#gabrielle kari

[thewindowofthesummerhouse]

Gabrielle Kari

[skygemspeaks]

Do you want arranged royal marriage but SAPPHIC? Please check out the Marble Queen by Anna Kopp and Gabrielle Kari! Very cute and fun read, with a lovely drawing style!

[ultrameganicolaokay]

The Marble Queen OGN by Anna Kopp and Gabrielle Kari. Out in March 2024.

"The Marble Queen is a YA fantasy graphic novel that's the political drama of Nimona meets the heartfelt romance of The Princess and the Dressmaker, but this time in a sapphic romance surrounded by a mist of magic. Princess Amelia's kingdom, Marion, is in shambles after months of their trade routes being ravaged by pirates, and now the only seemingly option left is for her to save it through a marriage alliance. When she gets an exorbitant offer from the royalty of Iliad - a country shrouded in mystery - Amelia accepts without question and leaves her home to begin a new life. But she lands on Iliad's shores to find that her betrothed isn't the country's prince, but the recently coronated Queen Salira. Shocked, Amelia tries to make sense of her situation and her confused heart: Salira has awakened strange new feelings inside her, but something dark hides behind the Queen's sorrowful eyes. Amelia must fight the demons of her own anxiety disorder before she can tackle her wife's, all while war looms on the horizon."

[beautifulcoversofbooks]

The Marble Queen by Anna Kopp (Author) & Gabrielle Kari (Illustrator)

The Marble Queen is a YA Fantasy graphic novel that’s the political drama of Nimona meets the heartfelt romance of The Princess and the Dressmaker, but this time in a sapphic romance surrounded by a mist of magic.

Princess Amelia’s kingdom, Marion, is in shambles after months of their trade routes being ravaged by pirates, and now the only seemingly option left is for her to save it through a marriage alliance. When she gets an exorbitant offer from the royalty of Iliad—a country shrouded in mystery—Amelia accepts without question and leaves her home to begin a new life.

But she lands on Iliad’s shores to find that her betrothed isn't the country’s prince, but the recently coronated Queen Salira. ​ Shocked, Amelia tries to make sense of her situation and her confused heart: Salira has awakened strange new feelings inside her, but something dark hides behind the Queen's sorrowful eyes. Amelia must fight the demons of her own anxiety disorder before she can tackle her wife's, all while war looms on the horizon.

[tv-moments]

The Night Agent

Season 1, “Fathers”

Director: Millicent Shelton

DoP: Michael Wale

[harpycartoons]

I am so fucking bad at posting art here's fuckin. Five ref sheets I finished in December

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in March 2024 🌈

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Struggling to keep up with all the amazing queer books coming out this month? Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Remember to #readqueerallyear! Happy reading!

[ Release dates may have changed. ]

❤️ Shift: A Memoir of Identity and Other Illusions - Penny Guisinger 🧡 Tempting Olivia - Clare Ashton 💛 Monilinia - Free Mints 💚 Guillaume - Aurora Dimitre 💙 The Marble Queen - Anna Kopp & Gabrielle Kari 💜 The Baker & the Bard - Fern Haught ❤️ Rainbow! - Sunny & Gloom 🧡 The Safe Zone - Amy Marsden 💛 The Weavers of Alamaxa - Hadeer Elsbai 💙 The No-Girlfriend Rule - Christen Randall 💜 A Different Kind of Brave by Lee Wind 🌈 Cirque du Slay - Rob Osler ❤️ Wizard’s Debt - Niranjan 🧡 One Last Breath - Ginny Myers Sain 💛 Nothing Special - Katie Cook 💚 I Feel Awful, Thanks - Lara Pickle 💙 The Tower - Flora Carr 💜 Be the Sea - Clara Ward ❤️ What Grows in the Dark - Jaq Evans 🧡 Heirs of Bone and Sea - Kay Adams 💛 The Haunting of Velkwood - Gwendolyn Kiste 💙 Thunder Song - Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe 💜 Mona of the Manor - Armistead Maupin 🌈 Like Happiness - Ursula Villarreal-Moura

❤️ Ellipses - Vanessa Lawrence 🧡 Saint, Sorrow, Sinner - Freydís Moon 💛 Blood & Brujas - Mikayla D. Hornedo 💚 Infinity Kings - Adam Silvera 💙 Really Cute People - Markus Harwood-Jones 💜 How You Were Born - Kate Cayley ❤️ These Bodies Between Us - Sarah Van Name 🧡 Icarus - K. Ancrum 💛 The Emperor and the Endless Palace - Justinian Huang 💙 How Not to Date an Angel - Lana Kole 💜 Enemy Colours - R.M. Olson 🌈 Broken Parts Included - Alyson Root

