now though I can think of 7 good witches who don’t have palismans yet and who I could see bonding to these little guys

the little bell sprout thing: Pre-”Hunting Palisman” I was sure that this was going to be Willow’s palisman, simply because it was a plant. But when the Bat Queen explained how palisman bond to witches, and we saw Clover go to Willow, and  it made a lot of sense. So who would connect with this little plant? Darius! He doesn’t have a palisman, and might not want an animal one since animals like to run around, tear up things, and make a mess. But a plant palisman wouldn’t do that. This little plant probably just wants a nice sunny place to relax and look beautiful; just like Darius

Bell Goose: Originally thought this would be Gus’s (silly and loud) but his little Chameleon is a much better fit for him, an birds are a Clawthorne thing. So who is a Clawthorne (or will be one once they marry their love) who does not have a plaisman? Also, who cares about music and being heard enough to form a tight bond with a bird that carries around a musical instrument. I cannot think of a better bird for Raine Whispers. 

Spider Pig: Spider Pig is an unusual animal, part livestock part creepy crawly, and also they appear to be the most beat up of these poor palisman. So they might need special care for their scars and helping them trust again. Livestock, Creepy crawlies, and animals that have been scarred are all animal types we have seen Eberwolf work with. Plus Eberwolf is small and so is Spider Pig so that works because Eber would have an easier time carrying and running around with the little critter.

Mew Cat: So I was right in my guess that Amity’s palisman would be a cat. Wrong in that instead of her adopting Mew Cat she either adopted or carved Ghost at a later time. Ghost and her get along well though, and given Mew Cat’s injuries they probably need someone with a bit more experience taking care of frightened people, and is a little more used to mystery and unpredictability, becaue those elements will inevitably come with it. That can still be a Blight though. Emira Blight doesn’t have a palisman yet. Emira come get Mew Cat

Spiky Porcupine Dog thing (updated): When I first saw this thing I thought of Mattholomule, but I have been thinking about it more and more and I think he might be better match for Edric Blight. My reasons are 1.) I am kinda giving the Blight children bigger paliceman because they seem to deal with some...pretty high-maintenance magic. This will be particlarly true for Edric who is now taking 3 complicayed track tracks. 2.) The more I look at spikes the more I see the same hyper curiosity I see in Ed. Imagine Spike having roles in illusionary shows, hearding other beasts, and running to get potion ingrediance or Emia and Amity when Ed gets a really foolish idea. In conclusion Spike goes to Ed because they could make a dream team.

little hermit crab thing (updated): At first I was going to give this funny little guy to Edric... But after 1.) Learning a bit more about Hermit crabs, and 2.) thinking more about bonds and metaphors I have decided this little guy would actually be better for Mattholomule. Mattholomule’s whole arc is how his magic wasn’t strong at first, he was treated badly for that at his old school, then he came to Hexside and tried to do the same to others, only to realize becoming his bullies didn’t work and finally deciding to be better. Something like that on the Physical scale probably happened to this little Hermit crab. I could see Matty fining it, lettting it crawl on his arm and saying to it “You were a loser in your old life weren’t you? It’s okay so was I, but I am improving”. Then a bond is struck.... Also Hermy would make a really cute playmate for Emmy and the next one.

I have no idea what the purple thing is: I am going to headcannon that Steve adopts it. Steve gets sad when he recounts how Belos confiscated palisman from recruits for the Emperor’s coven. Some people picked up on this and pointed out how it sounds like he may have once had a palisman buddy before, but he was tricked/forced to give it to Belos who later killed it. Steve has been changing though (he is great now) and would no doubt do a better job of keeping a new one safe this time around.

Look I know we are probably do not have time to see any of these witches get palisman, and will most likely never see any of these orphan palisman again. But these little palisman deserve good homes and if Disney cutting the owl house short means Dana won’t have time to do it, then I am going to here. She has said she likes how creative and fun fans ideas can be, so I am going to take that as permission. All these parings happen until the show proves me other wise

[barlowbarlowbarlowbarlow]

do NOT. TOUCH

[cordycep-creations]

Hello tumblr I have returned with more gifts- part two of my owl house beta au!

Well, the characters at least.

The Rebels

Eda Clawthorne

The owl lady. The wild witch. The strongest witch in the boiling isles, as well as their most wanted criminal. Eda Clawthorne goes by a lot of names, and she's learned every one of them- for she is one of very few people to truly be able to say that she has mastered magic in its most primal form. Wild magic is not a new discovery. Not by any means. It's the most ancient and powerful magic the boiling isles have to offer, and she alone seems to know what it truly represents- not that she isn't still a scaterbrained pawn shop dealer on the side, of course.

Raine Winters

Every army needs a general. Every cause needs a leader. And with nobody else up to the task, Raine does their best to quell their anxieties to step into empty shoes that are far too large for them to fill. Like many of their allies, they wear the emblem of the church by day and the mask of the rebellion by night. Raine Winters leads in not one world, but two. And they can't keep it up for much longer.

"Ebberwolf"

A demon, both literal and metaphorical, Eberwolf is far more animal than witching. It does its best to use this for the cause of good, though not without Darius needing to keep her on a tight leash. It uses these abilities to communicate with the beasts and the monsters of the isles, leading them into battle in a thunderstorm of teeth and claws

Darius Deamonne

One of the highest ranking members of the rebel army, and the closest advisor to their leader, Raine Winters. Darius mixes his wild magic with the church's "abominations" to turn himself into a hulking monster of ooze and blades. Both a genius of strategy and a demon in battle, Deamone is a force to be reckoned with- and the Emperor's coven knows it. But he's still safe for now… as long as the church still thinks he's on their side.

Alador Blight

A weapons dealer and inventor, Alador works himself to the bone daily trying to arm both sides of the same war. He isn't just after profit, though, far from it. He does truly support the rebel cause- in spirit, at least- but he's too scared to leave the safety of the church, to cross the line and stand in front of their lightning. Now nothing but a coward in the eyes of the man who was once his closest friend, Alador Blight puts on his goggles, pushes down his emotions, and gets to work.

PT 1: THE CHILDREN

PT 2: >>THE REBELS<<

PT 3: THE CHURCH (Coming soon!)

[oxblooddraws]

You think feral belos would try and eat ebberwolf

It depends when Eberwolf meets FeralBelos he is more passive and docile than he was at the beginning plus he's taking his elixir so would say no... (but he would thought about it )

[mitamicah]

Spoilers for The Owl House 3.03 Watching and Dreaming

Okay so .... I have a lot of words about this episode!

Since I’ve just watched it don’t expect anything here to be cohesive since I am basically just ranting from memory and getting all my thoughts down in writing. No profound meaning behind everything here, just vibes :’D

The Collector - their mini arc in the episode and having them learn to appreciate life, forgiveness and friendship was such a treat - I screamed and actually feared for their life when they ran to Belos then to scream at Luz breaking apart (dying) afterwards - I had no idea this was the way the crew would go with the collector but I loved it

Belos - fucking hell, I am glad he finally died!! I am a little sad that we didn’t get more of his backstory with Caleb but I think what we did get about Belos especially though the words of the titan to Luz in the inbetween fits well with the story and gives closure to Luz and her doubts about being as ‘bad as Belos’. Also him melting in the boiling rain and Luz being over him to the point of not even flinching when Belos tries to manipulate her? Good stuff!! So was the call back to the first episode with the Good Witch Luz pulling Belos off the dying heart of the titan!!

