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franki-lew-yo · 2 months

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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sleepingdeath-light · 1 year

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poly dating hcs ; eda & raine

requested by ; anonymous (03/04/22)

fandom(s) ; the owl house

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; edalyn clawthorne & raine whispers

outline ; “More Raine/Eda poly would be nice 👀”

warning(s) ; none — i don’t think so, anyway

you and eda are raine’s primary muses and you and raine are eda’s inspiration to keep on fighting

you will all end up making music together and even if you’re not the best at what you’re playing/singing, they’ll still cheer you on

the most supportive partners you could ever ask for — you’re all each other’s cheerleaders

eda is more easily flustered than you’d think — which you and raine take advantage of, often

whenever raine has a performance scheduled, you and eda will be in the front row cheering them on with everything you’ve got

you sleep in a pile in eda’s nest and whoever sleeps where depends on who gets in first

the owl beast will lovingly tackle you and raine — it’s adorable and you miss them after eda takes fully merges with her curse

eda uses her harpy form to fluster you both and will show off every chance she gets

eda is the type of partner to dedicate something to you and raine before messing everything up completely

you’re the best three parents to king and the best bonus parents to the batts and to luz

you all exchange jewellery which means that everything gets mismatched and you lose bits all of the time

eda carries all of your favourite snacks and drinks in her hair

raine has written songs for you and eda and they’re so heartfelt that you end up in tears the first time you hear them

eda has a picture of the three of you on her desk at the university of wild magic

she also brags about you both to everyone she can — whether the other person actually comments on your relationship or not

raine carries a small picture of you and eda in their pocket when they’re out at the hospital helping to remove coven sigils

they don’t brag about you two, per say, but they’ll happily talk about your achievements if someone asks about you

you try to cook food for each other or as a group — but whenever you’re in the kitchen together it devolved into sheer chaos and you spend more time having a good fight than doing anything remotely productive

eda makes lots of hand/hook prosthetic related jokes — it’s 50/50 whether you and raine laugh and indulge her or sigh and roll your eyes/pinch the bridge of your nose

whilst eda’s hair is absolute chaos, raine has more of a set hair routine and has a good set of products they rely on — they try to help eda get her hair under control but that’s more than a lost cause (and very funny for you to watch)

your matching sleepwear involves some spare ‘bad girl coven’ shirts that eda had left over from before the day of unity

#sleepingdeath #gender neutral reader #dating hcs #toh x reader #poly toh x reader #the owl house x reader #raeda x reader #raine whispers x reader #eda clawthorne x reader #eda x reader #eda x reader x raine

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mdhwrites · 4 months

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I don't know if you've watched Gravity Falls or been deep in the fandom but I just realized how similar Luz and Mabel kinda are. They're both young quirky girls whose selfish actions helped the main villain achieve their goal (supposedly, in Luz's case) and learn the lesson of facing reality instead of being stuck in a fantasy world where they get everything they want (although Luz doesn't really learn this even though it was kinda set-up for her in s1) (they also have a girl rival with shit parents that the fandom ships them with but anyway-)

I'm not saying this to shit on Luz though, I like Luz. But it mind boggles me how Mabel gets shitted on way more than her does despite being younger, actually learning her lesson, and apologizing for it. It might because they're different shows but I know a lot of TOH fans were/are GF fans because of the creators' relationship so the fandoms aren't that different from one another. It MIGHT be because Mabel trusted Blendin so easily despite the situation being shady as hell (while Luz just thought Philip was a normal human in the demon realm) but to be fair, Mabel was cornered in a moment of vulnerability and she literally didn't even know what she was giving him. Abandoning her friends and family for her own fantasy land while an apocalypse going on was really horrible, I won't deny that, but Luz also pretty much did the same when she chose the demon realm (place she doesn't know anything about with STRANGERS) over her own world in the first episode. Sure there wasn't anything horrific going on in the human realm so her ignorance of it wasn't as bad as Mabel's– BUT THEN in TTT she thinks of leaving everyone behind by staying in the human realm while the Collector was doing who knows what???

I don't know, this might be kinda petty, I haven't rewatched GF in ages, but I just think it's unfair Mabel gets more hate than Luz. I feel she's had more character progression compared to the latter and at least she always got called out when she did something wrong and learned from it.

So take all of this with a grain of salt because while I've heard a little of this discourse, I haven't watched a lot of Gravity Falls (recently tried again and found myself not loving the first episode if I'm honest) and have never been a part of its fandom. However, this is a chance to talk about why Luz is so liked and 'relatable' to so many because it is not hard to figure out why people like Luz. Why? Well... A lot of it comes down to framing and how the two shows see the two girls.

Gravity Falls sees Mabel as a tweenage girl.

The Owl House sees Luz as the embodiment of what a teenage nerd wishes they were/could be.

Those are VERY different goals and framing.

One, Mabel, is going to be INCREDIBLY fallible. Neither her or Dipper are anywhere close to perfect people because... Well, they're teenagers. They get way too into certain things. They're awkward when it comes to those obsessions. They're awkward about how to deal with change, consequences, etc. like that because that's just the age they are. They're figuring out the world and are going to run face first into it and that will be awkward, clumsy and often destructive without any sort of excuse besides they didn't think the consequences through. That's kids for you.

The other is... More idealistic. Luz doesn't face real consequences for testing her boundaries and is always bailed out. When she fucks up, she always does it with the best intentions and/or no one actually gets hurt. People coddle her and always make concessions to her desires with minimal push back and always end up on her side unless they're just a REALLY big meanie head. She always makes peoples' lives better, she never gets real criticism or ridicule for her interests and is always accepted by the right people for those interests. Always given more and more for being her quirky self!

A lot of this for Luz is because she's an audience surrogate and TOH wants the audience to feel good about themselves. It knows that a lot of nerds will be the ones watching it and leans in. This is actually contrasted by the fact that, well, Mabel isn't the audience surrogate or the absolute primary character of Gravity Falls. Her role is more complicated versus Dipper who IS the nerdy one who's closer to being the audience surrogate.

Just to really drive this home: People on my Discord have talked about this and one of the biggest 'crimes' as seen by a lot of the fandom is that Mabel causes Dipper to lose out on his dream of researching with Ford and staying in Gravity Falls. I could even see some arguments of things like "He's planning a future!" or "He's making the world better!"

But... Let's shift the framing for a moment from "Mabel caused Dipper to give up on his dream" to "Mabel made sure Dipper chose reality over fantasy." After all, his desire was to throw away his friends, his family, EVERYTHING to just continue hanging out with this one old dude and studying the weird phenomenon of the world, an inherently isolating job. He gets to go on this big adventure and follow his intellectual drive... At the cost of reality and everything he has known.

So why don't people get upset at Dipper for trying to do this? Well, there's a lot of potential reasons that I can't really narrow down without watching the show. It may have just been framed as a positive while Mabel's is framed as negative. It could be that while Mabel's is just a generic, girly fantasy that not much of the core audience actually wants, Dipper's is the cool, smart fantasy that is totally not just a fantasy, but a CAREER. Or it could go back to the root problem: Because Dipper is closer to the audience surrogate, closer to the main character, there is a bias to inherently see his actions as good. We could literally watch two characters do the same thing and we will root for the main character simply because that is who we are trained to root for.

A great example of this from TOH is how Luz is allowed to get mad at people for lying to her but not the other way around. She literally attacks Eda and gets the two captured in Titan, Where Art Thou? because Eda lied to her and she is supposed to feel justified in this anger to make the tragedy angle work. Meanwhile, there is ONE time when anyone gets mad at Luz for lying and honestly, the framing and reactions cause it to end up feeling much more like it was just for a prettier scene change during Reaching Out. After all, Amity still wants to fix Luz's pain before Luz even apologizes for breaking her word by lying. So why doesn't anyone call out the hypocrisy here? Why is NO ONE allowed to get upset with Luz about this?

