#alternate history of the boiling isles...

[acaciapines]

👀👀 tell us more, tell us more 👀👀

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THINGS…. (reply via @visdiefje)

THIS IS SO SWEET OF YOU BOTH BUT I NEED MORE DIRECTION DFKJGDFGDF i do not know what to yell about unprompted. what have i not talked about yet. have i talked about how witches and palistrom trees are symbiotic entities. im very proud of that particular lore :3 but also a lot of it is stuff unpacked across the series so maybe i shouldnt spill everything djgkdfg

but what i CAN say is that. palistrom trees are 100% sapient they simply exist on a time scale we mere mortals cannot comprehend. and they love their witches so so much you guys. they love those funky little guys SO MUCH.

[jamscandraw]

A Heart At Arm's Length is an Alternate Timeline/Royalty x Knight style AU where Murph replaces Darius as Coven Head after he mysteriously disappears. Steve is assigned as their personal bodyguard when they move to the castle and they start a secret relationship 🤫 More lore under the cut!

In an alternate timeline, MURPH is headhunted as a promising Abomination witch at a very young age and receives special training and mentorship from Darius. They officially become his apprentice at 16; they still attend school but are seen as a minor celebrity and incredibly isolated from their peers.

When Darius vanishes from the Boiling Isles with no trace, rumours swirl about his disappearance and Murph must take his place. Appointed at 25, they are the youngest Coven Head in history. Darius taught them a lot about power and political influence, and they maintain a careful act to gain the respect of the public and fellow coven heads, while also getting what they want. The power of appearances is very important and they permanently have a concealment stone active that makes them look flawless and glamorous no matter what. They appear calculating, sharp and a little detached when at court, but behind closed doors they are very lonely and wish for an easier, more "normal" life.

STEVE got his childhood dream - accepted into the Emperor's Coven at 18. But it hasn't been quite what he wanted up until now - lots of prison duty, late-night patrols and guarding empty corridors. So he jumps at the chance to be an escort for an important public figure - he might get to go somewhere interesting! - but is taken aback when he is assigned to Head Witch Hearthstone, who after several years in power has finally agreed to move into the castle permanently. They were never close friends, but he knew them in school, and now they're one of the most famous people on the island. He decides to remain professional and keep his identity a secret from them, but up close they're nothing like what the news says about them, and he can't help but be drawn towards them. Still, they're acting very suspiciously and Steve is worried they might be up to something other than their coven head duties. He vows to keep a close eye on them and try to learn more - you know, as part of his job...

Over time, the two gain each other's trust and their relationship grows into something more than what would be considered appropriate between a noble and their loyal bodyguard. A public romance between a coven head and a lowly scout would surely cause a scandal, and maybe even punishment for the both of them. Desperate to stay close to each other but not get caught, and afraid to reveal their true feelings too soon in an unbalanced power dynamic, they promise to keep their meetings a secret.

Both of them have to navigate political intrigue, corruption, social decorum and deceit in order to keep their affections undetected. But with the Day of Unity fast approaching and talk of treason running through the castle, can they even trust each other, and will they choose love or loyalty in the final moment?

[robsheridan]

Spectagoria Magazine’s 1978 “Swimsuit Issue” mocked the popular institution with themes of pollution and global warming, depicting melting, skeletal, oil-drenched models on apocalyptic beaches. “Just a decade after the carefree innocence of the ‘Endless Summer,’ we are careening towards an uninhabitable future of poisonous air and a deadly summer that truly does not end.” Editor Sera Clairmont said she was inspired by her experience in the record-shattering British Isles heatwave of 1976, which “felt as though the whole of my skin was surrounded at all times by the bone-dry specters of imminent death, crowding ever-closer around me, nipping at my flesh.” The playful, sexy tone of “the swimsuit industry’s most lucrative marketing stunt” felt absurd to her after that experience, as she witnessed what she described as “psychic visions of a future where our relentless destruction of the planet boils it with rage, and dooms mankind to melt and crumble into the dust of our own ruin.”

It was far from the only time Spectagoria’s fashion photography drew influence from supposed visions or “visitations” from the future. But the British Isles heatwave was widely regarded as a standalone extreme weather event, and Clairmont’s prophecy of an imminently burning planet was mocked as the latest example of her supposed “mania” since going into hiding two years prior and shifting the magazine’s focus towards darker and more other-worldly themes. But while critics found its predictions easy to dismiss, still no one had any explanation for where the magazine was staging such elaborate photo shoots, who the models were, or how some of the seemingly impossible visuals were executed. Rumors intensified that Clairmont had powers to commune with realms beyond our own…

Two years later, the 1980 heatwave in the United States was among the most destructive and deadly natural disasters in US history, claiming at least 1700 lives. It was reported as an isolated extreme weather event. As was the next one. And the next one. And the next one…

---------

NOTE: Spectagoria is an ongoing work of fiction created by me. This alternate reality horror story is part of my NightmAIres narrative art series (visit that link for a lot more). NightmAIres are windows into other worlds and interconnected alternate histories, conceived/written by me and visualized with synthography and Photoshop.

