#but it finalized the puppetification

[cheesycatz]

Spamton EX and addisons crumbs you can lick off the carpet because I feel a little bad for abandoning him for 8 months

- read lore here -

plot scraps (yapping session) below

First, I’d like to establish my interpretation of the relationship between Spamton and the addisons. I like to see their conflict as two-sided. They weren’t mean to addispam, but, because they saw him as “just another addison,” they never truly understood him or his desires. They couldn’t understand why he refused to settle for a simple life, why he wanted to be at the very top. Spamton didn’t want to conform, he wanted to be his own person. I don’t know if he could even put it into words at that point. And, because he felt so alienated, it was easier for the voice on the phone to manipulate him. It was the only one who truly understood him.

(My canon addisons have the same personalities as they do in the Wormton AU. I’m just going to ignore the fact that they’re like 20 years younger in Wormton’s universe lol)

The addisons noticed that Spamton started acting differently after his big break, but they didn’t understand the reason behind it. They assumed it was just the riches and fame warping him. And, when they inevitably have their fight at the Cyber Grill, poison is spat from both sides. Spamton doesn’t want them to know that he's completely reliant on outside help, and he’s become so paranoid that he shuts them out of his life. He doesn’t feel safe with them, both because of the manipulation and because they never previously understood him. The addisons respond with varying degrees of hostility, because all they really know is that Spamton barely talks to them, is suspiciously rich, and acts like he’s above them.

If one of the addisons visited Spamton before it was too late, maybe something could have changed. Spamton had no one for company but his crumbling mind. The calls stopped coming, whether Spamton was the one to break away or not. Whatever was going on with him and Tenna’s crew dried up. Jevil, the few times he showed up, was not exactly a therapist. Swatch used to listen to him vent, but their sympathy vanished once he discovered NEO and started worshipping it. He revered it as a god, the only hope he had left of escaping his disintegrating life and this world that saw him as nothing but living garbage destined to be forgotten.

Spamton’s puppetification started as soon as he made contact with the voice on the phone, but its progress was exponential, starting out undetectable, showing subtle signs as he reached the top, and growing rapidly by his decline. More and more of his fur fell out, never growing back. His skin slowly died and flaked off, only made worse by the fact that he anxiously picked at it. By the time he was evicted, he had peeled all the skin off his hands, revealing the segmented plastic that had been growing underneath. Between his corpse-like appearance and Queen’s general dislike of him, every mention of his name had been scrubbed from the city. The more drastic changes to his body–the warping of his teeth and face, the drastic shortening of his legs, the loss of his tail, toes, and claws–took place during his first months on the street. Starving, disoriented, and even more isolated, Spamton was in denial of his new form for a long time. He never accepted it, just replaced his denial with complete and utter hate for the body he was trapped in, and a determination to finally take NEO.

The addisons assumed he was dead. Spamton did have a missing person’s report, though it was hard to find. They were the only ones who ever searched for him. They probably did accidentally catch a glimpse of him in the 20 years since, but his glitched voice and completely different appearance would’ve made him unrecognizable. The fact that he actively tried to avoid them didn’t help. I think, given how horrific of a state he was in, they probably would want to help him, especially if he came clean, but you really can’t blame him for not wanting anything to do with them anymore. His view of them gets warped over time, seeing them as just traitors. He remembers the good times, but the bad times are so much more vivid. 

------

Due to the fact that Spamton EX kind of just roams around eating out of dumpsters all day, one of the addisons is bound to stumble across him eventually. While he can still remember the addisons in his compromised state, and automatically doesn’t trust them, he’s pretty easily placated with food. I think any one of the four could accidentally find him first, but I drew Blue because I’m very biased towards them thanks to the Wormton fic. The last time they’ve seen his face is when his ads were plastered all over the entire city, so he’s completely unrecognizable in his current state. He can comprehend the questions the addisons ask him, but it takes too much brain power to respond or think critically about it for the most part. 

I drew Blue meeting Spamton EX early on, when he’s around five ft tall. They recognize his jacket and the shape of his glasses, and eventually discover that he responds when they call him by his name. The fact that the probably homeless, half feral, weird puppet-bird-dragon thing is somehow Spamton is, frankly, horrifying. He was a missing cold case. He was supposed to be dead! No matter how bitter some of the addisons feelings are towards him, I don’t think any of them can look at him in his current state and say he hasn’t been through enough (though, they don’t have to be nice about it).