Because she's the main character. Because we are trained to root for her and, well, Luz also is the one we are told to want to be. She is the every nerd. She is meant to connect to a very wide net of outcasts who feel like they don't belong and wish things were different. Wishes people weren't mean to them or didn't get mad at them when they made mistakes. That just let them be the hero of their own story.

So of course, they don't want Luz to be yelled at, even when that is the actually human and reasonable thing for someone to do. They don't want to question what she does so when the show gives them an excuse, or they have to go to reality if the show itself doesn't give an excuse (This is why people emphasize Luz's age and nuerodivergence to excuse her while bluntly ignoring Mabel's age when it comes to her actions), so that they don't have to recognize that Luz does some REALLY shitty things, especially in the back half of the show. It is simply more convenient for the narrative they want out of the show for Luz to be this way.

And that is okay from a casual standpoint. A lot of fiction is escapist. There's nothing wrong with wanting to jump into a world where you're never actually wrong and never in trouble. Where your angst is always met with hugs and understanding rather than actual human emotion. That's how media works. Most mass appeal products are escapist. It's part of why the Isekai genre is SO prevalent right now because it is one of the purest forms of escapist fiction out there, especially due to modern isekai tropes.

But if you're going to talk critically about something, escapism is very rarely a good jumping off point for it. It will make you ignore a LOT about the work because it's uncomfortable for you to ask questions about it. I'm not talking about "Why does this world have magic" sort of things mind you. I'm talking about, say, "Why does this character get so many power ups, so easily, and with little effort in earning them?" When you want escapism, the pacing won't bother you. If you're actually looking at themes and payoffs, it will bother you a LOT. And yes, this does tie into TOH because if you want to be Luz, getting the glyphs feels great! If you actually interrogate the story, you go "Wait, they hadn't actually done like... ANYTHING with her not having magic in a magical world and she already gets a spell? And two of these spells she does literally nothing for. Arguably three since she is put into timeout as a punishment and gets the glyph I guess for being a bad person." That TOTALLY is good storytelling and makes sense with positive themes and proper explorations of its own ideas.

*sigh*

It's a rough push and pull and it can make it so people, even if they like the show, who disagree with the popular opinion, the one that usually lifts up the audience flattering elements the most, are just in a rough position where they hear the same opinions over and over again. All while knowing that if they speak up, they'll be stomped on.

Just like Mabel was while Dipper was raised into the spotlight. At least by the fandom.

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

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

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

A Twitter you can follow too

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

#the owl house criticism #toh critical #gravity falls

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stellanix · 1 month

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tbh the disproportionate hate that steven universe gets is just weird. like, even people who liked it will usually qualify their opinion by saying things like "it wasn't perfect" "it has its flaws" or "the fandom was shitty"

but those things are just like. the norm for shows. no show is perfect and pretty much every fandom has its shitty elements. but steven universe in particular is one of those shows that the internet has collectively decided is one of the Bad Shows™ and so even people who like it feel pressured to be like "yeah i guess it sucks a bit"

anyway i love steven universe. it fuckin slaps. it's one of my favorite shows. i even like the townie episodes. the pacing actually works really really well when you're not dealing with cartoon network's horrible airing schedule. the entire show builds up to the ending in a really satisfying way. queer themes are baked into the show's dna, and i feel like that would've been immensely good for any children who watched it, and i'm sad that there doesn't seem to be anything quite like it airing now that the owl house is over

#steven universe

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chipper-asks · 1 year

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Hi! I've been following you for a good while now and have always rly admired the community you've build, and, your art itself, obviously, it's always very cozy in here. May be a strange question, but as a relatively popular artist on the interned, are there any tips you could share on how to engage and sustain an audience? maybe you know some recourses for artist to get their art seen? I've been an artist posting online for roughly 10 yrs and pretty much failed at accumulating any sort of prominent presence. I don't feel bad about it really, it's not why I do art per say, but these are pretty rough times and unfortunately other means of art monetization grow thinner with stupid updates & algorithms forcing anyone who can't afford payed adds or subscriptions out of business. I kinda have to make use of social media, even if it's not my element in the slightest. Feel free not to answer if you feel like it. Thanks in advance! Also big thanks for your shouts of my art overall, I really appreciate your support!

So I've had a post in my drafts for who knows how long detailing how to build and curate your audience online. But I haven't found a good way to go about posting it because I didn't want it to come off as tooting my own horn xD

BUT YOU HAVE ENABLED ME SO HERE WE GO!!!

(im going to generalize, you may already be doing some of these things but I think its good info for anyone who wants to build an online presence)

1. Engaging your audience

A: First, you have to think of the platform you're sharing your art on and what people use it for. Not even tumblr, but the internet as a whole. It is a place where people form communities and share information. It's also one of the most popular ways to mentally escape; from school, boredom, to the horrors of real life.

So if you want people to find you, make a space where they can escape/feel community.

This means: No callout posting, no venting, no doom posting, no politics, no guilt posting, no anything that would make you unfollow someone else if you were having a bad day.

It's okay to have an occasional vent or political post cause we're human, but trauma dumping is something thats very hard for someone else to read and honestly should you be putting that kind of information online, the internet is a place of community but it also isnt safe.

B: The Value of Fandoms

It's time for some metrics, featuring my own follower count.

I've been on tumblr for 9 years and I have been making an effort to grow my base as a way of getting money as a freelancer (like you) so I started doing this allll the way back in highschool. I can remember each milestone and which fandom I got them in

1,000 I got when I was posting stuff for Undertale

2,000 I got when I was posting stuff for The Property of Hate

there was a big break between these milestones where I was just drawing ocs and object heads and stuff, but nothing I was hyperfixated on

5,000 I got from Hollow Knight

but then something really unexpected happened.

In late 2021 and early 2022 I decided cringe was a worthless social construct and decided to fully indulge in my enjoyment of doodling dragons.

I juuust inched past 5,000 when 2022 started. I Ended Up With 12,000 as 2022 ended. That's more than double. As of posting this I am at 13,600 and its only February.

So how did that happen? I could tout along and say that it was simply luck and I wasn't really making an effort anyway but that's a big fuckin lie, i've been "selling out" this whole time (it's not fucking selling out to post in fandom. You like a thing? You go to the thing's community and post about the thing)

Posting in a fandom is essentially like, now bear with me, advertising for your blog. Fandom is where the eyes are and where the traffic goes. Big tags like #artistsontumblr #tumblrart #art are used OFTEN but they're too general and often people look for things that are specific. Fandoms like Hollow Knight, BNHA, Mob Psycho, The Owl House, etc are currently popping off and have a lot of traffic.

This doesn't necessarily mean that you need to join a popular fandom to post your work in to get followers, it just means that if you're into a show or a media, post it on your main art blog and don't make side blogs. Keep it all together

Why?

Because 5% of those fandom people stick around for YOUR STUFF and those 5% of people are the best goddamn people in the world. You want those 5% to see EVERYTHING you do and THEY'RE the ones who will recommend you to THEIR friends and do outreach on your behalf because they like YOU and not YOUR STUFF.

i fuckin love those guys

So as you hop from fandom to fandom, you're going to lose some people but that's fine. Everyone curates their experience online and if you head off in a direction they don't like then they can deal with it. The rest come along for the ride cause 1: they either really like your stuff or 2: are into the new thing you're getting into.

SO ANYWAY

posting in fandoms under one name is GOOD because it puts everyone in the same bucket that will see your stuff and there's a chance that a few will stick just for your stuff. It is not cheap, its how you reach out to people to help cheer up their day and escape from things stressing them out.