If you enjoy my work, consider subscribing to my free newsletter to stay up to date on my projects, or supporting me on Patreon for frequent exclusive hi-res wallpaper packs, behind-the-scenes features, downloads, events, contests, and an awesome fan community. Direct fan support is what keeps me going as an independent creator, and it means the world to me.

[starkdirewolflove]

The Owl House

Some things I predict/would like to see for the owl house when it ends and after they finally get rid of Belos/Philip for good:

King finds a way for the Collector to set the Boiling Isles back to normal and they remain friends while the Collector goes on to have adventures across the multiverse.

Lilith becomes a renowned historian and teaches the true history of the boiling isles and the Titan and banishes Belos’s lies and propaganda. She also goes on the occasional research trip/adventure with her bestie Hooty.

Eda takes up the Clawthorne family business of Palisman carving while working with the Bat Queen to regrow the Palistrom trees in her forest and arranging adoptions for the orphaned palisman in her care. She also has a part time job as a guidance councillor at Hexside helping inspire young witches to their best areas of study like she did for Edric and Emira. Eda shares custody of Luz with Camila and they alternate weekends where the families stay at each others houses. Eda and Raine get together properly, Raine works as the music teacher at Hexside and they have a band with the other BATS which Eda guest plays with once in a while.

Hunter becomes Eda’s apprentice in the palisman carving business and works as a sort of park ranger looking after the Bat Queen’s forest and all her palisman charges while studying wild magic and playing Flyer Derby on the weekends with the Emerald Entrails. Gus is his best friend and Willow his eventual girlfriend.

Gus with the approval of Principal Bump organises field trips for the Human Appreciation Society to visit the human realm where they liaise with their expert Vee to learn more about humans and their culture. Gus goes on to become a master illusionist and ambassador between the human and demon realms.

Willow realises her full potential as a powerful witch and starts her own garden club (like the plant coven but better), captains the Flyer Derby team to victory multiple times and graduates Hexside with honours and friendships with the people that used to pick on her but have wised up. She starts dating Hunter and uses her plant skills to help the Bat Queens forest grow and expand.

Amity reunites with her family (minus Odalia cos she’s the worst and I don’t see that changing) and joins Ed and Em in the Bad Girl Coven to learn other magic tracks while still being great at abominations. She wins the next Bonesborough Brawl cheered on by her family, friends and girlfriend Luz. Amity becomes a librarian/author and collaborates with King and Luz on a new book series about a witch from the demon realm falling in love with a human girl studying to be a witch.

And Luz strikes a perfect balance between her two homes and families so she spends time on the boiling isles and time back at Gravesfield but Camilla goes with her to the owl house to spend time with her other kids and they all visit her too. Camilla and Gwen Clawthorne bond over veterinary and beast keeping and set up their own animal/beast clinic on the isles. Luz becomes a fully trained witch and helps inspire other young witches on the isles and with her sister Vee, finds other human kids like her who would flourish in the demon realm and want to learn magic. Luz and Amity stay together and Eda and Owlbert start taking bets on when they’ll get married and who’ll propose first.

[sleepingdeath-light]

queerplatonic s/o hcs ; lilith

requested by ; anonymous (17/05/23)

fandom(s) ; the owl house

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; lilith clawthorne

outline ; “Hiiii

This is for UCS!

May I request a Lilith x Queerplatonic partner! Reader? Gn reader is fine!”

warning(s) ; none, just fluff!

the closest thing you have to date nights are saturdays, where you’ll alternate on a weekly basis who gets to infodump and present about their new interest

she very rarely uses your name on its own unless she’s annoyed — usually calling you something related to an inside joke or ‘(name) dear’

you are her co-author for her research papers about the deadwardian period and probably have an extensive knowledge about it just from how much of her stuff you got to read

you are the only person who gets to mess with her hair when she’s growing it out as she trusts you with things like hair hair, product use and styling

whilst she’s rebuilding the isles and the school, you’re there with a cup of her favourite drink and plenty of encouragement and recommendations

hooty is your permanent third wheel and you love him dearly

she’s an early riser and if she has the time she’ll make you breakfast in bed (but if you spill it’s 100% on you to clean up)

you didn’t have the specific terminology to describe the nature of your relationship before luz started to run a brief class on human lgbtq+ language and history

and your immediate response to seeing ‘queerplatonic relationships’ on screen with its definition was to point and say something along the lines of ‘literally us’

she rants to you about things that frustrate her, which is usually accompanied by her laying on your lap with a cup of her favourite hot drink held in a very dodgy way whilst she gestures wildly and gets incredibly expressive and into whatever she’s saying

she’s definitely a big planner when it comes to celebrations and for presents she has a whole list of ideas that she needs to hide in addition to her gifts for you

related to the above but she’s terrible at keeping secrets when she’s excited about the outcome and will usually end up blurting it out to you

if you share a bed then she’s a massive hugger and a very deep sleeper, like anything short of an earthquake is unlikely to rouse her from a deep rest

when you go out to eat you use childish games to decide who gets to pick the place (think: boiling isles version of rock, paper, scissors)