❤️ Who's Afraid of Gender? - Judith Butler 🧡 The Duke’s Cowboy - Andrew Grey 💛 The Secret Something - Emily Wright 💚 Colstead & Andie - Olivia Janae 💙 Play It Again, Ma’am - Sienna Waters 💜 Love Is…? - K.J. Wrights ❤️ Welcome to Forever - Nathan Tavares 🧡 Just Another Epic Love Poem - Parisa Akhbari 💛 The Phoenix Bride - Natasha Siegel 💙 These Letters End in Tears - Musih Tedji Xaviere 💜 Truly Home - J.J. Hale 🌈 Monster Mixer - Robin Jo Margaret

❤️ The House of Hidden Meanings - RuPaul 🧡 Promised to the Queen - Barbara Winkes 💛 A Conclave of Crimson - Nicole Eigener & Beverley Lee 💚 A Hunt of Blood and Iron - Cara Nox 💙 The Fealty of Monsters - Ladz 💜 Ariel Crashes a Train - Olivia A. Cole ❤️ Those Beyond the Wall - Micaiah Johnson 🧡 Dancing Toward Stardust - Julia Underwood 💛 Heir to Dreams & Darkness - Ben Alderson 💙 Comet Cruise - Niska Morrow 💜 Dead Girls Walking - Sami Ellis 🌈 Blackout - Carlos E. Rivera

❤️ Monster Crush - Erin Ellie Franey 🧡 Blessed Water - Margot Douaihy 💛 These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart - Izzy Wasserstein 💚 Kiss of Seduction - Rawnie Sabor 💙 Sunbringer - Hannah Kaner 💜 Evacuation to Love - C.A. Popovich ❤️ Sin - Brooke Matthews 🧡 Falls from Grace - Ruby Landers 💛 Lean in to Love - Catherine Lane 💙 A Small Apocalypse - Laura Chow Reeve 💜 Cascade Failure - L.M. Sagas 🌈 The Mars House - Natasha Pulley

❤️ All This Time - Sage Donnell 🧡 The Romance Lovers Book Club - MA Binfield 💛 View from the Top - Morgan Adams 💚 Number Call - Nagisa Furuya 💙 Crossing Bridges - Chelsey Lynford 💜 The Boyfriend Subscription - Steven Salvatore ❤️ Love the World or Get Killed Trying - Alvina Chamberland 🧡 Synthetic Sea - Franklyn S. Newton 💛 The Prince & His Stolen Groom - J.E. Ridge 💙 Chrysalis and Requiem - Quinton Li 💜 Where Sleeping Girls Lie - Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé 🌈 A Botanical Daughter - Noah Medlock

❤️ Wednesday Nights - by Donna Jay 🧡 The Woods All Black - Lee Mandelo 💛 Song of the Huntress - Lucy Holland 💚 Rainbow Black - Maggie Thrash 💙 Spirits & Sunflowers - A.D. Armistead & Austin Daniel 💜 Floating Hotel - Grace Curtis ❤️ Far From Camelot - Rylee Hale 🧡 This Way to Change - Jezz Chung 💛 Mexican Bird - Luis Lopez-Maldonado 💙 Android Affection: Unveiling - Beau Van Dalen 💜 Welcome to the Damned - Astraea Long 🌈 She Came for Blood - Darva Green

❤️ Cover Story - Rachel Lacey 🧡 The Poisons We Drink - Bethany Baptiste 💛 The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist - Sophie Gonzales 💚 In Walked Trouble - Dana Hawkins 💙 Never Leave, Never Lie - Thea Verdone 💜 Guardian: Zhen Hun - Priest ❤️ All the World Beside - Garrard Conley 🧡 Rainbows, Unicorns, and Triangles - Jessica Kingsley Publishers 💛 The Feast Makers - H.A. Clarke 💙 Synthetic Sea - Franklyn S. Newton 💜 All the Painted Stars - Emma Denny 🌈 A Hard Sell - Jennifer Moffatt

[glimmr-mag]

Next in the Glimm*r lineup💖Gabrielle Kari is a comic-artist/illustrator based in Northern California, whose work is inspired by yuri anime/manga.

You can find Gabrielle at @gabriellemkari on tumblr and twitter!

[richincolor]

New Releases

A few new books out this week by some amazing authors to start us off right for Women's History Month. 

The Marble Queen by Anna Kopp & illustrated by Gabrielle Kari Dark Horse

Princess Amelia’s kingdom, Marion, is in shambles after months of their trade routes being ravaged by pirates, and now the only seemingly option left is for her to save it through a marriage alliance. When she gets an exorbitant offer from the royalty of Iliad—a country shrouded in mystery—Amelia accepts without question and leaves her home to begin a new life.

