#Luz moves and loses her dad

[artsymephy]

You’re right

Let them be buddies

Buddies, playmates, partners in crime, chaotic besties, malicious soulmates, troublemaker friends, mischief pals, whatever!! I think they’d be fun! No one else gets their weirdness so they stick together !!!

[rnelodyy]

I cannot get over how Obsessed Belos is with Caleb. It’s SO wild, and the deeper you dig the sadder and more disturbing it becomes.

Like,,, Caleb was literally all he had growing up. Their parents were gone, they were (presumably) homeless, they were two street rats trying their best to make it on their own. Caleb was the older sibling, so the weight of caring for Philip fell on his shoulders, even though he was just a kid himself.

And considering the motif of coping through stories (Luz finding comfort in Azura after her dad’s death, Hunter finding comfort in Cosmic Frontier while trying to cope with the fact that he’s a clone), I wouldn’t be surprised if Caleb tried to do something similar for Philip. From Belos’s memories, we can see they used to play pretend a LOT. It’s a lot less scary for a young child if they believe they’re going on wild and wacky adventures than to know the truth – that they’re homeless orphans, moving into a community that regularly hangs people for witchcraft, with Caleb having to do hard labor to afford food and housing and sending his brother to school, while having to sacrifice his own education and skip meals so Philip doesn’t need to go hungry.

Caleb used stories to shield Philip from the worst of their life, which blinded Philip to just how bad his brother was suffering. To Philip, life in Gravesfield was good, but it was only good because of how much Caleb was sacrificing for him.

So when Caleb met Evelyn, of course he took the chance to escape his shitty life. It may have even been a situation like Luz, where he only expected to be gone for a short time, and either returned to find Philip gone, or ended up being trapped on the Isles for longer than he’d anticipated.

Philip, meanwhile, is fucking Losing It. Caleb was his whole world, and now he's just gone, spirited away by an evil witch just like those stories they’d been playing out their whole lives. It may even be a situation like King, where Caleb knew he wasn’t being truthful with the witch hunter stories, but Philip genuinely believed them all.

So Philip goes into the Demon Realm, determined to rescue his brother. He’s practiced this, he’s trained for this, he just needs to find Caleb, save him from whatever tortures that witch has been inflicting on him, open up a portal back to Gravesfield, and everything will go back to normal. So he travels, he meets witches, he kills them, he either gets cursed or discovers that eating Palismen gives him funny powers, so he keeps doing that.

And then, after years of searching, he finds Caleb. Not chained up in a dungeon, or turned into a frog, or a shambling husk of his former self, but free. Happier and healthier than Philip has ever seen him. 

Philip tries to grab Caleb and leave with him, but Caleb refuses. The witch who lured him away is his wife now. He’s got a house and a job and a kid on the way. He’s got a Palisman, this stupid fucking red bird that follows him everywhere. Caleb’s good here. He’s not leaving.

And I think Philip just fucking loses it at that point. What do you MEAN you’re not leaving?! We were adventurers! We were gonna be witch hunters together! We were going to do everything together! Did she do something to you? Did you just hate me that much? 

Caleb tries to de-escalate, but eventually loses his temper himself. We weren’t adventurers, we were street rats! I was working so YOU could go to school, I was starving myself so YOU wouldn’t have to, I sacrificed EVERYTHING so you’d have a chance at life! You’re old enough to handle yourself now, it’s time to grow up and let me live my own life!

Phil’s not having it. There’s a fight, someone draws a knife, and… we all know how that one ends.

Fast-forward a bit. Philip, now alone and stranded on the Isles, has latched onto the stories he and Caleb used to play pretend with. He’s going to make them come true. He’s going to kill every witch in one fell swoop, become Witch Hunter General, and he’s going to do all of it with his brother by his side.

So he asks for the Collector’s help, and together, they make a Grimwalker.

Philip decides that this is his chance. He can raise this new Caleb properly, make sure that his brother isn’t swayed by the evils of witchcraft again. The new Caleb doesn’t look exactly the same but it’s fine. Having him back is good enough.

And then the new Caleb betrays him too.

Maybe he befriended some witches, maybe he tried to learn magic, maybe he had some reservations about the whole genocide plan. Either way, this Caleb has gone the same way as the first. 

So Philip kills him, and starts over with a new Grimwalker. This time he’s gonna get it right. This Caleb is gonna be the one.

But he’s not. He betrays Philip again. So Philip starts over again, tightening the leash this time. New-new-new Caleb can’t leave his sight, isn’t allowed to talk to people without Philip there, because it’s dangerous. But strict parents make sneaky children, and Philip catches new-new-new Caleb making out with a secret witch partner behind his back.

Philip realizes he needs to change his approach. Caleb isn’t listening to him? Well, he’ll make him listen. He makes the next one younger, establishes himself as an authority figure (dad feels too personal, so uncle it is), and makes himself the focal point of this new Caleb’s life. Continuing to call him Caleb feels weird, especially since there’s such a significant age difference between them now, so he gives this one a new name.

They’re going to be witch hunters, so he names the new one Hunter. It’s hilarious when you think about it.

And so the cycle continues. Hunter is born, grows up, rebels, and is killed. Over and over and over again. Philip grows numb to it at this point – he’s already killed dozens of them, and he doesn’t see them as individuals anyway. To him, it’s like a game, resetting and starting over from the last checkpoint to really, really get everything right this time.

He adopts his new identity as Belos, and lets Hunter believe it too. He preaches to towns, pulls more and more power towards himself, with Hunter by his side, his Golden Guard, the most perfect version of Caleb he can make.

They keep betraying him though, so with each iteration, the leash gets tighter. The Hunters become more and more isolated, Belos’s power over them greater and greater. Step out of line and be beaten, show disrespect and be verbally abused, betray him (which can be anything from actively trying to stop his plans to making a friend he didn’t approve of) and be killed, replaced with another Grimwalker.

Belos becomes Emperor of the Isles, and his Grimwalkers become his right hand men, answering only to him. Caleb by his side, just like he’d always wanted. Never mind that the Grimwalkers are nothing like Caleb now – they’re submissive, desperate for affection and attention. They’re afraid of Belos, but cling to him all the same, because he’s all they have. He’s made sure of that.

A few years before the Day of Unity, the culmination of his life's work, Hunter betrays him again. Belos got too lenient, allowed him to take on a student, and now he’s got all sorts of weird ideas in his head again. So he starts over, and this time, he makes sure that Hunter will stay pure and obedient until the Day of Unity.

No contact with the other scouts. No scroll, no crystal ball, no leaving the castle unless it’s for a mission. Keep the number of missions to a minimum, make him associate getting missions with good behavior. Monitor his training, monitor what he studies, keep him safe under lock and key. Make him desperate to please, never quite give him what he needs so he keeps clinging to you for more.

And it works. For a while. At least, until literally a week before the Day of Unity, Hunter shows up in Philip’s mind. And I mean, Philip doesn’t necessarily want to ruin this one, but he’s always liked testing loyalty. He can make another Grimwalker after the Day of Unity if this one fails.

And fail Hunter does, except… he doesn’t die. He escapes. Goes on the run.

Philip tries to get him back, sends out search parties and everything, but Hunter doesn’t turn up, and he’s got other priorities now. It’s fine, Hunter’s got a sigil. He’ll die during the Day of Unity anyway.

And then he fucking shows up to stop him! Him, a gaggle of witch kids, and Luz the Human, and they nearly fight Philip to a standstill! They nearly get the better of him! Philip tries to guilt trip Hunter back to his side – surely he doesn’t want to hurt his beloved uncle – but then what does he see? That Fucking Bird. Caleb’s bird. This one’s DEFINITELY gone too far now, murder mode it is.

But then oops, the Collector gets freed, Philip gets splattered against a wall, and the Draining Spell ends. 

However, Phil’s not dead, somehow. He manages to shift his consciousness to one glob of goop that lands on Hunter, and rides along to the human realm, determined to salvage the dumpster fire this whole thing has become.

He gains back strength, spies on the kids, watches as Hunter does boring child stuff that’s absolutely nothing like how Caleb acted, until… Hunter finds a bit of his goop, and like a dumbass, sticks his finger into it. And Philip, who by now has gotten the hang of this whole Venom-stuff, crawls inside a wound, and into Hunter’s bloodstream.

And as he grows in strength, he realizes. This is it. This is the culmination of everything. Hunter isn’t Caleb, but dammit, he’s close enough. Philip can save him now, save him from these witches who have been a terrible influence on him, he can finally, finally complete his great work, with his brother by his side.

So when he gets strong enough, he takes over. Consumes whatever energy Hunter had stored in fat cells and his magic heart and uses it to power himself, growing himself throughout the kid’s whole body. Taking him over. 

He’s finally united with Caleb again, he can finally finish what he started. Never mind that Hunter doesn’t want this. Never mind that Hunter fucking hates him for what he did. Never mind that Hunter isn’t Caleb, never mind that Caleb would never, ever have wanted this, never mind that Philip is now the corrupting force, it does. Not. Matter. 

And then “Caleb” betrays him again. Because of fucking course he does. Philip literally fucking invaded his body like a parasite and made him kill his own Palisman with his bare hands, and he expected Hunter to just fucking lie down and take it? To let him do whatever? He robbed Hunter of his childhood, of his autonomy, of his personhood, and he expected the kid to not just accept it, but be grateful for it?

Well... Yeah. That’s how far gone he is. That’s how far removed from reality Philip has become. “Caleb” isn’t even a person to him anymore, “Caleb” is some kind of personification of his childhood nostalgia that he keeps trying to bring back into the flesh. And it’s not gonna work, because nobody could ever fill that role. Even the original Caleb wouldn’t be able to fill that role – in fact, that’s why Philip stuck a knife in his chest in the first place!