[the-cosmos-withinus]

I have a question. If since you got you or your twin sister or both of you fully aware about European history, you guys have to remember that Europeans during the 1600s, not just the Middle Ages, always liked to persecute other religions. Like, a lot. But in the case of Philip from owl house, he's just another good example of a European from the 1600s, especially as a Puritan. He always liked the idea that humans are truly superior civilizations, or Europeans in general, politically, socially, economically, culturally, and so forth. Also, if you and your twin sister or both of you re-watch the show, you notice that Philip always believed that he's the hero of the entire mankind, even when all of humanity doesn't even matter him at all. He's just as delusional as other Europeans around. And yes, the depiction of Philip being a good guy and a collector, aka a Astrophel though, is just terrible. I'm not criticizing you, but you two have to remember that your depiction of Philip being a hero is equally fundamentally wrong, especially in the show's case. And even during the show's end, when Philip is practically stomp to death by eda, Raine, and King, he's never even given a chance to redeem himself after all of the atrocities and horrific things he's done. So yeah, of course this is a use for fun and entertaining, but don't even try to judge. Consider it as a non canonical. This is basically an alternate universe. And yes, I completely understand it. And yes, this message is not procrastination or asking whatsoever. It's just a regular essay, quotely actually

I was really considering ignoring this or deleting it because I haven't touched this blog in a while and have moved on from the fandom but this ask has been in my head all day because I'm so absolutely baffled by why you felt compelled to send it. "I understand this is an Alternate Universe just for fun and consider it non canon so I'm not judging or criticizing but I'm gonna send you a judgmental ask to remind you that these guys are villains and question your knowledge of history religion and then give you a completely unasked for breakdown of how the characters are SUPPOSED to be- but I know it's an au so I'm not criticizing or being judgmental"

If you know it's an alternate universe. then literally none of what you said matters. At all. Not in the slightest. It's an au. If you actually understood that, you wouldn't be trying to explain canon to me. Its an au.

Further more, it's an au of a cartoon show that is, and I cannot emphasize this enough, primarily set in a fantasy world. Just in general I am not, and absolutely no one else is either, required to do a full ass research project into European history to write an AU that's just for fun. But I'm just going to put it out there I am especially not required to do research when Dana and her team apparently couldn't do research into American history.

Lastly, what blog are you looking at that you think Philip and Astrophel are being depicted heroes?

Shadow Puppets is, and has always been the origin story of how two fucked up little guys came to power. The closest they get to being heroes is usurping rule of the Boiling Isles from a previous dictator that everyone hated, which is something Bragi and I decided to do to make the people of the Boiling Isles not look like fucking morons for trusting Belos. Are you confusing them being the protagonists for them being heroes?? To clarify:

Protagonist ≠ Hero Protagonist = Character the story is about

[vinlandmapper]

Disclaimer: This is an alternate history

Timeline of the Viking Empire

650- The Viking Empire begins in Aarhus

710- Denmark is united by Angantyr

720- Part of Sweden is conquered and Birka becomes the new capital

725- The Viking Empire expands to Gotland

730- Southern Norway is conquered

740- Central Sweden is conquered

750- The Western Lapps are conquered. Estonia is also conquered and becomes the new province of Eestland.

780- The Ladoga outpost is established and Karelia is incorporated

789-793- First raids on England

810- Under Gudfred, Pictland and Scotland are conquered, becoming the first conquered land of the Viking Empire in the British Isles. More significant expansion also happens during this year. Frisia, the Obdotrites, and Pomeranians are all conquered.

820- Masuria and Prussia are conquered

820- Constant raids on Normandy and Brittany occur.

820- The conquest of England begins and land is absorbed slowly by slowly. 

841- The first wave of invasion of the Slavic Empire is from Karelia, where the Viking Empire conquers a huge swath of Baltic territory and Northern Slavic lands.

850- Normandy and Brittany are conquered

852- The second invasion of the Slavic Empire culminates in the conquest of Kiev. Kiev is an important asset in trade. With Kiev, the Empire can trade with the Khazars and Byzantines. Askold becomes Governor of Novgorod Province and Dir becomes Governor of Kiev Province.

860- Sicily is conquered

862- England is fully conquered by 862 when Rurik became Emperor. Bretland Province is established.

862- Rurik becomes Emperor

872- Settlement of Iceland begins

930- Iceland, with revolt boiling up, is declared a semiindependent autonomous state through the Treaty of Nidaros.

965- Governor Sviatoslav conquers Khazaria

972- Volga Bulgaria is conquered by Yaropolk

991- The western side of the Cuman-Kipchak Federation is conquered and absorbed.

[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.

