#Only to then learn that Belos was never going to heal her sister. And does this impact Eda and Lilith's relationship in any way? Not really

[imminent-danger-came]

continue being a little mean to toh fans please it is really irritating how some act like its got the best writing of any modern cartoon

Daawwwww I don't have it in me. TOH fans love it for a reason, and there are legitimately good moments! It's just not the most complex or well-written show out there—which it doesn't need to be—but I also totally get your exhaustion. It gets tiring seeing people praise it so highly over and over again when it's just like...fine. It didn't do nothing but it also didn't do something, you know? It's main couple is cute and queer, but that's pretty much all there is to them. It has a fun cast of characters, but they all tend to fall into archetypes. Luz is a sweet main character, but she doesn't have any real flaws and kinda takes a back seat to Hunter and Eda (the white people lol). Her foil with Philip was interesting...but then they kinda backed off and went the "you and Belos are nothing alike" direction.

((I'm also going to answer this anon with another: ))

And It's not that an unsympathetic villian is bad, or that Belos would even be sympathetic with added backstory, it's just that...there were a lot of interesting things to explore with his character that were left hanging.

Like, while he's definitely not at all a good person, it's intriguing that he would bother to recreate his brother over and over again knowing that each time the grimwalker was going to betray him. It's intriguing that he was even willing to kill his brother to begin with (though Caleb was super underutilized in general). Like, you can give a villain depth without justifying or victimizing them (hi Finnegran from tdp, I'll also add Spider Queen & LBD here). So it just feels like a missed opportunity all across the board. It's still surprising to me that we got a confirmation on the Wittebane backstory through an unrelated background character, rather than Philip himself (who had literally possessed a main character, and mindscapes had already been well-established....the pieces were all there me thinks).

And obviously it's like, people can love something despite it's flaws, and they can cherish it for the good it has, but they still don't need to praise it as an ultimate form of media, you know? We don't need to pretend toh was this dark and complex story—it was just a story a lot of people liked and resonated with. Which I'm glad it's there for those people, and I'm glad there are options when it comes to queer pieces of media!

That said the show with the best writing of any modern cartoon is The Dragon Prince (streaming on Netflix).

[drabbles-of-writing]

in the adopted au, what does lilith think of hunter? cuz i can see this going three ways. 1.) she knows this kid is the same one that belos has been looking for, and thus lilith wishes to capture him as well. 2.) all she knows about this kid is that her sister is taking care of him, which raises so many questions. where did eda find the kid, did she steal him, etc in general lilith has all sorts of wild theories around who this blonde scarred up kid is. and 3.) she didnt even know hunter existed until she got in touch with her sister again when luz is around and genuinly thinks that hunter is her sister's actual child, and no one corrects lilith until after season 1 and she's been staying in the owl house for awhile. grant it, hunter is still eda's adopted kid but no one told her. lilith's even more upset when even gwendolyn knows hunter and how eda kidnapped.... er, adopted him.

i love ALL of these ideas canon i cant believe i have to choose between them. imma just say some stuff on all of them and hope i come to a conclusion when writing it kjsthkrjthrkj god help me

1) Lilith could've easily tracked Eda down after Belos's nephew mysteriously went missing the same night Eda escaped, and found her in like the night market with this tiny child hidden under her cloak. Lilith ofc immediately says Eda has to return him she can't just kidnap a child, however Eda is stubborn and deadpans "Belos can run me through with those weird horns of his if he wants this kid back" and thus Lilith is now half trying to get Eda to come to the Emperor's Coven to get healed and half trying to re-kidnap Hunter and bring him back to Belos. Shes convinced that Eda just has this kid out of spite and the poor childs gonna grow up feral and a whole mess of problems, Eda's not qualified to have a child in her possession. course as Hunter grows up he learns how to handle himself against Lilith as well and trick her to escape, which Lilith blames on Eda making the kid hate the Emperor's Coven for seemingly no good reason. shes even MORE insistent on getting Hunter back when she realizes he has no magic, and thus is at a far greater disadvantage just in general. girl has no idea that Belos caused the kid all those scars and not Eda or the trickster lifestyle Hunter has now. shes VERY apologetic when she learns the truth.

2) "Eda where the hell did you find a CHILD" and generally her concerned that Eda legit kidnapped him or just picked up the kid on the streets like a stray cat. "Eda did you even get him any Shots he could be Diseased. are there even Adoption forms. Eda--" and just general nagging from Lilith trying to figure out how Eda got this little bastard kid that insists on stomping on Lilith's feet. in her spare time she draws up theories on where Eda could've gotten this child and is concerned by the fact that Eda thought she could take care of a kid. a demon child is one thing, those guys are mostly self-sufficient and can eat almost anything, a witch is another matter. she understands a bit more upon realizing Hunter has no magic. no wonder Eda would take him in then, shes the most powerful witch on the boiling isles, but still an outcast in her own right. ironic she'd take in a witch with no magic, and just as odd as her. Lilith nearly lost her mind when she realized who's kid he originally was

3) Lilith had seen glimpses of Hunter before but never thought much of it until they truly got in contact again, and Lilith did a sharp double-take. kids a blonde with different eyes, sure, but he's got all of Eda's snark, stubbornness, showboating, and the irritating charm both of them insist they have. to Lilith, that's a very obvious child of Eda's, and she Loses Her Mind. when did Eda have a kid? he looks like hes 16, she had a kid 16 years ago?? did she only recently take the kid in??? did his other parent die or leave him on her doorstep?? was Eda just really good at hiding him? shes an AUNT?? shes got a lot of thoughts. I wonder if that'd also mean she'd try to take Hunter with her when she takes Eda to Belos, thinking he'll cure her. I wonder if she'd feel bad since Hunter is her 'real' family like she said in canon or if she'd let Hunter stay with Luz and King in the hopes that when Eda gets cured she can just return her to the kids waiting at home. if she let him stay with Luz you better believe he's grabbing everything he can and storming back to the Coven to kick Belos and Lilith's ass he is NOT letting them take the one good parent in his life. if Lilith took Hunter With her,,,,hoooo boy shes in for a surprise when Hunter is fighting to stay with Eda while also getting as far from the Castle as possible, and when faced with Belos, is called family. Lilith would have. multiple questions on why Belos and Eda both have a kid before its explained that no, actually, he's not related to Eda at all. and god, her learning that Gwen not only knew about Hunter but also learned he wasn't biologically Eda's before her? she'd be so pissed

[kraviolis]

sorting the owl house characters into hogwarts houses, because im cringe

luz - ravenclaw

she’s creative and clever and is always searching to learn new things and loves learning just for the sake of learning. shes incredibly witty and quick thinking and open-minded. she’s constantly finding clever, creative, and original ways to solve her problems. she hardly blinked when given the opportunity to learn magic, and only continued to show an intense amount of intelligence and appreciation for academics. shes very resourceful as a human learning magic, finding a entirely new form of magic when it was apparent that she couldnt do it the traditional way. she’s very aspiring, wanting to be a witch and an author since she was very young. she’s very logical about a lot of things, like how it doesnt make sense to not allow witches to study multiple tracks or that people were imprisoned just for being themselves. she’s highly encouraging of individuality which is a lesser known trait of ravenclaw but very important. she can be a perfectionist at times and tended to avoid social interaction so she could persue her creativity. she’s outspoken, an overthinker, and very competitive. i think a lot of people might say she’s a hufflepuff, as she’s loyal and kind and hardworking, but luz values learning and creativity above any of those other things— this is evident, when she makes the decision to stay in the boiling isles to learn magic rather than go home to her mom, thus putting knowledge and creativity over her own family.

eda - gryffindor

she’s not afraid to stand up for herself and others and will never back down from a challenge. she would rather die as herself than live unauthentically. she’s very passionate and empathetic. she’s rebellious against rules that dont make sense to her and cares intensely for her friends and family. she has a strong internal moral code that she sticks to intensely, never straying from it. in the very first episode, she breaks into the conformatorium just to get a paper crown thats important to king. she let raine break up with her because she didnt want to burden them with her curse. she forfeited the match with lily because she knew her sister wanted to be in the emperor’s coven more than she ever did. she’s sacrifices herself for luz & king over and over again because she cares so deeply for her.

king - slytherin

he’s self-centered, smart, arrogant, and highly ambitious. he would do anything to achieve his goals— which was at first reclaiming his throne as the king of demons, and then turned into finding out where he came from. he tried to use luz as a means to reach his goals when he became an author, nearly sacrificing their friendship. he became incredibly loyal to luz after that in the same way he’s loyal to eda, the one who raised him.

(other characters under the cut)

lily - slytherin

it was between this and ravenclaw, because she’s incredibly intelligent and does seem to enjoy learning and has a great mind, she’s also incredibly ambitious and prideful. the deciding factor was that she cursed eda just to reach her own goals. she’s still loyal to eda even when working for belos, which says a lot to how she’s loyal to only a select few people. to her, the ends justify the means (making amity cheat to appear like the better teacher, cursing eda to win the duel, kidnapping luz to get belos to cure eda, losing her magic to help eda)

amity - gryffindor

this one was hard, i swapped between slytherin and gryffindor a lot for her. she’s ambitious and intelligent, but also not afraid to do whats right even if means breaking the rules. she’s self-sacrificing and empathetic and prideful. she ended her friendship with boscha to help luz and willow win. she didnt like luz at first because luz kept cheating and messing up her life, which means she has a strong moral code against cheating and bullies. she’s rebellious in small ways at first but once she started realizing how terrible her parents and belos really were, she pulled away extremely quickly.

willow - slytherin

not surprising, if you take into her account of self-preservation and bending of the rules to suit her ambitions. in the first episode she agrees to cheating just to get ahead in school because she wants to make her parents proud, and in the end she switches to the plants track so to her the ends justify the means. she pulled out of the grudgby game when luz pushed her & gus too far, a perfect example of that self preservation. she has a sense of loyalty that extends to very specific people but she always makes sure those people are taken care of. her parents, luz, gus, and eventually king, eda, and amity, too. she wouldn’t die for them, but she would kill for them.

gus - hufflepuff

sure, he has the ravenclaw curiousity and thirst for knowledge, but he’s very kind, hard working, has a strong inner sense of justice and fairness, and is tolerant of others. he helps mattholomule even if he’d been a jerk before because it was unfair if he didnt. he helps luz break into belos’s castle to find a cure for eda, lets luz borrow his library card to see amity, and hated it when mattholomule tried to lie about the human objects. he knows what it feels like to be left behind and underestimated, so he makes an effort to be kind to others who seem to be in the same boat. he’s very young but already so accomplished which is a testament to how hard he works.

