ladylilymalfoy904034

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

Young Hunter absolutely Fuming. The tiniest coven scout.

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

So a few people are saying they're unhappy with the latest episode because they feel it ruins and undoes all of the healing hunter did in the human realm. I've heard the choice of belos possessing hunter called unnecessary and done for purely angsty value. But I want to explain why I think it's a very realistic move for the writers and an important one.

Anyone who has gone through trauma, especially as much as hunter has, knows that recovery from it is FAR from walking in a straight line. Some days it's a few steps forward, others it's a few steps back. I think hunter slowly but surely healing without a few major setbacks would be a very unrealistic and unwise move, especially since a large portion of the fan base has gone through abuse themselves and hunter represents us in a way.

Trauma or the abusers themselves rarely are gone from our lives forever. They can often pop up at the worst times, and you have to work through your trauma both past and present again to get through it. Exactly like what belos did in the episode. Sometimes we fall into their grip again, but the point is we keep learning and fighting.

And we can learn this through hunter. At the beginning of the episode he was very much afraid of belos, literally shaking at the thought of seeing him again. He then temporarily fell back into belos' control. But he made it out the other side thanks to his friends, not trembling in fear anymore, but angry, determined, ready to fight him head on. Now he's ready to really face him for good, with a new sense of identity. It's very realistic imo.

Plus people rarely get out of these re-encounters with abusers unscathed, hence the new scarring. They can be viewed as reminders of the past, or a reminder that you can get thought something tough, but the keep moving forward.

As for flapjack? Loosing what's essentially his emotional support animal? You could see it as a sign of hunter growing and recovering. Hunter didn't have friends to support him before, only flapjack, but now he does. I definitely would prefer him to still be alive though, but I get the sense he's not gone forever just yet.

Sorry this is long, just wanted to get it out there. Let me know if you think it's accurate:)

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

Just… Hunter was so afraid of Belos. This whole time, he’s been scared of being cast aside and disappointing him, and after Hollow Mind he’s been afraid of getting caught. Knowing he’ll be killed, knowing Belos will murder him just like he did to his previous clones, he’s been running because he knows how terrifying Belos can get. Seeing his memories only increased the panic in him. Belos has had such a huge effect on him and it’s so clear

And to see someone who was his entire world, who he worshipped, who had so much control over him, who ruled like he was some kind of god over the Boiling Isles, be reduced to this

By this little guy

Is just a real eye-opener. Somebody who Hunter saw as powerful and merciless and at one point unbeatable is now just… a puddle of sludge. Splattered against the wall in a single second, blink and you’d miss it

If The Collector could defeat Belos so quickly, what could he do to his friends? To Hunter?

I’d be freaked out of my mind too

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

Au where after Caleb fucking died his spirit was sent into flapjacks and he just annoys Hunter throughout the series.

I got this idea cause it’s commonly guessed if you see a Cardinal, it’s a deceased love one watching over you and idk connect the dots 😎

Only Hunter can see Caleb, hence why he can communicate with flapjack so well. I don’t have much lol

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

Hunter was supposed to start sobbing during this scene with the collector…

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

The significance of Hunter expressing a clear, resounding "No"

Ho man, lemme deconstruct this scene further.

In his pre-finale scenes with Belos that we watch, his boundary-setting goes as far as "Perhaps I could say "No"....?" (him suggesting in Hunting Palismen that he research wild magic to help Belos), and even so, it's only hinting the boundary to his uncle. In Eclipse Lake, he risked disobeying his uncle and only told him later, after he brought back the portal key. Which was an indirect "No".

But it was different here:

This is as clear as it can get: a child expressing that they do not want something, and it is a boundary necessary for safety and wellbeing. But horrible parents/caregivers/authority figures will say that it is wrong to keep oneself safe. Look at how he's shrinking and making himself smaller, very nearly breaking eye contact and lowering his head while he's asserting this boundary.

He wouldn't have been able to pull it off without these along the way:

moments that contribute to a changing core belief, which can all add up over time for him to properly manage his PTSD hyperarousal symptom in the long run. And this isn't even all of them. Amity's words to him in Eclipse Lake and Luz supporting him throughout Hollow Mind are also little key scenes that count towards this.

It's insane. It's likely that when you have this pivotal moment of finally expressing that you refuse to be treated like rubbish, you will feel pathetic saying it. You could flip back to regretting it mere seconds after the words come out of your mouth. You'll feel like the worst sinner, while your abuser is the saint that could never possibly be evil - all in the most rigid form of black-and-white thinking. If you can't fully escape your abuser physically and have to keep encountering them, boundary-setting can take repetition and repeatedly feeling pathetic in your own presence, observing yourself and being so conflicted inside, until you begin to gradually believe you are right over time.