The dream sequences ... I actually thought those and the games would take up more screentime but I am not too sad about it since what we got was pretty much just as angst as I’d thought it would be - and giving time to Raine being badass resisting Belos and Luz meeting the titan was a far trade off for me

I did get some Amphibia the Hardest Thing vibes from the Luz meeting a deity in the in-between after “death” only to get back to life bit but again I don’t mind it since it ended in a pretty badass finale seeing Luz, King and Eda fight side by side 

Seeing the rest of the Hexside squad helping to free the other inhabitants of the Boiling Isles with the help of best mom Camila was pretty fun although a part of me had wanted to see them have a bigger impact on the story: still, it was nice checking in with them once and twice and gosh I adored Amity for being the first to genuinely giving up her hand of friendship to the collector after Luz has just told them about friendship - it was a perfect moment in my mind.

The scenes of people meeting up with their family was so sweet - I enjoyed it a lot especially with Hunter getting his found family in Darius and Ebberwolf :3

Yet to me the real beauty was the epilogue - seeing all the different ways that the peeps on Earth and the boiling Isles have grown up and their new looks! I love Luz’ eyeshadow, and gah, Vee’s piercings look so cool!!! (I wonder if the nose piercing is a nod to the voice actor also being the voice of Amethyst? I believe she had a nosering  (Amethyst?)? I could be wrong, this is literally my unhinged, first thoughts written down unedited) - Willow being a badass sports girlie fits so well and I love the short hair for her, Gus looks incredible with those gold accessories in his dreadlocks, and Amity as a badass air explorer with a sidecut? Hello!!!? Hunter is killing me being this adorable taking up the mantle as apprentice of Dell and aaaaa the blue bird is gorgeous and somehow fits Hunter so well :’D what really killed me about him tho was two fold 1) Flapjack’s grave and 2) the red thing on Hunter’s arm that king of sort of looks like a Flapjack tattoo to cover up his empire coven sigil OVO

And then hello white haired Raine!? Why do they slay with that haircolour and the ‘tear down’ scars!? this look fits them so well, and I am so happy seeing them together with Eda, finally :’3

The ending sequence with the collector sending the fireworks and all the casts saying “Bye” feels like the biggest nod to the fans - thank you so much Dana, the crew, the cast, the animators, everybody for this wonderful show!!

[poisondionaea-art]

My recording of the owl house's last episode cuts off at the scene where ebberwolf and Darius are fending off the old coven heads while luz is monologuing. And I'm seeing stuff that there is more after that and now I'm sad because my DVR cut it off. It also cut off all of the credits.

[suprgamr66]

Writer’s comment: this is the third part of the “timelines collide” storyline’s finale if you haven’t seen the finale part 2 the link is here https://www.tumblr.com/suprgamr66/741711622959136768/suprgamr66

The infinitewatch chronicles: Timelines Collide finale part III

Everyone stared in shock. Infinite said, “Everybody ready?” They all nodded. Darious suddenly appeared to be made from some goo and ebberwolf’s teeth grew and jutted out from his mouth. Luz shifted back into her titan form. Infinite told Eren, “The suit you’re wearing is connected to your brain and will turn you into a titan by you simply thinking about it. The armor is designed to stay on the titan body and return to your body the second you leave the titan body. You just have to think about shifting into a titan and it’ll happen.” Eren nods and infinite shoots dark energy into the wall, creating a rift. infinite says, “Ms noceda, you fought honorably but due to the risk of giving you titan shifter abilities again I strongly recommend you stay back.” His power core glowed blue in the space stone area and she was teleported through a portal back to her house. Luz’s jaw drops and infinite says, “relax, she’s safe at home now. It’s too risky for someone with no powers in the slightest to take on this mission.” Luz nods and they all walk through the rift. They see titan at human size and he says, “Welcome back. Finally ready to die?” Infinite says, “Do this, and you will die all the more painfully.” Titan shakes his head as he says, “You’ve made infinitewatch weak. The infinite before you was a great warrior! He lead us into great battles! We conquered timelines! We didn’t protect them! I will return infinitewatch to its formal glory! Remember this and remember it well! YOU ARE THE CAUSE OF INFINITEWATCH’S WEAKNESS AND I WILL ELIMINATE YOU FROM THIS EXISTENCE!” Infinite sighs and fires a dark energy bolt at Titan. Titan laughs and says, “Did you honestly think that would work?” He grows to 300 meters and Eren then transforms to match it. He charges at Titan but Titan uses his staff to knock him back. He falls, shaking the earth. He turns his attention to infinite and they hear some chirping noise. Infinite’s visor changes to red. “Of course he’s doing this shit. Everybody! Avoid VG when he appears!” Everyone nods but he doesn’t appear. He then sees a shadow and he says, “oh shit. Everybody look out for shadows on the ground!” Suddenly, one of the shadows bites Armin and yellow lightning appears. A giant explosion is set off and everyone is sent flying. Infinite was hit into a Eren’s titan body. He stands back up and screams, “Titan you coward!” Titan just looks at infinite. He crosses his arms and blue energy starts appearing around him. Infinite says, “Alright! Now’s the chance!” Titan fires the atomic breath and it sends infinite deep underground. Eren suddenly gets up and sprints full speed towards Titan but is suddenly grabbed by something. He turns his head to see a giant gold dragon neck and head biting into his shoulder. He screams out and suddenly, a million wall titans come. Half of them restrain Titan and destroy the dorsal plate and the other half attempt to free Eren but can’t. Eren thinks to himself, “This must be void ghidora.” Two other heads appear from the sky and descend down to Eren. Infinite appears from the crater and yells with effort as he uses his power core to hopefully alter reality enough to affect ghidora. He fires a giant bolt of dark energy at the head on Eren’s shoulder and miraculously, it works. The head breaks off of Eren but infinite falls to the ground exhausted and falls back into the hole he’d crawled out of. Armin goes to Titan who is still being restrained by the wall titans and crushes the garbatreum bead. Void ghidora screams but is still there. However, Zeke transforms and throws a volley of rocks at one of the heads. It hits it and it is shredded. Amity and Luz fly up to the third head amity uses goo to create a giant gauntlet and she punches the last head stunning it and Luz uses her staff to hit the head with and launches it back into the singularity it had come from. Titan creates spikes all over his body that get the wall titans off of him. Now all the titan shifters transformed except for Colt, who get’s on Falco’s back. Falco flies Colt up to Titan’s head.