hunter - hufflepuff

this one was HARD. it was either slytherin or this, and a deciding factor for this is the fact that he is self-sacrificing. he sacrifices a lot for other people, even if it doesnt seem like it. in the palisman episode, he sacrifices the palismen getting away despite knowing he would be punished for returning empty-handed. in eclipse lake, he leaves to find the titans blood for belos when he simply could have stayed in the castle and been safe. he’s viciously hard-working, dedicated, and loyal to his family. he lets people’s actions speak for them. he doesn’t immediately judge luz for using wild magic and actually seems interested in it before remembering to be loyal to belos. he’s patient, too, as seen by his interactions with luz. he gets frustrated, sure, but he still works with her. he’s modest about his rank and title, preferring to not flaunt it more than needed. but he does take pride in it. he’s kind in his own way, specifically to belos and lil rascal, but you can see it in his interactions with amity & luz, too. with amity, he empathizes with her and gives her advice that he thinks is true, and offers to dig a grave for her too when its apparent that neither of them are getting any titans blood. with luz, he gives up the palismen and protects her from kikimora. that boy is a hufflepuff for sure.

raine - gryffindor

oh buddy theyre the biggest gryffindor ever. they extremely, extremely brave. they have terrible stage fright and anxiety but they still became head bard, and they still ran an underground resistance group, and they still gave everything up just to help eda. they have a strong sense of whats right and whats wrong and incredible amount of passion, empathy, and integrity. they have a great sense of pride— “How did someone with stage fright end up as Head Witch?” “I’m just that good.”— and are very selfless. they stopped eda from sacrificing herself because they knew her kids needed her more, they sacrificed themselves in eda’s place and gave up everything they had just so eda wouldnt have to.

camila - hufflepuff

she’s extraordinarily kind, even when she’s terrified. she’s accepting and open-minded and hardworking, making sure to show luz that she loves her creativity but still wants to make sure luz can do well in school and can make friends. sometimes you can do something you think is kind but isnt really. she’s also a single mother doing her best to give her daughter a good life, which is a credit to how hard she works and how dedicated she is to her daughter. she even took the day off of work to drive luz to camp because she knew luz was anxious and wanted to reassure her. she’s patient with luz, and even when faced with the scariest moment of her life, she’s still thinking of how luz feels rather than her own fears and anger. she’s very much a hufflepuff in the way that she’s quiet and unassuming but fiercely protective of her family.

vee - slytherin

she’s opportunistic and has a sense of self-preservation. she’d rather save her own skin than do that right thing. she’s cunning, having pretended to be camila’s daughter just to have a place for herself. this isnt a bad thing at all, though. she’s also loyal to camila, who she sees as her family, and even got into a fight with luz over how she treated camila. she still listened to luz and let luz help her so that vee could remain living as luz. she doesnt feel guilty about valuing herself ahead of luz.

belos - ravenclaw

honestly? not a hard decision. he’s smart, sure, but he’s not people-smart. he didnt think lilith would betray him after he admitted to lying about healing eda. he doesnt understand loyalty, not even to those close to him. he’s rational and logical rather than emotional. if the theory that he is philip wittebane is to be believed, then its obvious he has an appreciation for learning and knowledge. belos distinctly reminds me of lockhart, or even quirrell, who were also in ravenclaw. he’s got an arrogance to him that blinds him, believing himself to be the smartest and strongest witch on the isles and thus underestimating others, which will only lead him to ruin.

[lilyclawthorne]

Keeping Up A-fear-ance's Thoughts

I finished writing this shortly after 3 am after watching the new episode like three times because I simply had too much energy about it and I have so many thoughts because I simply live for clawthornes and also I tried to break it up with more photos this time sorry not sorry if it's a lot ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

YOUNG EDA!! let me just say I am quite a fan of opening with a flashback like we've done here and the last episode

"we have never seen a curse like this before" Lilith you had shit luck picking out curses huh

"cut it out if we have to" goddamn Gwen let'a calm the fuck down a bit.

anyways we've only really seen young Eda as a wild and confident and happy little child so I appreciate seeing this side of her with the anxiety and fear she's feeling here. I love seeing what the curse stuff was like for her as a kid

Gwen: I raised a perfectly fine kid

Me: no you didn't look at her she's got anxiety

I'm guessing this is their backyard or just some woods behind their house?? wonder if the portal was placed there by another elder family member.

lmao I can't even begin to imagine what small Eda experiencing the human realm was like for the first time

Gwens giving me "I can't accept that my child is disabled/chronically ill/etc." here. y’know the kinda parent that'll put their kid through hell over something they probably will find a way to learn to live with (which Eda did do)

ok that's it I humbly request to know the story behind the fang now (also the noise she made when she put it in was freaking cute)

new dress! new boots! new dress! new boots!

..yikes that fridge is empty

"calm down the curse acts stronger when you're stressed" Eda do you know who you're talking to here

confirmation losing limbs is in fact a side effect of the curse!! (y'know since Eda originally said it just happens when you get older)

please I love these sisters they're so sweet and make me wanna go 🥺

"suddenly curious about my past" "always. always curious" Luz says exactly what we all think

witchlet?? sweet flea?? she's got pet names for them 🥺 (although idk how much I'd like to be referred to as any kind of flea sorry Lilith)

ok Gwen is very much not close to what I expected and I'm kinda grateful for that

she's more like super caring but still managed to royally fuck up which was my original head canon for clawthorne parents so uh that's cool. but literally, look at their body language, Eda's pissed, Lilith's sad and making herself small. she's clearly messed up with her parenting on both of them along the way.

"who knows what they put in those nasty concoctions?" mama clawthorne would be a fucking anti-vaxxer wouldn't she

ok I side with Eda here more than Luz and Lilith. just because Luz misses her mother, or Lilith hasn’t seen their mom in so long doesn’t mean Eda has to feel all grateful for the presence of Gwen, especially if the woman has caused her a lot of trouble over the years

I feel like the fact that its actually both Lilith and Gwendolyn have spent their whole lives dedicated to trying to find a cure could probably have held some kind of weight on Eda at some point. Even though she shouldn't feel guilty or responsible for that, I still feel like it's gotta suck knowing these people have spent so much time on something you know is likely never gonna happen, all for you.

Lilith 😞 her mother really just didn't pay attention to her all these years

hey if this guy does some next level healing magic then why isn't he more well-known, huh? why’d it take so long to come across him?? Gwen do you know what the fuck you're doing cause I think you don't

Lilith just because you're depressed about your mom doesn't mean you have to bring king down too 😠

SUPER irrelevant but is anyone else just bothered by the way Lilith is holding her spoon?? that doesn't seem like a comfortable way to hold a spoon. also is she left handed??

"knife season came early" EDA WHAT DOES THAT MEAN. is this a boiling isles things or is this a it’s common for people to throw knives at you thing

also I want to be surprised Eda fell for the apple blood signs but I am not 😔 

Luz please trust you're gut on this one and not mama clawthorne

ok now I need to know why the fridge was empty but they had 18 cartons of ice cream this is why you guys don't have food you're wasting it all on ice cream.

wow never thought I'd see the day hooty became the voice of reason

also, night market ice cream?? are they implying this ice cream is like, edibles of some sort?? Lilith does seem kinda high here ngl. idk man but at least she wants to stand up for herself so good for her.

PLEASE kings just offering her ice cream while she transforms

"first in a series" Gwen honey oh no. you've been duped. I think we can see where Lilith got her naïveté from huh.

Also, nice snatch Luz 😊

anyways love how this show is basically making fun of moms who refuse to give their kids proper medical treatment or listen to medical professionals here

EXCUSE ME why do we know Gwen's palisman's name before we know Lilith's?????

"I am a mother who'll do anything for her daughter" you're mom who's suffocating obsession with one daughter has left the other neglected and is currently causing her to turn into a full on beast ya dummy

Eda DOES have a right to be upset. it sucks that her own valid emotions that she should get to feel will cause her while body to betray her.

PLEASE I’M SO GLAD LILITH’S BEAST DESIGN LOOKS LIKE HER AND IS NOT THE THING FROM THE TRAILER THAT IS ACTUALLY IN EDA"S HEAD WHEN SHE’S TRANSFORMED

but also why is she SO massive?? also anyone concerned that this is her first transformation and the light glyph trick wouldn't even work??

Gwen look at what you've done, you've fostered feelings of inferiority in one daughter causing her to feel the need for sibling rivalry that the pure instincts of the raven beast cannot suppress no matter how much their sisterly relationship had improved.

HOW COULD YOUR OTHER DAUGHTER ALSO BEING CURSED BE A PART OF THE PROCESS GWEN??

"after Eda was cursed, I joined the beast keeping coven" woah woah WOAH. you're telling me you only joined because of trying to help Eda. that covens existed, before Eda got cursed, and you very much weren't a part of one. combine that with "some words for belos" she has and do I smell wild witch theory still plausible???

anyways at least mama clawthorne is getting some sense into her head here

Morton c'mon help a girl out, that's some dang good art too what the heck dude

ok fine mama clawthorne to the rescue

no pls not raven beast Lilith crying im crying now

Gwen: I raised a fine and self-sufficient child

Me: no you didn't look at her. she's got, SO MUCH.

GODDAMN THATS SOME POWER. ngl this only adds fuel to the fire in my head that there was some kinda reasoning these sisters were torn apart, that someone felt they'd be too powerful together (and they were probably right)

"I heard you but I couldn't stop myself, I couldn't do anything" may be just because she's not used to the curse but again part of me is concerned that because she couldn't pull herself out of it even a little bit like Eda did that there's something wrong there. but she also could've been stressed beyond reasonably calming herself down too.

ok but this is sweet

NOOO im so sad Lilith's leaving :( I literally cried ok

"you lived here?" fine OKAY king that was hilarious even if im sad about this

"reconnect with dad" excuse me where the fuck has this man been in the middle of all of this. curse shit is going DOWN and he's just chilling at home.

I am curious about people's thoughts regarding the whole Lilith regression thing and the fact that she's literally going to be living with her parents again. I feel like it could help nurture that inner child she's been reverting back to and help her out a LOT. but I could also be concerned about it feeding into the regression and making it worse?? idk and this show probably ain't getting that actually deep into psych anyways

"some day my hair is gonna be big enough to do that too" Luz I cannot wait for the day. also mood, I wish I could do that too.

alright who's holding the fucking pen for hooty we need a volunteer RIGHT NOW so we can remain in contact with Lulu

NOT THE ONLY HUMAN? my bets on the real azura rip never mind she said he

Titan’s Blood?? interesting. If the blood of the titan is around I wonder what that means regarding the titans existence, and how long its been since the titan fell.