He’s lost EVERYTHING. He’s killed his own brother, he’s reduced himself to a parasitic goop monster that’s no longer living yet unable to die, the plan he’s spent 400 years working on blew up in his face, the realm he spent so long fighting for has moved on without him, and his latest attempt to create a new Caleb to comfort him not only rejected him, but actively despises him now. No fucking wonder he’s gone even more batshit insane.

I don’t know where the story is gonna go from here. Philip is still obviously trying to carry out his genocide, and Hunter is on the fucking war path now, so I have zero doubt that there’s going to be some sort of clash between those two. Hunter now also presumably has access to Flapjack’s memories, so him gaining memories of Caleb is also not out of the question. 

Either way, Philip’s just gonna become Even More Not Normal about his brother, and I for one cannot wait.

[playchoicesconfessions]

Sent by anonymous

‘Mother of the Year was such a good book, not only because all of the LI’s were amazing and it had the best side characters like Alma and Luz, but because it dealt with real issues and they were handled well. You have Eiko, someone a part of the LGBTQ+ community worrying about coming out and how it would affect the work she does. Levi, a struggling musician who’s trying to decide whether to keep following his dream or just give up. Thomas, a single dad who is working through the grief of losing his wife and trying to figure out how to move on with his life without guilt. And MC, a struggling single mother who is doing everything she can for her child while trying to stay afloat on top of dealing with a narcissistic, emotionally and mentally abusive ex. I wish we had more books like that.’

POST/CONFESSIONS DO NOT REFLECT THE MOD’S PERSONAL OPINIONS!

[sepublic]

            Oh but it’s doubly tragic how Manny’s gradually worsening health and eventual death hurt Luz in OTHER ways too, ways that no doubt agonized Manny. The show has made it clear by now that there were or WOULD be people in Gravesfield that Luz could find and get along with, fellow weirdoes like Masha and Vee’s friends, Mike and Bridget (that’s what I call those two kids who suggested the Haunted Hayride, given who they were based off of), that thing.

         But they’re constantly moving around. Luz and Camila never get the chance to settle down in a place and truly engage with a community. They’re always going from place to place, and so they’re just USED to being strangers and never having a definitive area to call home, at least not anymore.

         Obviously the Boiling Isles is rather unprecedented to Luz, but also how familiar did it feel to her, to casually move to another place and stay there? How much did it hurt when her mom sent her away; Because it was the first time Luz had to leave, and her parents weren’t there with her? The Nocedas moved to keep themselves together, now Camila is seemingly sending Luz off to be away with her.

         Luz has always been a wanderer, trying to find a place to fit in, or being forced to travel before she CAN adjust. I wonder if Caleb and Philip had ever been like that before Gravesfield, and that’s part of why Philip latched onto that place’s traditions so much, it seemed to work out, or it HAD to when Philip lost Caleb and couldn’t move with him like before, and he HAD to stay this time.

         When Camila begged Luz to stay with her in Yesterday’s Lie, and leave the demon realm; When Luz chose to do so, how many times did she have to give up a new home with friends, potential or otherwise, for the sake of a parent? How familiar was her resignation, as it had been for Manny? Resigned for the futility of wanting to stay but leaving anyway for a parent, for a place that either wasn’t much better, or worse? Just like the futility of doing so much to save Manny, wanting him alive, just for him to die regardless?

         Not to mention the meta implications of Camila and Manny being immigrants, or at least coming from a generation of immigrants who traveled to the U.S. How they’re just used to it. How Luz was excited so much over the idea that she finally found a place she could stay in, but then she just accepts going back to the human realm and leaving the Boiling Isles, because she’s used to that? Sure, THIS time she made friends, but in the end, she’s used to losing people. She lost her dad, after all.

         How much did Eda’s curse remind Luz of Manny’s deteriorating condition? Did Manny ever try to hide his illness, did that accidentally influence Luz’s tendency to bottle up and not talk about her issues??? Eda must’ve reminded Luz of Manny so much; Willing to defy conventions by supporting their loved one’s love of the unorthodox. Manny’s last gift led Luz to Eda, like Eda and the Demon Realm was his last gift to his daughter in a sense; He made her feel like she belonged, so it was the least he could pass on.

         And Eda’s curse wearing away at her health must’ve reminded Luz so much of her dad. Remember when she gives Eda health tips on how to not wear herself out, lift with her knees, drink water? It’s not just because her mom’s a vet. It must’ve been because she had to apply that same advice to her dad. Luz is USED to taking care of a parent. And she’s so desperately trying to prevent it from happening again, she just FINALLY felt like herself again with Eda, with a parent who supported her.

         And then she breaks down at the end of Agony of a Witch. Because Luz lost yet another parent like that to their gradual condition. And then she has to move again, leave a home she settled in, can’t get attached; It’s like a never-ending cycle for Luz. The monotony and despair must’ve been maddening.

         Plus, it plays into Luz’s desperation and need to feel responsible for helping Eda, her guilt; Because she SO BADLY doesn’t want to lose this again. Did she blame herself, did Camila too, because they didn’t ‘do enough’ to help Manny, after sacrificing so much? Failing Eda is like failing Manny again. God, this trauma must’ve done so much to Luz when she enthusiastically chose to help Gwen with Eda’s curse, and then found out she was being scammed.

         Luz is USED to this. She’s used to having to keep quiet over her dad’s death, to constantly losing a sense of community. To doing everything for someone, only to fail regardless. To lose someone to that illness. It’s a repeating tragedy, especially on Camila’s side; Just like Luz, she grew up neurodivergent with fictional hyperfixations, she got bullied and ostracized. Camila had to conform to survive, and she sees the same thing again happening in Luz.

         There’s so much talk of this show’s frequent parallels, but. God. There really is this idea of things changing but also staying the same, and how horrific and trapping that can be. And it can be good and inspirational, it’s kind of a generational issue, and about what you pass down for others to carry over. People are so different yet still the same. People want to fit in but also be themselves. This show.

        The Owl House really is just about finding a sense of belonging. A place where you can feel comfortable in your own skin. Grief over losing loved ones and going through the same things again, being a force of change instead of tradition. Holding onto people but without keeping them trapped. Luz held onto Manny’s memory by enjoying what he gave her, embracing what he loved about Luz.

       So to lose Eda, who she found through Manny’s encouragement of her weirdness; To lose her passion for her hyperfixations. It’s like losing her father all over again, or even for real this time, a final death beyond just physical, but also in terms of emotion and legacy. It’s losing the neurodivergent joy he brought her, the happiness he represented to Luz that she associated him with. I just can’t.

[pizzaboat]

What do you think of Eda’s nightmare? Where not only is she captured by her mom and sister, but seeing her dad who was apparently hurt by her again.

I think it did an awsome job telling us more about what I already suspected about Eda's whole mental state. (You probably didn't ask for an analysis but I'm giving one lmao)

It told me that Eda is still afraid. She's afraid of how the curse impacts her life. She's afraid of the progress she made with her sister and her mom being erased and she's afraid of being a monster

And I think her dad is like, the symbol of her inability to forgive herself. Dell already lost his eye and his ability to carve to the owlbeast. The implication of her taking his last remaining eye and blinding him forever would be devastating.

Dell represents there being no hope of redemption of forgiveness for Eda in this dream. He's covered in blood and crying over how she could do this to him and that he'd already forgiven him and in canon Dell could never get Eda to accept his forgiveness because its implied it would just turn into an argument

Eda wasn't ready to repair things (accept that she could move on and accept his forgiveness in part) because she was afraid that at any time she could break that forgiveness and lose control again.

Which is what the nightmare is telling us happened to her.

And I think having Lilith and Gwendolyn turn their backs on Eda again here makes me think that a part of Eda believes that it was a mixture of her and the curse that turned her sister and mother against her.

Now, that's not really how things went down in canon, but it's a messy bunch of emotions that she'd have felt during the whole thing. It's not hard to imagine that Eda felt abandoned by Lilith and Gwen.

Like, its a fact, and she did have that episode where Gwen has to realise that she's been making Eda feel isolated and unwanted for a very long time. When gwen tells Eda that she loves every part of her, including the curse it brings on a shift in how Eda treats her own kids

Because again, she starts to believe just a little bit, that she's not so broken and so monstrous that her loving King and Luz like her own won't screw them up. This isn't a complete mental shift in her of course because she's still shown to be insecure and she spirals pretty quickly in episode 7 of season 2

And since Eda has spent a long time feeling abandoned, believing she deserves to be abandoned, that there's something wrong with her and that she's too inadequate to function as a person that makes changes in people's lives its really easy for her to forget all of what gwen said to her and the good times she's had with her kids

Cause when you're mentally ill and you're spiralling it's so easy for the things that are triggering you to dwarf and block out all the good things. And it's not as simple as being told one or two really needed positive messages once, to fix decades or just years of really bad trauma and a mentality like that

And her relationship with Lilith? That never got resolved in canon and I feel like the show acknowledges it with Lilith being back in black and looking at Eda with no familiarity or love anymore

There was never time to fix their relationship in canon. Maybe we would've seen more of a change if we got more seasons but we'll never know now. But it is important to note that Eda tried to connect with Lilith emediatly in the first episode of season 2 and nothing ever came of it because Lilith brushed her off

And then she left 3 episodes later for nearly the entirety of the season

What gets me about it all is that dispite how angry and hurt Eda should rightfully be at how Lilith treated her and her kids, she emediatly tries to have some sort of a relationship with her again

Which doesn't say great things about Eda's uh, self worth? Like. No boundaries are set down after all of this. And from what happened in episode 7 and everything we learned about how Eda views herself as a monster

It really gives "you hurt me, but if I push you away or set a boundary now then you'll leave me and I'll be alone."