C: What should you post?

So this is something that isn't an exact science but if you're looking to increase your follower count, this is something you can keep in mind.

Because this is the internet and the digital word of escaping from stress, people flock to things that are

1: Familiar 2: Funny 3: Relatable

So i've already been over fandoms and that's something that goes into the Familiar category. Familiar can also mean generalized but still popular concepts, like werewolves, dragons, vampires, apocalyptic scenarios, etc.

The more you trail into something niche, like marine biology, the seelie/unseelie courts, object heads, etc, the less traffic you'll find. There are communities centered around these but they're not massive like certain fandoms.

Which is how you end up with artists who spend hours upon hours on every piece only getting like 14 - 32 notes per piece. It's not lack of people caring or lack of interest, its the fact that these artists haven't "advertised" their blogs in fandom. Those people who end up caring about more personal posts are those 5% you find from fandom spaces. Their Familiar from that fandom begins to include your artwork as Familiar and thus they're more likely to share it.

Funny is simple. Tumblr is a platform of shitposts and memes. Do you have a favorite character in a fandom? Shitpost them. 2 birds with one stone, Familiar and Funny. I can't teach you how to be funny, but if you see something that makes you laugh online, pause and try to find out why and see if you can replicate it. (You wont get it in one go)

Relate-ability is also simple. If someone finds something they can easily associate with they will eagerly tag #mood #me or @ one of their friends in the post.

What doesn't get people following just by itself is your skill.

This sounds really fucking depressing but hear me out.

Your skill in art is a multiplier. It can take those three categories from above and BOOST IT to fantastic new heights. People love things that are from their fandoms that are funny and relate-able. People go FERAL for shit that is from their fandoms that are funny, relate-able AND COOL AS FUCK. If art represented x5 in an equation and you have nothing else, you get 0. If you include any of those three other things and then x5, you get something grand.

2. Sustaining your Audience.

If you want to set up your blog as a platform to eventually gain freelance income from, you need to make it yours and not your audience's.

This is key to prevent burnout and feeling obligation to create for thousands of featureless faces and losing sight of what made you enjoy art in the first place.

It is REALLY EASY to fall into that pit, especially as you grow your audience. When you have a small audience, it's easier to interact one on one with someone. Engagement is exciting when you have a small audience! People? Interested in your work!! Fuck yeah!!

But as you reach those milestones, the vibe begins to change. More and more people demand your attention. People who are new don't see you as an artist they knew from another fandom, they see you as a content creator and that is the worst goddamn stone wheel to get stuck around your neck.

You can still respond to requests and answer silly questions, but now you have to keep in mind that if you draw this little dragon for someone, three other people are going to ask for their own little dragons. And that's fine because you love dragons and they asked so nicely. You make those dragons but now there's seven people asking for their own dragons and you actually want to work on something other than dragons-- but you made those dragon doodles for those other people so wouldn't it be hypocritical to say no-

It becomes a spiral.

So to prevent that situation from happening, you need to respect your boundaries as an artist and what you will do and what you will draw the line at. If someone doesn't like you for that, they can unfollow.

In terms of posting regularly to sustain your audience, i've found that it helps but ultimately doesn't matter.

(this is a tumblr centric view, i cannot say the same for other platforms)

The way tumblr works resembles a massive recycling facility. You will see shit on your dash from 7 years ago but you dont mind, its how this place works.

It doesn't matter how often you post. You won't lose priority on people's dashboards if you don't make your daily art post. What matters is that you just make the post.

Each post you make is like sending out a bucket of chum into the grand ocean of tumblr. The more buckets of chum you have, the more likely you are to attract fish. The more you post the larger your radius is. The more variety you make in spreading out to different fandoms the wider your range is. And these spots of chum don't go away! They're permanent brown spots in a big blue wasteland and fish will stumble across it and then try to find the source.

Basically, you can disappear for an entire month and then suddenly return out of nowhere and shove 57 posts into a week and then disappear again and people will show up and stick around.

THis post is getting really long and there are probably some things im missing but my hadns are getting achy and i think that's my call to stop :p

if you have anymore questions tho im very willing to answer 👍

#asks #long post #nofandom

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let-us-cultivate-our-garden · 1 year

Text

Initial Thoughts and Reactions to “For the Future”

Spoilers after the cut. Avoid if you don’t like me being salty over the Collector.

Well, we are here at our penultimate episode of The Owl House. I enjoyed this one much more than “Thanks to Them” mainly in its depiction of Belos and not adding more Hunter angst. My main gripe with the season premiere is that it gave Belos this new-found possession power in a clear case of New Powers as the Plot Requires. Hunter spends 3/4s of the episode recovering and finding himself only for all of that to be obliterated by Belos once again. I have a more detailed post here.

Anyway, things I liked about FtF: the animation, holy smokes do they go all out with the fluid animation! Stand out pieces include the Collector’s sparkle wave and the reveal of Luz’s palisman. I liked how the little critter can shape-shift. Did you want an otter, here it is! A bat? That too! A snake? Well, that’s its default form! Her name is Stringbean. You will die for Stringbean.

Camila continues to be the best animated parent ever as she learns more about the Boiling Isles and how much it means to her daughter. Despite being freaked out multiple times, Camila sees how important the place and the people are to Luz and more importantly, how Luz is only hurting herself by pretending she wants to return to the human realm. Luz finally discovered who she was in the Demon Realm but she hadn’t realized yet, she only focused on her failures. Camila is able to open up about her own mistakes as a parent which triggers Luz’s realization as to what she really wants. She never fit in the human realm and had to find people in the Demon Realm that understood her so all she really wanted was to be understood. This epiphany followed by her palisman hatching is a beautiful climax to her character arc.

Things I was not fond of: The Collector. They’re a last-minute addition to the show and it’s apparent; his only real characterization is that he’s immature, likes to play, and doesn’t seem to realize the consequences of his actions. This would be a good starting point for a deeper, more layered character but the show is going for the common fan interpretation that “he’s just a kid! He just needs someone to guide him and he’ll be good!”

This is the same character who was a-okay with witch-genocide but since he’s a “kid” he gets a pass from the fandom and the show because he’s super-lonely and just wants friends.

Plus, there is the strong implication that he was not even responsible for the death of the Titans but other, apparently more “adult” Collectors were. See! He’s not like the others! He just wants to have fun! Belos is a bad influence! No wonder he’s like that!

Belos returns and true to form, starts manipulating people but this time in Raine’s puppified body. I didn’t care for Bunter but at least this possession makes sense because he is doing it to gain control over the Collector again. Belos didn’t feel like Belos in “Thanks to Them”; we didn’t get his reaction to the human realm despite it being foreshadowed, he was more like a movie monster villain than the character we’ve known since season 1. Here, at least Belos is being relatively subtle in his schemes instead of spouting cliched villain dialogue.

So Belos-as-Puppet-Raine starts to convince the Collector that King is actually trying to harm him! Obviously, King isn’t but the show needs to have a conflict between King and the Collector so it commits the most cliched miscommunication trope possible: Out-of-Context Eavesdropping. You’ve seen it before: Character A overhears Character B talk about them and out of context it sounds terrible. Character A is upset and leaves the scene. We cut back to Character B and it turns out that Character B meant something totally different! It’s in damn near every movie (especially kid’s media), it’s trite and everyone knows how it will end.

This is the problem with the Collector’s characterization so far: it’s basic. He’s just the Sad Lonely Boy Who Needs Friends. He makes mistakes but only because he doesn’t know any better! He falls under the sway of the Bad Guy and the Heroes have to save the Sad Lonely Boy and show him the True Meaning of Friendship. I really hope the show doesn’t go that route but all signs point in that direction.