He jumps off and transforms. He lets himself fall to his neck before grabbing it and pulling his head down to the ground. He slams his fist into the ground shaking it but it does nothing. Willow creates giant vines that restrain Titan’s arms. However he tries to fire regular atomic breath at Willow. Hunter screams out and teleports to Willow, grabbing Willow he teleports again and and she doesn’t get hurt. Hunter was stunned as he looks and realizes he’d dropped his staff and hadn’t used it to teleport. Gus used an illusion to blind titan. Laura restrained Titan’s legs with titan hardening. Amity covered Titan’s hands and the dorsal plate in abomination goo. Darius turned his hands into blades that were ready to attack titan in an instant. Collector molded the earth around titan to capture him. Luz floated down and said, “Gus, lower the illusion.” Gus looked confused and said, “Why?” Luz responded, “I want to check something.” Gus shrugged and lowered the illusion. Titan said, “You think this can hold me? I can shrink in seconds and escape if I wanted to.” Luz responded, “That’s what you say, but the amount of shin Godzilla DNA you injected must be taking over your body. Meaning if you shrink now that process will be sped up. Potentially instantly. So you must have something to neutralize the shin Godzilla cells. But it isn’t continuous. Otherwise the affects wouldn’t be useable to do things like regrow your arm.” Infinite crawls out of the whole and stands up. Limping over he says, “Well done. Now, we need to kill him.” Luz nods and says, “How do we kill him? We can’t physically attack him with the nanometal and…” she’s cut off as Titan starts moaning in pain. Suddenly, the ground starts shaking and he tries to scream out but it just sounds like Godzilla. Infinite was shocked and he steps back as he says, “Everybody run! Get away from Titan! The shin Godzilla DNA is taking over!” They all run but suddenly it stops and disappears. Infinite looks confused and he says, “What the…” he’s cut off as Titan’s hand is placed on infinite’s shoulder. Titan says, “Don’t fucking move. Did you honestly think I was stupid enough to inject shin Godzilla into my body? I made a decoy which I put real shin Godzilla DNA in so I could operate it with this.” He reveals he put a mind stone on the handle of his ax. He continues saying, “ I did inject it into my armor but I killed it before hand so that I could control it with the mind stone I melted and put into my armor. So now, what do you plan to do now?” Infinite says, “You can’t kill me.” Titan growls, “Why not?” Infinite responds, “because you know they won’t except you as their new leader until they see you kill me in a fight for leadership.” Titan snarls as he says, “Then what are we waiting for.” Infinite calmly responds, “for you to formally challenge me.” Titan says, “Infinite! I challenge you to a combat of leader ship!” Titan throws his ax into the armor’s head and kills it as well as the shin Godzilla DNA within. Infinite calmly says, “I accept. From god class being to god class being. May the best fighter win.” Titan says, “This’ll be fun.” Infinite says, “Eren and Eda. You too stay here when I win I’ll come back to establish a base. That’s where those of you from Eldia, the human realm, and the demon realm will be stationed unless ordered otherwise. Got it?” Eren get’s out of his Titan body. They nod and Eren asks, “What do we do for the time being?” Infinite closes his fist for a second and tosses a pair of contacts to Eren and Eda. He says, “These will give you easy access to see the fight. Just put them on your eyes when they start glowing.” They nod as infinite creates a rift that he walks through alongside everyone else. Infinite uses the mind stone to communicate to everyone at infinitewatch home base. He says, “Titan has officially challenged me to a battle for leadership. All who wish to see it come to the front of the building.” Zeke asks, “Why not use the battle room?” Infinite coldly responds, “You can’t die in the training room.” Zeke looks surprised.

Then, people and aliens and creatures of all kinds of species begin pouring out of the base. Titan’s visor changes to red as he says “can we start now?” Infinite says, “Everyone back up! Titan, your move.” He flaps his wings once and unsheathed his kong teeth on his wrist and attempts to stab infinite with it. Infinite dodges and his hand glows red as he punches Titan to the ground. Infinite goes to stomp on his head but Titan rolls out of the way and slashes at infinite’s Achilles tendon. It lands and infinite yells out in pain. He shoots a bolt of dark energy where Titan is but he rolls away and get’s back on his feet. He throws his ax and infinite dodges it. When it comes back to Titan, infinite catches it before it can reach him and he throws it back at Titan who also catches it. Infinite’s legs and hands glow purple and his hands appear to have a red hue and he jumps at Titan who he punches in the face. He knocks him down but no damage is done. Infinite says, “Shit. The dorsal plate. Hey Titan! Am I too good for your best weapon?” Titan yells, “SHUT UP!!!” He crossed his arms and fired a beam at him. Infinite began glowing green as he sprinted and dodged to blast. He moved so fast the only thing to show where he went was the green trail that was left when he ran suddenly his entire arm glowed purple and he grabbed the dorsal plate and crushed it into dust. Titan screamed in anger and he grew to 300 meters. Infinite’s visor switched to red as he saw the singularities appear. One ghidora head charged at infinite and tried to eat him whole. But infinite stood in the mouth, unsheathed his sword, and did a vertical spin, cutting half the head off. He looked up and saw two more singularities appear and he said, “Of course they regenerate.” Another head charged at him but this time, infinite grabbed the bottom and top jaw. He snapped the jaws off and shot a blast of dark energy down the throat. This propelled it back through the singularity and the third head charged at infinite. His body glowed purple and he let himself be eaten but this time released a large amount of energy using the power stone in his core and exploded his way out of the mouth. Titan growls and fires atomic breath through his wrists. Infinite just stands there and watches it hit him. When it stopped he simply laughed and said, “you’re getting desperate.” Titan bellowed and three singularities appeared in the sky. Infinite said, “Regenerated already? Fine.” Infinite screamed with effort as his entire body glowed yellow and he blasted yellow beams at the head. They slowed down and stopped. They then turned their attention to Titan and they wrapped their necks around him. Titan screamed in agony as he was crushed by the void ghidorah. Infinite ran and used the space stone to teleport to his forehead where he used a his sword to stab it into the helmet. He then used the power stone dagger to stave the garbatreum bead. It shattered and void ghidorah screeched as its connection was shattered Titan let out his full wingspan and void ghidorah’s grip was released. He used the Godzilla dorsal plates on his wrists to create a giant ring of atomic breath that made void ghidorah retreat back to the singularities. He growled and said, “I’ll be back. Mark my motherfucking goddamn words you piece of shit.” Infinite said, “I look forward to it. Next time I won’t hold back.” Titan growled and flew away. Infinite turned to the gathered crowd and said, “INFINITEWATCH! YOUR LEADER IS HERE!” The crowd cheered. Luz hugged amity and they kissed. Willow, began cheering even louder when seeing it which embarrassed Luz and Amity who began blushing. Hunter went over to Willow and kissed them which Amity and Luz just stared in shock. Gus said, “about time.” And started laughing infinite said, “Alright, everyone! Tomorrow we go back to work and prepare for Titan’s return! But tonight! We celebrate!” Everyone began cheering and infinite shouted, “Rift!” The man who pointed out the merging timelines stepped forward.