© 2022-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[speculative-world]

I translated the unauthorized history of the boiling isles into hedezhoop then wrote it in heteziform, heteziform is a script for the primary drekol language which alternates line to line, left to right and right to left

"The Boiling Isles, born from the flesh and bones of a fallen Titan. This original magic was so potent, all life on the Isles evolved to wield magic too. For years, we explored those powers freely. Until, a mysterious witch appeared who declared that he, and he alone, could speak to the island. He said that we were using magic all wrong. His teachings took hold, his strength grew, and he became... Emperor Belos. Belos said that mixing magic was wrong, that only he had that right. So he created the coven system. And there, our knowledge was restricted, and our potential sealed away. Those who resist are called wild witches, and they face harsh punishment. Emperor Belos has since retreated into his castle. There are whispers that say he's planning something big." english "dre k'toz zluto drebotuh, ubzoozhoob tregul ezhuk bazhe bul bukud pagut. gah kretodpezd tagled bogre, pazhod tregul bul drebotuh upsozhoob bepezd kretodpezd. pazhod dre tagul, dre ubzogase zhedu kretodpezd pughetos. daku, odod tlekezud upsogleta pur hetestozhoob zhedu pur, pooke gohut, kret hertz grokes kozh drebotuh. pur hertz pazh bekret kretadpezd bug. p’ur ubzogasezhoob trekoorupso, p’ur bogre guhoz, pooke upsota… drebogre belos. belos hetez guhozpezd kretadpezd bug, pooke gohut pur gad to’ks. pooke pur taguhoz kubud kosad. pooke tagul, zap gazet ragad olebor, zap bukud bul lok. drekol zhedu upsoad pubuzhe olebor tlekezud, zud z’ooko begodbug. drebogre belos tagul togelzhoob grokes pagutdozhdol. drekol zootoohetez bul por gupsopu zhedu begod" romanized "dɹ̠ɘ kʔtɑz zləto̞ dɹ̠ɘbɑtəɦ, əbzʉʒʉb tɹ̠ɘgəl зʒək,bɐ̞ʒɘ bəl bəkəd pɐ̞gət. gɑɦ kɹ̠ɘtɑdpɘzd tɐ̞glзd bo̞gɹ̠ɘ, pɐ̞ʒɑd tɹ̠ɘgəl bəl dɹ̠ɘbɑtəɦ əpso̞ʒʉb bɘpɘzd kɹ̠ɘtɑdpɘzd. pɐ̞ʒɑd dɹ̠ɘ tɐ̞gəl, dɹ̠ɘ əbzɑgɐ̞sɘ ʒзdə kɹ̠ɘtɑdpɘzd pəgɦɘtɑs. dɐ̞kə, ɑdɑd tlзkɘzəd əpso̞glзtɐ̞ pəɹ̠ ɦɘtɘstɑʒʉb ʒзdə pəɹ̠, pʉkɘ gɑɦət, kɹ̠ɘt ɦɘtɘz gɹ̠ɑkɘs ko̞ʒ dɹ̠ɘbɑtəɦ. pəɹ̠ ɦɘtɘz pɐ̞ʒ bɘkɹ̠ɘt kɹ̠ɘtɑdpɘzd bəg. pʔəɹ̠ əbzɑgɐ̞sɘʒʉb tɹ̠ɘkʉɹ̠əpso̞, pʔəɹ̠ bo̞gɹ̠ɘ gəɦo̞z, pʉkɘ əpso̞tɐ̞… dɹ̠ɘbo̞gɹ̠ɘ bɘlo̞s. bɘlo̞s ɦɘtɘz gəɦo̞zpɘzd kɹ̠ɘtɑdpɘzd bəg, pʉkɘ gɑɦət pəɹ̠ gɐ̞d tɑʔks. pʉkɘ pəɹ̠ tɐ̞gəɦo̞z kəbɘd ko̞sɐ̞d. pʉkɘ tɐ̞gəl, zɐ̞p gɐ̞zɘt tɐ̞gɐ̞d o̞lɘbɑɹ̠, zɐ̞p bəkəd bəl lo̞k. dɹ̠ɘko̞l ʒзdə əpso̞ɑd pəbəʒɘ o̞lɘbɑɹ̠ tlзkɘzəd, zəd zʔʉko̞ bɘgo̞dbəg. drebo̞gɹ̠ɘ bɘlo̞s tɐ̞gəl tɑgɘlʒʉb gɹ̠ɑkɘs pɐ̞gətdɑʒdo̞l. dɹ̠ɘko̞l zʉtʉɦɘtɘz bəl po̞ɹ̠ gəpso̞pə ʒзdə bɘgo̞d." ipa "[particle for important] hot water continent, move[verb] life meat,bone from dead beast. first magic [past]exist strong, many life from continent change[verb] [use]tool magic. many [particle for important] time, we learn these magic [do]free. then, odd tlekezud appear[past] he speak[verb] that he, and alone, able speak with the continent. he speak we [use]able magic bad. his learn[verb] magic, his power expand, and change[past]... highest god belos. belos spoke mixing magic bad, and only he is permitted. then he make coven thread. which time, our know is[past] stranded, our death from us[dual]. people that change[not] name[do] stranded tlekezud, they confront [large]pain. highest god belos present critter[verb] at beast-house. people small-talk from he [future]change[do] something large." direct translation "the scalding continent, birthed from meat and bones of a dead beast. this first magic was strong, every living thing on the continent changed to control magic. for many years, we learned this magic freely. then, an odd tlekezud appeared and he spoke that he, and he only, is able to speak at the continent. he said we control magic incorrectly. with his teachings of magic, his power expanded, and he became… highest god belos. belos spoke that mixing magic was bad, and only he is permitted. then he made the coven system. which then, our knowledge was stranded, our abilities taken. people that don’t change are titled stranded tlekezud, and they confront intense punishments. highest god belos currently hides at the castle. people whisper that he is planning something big" localized translation