AHH BABY LUZ PHOTO

ALSO WHO THE FUCK IS THAT?? They're really gonna spring that on us like this??? Camila's gotta notice somethings wrong right??? Unless any differences she just chalks up to the camp?? oh god :(

well, anyways lumity shippers come get yo juice next weekend

anyways im gonna need to add a NOT canon compliant tag on that one Gwendolyn fic I wrote because it definitely do not comply anymore

[hootcifer]

talking about toh | season two, episode four: keeping up a-fear-ances

i ytfugijkvcghdt what

previous | first | next spoilers under the cut, as always

the beginning

my goodness that owl thing is terrifying! i think we saw it briefly in that one promo but still!

young eda is back!

honestly, i thought eda ran away from home after she was cursed. i guess i was wrong.

when the healing coven dude gives eda the gem and says it's in style for young witches, i'm reasonably sure that's a reference to the fact that her gem wasn't originally meant to be an indicator of her curse. if i'm correct, that idea didn't even come about until "the intruder".

i love how eda has a poster in her room for rats, clearly a paridy of the musical cats. musical theatre nerd eda? anyone?

i'll talk more about this later, but we finally get to meet eda's mom! i like how she isn't painted as good or evil, just in between. she also seems to share eda's distaste for the coven system (though not as severe).

so even eda doesn't know where the door to the human realm came from, huh? interesting.

it doesn't look like eda's nickname came from her mom, or from lilith, since they both call her "edalyn" a majority of the time. did she start going by eda in school? did it come from her dad? did it come from somewhere else? huh?

the plot

i think it's kinda neat how eda's gold fang isn't actually meant to be a tooth replacement. it just makes her look cool. very on-brand for eda.

we now have confirmation-- more or less-- as to how the elixir tastes. apparently it's gross.

big fan of eda's new outfit. very much her style.

when eda said "beans" i thought she said "memes".

i love some of the visual humor in this show. the tea leaves "shrugging" made me giggle.

poor luz, she really wants to see her mom again. i can't imagine what that's like given that my mom is mediocre at best and makes me feel like shit a lot of the time but that must really suck. oops, sorry, too personal? let's move on.

i am a huge fan of how much closer eda and lilith seem to be now. they aren't enemies anymore, and that's great.

so witches can't detatch their limbs unless they're cursed? for some reason i thought that was universal.

okay, now we can talk about mrs. clawthorne. i saw her in the trailer, and i knew she wasn't eda because of her palisman. as a matter of fact, it's interesting that all three known clawthornes have bird palismans (palismen?). "escape of the palisman" reveals that not every palisman is a bird. is it a coincidence? is it a family tradition? i'm leaning more toward the latter.

but wow, gwen clawthorne. right off the bat i knew there would be people simping for her. i mean, people simp for both of her daughters, so it only makes sense. now, i'm ace, so i don't know much about milf, but does this make her a gilf? since she'd the mother of two milfs? (or are they still milfs if i don't want to--? never mind.)

i was expecting to dislike gwen, but i honestly ended up enjoying her character. sure, she can be a bit... much... but she loves her daughters.

oh, here's an odd detail. both gwen and eda's names end with "lyn", but lilith's doesn't. coincidence? no?

i would love to hear gwen's "strong words" for belos. let him get told off by an old lady!

aww, poor lilith just wants her mom to acknowledge her. it's not fun being the least favorite. i feel you on that one, lily. the older child is always less favored.

canon confirmation that lilith dyes her hair! i think dana said she did in an ama but now it's truly canon.

i knew something was fishy with wartlock from the beginning. there is no way he could have been legit.

i feel so bad for king. now that he knows he has a dad out there, all he wants in the world is to find him. poor thing.

what the hell is "knife season"?! is that a thing?

not gonna lie, i thought king and lilith got drunk off that ice cream. or maybe they did, and i'm just that bad at recognizing that stuff.

also, loving the lilith-king development. always great when two characters bond over angst.

"you know things are bad when hooty is the voice of reason." ~me, to my friend

honestly, a jar of bees would certainly help me with existential dread. i love bees.

i can't say i'm surprised that gwen's "cure" was just a bunch of made up bs. there's no way they could heal eda so early in the season.

gotta say, owl beast lilith looks dope.

i'm really happy that gwen learned to listen to eda. that's not something every mother learns.

i noticed that gwen was from the beastkeeper coven since we saw her in the promo, because i'd recognized the logo on her arm, but i think her controlling the bees was really cool. maybe i know what coven i would join. then again, i'm pretty much with eda on the "covens bad individualism good" front.

also, it looks like badassery runs in the family just as much as bird palismen do.

can we start a petition to help morton stay in business? he deserves it.

it was really interesting to see eda's point of view when she's the owl beast. it looks like she has to fight with the creature from the beginning for dominance over her own body.

the end

hoo boy. h o o b o y .

okay, let's start at the beginning. of the end. okay.

first of all, it shatters my heart into pieces that lilith is going to live with her mom now. i was just growing to like her, too.

and poor hooty! he found someone who considered him a real friend, only to have her ripped away just three episodes later. i hope she comes back soon.

is episode five going to be the episode where we find out that amity works at the library? (don't answer that, it's a rhetorical question.)

okay, now let's get to the real mind-boggling part: false luz. what--or who--the heck is she?! i've seen a lot of theories about that, ever since we saw the letters at the end of "enchanting grom fright", and we have options. i'll go more into those in the next section.

predictions

belos being behind this new false luz makes a lot of sense, since he's the main bad guy as of now. it's the most likely theory for now, but i feel like it's a bit too predictable.

eda was an option before, but now that she has no powers or access to the human realm, that's off the table.

i've seen theories about amity being behind it, but i suggest a new (and probably false) one.

what about the twins? it could be a situation similar to gwen's determination to heal eda's curse. ed and em seem to care about their sister (more or less), so it makes sense that they would do anything for her to be happy, and for her to be with the person that makes her happy-- even if it means trapping said person in a realm that isn't her own. besides, they're both in the illusions track, and from what we've seen they're very good at it. what if they're the ones who made false luz? i don't know if illusions can interact with things around them, like false luz does with the tissue box, but maybe advanced ones can? also, can you cast illusions in the human realm without a portal? out of all of guesses so far it's probably the least likely, but it's still an interesting concept.

on the topic of illusionists, we also have gus as a suspect. however, we can tell when he's controlling illusions, so surely we would have seen it by now. that does provide an argument against the blight twins being the culprits, but they are both older and more experienced. i'm sure their expertise in their track is similar to amity's in the abominations track, if their parents' expectations of them are anything like their expectations of amity. maybe skilled illusionists can control their illusions with their minds alone? or they can create semi-sentient illusions?

okay, that's enough crazed conspiracy-theorist rambling for today. see y'all next week for episode five!

[sepublic]

From Understanding Willow to Agony of a Witch

           I think Understanding Willow is in some ways foreshadowing to Agony of a Witch, as well as the flashback in Young Blood, Old Souls; Specifically Amity, and the way she handles hurting her close friend Willow, and how that parallels how Lilith hurt Eda…

           The first time Amity hurts Willow, both herself AND Willow are being threatened here. In Agony of a Witch, Belos threatens to kill Lilith by the end of the day if she doesn’t deliver Eda to him; Not only that, but Lilith has been told by Belos that he’ll cure Eda of her curse if she does so. Lilith knows the curse is worsening, that Eda hates it and wants it gone- And we also know from Eda herself that it’s going to deliver her to a ‘fate worse than death’.

           Amity is being threatened by her own parents, which- It’s asking a LOT for an abused kid to stand up to that. But not only that, Willow’s chances at Hexside are directly threatened, and Amity couldn’t imagine ruining Willow’s academic future! And while I doubt Willow would’ve enjoyed losing her chance at Hexside; I feel like had she known the full context, she wouldn’t have valued enrollment at the school THAT much, just as Eda hates the curse, but isn’t willing to have it cured if it means joining Belos. Amity and Lilith make this sort of choice for their loved one, without really telling them or giving them any agency in it; Likely because it hurts a lot for them to admit that the person they’re serving is terrible. For Lilith, she’d be admitting to Eda that yes, Belos IS a tyrant that she’s been serving; And Amity, she’s an abused kid, and I imagine it’s super uncomfortable to admit what her parents are like to anyone, even her best friend.

           Then in the present-day, Amity goes behind Willow’s back to burn her memory photo; And while I can see her having some semblance of altruism behind the act, ultimately it was done in selfish motive, possibly to preserve Amity’s friendship with Luz, for fear that Luz would judge her after hearing how Amity broke ties with Willow. When Lilith and Eda had to duel to join the Emperor’s Coven, Lilith also goes behind Eda’s back to curse her; And while I’m sure she also justified it in her head with the idea of Eda being so talented that she could join the Emperor’s Coven another time anyway (just as Amity could’ve reasoned that Willow wouldn’t want this painful memory), it was still done for selfish reasons.

           Lilith wanted to join the Emperor’s Coven… And she cast a curse that should’ve been way more simple, way less disastrous, than it actually was; Just like how Amity burned the memory photo, and only expected THAT photo to burn; But then the rest did, starting a process that would’ve destroyed Willow’s mind, while also igniting (ba-dum tsss) some very powerful grief and rage within her former friend. Both Lilith and Amity acted selfishly to harm their loved one, believing the actual effects would be way less than what they ended up being… And unlike Amity, Lilith wasn’t able to undo the damage.

           (It’s also worth noting that Lilith didn’t have a ‘Luz’ to guide her, to tell her that what she did was wrong; While also providing Lilith the opportunity and support to fix the actual problem. I just think that’s important to remember when it comes to this show’s themes of loneliness and how that can really effect one’s relationships and handling of issues.)

           Of course, Lilith and Amity also contrast as well, as they’re not exact copies of one another; Lilith’s selfish decision came in the past, Amity’s in the present; With Lilith’s more forced decision happening in the present, while Amity’s occurred in the past. Lilith’s second mistake was in some ways done to remedy what she’d done; While Amity’s was to hide what she did. In Understanding Willow, we’re led to assume the worst of Amity, but then find out the story was more nuanced than we were led to believe; While with Lilith, we’re led to believe that she’s trying to cure her sister out of the goodness of her heart, and she IS… But then we learn that she’s also fixing a problem that shecaused. Amity’s actions are re-contextualized as more sympathetic, whilst Lilith’s become much darker.

           However, even though Amity’s side of the story DOES make her rejection of Willow come across as a lot less cruel and painful, and in some ways altruistic… It was still bad. And I think that’s interesting, that Amity recognizes that it’s valid to tell her side of the story regarding what happened, to at least get that out of the way; But she also acknowledges that it hardly excuses what she did, that Amity still messed up and she has to change her behavior to fix things. While Inner Willow does briefly calm down and reconsider everything that happened with the new information, Amity still makes a point that she still failed Willow in ways she didn’t need to; And that she needs to make up for what she’s done, apologize, and change her behavior.