That's sorta how I read it, as someone who can be like that I found myself recognising it in her and it makes a lot of sense to me because Eda sees herself as this unfit, monstrous person deep down, or atleast she's afraid that's what she is

And I think that all of this is important to remember when we see Lilith back there in this dream. Maybe Eda is afraid that all of her efforts to fix things between them will never be enough? That them falling out again will be her fault

It's super interesting that Eda acts so close with Lilith and Lilith with Eda at the end of the show, like how they ran to hug eachother and cry. Like this pure familial love that is sweet

But the nightmare kinda overshadows that for me when I remember just how not okay Eda is. Like, Lilith has healed somewhat but still needs so much therapy to be able to love herself and others and Eda just needs therapy.

Tough thing is I don't ever see Eda willingly going to therapy like Lilith would because Lilith has been told she needs therapy and brought to that conclusion and feels receptive to it and Eda would insist that she's fine and that nothing is that wrong with her

It would probably take Raine on her case because they saw her try to kill herself months prior and Lilith or her family learning more about how she's thinking, for them to decide to start talking her into it

But ultimately it would be Eda's decision. A lot of heartbreak would lead up to it to be honest

But back to the nightmare!

My conclusion is that

Dell represents her ability and right to be forgiven and redeemed by both herself and others

Gwendolyn represents Eda’s right to exist as a person in society

Lilith represents Eda's internal beliefs about herself. A bit about how much she deserves to demand and how she blames herself

They're all kinda different forms of how she blames, devalues, distrusts and dispises herself. (Look at all that alliteration!)

And the final obvious thing is that she's in chains, and starts of in the dungeons after hurting her dad because deep down she's terrified that people are right to want to persecute her, that there's no version of living where she lives freely and no one gets hurt (that others are better or without her) and that being locked up and caged is away is exactly where she belongs

[welcometogrouchland]

not only is darimila HYSTERICALLY funny as a crackship i think camila deserves a nice peacock of a boyfriend. i want her to show a photo of him at work and his coworkers are too busy wondering if this guy is an actor or a model or what to wonder about the ears or the goo hair. can you imagine darius helping the nocedas with groceries high heels and green eyeliner and god knows what else. MAN.

Firstly I love that this ask implies that Darius puts 0 effort into concealing his identity as a witch when he's in the human realm. This man is fully willing to expose magic and the demon realm in the town famous for producing a crackpot genocidal witch hunter everyone hates IF. and only if he can look fabulous doing it

I'm also on team Camila Deserves Nice Things anon, though I do differ on the details slightly, mainly because I'm sooooo enchanted by the Darius and Camila fake dating scenario I've cooked up in my brain. It both appeases the part of me that adheres to canon characterization of Camila as a woman who still, years later, has boxes of Manny's stuff lying around the house, yet to be put away, bc realistically she did not get proper space to mourn him when he died and she is not ready to move on...AND the part of me that, like you, wants Camilla's coworkers to see a picture of Darius and LOSE THEIR MINDS. HELLO??? THIS IS THE BAD BITCH SHE PULLED BY BEING AUTISTIC??? FR???????

And then I'm unsure whether or not I prefer Darius with romantic feelings for Camila? On the one hand I think, in the beautiful timeline where I actually wrote this, I'd prefer to have it come down on the side of "Darius and Camila are Good Friends who bond over how terrifying being a new(ly), single parent is"

and Hunter has to grapple with the fact that no, his family is not and never will be "normal" according to societies standards, and he cannot parent trap his parents into loving each other, but that doesn't make his family structure any worse off than something closer to a nuclear family.

Also I'd squeeze some juicy character exploration out of Luz bc she is SO not over her dad's death. She tries to downplay it and act like she is but she is not and it's very very clear in TTT. But she also wants her mom to be happy more than anything. And she loves love! And it'd make hunter happy! So she's just. Sitting there with gritted teeth trying not to get upset at the idea of Darius and her mom actually getting together and being happy.

But, tragically, I can't guarantee I'll ever fully write this out (though I fully encourage ppl to run with the idea if they like it. Please run with it I can't be the only one who's thought of this before) so I give myself a little more room to be silly and I say that. Darius is a person with a lot of walls up who likes pretending to be cool as a method of distancing himself from ppl, and I'd love to watch those walls get eroded by the overly sincere and silly sci-fi nerds that are his son-figure and his crush, who are also mother and son. Also I love the idea of Darius being a man in his forties with a crush. Yes!! Get more pathetic!!! Raeda is cowering rn!!!!!

IN CONCLUSION: I love you anon, I should really make SOMETHING based on the Darius Camila fake dating scenario, but if I don't, let this rambling serve as a testament to the GRIP it has on my brain

[mdhwrites]

I've seen a few argue that Amphibia has an 'unintentionally authoritarian' undertone when it comes to the moral of accepting change, and while I don't really agree with the argument, I have pondered over it.

The 'evidence' they bring up are as follows: According to Matt Braly, the motivation Marcy's dad had for taking a new job was that it was a big 'opportunity' for him. Going off Braly's words, it seems it was done not out of financial necessity, but simply because Mr. Wu wanted to. As a result, some call Mr. Wu selfish and uncaring, ungrateful for the lofty life he already had. They argue he should have learned a lesson at the end, not just his daughter.

Further 'evidence' is the way Andrias is portrayed in an anti-authoritarian light, but the show 'has an expectation of deference to parents and authority' when it comes to any other parental figure than Andrias or his father. The argument goes that it is 'inconsistent' for the show to never question the Wu parents for their actions, while negatively portraying Andrias'.

Again, I really don't agree, partly because the show doesn't consistently portray parents as 'beyond reproach.' I mean, Hop-Pop often mishandles or mistreats his family, even if he means well, and he's portrayed as...well, wrong for it.

But the main reason I don't agree is because the story is one that wants to end with Marcy accepting the move. Having her dad be 'in the wrong because he took a job he didn't need' would result in an ending where Marcy doesn't move due to her dad learning to appreciate what he already has, thereby...nullifying the ending's message that being distant from her friends won't mean Marcy loses their friendship.

That being said, I think a fair point was made regarding the motivation for the move - if that really was Mr. Wu's reasoning, then I can see why some would interpret the story's resolution as 'your parents can't be challenged, even if they're taking you from an environment that gives you joy without any necessity.' Which is why it stays on my mind even if I don't agree - which brings me to my question: is this argument making a decent point by using evidence from the show creator, or is it another one of those takes that people use to justify their feelings rather than make an argument in any good faith?

This argument is so stupid that I hard stopped and my first instinct was to delete it.

That's not a joke. I needed a sanity check so bad that what I was reading was genuinely just insane that instead of waiting until after I'd written this to discuss it with my Discord, I immediately sent them the ask. Like... What? What show did you watch to make this? What is your definition of authoritarianism to think Andrias, Aldritch and THE FUCKING CORE are not people who force their will, loss of self, etc. upon others for the sake of the state and themselves which is at least a pretty decent component of authoritarianism. It's closer to say their argument is pro-authority but... We'll get to it.

So before I actually get into their bad evidence or how much of the show they're ignoring, let's just talk about lack of evidence. My blogs tend to be so long because rather than go "If you don't see this, you need to rewatch the show", I will actually try to be thorough in my examination and even bring up counter examples against my arguments. Most of my negative blogs on Lumity or Amity still admit that Eclipse Lake is a highlight for them. A sign of what could have been that is then drowned out by what actually happened. I am thorough though in part to make sure my argument is sound. I've literally had moments in blogs where looking at the evidence made me hard stop, like when I realized the first time that after Adventure in the Elements, Eda and Luz do NOTHING together for the rest of the season which I didn't know when I started my first blog on the issues with TOH's found family.

Their evidence, their ONLY evidence, is a very specific interpretation of something a creator said about a character who is vocal in one scene, not even on screen, and Andrias/Aldritch supposedly being anti-authoritarian. That's it. They bring up literally ZERO other power structures, authority figures, parents, etc... Because they'd be fucked if they did. They only focus on this very small group because they can spin it in a way that makes their argument sound reasonable. Not including 90% of the rest of the show though means their argument is inherently unsound.

So... What does the other 90% of the show say?

Well first: THE CORE IS AUTHORITARIAN. ANDRIAS IS AUTHORITARIAN. Aldritch... More up and down but that's kind of because he had such a prosperous state as to not need to quell rebellions but even he saw even one concerned cry of dissent as treason. Andrias is a good leader... Because he needs to be. He bides his time but the minute he has absolute power, he rules absolutely. Those who do not obey are literally mind controlled into serving him. Their personhood lost for the state. Hell, Andrias prefers DRONES over people to do his bidding and literally outfitted a robot with a BOMB as a punishment for if it didn't get its job done. The Core literally has a fuck everything but me button with the moon for if people don't listen to it and gives it what it wants and its whole gimmick is literal assimilation and then being crushed under the actual personality and desires of The Core. So yeah, the more substantial part of their evidence is just FLATLY WRONG.

But what about pro-authority? I said that was probably what they were going for more after all, especially since calling Mr. Wu authoritarian... *gestures at how fandoms moralize again because sweet fucking christ* So how does the show treat authority figures and especially blind trust in authority figures? With giving them absolute power and seeing that as a good thing?

You all remember how S1 ended with an upheaval of the status quote of the world because what the toads was doing was being evil and Sasha's want for Anne to listen to her, no questions asked, was unhealthy, right? Or how about how the one time Hop Pop gets full power over everyone instead of having to commonly explain himself or give concessions was the mind control episode where he was blatantly in the wrong? Toadstool... Exists. He actually only is a good guy once he stops only focusing on himself and wanting absolute power and greed and starts thinking about others and being willing to sacrifice for them. Wally's father wants the repression of his son's identity and desires before being proven wrong and a hypocrite.