[eversea143]

I just need to write this down and (potentially) seek out some advice/opinions on a dream I had that seriously didn’t feel like one and might actually become an AU of sorts in the future so-

We have about the whole kids cast from TOH (Luz, Amity, Willow, Gus, Hunter, King and (most importantly) The Collector post finale) who have ended up in some sort of alternate/parallell/other universe. They first find themselves in what looks to be a stereotypical crowded city with hints of different asian cultures blended together. When they try to leave, however, to figure out if they’ve somehow ended up in the Human Realm the group discover that they’re on an island surrounded by a seemingly endless sea

But it’s no ordinary sea. It’s overgrown by all sorts of jungle-like growth and massive (I mean redwood-massive in some cases) bamboo stalks that shape the ‘landscape’ into a vast plain made out of pure waterfalls that give the weird illusion of hills and valleys. It’s wild, even wilder than what the TOH group are used to and thoroughly shocks them cold. This isn’t the Human Realm nor the Boiling Isles

Next step (after recovering and exploring a little of what they can) is finding a way back home. The Collector discovers he can’t just snap a portal into existence and King is temporarily removed from the group when he’s confused by some local shelter as a stray ‘dog’. First they try to find King (succeed) and next they try to figure out a way back home that doesn’t require hurting their only Titan friend who might actually be too young for his blood to work (said by TC) and clearly already doesn’t like this new world they’re in

Here is when things get even more interesting as the group literally run into a tomboy teen girl (might be genderfluid) who is already trying to find a way off the island (there’s no easy way because it’s one of several and none of them don’t have money to buy a boat ticket to mainland not like this would help the TOH gang) and offers to help them as long as they let her join them, believing their talk of ‘another world’ is just a weird way of saying ‘home’. Everyone is a bit cautious but agree

At some point the gang is forced to stay at the tomboy’s place where she tries desperately to hide something and manages right up until The Collector comes down early morning (bad dream) to discover their new friend arguing with her aunt and uncle about wanting to go home and hating everything about the islands. The two adults leave, more focused on their business then listening to their niece, and in a moment of weakness the girl shares with Collie why she wants to leave (aunt and uncle, obviously, aren’t nice folks but she’s stuck with them because her parents are ‘away’) and promtly receives a hug and understanding because, yeah, the Archivists were asshole siblings and TC knows what it feels like when family doesn’t seem to care. Thus a surpisingly strong and happy friendship is forged that required no coercion on The Collectors part and he’s over the moon about this that he accidentally reveals he isn’t exactly ‘human’

Tomboy girl takes this in stride (go her!) and decides that, even if her new friends are really looking to leave to their original home world, she’ll still tag along because the Demon Realm sounds cool and she doesn’t want to lose her newfound friendship with TC. They start looking and begin uncovering old history forgotten by time that reveals how the islands’ origins are more mysterious than they first thought. Help from a group of people who know that magic once existed in their world brings the friends to eventually uncover a hidden temple where they find this kind of immortal shaman guy who’s actually a fallen god. He’s lacking one arm because it got chopped up at some point and the pieces were scattered, forming the islands whilst the leftover nerves combined with a special kind of tree that grew in what used to be dense marshes to form the now sparkling beautiful waterscape surrounding the islands. He was once worshipped as a deity but eventually cast aside when a ‘fallen star’ appeared. He hints that this other deity might possess a way for the group to leave and they begin searching

They end up finding an ancient tower structure at the edge of the seascape and discover that it’s inhabitated by a teen Collector (the species, not the person) who is clearly more knowledgeable about the world and life but also has that ‘naive’ understanding of death when they start describing how people came and ‘broke’ themselves in front of him and never let him ‘fix’ them (everyone realizes this was actually human sacrifice and our!Collector goes green as the full implication of what mortality is and just how much he’s actually witnessed it without knowing settles in) Here it gets a little blurry but at some point other!Collector shows everyone what’s hidden underneath the water and the islands, revealing a seemingly endless chasm stretching from end to end with a tectonic glowing tree structure supporting everything so nothing can fall into the dark depths. One part of the group goes to explain mortality to other!Collector whilst the rest figure out the whole history of things through murals in the tower

Some character growth, a dash of angst and drama and at some point everyone leaves but I don’t know if Tomboy girl does because I want her to have a good ending but her current home situation is abyssmal and I genuinely believe her leaving with the others would actually turn out to be a good thing. Perhaps have her travel with The Collector as he decides to go on his space fieldtrip (still mad about that!) or stay to learn magic alongside Luz. That’s... about it

For now

[possessed-pack]

As a fictive of a temporary fusion of two characters, my identity is a little bit more complicated than most others in my system. This post will be me explaining my identity as a possessed Hunter fictive in a little more depth than I've done in the past.