           Amity never suggests nor insinuates that Willow should be grateful, that Willow should forgive her- If anything, Amity resists telling the truth, possibly because she refuses to defend herself. Amity thinks that what she did to Willow was so deplorable that it doesn’t need an explanation, because that wouldn’t change what she did. But in the end, Amity tells the truth- Possibly because she’s learning to vouch for herself with Luz’s encouragement… But mostly, I imagine, because Amity knows that Willow deserves closure as part of the healing process. That even if Amity was doing what seemed like the best decision at the time, Willow still deserves to know the truth, just to give her that peace of mind.

           This is different from Lilith, who refuses to tell Eda about why she cursed her sister, about why she’s willing to take Luz hostage; Likely out of more cowardice, but also some degree of pride. Again, Lilith probably doesn’t want to admit that her revered Emperor is actually a terrible person for threatening her, to Eda’s face. Lilith never explains her side of the story to give Eda some comfort, that at least Lilith had to be forced to do this; And she definitely doesn’t explain why the curse happened, for plenty of selfish reasons, alongside potentially not wanting to hurt Eda with that kind of knowledge of betrayal. When Lilith DOES initially confess, she does so out of spite; While Amity does it out of a sense of care.

           Then there’s Lilith explaining her side of the story a second time, regarding why she cursed Eda; And while she tells it to Luz (because Eda isn’t there), it at least gives closure to the girl, who can later pass it on to Eda if Lilith can’t. It reassures Luz that Lilith isn’t THAT terrible, that she did mean well, or at least not nearly as terribly- And thus she can be counted on for wanting to fix her mistakes.

           In short, Understanding Willow foreshadows Agony of a Witch, in that both episodes have a witch who’s forced to hurt their loved one, under duress of both themselves AND their loved one. Lilith and Amity both thought they were doing the best possible option in that scenario, while also protecting the loved one they were hurting; But in the end, they still caused pain, and neither Eda nor Willow owe them forgiveness. Similarly, Lilith and Amity don’t want to admit their side of the story, because it means acknowledging that they’re unhappy, that they’re being forced to do this and lack agency; And it involves admitting to others that the people they look up to in their lives, are actually terrible.

           There’s also foreshadowing to Lilith’s flashback in Young Blood, Old Souls; And how an explanation shouldn’t detract from the apology… After Lilith confesses, she briefly insinuates (whether or not she believes it or if she’s just doing damage control) that her explanation would make Eda less hurt, and in many ways that makes sense… But it’s also clearly done because Lilith believes that Eda will be more inclined to forgive her, while with Amity, she doesn’t seem to expect much, if any sympathy… Lilith seems to hope that additional context will make Eda less hurt; But Amity knows that while Willow deserves context, she also deserves an actual change in behavior, whilst Lilith continues with trying to capture Eda, and even threatens Luz’s life to do so.

           Lilith realizes this, and that’s why in Young Blood, Old Souls, she both gives her a long-due explanation for the curse, and THEN follows up by actually changing her behavior; Helping Luz rescue Eda. Because even if context is needed, it doesn’t make up for an apology; Actual changed behavior is also needed. When Lilith realized she first cursed Eda, she tried to change her behavior initially by finding a cure, but she didn’t tell the truth. Then when Lilith told the truth about the curse, she didn’t change her behavior and kept using Luz as a hostage, while trying to capture Eda; Only by doing both, by telling the truth AND changing her behavior, did Lilith begin to make things right with Eda. Now she’s begun to reconnect with her sister after so long… Thereby providing a happiness and closure that was long-due.

            These similarities make sense, Lilith and Amity ARE narrative parallels after all! By the end of the day, they recognize that they still irreparably hurt a loved one, and shouldn’t expect them to be grateful that they didn’t hurt them as much as they could have; ‘For your own good’ does not justify hurting a loved one, even if that motive does provide more nuance and closure, as well as a reassurance that they weren’t hurt pointlessly, needlessly- At least, that was not the intention. Because knowing what happened and explaining yourself, let’s that person know they weren’t hurt for no reason, and that if there’s good intent behind actions; That good intent can be repurposed to be actually constructive, helpful, meaningful! Because they DO want to help, really, and they need guidance on how to do so- They’re not someone acting with planned malice, the way ‘jerks who want to debate aren’t coming from a place of intellectual honesty’, as Luz would put it!

           And ultimately, I think it plays a role into why Eda will sometimes explain, upon questioning by Luz, her own thought process behind certain unusual ideas or teaching methods, as a reassurance that she DOES care and want the best… Which in turn shows Luz that Eda is willing to respond to criticism, because she’s acting in good faith, or trying to- And that means Luz feels safe to voice her own ideas, because she knows that Eda will legitimately take them into account, this time really, for Luz’s own good. It’s an open, honest communication, and showing that your loved one’s input really did have an impact. It’s why I think Lilith and Amity could really benefit to learn from Eda, because if they’d been more open and honest with those they cared about, been willing to reach out and admit that they need help- A LOT of issues could’ve been avoided. And while sometimes it can be too little, too late; Oftentimes it’s better late, than never.

[halo20601]

Her Real Family -- Owl House One-Shot FanFic.

Author's Note: I wrote this story yesterday (Sunday), but as I was editing it, the power went out for the rest of the night. So, as I was putting the last touches on it today (Monday), the promo for the Season Finale came out. To those who are reading my Owl House x DC Universe Crossover, I'm still working on it; this was just something I wanted to get out before the promo was released — which didn't end up being the case. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this one-shot.

.

.

.

Luz had broken into the Conformatorium successfully. Now all that was left to do was find Eda and bring her back. Back to the Owl House... and to herself. She had her glyphs, the Witch's Wool cloak Eda made for her, and her backpack — which contained what she hoped would be the cure. But one problem stood in her way.

"What are you doing here?" Lilith demanded. "I thought I told you to go back to the Human Realm."

"I'm not going anywhere while Eda needs me!" Luz shouted.

"I should've known her little pet would've been as stubborn as her." Lilith summoned her staff. "But I didn't think you'd be foolish enough to come alone."

"I didn't."

King let out a squeak of rage as he jumped on and bit down on Lilith's arm. "Ahhhhhhhh!" The Emperor's Witch cried in pain, trying to shake King off. "Get off of me!"

"Go 'ind E'a! Go 'ind E'a!" King repeated as he kept his jaws clamped on her arm, swinging around.

Luz nodded and shot straight for the stairs.

Lilith continued shaking her arm. "Get off me, you insolent little…"

"Ne'er!" King continued to rebel.

"That does it!" Lilith drew a circle and generated electricity in her hand. She grabbed the little demon with it.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" King screamed and was forced to let go, dropping to the ground.

"I will not let a Human undo everything I've worked for!" Lilith picked King up by the back of his neck before following Luz.

Speaking of which, Luz kept running up the flights of stairs and looking into the different rooms for any sign of Eda. A giant owl monster won't be that hard to miss.

"Stop, right there!" A deep and familiar voice said as Luz turned around. It was Warden Wrath. "I know you. You're the Human that thwarted my plans with the Owl Lady." He approached Luz with his massive hands holding something.

Luz took out her notepad and prepared some Fire spells. "I'm freeing Eda. And I'm not going to let you stop me."

"Stop you?" The Warden seemed confused. "I'm not going to stop you. I'm going to help you."

Now Luz was the confused one. "Tú eres qué?" Warden Wrath opened his hands to reveal, "Owlbert!" The Palisman flew over to Luz and rubbed against her cheek. "I missed you, too."

"I got to him before Emperor Belos could crack him open." Owlbert attested the claim with a hoot.

"Why are you helping me?"

"I saw the creature they dragged in and was shocked to learn it was the Witch who's heart I am after. But I also heard what they had to do to get her. I may have done cruel things, but I would never do what was done. I know where Eda is and can take you to her."

Luz looked down at Owlbert, who affirmed what Wrath said with a hoot. "Alright, but I only trust you because Owlbert trusts you."

"Follow me." Wrath began leading the way but stopped. "By the way, if we make it out of this alive, could you put in a good word for me for Eda?"

"If we make it out of this alive, I'll consider it."

"Works for me."

Luz followed Wrath further up the stairs until they came across a large cage where the Owl Beast slammed against the bars to free itself. "Eda!" Luz called out. Her mentor's cursed form just shrieked at her, and Owlbert hid behind her in fear. "Why is she still like this? I thought the Emperor could cure her?"

"From what I've heard, this curse is beyond the Emperor's power."

"Don't worry, Eda. We're going to get you out of here."

"I'll need to sedate her before opening the cage." Wrath said as he walked over to a box on the wall with the Healing Coven's symbol. But before he could reach for it, a Fireball struck him from behind, and he collapsed to the ground.

Luz turned around and spotted Lilith with a struggling King in hand. "You're not going anywhere."

"Let me go! I'll pulverize you!" The squirming demon threatened.

"Let King go!" Luz demanded.

"I knew I should've finished you off when I had the chance. I won't make the same mistake again."

"My friends, Willow and Gus, they know what kind of person you are. And Amity, too. We told her. If I fail, they'll find a way to free Eda."

"Then I'll deal with them like how I'll deal with you."

Luz was stunned at what she just heard. "You… You would kill your apprentice."

Lilith narrowed her eyes. "If I must."

Luz realized that there was no negotiating with her, and she was not going to let her hurt her friends. She pasted two Light glyphs onto her hands and charged at Lilith, who held King out like a shield — just like she did with her to capture Eda. Luz leaped into the air and clapped the glyphs together. The radiance was so bright that it forced Lilith to shield her eyes and drop King in the process. The little demon scampered away, and Luz stepped back while Lilith was disoriented.

Eda continued to shriek and slam herself against the bars. "King." Luz ran over to her friend and handed him the backpack. "I need you to help make Eda remember who she is."

"Do you think this will work?" He asked.

"I h…" Luz paused. "I know it'll work."

"You little brat." Lilith spat as her vision returned.

"I'll keep her busy." Luz took out three Plant glyphs and sent a trio of large vines after Lilith.

Enraged at her defiance, Lilith spun her staff and sent a stream of blue fire at the girl, burning the vines to ash. Luz took the Witch's Wool to shield herself as the blast sent her flying into the next room. The magical cloak prevented her from being burned, but it did not dampen the impact. Before she could react, Lilith teleported into the room and smacked Luz across the face with her staff, sending her farther back.

"You're out of your league, child." Lilith taunted. "Your powers are just cheap parlor tricks compared to mine."

"Probably," Luz responded as she stood up, she touched her runny nose and saw blood on her fingers. "But I'm still going to beat you."