Infinite continued, “Take this time crystal to the new merged timeline so Eda and Eren can join in on the festivities. I think Rick Sanchez would be happy to know this is how we used it.” Rift nods and takes the crystal from infinite. He teleports and when he comes back Eren and Eda are with him. The reality stone part of his core glows and the entire area is transformed into a party with food and fireworks. There’s games and music and everybody is enjoying themselves. Infinite pulls Eren aside and tells him, “Look, I know I gave you Titan’s position as head of the titan division but I can’t give you the second in command slot. I need someone who’s been with infinitewatch about as long as me.” Eren nods and says, “I understand. I’m just happy to be Levi’s superior now.” He grins as he says this. Infinite’s visor changes to light green as he says, “You know, if I remember the playlist I had it’s gonna be a slow song next. You should go find Mikasa.” Eren looks surprised and blushes. He stutters, “I- I- how did you- what?” Infinite quickly says, “I’m not an idiot and if I was your file is completely loaded into my armor’s memory. Go, don’t be stupid and waste your chance.” His visor appears to be dark purple for a second but goes back to green. Eren nods and finds Mikasa right as the slow song starts. Eren and Mikasa danced to the music near Armin and Annie. Farther down the area Luz and amity were dancing next to hunter and Willow. But infinite didn’t go down to dance with anybody. While everyone was dancing infinite was on the roof of infinitewatch home base watching it happen. He looked next to him and saw Gus sitting there with him. Gus asks, “Why not join everybody?” Infinite sighs. He says, “They were lost on a mission. It was my own stupid fault. I did my best but there was nothing I could do. If I’d just told them to stay back.” Gus looks surprised, “Wow, you ok?” Infinite responds, “It was a long time ago. Honestly I’m not sure that’s what happened. That’s just the story I use. When you’ve been alive as long as me, certain events get fuzzy and muddled. I don’t remember much. My time with them is the clearest except for why they aren’t here. It’s maddening.” Gus puts his hand on infinite’s shoulder and says, “I’m sorry. I wish I could help but there’s not much I can really do.” Infinite shrugged his hand off and said, “Relax, there’s nothing you can do.” The song ended and he jumped off the roof to join the party again. The next day, infinite went to the merged timeline and built a base there. He stationed everybody from the boiling isles, eldia, and the human realm there so they’d be ready incase something happened in that timeline. He returned to infinitewatch home base and went to the training room. Where he listed Titan as an enemy for training. So that he could prepare everybody for the return of Titan.

[xinghai]

Post-finale Hunter is teleported to the trigun universe and is found by tristamp vash.

Hunter – Autistic, he/they (trans, genderqueer), Demisexual, PTSD, dating lesbian Willow

Vash – Can understand palisman, PTSD, chronic pain, lover of men, dating Wolfwood

I completely forgot I drafted this post TOH finale. Didn’t feel like editing it, but it’s fun so wanted to throw it out here!

“Willow! Darius! Ebberwolf!”

Hunter’s voice echoes across the golden dunes. They seem endless, and his words are quickly swallowed by the sands. He squints, trying to keep the grains of sand out his eyes. This place is nothing like the boiling isles. A lump forms in his throat, and he cups his hands around his mouth.

“Waffles!”

The wind whistles back, empty and unforgiving. His chest tightens, voice cracking from the overwhelming feeling of loneliness that he hadn’t experienced since he lost Flapjack.

“Luz?”

Sweat beads on his brow, and he sinks to his knees. He doesn’t know how long he’s been searching for the others. His throat is painfully dry, and his vision is starting to blur. He hates the feeling of the sand brushing against his hands, and he desperately wishes he had his gloves. He wants to be back in his workshop. Back home.

“This way?”

He tenses at the unfamiliar voice, his years of training to be the golden guard kicking in. He forces himself to his feet and reaches reflexively for his staff. His hands grasp empty air, and he remembers that Waffles is nowhere to be seen. His heart sinks, and his hand hovers over his chest. He takes a shaky breath.

“Just you and me Flap.”

A familiar chirp shakes him from his thoughts. His head snaps up, and through the golden haze of sand, he sees a spot of red. Tears brim in his eyes, and his grip on his apron tightens.

“Flapjack?”

Relief overcomes him, and his legs finally give out. He falls to the ground, and the last thing he remembers is the heat of the sand against his face.

————————

Hunter wakes up to his hair being pulled- violently. He bolts upright from the pain.

“Ow ow ow!”

The pain abates as his hair is released. He remembers the flash of red. He looks up, smiling tearfully.

“Flapjack, I’m so glad-“

He stops when he sees the familiar bluejay, one that he’d carved himself.

“Waffles?”

Waffles chirps in reply, head tilted in concern. Her little voice is completely different from Flapjack’s. How could he have mixed them up?

His tears start falling in earnest at the memory of his first friend. They aren’t the tears of joy from an unexpected, impossible reunion but of a grief that had gripped him again and again over the years. Anger flares up in his chest, not at Waffles, but at himself for mixing her up with Flapjack. She didn’t deserve that. His expression crumples and hiccupping sobs shake his chest.

“I’m sorry Waffles. I just miss Flap so much- I-“

Each word is painful, violently torn from his chest. He buries his head in his knees. Waffles chirps and presses her soft, feathery cheek against his hair. He’d learned to understand the palisman more over the years. He understands the words as well as he had Flapjack’s. Waffle’s words are forgiving and gentle. Hunter strokes her feathers, whimpering as he speaks.

“I’m not the golden guard anymore. Belos is gone. Things should be better,” he grits his teeth, “So why does it still hurt so much?”

The creak of wood snaps him away from his grief. He leaps up, staff already in hand, and points it towards the sound. Standing in the doorway is a man with spiky blonde hair and a red coat. The man’s bright red coat gives Hunter pause, but he doesn’t lower his staff.

“Who are you?”

His voice is hard and authoritative. The mask still came up automatically, even after all these years.

The man’s expression of surprise quickly melts into a disarming smile, and he throws his hands up in the air.

“Sorry sorry! I didn’t realize you were awake. I’m so glad you’re okay. Your friend brought me to you.”

The man looks around the room, brow furrowed. “Oh, did she fly off already? She wouldn’t leave your side the whole way here.”

Hunter glances at Waffles. He lowers the staff slightly.

“You helped me.”

The blonde man grins sheepishly.

“Well, I couldn’t just leave you facedown in the sand. Especially when the little one was so worried about you.”

Hunter exhales and relaxes his grip on the staff. Hunter glances away. He’s acutely aware of the tears that still stain his cheeks and the concerned expression on the man’s face.

“Sorry. I can be a little irritable. When I’m overwhelmed. I’m trying to learn.”

The blonde man shakes his head. “It’s okay, I can tell you’re going through a lot right now.” He holds out his hand. “I’m Vash. Vash the Stampede.”

Hunter looks at his hand. The thought of someone touching him right now makes his skin prickle. He glances away.

“Hunter. Hunter Deamonne Noceda.”

Waffles flutters onto his shoulder, looking between the two men curiously. Vash puts down his and and watches wide-eyed as the staff turns into a living, breathing bird. Hunter scritches the blue jay underneath her chin. “And this is Waffles.”

Vash grins.

“This little one isn’t like any Worm I’ve ever seen. She’s more like.. a Plant?”

Hunter furrows his brow. “Of course she isn’t a worm. Although I’ve carved some of those too.” He glances at Waffles. “She’s made of palistrom wood, so I guess she’s technically a plant?”

Vash nods, seemingly perfectly happy to accept this explanation from a total stranger. It reminds Hunter of Luz.

His eyes widen, and he leans forward.

“Did you find anyone else? A human with brown hair, or a black witch who really loves human stuff, or a purple-haired witch, or a green-haired one that’s kind of super cute and loves plants?”

Hunter blushes as he says the last part. The words scrape his dry throat, but he’s desperate to know what happened to the others.

Vash crosses his arms. “Hmm, brown-haired human maybe, but I haven’t seen a witch. You were alone in the desert other than little Waffles there.”

Hunter’s heart sinks. “Do you know how I can get back to the Boiling Isles? I have to make sure they’re okay!”

Vash looks the kid over. He has to be around 20 or so. He’s not dressed for the desert. Vash speaks slowly, not wanting to scare Hunter.

“I’ve never heard of the Boiling Isles, but I’ll help you find your way back to your friends. I promise. But first, let’s get you something to eat and drink.”

With those words, Hunter realizes just how hungry and thirsty he is. He swallows and shakes his head.