This has been my main problem with The Owl House is that despite its commitment to trope-busting and nuanced characters, it lays all of the world’s problems on one person who is primarily characterized as Evil Incarnate. Fortunately, we do get some glimpses of Belos and “Caleb.” Belos is literally falling apart and sees visions of Caleb (whether it’s a ghost or a hallucination is unclear) and he lashes out in anger, blaming “Caleb” for everything. The “ghosts” of the previous grimwalkers even show up and Belos rebukes them with a simple “oh, shut up.” It’s a brief yet effective look at Belos’ vulnerability and his adamant refusal to even acknowledge his actions. The man is literally haunted by his past but can’t turn back now because what would he even do? I like to think that these apparitions are really Belos’ guilty consciousness made manifest since his worst memories are when he kills his brother and the “birth” of the first grimwalker. Belos, despite his literal monstrosity, is a supremely human villain and I just wish the show spent a little more time showing the tragedy of his character instead of being the Source of All Evil in the Boiling Isles.

Since we got this little taste of Belos’ “haunting,” I’m hopeful that it will all come to fruition in the finale and we can have a proper sendoff to his character.

Assorted musings:

· The Collector should have petrified Terra. It would have cemented his status as a Real Threat instead of just another misunderstood child who was abused by Belos.

· Speaking of Terra, I like how the animators gave her an old-lady pouch. Even evil folks need body diversity.

· Willow finally got some focus and a little mini-arc of her own. This would have been more impactful if she was more of a key player in Season 2B instead of it being the Luz and Hunter Show.

· Hunter has Flapjack’s teleporting abilities. Yay! Our boy can do magic! It would have been neat though if Hunter could hear Flapjack in his head. If Belos could hear the thousands of palisman souls screaming in his mind then why can’t Hunter do the same?

· Hooty manages to be freaky in an endearing way even as a jack-in-the-box. Never change Hooty.

· Why is Boscha here? We haven’t seen her properly since season 1 so it was a little jarring to see how much time they spent on this character. I guess a few loose ends needed to be tied and we needed to see what was going on with Hexside so here we are. Kiki is also here for Reasons. I guess we need a few mini-bosses before dealing with The Collector/Belos duo.

#the owl house #the owl house spoilers #for the future spoilers #toh spoilers #toh critical #toh criticism #emperor belos #philip wittebane #toh collector #luz noceda #long post

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uninformedartist · 9 months

Note

Would you please elaborate on Alastor & iffy ace rep? I’m assuming it’s “only confirmed ace is a murderous cannibal with seemingly no positive feelings toward other people” but I’m curious if there’s anything else

Actually (this is me personally) I don't have a problem with Alastor being this murderous cannibal with little to no feelings towards others. Lets go on that, love seeing villainous ace/aro characters in media. I always seen in media how kind of coddled and infantalised ace/aro characters are (like Todd in bojack) or they are villainous but them being ace is a last minute slap on, its not genuine or its just really bad (◔_◔) riverdale). But I am happy for the positive ace representation in some media like the owl house I felt how Lilith was written was top tier, a breath of fresh air and fandom and outside reactions towards Lilith being aromantic-asexual is really heartwarming and overall positive.

Anyway back to Alastor. To me Alastor being ace has felt like a last minute slap on by Viv, a kind of "representation quota" to be met in the hazbin show. Hazbin is full of characters with different sexualities and Viv's past art of them always explored or alluded to that aspect of them but Alastor its always been him being murderous, cannibalistic or with Mimzy. I found some past art of Alastor with Mimzy and yes I know ace characters can have romantic partners etc but Alastor is devoid of exploring his asexuality or a hint of him being possibly ace in past art or the pilot.

Some of the art, these were from Vivienne's portfolio (feel like they were supposed to be a couple but was changed later).

Why it feels to me like a last minute add on and mainly feeds into the toxic borderline ace-phobic notion that we as ace and aro people also are seen as devoid of ever feeling love or reciprocating love/affection/sympathy etc and because of this ace and aro people are perceived as cold narcissists because of these false assumptions. All that I mentioned seems to me the reason why Alastor was made ace in the 1st place because he feels nothing towards others and is a narcissist. Yes props for a villainous ace character but Alastor feeds heavily into the negative assumptions made on ace people.

Also fan reception to Alastor being ace. I mentioned how Lilith being aromantic-asexual was recived well by the fans and outside the fandom. Alastor being ace wasn't well taken by the fandom/outside the fandom when it was 1st announced by Viv and it continues to this day.

A few comments by fans and people:

This one tho hmmm

And it doesn't help that Viv gave her blessing to the fans to ship however they like, and in doing this gave people and fans the liberty to just ignore or deem Alastor being ace as meaningless to them.

This is not good ace representation because when I see Alastor through Viv depictions of him I cannot tell that he's ace, the the glimpses of "hey I'm getting ace vibes from him" is zero or him being ace can be completely ignored or written out by Viv and the fans. Viv is not ace and as such I don't have faith in her showing accurate, relatable and correct ace representation and also she doesn't seem to reach out to others of different sexualities to show good representation because her shows is full of stereotypes of different sexualities. Alastor in conclusion feels like a stereotype, was made ace to fill a representation quota, feeds into the negative assumptions made on ace and extention aro people and his asexuality can easily be written away or ignored because it doesn't feel part of who he is.

The sexuality of a character shouldn't be a quirky add on. These are *real* sexualities of *real people*, you doing this and I'm saying it how it is you're making fun of their sexuality and especially if its a sexuality thats not widely known about, taken seriously or is constantly misrepresented you can do great damage/add to the damage.

If you're making a character with X sexuality and no research or thought was put behind 1) why is my character this sexuality, 2) is how I'm writing this character going to feed into stereotypes/negative assumptions relating to their sexuality, 3) am I giving my character this sexuality to be a "quirky" add on or am I being genuine giving my character this particular sexuality. These are just a few things to consider and Viv by the looks of it has done no research, care and thought when making Alastor ace, he's just ace for the sake of it. I'll see how he is in Hazbin when it comes out but my expectations are very low but I'm still open minded.

Anyway this was a very messy ramble. This is just my personal opinions as an ace person on how I feel about Alastor. Would love to see others comments on this.

#vivziepop critical #my post #spindlehorse critical #hazbin hotel critique #hazbin hotel critical #asked and answered #asexual

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ordinaryschmuck · 1 year

Text

What I Thought About “For the Future” from The Owl House

Salutations, random people on the internet who are already skipping past this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck! I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons!

…So, “For the Future” got leaked, like, two weeks ago. And everyone hated that.

Well, the people who were going to pirate the special anyways due to their “legitimate” reasons loved it. But for the fans who wanted to support The Owl House while it was on its last legs? Yeah, needless to say, people were angry.

And the special got leaked for dumb reasons, too! Some dumb-dumb from iTunes accidentally put the episode up early for people to buy and then proceed to spread like wildfire. Because when you make a mistake like that, you need to correct it the SECOND that after it’s been made. Let it linger, and you’ll come to regret it.

Some compared it to the situation with Amphibia and the episode “True Colors,” but I wouldn’t really say it’s THAT bad. There, it was carelessness on Disney’s part to delay the episode SUPER last minute and not warn iTunes to do the same. Here, it genuinely seems like an accident caused by some dumb dipstick not paying attention. It’s one of those situations where NO ONE could have prepared for it, least of all the fans who found out too late that the leak happened and spoilers were already flooding EVERYTHING. Miraculously, I made it through the whole two weeks by only seeing ONE genuine spoiler. I’m honestly amazed by that.