But she lands on Iliad’s shores to find that her betrothed isn’t the country’s prince, but the recently coronated Queen Salira. ​ Shocked, Amelia tries to make sense of her situation and her confused heart: Salira has awakened strange new feelings inside her, but something dark hides behind the Queen’s sorrowful eyes. Amelia must fight the demons of her own anxiety disorder before she can tackle her wife’s, all while war looms on the horizon.

The Encanto’s Daughter (The Encanto’s Daughter #1) by Melissa de la Cruz G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

MJ Rodriguez has spent her life hiding in the human world, keeping a heavy secret. She’s half-encanto. As the only child of King Vivencio of the Sirena Court, she’s also next in line for the throne. And now, upon her estranged father’s sudden death, MJ must claim her place as rightful heir.

In wondrous Biringan, the road to the throne is paved with thorns. Without a reigning monarch, the realm has spiraled into disarray. MJ has to win over a backstabbing council that objects to a half-human ruler. And when it looks like her father’s passing wasn’t natural but possibly inflicted by a curse, she must hunt down the sorceress behind this merciless magic.

In a bind, MJ forges an unlikely alliance with the striking Sir Lucas of the feared Sigbin Court, and soon, she loses her heart to the mysterious knight. But with peril looming over Biringan, the princess must decide if she can both open herself to love and carry the weight of the crown.

Defy the Storm (Star Wars: The High Republic) by Tessa Gratton & Justina Ireland Disney Lucasfilm Press

One year after the fall of Starlight Beacon, the galaxy is in chaos. An anarchistic group known as the Nihil has taken over a section of space now known as the Occlusion Zone. Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh and scientist Avon Starros team up in an attempt to find a way through the Nihil Stormwall to save those on the other side.

But what are the Nihil’s real plans? And what of the nameless creatures that can destroy the Jedi Order? The battle has just begun. . . .

[bookaddict24-7]

NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES! (MARCH 5TH, 2024)

___

HAVE I MISSED ANY NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES? HAVE YOU ADDED ANY OF THESE BOOKS TO YOUR TBR? LET ME KNOW!

___

NEW STANDALONES/FIRST IN A SERIES:

The Marble Queen by Anna Kopp & Gabrielle Kari (Illustrator)

The Encanto's Daughter by Melissa de la Cruz

The Summer She Went Missing by Chelsea Ichaso

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste

One Last Breath by Ginny Myers Sain

Promchanted by Morgan Matson

Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal by Gretchen Schreiber

The Baker & the Bard by Fern Haught

What Monstrous Gods by Rosamund Hodge

Breathing Underwater by Abbey Nash

Bad Like Us by Gabriella Lepore

Clever Creatures of the Night by Samantha Mabry

The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall

A Different Kind of Brave by Lee Wind

Virch by Laura Resau

Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton & Justina Ireland

The Stricken by Morgan Shamy

Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams by Shari Green

NEW SEQUELS:

The Prisoner's Throne (The Stolen Heir Duology #2) by Holly Black

An Unlikely Proposition (Unexpected Seasons #2) by Rosalyn Eves

___

Happy reading!

[socialshakespeare]

Reading 9: Sunday, March 31st

The ninth and final read-through of Hamlet!

(Most of you are double or triple cast, so double check which lines you have to read.) You can look up the lines of the characters here. The names listed below all go with the Folger Edition. 

Please submit your confirmation or any request to understudy here. If you’re in any doubt, please ask.

Times and time zones:

EDT (US): 4:00 PM CDT (US): 3:00 PM MDT (US): 2:00 PM PDT (US): 1:00 PM GMT (UK): 8:00 PM AEDT (AU): 7:00 AM, Monday April 1

Leader: @karis-nemik

Cast:

Hamlet: @actorinfluence Claudius: @infinitelytheheartexpands Polonius, Ambassador: @karis-nemik Horatio, Captain: @adoraborous Guildenstern, Marcellus, Gravedigger, Messenger: @energy-depleted Laertes, Prologue/Lucianus, Sailor: @gabriel-shutterson Ophelia, Voltemand, Doctor, Lord, Francisco: @thethingsnerd Ghost, Player King, First Player, Fortinbras, Cornelius: @l832 Gertrude, Player Queen, Reynaldo, Gentleman: @wildechild Rosencrantz, Barnardo, Other Gravedigger, Osric: @sayyestothejess

Please submit your confirmation here - liking/reblogging this post does not count!

Read the Guidelines. To avoid the differences between editions that make for confusion and missed cues, please use the Folger edition of Hamlet during the read-through.

Be on time, be prepared, and make sure you know which lines to read. Good luck!

[crystalclear97]

hi hi hi!!

Name your favourite artists who inspire you! Your arts are so cute

Other ship aside Armin/Annie?