“No, I don’t have time for that. They could be in danger, or, or-“

He stops as Vash puts a hand on his shoulder. When Hunter stiffens, Vash immediately lets go and takes a step back.

The blonde man smiles apologetically at him. There is unbridled kindness in his eyes, one that softens his gaze.

“No matter how heavy a cross you bear, it’s okay to eat – it’s okay to laugh. One of my friends said that once. No matter how hard things are, I’m here to help you.”

Hunter stares up at him, then says, “You really are a lot like Luz.”

Vash grins and straightens up. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Now let’s eat!”

————————

“Okay, so the Boiling Isles are located on the body of the Titan… And they were filled with wild magic until the last Titan died. But his kid, King, is starting to make magic, which will let people use glyphs again.”

Vash fits the words in between bites of food. Hunter finishes another glass of water and nods, dead serious. “Right.”

Vash’s brow furrows. “Can you do magic here then? I don’t know where the Boiling Isles are, but we definitely don’t have magic here.”

Hunter frowns. “I… actually hadn’t thought about that.”

Vash smiles. “Why don’t you give it a try?”

Hunter nods and closes his eyes.

You’re still there, right Flap?

Hunter takes a deep breath and leaps onto the table in a flash of yellow light. Vash blinks. He hadn’t even see the kid move. One moment he was sitting, the next he was standing on the table. For someone to move so fast that he couldn’t even see them…

“Huh, you really do have magic.”

The people in the bar look at them. Hunter blushes and sits back down. “Yeah, looks like it.”

Waffles twitters indignantly. Hunter opens his mouth to translate, but, as he does, Vash blinks and looks at her. “Oh, you have magic too?”

Hunter stares at him, stunned. “You understand her?”

Vash nods and chuckles. “Must be the magic huh? I’ve never met a talking bird before!”

Hunter is silent for a moment. “You’re not human, are you?”

At those words, Vash’s smile freezes on his face. Hunter doesn’t notice and continues,

“Even most witches can’t understand them. ”

Vash finds his voice again and asks, “How are you able to?”

Hunter falls silent again. Conversations flow around them, rowdy and gruff like most that live in such a harsh world. Hunter holds the cool glass of water between his hands, focusing on the feeling. Finally, he says,

“I’m a grimwalker. Or used to be? I’m not really sure.”

He thumbs over the patches that he’d sewn onto his apron to remind him of his friends. Abominations for Amity. The logo of the Emerald Entrails for Willow. Gus’ mirror. They’d all supported him when they learned what he was. It was still hard to unmask around other people. But somehow, he felt safe with Vash.

He takes a deep breath and opens three fingers underneath the table. Hold it… then exhale. The air whistles through the gap in his teeth as he lets it out. He forgets to make eye contact, but Vash doesn’t seem to mind.

“It’s something that’s neither human or witch. I read about the- ingredients. Once. Multiple times. One of them is palistrom wood.” He scratches Waffles on the cheek. “Maybe cause of that, I can understand these guys.”

Waffles looks at Vash, head tilted, and then chirps at Hunter. Hunter looks at her.

“Huh? Oh he’s-“

Hunter glances at Vash. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. It’s not bad to not be human! I was just surprised. I’ve never met anyone else who can understand them. It’s… nice.”

He bounces his leg as he thinks. He’s not good at comforting people. Never has been. But he doesn’t want to upset someone who has been so kind to him.

“I was scared too, but my friends still supported me. I always thought I was just what Belos made me to be.” The admission makes Hunter feel sick. Waffles preens his hair, smoothing out the strand that she’d tugged on earlier. Hunter’s hand moves to the tattoo of Flapjack on his arm.

“But someone important taught me differently. They helped me find myself. Who I wanted to be. Not who he thought I was.”

Vash’s cheerful demeanor is completely gone. He looks at the kid in front of him and wonders just how much he’s gone through at such a young age. He looks over Hunter’s scars: on his face, his neck, his arms, the nick in his ear, his crooked nose, the gap in his teeth. He’s reminded of his own, yet somehow he knows that they’ve received those scars under vastly different circumstances.

“The ticket to your future is blank.”

The words come without Vash even thinking about it. Hunter raises an eyebrow.

“Huh?”

Vash smiles.

“Someone important told me that. It means that, no matter what has happened in the past, your future is never set.”

Waffles chirps in agreement, and, finally, Hunter smiles.

“I like that.”

“Vash the Stampede!!”

A harsh voice cuts through the familiar cadence of the bar conversation. Both of their eyes widen, and Vash dives across the table towards Hunter.

“Get down!!”

Gunfire explodes through the bar, shredding tables and shattering windows. Screams fill the air as glass and bullets rain down on the bar’s patrons. Vash squints towards the door, waiting for pain to arc through him. He hadn’t been ready, but at least the kid was safe. He waits, but no pain comes. Pains and aches from old wounds, sure. But it’s nothing like the searing fire of a fresh wound. As the dust settles, he sees why.

Hunter has his staff raised in front of both of them. A field of yellow magical energy holds off the wall of bullets, which clink to the ground. There’s a determined furrow to his brow. Then the shield dissipates, and his expression changes to one of bewilderment.

“Oh Titan, this is just like Cosmic Frontier. But with cowboys?”

Vash doesn’t have time to reply before another round of gunfire rains on the bar. He grabs Hunter and drags them both to the side.

A man yells over the gunfire,

“We’ll get you for what you did at Jenora Rock Humanoid Typhoon!”

Hunter snaps back into the situation and sweeps some of the bullets aside.

“What are they talking about?!”

Vash blocks a couple shots with his prosthetic arm and loads his gun.

“No time to explain, we need to get out of here!”

“We have you surrounded Humanoid Typhoon! You’re not getting away this time.”

A chorus of cheers and sneers rises around the bar.

Vash glances around the bar. There had to be a way out. There had to be. He’d promised Hunter that he would help him find his friends.

“Damn it!”

He turns to Hunter.

“Hunter, I’m going to run out and distract them. They want me. You get out of here, find your friends!”

Hunter grabs Vash’s sleeve.

“What are you saying?! They’ll kill you!”

Vash grins.

“I’ll be fine! This is a normal day for me.”

He ruffles Hunter’s hair and smiles sadly.

“It was fun meeting you kid.”

Vash sheathes his gun and moves towards the door.

“Alright, I’m coming out! No need to shoot!”

As he’s about to leave cover, there’s a burst of pain as something pulls him back by the front strands of his spiky hair.

“Ow ow ow!”

Waffles chirps, and Hunter grabs Vash. There’s a sudden feeling of weightlessness, and the bar shifts around them, giving way to open blue skies.

From below, someone shouts, “Where did he go?!”

Hunter looks down on the crowd of gun-toting bounty hunters and sticks his tongue out at them. They teleport to another rooftop, then another. Soon enough, they’re tucked into an old bell tower. Both are breathing heavily. Hunter slides down against the wall. Anger flares up in his chest despite his exhaustion.

“Are you crazy?! Those guys were going to kill you!”

Vash chuckles and scratches the back of his neck.

“At least that way none of you would get hurt. Thank you for the save though.”

Hunter doesn’t know what to do with all the emotions bursting inside of his chest. He grabs Vash by his coat. The red color brings tears to Hunter’s eyes.

“Who would have found me in the desert if you had died?! I don’t know you well, but I know you’ve helped so many people just like Luz. Like Flap helped me. People would miss you if you disappeared!”