Blue interacts with him over a few days, not close enough to realize that he’s already gained several inches. They tell the other addisons about him, too. They notice just how terrible his wings look. The muscles aren’t weak enough for them to start dragging on the ground yet, but they look like the inside of a dryer vent that hasn’t had the lint cleaned out in 30 years with the sheer amount of downy fluff and old feathers stuck to them. He doesn’t react as they touch his wings, pulling them open and witnessing a waterfall of Spamton-themed asbestos falling out. Orange realizes that the downy feathers, alongside the too small holes ripped through the back of his jacket, imply that the wings grew in recently. He lets his wings lay limp against the ground once they let go. 

Blue tries to question him about his wings, and, once he finally realizes that, no, that's not a heavy blanket attached to him and is, in fact, a completely new pair of limbs, he freaks out, overheats, and blacks out. NEO uses his voice box to produce an error message, which is the only comprehensible phrase they’ve ever heard him say at this point. Blue tries to carry him to their shared house, but he’s so heavy that they need help. 

At some point while trying to treat him, Spamton’s soul comes out (HIGHLY concerning, because an addison’s organs aren’t, you know, supposed to burst out of their chest), immediately revealing the source of the problem, a sickening bloody disk wedged directly into his heart. They assume it's responsible for all of his appearance, and is some really weird form of malware. Spamton wakes up, tries to scratch the addisons with the precision of a newborn kitten, manages to breath a Spamton-shaped white fireball at the wall, and stumbles out the door on all fours once one of the addisons opens the door for him.

He avoids the addisons for a while, during which he gets found and preened by Swatch. Between Blue trying to get him to fold his wings properly and making him aware that he has wings in the first place, his wings aren’t atrophied in this version, and he can move them when he's awake. Though, they still dangle when he’s unconscious, and he never cleans them. Eventually, he accidentally finds an addison again, and is willing to tolerate them as long as he still gets his free food. He’s over 7 ft tall at this point, his jacket torn to shreds. Blue feels bad for him because of his lack of clothes, but Orange doesn’t see the point in making him clothes if he’s going to outgrow them in a week. Pink figures he doesn’t even care, considering he’s been missing pants the entire time. 

Spamton’s size continues growing, much to the addisons’ horror. His claws leave white streaks in the concrete, his body weight dents their dumpster, and the feathers he leaves grow as long as their entire body, then even longer. Spamton, the shortest addison, is now as tall as their house, wings massive enough to knock them over with one flap. While they made him aware of their wings, Blue didn’t realize he was also unaware of his size until he picked them up like a doll, prodding at their limbs and making a confused sound. He doesn’t hurt them, but they are painfully aware that they are much more fragile than the dumpster he had already smashed like a tin can.

When Spamton regains his mind, he doesn’t remember a lot from his time wandering around Castle Town, but he remembers the addisons being involved in some way, because he somehow knows exactly where their stores and house are. He decides to avoid them while adjusting to his new body, living in Ralsei’s castle. 

Eventually, Spamton does confront the addisons, a little disgusted by how civilized they’re suddenly being, because he still sees them as backstabbing traitors. If they cared about him so much, why were they only doing something about it now? They’re 20 years too late. He’s already broken beyond repair, and he isn’t going to come crawling back. But, the addisons never had any idea the extent of what Spamton’s gone through, and he was never going to tell them. No matter how angry some of them were, they all still looked for him when he went missing. Everyone made mistakes, and everyone played some part in this mess. He doesn’t have to forgive them, but they’re willing to try again if he’s willing to.

Spamton slowly starts to interact with the addisons again, usually one on one. I could imagine Orange making him some clothes that actually fit, Blue trying to be nice while also pretending they’re not still scared, Pink making fun of his goofy ass, and Yellow getting stuck as the unqualified therapist. This would be a lot more nuanced and complicated than I’m willing to fit in a short what-if scenario post.

I think it would take him a really long time to forgive them. And, maybe he’ll never be truly comfortable with them, never reveal what actually happened to him. But, they were at least willing to try to understand him. And, he’s been alone for far too long. Worst case scenario, he can blast them to smithereens if they try anything. Perhaps he could befriend someone else from the future chapters? Or maybe he’ll just be making frequent assassination attempts at Tenna.