One of the show's big themes is community and the positive effects of community and you literally CAN'T be pro-authoritarian, or arguably even pro-authority, with that as a core theme. You cannot say supporting and listening to only one person is correct if your main argument is that people are stronger and better working together and supporting each other. Hell, Hop Pop has an episode where he abuses the blind trust of his customers and it only ends badly for everyone. That is literally not something you can include if your main message is pro-authoritarian.

And finally... I could literally just say "Your anger about not seeing Sasha and Marcy's parents will never be justified" again about Mr. Wu. It's just another way to try to call him abusive. To say Marcy was in the right and the trio should have stuck together. Life changes like this do sometimes just happen. My last major move that wasn't just shifting places in the same small town, happened because a sudden decline in someone in the household's health made it less tenable for me to be there. The emotional strain was getting too great for me to handle. I was gone within a month or two.

Mr. Wu wanting a promotion because he cares about his job is not wrong of him. If the guy the position was supposed to go to fell through, he might have only been given weeks to make the choice and move which means pretty much no time to include his daughter. But also... Parents exist for more than their children. He is still caring about Marcy, he isn't literally abandoning her or kidnapping her, so it's okay if he wants to pursue what he cares about too. And that's pretty much the most cynical I can get about it because this isn't getting into him potentially wanting a better job to set aside more money for Marcy's college fund, or how the job they had might have been strained financially and this move could mean going somewhere MUCH cheaper to live as well. Or like... A hundred other reasons Mr. Wu might have seen this as a great opportunity in general.

And here at the end, I stand amongst an eviscerated argument and am tempted to just go "Stop." At least when others bring me arguments, they actually believe in those arguments. They actually think there might be credit to them. It's a very different feeling to have someone actively admitting they think a take is bullshit when it's brought to you, which is part of why I chose to talk about arguments in general with this like I did with your last ask too.

But... I also do get it. I literally needed a sanity check because of how insane this argument was to me. Not everyone has a Discord like mine though where they feel comfortable sharing posts like this and asking for thoughts, let alone have anyone in the Discord who can properly formulate an argument with evidence for why a take is insane. I might be your only option for a sanity check.

So if you want to keep bringing these, feel free to but also, I do have a dedicated Amphibia discussion channel in my Discord. I have one for TOH too. That way if you want to join but don't want to hear about a show, you at least mostly don't if you just mute the channel (they still both come up from time to time while discussing other cartoons but the bulk of the discussion happens in those channels.)

But BOY these Amphibia arguments are fucking wild to me. It honestly probably is a testament for how good the show is at its themes and messaging that people have to stretch THIS HARD to have anything where as when TOH fans go "It's anti-colonial" I at least understand why they have the base premise they do.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[darkcrowprincess]

Goldenlight week 2023 💜💛: Day 3 Flight

"LUZ!" Luz hears Hunter scream her name. She couldn't fully turn to see where his scream is coming from. Because well you see she was in a bit of trouble. Well maybe a lot of trouble. Belos cruel glowing eyes stared directly into her soul as he's holding her over the edge of the cliff. If he lets her go, down she will fall into the graveyard of other tragic murdered golden guards. The grip he has on her is painful, but him brusing her is better than falling to her death. Her cape that matches Belos blows in the breeze from the great hight. Luz swallows hard at this. Ironic and messed up, Belos has her over a great precipice. Dressed up just like him, about to kill her over all the other golden guards he's killed over centuries. As if he's killing himself this time.

"Ah Nephew, finally you've joined us."

She could finally see Hunter. He was a few steps behind Belos. His new golden brown eyes(like hers) wide and terrified. 'He looks so different.' Luz thinks, and a flash of a memory hits her head. The golden guard on that beach rising up from the boiling sea. So confident. Now so different from the person he is now. Scared, traumatized, and fearful of losing another person he cares about.

"Let her go!"

Belos fists grow tighter on the grip he has on her shoulders. She hisses in pain. Her feet swinging helplessly in the air.

Belos laughs,"Poor choice of words Hunter."

Than as if on que, HE LETS GO OF HER!

"No!no!no!no!" Screams Luz, fear taking over her. She can feel herself falling air rushing past her.

"LUZ!!!!!"

Unknown to her, Hunter without a thought jumps after. No flapjack or glowing staff to help save them this time. Pure instinic and adrenaline running through him. But fortunately Flapjack is still with him.

Luz doesn't see Hunter. She hears him. All she can see through her tears is something glowing and speeding to catch her. Than red. Lots of red. She closes her eyes in fear. Brasing for the impact of cave floor and bones.

Than she's not falling anymore. Something warm and safe is holding her. It confuses her. She keeps her eyes closed anyway. Maybe she's already dead.

"Luz? Are you ok?" Worried Hunter questions.

"I'm afriad to open my eyes. Are we dead? Did we fall to our death?"

A hand runs through her hair, "Luz open your eyes."

"No."

"Luz."

"No."

"Luz."

"Hunter."

"Please. I promise we're ok."

Luz finally opens her eyes. She realizes several things at once. Hunter is cradling all her weight in his arms. He's covered in red feathers, like how Eda is in her Harpy form. He's got big red wings flapping and gliding in the air. And finally he's smiling in relief at her, happy tears falling down and landing on her cheeks.

Luz looks up dazed and confused, 'how'?

"Hunter?"

"Yes?"

"How are you doing this?"

"I have no idea. They just happened."

"Just happened?"

"Yes."

Luz takes that in. Several more questions enter her head. But she says something else. "Your wings are really pretty." Luz may be freaking out a lot right now.

"Thank you." Hunter says back. He's freaking out a lot too. But he holds her tight and sure.

(Luz also realizes she has a death grip on Hunter's body. Clinging like a spider monkey. She's too happy and traumatized about not dying to freak out about it right.)

Belos is angry faint echo far behind as they glide through the cave. Hunter reacts plain on instic. Ducking and gliding like he would on Flapjack. Soon they're out of the cave in open sky.

"Hey Howls moving Castle!" Luz says a little hysterical.

"What?" Hunter says in confusion, not understanding the reference, but gathers that obviously Luz means him.

"Do you have any idea on how to land?"

Before Hunter can say anything, giant roar( like from one of those old godzilla movies her Mami and Dad use to love watching together) echos behind them.

Neither of them can look behind to see and they don't want to.

"Fly faster Hunter!"

Hunter nods and does, grip on her becoming even more tighter and protective. He won't let anything bad happen to her. His red Flapjack wings fly fast and true.

[logicalbookthief]

If you're accepting owl house prompts then 37 with Willow? (or whoever strikes your fancy)

37. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

Prompt from this list

So… Anyone remember how messed up it is that Gus knows about the grimwalkers and what Philip did to Caleb?

“Augustus,” Willow greets, sliding in next to him on the couch. It’s a rare moment when they’re alone in the Noceda household. No Hunter keeping a watchful eye on his self-appointed charge. No Amity leaning on her, a familiar tether in an otherwise strange world. “Mind if I sit?”

Gus narrows his eyes. “I guess,” he replies, utterly skeptical. “What’s wrong?”

Busted already. What gave her away? Too casual in her approach? Or too careful? The pitfalls of having a friend who knows you better than you know yourself. 

Two can play at that game, though. “Why don’t you tell me?”

Willow doesn’t have much to do these days besides worry. Worry for her dads, who she misses like a whole half of her heart. Worry for everyone they left behind in the Boiling Isles.

Worry for Gus, who — while he has improved since that initial night of heartache and terror — can’t quite shake this shroud of despair that he wears when he believes nobody’s watching. 

Of course Willow notices. Not much else for her to do while they’re trapped in the human realm.

Predictably, Gus scoffs at her question. “It would be faster to list what’s not wrong with our lives right now.”

Willow can’t force herself to disagree. Her positive attitude is a far cry from Luz’s tireless optimism, but it’s served her well as a coping mechanism, even on some of the worst days of her life. Only it’s difficult to imagine a situation worse than this.

Even the loss of the smallest things — her plants, her bed, her cozy socks — sting like a thousand papercuts. The more she touches the memories, the more she aches.

“You’re right,” she admits. “And it freaking sucks, because we can’t do anything right now.”

Gus remains silent, staring straight ahead at the television. Usually, he watches cartoons with Hunter or Luz, but this time it’s a news reporter on screen. She wonders if it reminds him of his dad. Another memory, another cut.

“But,” Willow points out, nudging her shoulder with his. “As someone who felt helpless for a long time, I’m not really a fan. So I figure, why not try focusing on what we can do for each other?” 

It isn’t dissimilar from what she told King, what feels like an eternity ago. And oh, Titan, does that make her chest quaver. To think that he might’ve taken her words to heart, taken them to mean he should help by staying behind while they fled—

“Thanks, Willow,” Gus whispers, derailing her one-way guilt trip. “But you don’t need to worry about me.”

“No can do. Worrying for my friends is part of the deluxe Willow Park friendship package,” she states firmly. It earns her a slightly exasperated side-eye, which she responds to with a wink. “No returns, exchanges or refunds.” 

It does the trick. Gus snorts out a laugh, some of the tension in his shoulders loosening.

Emboldened by the small victory, Willow presses on. “Okay, we’ve established that apparently I have no reason to worry. Are you ... worried about anything?”

Lips pursed in a tight line, Gus shrugs. Completely noncommittal. Willow would call it childish, but it’s nice, actually, to see him finally act his age. Still, it means she’ll have to prod further to get him to speak.

“Does it have anything to do with why you’re avoiding Hunter?”

“What?” Gus snaps. “I’m not avoiding him! Kind of impossible to do, when we literally share a room.”