Perhaps the most beautiful thing is Flapjack, Luz and others said "No" on his behalf first, which taught him how to eventually pull it off. Luz stepping in front of him in Clouds on the Horizon yelling "Leave him alone!" - a very assertive form of "No" - especially stands out. Connecting with healthy individuals equipped him with the empowerment necessary for him to do it himself in the finale, through all the trembling in his body as he said the words. What a courageous boy.

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

Another Hunter Rant (._.)

Ya know.. I’m hoping that in the S3 specials, we’ll get another Hunter arc where he is no longer petrified by Belos.

Yeah, that’d probably be rushed but hear me out:

We got a hint in the finale that Belos will probably appear one more time in some way (I hoped he died but nooooo, we can’t have nice things). So there’s a chance Hunter will have to face Belos.. again. If he does, I want to see more of him working through the abuse and traumatic aftermath he is enduring. Perhaps he’ll be able to talk about it with his new friends and find the support he needs.

Clearly, he suppresses a lot (understandable, I did the same). I see a lot of myself in this character, but I am in an isolated position. Hunter—now—is not. There’s a point where you go from being scared of your abuser and/or denying the reality of the abuse.. to becoming angry at them for what they did to you. At least in my experience, this is when I became more protective and defensive of myself. I went from thinking “I am nothing,” to “No, you should be nothing to me.”

With Hunter, I want to see him stand up for himself like his friends do, and see his fear of Belos taper. Lies and manipulative tactics will no longer get a reaction out of him. I want Hunter to despise his uncle with every fiber of his being and grow from his trauma. I want to see him fight back.

I want to see an abuse survivor’s strength.

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

the boyfriends ever

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

They are brothers and you can’t convince me otherwise

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

Belos can PERSONALLY catch these hands for all the shit he put this literal CHILD through. I can't wait until he fucking dies.

Bonus:

Phillip's reaction to seeing Flapjack was IMMENSELY satisfying. I'm obsessed with the story telling of this show.

We're SO CLOSE to having the full story of what happened between Phillip and his brother (who is all but explicitly stated to be named Caleb and his palismen being Flapjack)

(Also the animation of Phillip's reaction? *chefs kiss*)

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

Imagine you’re Luz’s mother and when you dropped her off to ‘summer camp’ she was this goofball with a cat hoodie and weak nerd arms:

And then she shows up at your door months later weaing her mentor’s Grugby jacket, has a rogue-treasure planet ponytail, a scar splitting her eyebrow, has just held together a collapsing temple via glyph magic and seer power of will and is accompanied by a whole new pack of siblings and her girlfriend. 

Also, they are all traumatized and would like some soup.

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

One of the FEW reasons I have not jumped out the window after today's episode

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

His name is Gardian ;)

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

Was internally screaming about it through the weekend and will continue screaming about how this might've been the first time someone has ever stood up for him, expressing vocally that he be left alone, made an assertion to respect his boundaries, and stood in his place to take a hit for him:

Because during these moments of being intimidated and abused, he was facing those all alone:

Whenever others were in the room, they were bystanders who enabled and normalized Belos's abuse. No one in the castle would've dared to intervene, for 16 years till after Hollow Mind.

He's not even real but wow I'm happy for him. I'm 29 and had no one do this for me, and I had to be the one to do it for myself at age 26 after enough therapy sessions to equip and strengthen my resolve to call things out.

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

Get yourself a bestie that will ⭐match⭐ your energy

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

you ever have a really bad day and then you’re so tired you forget to panic about what you were planning to panic over?

[ladylilymalfoy904034]

I’m thinking about how no one is making Hunter fight Belos.

No one is telling him “make up for working for him, help us defeat him.”

The closest we got to that was Luz asking for information on Belos. But no one is saying “hey, you should join us in the fight” and Hunter doesn’t seem to have any inclination to storm up to Belos to fight. Besides a little ribbing for “not wanting to be seen” when he tries to pretend he’s all macho, no one’s giving him any grief for it, either. No one’s calling him a coward for not facing Belos, everyone is WAY more focused on keeping him safe and AWAY from Belos to even THINK about it.

And I just think that’s amazing, you know? No one is telling Hunter he needs to “redeem” himself (except Belos himself), no one is telling him he needs to go back and face his abuser, they just want him safe. Safe and free from Belos. Because he’s just a kid, for god’s sake, he’s just a kid who barely got out of a bad situation, and they all know that. He’s just like them. And it was ALWAYS about getting Hunter safe, from the moment they knew he was in real danger (Luz immediately offering him a place to stay). And it’s just so important to me. It’s so important that he’s safe, rather than “brave” and “standing up to his abuser.” No. His safety is far more valuable than any of that. And I just. Owl Show.