There’s my lil idea for how the addisons could be incorporated into my Spamton EX. He’s mostly the same, but goes through a little more angst in exchange for some reconciliation. I don’t think I described it much in my original EX lore post, but he’s still very much a cryptid after his recovery. I could see him monetizing it or using it as free publicity. The poor Castle Town citizens would be terrified of the building-sized bird man that randomly pops out of alleys and threateningly tries to sell you fake car insurance. Or, seeing the glint of his glasses in the sky right before he descends onto the dumpster in front of you like the mother of all seagulls. Maybe he’s metaphorically like the dragon that the village barely tolerates, but gives a sheep every once and a while so he won’t burn down the entire village.

I keep worrying about being in character, but I suppose most Spamton EX's are almost unique characters on their own, so I'm trying to get myself to have more fun with it. I'm thinking about bringing back the magenta suit jacket my old OLD (so old he doesn't even exist on my tumblr) EX had, to lean into that pink and green color scheme more. Who knows when I'll get to that, but hopefully it won't take me another 8 months, woops

[tentacledsnakelover]

The Owl House Finale Rewrite

I love The Owl House. The story, the animation, the music, the characters. It is no surprise the show stands out as a favorite, including mine. But even being a fan cannot make me ignore the flaws of something, no matter how much I love it. I feel while the story was wrapped up well, the series from a writing standpoint was messy. A lot of my gripes with the last two specials involved not using time wisely, the Collector's character being retconned, and ignoring themes of the show. Here is how I would have rewritten the last two specials. I am by no means a professional writer. I have no idea what was going on behind the scenes and I want to give the benefit of the doubt to Dana and her team.

For The Future: The special opens immediately as Luz and her family/friends enter the demon realm. Everyone is on edge after the confrontation with Belos, and everyone with magic is drained, after having used their powers signifcantly in a realm with no ambient magic. Luz offers to bring everyone to the Owl House to recuperate. When they arrive, a wave of starry energy engulfs the house and surrounding area, bringing the puppetfied citizens of the isles with it. Willow and Luz attempt to save Willow's dad from the puppet Owl Beast, but then the Collector arrives with King, having come to play the Owl House game. King is relieved to see Luz, but horrified to see she is now in harm's way. The Collector is shocked too. King kept the Collector from trying to find Luz and her friends by claiming they would want to ruin their game and that the Hexsquad should be left alone. King manages to convince the Collector not to hurt Luz, and he takes her back to the Archives. He leaves the others by encasing the Owl House in a dome at the request of King.

The rest of the Hexsquad and Camila are then saved by a group of resistance members, consisting of Raine, Darius, Eber, the CATTS, and some Hexside kids. Raine explains after the Collector stopped the Day of Unity, Eda attempted to stop the Collector with harpy mode but turned into the Owl Beast. While the Collector dealt with beast Eda, King dropped Raine his collar, who figured out the symbol etched on it neutralized the Collector's magic. Raine has spent the past few months saving the puppetfied citizens, taking them from under the Collector's nose while they play. The Hexsquad's arrival proved the perfect distraction for Raine to save Lilith and Hooty, who the Collector was keeping an eye on due to being important characters for the game, and use the symbol to undo their puppetification.

Raine takes the group back to Hexside, which is hidden using the symbol. The group formulates a plan. Using Lilith's memory of Philip's teleportation glyph combo and her knowledge of the architecture of the Archives, the Hexsquad, CATTS, and Camila, teleport into the Archives, to find and teleport all the puppetfied citizens back to Hexside where they can be safe.

They manage to teleport all the puppetfied citizens to safety, but Odalia turns up. Having been reduced to the Collector's servant, she decides to capture the group in an effort to win the Collector's favor. The group is divided, with Willow, Gus, and Hunter in one group (Willow has her breakdown arc here with Hunter, as she blames herself for getting Luz caught and not being able to do anything). Amity and Camila manage to defeat Odalia and regroup with the kids and the CATTS.

Meanwhile, after having been captured, Luz was brought to the Archives. When they arrived, the Collector dropped Luz to the floor, the impact causing Luz to go unconscious until she is revived by the Collector (While unconscious, she appears in the In-Between Realm, where a mysterious figure tries to get her attention). King is mad at the Collector for hurting Luz, though they try to brush this off, claiming they fixed Luz, and thus it is okay. The Collector asks King to bring Luz to where Eda is being kept underguard by the puppetfied Titan Trappers. Eda is in fact, back in control of herself, and she and King embrace Luz. Eda explains she has seen that the Collector, despite his apathy towards people, is still just a kid, and she has been complying evidence to try and get him to see the error of his ways. However, the Collector arrives, having placed a bug on Luz. The Collector is furious that King lied to them about Eda being stuck in beast form and Luz leaving the demon realm on purpose. The Collector attempts to puppetify the girls but King intercepts the shot, though he remains unchanged.