“You’re avoiding something with Hunter,” she revises. True, they’re as joined at the hip as ever. When Hunter isn’t paying attention, though, that’s when Gus stares at the older boy, all wide-eyed and wounded. 

Originally, Willow chalked it up to the fear of losing someone else, the way his gaze tracked Hunter’s every move. As the bags under Gus’s eyes grow darker, she can no longer let it slide.

“I’ve noticed you stealing glances at him—”

“I do?” Gus interrupts. It dawns on her that he may not have even been aware. “I’m looking at him weird? How??”

Taken aback, Willow stammers out, “Well, you.... you look at him like... Like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Gus pales, taking on the shade of a ghost himself. His voice is a frantic whisper. “Has he noticed?”

“I don’t think so,” Willow replies, slowly. Carefully, like she’s navigating a field of thorns. “Gus, is... Is there something you haven’t told us?”

Opening his mouth, Gus hesitates. The words catch in his throat, so he swallows them back again. “You don’t need to worry about me,” he insists.

Even though he can’t articulate it aloud, Willow hears what’s unspoken. Her minds flashes to Hunter, who was still in...  Survival mode, for lack of a better term. Where she felt herself faltering from time-to-time, Hunter remained steady.  Always ready to do a chore for Mrs. Noceda, or comfort Gus, or give Luz tips on rebuilding the portal. Never stopping long enough to process what’s happened, focused only on his future goals.

It’s a defense mechanism, to be sure. And it’s just as sure to backfire on him, eventually. Nonetheless, Willow can’t deny that part of her is envious. At least Hunter’s way of coping allows him to move forward, and be useful, instead of stagnating or feeling sorry for himself.

“I didn’t realize that…” Gus sighs, the words coming unstuck. “When you use the mirror to show someone their worst memories, it... It shows you their worst memories, too.”

Her eyes widen, the seed of dread in her stomach blooming into full-blown horror.

“Oh, Gus,” she gasps, her hand flying to cover her mouth.

“Yeah,” he huffs, that not-quite laugh brimming with self-deprecation. “That’ll teach me to pocket magical artifacts from creeps like Gray.”

“Are you okay?” Willow asks. Her gaze sweeps over her friend, as if she can pinpoint the place he’s hurt, as if it isn't already embedded inside, somewhere she can't hope to reach. “Seriously, I can’t imagine what would scare a monster like Belos—”

“He had a brother.”

And that, that of all things, is not what Willow expects to hear. Belos was always this larger-than-life concept looming over the Isles, more of a myth than a man. To know that he was once just a human is one thing. To know that he was a human with a life, family? Even a—

“A brother who he killed.”  

Her chest constricts, her pulse fluttering in shock. Her hand reaches out for Gus’s arm, as much for his comfort as her own.

Now that the dam's burst, the words won't cease. Gus clutches at the chain around his neck, his eyes clouded, distant.

“A brother who looks exactly like Hunter.” He chokes it out like a confession, like some dark, terrible thing he’s been holding back, but it’s finally broken free to the surface. Tears spring to his eyes, but he doesn’t stop, not even to take a breath.

"Willow, I saw— I saw it, this hand, it was clawing its way out of the dirt, and Belos, he was so— He was devastated, and alone, but he was so, so angry at Caleb, too—"

Caleb.

Her heart leaps to her throat. Caleb. Just a name, not a ghost, right? A harmless lie, a cover story for Hunter. But who had suggested that name? It was Flapjack, wasn’t it? Flapjack, who Belos had seen, and then he screamed, his rage a force of nature as he went in for the killing blow—

"What do I do?" Gus croaks. He isn’t asking, he’s pleading, turning so they’re face-to-face, and Willow sees the full extent of his sorrow. “How am I supposed to tell Hunter that h—he’s a—”

And for all she’s three years older, Willow has no idea what to do. She wraps Gus in her arms, and embraces hard, like she can squeeze the hurt right out of his heart.

She holds Gus, waiting until his shaking to subsides, his sobs drying into hiccups, and she worries. It feels like all she can do nowadays.

[ticklishbeans4]

Just A Little Pick Me Up

So! I recently got an ask about Lee!Gus and Ler!Willow and it ended up inspiring this fic! Hope you enjoy!

2 months… 2 months in the human realm. Gus was starting to lose hope they’d ever make it back. He curled up on the couch that had been his bed for the last 2 months, shaking with quiet sobs. Hunter was out with Camilla and Vee grocery shopping, Amity and Luz were on a date, and Willow was upstairs doing… whatever she did when she was alone. He’d go up and join her but… he didn’t feel ready to face anyone just yet.

It was hard. Sure he loved being in the human realm and learning all about human things! It was so cool! But… he missed his dad. He missed his room. He missed Matty and the other Emerald Entrails. He even missed the dangers that came from living in the boiling isles… at least it was familiar. It was home… he wanted to go home. He wanted his dad. A particularly loud sob covered the sound of the door opening, and his sorrowful whimpers covered the soft descent of feet on the stairs. It wasn’t till he felt a warm gentle hand on his back that he looked up and saw her. Willow knelt next to him, looking worried, but smiling gently. “Hey… you wanna talk about it? Or maybe a hug?” He whined and fell into her, hugging her tightly as he hiccuped and cried, getting her shirt all wet and snotty in the process. She didn’t seem to mind though, as she rubbed his back and rocked him side to side. “There ya go, it’s ok. I gotcha Gus. It’s gonna be ok.” Eventually his sobs tapered off into pitiful sniffles and he pulled back a bit, “S-sorry about yo-your shirt.” “Eh, I can clean it.” she brushed off, “But I want to know why you were crying alone in the basement. I was just upstairs, why didn’t you come get me?” “I… I was… I guess I just wanted to be alone for a bit. Ya know? I… I was just missing home… and my dad…” he answered quietly, rubbing his arms and not meeting her concerned gaze. “Yeah… I know the feeling.” she agreed, moving to sit next to him. “I miss home too. My dads, my old house, I even miss school! Heh… funny the things we take for granted when they’re gone…” He nodded and leaned his head against her shoulder. “I just really wanna go home…” “I do too.” she put an arm around him as he snuggled close. Terrible as he felt about it…. He was really glad Willow was here with him. She’d been his friend for years and years, before Luz or Hunter and definitely before Amity. ~He sniffled as he cuddled closer, flopping down to rest his head on her lap.

She sighed and smiled at him, rubbing his arm. “Don’t worry Gus. We’ll get home, and we’ll see our dads, and we’ll beat the collector, and we’ll all be ok. Ok?” He nodded, curling his knees to his chest. “I hope so… Do… do you think they’re… ya know… d-” “Don’t.” Willow rasped, eyes shining with unshed tears of her own. “Please.” Gus winced and hugged her, “Sorry…” “It’s ok. Let's just focus on the good stuff for now, ok? We’re safe, we’re gonna find a way home, and we’re all together. That’s what’s important.” she pressed, taking his hand and squeezing reassuringly. “We’re together and we’re safe.”

He nodded and gave her a small smile, “Yeah… we’re together, and we’re safe.” She smiled at him with that kind smile of hers and poked his nose. “Ya know… if you still need some extra cheering up, I think I know how to help.” He looked at her perplexed, before his eyes widened as he realized what she meant. “O-oh! Uh… well… I mean… I guess I’m still a little upset. Some extra cheering up could be useful.” It was a tale as old as time in their friendship. He’d be upset, or needing a little pick me up, and Willow would come in for a playfully evil attack. Or Vice Versa, but usually he was the one being wrecked. Willow’s smile became mischievous, “Oh is that so? Well, guess I have no choice then! Try not to punch me this time, ok?”

“I make no promise-EEHEHEHEHEHEHES!” he shrieked suddenly as her fingers dug into his belly. She giggled and lightened the tickles, tracing little patterns around his sensitive tummy. “Sorry, couldn’t resist!” “Yohohohu cohohohuld hahahahave!” he giggled, squeaking slightly under her skilled fingers. “Eeeeeeeh, nah! Definitely couldn’t resist!” she giggled, slipping her hand under his shirt and gently poke and prod at his bare belly.

He squealed and wiggled in her lap, batting uselessly at her hands. “NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! NAHAHAHAHAAHAT THE TUHUHUHUHUMMY!” “But it’s such a good giggle spot!” she cooed, bringing her face down to nuzzle his belly. That move had him squealing and wiggling louder, pushing at her face happily. “Stahahahahp! Stahahahap!” he begged, “It tihihihihickles so bahahahad!” “It’s supposed to, silly!” she giggled, but lightened up. “Are you feeling better now?” Gus snickered and squeaked softly as the phantom tickles receded, “Y-yeah, I am actually. Thanks Willow.” “Anytime Gus-Gus.” she winked, giving him one more squeeze before getting up and stretching. “You wanna head help me out in the garden? I’m planting some food stuff to help Camilla with grocery bills.” “Heck yeah!” he grinned, bouncing off the couch and racing up the stairs with his best friend.

Maybe they wouldn’t get back home today… But it wasn’t so bad really. Not when he had friends like Willow to help him out.

[elderdragonblu]

POV: You made an AU where Max moves away from her best friend and her dad gets deported for unidentified reasons but her dad left her a camera and she loves it

This took a while Lmao, anyways this is inspired by the owl house (when is it not) and when Luz talks about losing her dad so :)

Oh and a bonus panel cuz I like Amberfield fuck off

[csolarstorm]

Not too long before The Owl House finale!

The thing that bothers me is that even after The Collector is pacified and Belos is defeated...every adult and several children in the Boiling Isles has been a puppet for at least a month. Two months? And Hooty describes the experience as a "darkness unto death". That's at best, like a two month coma? That's terrible. And that's after every adult nearly died from the Draining Spell. Heck, it happened so quick their sigils might still sting.