And for those saying they have “legitimate reasons” for pirating the special, there’s no legitimate reason to LEAK it. Doing that is disrespectful for the show and the people who work on it, hurting the viewership and numbers they need to know people liked it. Plus, if you don’t care about that, it ruins the fandom experience, because it leaves fans with no outlet to share theories and thoughts about the special without fear that they’ll lure in anyone ready to spoil everything. I remember when the trailer finally came out, I felt SO hyped yet SO angry because I couldn’t talk about ANY of it. That’s what happens when you leak a special from a series people love.

Now, the question is this: Was it worth it?

Well, no. It’s never worth ANYTHING to screw over a show like this. But was it worth the wait? I mean, despite the quality of the special, it’s always worth waiting to support The Owl House the RIGHT way.

But to humor the dinguses who leaked “For the Future,” let’s dive in and see how good it really is.

*Spoilers below…even though you probably already know everything that happens by now*

WHAT I LIKED

Showing Us What Happened: Off to a great start already!

A part of me, going in, was a little hopeful that the special would begin with Luz and the others coming to the Boiling Isles and learning what happened as they went on. I figured that the expectations of what the Collector would do the second he has the freedom to go nuts would have been too high to live up to, so it'd be for the best...not to show it. With that said, I don't mind that the writers did. It gives us a taste of what's to come while, to my surprise, living up to so many expectations I had. We get to see the damage the Collector causes, what they do to the people on the Isles, and how a few people react to it.

Plus, a few bonus stuff within that.

Lilith Going to Save King: Have I ever mentioned how much I adored Lilith changed since Season One? This woman went from snobby to throwing herself at a literal god to save her nephew. It backfired immediately, but at least she was kind enough to try.

Though, quick note, maybe don't show Lilith getting transformed. Hooty is fine because he never turns back, but if Lilith is going to change back off-screen anyways, you might as well not change her at all. We see a lot of others get spared off-screen, so why NOT make it the same with her? Speaking of which…

The Collector Turning People into Puppets: It's not the worst fate in the world, but it's not the best. Sure, everyone's still alive, and the Collector--THANKFULLY--doesn't torture them. Yet that doesn't change how this is something truly twisted. These people...are not sentient. About anything, really. They're only truly "alive" when the Collector is playing with them, and even then, they're not really all there. They're more like toys, which is pretty much the point. To the Collector, these people are nothing more than playthings to a higher being--Holy s**t, Tinella Nosa really DID call that, huh?

But, yeah, this is a decent way of establishing how the Collector is unlike any threat before. People might not be able to change back unless HE wills it so, meaning that for the characters to win, they need to convince the Collector to turn everything back to normal. Which, judging by how this episode ends...Yeah, good luck with that.

Oh, man, I just referenced something heavy. Time to balance it out with something sweet, STAT!

Eda and Raine’s Moment Together: You'll do.

This moment is short, but through visuals alone, there is SO MUCH that's delivered. There's the elation that they're both alive, Raine's worry (and maybe regret) for Eda now missing an arm, Raine already knowing and accepting that Eda's gotta go save King, and Raine being amazed (and possibly a little aroused) by the sight of Eda as a harpy. It's honestly everything I could have asked for and more, given that it's a perfect scene where the music and facial expressions say so much that words can't. What more can I say about it, really? Nearly two minutes in, this special got me hooked.

There’s Someone or Something in the In Between: And nearly three minutes in, and the special has got me INTRIGUED.

I'm honestly surprised how I almost forgot about that...person? Thing? Whatever they are/it is, I forgot about them because SO MUCH happens in this special that it nearly slipped my mind. And I truly hope the same won't be for the writers because I WANT to know what the deal is with this thing. Because from what we can tell, they're...trapped? Looks like it. It even looks like they were trying to get Luz's attention for help. I'm not sure what's going on, but that's what's fun about it. Not knowing something and wanting to figure out what it means is the basic, bare-bones necessity regarding storytelling. As long as we eventually get a satisfying answer, I don't mind being left in the dark for now. As long as, again, we DO get an answer. But I'm not worried about never getting one. These writers are pretty good at making one connective narrative this season.

Hunter’s Anger: For instance, this. Hunter's rage over wanting to kill Belos is not only justified in every conceivable way, but it also functions to make "For the Future" the direct carry-over from "Thanks to Them." Now, that's to be expected, but I'm glad that, even though Hunter's NOT the main character of this story, the writers didn't forget or gloss over what happened. The poor boy lost his best friend, who was the first thing ever to give Hunter any sense of true joy. I would honestly question a few things if he didn't act even the tiniest bit bloodthirsty. So, I'm glad the writers gave Hunter time to process his pain and anger rather than making him stoic or emotionless throughout "For the Future." I honestly thought they were going for the ladder, so I'm more than grateful to be wrong for once.

Luz Still Choosing to Stay Back in the Human Realm: Just as I'm grateful that THIS carried over too.

Luz's problems from "Thanks to Them" weren't fully addressed, so it's great that a good chunk of "For the Future" is about her learning to let go of her guilt. Even better, it's Camila who's the one to do it. I'll talk about their big scene together later, don't worry. But for now, I want to gush over how perfect it is that Camila's the one in the main cast who's trying to help Luz with her problem. The woman went from begging Luz to stay in the Human Ream to accepting that Luz would want to remain in the Boiling Isles. And not wanting to have Luz make a mistake she'd probably regret for the rest of her life, losing the close friends and family she's made there, Camila does all she can to make Luz feel better about herself. What's more spectacular about this is that Camila doesn't reveal Luz's turmoil to her friends. A.) It would put more strain on them than they already need. B.)It's not her place to. She respects Luz's privacy, and even when asking for help, she does nothing more than imply what's wrong. She wants to fix this herself because, well, she's a mom. Moms help their babies when they need it the most. And...dang it, if I didn't love Camila already, I love her even MORE now! It's so good!

Camila’s Hungry for Vengeance: Same thing with this. I’m right there with you, Gus. I’d PAY to see Camila beat the snot out of Belos with her bat.

Camila Trying to be Supportive: Emphasis on trying. Camila's still freaked out by pretty much everything around her and has a MILLION more questions every time she's greeted by something new or strange, but for Luz's sake, Camila does her best to be supportive. It's more evidence of why Camila's such a great mom. She might not fully get what to love about the Boiling Isles, but she tries. She tries than actual irredeemable monsters that cause true pain to their family. Speaking of...

Belos: Oh, I'll get to what this f**ker does soon enough, don't worry. But first, I want to discuss how much I liked what the writers did with Belos in this special. The fact that he's haunted by the sins of his past and completely ignores them says pretty much everything you need to know about Belos. He doesn't care about these spirits trying to guilt him. If anything, he gets angry, standing firm that he has nothing to be ashamed of, and there's nothing some random spirits will change about that. Nor does he care about life. He has these backup grimwalkers that are all nothing more than flesh puppets to him. These things can be people of their own, and Belos uses them to further his life and finish his misguided agenda. This man is bitter evil to the end, and I'm all for that. I like irredeemable villains.

Plus, I adore that despite the Collector being the primary threat this season, Belos is still the main antagonist. The dingleberry manipulates the situation to his desires, only now he's using the Collector as his latest tool. I am totally one-hundred percent on board with this decision because while the Collector is a decent threat, Belos makes more thematic sense as the show's big bad. His ideals go against everything the series stands for, about freedom, acceptance, and that it's ok to be whoever you want to be. He takes away and perverse so much of that, and it's all a part of why he's the best villain Disney's had in a while.

...Felt weird praising a scumbag like him for so long. Let's talk about a character that's actually a good person.