Do you plan to draw more Aruani?

oh hiiii !!! 😊

1.

This is very difficult aaaaaa :_) obviously all the aruani related artists that I follow inspire me a lot, maybe we have very different art styles but I love seeing their art and they encourage me to embrace and enjoy the fandom as I am still a bit self-conscious about that "nerdy" part of myself.

I am kinda shy to mention specific people but let's see...... @nobluesea, @annawayne, @lidatan, @brbarou, @phyroblue, @ghostieking, @pepperjackets, @catfein ... aaand I have to mention @kalruani who I think is my fav aruani artist but I don't think they're on tumblr...... 👉👈 I don't wanna make anybody feel bad if I forget them, so if I follow you, consider yourself part of the list PLEASE :_)

some other non tumblr related people:

Ana Galvañ • Sara Soler • Gabriel Picolo • Bryan Lee O'Malley • alessandro barbucci • Núria Tamarit • Miguel Gallardo (RIP) • Maria Herreros • Laura Brouwers • Gretel Lusky • KAZLAND • Cristina Daura • So Lazo • Dakota Cates • Ingrid Arbiol • Paw Salcés • Xulia Vicente • Beatriz Fletes • LUCIA CUÑAT ORTEL • Paco Roca • Fran Riolobos • Ian • Sha'an d'Anthes • Lucy Zhang • David Ramírez • Julia Kaye • Alex Norris • AND some friends that are also great artists: [RAMUNE] - Alba Flores - Natalia Lucas - Joaquín Guirao

I'm forgetting people for sure aaaaaaaaa I tried my best.........

The alternative / punk / fanzine / local scene inspires me a lot, shows like Adventure Time, videogames like NITW or Omori with great art, and MUSIC!

2.

at this moment tbh I am super aruani focused... but I've shipped a lot through my life haha when I was a child I was obsessed with TK + Kari (digimon) and I usually shipped my fav character from anything, which usually was the misfit / weird / nerd one (I still do btw) 😅 Some ships that I also like at this moment could be zutara, bubbline, tomgreg from succession (in a fun way tbh), OBVIOUSLY tayley from paramore but they are real people so..... HAHA idk if you ask me what do I think of some specific ship I'll tell you my take!

3.

YES!! 🥰

thank you for asking!

[mermaidenmystic]

Mermay 2018 by animator and illustrator Gabrielle Kari

@lagaleriapopurri

[marcmarcmomarc]

The Owl House: The New Year’s Special

A post-epilogue special starring Luz and her two families celebrating the new year between the two realms.

Cast:

Dee Bradley Baker as Princess

Eric Bauza as Gilbert Park & Faust

Bob Bergen as Barcus

J.B. Blanc as Professor Hermonculus

Steve Blum as Salty

Benjamin Bratt as Manny Noceda

Kimberly Brooks as Skara & Eileen

Isaac Ryan Brown as Gus Porter

Bruce Carey as Mason

Matt Chapman as Steve Tholomule & Harvey Park

Parvesh Cheena as Tibblet-Tibblie Grimm Hammer III “Tibbles”

Noshir Dalal as Adrian Graye Vernworth

Felicia Day as Bria

Ariana DeBose as Tía Valentina Noceda

Elijah DeJesus @not-so-average-fangirl as Prima Gabi Noceda

Grey DeLisle as Masha, Katya, Cat, Usurper, & Bonesborough Brawl Security Guard

Jorge Diaz as Matt Tholomule

Michaela Dietz as Vee

Nik Dodani as Gavin

Deb Doetzer as Gwendolyn Clawthorne

Jason Douglas as Osran

Tati Gabrielle as Willow Park

Eileen Galindo as Flora D’splora

Peter Gallagher as Dell Clawthorne

Noah Galvin as Jerbo

Kimiko Glenn as Long-Haired Bat Kid

Elizabeth Grullon as Camila Noceda

Harvey Guillén as Angmar

Arin Hanson as Eye-Eating Monster, Snaggleback, & Papa Titan

Alex Hirsch as King Clawthorne & Hooty

Holly @hollowtones as Mohawk Bat Kid

Chris Houghton as Bill

Oscar Isaac as Tío Emilio Noceda

Keston John as Darius Deamonne

Cissy Jones as Lilith Clawthorne

Mela Lee as Kikimora

Jason Liebrecht as Vitimir

Erica Lindbeck as Emira Blight

Kevin Locarro as Braxas

Rachael MacFarlane as Odalia Blight

Ally Maki as Viney

Wendie Malick as Eda Clawthorne

Shannon McKain as Morton

Mosco Moon as Olive (Gabi’s Girlfriend)