Lilith chuckled. "You beat me? You're just an insignificant Human who wound up here just by being at the wrong place at the wrong time. There's nothing special about you. There never was. But if this is how you wish to die…"

"Maybe you're right, but what you think of me doesn't matter. I know who I am. And I'm not going home without Eda. Bailemos, Bruja!"

Lilith scowled at the girl and dashed towards her with blue flames trailing behind. Luz managed to roll out of the way and slammed an Ice glyph onto the ground. The pillar shot up and hit Lilith in the stomach. She stumbled back before, but quickly regained her balance and countered with a Fireball. Luz protected herself with the cloak, but the impact still knocked out the wind from her lungs, and a second one did so again.

She looked up as Lilith was about to bring her staff down on her. Luz tumbled out of the way and used a Fire glyph to burn Lilith's feet. Lilith yelped in pain and smacked Luz upside the head with her staff. Luz sent another vine to hit Lilith in the face with, but she sliced it apart with a blade of fire then tossed it at the girl. Luz managed to duck from the blade but wasn't fast enough to avoid another hit to the face.

"I don't know why I was expecting a challenge." Lilith continued to taunt. "No one is a match for me. I'm the leader of the Emperor's Coven for a reason."

"Alguna vez se calla?" Luz cursed to herself. All she's ever said is how great she is; on and on about how great she is, and… Luz came to realize something. She figured out Lilith's weakness. A weakness that she should've seen upon learning it was her who cursed Eda. "So that's what all of this has been about."

Luz took out three Plant glyphs and Fire glyphs and slammed them on the ground at the same time. More vines came at Lilith, who smirked as she cut them apart with another fire blade, which triggered the Fire spell and made them explode like a bomb. The impact slammed Lilith into a wall, while Luz used her cloak to keep her skin safe.

"What was that?" Lilith questioned.

"It's called being creative; something Eda taught me," Luz responded with renewed confidence.

The anger in Lilith's expression became more pronounced. "Magic isn't supposed to be used like that! It's dangerous!"

"Eda, and I prefer clever." Luz slammed her Fire and Ice glyphs together and filled the room up with steam. This distracted Lilith enough for Luz to sneak away, but Lilith saw where she was going and pursued.

Meanwhile, King opened the backpack. Inside was a collection of items; reminders of the various hijinks the trio had gotten into the last couple of months. They believe that the Eda they know is somewhere inside the Owl Beast, and they just need to bring her out.

"Eda, do you remember this?" King asked as he showed her the tiny crown Luz gave him after they broke into the Conformatorium the first time around. The Owl Beast just shrieked. "Or this?" King held the fake map that Luz was duped into that one time. But the Owl Beast continued to shriek. "Maybe this will work." King took out the sparkly pen and turned it on. Owl Eda was immediately entranced by it like she was before. "Do you remember?" The batteries then died, and Eda shrieked again. "Eda, I know you're in there. Luz needs you."

The backpack tipped over, and a picture fell out. It was a recent one; featuring Eda, King, Hooty, Willow, Gus, Amity, and, "L… Lu…"

King gasped. "What did you say?"

"L… Lu…" The Owl Beast was trying to make words.

"Yes, that's Luz. Your apprentice. The Human who came into our lives and made it better. She's here, and she's fighting your sister to save you. She's fighting your sister because she loves you; because we all love you. You need to remember. You need to come back to us."

"L… Lu… L… Lu… Luz…" The beast's black eyes began dissolving back to their original color slowly… and something more.

As that was happening, Lilith followed Luz into a new room. It was completely dark, save for the light of her staff, and there were many columns where the girl could hide behind. "Where are you? Come out, come out, wherever you are." Lilith crooned. She saw something move to her left. "Found you!" She launched a Fireball and destroyed the column. The destroyed support glowed with the symbol of an Ice glyph, which shot out and slammed into her frame. Lilith's frustration continued growing. "Show yourself, you coward!"

"I'm the coward?" Luz's voice echoed throughout the room. "That's rich coming from you."

Lilith thought she spotted Luz again and cast another spell, only to trigger a Plant glyph that smacked her across the face. "You don't belong here! Edalyn is with her real family!"

"Her real family? The real family that cursed her?" Lilith cast another spell upon seeing a shadow move, only to trigger another trap, with a Fire glyph this time. "I think I finally understand you now."

"And what, pray tell, do you understand?"

"The way Eda talked about you, I always assumed you joined the Emperor's Coven out of some crazy belief you have about him. But now I realize what it's always been about. Your ego." Lilith cast another spell and triggered another Plant glyph. "You were jealous of what Eda could do. That she was a more powerful Witch than you were. Heck, I bet if she joined the Coven, she would be The Emperor's favorite instead of you."

"You know nothing! All Edalyn did was squander her potential! She didn't deserve the power she had!" Lilith's anger continued to grow, and her spells became sloppier with each cast. She didn't care if she triggered more traps and inflicted more pain to herself; she wanted to shut Luz up.

"So, you had to curse your sister as a child to prove a point. But all it proves is that you were pitiful then as you are now."

"I'm not listening to this!" Lilith continued to cast more spells and trigger more traps. Her once pristine dress was damaged, her face bruised and scarred, and her straight hair was a frantic mess.

"I can't believe I was afraid of you. Lilith of the Emperor's Coven isn't a real Witch at all. Lilith of the Emperor's Coven is just a complete joke." Luz began to laugh. "And not even the good kind."

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop laughing!"

"You couldn't even beat Eda without giving her a handicap or without a hostage to hide behind."

"I command you to stop laughing!"

"And you know what I can't tell is funnier. That Eda's more of a true Witch than you'll ever be! Or that I'm more of a true Witch than you'll ever be!"

Lilith's rage reached its peak. "YOU ARE NOT A WITCH!" She cast the most powerful spell she could muster in her current state as blue flames enveloped everything. The fire spread across the room and broke apart the columns and burnt away the glyphs before they could activate. The entire room trembled as the roof above began to collapse all around.

If it weren't for the Witch's Wool, it would've been the end of Luz. Even though she wasn't burned, the blast caused her cloak to be undone and be blown away. The girl tried making it into the next room while avoiding everything collapsing around her. But she tripped, and rubble fell onto her. "Ahhhhhhhh!" She cried from the pain and soon realized she couldn't feel her legs. She tried pushing the rocks off, but they wouldn't budge.

"There you are." Lilith walked over to her in an unhinged manner. Luz looked for her glyphs and saw they were gathered in a pile next to her. She tried reaching for them, but they were set ablaze. Lilith threw her staff aside, got on top of the pinned girl, and enveloped her fingers around her throat. Luz struggled to breathe as she tried to force Lilith off, or free her throat, but couldn't do anything. "You're not a real Witch! So, you don't deserve to die like one!" She had a deranged smile on her face and a look of satisfaction in seeing Luz's life slip away. The girl thought that this was the end of the line... She was going to die here...

"Get your hands off my apprentice!" Before Lilith could process it, the mother of all Fireballs struck her in the back and sent her toppling off Luz and slamming right into a wall.

Luz took in several deep breaths and looked up to see a blazing shape of magical energy enveloping the shadowy silhouette of, "Eda!" Luz's eyes were filled with tears.

"Sorry for being late, kid." The Owl lady said as she floated over to her.

King ran up from behind Eda, with Owlbert perched on his head, huffing and puffing. "You… are… really… fast…"

"How?" Lilith said as she forced herself up. "How are you back to normal? Answer me!"

"If you'll excuse me for one second, Luz." Eda glared at Lilith. "I have some unfinished business I need to take care of."

Lilith called for her staff, but Eda cast a spell to burn every part of it, except for the Palisman. Lilith cast spell after spell, each attack fueled by hatred, but Eda managed to deflect or avoid them. Lilith screamed as she unleashed her most potent spells, only for Eda to do so in turn. But the Owl Lady's spells overpowered Lilith's and sent her through the wall and kept on going until she landed into the middle of an empty cell. Before she could even stand, Eda appeared right in front of Lilith and pinned her against the wall.

"How is this…" Lilith tried mustering the words.

"No more words from you!" Eda snapped. "Now you're going to listen to me, sister. I will never join any Coven, especially the Emperor's Coven. I will never forgive you for what you did to me, to Luz, and to everyone I care about. And if you ever come near any of us again, I will end you."

Lilith looked over Eda's shoulder and saw King and Owlbert putting all the effort they could into freeing Luz. "You would choose them over your real family?"

"They are my real family." With that said, Eda left Lilith where she was and flew back to the people who put their lives on the line to save her. The energy surrounding Eda finally dissipated, revealing…

"Eda, your hair," Luz said. Her teacher's hair was no longer the elderly grey it once was, but bright orange. The features of her face changed, too; she still looked old but had a bit more youthfulness. "Does that mean the curse…"

"It's gone. I don't know how, but it's gone."

"Maybe it was the power of our love that broke it. Just like I thought it would."

"Kid, please, that sounds like a bunch of mushy stuff from your books."

Luz sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Eda roller her eyes. "But I won't rule out the possibility. Can you walk?"

"I can stand, but I'll need some help."

"I got you." Eda pulled Luz up and let her lean against her.

Owlbert flew by and dropped the Witch's Wool cloak on the girl's head. "Thanks, Owlbert."

Lilith stepped out of the cell; her eyes still full of madness and envy. "No! I won't accept this!" She shouted as she eyed Luz and cast a spell intended to strike her.

But Eda sensed the oncoming attack and deflected it right back at her sister, striking her gemstone and sending falling back. "It's over, Lily," Eda told her. "Stay down."

Lilith pointed at Eda. "It'll never be over while you're still free. Emperor Belos won't stop until…" Suddenly, plumage emerged from her arm. "No. No!"

Eda and Luz gasped as they saw what was happening. "She cursed herself."

Lilith's body began contorting, snapping and bending in unnatural ways as more feathers began to sprout. "Edalyn! Help me! Sister, please!"

Eda was about to step forward to help but stopped and — with a frigid glare — told Lilith, "You're the smart one. So, help yourself."

"Edalyn! Edalyn!" Lilith continued crying and changed until all that stood was a beast twice her size and had the appearance of a raven. What goes around, comes around. The transformed Lilith shrieked and charged at the prey in front of her. But the cell door suddenly closed shut, and the Raven Beast slammed into them, still screeching.

Luz, Eda, and King turned around and saw that Warden Wrath pulled a lever down. "That won't hold her for long. She'll need a new cell. You should all leave while you have the chance."

"Thank you, Warden," Luz said.

"So, are you going to hold up your end of the deal?"

"Of course."

"Yes, score for Warden Wrath."

"Great, now can we go home?" King asked. "I need to bake Luz a new cake for me to pop out of."