They also have no government when they wake up, so...that'll be fun. A bunch of scared, tortured people with magic establishing a new government.

That is, if Belos doesn't move or destroy the Titan they live on in the finale and make them all refugees anyway. This is still on the table.

That's not counting the fresh hell that Raine is dealing with. At least Raine is an adult, and a tenacious rebel - but how do you get both villains violating you at once in a Disney show? Hopefully it turns out that being a puppet is protecting them from Belos' damage, because otherwise, this is unfair.

And there's any trauma our other main characters incurred. Like Camilla said, there's a "lot of work to do" after everything is over. There's no way to deus ex machina all of this trauma without losing the character development throughout Season 3. It would be weird to put focus on Hunter, King, or Eda and Lilith's arcs if Luz were just going to wake up from a dream, or she was going to time travel.

Dana wasn't kidding when she said she didn't like happy endings. No matter how the conflict ends in "Watching and Dreaming" I'd say the crew still earned an ending befitting a kids horror. I mean consider this - there's a possibility that when Willow saw her dad as a puppet - her dad saw her.

[sukunasbabygirl]

Heyo! Thank you so much for your response to my story idea and my OC Marla Faust! Since you love her so much I'm gonna share a bit of my OC and her family history (Cause there's more to the Faust name than just a nod) and wanna ask what would Philip/Belos be feeling seeing his fiance back and his thoughts about her (Plus how he thinks she's taken hostage by wild witches)

We know Philip/Belos is hella possesive so seeing his fiance back.. Hoo boy

So with Marla Faust...

Based on some idea that Jacob Hopkins is the descendant of Matthew Hopkins(Which may be true or not) I decided that Johan Georg Faust is technically her grandfather: The infamous Alchemist, astrologer, and magician who supposedly sold his soul to a demon in exchange for knowledge.

Her uncle and father are half-bros. Both had gotten a high education and studied various languages. Both were studying in England and her uncle took interest in witch-hunting while her father was more interested in disproving witches as fakes. (It didn't help that the play Faust came out after their father's passing)

Her Uncle bought the Hammer of witches as a book whereas her dad met and married the youngest daughter of a wealthy nobleman. Her mom would be considered odd(Cause she was a lot like Luz) and taught her small white magik(she was a white witch/studying white magic)

Her father doted on Marla along with her mother. Whereas she taught magik, her father encouraged her scientific mind and gave her a vast education and learned multiple languages

After her parents passing Marla lives with her uncle who moved to the colonies (To start over as the play Faust became a lot more popular in Europe and he's faced scrutiny for his family name), to which she had to hide her interests more, but shared her wit and cleverness with Philip while growing up. Her uncle read to Philip the Hammer of Witches as to bond with the boy.

The descendant gang! One the descendant of a witch hunter and the other the descendant of… well whatever the hell Faust had going on honestly.

I love the contrast of her having grown up around the idea magic thanks to her mother meanwhile Philip is probably running off in a woods somewhere changing HANG THE WITCH! Iconic duo, honestly.

I also love the use of the play Faust and the reputation it holds, how it links with why she moved etc! That’s a really interesting concept as a whole.

Marla really having some wild family times, huh?

And as for Philip seeing her again, realising she’s still alive, I feel he’s probably very aware of the time pools - he knows about ‘Luzura’ after all - and might even see it as destiny in a sense, likely linked with God blessing him. It’s like a second chance. He can go home with Luz (another human), Hunter (a perfect brother) and his fiancé. It’s one massive win for him. He’d probably be very paranoid and worried for her though, fearing it’s too late and that the witches have already tainted her. He can’t lose someone else. Not like that. I think he would be perfectly willing to kill her if that was the case, but he’d much rather go the peaceful saviour route first.

I’m still half asleep from waking up though so take all of that with a grain of salt wosksksk

[many-gay-magpies]

beware several spoilery screenshots under the cut . dont click if you havent watched the episode yet im just losing my mind and need to scream about it

THEYRE ALL SO BEAUTIFUL IM IMPLODING

GROWN-UP LUZ (AND FLUFFY TITAN LUZ!!!!! OH MY GOD FLUFFY LUZ. PERSONALLY I BELIEVE SHE SHOULD HAVE KEPT THE LITTLE SNAGGLETOOTH WHEN THE TITAN POWERS LEFT HER BUT THATS JUST ME. SHES GORGEOUS ANYWAY SO LIKE)

AND VEE !!!! SHE IS SO QUEER COLLEGE KID KM IN LOVE

ACTUALLY THE ENTIRE HEXSQUAD OH MY FUCKING GOD HOW DO THEY ALL HAVE SUCH QUEER SWAG /VERY VERY POS. WILLOW IS SO CUTE IM GOING TO EXPLODE

HUNTER'S PALISMAN :(((( AND HIM MAKING PALISMEN WITH EDA'S DAD!! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! THAT FOR THEM <333333

AND RAEDA !!!! THEY REALLY SAID OH YOU PEOPLE ARE MAKING HOWLS MOVING CASTLE AUS??? WELL WE'RE BOTH GOING TO GIVE YOU THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE HOWL PENDRAGON SWAG IN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS AND I AM HERE FOR IT

ALSO HARPY LILITH

THE COLLECTOR <///3 (/POS)

ALSO KING'S DAD!!!! (dana really said im going to shove every bit of queer rep i can in here. youre gonna hear this guy talk for not even five minutes but im going to make them genderfluid/polygender/nb and you are going to LOVE IT. and i did. and oh my GOD the bad girl coven shirt.)

really there are so very many things i would like to scream about but i cannot even begin to articulate half of them so. have this incoherent nonsense :D

[desmondkane-of-ao3-fame]

How about some skarlow angst prompt: Willow hits her head during flyer derby training and gets a small case of amnesia, forgetting everything up to her first meeting with Luz, forgetting Luz entirely, being friends with Amity again, the entrails, even forgetting Skara being her girlfriend, so her friends and girlfriend have to help her remember what willow forgot!

Ah, this one sounds like the sort of tale that would absolutely crush Skara and everyone who reads it.

Lets do it!

This one got… a little away from me, and basically evolved into an “Understanding Willow” sequel by accident. It’s a long one, so if you’re gonna read it, I suggest you grab some popcorn and prepare your tissues as well. Lots of Skara angst in this one…

Willow would be leading another exhilerating round of Flyer Derby practice. They'd be practicing a particularly bold new strategy Skara came up with: The Drop Ride, where a player distracts their opponent by letting them get close, only to drop straight down super fast right before another player to fly up from behind and snatche the opponents flag. Willow's a bit hesitent, thinking the move could be dangerous, but Skara insists that it's as foolproof as a sports strategy can get. So, with a sigh and a smile, Willow agree's to try it. And it goes well at first: Viney's and Hunter are able to complete the move with ease, Gus makes it look effortless, and Skara's able to complete it no problem. So then it's Willow's turn.

Skara's the one who has to grab the flag this time, and just because she's dating Willow doesn't mean she's gonna go easy on her. So, when she reaches to grab the flag... she grabs it! Right before Willow drops! But Skara grabbed the flag with enough strength, and Willow dropped with such force, that Willow loses control, and before she can get Clover to rise back up, she crashes to the field at such an angle she flys off her staff, hitting her head and passing out.

The whole team rushes to Willow immediatly. Skara's the first one to reach her, craddling Willow in her arms and begging her to be ok, but Viney arrives shortly after, testing to make sure what Willow's condition is. After a few quick tests, Viney confirms, thankfully, that Willow's breathing regularly, but she needs to get to a Healer's bed. Skara carries her girlfriends into Hexside as the Entrails follow along, Gus calling Amity and Luz to let them know what happened as Skara internally begs the Titan to let her Petals be ok.

After a few hours, the Entrails, Luz and Amity, and Willow's dads are all around Willow's bedside, worried about when she'll actually come to. Viney's running tests and casts the occasional spell to help with a scrape as Hunter and Gus stand by, grabbing anything Viney says she needs to help her. Luz is comforting Amity, who feels useless in this situation, where Abomination's would just get in the way. Willow's dad's are both getting a lot of practice out of their anti-panic technique they taught Willow all those years ago. And Skara's holding Willow's hand, trying to reassure them that she'll get up soon, Petals is the toughest Witch in the world, it'll be just like a quick nap. But internally, Skara's beating herself up, angry at how she was the one who encouraged the strategy that caused this and she was the one who grabbed the flag and she-

Before she can blame herself further, though, Willow's eye's flutter open. Skara can't help but let out a delighted squeel as she watches, and everyone else turns and smiles at the sight! Willow's ok! Skara wraps her arms around Willow's neck, laughing as she kisses her cheek, so grateful that she's come to-

And Willow shoves her off, completely mortified.

"What the-Why were you just kissing me?!"

Skara's taken aback, confused and a little hurt, but Willow scans the room and her panic continues.

"Who-who are you two," she says, pointing to Luz and Hunter. "Amity, what are you doing here? And what's with your hair?" She grabs at her braids, asstonished. "A-and what's with my-"

Viney quickly takes charge, telling everyone except for Gus and her dads to get out! Skara wants to stay, but Viney insists, pushing everyone out. Skara wants to go back, but Amity stops her: if Viney, the only Healer they knew, wanted them out right now, there had to be a good reason. And Skara can't argue with that. But... Petals...

After what feels to Skara like a small eternity, Viney returns. It appears that Willow's memories have regressed to before meeting Luz. She thinks she's still taking Abomination classes, doesn’t know anything about Flyer Derby-

“And thinks I’m still bullying her.” 