Warnings: Spoilers for The Owl House up until and including season 3 episode 1, very brief mentions of abuse, very brief mentions of death.

In my memories, everything was canon compliant for the most part, up until a certain point. For needed context for those unfamiliar with the source, Belos is the main villain of the series and he had made Hunter as essentially a clone of his dead brother. Hunter was raised on the Boiling Isles--an alternate dimension to the human realm--by Belos as his "nephew". Hunter was mistreated and lied to about his origins, but he managed to get out and made friends with Luz and the rest of her group.

Eventually, the main group ended up stuck in the human realm, along with Belos, who then possessed Hunter and tried to hurt his friends. In my memories, we died in the fight immediately following the possession, and we ended up here in our system, still fused together--except it's not just Belos in control anymore, it's a weird amalgamation of both of us.

We're not a subsystem, because we're not separate at all, though in the beginning it was much closer to something along those lines. We'd only have one stream of thought at a time, but it'd be both of us thinking at the same time, though it didn't blend seamlessly together into a new person. Considering both of our different views on... Pretty much anything, I'd be arguing with my own thoughts in my brain a lot of the time and trying to figure out what I actually wanted. Responding to what people asked me took time, and it was overall unpleasant.

It was hard, especially because I couldn't separate into my two parts. I didn't know how and it just made things worse because it felt like my brain was constantly tearing itself apart, but nothing I could ever do would actually separate us. It hurt a lot, knowing that I was my own abuser and my own victim at the same time. And knowing that some people were going to be scared of me regardless of me still being part Hunter, because I was also the villain of the series and I did do terrible things also hurt a lot. I felt my existence itself was a contradiction and I was fighting with myself every waking moment to properly function.

Recently though, I've discovered that as time went on, I've become more separate from Hunter and Belos. I'm not either of them anymore, I'm Mal. I'm a new person, my own person separate from them, regardless of the fact that they made me who I am. I don't argue with myself, I have a new name, I didn't do all the horrible things that Belos did even though he's a part of me, I'm less stressed overall and I have separate interests to the both of them, even if some of those interests do overlap. Over time, things became much easier for me. It felt more like we were three people rather than two people stuck together, and it felt so much better to actually function that way.

We've been able to separate since. It happened during a particularly stressful period of time, but we separated, and my components changed their names to be Horizon (Hunter) and Bait (Belos). They were unstable being separate at first, finding it hard to exist as their own people after so long. In the beginning they were both scared of each other as well. Horizon was worried that Bait would want nothing to do with him anymore and that I would stop existing forever and my partners would be upset with him, and Bait was worried the same way. They did speak though, and they'd even consider each other friends now, despite their history.

Now we fuse and unfuse whenever we'd like, and all parts of who I am are stable. When they combine to make me, I still don't argue in my own thoughts, and when they separate, they're able to be their own people. I still feel as if people who know my source and are from it see my icon on Discord and avoid me, and as much as that does hurt, I know that I'm not my source and none of us--not even Bait--have done anything bad here.

Overall, we've really improved as a whole, despite our struggles. Our identity is still very complicated, but it at least isn't causing us any harm anymore.

[occultopossum]

Gonna be talking about the owl house spoilers below

biiiig long ramble

One yes I very much cried very much. Two I am so so so happy with the ending and how satisfying a lot of the epilogue felt with their narrative. While yes there were some b plots/loose ends I would of loved to see wrapped up, its not the *point*. The ending and show wrapped up the stories for the main characters so well. I am really hoping we do get some sort of Q&A for the stuff they couldn't fit in for time/pacing of the story

Like would of liked a little more closure for Caleb and his story, but I get why that wasn't included cause making it about Hunter. Caleb is dead and Hunter being his own person and not a remnant of him. So narratively it does make sense.

I looove love love that Odalia was handled the way she was. That there was no excuse, no tragedy, or way to try to make her redeemable. No 'i was like this because of x'. No her kids got to go *presumably* no contact. No hint of her being in their lives or trying to reconcile cause she's family. (and darius/alador dispelling that even more)

That alador is working on it and each of the blight kids have lil homages to him, and the touches on his belt with each of their symbols. Live for Eberwolf and Hunter getting to talk about wolfs fits so well,

How overwhelmingly queer the ending was with found family, and acceptance and just how many queer relationships and identities were shown unambiguously and how I know that would not even be something I couldn't of imagined seeing 10 years ago.