Rita Moreno as Abuela Luna Noceda

Ryan O’Flanagan as Edric Blight

Johnny Ortiz as Tío Mateo Noceda

Penny Parker @snapscube as Bucket Hat Bat Kid

Jim Pirri as Alador Blight

Anairis Quiñones as Azura

Matthew Rhys as Philip Wittebane/Emperor Belos

Kevin Michael Richardson as Tarak, Bonesborough Brawl Commentator, & Tom

Eden Riegel as Boscha, Amelia, Bo, & Abominations

Bumper Robinson as Hieronymus Bump

Zeno Robinson as Hunter, Derwin, & Male Camp Friend

Sarah-Nicole Robles as Luz Noceda

Avi Roque as Raine Whispers

Isabella Rosselini as Bat Queen

Roger Craig Smith as Jacob Hopkins & Warden Wrath

Hailee Steinfeld as Female Camp Friend

April Stewart as Greater Basilisk

Christopher Swindle as Graveyard Keeper

Fred Tatasciore as Malphas

Jen Taylor as Hettie Cutburn

Dana Terrace as Tinella Nosa & Severine

Morgan Terry as Hecate

Kari Wahlgren as Amber, Eberwolf, Villainous Lucy, & Barista

Mae Whitman as Amity Blight

Gary Anthony Williams as Perry Porter

Debra Wilson as Terra Snapdragon

Fryda Wolff as The Collector

[janedances]

“It’s impossible to be in love with all the six queens’

The Six queens in question:

Megan Gilbert, Ashleigh Weir, Holly Musgrave, Oliver Wickham, Annabel Marlow, Shimali De Silva, Renee Lamb, Christina Modestou, Natalie Paris, Genesis Lynea, Aimie Atkinson, Izuka Hoyle, Jaye’J Richards-Noel, Millie O’Connell, Alexia McIntosh, Maiya Quansah-Breed, Grace Mouat, Vicki Manser, Courtney Stapleton, Adrianna Hicks, Andrea Macaseat, Abby Mueller, Brittney Mack, Samantha Pauly, Anna Uzele, Mallory Maedke, Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert, Courtney Mack, Shantel Cribbs, Courtney Bowman, Sophie Isaacs, Danielle Steers, Zara Macintosh, Cherelle Jay, Hana Stewart, Collette Guitart, Candace Furbert, Hazel Karooma-Brooker, Caitlin Tipping, Sophie Golden, Alicia Corrales-Connor, Viquichele Cross, Bryony Duncan, Natalie Pilkington, Lori McLare, Amy Bridges, Lauren Drew, Maddison Bulleyment, Lauren Byrne, Shekinah McFarlane, Jodie Steele, Athena Collins, Cassandra Lee, Jennifer Caldwell, Harriet Watson, Jasmine Shen, Kelly Sweeney, Jessica Niles, Georgia Carr, Amelia Walker, Liv Alexander, Elizabeth Walker, Maddison Firth, Laura Blair, Chloe Zuel, Kala Gare, Loren Hunter, Kiana Daniele, Courtney Monsma, Vidya Makan, Ella Burns, Karis Oka, Shannen Alyce-Quan, Jade Marvin, Lucy Aiston, Gabriella Stylianou-Burns, Scarlet Gabriel, Rebecca Wickes, Megan Leung, Sophie Rose Middleton, Abbi Hodgson, Kara Ami Mcraenor, Emily Harrigan, Gabrielle Smith, Melissa Ford, Kaylah Attard, Fia Houston-Hamilton, Rhiannon Bacchus, Rhiannon Doyle, Carly Mercedes Dyer, Elena Gyasi, Keirsten Hodgens, Artemis Chrisoulakis, Ellie Sharpe, Sadie Hurst, Melinda Porto, L’Oreal Roache, Wesley Carpenter, Maya Christian, Brianna Mooney, Meghan Dawson, Marilyn Caserta, Ashlee Waldbauer, Adrianna Glover, Alize Ke’Aloha Cruz, Kristina Walz, Amy Di Bartolomeo, Amanda Lindgren, Claudia Kariuki, Dionne Ward-Anderson, Tsemaye Bob-Egbe, Meesha Turner, Paisley Billings, Danielle Rose, Roxanne Couch, Esme Rothero, Rachel Rawlinson, Lauren Irving, Danielle Mendoza, Shelby Griswold, Kennedy Carstens, Abigail Sparrow, Jarynn Whitney, Madeline Fansler, Channing Weir, Princess Victomé, Sunayna Smith, Chloë Hart, Casey Al-Shaqsy, Aiesha Pease, Jaina Brock-Patel, Alana Robinson, Grace Melville, Leesa Tulley, Harriet Caplan-Dean, Khaila Wilcoxon, Storm Lever, Jasmine Forsberg, Olivia Donalson, Didi Romero, Gabriela Carrillo, Cassie Silva, Kelly Denice Taylor, Erin Ramirez, Kelsee Kimmel, Phoenix Mendoza, Chelsea Dawson, Chiara Assetta, Cristina D’Agostino, Joy Woods, Bre Jackson, Keri Rene Fuller, Brennyn Lark, Ayla Ciccone-Burton, Holli’ Conway, Brianna Javis, Gabbi Mack, Casey Esbin, Ellie Wyman, Sasha Renae Brown, Nicole Lamb, Aja Simone Baitey, Willow Dougherty, Kayla McSorely, Emily Rose Lyons, Chelsea Wargo, Hannah Taylor, Jessie Bodner, Jasmine Hackett, Janice Rijssel, Lucia Valentino, Elena Breschi, Meg Dixon-Brasil, Sarah McFarlane, Reca Oakley, Gerianne Perez, Zan Berube, Amina Faye, Terica Marie, Aline Mayagoitia, Sydney Parra, Jana Larell Glover, Taylor Pearlstein, Aryn Bohannon, Cecilia Snow, Rhianne Louise McCaulsky, Baylie Carson, Koko Basigara, Monique Ashe Palmer, Leah Vassell, Hailee Kaleem Wright, Leandra Ellis Gaston, Bella Coppola, Nasia Thomas, Zoe Jensen, Taylor Iman Jones, Aubrey Matalon, Kristina Leopold, Rae Davenport, Gianna Grosso, Kathryn Kilger, Bethany McDonald, Jillian Worthing, Haley Izurieta, Jasmine Smith, Lois Ellise Reeves, Alyssa Giannetti, Eden Holmes, Jaelle Laguerre, Kate Zulauf, Lee ARumSoul, Son Seungyeon Kim Ji Woo, Sophiya Pae, Park Hye-na, Park Ga-Ram, Kim Ji Sun, Choi Hyun-sun, Kim Ryeo Won, Heo Sol-ji, Yoo Ju-hye, Hong Ji Hee, Nicole Louise Lewis, Laura Dawn Pyatt, Erin Caldwell, Kenedy Small, Lou Henry, Aoife Haakenson, Ellie Jane Grant, Izi Maxwell, Tamara Morgan, Shakira Simpson, Fiorella Bamba, Lucinda Wilson, Caitlyn De Kuyper, Amanda Lee, Gabriella Boumford, Audrey Fisher, Brooke Aneece, Jaz Robinson, Julia Pulo, Maggie Lacasse, Krystal Hernández, Elysia Cruz, Lauren Mariasoosay, Julia McLellan, Darcy Stewart, Hailey Lewis