Willow Trying to Keep a Happy Face: I did NOT expect Willow to get as much attention as she did. Surprisingly, she manages to have the most engaging sub-plot in the special to me. Speaking as someone who tries their best to be upbeat despite tragedy, wanting to bring good vibes despite the current heartache, I can confirm it's not a healthy mindset to have at times. It's noble to lift spirits up, but it's for your own good to admit that...you're not feeling good. It makes me grateful for Willow's subplot, not only because of its great lesson but because it offers us so much more insight into her character than Seasons One and Two combined. Don't look at me like that. You know it's true. We all know that Willow's a kind person, but seeing how much that kindness puts a strain on her makes for something relatable and engaging to a lot of people.

It's also neat how her story connects with Hunter's. Willow wants to help cheer up Hunter, and Hunter wants to reassure Willow that he IS happy because he has her. It's truly sweet stuff while adding more fuel to the fire with this ship.

But as cute as they are, they ain't the OTP.

Luz and Amity Talking About Palismens: Such a sweet moment between these two!

The backstory behind how Amity got Ghost doesn't offer much that we already didn't know, but it is sweet that she says it to help cheer Luz up. After Luz helped Amity out of her goth phase, she's doing the same, offering the same amount of kindness Luz has been delivering for years. It's...perfect, to be honest, as it shows how much these two will always balance each other out when one is more in the dumps than the other. I love it, and weirdly enough, I love the pain I felt when Luz moved away when Amity kissed her head. Because Luz is so dead set on leaving at this point, she's already trying to create distance between herself and Amity. It hurts to see but in the best way possible...but that DOES mean I could use a little sweetness. Let's double back a bit and discuss a pair that ISN'T romantic (unless you ask my buddy @l-egionaire).

Gus and Willow’s Little Moment: We REALLY needed more scenes like this with these two. We get a story about Willow cheering Gus up when he had a bad day. Through this, we REALLY get a good sense of their bond and why they make good friends (again, unless you ask @l-egionaire). They're...screw-ups who, a lot of the time, rely on each other to get out of their darkest days. Moreso with Gus than Willow because she's basically the older sister he never had (@l-egionaire, I'm sorry. I know it must be killing you to have me say that). It's genuinely adorable, and it's great that we at least got ONE scene this season about these two cute kiddies.

And while on the topic of cute kids…

The Collector: ...What? They're surprisingly adorable.

I might have said it before, but I adore how the writers make the Collector a kid. A kid that can kill us all if he wants, but still a kid. To the Collector, they don't really understand that what he's doing is wrong. It's all a game of pretend where they're a hero surrounded by friends who love him. It's very much NOT the case, but...Ok, do you know how a five-year-old would go out and mess with ants? It's like that. To the ants, it's f**ked up that this gigantic, unstoppable creature is killing them without mercy, but to the kid, they don't really see what's wrong with what they're doing. It's not like they're hurting a person. They're just hurting something small and insignificant. Well, to THEM at least.

It's why I can't really say the Collector is evil or even a villain. Not anymore, at least. I mean, would YOU call your kid evil for messing with something they shouldn't? Or would you say they're misguided and needs to learn what's good or bad? I'd say that describes the Collector perfectly, and I'm not the only one who thinks that.

King Guiding the Collector: A pretty smart move from a writer's standpoint. The Collector, in many ways, is a lot like King. At least, King if he didn't have Luz and Eda checking his ego every ten minutes. It's why King understands the Collector better than others: King KNOWS what it's like to be a kid. Since, well, he IS a kid. King's just one that was raised better and was given more of a moral conscience. So, not only does King try his best to lay boundaries for the Collector, but he's doing some ego-checking too. It's clearly exhausting, as the Collector doesn't easily take no for an answer, but it's something that still, albeit slowly, works. It's why I have no problems with King saying they can reason with the Collector. Mixed in with the understanding and the effort he made in reasoning with them, it makes sense.

Plus, how can you hate a kid who finds the perfect karmic justice for two old broads?

Odalia and Terra’s Roles: Both of these ladies deserved worse. Especially Odalia (I'LL GET TO THAT!). With that said, these are perfectly serviceable punishments. These are two women who hate children just as much as they hate receiving orders. So to have them forced to do everything a child says less they want to be destroyed is a great idea, even if I wish they suffered just a bit more. Because, you know, they deserve it for being such easy-to-hate characters...And since I've brought that up...

Matt: THANK FRICK THAT I DON'T HAVE TO CALL HIM MATTHOLOMULE ANYMORE! My spellcheck thanks you, writers!

Anyways--HOW DID I GO FROM HATING THIS STINK WEASEL TO LOVING HIM?! I'm not kidding. The kid's so...funny! He's a funny character whose false confidence and huge ego make for some good laughs! That was very much NOT the case in his introduction, what with him being, as I've said, a stink weasel, but the writers managed to make it work this time. Mainly because they actually wrote him to be a decent human being...You know what I mean.

A character like Matt works better when he's on the side of good. Use that ego and false confidence for someone that's a bit of a dick, and you're going to make a character that people will hate very effortlessly. That can be fine, as a character that people love to hate can be as enjoyable as one that we love to...love, but you got to do it carefully. Make them too despicable, then they're just going to be more annoying than funny, which was definitely the case for Matt in the beginning. And if you don't make them despicable enough, they'll be funny, but they're practically on their way to being one of the good guys anyways, so you might as well follow through on it. So, making Matt a good guy works better for the character and the audience. But that's just one Hexside student. How's the rest going?

New Hexside: Turns out pretty funny.

Now, initially, not at all. We quickly learned how Hexside reacted to the Day of Unity and the Collector's domination, and it really gets to me how real their reactions are. The fear and panic felt prevalent, and you feel bad for these poor kids as they're forced to witness the end of the world, helpless to stop it.

But after that delicious drama, it's not too long until the jokes come flooding back as we witness what happens when children are left in charge of a school for a few months. The results are exactly what one would expect, with everything being a beautiful series of chaos. The kindergartners are savages, kids eating paperclips, and the students raise a radical statue in Principal Bump's honor that wildly misrepresents him (although that underrated character very much does deserve a statue). It's all pretty good stuff that succeeded in getting a laugh out of me. But some things can be both funny AND heartwarming.

Amity Reuniting with Ed and Em: Like THIS little family reunion that I had hoped to see for MONTHS.

First, you get a touch of something heartwarming as Amity tearfully hugs her brother and sister, with Emira being the one to spin Amity around in an adorable display of affection. And then you have Ed...who runs at Amity in a full body cast, screams in pain as he forces his arms to bend to hug her, and reveals that he's like this because he fell in a well. This boy is the best kind of stupid, and I appreciate every bit of it. I have not laughed this hard with the show in...forever, so believe me when I say that I love this scene for that.

But that's enough wholesomeness and hilarity. Let's get to the ominous and...anxiety building.

The Collector’s Book: This is probably the closest we're going to get to any backstory or explanation of what the Collector is, so, you know...Appreciate it for what it does.

And as interesting as it all is, the lines that the Collector crosses out...gives me fear:

"But should they meddle in our affairs, we'll clean the planet and scorch the air."

Considering how this special ends, I am very much not looking forward to figuring out what THAT means.

I changed my mind. Can we go back to New Hexside? Things are fun there.

Boscha: ...Is it too late to change my mind on changing my mind? It is? Ok...

So, Boscha...I kind of like what they're trying to do with her. Would the special have benefitted by cutting her out? Maybe, but we get more out of Boscha here than the entire series. Now, I'm one of the few people who never cared that she didn't get any development. She was a static character that made for the perfect antithesis to Amity and rival to Willow. But that doesn't mean I'm against the writers trying something, and they...sure did try something. And that's making Boscha go bat-s**t insane without Amity. Ever heard of codependency? Because that's what Boscha's going through. She is so reliant on having relationships and people being with her that being forced to work on her own drives the girl to near insanity. It's why Boscha was willing to team up with the first little psycho she met. If the alternative was to be alone, then it's better to work for a lesser cause than a just one. At least, that seems to be the logic Boscha operates on, and to be perfectly honest, it makes me wish we had time for one more episode to dive deep into this idea with Boscha. What we get is a taste, and a dang good one at that, making it a little disappointing that we'll never explore this side of her again. As is, it's...fine. I like what the writers wer going for, but I just don't LOVE it. It's one of those ideas that would have benefited with more time, especially if the writers were going to force redemption out of her. And you want to know what else would have benefited from more time?