"And what deal is he talking about?" Eda asked her apprentice.

"I'll tell you when we get home," Luz replied.

The outlaws of the Boiling Isles took their leave, as they will have a long way down to go. Eda looked back for a moment and saw the transformed Lilith continuing to slam against the cell and shriek. The Owl Lady did hold some regret about what has happened to her sister. But if she's being honest with herself, she and Lilith haven't been sisters since they were kids.

[deusaeverythingcomestoanend]

D. Series: The Pirate

I hope I’ve been able to keep you entertained. The first two chapters introduced the heroes and villains of this tale. In this chapter you will learn of a gift that connect the towns people. Also how they came in possession of such a gift. You are going to be introduced to three other Major Dragon families. The Draco (Dräcko) Family, the Dracon (Dräckon) Family, and lastly the Dracove (Dräckove) Family. 

Chapter 3

The Seal

Your future seems bright,

I promise you will be alright,

Today you will face the pain and sorrow,

Will become the wisdom and strength you need tomorrow.

October 13, 1542

"You are a weirdo, Cronus!" taunted a little boy with brown hair and blue eyes.

"I am not, Kelvin! You are just stupid!" cried Cronus kicking dirt in Kelvin's direction.

"No one even likes you, Cronus! The whole town thinks you are a freak!" screamed Kelvin.

"You take that back!" demanded Cronus forming his skinny pale hands into fists.

"Make me! Weirdo!" growled Kelvin not backing down.

"Argh!" charged Cronus as he tackled Kelvin into the ground, "Is it weird to try and save a dog's life?! Is it weird to want to learn to read?! Is it weird to try and make something of myself?!"

With each question he asked, he would punch Kelvin in the face. Cronus then grabbed a hold of a small stone that was right next to him. The moment he tried to hit Kelvin in the face with it, he missed. It did not matter how many times he tried to hit Kelvin with it he would always miss.

"Why can't I hit you with this?!" snarled Cronus in frustration. That is when he felt someone snatch him up from the back of his pants dangling him in the air.

"What are you doing, Cronus?" questioned Clement pulling him off Kelvin.

"He was asking for it!" argued Cronus as he struggled to get loose from his father's grip without loosing his pants in the process.

"That is not true Uncle Cronus. I was only talking to him and he started hitting me," cried Kelvin getting up from the dirt, "he tried to hit me with that rock."

"What rock?" asked Cronus having dropped the stone.

"I am sorry for your cousin's rude behavior, Kelvin, I will make sure that he is properly disciplined," apologized Clement as he carried Cronus away underneath his armpit. Cronus kicked and punched his father's back and arm as he was carried home. Once Clement reached the gates of his house he pushed it open and closed it behind him. Godiva watched with a mixture of amusement and frustration. She found it amusing that even though Cronus was a little older than eight, Clement could still carry him in his arm as he were nothing but a toddler.

"Did you get in trouble again, Adame?" teased Victory as she carried a bucket of chicken feed.

"Do not call me that, Chicken!" raged Cronus as he tried to pry himself free from his father's arm.

"Victory, do not call your brother Adame, you either call him Cronus or Adam," scolded Godiva as she smacked her on the back of the head with a wooden spoon.

"Ow, that hurt!" yelped Victory dropping the bucket and messaging head.

"Thank you, Mommy," thanked Cronus smiling up at Godiva.

"And Cronus do not call you sister, Chicken. What did he do this time?" asked Godiva bringing her attention to Clement.

"I caught him on top of Kelvin, beating up the poor boy," sighed Clement placing his son down.

"He was taunting me!" yelled Cronus, "He called me a freak!"

"You should know better than to fight, Cronus. It's just wrong," scolded Godiva as she knelt to his level, "you have more to lose than gain with fighting."

"Mommy, why couldn't I hit him with the rock?" questioned Cronus in disbelief.

"So, you did have a rock? I remember that when I grabbed a hold of you, you denied there ever being a rock in your hand," remarked Clement as he looked down at his son as he scratched his beard, "Cronus were you lying to me?"

"Why couldn't I hit Kelvin with the rock?!" demanded Cronus.

"Cronus doen't know about the Dragon Seal?" questioned Victory dropping the bucket once more after having just picked it up.

"What Dragon Seal?" asked a confused Cronus.

Godiva and Clement walked inside the house, motioning for both Victory and Cronus to follow behind him. Cronus watched as they walked into the deathroom and closed the door behind him. Godiva closed the two curtains in the room making it a bit darker. Clement sat down in one of the chairs in the room and Godiva sat down next to him.

"Are you going to tell me what the seal is?" ordered Cronus.

"Hush! Be patient!" scolded Victory dragging him by the arm.

"I want to know about the seal!" demanded Cronus pulling his arm out of Victory's grip.

"Cronus, come here," called Godiva patting her lap. Cronus rushed over to her side, but sat down on the ground in front of her. Victory dragged a chair and placed it right next to her father. Clement took in a deep breath and stared down at Cronus.

"Cronus, I am going to tell you the tale my father told me as it was said to him by his father before him and his father before him. On a land not too far away from here, there existed the most beautiful women ever seen. These beautiful women would also intermingle with dragons. Men from a foreign land came and lusted after the beauty of these women. They knew that they were no match for the dragons which guarded the women they sought.

So they went in search of a technique in which they could hoax their way to them. A small group of these men said they would keep watch of the dragons until they uncovered their weakness. While the rest went in search of dragon killing weapons.

One man braved to enter the dragon's homeland and feigned friendship.The foolish dragons accepted him and took him in. They truly believed that they could trust this man. A belief which would soon cost them dearly, for he exposed their weakness to his compatriots.

Luckily there were those among the dragon group which did not trust this stranger in the least. It is thanks to them that the children were spared. Late at night they took the children far away from their homeland. They brought them here, where they could grow up far away from harm. Yet they knew that they themselves could not stay knowing that their family and friends were in danger. Unfortunately when they returned home many of the dragons had been slain and the women ravished by these men.

Seeing what had gone to pass among their people the few remaining dragons chose to live the rest of their days like humans. They raised the remaining offspring and divided them into four major families: The Dracove, Dracon, Draco and Drataine. Then in order to protect the remaining dragons four of them sacrificed themselves in order to create an enchantment which would protect them from each other.That way even those sired by the humans could be protected.

Prior to completing this enchantment they went in search of the half blooded dragons and brought them home. Killing the men who had created them in the process,” explained Clement, “we do not mention the Dragon Seal to anyone outside of our hometown. If we ever did we would be accused of witchcraft.”

“I have two questions, Papa,” wondered Cronus knitting his eyebrows in confusion.

“Which are?”questioned Clement wanting to make sure that he made it all clear to his young son.

"What is witchcraft?" questioned Cronus tilting his head to the side.

"It's whatever the church deems devil worshiping. It can be anything from being sarcastic to accidentally closing the church door too loudly. Anyway, if you are accused of witchcraft you will be killed," answered Godiva, "that is why the towns people keep the Dragon Seal a secret."

"Is that why the church came and took that man away?" asked Victory with disbelief.

"Unfortunately, yes that man's ability to cure his patients caught the attention of the church. They stated that it was all thanks to the power of the devil why he was able to heal. When he was executed many of the town's children suffered, since there was no one to aid in their sickness. The medicine that he had left behind to help was destroyed and most of the people that had any vials of the substance through them away. The ones that did not keep their stash a secret," replied Godiva.

"Do we have any?" asked Victory with curiosity in her eyes.

"We never needed it. Remember we did not get sick," answered Clement, "now let's not think about such a depressing matter, shall we. What was your second question, Cronus?”

“What does sired mean?” asked Cronus tilting his head to the side.

“Sired, is another word that means to father. For example I sired both you and Victory,” clarified Clement.

“What do you mean by half blood?” questioned Cronus.

“Most of the people living in our hometown are not pureblooded dragons. In fact a grand majority of them are not even half blooded dragons,” clarified Clement.

“Such as myself, Cronus,” chimed in Godiva, “ I am not a pureblooded dragon, I am actually one forth dragon. Meaning that my maternal grandfather was a pureblooded dragon who married a none dragon. They had children and my mother married my father who was also a none dragon.”

“What about you Papa?” questioned Cronus scooting closer to his father.

“I am a Pure Blooded dragon actually,” blushed Clement shifting in his seat.

"Tomorrow we are going to go to Kelvin and apologize," ordered Godiva getting up from the chair.

"That's not fair! He started it! He called me a fre-"

"It does not matter who started the fight. You are no longer a baby and should have just ignored him, instead of tackling him to the ground like you did," scolded Clement.

"You do not know what it's like to be treated like you do not belo-"

"Do not argue with me, Cronus, now go to your room," calmly told Clement ignoring anything Cronus tried to explain. Knowing that his father wasn't going to listen to him, Cronus held onto the tears in his eyes and ran out the door.

"Oh, Cronus, come back," called Godiva as she made a motion to follow after him.

"Let him go, Godiva, we have to teach him that he cannot get anything he wants just by crying," sighed Cronus as he got up from his seat and walked out of the room.

"Clement, he is still a child and you should have listened to him," glared Godiva storming out of the room.

"Um, I am going to go back to tending to the animals," hesitated Victory jumping out of her chair.

"What you're not mad at me too?!" snapped Clement glancing at Victory with fire in his eyes.

"I am not, Father, but I have seen first hand what the children in the town call Cronus. Most of the time he just ignores them and at other times, he comes home crying. You have seen him and heard him at night, haven't you?" inquired Victory as she leaned up against a wall.

"That's still no reason to fight, Victory," groaned Clement.

"I am sorry, I had no-"

"Idea? Of course, you don't, that is why you should listen first," argued Victory making a motion that she was going to leave the room, "Now if you will excuse me I am going to go back and tend to the animals."

Clement walked upstairs to his room and sat himself down on the bed. He knew that he had crossed the line all he needed to do was wait for Cronus to return home. Unbeknownst to him, Cronus had ran past the town limits and made his way to a beach nearby. Once there he slowed down and rubbed his eyes. His cheeks were covered in tears and each breath he tried to take in was sharp and shaky. He tripped on a log, scrapping both his knees and palms. As he got up from the ground, he was surprised as to what he saw before him. He scrambled back to his feet, a look of horror in his face.

A large man in a peacock green cloak stood before him, there was something about this man that made him feel uneasy. It did not feel as if the man was going to harm him in anyway but it almost felt as if the man was out of place. There seemed to be light coming out of his bracelet. He looked down at Cronus with pity in his eyes, before walking towards him.

"W-Who are you?" questioned Cronus his voice shakier than he had intended.