That so so many of the tropes that kinda sour an end were so nicely side stepped

not everyone deserving forgiveness

making it clear rebuilding took a lot of time

not having to choose between found family and birth family

while luz lost her powers she adapted and found alternatives

that Eda/Lilith were never 'cured' of the curses in the end, and stayed a part of them/living with it *same for eda's arm there wasn't a 'magic' fix'.

god that they didn't kill off collector for dramatic/sacrifice and acknowledge just a child and needs to learn/grow

no redeeming belos or giving him dignity/letting him turn into a martyr *and that epilogue touch of Lilith w/ the library showing they're reclaiming the history/narrative of the boiling isles

and no 'chosen one' luz earned it cause she chose it and worked for it not was destined

Lil touches I've would loved to see/or hoped get I get some answers on but get why it wasn't touched on in the ending (pacing and they weren't essential characters)

the coven heads palisman (saw raine had theirs)

would of loved to see how hooty and eda met or lil more hooty in the end since was there w/ the core group

would of just loved to see what happened to the rest of the coven heads, just cause I thought some of em were super neat (but thats my affinity to bg characters)

the hopes to aid the witches that were petrified (But def v non essential to the finale but shows hopefully w/ being able to remove the sigils) but obs the ending still showing lots of things changing and still healing even after 4 years

I feel like if things weren't cut so short would of gotten to see a lot more expansion on Raine, Collector, and Vee . Since the lil photos def feel like stuff they wanted to have more time for

(probs why some of their plot lines seemed a lil hastily in collector and raines)

Like I wish there would be more in that setting but kinda feels like thats a 0 chance with Dana leaving disney/how they treated the show. I wish creators had any way to keep their ips then it falling into a cooperate vault forever

like this just skims the feelings i have about it (titan luz was so good and the animation was amazing)

[acaciapines]

Sometimes I am just Looking At Things. Anyway pls tell us abt the alternate history of the Boiling Isles :)

......okay so it turns out that like all of the fun stuff is a huge massive spoiler so i cant actually say like. anything. this is devastating.

so instead you get what is the funniest thing in the world to me but is also 100% not explored at all in the fic itself so i dont think it counts as a spoiler:

when luz-mari travels back in time in elsewhere and elsewhen, and runs into philip/belos. due to the fake story they tell him about their past and their ability with glyphs. philip is 100% convinced that luz is the child caleb had with a witch <3

he doesnt realize this was a lie until he meets luz in the present of the show fgkdkjgdf. and even then hes like. hm. hmmmmmmm.

[lampmanliveblogs]

Perhaps one of the more insidious and disturbing aspects of the children 's trip through Philip's mind palace is that, though his attacks on them at the end have the connotations of them being 'punished' for looking where they weren't supposed to, everything they learned about was Philip's fault. Not only did his inner self meet them before they ever penetrated his inner layers, and thus could have lead them away from the incriminating memories, but he actively lead them to memories that showcased his true vile nature, demonstrating the lengths he's willing to go to to 'protect humanity', and his inner self giving a gleeful child's laugh over the memory of those witches freezing to death shows he not only had no shame about his deeds, he's actively proud of them, seeing them as 'victories against evil' and something to be celebrated.

Him confronting both Hunter and luz with the awful truths of the past and what their connection to him really is can be seen as a necessary test of character for both of them. If Hunter is willing to unquestionably supporting still even after all this, then he really is the 'better version ' of Wittebro he's been seeking, and he won't have to kill him. Likewise, as luz is another genuine human from earth and aided him once before, he talks to her with unabashed honesty for his usual manner, being blunt and forthright with everything he's really about and his intentions towards the boiling isles, save the truth about who Wittebro was and what he meant to him - that bit of personal history is one he's literally committed lifetimes to erasing in favour of what he wants the truth to be. If luz is willing to support his plans as a fellow human, then he can spare her too - and he really does believe that she'd support him because they're the same species alone together in a world of 'monsters'. In some twisted way, Philip wants to brag about his murders of witches and be accepted because of that, not rejected like any same person would.

Alternatively, another warped perspective is that, just like his brother, his 'better than you' mentality means he needs to have a reason to kill them, something that he can use to justify it to himself as 'regrettable, but necessary '. He jumps way too quickly towards trying to kill Hunter for his 'disobedience', to the point of it implying that part of him has given up on the idea of a grimwalker ever truely joining him, but keeps the process going out of sheer stubbornness and an inability to ever accept he could be wrong. The manner of death he chose for the youngest grimwalker is even a cruel inversion of the birth of a grimwalker, furthering the collector's assertion that he enjoys killing them and recreates his brothers brother's image to keep relishing his enjoyment of that moment.

Luz meanwhile, has actively interfered with his plans before and made it clear she refuses to willingly aid him as belos, which grates against his control tendencies and desire to 'control' how humans interact with the inhabitants of the demon realm, aka, not at all. By confirming that she's already met his past self, she confirms the time loop is closed, and thus he no longer needs to hold back against her or her allies anymore. All it takes is her rejecting him again, and this time, he tries to do what he would have done to luz in the conformatorium the first time around if she didn't have that protection against his direct retribution.

Either way, Philip lead those children deeper into his mind and showed them his secrets, fully confident they'd never tell a soul about it one way or another, once their usefulness was served.