Vash stares at Hunter, stunned, then looks over the town. The wind whistles by them, tilting the weathered bell ever so slightly. Finally, he speaks.

“You were right earlier. I’m not human.”

Hunter’s anger dissipates all at once, and he lets go of Vash’s coat.

“Huh?”

Vash watches the people running below. They look so small from up here.

“I’ve brought them a lot of trouble. I’ve caused the deaths of their loved ones. It’s because of me that they’re trapped here. It’s because of me that they have to harden themselves to survive.”

His coat billows in the dry wind. It reminds Hunter of the flutter of Flapjack’s wings.

“I can never atone for that.”

There is a deep sadness in his expression, one that weighs heavily in Hunter’s chest. Hunter stares at Vash, then says,

“The ticket to your future is blank.”

Vash’s eyes widen, and he looks at Hunter. Hunter’s face scrunches up.

“Or- er something like that?”

He clears his throat. “You said it yourself. You choose what the future holds. We’ll always carry the past with us, both the good and the bad.” Hunter places a hand over his chest. “But we can’t let the bad parts control us.”

Vash’s eyes widen, and he smiles. It’s not the empty smile he usually fakes but one that holds genuine warmth.

“Thank you.”

He stands up and holds out his hand to Hunter.

“Let’s get out of here. We need to find your friends.”

Hunter smiles and takes Vash’s hand.

[hamburgernotsohelpful]

I just wanna say something

Ask and YOU SHALL FUCKING RECEIVE

AND OUR BOY IS FUCKING BEAUTIFUL

[zo-lost-and-confused]

Darius really went “My kid?!” right there

[originalwinnercheesecake]

King Clawthorne, his possible Ansestery. I have connected the Dots

So it has been almost two weeks since Edge Of The World, and in about 30 hours a new episode will come that may prove me completely wrong.... or be irrelevant, or even right.But I have been sitting on some thoughts about King since Edge of the world and now I finally have the time to post them.

King is a baby TItan! Way back at the shows beginning people threw around “what if King is the titan?” as a crack pot theory, and now its true! Alright now lets get into what this means for his story, and no I am not talking about him possibly freeing the collector (not his fault) or how he could use some of his blood to send Luz home (wouldn’t take all that much, a tiny stain of century old stale blood on the single finger of a glove got her almost the whole way). No I am talking about King’s story. For all of season 2, ever since he remembered hearing his father’s voice call him Son when he was still in his egg he has wanted to see him again... Now some people are theorizing that King’s dad was the titan that the characters live on... But as time went on more people have been saying that with how old that particular titan’s remains are it is more likely that they are a distant grand parent than King’s dad. In Eda’s Requiem we all see Tarak for the first time and we all believed he was King’s family (not necissarly his dad but maybe an uncle or older brother) Tarak’s actions for the rest of 2a supported this. But in Edge of the world we learn Tarak’s people “the titan trappers” have, under the collector, who Belos is also in league with, hunted King’s people almost to extinction.

The “oldest and wisest” Titan Trapper Bill (the name Bill will never again be a good guy in cartoons) told Luz that there was one titan left and he had seen it. The flag for the hunt showed an egg like Kings (given the size of their helmets babies are probably who the trappers primarily hunted) But he talks about the last Titan roaring at him and running, and vanishing. I believe that was Kings father. He managed to lead the trappers away from his nest, but couldn’t come back... at least not until King had already hatched. More on that later.

Now I want to stop and praise The Owl house for one thing it has done better than any cartoon I have seen in a long time. Better than SU, SVTFOE, Amphibia, even better than Gravity Falls. Connect its separate characters and plots together. The portal between the two realm is in an abandoned house on Luz’s street because she lives in the same town the Wittebane brothers lived in. Given how far apart houses were and how much land people owned back then she might have grown up on their old property. We have seen hints that Wittebro married a witch who given Dell and Eda’s resemblance was most likely a Clawthorne, So Belos, Hunter, and the Clawthorne sisters are all distantly related to each other. Darius is a rebel because of inspiration he gt from a past grimwalker clone of wittebro/hunters old life. Darius and Amity’s parents (top underground arms dealers) had a friendship in the past and tweets hint that he could still persuade her father to support the rebel side. Belos pretends to talk to the titan, but is actually talking to the collector who is also the god for the titan trappers. And King apposing Belos directly calls him out as a liar. Everybody fits and connects together... So far everybody except for one very important character (not Hooty)...

The owl beast. I theorize that the owl beast is King’s father. We saw in Knock Knock Knocking on Hooty’s Door that rather than being a mere curse the owl beast is actually a sentient creature that once roamed the boiling sea before being sealed away, and that when Lilith attempted to curse Eda she unknowingly combined her sister and the owl beast Naruto style. After careful analysis of the owl beast I have determined that it can only be a titan, and even found proof that it at lest knew of King. Walk with me

FIrst off when the owl beast was a free ranged creature it was caught and sealed away by the collector. The same collector who had issues with the titans and started a cult to collect them. The collector also dropped it in the sea sinstead of trying to keep it... The same sea they store titan carcasses in.

Secondly lets remeber what Bill said about Identifying Titans: They are always hungry, act like monarchs, and say Weh.

Also in Knock Kncok Knocking on Hooty’s Door we see Eda offer the small version of he owl beast a little bit of potion and it eats. The potions are not antibodies that render it to weak to posses her. They are food. The owl beast acts up when hungered and then calms down and sleeps once food offerings have been made.

Secondly they act like monarchs. Now at first this one stumped me because we haven’t seen enough of the owl beast to know if it acts like a monarch. It can be territorial, and flat out refused to change Eda back into a harpy when she tried to boss it into doing so, but nothing about it acting like a monarch. Then i realized that I did not need to look at just the owl beast, and could also look at Eda.

Eda’s first time rejecting and opposing the Emperor happens at her witches dual right before the “curse” takes effect; when she throws the match and declares she will never join a coven. Now it says she was mostly joining for Lilith, and obviously wouldn’t want to fight her for the position. But she kinda goes against her character here too. Lilith is Kid Eda’s only friend, and she is kinda over attached to her. She starts bawling as a kid when she trips, but stops when Lilith runs back to her, showing that it wasn’t so much hat her cut hurt, but that Lilith was getting away. When Eda starts school she joins the potion track that Lilith is already in, and joins the school grudgby team that Lilith is captain of. IN “thems the breaks kids” she tells Raine that she only stays at hexside is to go to school with Lilith. She drops out once Lilith leaves... her dropping out is played like a sudden reveal, like something she just decided. Also not only will she not be trying out for the Emperors coven today that she never will, then she turns to Lilith and does something truly out of character she tells her sister “good bye and asks her to just remember her in the future.”

Being who Eda is she never would have fought Lilith then... But given her attachment to her its out of character for her to close the door entirely on them being in he EC together. t would make more sense for her to say “Take Lilith now, put me on the waiting list for the next opening. I will see you soon sis”. But she didn’t and every time Lilith tried to telling her about an opening, all the supposed benefits, and how it could be like when they were kids again (something Eda is revealed in season  to still badly want) Eda always said no, said she refused to follow someone elses direction... event though she was more a follower as a kid, because something inside her did not want to listen to orders anymore, particularly from the “Emperor”. Somethig urged her away from it all.