The man said nothing but proceeded to walk towards him. His hand reached out for him. Cronus was so afraid that even if his brain was screaming for him to run; however, his legs were not receiving the message. The man was pale and his eyes seemed to dance from emerald green to turquoise and to cobalt blue then back. He placed two hands on either side of Cronus' shoulders, looked him in the eye.

"Are you Cronus?" he asked in a deep voice.

Cronus nodded his head unable to speak nor lie to the man before him. The man sighed and placed his hands on his head.

"Good," he sighed relieved as if he had been waiting for him.

Cronus wanted to ask how this man knew him; however, before he could even get his question to form in his mind he saw a white flash of light that blinded him. Cronus felt no pain and he began to wonder if he had died. When he woke up he was laying on top of the man's cloak. He was scared and his head was hurting him.

"Cronus, you are awake? Come here," commanded the man.

"How long have I been..."

"Sleeping?" questioned the man.

"Yes? What did you do to me?" hesitated Cronus walking towards the man.

"I gave you all the knowledge of the Universe," replied the man as he began to write a few phrases on the sand with a stick.

"Really?" asked Cronus dumbfounded.

"Well, sort of you did gain the understanding of all the technology from the present and as far as a thousand years into the future. You will be able to see into the future of technology not only that you will see the actual blueprints, and be able to recreate most of it yourself," explained the man, "the only downside to that is-"

Cronus felt a tingling sensation that started at the tips of his toes and ran up his spine until finally reaching his head. The world encircling him disappeared and as he looked around his unfamiliar surroundings the man was gone.

In his place was a room he was not familiar with, strange tools that seemed to breath fire on their own. There were people in white cloaks walking around the room each with a piece of wood, paper and odd star like sticks on which they wrote down thoughts after an object had any sort of reaction. Cronus heard them mumble mixtures of yes, I see, or we should fix that. When he walked closer to one of the cloaked women, his hand moved through her as if she were made of water.

"These must indicate measurements," observed Cronus as he touched around the object in question. Then he moved over to a blackboard that was filled with a math formula and watched as a man walked right up to it. He took a small black box and started to erase part of the board and replace it with new numbers and formulas. It was almost as if he were correcting a mistake he had made.

"Make sure you do the math right this time, John," teased a woman.

"'Make sure you do the math right this time, John.' Why don't you make sure to come in on time?" muttered John as he continued on with his work.

Cronus took a seat on the floor and watched as the people with white coats ran from one end of the room to the other end of the room for what seemed hours. He laughed when they left the object unattended and it began to set a table of fire.

"Fire! Fire!" yelled out a man pointing out the obvious.

"Now calm down, Stewart, there is no need to panic," called another man.

Cronus began to see the world around him begin to fade away. He watched as the people became blurry and the rest of the items bubble away. The wall around him began to collapse and disappear. Before he knew it, he was once more standing next to the man on the beach. The man looked up at him as if he was expecting him to say something. Of course he was waiting for him to say something, afterall it was his magic that did this to him.

"So, what did you see, young Cronus?" questioned the man as he stared back at him.

First Chapter: https://deusaeverythingcomestoanend.tumblr.com/post/614218140111470592/d-series-the-pirate-i-said-i-was-going-to-do-it

Previous Chapter: https://deusaeverythingcomestoanend.tumblr.com/post/614310735112241152/d-series-the-pirate

Next Chapter:

https://deusaeverythingcomestoanend.tumblr.com/post/614499217045585920/d-series-the-pirate

[sepublic]

Dana Terrace AMA (Part 2)

Lilith dyed her hair to appear more intimidating! I won’t deny her curly hair definitely is very friend-shaped, so I can see why! This does give me hope that now that Lilith is no longer in the EC, we’ll get to see her hair become frizzy again… Given how Dana went out of her way to make a contrast between the wilder appearance of younger Lilith, VS present-day, and I think it’s something she’ll return to now that Lilith is a Wild Witch like her sister!

As suspected, Lilith and Amity are rather cold and distant… Which makes sense, they parallel Luz and Eda, but they also contrast the pair! Especially when you look at their personalities, I can’t say I’m shocked… ESPECIALLY after Amity telling Lilith to ‘shut up’, and Dana confirming that Amity lost a LOT of respect for her teacher after Covention! Which makes me more scared that Lilith didn’t do anything to vouch for Amity to the Blight Parents, so YIKES… You’ve got a lot of explaining to do Lily, and I hope you and Amity can properly connect and heal in Season 2! Especially now that you’re on your way to becoming a decent role model for REAL this time!

We know that Camila (which is how Dana spells it which when combined with Enchanting Grom Fright’s credits, leads me to consider this THE official spelling) will sometimes buy Luz manga novels of her favorite series, but usually only on holidays or because of a good report card! Awww, why can’t you let Luz enjoy herself more? Like I get that you’re probably struggling a bit financially is a single, working-class mother and also have incentive of wanting Luz to not be ‘distracted’, but this hits close to home given how it reminds me of somebody else I know with ADHD…!

(Also, Luz would trace Hiromu Arakawa manga, which means that Dana has likely seen Fullmetal Alchemist, which means it’s very possible that Belos and his castle took cues from Father and that is a VERY validating revelation for me! They really do have that killer aesthetic, man…!)

Amity’s hair IS dyed and naturally brown, like her father’s… Which confirms more or less that those kids in YBOS are the Blight Parents, and also confirms Amity as a full-blooded Blight! Not to say I was right, but I was right… Mrs. Blight had Amity dye her hair green like hers to be color-coded, which is sickening as-is. Like, are Emira and Edric dressed similarly because their mother encouraged it? That’s a scary thought…

Regardless, if Amity DID rebel a little by choosing a more Azura shade, it seems Mrs. Blight doesn’t really notice or think much of it, because we know this lady will go far when it comes to getting what she wants and if she feels her kids are disobeying her! This also adds more credence to my belief of Mrs. Blight having been the one born into the family, while her husband married in as an outsider… It makes sense she’d have this kind of control in the family, more prominence given to her VA, and the ability to control their children on a visual level, especially if Green Hair is a Blight signature! I have to wonder what Mr. Blight thinks of this… Goodness, can you imagine if his wife made him dye his hair green, too?!

Dana alluded to the Blight Parents having more depth than we might suspect, which… YES, but also she says that Mr. Blight was fun and ‘interesting’ for her? I’ve speculated in the past that he seems a bit more chill and apathetic compared to his wife from the childhood flashback, and based on what we’ve seen from Understanding Willow…

I have to wonder if maybe Mr. Blight is someone who was caught underneath his partner’s abuse as well? Maybe Mrs. Blight also began controlling him, and he sort of just learned to go along with it and accept this…! I wonder if he also has ideas about needing to live up to the Blight family name, as an outsider and as his wife’s husband… And how that might be reflected in him repeating that ‘Blights only associate with the strongest of witches’ to Amity, like he speaks from experience! It’s conceited he calls himself strong in this sentence, but at the same time…

Given the implication that Mrs. Blight holds more power and was able to prioritize her looks in their children over her husband’s… I have to wonder if Mr. Blight is just someone who’s also resigned to her abuse, as a person fully-indoctrinated into her beliefs of superiority and having to set an example that pleases her! He gives me vibes as more straight-forward, like an enforcer while his wife has that more manipulative, mastermind vibes to her… Goodness, are we going to have to rescue Mr. Blight from his wife too?!

There is neither an end nor a beginning, there is just HOOTY… Nobody knows if he’s made of wood or flesh (which implies Eda didn’t make Hooty, just ‘taught him’, and not much), his true nature is deeply upsetting and a major spoiler, AND he apparently has an evil twin named Booty!

Amity is a jock! This is no shock, but Dana also alluded to her being ‘punk’ to impress others but not being comfortable, and… This GIRL, let her know she’s loved for who she is!

Dana confirmed that Bump’s imp on his head is named Frewin, and that he has a purpose…??? Maybe he’s a seeing-eye demon in the literal sense, or covers an exposed brain…?!?? I don’t know. We’ll just have to see, but for now it at least indicates that Bump IS the dude (as implied by Dana’s past art) and we’ll learn more about him, so neat! Bump is a cool and underrated character in my opinion, and I look forward to more of Frewin!

Witch Gems! Dana confirmed that they’re just a fashion thing like necklaces, and that Eda’s wasn’t originally meant to indicate anything… But then Dana realized it was a good visual indicator of her curse and went from there! It seems ‘Hearts of Stone’ is just metaphorical… I have to wonder if in-universe, Eda’s gem functions like a mood ring in that it’s a handy visual indicator of how bad her curse is getting! That alone furthers the disability metaphor, which I REALLY like!

(I have to wonder why we haven’t seen any male witches with chest-gems, is this one of the few gendered things that the Boiling Isles has? Give Edric a chest-gem, I know he’d wear a dress and rock it! Do the same for Jerbo, too!)

Dana also said that should Season 3 be approved (they’re still writing the end of Season 2 people!), we might get a birthday for a cast member! So… SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, give live ratings to this show people c’mon!

Luz is Amity’s first big crush, to nobody’s surprise… You can tell from the way she acts around Luz that this is somebody who’s shown her more unconditional love and patience for who she is than anybody else in her entire existence, that it’s an almost alien feeling to Amity… and while it’s sad she’s never had someone so accepting of her in her life before, it’s also heartwarming to see Luz provide so readily and unconditionally! No wonder Amity is smitten…

[sepublic]

Lilith’s Wasted Effort

           Honestly, I just FEEL for Lilith! I feel bad for her, like… This lady’s entire life, ever since that fateful night she cursed her sister, has been nothing but regret! Nothing but her desperately trying to undo her greatest mistake, to get back her sister… Like, Lilith must’ve wasted decades of her life, in her attempt to compensate for her biggest regret.

           The thing is, she was a child. She was dumb and stupid, she thought the curse would only last for a day and only weaken Eda’s magic. It’d be like an AU for Really Small Problems, where after King accidentally shrinks Willow and Gus, they die by some horrific accident! Obviously there’s a bit more lenience to King since he didn’t intend to shrink them, not to mention Tibbles (I mean Obvioso) dropped the potion into his hands, and King was fully under the impression it’d wear off, and had seen an actual demonstration beforehand to reassure him.

           But still- Can you imagine if Luz found out? Or if she didn’t, and then King spent the rest of his life, desperately trying to make up for the blood on his hands, perhaps even resorting to necromancy, or creating a false Willow and Gus… Or worse, it’s Luz who dies?! It’s just pitiable for Lilith… She really was looking forward to joining the Emperor’s Coven, but her one dream in life and she can’t even enjoy it, she throws the rest of her existence towards curing Eda’s curse, only to find out that it’s too late, there’s nothing she can do about it…!