Eda, King, and Lilith’s Subplot: If "For the Future" was just ten minutes longer, I would REALLY adore everything about this little section of it. As is...Well, there's still a lot to love.

I love that Eda and King are still together. I genuinely didn't expect them to be this close this soon, but I'm not complaining. Eda and King sticking together despite this awful situation is something that all I'm here for, and I do adore that out of everyone in the Isles, it's these two that manage to live safely while under the nose of a god who has the potential to destroy everything with a temper tantrum.

I love that Eda's still keeping good spirits despite how dire things have become. She's joking around and taking the same risks she would take on any occasion. She even risks a lot by coming out to talk to Raine, which is just all kinds of bittersweet and absolutely in character for Eda.

And I LOVE that Eda's still cursed. I honestly thought the Collector would take the Owlbeast out of her, but no. She still has to deal with it, and Lilith is the one helping Eda brew potions, which is another little detail I can't help but admire. After causing her sister to deal with years of torture thanks to the curse, Lilith is paying things forward by making the potion Eda needs to stay normal, and it's great. Everything about this is great...My only complaint is that I wish this special was longer.

So much of what happens with Eda, King, and Lilith happens off-screen. Stuff like Lilith changing back, them all finding themselves in this comfortable situation, and researching how to beat the Collector are essential things for the story, and we don't get to see it happen. They don't show that stuff as a way to cut corners with a season with so much to do and little time to do it, and I can understand that. It's why I don't really HATE this for what it is. I just know that this section of the special would be a lot better if we saw more.

Ok, that’s a lot more negativity than usual in the LIKES section. Let’s go for more positivity.

The Return of the Memory Tweezers: I always love it when a series nears its end, it brings back something established in a previous episode. Especially a good one.

And that's what this is: A great callback that has plot relevance. Luz needs to remember something she's seen only once, so they might as well bring out the thing that gives a perfect memory...Let's hope none of the photos get destroyed. Luz has enough problems as it is. Being brainless isn't one of them.

And as much as I want to keep this positivity going…it’s time to get into it…

Belos Taking Over Raine’s Body: Does Dana Terrace hate Raine Whispers or something? Why does she take joy in letting them suffer?!

Once I saw Belos loom over Odalia and the other puppets, I felt so excited. FINALLY, that woman is going to get some real punishment for being the big b-word that she is! And then Belos jumped into Raine...and all that excitement turned into despair.

Odalia was RIGHT THERE! She would have made for a PERFECT meat puppet! Look at this:

That's some quality meat right there...That might be the most risque joke I've made when talking about this show...Ah well.

Anyways, as much as I do not like this, I can't say I hate it. Well, I DO hate it, but that's why I love it. I'm SUPPOSED to hate that Belos did this to Raine, just as I'm supposed to dread the gut wrench of a reunion when Eda finally clues into what happens...Yeah, not looking forward to that.

Can we go back to being positive?

Gus Knew Hunter was a Grimwalker: Oh, yeah. That'll do.

Fans called this one, but it's still pretty cool to have it confirmed. It kind of recontextualizes how Gus tried to cheer Hunter up with Cosmic Frontier. He gave Hunter something to connect with that also happens to help with his inner turmoil. It's pretty powerful, and it's reason #456 of why I love The Owl House: Future episodes make previous ones better now that you know what's going to happen.

There. That was pretty positive. Can we keep the positivity going?

Kikimora: No? Ok…

So, a LOT of people do not like Kikimora. She might be the most hated character in the series if Odalia Blight didn't exist (SHE WAS RIGHT THERE!). With that said...I love Kiki. She's such a chaotic little gremlin that I can't help but adore her antics. Take what she does in this special, for example. Her current grand plan is to be the queen of teenagers. It's so petty and ridiculous that I can't help but love it. If you hate her, I can't stop you. But I can't physically hate someone this chaotic.

Also, Kikimora is pretty adorable when not wearing a cone of shame. And Camila calling Kiki a little red kitten is the best. Man, I love Camila.

Camila and Luz’s Talk: I REALLY love Camila. I might even be IN love with her?

Can you be in love with a fictional character?

Never mind, I just heard what I asked. Let's, uh...pretend I didn't ask that and move on.

Joking aside...this scene is magical. Camila is far from a perfect woman or mother. She admits to that here and now, acknowledging her mistakes, apologizing for them, and promises to do better. It might not make her perfect, but it IS what makes Camila the best cartoon mom to me. She's a woman who tries her damnedest and owns up to mistakes she's made rather than deny that she's made any, like a wannabee meat puppet that I know (SHE WAS RIGHT THERE!). If there's any mother you want to aspire to be, it's, without a doubt, Camila. A woman who shows love when it matters the most, even if there were a few mistakes along the way. I appreciate her for what she is, and you'd better believe Luz does too.

Luz Wanted to be Understood: In "Hunting Palismen," Luz is asked a question: What does she want to be? That question never got answered, and after so many twists and turns, I forgot that was an issue for Luz. So, to have "For the Future" bring it back and finally answer what Luz wants to be. And I am blown away by that answer.

It's an obvious one, in hindsight. In the first episode, it's apparent that Luz's problem is that no one understands her. Not her teachers, classmates, or even her mother. So to have this moment of realizing how it feels to be understood by Camila, to have someone say, "I know how much it hurts to be you," it's an epiphany that Luz didn't know she needed. And the look on her face, mixed with the beautiful colors, makes for an image that gives me goosebumps for the pure joy I felt. And the joy keeps on coming. + Palisman

Luz Gets Her Staff: And she's frickin' happy about it!

GENUINELY happy! In "Thanks to Them," every time Luz smiled, it NEVER reached her eyes. You always saw the sadness she tried her hardest to fight. But here? Luz is grinning ear to ear and being her old goofy self again. And it is EUPHORIC to see my poor girl be the Luz I remember. I don't mind a main character going through an emo phase, just as long as it's just a phase. Funny enough, I prefer my favorite characters to be happy, not miserable.

Hunter’s Powers: The same goes for Hunter. The boy's a SUPERHERO! A lot of us predicted that he'd still do that dash thing with Flapjack inside him, but seeing it is a whole different thing together! Again, I love seeing my favs happy, even if there's a bittersweetness to Hunter's new joy.

But the positivity train doesn’t end there…

Stringbean: I LOVE HER ALREADY!

Stringbean is the cutest little bugger ever, and the fact that she shapeshifts is amazing. As far as we know, no other palisman can do this, making her the most unique one to ever exist. And that's perfect because a unique witch like Luz deserves a palisman that's as original as her. Plus, the others guessing what she might be is a great shout out to fans making the EXACT same theories.

Man, what a perfect, hopeful end to such a great--

Collector Wants to Play a New Game: MOTHER F**KER!

Yeah, believe it or not, the stakes somehow got HIGHER now that the characters are dealing with an ANGRY Collector. And I'm scared. I'm scared of what an angry Collector could mean for the future...pun unintended.

WHAT I DISLIKED

It Got Leaked: I'm not kidding. That's my ONLY complaint regarding "For the Future." We didn't deserve a special THIS GOOD early. I am so glad to have the patience to wait and even MORE relieved that I didn't get spoiled that much because watching this special with a more-or-less fresh mindset is an experience that proves why it's important to wait. The hype of counting down the days, even counting down the seconds, to watch a premier is all a part of the experience. I can't blame people for being a LITTLE impatient, especially if they thought it'd be better to watch it and not worry about spoilers, but to those who leaked it? You get a good ol' fuck you from your pal Ordinary Schmuck. This one is extra special because I didn't censor it.