[historyhermann]

“The Owl House” Showcases Diverse Stories and LGBTQ Representation

Luz hugs King

What if a girl stumbled into another world filled with witches, wizards, and magic? The Owl House answers that question, as Luz explores a new world with new friends, enemies, and learns more about herself along the way.

Reprinted from The Geekiary, my History Hermann WordPress blog (it will be published on there on Jan. 1) and Wayback Machine. This was the forty-fourth article I wrote for The Geekiary. This post was originally published on July 8, 2022.

The Owl House is an animated fantasy series by Dana Terrace, a bisexual animator and writer. She is known for storyboarding episodes of Gravity Falls and the recent reboot of DuckTales. 

As a warning, this recommendation discusses spoilers for episodes of The Owl House.

King, Eda, Luz, and Mr. Tibbles

The Owl House centers around Luz Noceda (voiced by Sarah-Nicole Robles), a Dominican-American teenage girl who enters an alternate world. She arrives in a set of islands known as Boiling Isles. Luz soon befriends an older witch named Eda Clawthorne (voiced by Wendie Malick), also known as The Owl Lady.

She also meets a small demon named King (voiced by Alex Hirsch), and a witty door knocker of the Owl House, Hooty (voiced by Hirsch). Although Luz doesn't have innate magical abilities, she serves as a witches' apprentice to Eda, and lives at the Owl House.

To hone her magical skills, Luz goes to Hexside Academy, where each student has a magical track. She meets other classmates like Willow Park (voiced by Tati Gabrielle) and Gus Parker (voiced by Issac Ryan Brown). Willow and Gus are skilled in plant and illusion magic.

Luz becomes fast friends with them. As someone obsessed with human culture, Gus tries to learn what he can from her. Over the course of the first season, Luz slowly improves her relationship with the school's top student, Amity Blight (voiced by Mae Whitman).