It’s Amity who says it, but Skara thinks it to herself. It hurts, knowing Willow only can remember the worst things she ever did. The days she was friends with Boscha, before she stood up to her and left the triclops for her Petals. A part of her wants to cry and bemoan the unfairness of it all, but she knows this isn’t about her; it’s about Willow. So she takes a deep breath and asks Viney if there’s anything she can do to help.

Viney has one idea. And it’s one that’s a bit... unorthodox. And, they’ll need the help of a wise, powerful witch, who may be willing to bend a rule or two...

Willow’s put to sleep (which Skara can’t help but think makes her look like an angel... if a very spread out and loud angel) and Eda points them in the direction of one Raine Whispers, capable of doing what Viney wants to do: get someone inside Willow’s brain so they can help fix her memories. As soon as the plan is revealed, Luz and Amity volunteer: they both have experience going into Willow’s head, so it should be fine, right? But Luz suggests someone else: Skara. Everyone’s a bit surprised, but Luz reasons that, if Skara is the one who caused this mess, maybe she can be the one who can fix this, just like how Amity had to. Skara, wanting to make things right, agrees, standing tall and firm. As she looks down at her sleeping girlfriend, Skara promises the Titan, the Collector, whoever runs this stupid world, that she’ll do literally anything any of them ask, if it just means she can save Petals...

Raine hands Skara and Amity walkie talkies, casts the spell, and both Skara and Luz enter Willow’s mind forest. As Skara admires how even in Willow’s head, all her plants are beautiful, she takes note of a few things out of place: namely, shards of paintings, strewn across the forest floor, scattered like a thousand dulled stars. Amity explains the impact from the fall probably shattered them, which makes sense given how they were originally burnt when Amity set fire to her memories. The two set to collect all the painting pieces to set up all the memories the accident shattered. But as they do, Skara see’s herself in many of the still in-tact paintings. And many of those paintings painting her in a less then flattering light: laughing with Boscha as she made a cruel jab at Willow, pulling mean pranks on her. As she grabs more and more of the shards, she wonders more and more if she can really bring back... her Petals. If this flood of horrible memories is something she’ll think about, and if the reminder of who Skara was is going to cause Willow to break up with her. She shudders at the thought, trying to keep that idea out of her own mind for as long as she can...

But as that tries to leave her mind, a rustle in the bushes causes Skara to spin! Amity’s getting shards in the opposite direction! What...

Nothing. Nothing sits there.

Skara exhales, blaming it most likely on the wind. Willow’s... mental wind... 

Over time, both Amity and Skara collect almost all the pieces and begin to put them together (thankfully putting the pieces together in the frame just magically reconects them as opposed to needing glue which is not something I thought about until now). Some of the memories are good repaired, actually: Saving the Boiling Isles once and for all, the Entrails first championship, Willow and Skara’s first date. But some of them... Skara just tries to get those pictures over and done with. Amity attempts to keep the mood light and jovial, but with Skara barely responding to anything she says, she eventually just sighs and says:

“She’s not going to break up with you over this, Skara. I promise.”

That’s what Skara hears. And that’s what she wants to believe. What she wants to think. That Willow’s just going to shrug this all off when it’s over, accept Skara’s apology and plan their next date. It be a perfect ending.

And Skara knows that can’t happen.

She points back to the pictures on display, some of them stuff about her bullying Willow, making fun of her with Boscha and Amity. How she helped to make the biggest, kindest person in the world feel small and helpless for years. The fact Skara was able to befriend Willow, let alone date her, is a miracle from the Titan! But now, if Willow forgot about those memories and her old ones of Skara hurting her just flooded back in, then even if she remembers the good times, would Willow still accept her? If she remembers this period with amnesia and all these bad memories is it going to hurt Willow too much to date Skara? And heck, since Skara was the one who got Willow in this in the first place then-

Amity tries to talk Skara down; she’s getting hyper, overly anxious and scared. But Skara can’t stop being scared. She doesn’t want to lose her Petals. Skara doesn’t want to hear her say their through because she realized she couldn’t handle their past anymore. And the more Skara imagines it, the more scared and anxious she becomes.

She panics, and in her panic, angrily cries.

“Even when I’m dating her, all I do is hurt Willow!”

But before Amity can say anything, a hulking behemoth formed of petals and a thin, wirey, cacoon-like mesh, smashes through the forest! Glowing bright scarlet in rage, the beast takes a fist, roars, and smashes one of the tree’s with a painting the girls had finished! Shocked and confused, Skara watches as the beast raises its fist again at another tree, before Amity snaps her out of it, and Skara lunges at the creature! Not knowing if she can even do magic here, Skara just gives the beast the ol’ Skara Special, the same move she tried on that EC gaurd who tried to capture her... but to no avail. All it does is turn to her, angrier then it was even last time.

“You. Hurt. Her!”

The creature smashes its fist into Skara, sending her realing. Luz is able to send the thing back, but it still attempts to destroy another one of the paintings on their way out, one of Boscha ‘pranking’ Willow with an exploding potion in her Abomination goop. As Skara recovers her senses, she asks Amity if she has any idea what in Titan just happened!  And Amity’s quiet. She doesn’t want to say it. So Skara asks again, because she knows if Amity wont tell her-

“It’s... I think that was her Inner Willow.”

Skara feels a lump in her throat, and her fear worsens. She can’t help it: She runs, runs back through the forest of memories, trailed by Amity begging her to stop. But Skara keeps running, because at least running is better then facing the idea of Willow-

Skara realizes too late that she’s smacked into one of the tree’s, diving headfirst into the painting. At first she’s scared: She just landed in another reminder of her mistakes! Thats all she can-

But no. Instead, when she opens her eyes, it’s not that at all! It’s a memory of their first date! Of Willow playing (well, breaking) a Test of Strength and winning Skara a stuffed Slitherbeast. Skara watches on, as Willow hands her past self the oversized prize, to Skara’s delight. She remembers how she still has it in her room, and how she cuddles with it whenever Willow can’t be there...

Amtiy arrives, asking Skara to stop running before realizing she had. So they both stop, and watch the silly couple walking away, Skara kissing Willow’s cheek as the two made their way to grab some Rotten Candy. Amity sighs as she watches, patting the space next to her as she sits criss-crossed.

“I think we should talk...”

So they do. Skara sits, knees to her chest, and admits she knows she’s selfish. She knows she’s being stupid. But she’s so, so scared of losing Willow. 

“She’s the greatest thing to happen to me.”

She pauses.

“But you don’t think you’re the greatest thing to her?”

Amity sighs, placing a hand on Skara’s shoulder.

Skara takes a deep breath, let’s it out, and asks, shakily:

“If Luz… if she left you cause of how you used to be… what would you do?”

Amity’s eyes go wide. For a moment, Skara wonders if the idea of losing her girlfriend scares Amity more then it scares even her.

“I… I would be hurt. Incredibly hurt, I won’t lie.”

Amity takes her own shaky breath at the idea. “I’d probably curl into a ball on my bed and spend the next week crying. Losing Luz over the past… it would be like losing a limb.”

Skara knows it’s the same way with her.

“But… you’d get it?”

Amity nods. “I care about Luz. And I care about what she wants. What makes her happy. And if, Titan forbid, being with me didn’t make her happy… I’d break it off myself.”

It’s not exactly what Skara wants to hear, but it’s what she knows she has to.

Unfortunetly for them, their talk is interrupted tremors shaking the entire memory. As the two run to the gate, they spot the creature again, stomping about the forest and looking at other memories to smash. Remembering what Amity said earlier, about an ‘Inner Willow,’ Skara knows what she has to do. Leaping out from the painting, she runs up to it, standing in front of the newest painting to catch its eyes. 

“Willow, I’m sorry! If you hate me, I get it, and if you want to... to break up then-”

But that’s as far as Skara’s speech goes before she’s punted down the length of the forest.

The monster follows after Skara, and Amity rushes to catch up. But as she does, somthing stops her. The faint sound of crying in the distance. A very specific crying.

Willow’s crying.

Amity stops in confusion, and turns to the sound, seeing a faint purple glow in the same direction. She calls out, trying to grab Inner Willow’s attention. As they look up, she see’s their glasses fractured, cracks all across them, as she tries to stand. Amity rushes to Willow’s side, trying to help her up.

“There was a thud, and the whole place shook, and so many memory paintings shattered and now somethings here and-”

Amity’s already grabbing the walkie talkie, calling on help from Raine and the others to know just what the heck whatever’s hunting Skara as she drags Willow to catch up to them.

As they run after Skara, she’s currently being cornered by whatever it is that’s in Willow’s mind. She’s stepping back, unable to turn away from it. She pleads with it to stop, to let them finish, but all it can do is swipe at Skara, crying ‘YOU. HURT. HER!’ Skara jumps to the side, as it smashes it’s hand into the tree, causing the whole thing to shake and shatter the painting, once again. But this time, it stops, staring down at the pieces in shock, before trying to take them into its oversized hands. Skara stares on in bewilderment as the creature begins to try and reform the painting after smashing so many of them?

And then she looks down at the shattered pieces, and realizes what makes this memory different: It’s in Willow’s apartment building, right outside her door. Both girls are in their finest dress up attire after Skara brought Willow home from a movie, talking and laughing and holding hands and blushing and Skara taking a deep breath right outside Willow’s door and-

This is the memory of their first kiss.

And Skara thinks she knows whats going on.

Back with Amity and Willow, Raine tells them about called an Algos: a phenoma where a person can bring so much fear into another persons head it manifests as a seperate being! And this Algos seems to be coming from Skara!