Lastly Bill said that titans go Weh. I listened to the owl beasts screams and it sounds a little like Weh. Not exact, but about as close, more animalistic than just weh, but about as close as a person saying “tweet’ or “chirp” sounds like an actual bird. t didn’t sound anything like King, but you have to remember that King’s voice is still that of a little kids. It’s just beginning to change. The owl beast is older and makes thicker more raspy sounds, like an adults voice.

IF that is not a enough for you lets bring up the new theory about how the Owl beast has been shown to at times give Eda an advantage against Belos’s gones and has gotten rid of coven members sigils. I do not think we ever say Lilith’s wrists in season 1 , but we do in season  after she split the curse with Eda and she oddly enough doesn’t have one despite being in the emperors coven for 30 years. Darius and Eberwolf do not seem to have hem either, and while the artisits haven’t exactly been careful about remembering to draw sigils each time they should  the more fun theory is that Darius and Eberwolfs burned off during this

which wold work for the story, because then they could broadcast Eda and Raine playing together over the isles and save everyone from their sigils. This would also prove without a doubt that this powerful being is a cure for Beos’s corruption and pain. A being as powerful and godlike as the Titans.

All of this proves that the Owl beast is a titan, but not that it is King’s father. There could be other titans. After all the owl best doesn’t look much like King. TO which I say its basically already cannon that titans, particularly this one, can change forums and Kings powers aren't fully developed yet. But I have proof for that too.

First its been a few years since i watched 1x10 (which FYI is my least favorite episode of the owl house, it is so boring) but if I remember when Eda transforms into the Owl beast around just King it doesn’t try to hurt him. It walks around, interacts with him in a way he decides he can control it, then goes with him to the park to settle a dispute with a kid who wouldn’t let King on the slide. Parenting kinda

Secondly, and much more impressive, King’s Island is ancient and almost impossible to find unless you are or are with a titan, and Eda was by herself “looking for a place to hide from the coven scouts” when she found King. lets think about that for a second. Belos’s scouts are only on the bones burrow titan, Eda has many many hiding places in the night market or woods close by her house, and instead she just so happened to go to a uncharted island several hours flight away from all that looking for a hiding place from people she left in the dust. Then she went home immediately after finding King. No The owl beast is King’s father. He realized his son had recently hatched and would be at a stage where John Luke couldn’t keep him shut up in the castle anymore, so he took Eda to go get King.

My last reason for thinking this. It means King has been with his dad and mom the whole time, and that if he plays catch with Eda in her harpy form he is playing with both his parents together. I want this for him

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Hollow Mind" from The Owl House

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

And today, we're talking about "Hollow Mind" from The Owl House. An episode where Luz teams up with Hunter, a sort of friend on the road to redemption. The two of them go on an adventure inside someone else's mind, likely to see the memories of this person and learn more about that character and maybe even more about the sort of friend Luz teamed up with...Wait, didn't we already do this?

Yeah, we already did this.

It was "Understanding Willow." An episode where Luz teamed up with Amity, a sort of friend at the time who was on the road to redemption. The two of them go on an adventure inside Willow's mind, seeing her memories, and learning more about Willow and even Amity.

I mean, I don't mind a show reusing a premise. After all, complete originality is an impossibility that no series should pressure themselves to live up to. However, there's a difference between a show putting its own spin on an premise another had already done and just reusing the same premise from a Season One episode. Though, I'll admit, this is just me judging "Hollow Mind" based on its synopsis. Odds are there will be more differences than similarities in terms of story and circumstance. The question is: Were there?

Hey, um...Future Schmuck, here. I, uh...I wrote that on Wednesday in preparation for today, and...Yeah, I can certainly say that it was different. It was definitely different. Holy s**t, was it different.

How different? Well...

Let's find out together, shall we?

Spoilers ahead.

WHAT I LIKED

The Opening: Instantly, this episode hooks you with an ominous feeling of dread and intrigue. Not only do we start with Luz and Hunter trapped inside the worst place imaginable, which is the mind of a tyrant, but it also leads to the audience wondering how this happened. It's a solid way to begin this adventure into horror, trauma, and heartbreak. Because starting out with them going into his mind just wouldn't feel like as big of a punch.

As for the HOW...

Raine, Darius, and Eberwolf Breaking into Belos’ Mind: Let's get it out of the way: These people in cloaks are undoubtedly Raine, Darius, and Ebberwolf. You see Raine's specs and Eberwolf's eyes, and the Abominations witch got worried the second Hunter got mentioned (which was sweet). There's no one else it could be, so don't pretend it isn't them. Anyway...

I loved this sort of half-reveal. It shows us that the rebellion is both strong and also competent. We've seen how powerful these three are and how crafty they can be. It's also worth mentioning that the plan could have worked if Hunter didn't somehow catch onto them. Granted, we're not sure what the plan was, but it would...probably work out. Maybe...

Look, I'm gonna level with you all. The future's looking bleak for these characters, and I'm going to use every ounce of hope and denial to make it better. Alright? Alright.

Luz Interrupting the Flashback: I like that despite how dark this episode can get, the writers still know when to throw in a few good jokes. It keeps things light, so you don't scar the kiddies too much. And now that we're on Luz's side of the story...

Eda and Luz Needed to Fix Luz’s Cape: Makes sense. We saw the ends of Luz's cape torn at the end of "Yesterday's Lie," so it needs some repairs. And it's sweet of Eda wanting to help fix her kid's cape. Downright adorable, even.

King Learning Spanish: This is also adorable. The fact that Luz is teaching King her language is wholesome as heck, and yes, I'm lingering on the heartwarming moments to prepare myself for the heartbreaking ones. WHAT OF IT?!

The Witch Joining a Coven/Not Helping Eda: This is the first sting in the heart that we get in this episode. The sound of terror and a bit of defeat in the witch's voice when she says she has to join a coven and can't help wild witches anymore is just...yikes. It shows how strong Belos' influence is and how much his words can infect others. And now that we know what those Coven Sigils are...it's even more of a yikes moment for me.

And as for why so many people are STILL falling for Belos' BS...Well, King explains it perfectly.

“No one wants to know they spent years wasting their life following the wrong person.”: Do you want to know why real-life tyrants still get away with so much in their countries? It's because people choose to be ignorant of their leadership. Now, that's on them, that's true. But picture the alternative: You're told this person you've put your faith into is also a lying, genocidal maniac. Not only that, but you indulged this person for years. Decades, even. So, the realization that you're partially responsible for this same tyrant's evil and self-righteous quest will tear you apart. So, to avoid emotional/mental torment, you'll believe it's better to ignore it and pretend that perhaps this factual evidence is wrong. It's the worst thing to do, but for your own self-preservation, you still do it. Because, at the time being, it's better to be in self-denial than to let yourself feel hurt. I mean, it isn't, but you'd think it is. And kudos to the show for nailing that feeling perfectly.

Belos’ “Mind”: Speaking of self-denial, let's now talk about the first layer of Belos' mindscape.

It speaks volumes of Belos' character in his interpretation of events that even he knows aren't true. The way Belos believes he conquered wild magic on the day he lost to a teenage girl or portrayed himself as a hero to the town he just burned down really tells us that the man is blind to his own mistakes and malice. And, seeing how this is the first layer of Belos' mind, it even acts as the perfect security system. If someone somehow snuck into his mind, which this episode proves is possible, they'll see how Belos wants them to see it: As him being the hero that the Isles needs and the ruler who can lead them to victory. So, not only do we know how full of himself Belos can be, but we now know how little he's willing to leave to chance. Because if he can't even trust his own mind to be defenseless, he can't trust anything.