The series features characters such as the school's principal, Hieronymus Bump (voiced by Bumper Robinson) and Eda's sister, Lilith Clawthorne (voiced by Cissy Jones). There's also the ruler of the Boiling Isles and series villain, Emperor Belos, a witch student named Boscha (voiced by Eden Reigel), and Amity's siblings Emira "Em" and Edric "Ed" Blight (voiced by Erica Lindbeck and Ryan O'Flanagan). Kevin Michael Richardson, Grey Griffin, Fred Tatasciore, Eric Bauza, Kari Wahlgren, Jorge Diaz, and Kimberly Brooks voice other characters.

The Owl House begins differently than any other series I've watched. Even though Futurama and Samurai Jack feature time travel. And Final Space, Elliot from Earth, Otherside Picnic, and Helluva Boss have dimensional travel. None of them are like this series. Although The Owl House has some similarities with Steven Universe and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, it is unique in and of itself.

Even so, there are season two episodes focusing on time travel and its implications. Viewers learn a frightening truth about Belos (voiced by Matthew Rhys). This scares his loyal servant, Hunter (voiced by Zeno Robinson) out of his mind. It makes Luz worried about her safety.

The series has received nominations for youth and family programming, character design, and voice-over work awards since its premiere. Most recently, it received a GLAAD Media Award award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming, competing with Amphibia and other live-action productions. The Owl House previously received a nomination for the same award last year.

The Owl House has some cast diversity. Robles, who voices one of the series protagonists, is Afro-Latine. Elizabeth Grullon, who voiced Luz's mother, Camila, is of Dominican descent. She described her character's relationship with Luz as a "refreshing representation" of a real Latine family. Robinson, Brown, and Brooks are Black actors. Gabrielle is Afro-Korean. Luz is significant as an animated character because 12% of Latine people, and 2% of the U.S. adult population, identify as Afro-Latine.

In 2021, series creator Dana Terrace confirmed that Luz is neurodivergent. Previously, some fans argued that she was ADHD-coded because of her hyperfixations and actions. The latter is still a possibility since she is neurodivergent.

T.J. Hill composed the first season's music. Brad Breek composed the second season's music. Hill also composed the theme music. It is fitting for this young adult fantasy series. The music often helps set the mood, connecting with the show's story. On Twitter, Hill noted that the show's score had "interesting and experimental sounds" which he enjoyed putting together. He also composed music for Amphibia.

The animation style of The Owl House is amazing. Terrace has said that Russian architecture and paintings of John Bauer, Remedios Varo, and Hieronymus Bosch inspired her. To make sure the show is visually effective, there were over 100 people as part of the crew, and 50 people on the pre-production crew alone, by December 2019.

Spencer Wan supervised the show's crew in the first season. Kofi Fiagome did the same in the second season. Ricky Cometa worked as the series art director. Demons in the show are not scary but represent actual people. Comeda noted that they designed Luz as a "nod to all...fellow nerds out there". Furthermore, the Boiling Isles has a purple ocean to distinguish it from Earth.

Luz realizes she is in the Boiling Isles

The Owl House, unlike some other series, has deep lore which pulls you into the series. This includes worldbuilding, like when Luz, Hooty, and King travel to Titan Trapper Island hoping to learn about King's past. What they find is something they don't expect, while King discovers his new powers and who he really is.

There are compelling stories, like those focused on the family backstories of Edith and Luz. Terrace has said that while much of the series lore is made up, the Pokemon franchise strongly influenced her. The show's main characters were even inspired by people in Terrace's life, with Luz even named after Terrace's roommate, Luz Batiste, who is a story artist on the show and is also Dominican-American.

The series, based on Terrace's childhood experiences, has the twin themes of conformity and uniqueness. This interconnects with the horror elements of the series, which Disney executives were concerned about. The heartfelt and comedic elements balance out the more scary ones.

Even so, Terrace compromised between her ideas and the wishes of Disney executives. This resulted in the show's intended "darker tone" being minimized in the show's first season. In the second season, the intended tone came to the fore and The Owl House truly became a young adult animation on par with Dead End: Paranormal Park and The Legend of Korra.

Critics from Common Sense Media, Collider, The Mary Sue, The A.V. Club, CBR, and TheGamer acclaimed the series during its first 19-episode season run. It received a second season renewal prior to the first season debut. However, while the series was renewed for a third and final season, only three 44-minute special episodes will air (despite the positive reception). It is shorter than the 10-20 episodes the production team had anticipated.

In a Reddit AMA, Terrace wrote that The Owl House got cut short because Disney executives claimed the show did not fit into the "Disney brand." She surmised that the show's serialized nature and older audience than other Disney productions, rather than the show's LGBTQ representation, was the reason. Terrace further revealed that the executives did not allow her to argue for a fourth season. She believed the show could have a future if different executives were in charge.

The Owl House is not dead and gone. Terrace has said she would like to continue it in the future either through a limited series or comics. She encouraged fans to ask Disney for more content connected to the show. There was a series of shorts released on the official Disney Channel YouTube Channel entitled "Look Hooo's Talking" and comedic shorts entitled "Owl Pellets" released throughout 2020.