Which Skara herself realizes, as the creature begins to shrink down, morph, into a glowing purple mirror of herself, save for dark, empty eyes. She’s trying to repair the painting, frantically putting the pieces back together like her life depnded on it, muttering about how all of this was her fault, how she can fix this, how she has to fix this, how-

Skara takes a seat next to her counterpart, helping to repair the memory. “After we fix this one,” Skara tells them, “we should try fixing all the other ones... we smashed.”

But her memory mirror shakes her head. “We hurt her. We hurt her and she’ll remember that. But, if she can’t remember, doesn’t remember, then-”

“Then we just make the whole thing a billion times worse.” Skara turns to her counterpart, taking their hand. “Believe me, I get it. I’m terrified of what she thinks of us when this is over. If she’s gonna hate us or not. But... but this isn’t about us. It’s about her. And if after all this, she breaks up with us, then...”

Tears stream down the purple Skara’s face. She looks up at the real Skara, eyes filled with pain and hurt and understanding. Then, without warning, she wraps her arms around Skara.

And Skara wraps her arms around them.

“Skara! You here! You ok?”

Skara blinks, and her mirror image is gone, now replaced with Amity, and a glowing purple Willow with broken glasses. Seeing them, she smiles.

“I’m ok, yeah.” Then, looking back on the ground, she notes “C’mon. We got some memories to re-make.”

A couple hours pass as the three girls put the memories back together again. Skara doesn’t say a whole lot, not really sure what she can say. She knows that some of the memories they put together make her too happy to say anything. And some of the memories make her want to stay silent forever. But as she, Amity, and Willow slide the last of the pieces into the final memory, of agreeing to Skara’s stupid strategy, she knows she’s ready for whatever comes of it.

As the last of the memories are repaired, Willow’s glasses lose their cracks, and she looks at Skara, wide eyed and beaming. 

Then, to Skara’s surprise, Willow hugs her.

And Skara hugs back.

With one last call to Raine, Amity and Skara return to the physical world. Viney, after making sure both of them are ok, holds smelling salts up to Willow’s nose and, much to everyones delight, she awakens. Coughing and hacking up a lung at the terrible smell, but awake none the less.

Everyone crowds Willow, hugging her and rapidly talking about how much their glad to have her back. Everyone but Skara, who stands behind them, still not sure what to say or do. But knowing she would only do it if it was best for Willow.

After a minute or two of everyones undivided attention, Willow notices Skara’s hesitation. She asks for some privacy, and after a few more hugs from Luz and some quick kisses from her dads, the room clears. It’s only the two girls, alone in the room.

Willow reaches out her hand. “You know I’m not gonna break up with you, right?”

Skara barely can believe the statement, even as she takes her girlfriends hand. “But when you pushed me away, and all the horrible memories... after getting you hurt again, how can you still wanna date me?”

“Because the girl who hung out with Boscha’s gone.” She squeezed Skara’s hand, smiling. “She’s just a memory. And now, I have this wonderful, amazing girl, this brilliant strategist and fun soul and silly bard, to be with.”

Skara can’t help but feel a few pinpricks of tears forming in her eyes. “Titan... you’re a sap when you wanna be, you know?”

Willow just smiles. “I’m glad I get to make new memories with you, Skara.” Right before pulling Skara in for a kiss.

And of course, Skara kisses back.

[beef-bakery]

Misadventures in the Mundane

Rating: no pairing - Luz x Amity (minor) - 1.2k words - SFW

Warnings: disassociation (non explicit)

Synopsis: Finding themselves in the Human Realm, the ragtag group of witches attempt to find their place in a new world. Takes place post season two

Notes: more slice of life than plot heavy, pretty much what would be considered filler episodes, only in word form

Read on AO3

It had been a couple weeks since Luz and her friends had gotten stuck in the Human Realm, but somehow they’d managed to get through it. Not that the beginning had been exactly… disaster free.

Camila hadn't asked any questions, only opening the door and inviting them in with all the warmth a mother could offer. She held Luz as soon as she saw her, holding her tightly, cheek pressed against her daughter’s head. Camila’s tears mixed with the rainwater running from Luz’s hair, and she couldn’t help noticing it had grown longer during her time away.

As Camila finally managed to compose herself, she turned to the foyer, eyes widening at the sight of the other, equally drenched children.

“¡Dios mío!” she exclaimed, ushering them further indoors.

Camila outfitted each child with a towel and a mug of hot chocolate, gesturing for them to take a seat at the table. The insufficient number of chairs resulted in Willow and Gus sharing one and Hunter sitting in a plush red armchair (vaguely resembling a throne) pushed in close to the table.

Luz hadn't said a single thing since she’d gotten home; she was staring without seeing into her mug, stewing in silence. Amity traced the engravings on the side of hers, the fingerprints and poorly drawn stars reminiscent of Luz’s scribbles and ink smudges in her textbooks. The inscription on the side - Happy Father’s Day Dad! - told her that Luz had probably made the mug in her childhood.

Always the most conspicuous, Gus gawked at Luz’s home with abandon, ignoring the way Willow was glaring at him. It was only when she elbowed him in the side that he snapped out of it.

“Ow,” he sniffed, holding his side. “That hurt.”

“I sure hope it did,” Willow snapped back, overwhelmed by the immense stress of being in a new place combined with worry for Luz.

Hunter followed suit, absorbing the room and taking a loud sip of his hot cocoa. Amity hadn't moved from her station next to Luz, observing the family photos on the mantle. She placed a hand atop Luz’s, but her girlfriend didn’t respond, still busy losing herself in her cooling hot chocolate.

“Well.” Camila walked over with a cup of decaf coffee for herself, sliding into the empty seat next to Luz. “Does anyone want to tell me what happened?”

The kids exchanged awkward glances, fiddling with their cups instead of responding. Willow opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Luz, who hadn't seen her.

“Not tonight, please.” Luz’s voice was hoarse, scratchy in its cadence. “I- I don't think I can handle talking about it tonight.”

Camila nodded, pulling in Luz for a side hug. Luz didn't reciprocate or push away, but allowed herself to be swept, still staring forwards.

“Well,” Amity said awkwardly, the first of the group to break the silence. “You have a lovely home.”

“Thank you,” Camila said. “We’ve lived here nearly all of Luz’s life- oh!” Mid sentence Camila cut herself off, distracted by Luz rubbing the back of her head. “Mija, your hair is so long!” Luz’s mother ruffled the back of Luz’s hair.

“They didn't have a lot of hairdressers, and I didn't trust Eda to cut my hair,” Luz explained, regaining some of her energy after a sip of the hot chocolate.

“Eda…” Camila drew out her name. “Your guardian?” Luz nodded. Camila turned to the other kids. “Do they not have hairdressers over there?”

They exchanged another set of awkward glances before answering. Unfortunately, everyone spoke at once, and the ensuing sentences were a cacophony of unintelligible words.

“One of my dads usually makes time to cut mine-”

“The twins are the only ones who have ever done anything to my hair, they've cut and dyed iteach time-”

“I usually use a spell-”

“Kikimora set my hair on fire once.”

At that, everyone turned to Hunter. His voice was the only one that could be discerned from the chatter.

“I didn't realize people were listening,” Hunter muttered, avoiding eye contact. Realizing their concerned stares weren't going anywhere, Hunter held his hands up defensively and continued, “Luz was there too, y’know!”

Everyone turned to Luz, who’s eyes widened astronomically before glaring at Hunter. “To be fair, I had nothing to do with that whole,” Luz gestured vaguely with her hands, pondering her word choice, “debacle.” Camila raised an eyebrow, and Luz quickly proceeded to blame Hunter for the entire situation.

“That did not happen and you know it,” Hunter huffed. He probably would've been taken more seriously if he hadn’t said it with a whipped cream mustache.

Camila stifled a smile. “Forgive me for not asking sooner, I was a bit preoccupied with my gusanito earlier, but what are your names?”

“I'm Willow, and this is-”

“Is Gusanito Luz’s human name?” Gus exclaimed, pushing back the chair - and Willow with it - to accentuate his point.

Camila laughed softly. “No, Gusanito is a Spanish term of endearment. It means ‘little worm’ in English.”

“Eenglich?” Amity asked.

“It‘s, uh, the language we’re speaking right now,” Camila blinked.

“Oh.”

“Do you guys call it something else over there?” Camilla inquired, observing the group.

“Yeah,” Hunter mumbled, having wiped off his mustache. All of the other witches nodded simultaneously, including Luz.

“Well,” Camila continued, “in any case, I'd like to know each of your names. If you didn't already know, I'm Luz’s mom, but please call me Camila.”

“I'm Amity,” Amity waved her free hand, the other one still stroking Luz’s hand comfortingly.

“My name is Gus.”

The rest of the table turned to Hunter, who was preoccupied with getting the remnants of the hot chocolate out of the bottom of his cup. Sensing the silence, he finally put his cup down, confusion clear in his face.

“That's Hunter,” Luz said.

“Oh, we’re doing names?” Hunter rubbed the back of his head.

“Were you listening at all?” Gus asked.

There was no response from Hunter, which was an answer within itself.

“Mom.” Luz stood up, her chair scraping across the floor. “It's been a long day, and I think we should head to bed.” Camila tried to speak, but Luz answered the question that remained unsaid. “We can talk about everything tomorrow, I promise. I just really need to sleep.”

Camila nodded. “You head to bed, I'll take care of the guests.” Luz smiled appreciatively, as much as she could, exhaustion clear in her frame. Luz took a couple steps forward to hug her mother properly, squeezing her hard enough for Camila to emit a small yelp.

“Thank you,” Luz whispered.

“It's just good to have you back, mija.” Camila squeezed her daughter once before releasing her, leaving her to jog up the stairs. “Okay.” Camila clasped her hands together, surveying the group of kids in front of her. “Let's discuss sleeping arrangements. How do you kids feel about the couch?”