Baby Belos: And then we have this to show us how much of a conniving little d**k he can be.

Just like Luz and Hunter, I saw Baby Belos and thought, "Oh, he must be the last good part of him. I mean, it's weird how he's taking random stuff, but he's not the big scary demon thing. Surely he's the good guy." No. He wasn't. At all.

If anything, Baby Belos is another example of Big Belos' master manipulation. He knew what it would exactly take for Luz and Hunter to trust him and get them to do what he wanted. It's sick, twisted, and, MAN, could I use some wholesomeness to distract how much I hate Belos right now...

Hunter So Worried for Flapjack: ...That'll do.

I mean, come on. The fact that Hunter gets so worried for Flapjack's safety and how he explicitly states that he loves the bird? That's wholesome as heck, and I'm all for it...Alright, back to the madness.

Belos’ Real Mind: Once again, we learn so much about Belos here. It's in tatters, raggy, and has portions of his memories scratched out, visually telling us that there are parts of his past that he chooses to repress. As for his past, we see snippets of how he became the monster we know him as. I'm not talking about the memories Luz and Hunter walked into (though I will get into that in a minute). I'm talking about the paintings hidden in the background that details Philip's path into becoming Belos. We see who he and his brother were, their relationship, how they came to the Isles, how and why Philip killed his brother, how he got those marks on his arms, and even why Belos' ears are pointed. It's all there, and it's all hidden in the background, telling us the history of Belos while leaving some details out for a future story to reveal. Still, what they did show hints at something pretty twisted, and I'm both excited and scared to see what happens next.

Eda Making A Way Back: And while that's going on, we got a nice little B-plot about Eda doing everything she can to get Luz back. What gets to me about this plot is how panicked you can tell Eda is during this situation. Her baby is currently stuck in the mind of a dictator that's probably worse than Hitler himself. You can't blame her for running around wildly, trying everything she can while having Hooty lock down the Owl House so no one can interrupt them. It's going further beyond Mom-mode, telling us more about how much she deeply cares about Luz.

Raine Not Knowing What Hooty Is: And this episode still got jokes! And a funny one at that, which I appreciate...because it all goes downhill from here.

The Result of the First Coven Patches: ...I hate this.

I mean, I love this scene because it did its intended job of me hating it...but I still hate it.

The lack of even an ounce of sympathy as he left a group of people brain dead, their bodies probably buried under the snow to this day, is just...it is the worst thing a Disney antagonist has done. They were just sacks of meat to Belos, and he had no qualms that his experiment all but took the lives of what were good people. And...I hate it.

The Collector: This character, though. This I love.

Their design and the way they are animated are pretty unique. Sure, it's twisted that they're so excited for the complete genocide of the Boiling Isles, but...at least they're kind of cute in their excitement?

Fine, let's get back to the horror.

The Hall of Dead Golden Guards: ...Remember when Hunter said he loved Flapjack? Yeah, that was a sweet moment...when it lasted.

The Demon Thing Was Palismans: AND SEEING HOW I BROUGHT UP A PALISMAN...F**K!

I didn't need this. I didn't need the revelation that the thing we were supposed to be afraid of turned out to be the souls of dead palismans trying to warn Luz and Hunter that they're helping Belos kill them.

I didn't need that horrific and mildly depressing reveal. DID NOT NEED IT!

Hunter IS a Grimwalker: NOR DID I NEED THIS! OH...F**KING F**K!

The fact that Hunter really is a copy of Belos' brother, and a replaceable one at that, hurts me deeply just for the identity crisis it will undoubtedly give Hunter.

PLEASE tell me there's at least some wholesomeness that can heal this pain?

Luz Trying to Save Hunter: ...I mean...I guess that kind of works.

Luz having zero hesitation to save a person who has mostly tried to kill her in the past is nice to see. It also happened because of Belos' zero hesitation to murder Hunter in his own mind...but at least Luz saving him is wholesome?

...There's no going back, is there?

Belos is a Witch Hunter: NOPE! There really isn't! Oh...FRICK! They're really going there, huh?

Ok, are we SURE this is a kids' show? Because our main antagonist is confirmed to be a living member of the Salem Witch Trials. A member who wants to commit genocide on an entire race because he was raised to believe his holy mission justifies the hundreds upon thousands of deaths based on his own prejudice. A man who could very much exist in real life if the Boiling Isles wasn't a work of fiction. A villain who isn't just evil but realistically evil. A character that teaches us that the most prejudiced and ignorant have the power to be the most dangerous people on the planet. And that is...that is...ARE WE SURE THIS IS A KIDS' SHOW?!

Luz Learns Belos is Philip: Oh, the hits keep on coming...

Remember what I said that it would tear a person up inside when they realized they're partially responsible for helping a tyrant? This is what I mean. Luz finds out that she has some credit for giving Belos everything he wants, and it destroys her. She even tries to deny it at first. The evidence is right there, in front of her face, and all she can say is, "No, it's not possible." Because it's better to live in denial than to believe you've helped create a monster. A monster who thinks it's better to sacrifice the lives of innocent people for his own self-interest.

Sacrificing Titan’s Blood for Luz: When, in reality, the best sacrifices come from the heart. The Titan's blood is the most essential thing Luz has at the moment, and Eda uses it to get her kid back home. Though, I really hope Eda didn't use all of it and just ripped off a finger of Amity's glove. It still gives the feeling of sacrifice as Luz now has fewer do-overs to make a new door while also not overtly screwing Luz over in finding a way back home. Still, it was a tough call Eda made, and no one can blame her for going through this decision. I worry about what this means for the future, but...there's something worse on my mind.

Hunter’s Panic Attack: This...broke me. The horror in Hunter's voice when he realizes Belos will kill him if they meet again. The way Hunter tears his cloak off as if it burned him, now knowing how it only leads to death. And the fact, despite being in a place where people will show him what real love looks like, he runs.

Hunter runs because it's all he can do. The most powerful man on the planet will want Hunter dead, and he fears that there's nowhere that he is safe. It is soul-crushingly well written, making it another perfect ending.

WHAT I DISLIKED

...Uh...I guess it's kind of weird how Raine, Darius, and Eberwolf stay silent? I get that the writers want to keep it a "secret," but contextually, it makes little sense why they keep quiet.

However, that's quite possibly the nitpickiest of nitpicks I could have ever nitpicked. This episode's another A+

IN CONCLUSION

"Hollow Mind" might have a similar idea to "Understanding Willow," but the differences matter with who's mind we go into. "Understanding Willow" shows us the tragedy behind the character we already love. "Hollow Mind" also has tragedy, but by revealing the history and motivation behind an evil, evil, EVIL man. What follows is the trauma of one of our favorite characters and hints of a future that makes me more scared than I am excited to see. To compare it with "Understanding Willow" would be a hollow comparison at best.

[honora-liveblogs]

So Ebberwolf is in on it too. I guessed as much from the fact the Darius was working with Raine. They must have convinced the other two to join them after they were captured.

[starsfic]

Hear me out Ebberwolf is actually a woman but they never told anyone and they're just waiting for them to realize it

I think Eber might be female? I haven't heard their pronouns but on my first watch-through I thought Darius called them Heather, which could be a first name...