But, not to worry. There's a chance to redeem yourself. Disney put up the entire special on YouTube, and you can watch it--FOR FREE!--if you live in these regions:

The US

The UK

Australia

Mexico

And other countries

If it's locked out of your region for some reason (and you're apparently so against getting a VPN), then I guess that's the ONLY excuse you have to pirate it. I don't condone it, but I learn my lesson on Reddit. Don't tell fans not to pirate The Owl House. They'll be extra salty about it. However, if you're NOT locked out, there's no excuse to NOT watch it. Clearly, paying for stuff is an issue for people, but since "For the Future" is now free and RIGHT THERE, why not watch it? Like, stow your hatred for Disney just a second, so you can give the people who worked tirelessly on this show the respect they deserve. Because if the views aren't getting close to the millions by the time I post this review, then I'M gonna be salty.

And, yeah, that's the only complaint I have regarding "For the Future."

...

…Also, some obviously cut corners due to not having enough time. Stuff like Boscha's redemption and the stuff regarding Eda, King, and Lilith happening off-screen are big ones to come to my mind. I'm not bothered by this because I fully understand why it's done, but it does leave one a tiny bit irked.

But, seriously, that's about it.

IN CONCLUSION

"For the Future" is another solid A episode! But are you really surprised anymore?

If I had to pick, I'd say I like "Thanks to Them" a LITTLE bit more, primarily because that one feels more like a standalone episode. With "For the Future," it feels more like set-up. It's still GREAT with some fantastic character moments, some surprisingly great scenes of development, and by somehow raising the stakes MORE than they already were! I may want it to stand out more on its own, but it's still necessary as we lead into the grand finale. Plus, considering how the writers have so much to do and very little time to do it, I don't mind a full special of set-up, even if a few corners were cut along the way. I'm still left with something great that I'll be watching and rewatching as I dream of what comes next in the future.

While also hoping, for the show's sake, nothing else gets leaked...Seriously, if ANYTHING about special Numero Tres gets leaked online, I might actually blow a gasket.

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cora-writes-things · 1 year

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WLW media plans <3 early 2023 edition

You may have seen my first edition of this post; now that 2023 has begun in earnest, let’s see where I’m at!

Media I’m currently in the middle of consuming:

The 100 (I know that I said that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to watch this show cuz I’m tired of tragic wlw, but a friend suggested we watch it together, so here I am)

Clear and Muddy Loss of Love (an AMAZING web-novel!!! I can’t stop reading it! Clear and Muddy Loss of Love, original title 泾渭情殇 (Jīng wèi qíng shāng or JWQS), is a Chinese GL web-novel by Please Don’t Laugh (请君莫笑). Read and buy the original here (here’s a guide on how to use JJWXC so you can support the author), and the English translation by melts (@meltesh28 on Tumblr / @meltsmelts on Twitter) can be found here (thank you so much for your hard work, melts!))

Nevertheless (solely for the crumbs of Sol/Ji-wan content, and you know what? It’s been worth it, even if the main male lead, Park Jae-eon, makes me want to throw my laptop across the room. Seriously, JAE-EON SUCKS SO BAD. NA-BI, WHAT ARE YOU DOIIIING. DO-HYEOK IS RIGHT. THERE!!!)

Warrior Nun (I started watching this show both because it has wlw AND because Alba Baptista is so gorgeous that I can’t stop looking at her. So disappointing that it was canceled recently :()

Media I plan to start (or continue) consuming:

A League of Their Own (for the canon wlw AND all the wlw vibes)

Arcane: League of Legends (I’ve seen enough gifs and fanart for Caitlyn/Vi that I ship it and haven’t even watched the show yet)

Batwoman (for the canon wlw AND all the wlw vibes)

Black Lightning (ditto)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS was available on Amazon Prime for a while but is now on Hulu, so I don’t have access to it at the moment)

The Expanse (I’m taking a break from watching the show to read the books, but I’m also consuming a lot of other media at the moment, so I don’t know when I’ll get back to it)

The Half of It (the premise sounds so freaking relatable I can’t wait to feel some type of way about the constant sapphic pining I experienced in high school & didn’t even know about at the time because of comphet yay)

The Handmaiden (I’ve been trying to get into more international media lately, as you can see by some of the other pieces of media in this post, and this movie looks too good to pass up)

Killing Eve (up to the finale but stopping before the end cuz my queer little heart can’t take YET MORE bury your gays in the year of our lord 2023. also the book series. maybe)

The Legend of Korra (once I finish ATLA)

The Owl House (currently waiting for the next episode. Also, I’m still so mad this show was canceled by Disney >:()

Paper Girls (science fiction combined with middle-grade fiction and queer characters? Sign me up!)

Sense8 (for the queer vibes in general)

The Wilds (for the canon wlw AND all the wlw vibes)

Yellowjackets (ditto)

Media I might consume but haven’t decided yet:

Huge shout-out to @femslashrevolution (abbreviated as F.R. in this post from now on) for introducing me to a lot of these pieces of media with active-ish wlw fandoms through their reblogs!

Astrid & Lilly Save the World (I don’t know much about it, but the gifs reblogged by F.R. look promising)

Harlem (I’ve heard mixed reviews about the wlw representation in this show, but there’s also a distinct lack of black queer shows out there, so I’m considering trying it out anyway)

House of the Dragon (partially because I haven’t finished GOT yet, but also because I don’t want my heart to be broken by the tragedy)

I Know What You Did Last Summer (this show doesn’t have the best reviews, but the actresses in it are so pretty that I might watch it anyway ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

Kevin Can F*** Himself (seems like an interesting premise, I just don’t know if I’ll personally enjoy the show itself or not)

Legends of Tomorrow (Idk what it’s even about tbh, I’ve just seen a lot of wlw-centric and wlw-adjacent gifs reblogged by F.R.)

Lost Girl (it's included on a lot of rec lists of wlw shows, I just don’t know if I’ll actually find it interesting)

Once Upon A Time (a classic wlw fandom, but Idk if I’ll find it interesting enough to actually watch it)

Orange is the New Black (ditto)

Orphan Black (ditto)

Runaways (ditto)

Supergirl (ditto)

Willow (Idk what it’s even about tbh, I’ve just seen some cute wlw gifs reblogged by F.R. recently, so why not?)

Media I've already finished consuming:

Couple of Mirrors (SO GOOD!!! A (sadly heavily censored, but still very well-done) GL-based Chinese drama that is slated to get a second season depending on the support, so please go watch and support it! It also has a manhua (read the original here and the English summaries here))

First Kill (campy with pretty horrid music choices, but I still enjoyed the watching experience even though the show was kinda bad. Who doesn’t like a little bit of camp every now and again?)

Girlfriend Project Day 1 (cute, short little fake dating GL K-drama that is slated to get a second season if they can raise the funds for it! Watch it here)

More than or Equal to 75 Celsius (≥75°C) (short GL K-drama, very aesthetic, and the actresses are beautiful! Watch it here)

Zero Photography (short spin-off GL Thai drama that features Ink & Pa from the bigger BL series Bad Buddy. Definitely worth the watch!)

Have I missed any must-watch/must-read/must-consume pieces of wlw or wlw-adjacent media that y’all love? Please let me know in the reblogs and give me your recommendations!

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raayllum · 2 years

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Screentime, Race, and Chosen Diaspora

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. Disengaged stakes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Merging

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now for the big, perhaps flat out unpopular one:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Conclusion / Nitpicks

Other notes before we wrap up.

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

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

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

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