Amity and Luz both blush after they agree to be girlfriends with one another.

One of the most important aspects of the show is its LGBTQ+ representation. This is most outwardly manifested by Luz, who is bisexual. She is the first bisexual protagonist in a Disney series, although not the first bisexual character. Some read Li Shong (voiced by BD Wong) in Mulan and Nerissa in W.I.T.C.H. as bisexual. Jackie Lynn Thomas in Star Vs. The Forces of Evil is bisexual, as are Jess and Sasha Waybright in Amphibia.

A major subplot in the series is the feelings Luz, and her original rival-of-sorts, Amity, have for one another. This begins with Amity blushing and acting bashful toward Luz. This culminates with both dancing together to defeat a monster in "Enchanting Grom Fright".

Luz remains oblivious to the fact that Amity has a crush on her. She finally realizes this when Amity kisses Luz on the cheek in a Season 2 episode after going through dangerous trials to get her library job back.

Luz and Amity finally become a couple in the episode "Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's Door". Later episodes focused on the ups and downs of their relationship. They learn to not keep secrets from one another, even if those secrets are painful, and help each other as girlfriends.

This overjoyed fans who ship both characters as "Lumity", along with queer fans and other supporters of expanded representation. There are over 19,000 followers on the Lumity subreddit alone, as of writing this piece. In the episode titled 'Clouds on the Horizon', both characters shared a romantic kiss together.

This open presentation of a queer romance contrasts with Adventure Time, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Gravity Falls, and The Legend of Korra. In those series, the romantic feelings between characters were not canonized until the last episode.

While those series have their merits, having a relationship between two characters in the show proper, rather than at the end, is more impressive. Doing the latter cheapens the representation, in my opinion. Hopefully future series and films will avoid almost blink-and-you-miss-it moments, like the one in The Mitchells vs. the Machines (related to the protagonist's girlfriend).

Beyond Luz and Amity, there's Luz's guardian, Eda. She is revealed to be queer. She had a previous relationship with Raine Whispers (voiced by Avi Roque), leader of a coven fighting against the malevolent emperor, Belos. Raine has the distinction of being non-binary and transmasculine. They are, perhaps, the first Disney character to be non-binary.

The Collector, a being who collaborates with Belos on opening a portal to the human realm, was recently hinted at as being non-binary by the show's creator. Raine is the leader of anti-Belos group named Covens Against the Throne (CATS) which Eda, King, and Luz later join.

There's also Eda's older sister, Lilith. She may be aromantic and asexual, again breaking barriers. Also, like Bow's two dads, George and Lance, in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Willow has two fathers, Gilbert and Harvey.

These aspects make some reactionary individuals, whether in halls of Congress or elsewhere in society, sneer. They declare that the series is "corrupting" their children or some other nonsense about how such media is "turning" kids queer.

Luz worried about Hunter and being utterly terrified after coming out of the mind of Emperor Belos

Putting aside the ramblings of reactionary people, it is easy to see why The Owl House is popular. It has diverse stories, focuses on friendship, and has the classic conflict between good and evil. It skews to an older, young adult crowd. This is clear through a changed tone from the show's first season to the second. It becomes dark at times, making it evident why Disney wants the series to end.

The finale of Season 2 has the Collector and Belos work on a portal to the human realm, and on the Day of Unity, with a plan to wipe out wild magic forever. The draining spell succeeds. In the midst of it, Luz is saved by her friends and King talks to the Collector.

The episode ends with Luz, Amity, Hunter, Gus, and Willow fleeing through the portal door to the human realm, while King stays behind. This is more horrifying than when Anne and her frog family traveled to Earth in Amphibia.

There is no knowing what happened to the Boiling Isles or King. While they all go to Luz's family home at the episode's end, their fate or whether they can return to the other world remains unknown. This will undoubtedly be the subject of the third and final season.

The series emphasizes the importance of one's chosen family and exploring your identity. It brings trauma to the forefront, as Steven Universe Future did with a focus on Steven's trauma. The Owl House has the potential to inspire others to follow in its footsteps.

It is not known how this young adult animation will influence any future indie animations, webcomics, mainstream series, or other media. Some crew members may move forward and create their own series. After all, the former Steven Universe crew had a part in OK K.O.: Let's Be Heroes, Summer Camp Island, Craig of the Creek, RWBY, Adventure Time: Distant Lands, and Amphibia, some of which are YA animations and have queer content.

I highly recommend The Owl House. After watching the recent episodes, I came to realize why I love the series all over again.

The series is currently airing on the Disney Channel, streaming on Disney+, and is also available on Amazon Prime, and other platforms.

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