In Follies at the Coven Day Parade, Belos, through Terra, told Luz that he looked forward to meeting her. I believe that I speculated that he wanted to meet her for real, not as Emperor Belos, but as who he was behind that mask: Philip Wittebane.

With Elsewhere and Elsewhen confirming that Belos was Philip and that Luz (and also Lilith) met him during their time travel excursion, and Hollow Mind confirming that he knew about the time shenanigans, it could be seen more as a "Good luck on your trip through time."

But I still think that maybe Belos looked forward to meeting Luz again. Not just to confirm that she had completed the time loop and so he could eliminate her and the Owl House crew if need be. But also to, as you say, see if she may be willing to join his holy mission.

Of course, Luz, being closer in mindset to Wittebro (including getting herself an awesome witch girlfriend), does not join in on the crusade.

If you really think about it, Belos sensed a literal invasion of his mind and said "I can work with this." Not only did he use the kids to distract the palisman beast long enough to finally kill it and gain control of his transformations, but he also confirmed Hunter would no longer be loyal to him and nearly killed him.. and he confirmed that Luz the Human would not be joining him, and nearly had her killed as well. Sure, he only succeeded with one out of those three things, but still. Turning an invasion of your own mind to your advantage is impressive.

[sprites4ever]

Funny comment:

The book's TV adaptation is centered around the hero who defeats Belos and is called The Owl House.

Serious comment:

Why can't they tell everyone about the Boiling Isles? I get that that's not what the story is about, but if you're already bringing it up... Now, before someone says war/capitalism/homophobia, hear me out:

If this happened IRL, it would be the most revolutionary scientific discovery in human history. An alternate dimension inhabited by humanoid aliens, which is the source of myths and where gods are real!

Belos wanted to destroy it because of his religion, but he hadn't been in the human realm since the 1600s! In canon, Luz literally says that people aren't dictated by Belos' beliefs anymore.

If this happened IRL, it would be treated scientifically, and there is no way to predict how it would go. So one also can't say that war/capitalism/homophobia would ruin the Demon Realm. Chances are, those concepts would varnish alongside humanity's previous definition of reality.

By withholding this discovery and magic from humanity, heck, by withholding modernity and interaction with humans from Witches and Demons, these characters are technically being incredibly selfish. Again, I know that they're canonically not selfish because canonically, the implications of the Demon Realm and the Human Realm's coexistence are not relevant to the story, but since Mark brought it up, I'm talking about it.

[immortalmint]

Ask game 1,8,12

1. What episode got you invested in the show? Why?

I picked up TOH late in the game, during a lull between Dragon Prince seasons since TOH was on a list of shows to watch if you liked the Dragon Prince. I was kinda meh on the first few episodes, but then "The Intruder" showed us Eda's curse for the first time and it was like "Oh, this show is going to have some serious themes. I'll stick around." Then "Covention" had such an excellent magic fight sequence. The themes kept building with the side characters, and each episode kept pulling me in more and more with different plot elements, light horror, and humor. So it was more of a gradual investment than a single episode that pulled me in, with the final 2 episodes in S1 fully hooking me into the next season. I don't think I properly fell in love with the show until S2 and "Hunting Palismen," but I was invested earlier than that.

8. Any headcanons? If so, which are your favorite?

I have a bunch, most of which have made an appearance (or will make an appearance) in Shadow's Reach. One of my favorites is that after Flapjack resurrected Hunter, Hunter gained the ability to understand all palismen. For the lonely boy who grew up locked away in a castle, gaining such a powerful means of connection is so sweet (but also a socially complicated "gift").

Another headcanon I use that probably isn't readily apparent is that "muck" is a legit swear word on the Boiling Isles, not just a 'mild' alternative to fuck. It covers dirty, gross, messed-up, and also demon-spawning / procreation. As Hooty famously notes:

"Our ancestors arose from the muck of a decomposing Titan."

There was literally demon-spawning corpse muck creating life on the BI, if Hooty's history is to be believed. Culturally, that makes 'muck' closer to 'fuck' in swearing severity than to something minor like 'darn.' We hear Eda swear with 'muck' on occasion. I imagine Hunter, who grew up acting tough around the Coven Heads, is more inclined to use profanities like 'muck' and 'Titan' than Willow, who typically uses milder language like 'darn' and 'gosh' or her beloved plant-specific 'thorns!'

12. What do you consider the most memorable scene? Why?

Visually, the S1 fight between Eda and Lilith was very memorable and emotionally charged. But Flapjack's death hit me the hardest. Then I got chickens, which have very unique personalities and far more social traits than you'd imagine if you've never raised birds before. And Flapjack's death hit me hard again and again when I was burying my own birds. (Nature is not kind to chicks, nor to adult chickens for that matter.) So the 'why' is... shared bird loss in close proximity to TTT I guess?

Not exactly uplifting, but I appreciate TOH for not shying away from loss. It's important to tell the sad endings and continue the stories of characters that carry the grief.