           And obviously- Even if Lilith hadn’t cursed Eda, their separation would’ve been inevitable. Eda would’ve still defied the Coven System and become a Wild Witch, Lilith would’ve fallen for Belos’ propaganda. But that’s also precisely why Lilith’s situation is all the more sadder… That even if she had invested decades of her life to curse the curse, it wouldn’t have made a difference. Eda would still defy Belos and be disappointed in Lilith for supporting the Coven System… And sure, Lilith would at least alleviate her greatest regret, right?

           But the thing is… I think the curse is Lilith’s greatest regret because she blames it for driving a rift between her and Eda… And obviously the genuine harm it plays into Eda’s life and wellbeing is ALSO a concern, don’t get me wrong! But in the end, even if Eda was suffering, at least they’d be together… Being apart was the worst part to Lilith, I feel. It’s genuinely sad; How Lilith was but a child who made an almost silly mistake, but because of her regret she dedicated thirty-or-so years of her life… Lilith cast aside any attempts at being her own person, at enjoying herself, and wasted away in trying to undo the curse.

           Lilith had a bright future ahead of her… Or maybe not. This IS the Emperor’s Coven after all… If she didn’t have the curse weighing on her mind, would Lilith have become fully-indoctrinated into Belos’ cause? Or would its absence force Lilith to acknowledge that the rift between her and Eda was an ideological one, one that came as a result of Eda’s voluntary and willing disagreement with the Coven System… Perhaps THEN, she would’ve realized how harmful Belos really is, and Lilith could’ve abandoned the Emperor’s Coven much sooner. After all, part of her motivation to stay in the Emperor’s Coven after that fateful duel may have been to find a cure for Eda, with access to the best resources in the Boiling Isles… Not to mention, the shame and guilt of cursing Eda could’ve made it hard for Lilith to bear being next to her sister.

           If Lilith hadn’t cursed Eda, perhaps she would’ve realized, so much earlier on, how toxic the Coven System was. Maybe she would’ve rejected the Emperor’s Coven, perhaps as early as her twenties, and moved in with Eda… Then the two sisters could’ve been happy. Lilith could’ve instead invested her energy not towards slaving to some dictator, or trying to desperately undo a permanent curse; But instead use that time and energy to build other meaningful relationships, discover herself, forge her own identity… And just BE an actual person for once! Lilith could’ve been happy…

           That’s what Lilith’s life, post-curse comes across to me… Wasted. Wasted time, wasted energy and effort. Time that could’ve been dedicated towards anything meaningful and productive, anything that could’ve made Lilith happy and grow as a person… But instead, she maddeningly dedicated herself to undoing the curse, to trying to get back to a past that became more and more idealized, more and more out-of-touch with what really happened. Instead of making a new, better future and life for herself, Lilith wasted decades in mental and emotional debt to her greatest regret.

          Did Lilith, in dark moments of her life, ever get jealous of Eda again? Did she ever become jealous of Eda, without even meaning to, for getting to be so carefree? While Lilith wastes away taking care of her, by making up for her mistake with the curse all those years... Eda gets to actually grow up and outpaces her sister in terms of development- And this rather literally can be seen through Eda physically aging faster than Lilith, BECAUSE of the curse that Lilith cast! Because in the end, Lilith only has herself to blame for this, right? 

          And as Lilith looks back on the mental prison she’s built for herself, is she ever envious of Eda for getting to be her own person in the meantime, getting to build her own identity and connections? Angry that her younger sister, as always, gets to go ahead while Lilith is left behind, too busy working and taking care of her to have fun- That Eda’s carefree life comes at Lilith’s expense?! Hence why Lilith feels entitled to at least some reception on Eda’s part for all of her hard work, because Eda doesn’t realize Lilith is making up for the curse, so surely her effort comes across as more unconditional? 

         So why is Edalyn so ungrateful, acting like Lilith clearly isn’t trying!? Does Lilith think that Eda’s current, carefree happiness in life should be Lilith’s happiness (or least Eda AND Lilith’s), just as the Emperor’s Coven position should’ve been Lilith’s from the beginning- That maybe Eda is taking the life Lilith should’ve been owed from her! Why is Eda being so greedy, always taking from her, always asking for MORE, as if she doesn’t have it all- Why can’t she leave something for her older sister, who isn’t as talented or confident!?

         And then Lilith thinks, that the curse was cast specifically BECAUSE of this, as if this is Eda’s fault... Only for Lilith to remind herself that, NO, this isn’t Eda’s fault, Eda is also dealing with the curse, she’s just as imprisoned as Lilith? And yet in the end... Lilith is right, Eda IS more free than her! No matter what Lilith does to reassure herself, her own life in the Emperor’s Coven is indeed worse than Eda’s seemingly ‘backwards’ situation as a wanted criminal, because at least Eda gets to learn and grow and be her own person, and EMBRACE that...!

           And can Lilith even call herself free, now? She finally took on the curse… The sad thing is that Lilith could’ve easily taken the curse and shared it with Eda, so much earlier… But she never did, because in the end, Lilith also had her other insecurities and regrets, her issues with failing to recognize Eda’s actual motives. What’s worse, Eda lost all of her magic, when beforehand she was merely inhibited, but stillthe most powerful Witch in the Boiling Isles! And THAT was Lilith’s fault, directly… Because she was terrified of Belos, and resentful of Eda for not being with her. So she hurt Luz, and forced Eda to use up all of her remaining magic in the process…

           So even in her attempts to cure the curse, to undo it… Lilith made things worse. Somehow, she made them even worse, and now HER magic is limited as well! But to someone as self-loathing as Lilith, that may as well be one of the few good things that came from this recent mess of events… Or not, because Lilith is no doubt struggling with productively handling her regret now. Now, she’s forcing herself to not wallow in self-pity, and make things better… But then that acknowledges her own pain from the curse as a BAD thing, and like with Amity, it’d be so much easier if it was secretly a good thing, that Lilith just deserved this all along and there would be some justice in the world if she was suffering!

           But Lilith’s suffering won’t accomplish anything. In the end, all she can do is focus on healing Eda… But can she still trust herself? Because she spent decades of her life trying to cure the curse, and all it did was result in Eda and Lilith losing their magic! Eda completely losing hers, in fact…

           And yet, DID Lilith actually work? Because she never did try to share the curse with Eda, not from the beginning. And that is also a horrific realization; That she wasted so many years of her life when she could’ve easily just shared the curse with Eda from the beginning. It wouldn’t exactly erase what had happened, but it would’ve led to a more repaired relationship, and perhaps Lilith confessing earlier than she did… And maybe, it would’ve led to Eda and Lilith fully recovering. Perhaps Eda wouldn’t have lost her magic, and with only half a curse, she could be strong enough to take on Emperor Belos himself! Who can say…

           So, not only did Lilith waste years of her life working to undo the curse… But in the end, the solution was right in front of her! And she’d willingly ignored it…! And even if the curse HAD been shared, would Lilith have done the right thing and continued to support Eda, or would she still have tried to be with the Emperor’s Coven? Perhaps with half a curse, she’d have been rejected and forced to confront the truth of the corrupt system…

           Alas. Lilith is a character who is fundamentally built on wasted potential; On what could have been, but never was! She could’ve been an actual person, she could’ve fixed her mistakes and owned up to them, she could’ve maintained a loving bond with her sister… But she didn’t. She could’ve had it all, really… But now she has nothing. Lilith is alone, she has no identity nor sense of self, and she’s lost so many years of her life that she’s not going to get back, a youth and glory days that were thrown aside.

           Lilith could’ve been so much more, but instead she’s just nothing. And while Belos and his sickening system and environment that enables and encourages people to suffer like this is ALSO to blame, as is the sicko who sold a curse to a child… In the end, the most tragic part is that this was SO easily avoidable. That each mistake that Lilith kept on making, she could’ve easily fixed or at least mended. She could’ve chosen NOT to curse Eda… She could’ve chosen to share the curse… And so on, and so forth.

           And no matter HOW horrible Lilith was, I don’t think anybody deserves that, to be so miserable, to invest so much effort for nothing, to realize how STUPID you were… To live in such utter regret, to waste so much of your life and existence, to lose all meaning… To lose so many wonderful opportunities because you were desperately focused on something else! And now that Lilith is finally free… Does she ask herself if it was worth it? Perhaps she should’ve kept to that dark place she once was in… Because she was already too far-gone. Because maybe if she’d kept trying, EVENTUALLY the effort would become worth it, because finally changing your heart would mean admitting it was all for naught, and it would mean finalizing the reality that you’d wasted so many years.

           It’s like a gambler who keeps spending money, more and more, in the pitiful hopes of a lottery ticket! Because they’ve already LOST so much money beforehand, if they quit now, then it was all for nothing! But if they keep going… Then maybe they can make up for all of it, and won’thave been for naught! I low-key think that’s how Lilith operated, it’s why she spent so many years trying to cure the curse while at the same time avoiding accountability. In the end, she just keeps digging herself deeper and deeper… Which just ties into my past analysis, about Lilith being associated with Earth; Not just because of that metaphor, but also as someone who is a bird of a feather who can’t fly after the other… As someone stuck in her ways. As a person who has no identity but the one in association with someone else; Because in the end, Earth is Belos’ element. What identity that Lilith DOES have, what little she built, was all entirely the work and result of someone else.

           Lilith was in a dark pit. She hit rock bottom, then grabbed a shovel and began tunneling. Years wasted in the darkness, digging deeper and deeper in hopes of striking that hidden treasure, because giving up means it was all worthless and a waste of time and effort… But never actually finding that goal!

           …Until, a light comes into her life. A light illuminates Lilith’s life, and forces her to look around and realize where she’s gotten herself into. To realize just how AWFUL this situation is, a Light that reveals to Lilith the truth, that it isn’t going to get any better until she starts climbing upwards… Like her protege Amity, Lilith needs to learn not to be so hard on herself; Or at least divert more of that energy into actually fixing things.

           Luz Noceda is the Light that changed SO many lives. Lilith was on a trajectory, one heading further and further into the darkness until she’d lose sight of herself and be too far disconnected from the world above, where Eda was; But Luz’s Light showed her the path. It helped Lilith navigate back the way she came, back to where she started…

           And when Lilith arrives back where she started, perhaps, THEN, she can start on a new path. Because even if the beginning is nothing, at least from nothing, Lilith can start anew. She can start forging a different path, a productive one… And as scary as it is, resetting all of that past progress, it allows Lilith to make room to start anew. Luz’s Light and the beating of an Owl’s wings changed the air currents, altering Lilith’s trajectory. Now, after all this time…

           She’s free. And instead of destroying herself, Lilith can actually starting making something new…

           Luz saved her- That’s what that wonderful girl does. She saves people. This girl is Hope incarnate.