The Collector now gets nervous, and after being prodded by King reveals Titans are immune to Collector magic, and that he didn't let King know that because he was afraid King wouldn't want to play with him otherwise unless he believe the Collector had control over him. The upset Collector reveals he is the last of his species, who after years of distrust and suspicion of the Titans, led to a war where the two species wiped each other to near extinction. The only surviving adult Titan, King's dad, angrily imprisoned the Collector using the tablets as a catalyst. The tablets were made by the Collector as a gift for the Titans. That way, he could always communicate with the baby Titans, who weren't afraid and distrustful of him like the adult Titans.

Luz, Eda, and King take the Collector on a tour of the isles, trying to get him to understand the importance of empathy and ethics, though the efforts end up striking a nerve with Luz, as the Collector points out Philip thought he was justified by doing what he did, and that Luz also thinks she is justified because she is a 'good guy' too, which worries Luz because she cannot handle the idea of being like Belos. (This references a cut storyboard in which the Collector questions why Luz would say other people but Belos are complex)

The trio are able to make the Collector open to the idea of being more empathetic, and he brings them back to the Archives, where they reunite with the Hexsquad and Camila. Camila and Luz have a heart to heart, which allows Stringbean to hatch. But then they notice the ground below the Archives is shaking, and the sky turns green, with the eye sockets of the Titan glowing blue. The gang realizes Belos is doing something with the Titan, and the special ends on a cliffhanger.

I will try and post my ideas for the rewrite of "Watching and Dreaming later"

[sergeantsporks]

Wait in the newest chapter they use an ice glyph to try and escape. Is the Titan not dead in gilded?

RIGHT I explained that in my author's note on Ao3, but not here. The titan is, unfortunately, still dead.

Watsonian explanation: Luz released a burst of titan magic that restored the Isles after Belos possessed the titan, and there's leftover magic still lingering in the air for now. Luz and regular witches can't access it, but the amplification properties of the Grims' galderstone hearts allow them to still use glyphs for little bit (not permanent, the magic will dissipate)

Doyalist explanation: I planned the Kidnapping and the Epic Showdown Next Chapter pre-finale and sort of banked on glyphs still being around for certain things, and I didn't want to change it. Plus, Belos needed to be able to wake Jason and Ghost up from puppetification, so. Glyphs!

[colliholly]

Any headcanons on Spamton's puppetification? Like, acid lake theory or transformation theory?? Both are depressing as heck but..

I'm for puppetification! Never really liked the acid lake theory personally. I like to think Spamton might've fallen into the acid during one of his mansion break-in attempts, but it wasn't what caused him to physically change. (It probably didn't do wonders for his already deteriorating mind, however.)

My headcanon is that whatever magic or otherworldly force that was initially helping Spamton later became the same force that worked against him and caused him to transform. I imagine during Bshot Spamton's final days at the mansion he wasn't doing too hot... fur falling off, teeth growing larger, all that stuff. Guy was a mess :[

[lollytea]

well lolly , since theres only six days left can we get some super wrong or super right predictions from you?

I'm a little late (4 days now!!) Anyways I'm not good at predictions. Here's some silly little wishes instead. I know I'm not getting any of this but I can dream. (Most of these copy n pasted directly from discord.)

- Gus casting a huge terrifying illusion around everything as he gives Belos one long "reason you need to repent for your sins" speech. He walks towards him, shifting into all the people he's hurt over the centuries. Then he turns into Evelyn, then Caleb. I want Gus to be Belos' worst nightmare basically.

- I've seen takes that Gus being the key against Belos and all the grimwalker lore wouldn't fit and has nothing to do with his arc and it shouldn't be his responsibility. But like

Gus has spent his whole life being deceived for being trusting and gullible. Gus going up against a man who has built his life on lies and deception. Oh it would fuck. And all the similarities between Gus and the Collector. Like this part of the story is practically tailored for Gus to slip into. If you know how to write it. And I just hope they know how to write it

Ohhhhh I know Gus already loathes Belos as much as anybody but ohhhhh. He learns the Collector lore and then turns to Belos, eyes glowing like "You lied to him. You said you were his friend but you lied to him."

- I'm not an Amity Blight expert so I'm probably far off. But I've been thinking about it. I'm wondering if maybe her puppetification is JUST her, rather than it being all of the kids. And maybe Odalia is directly responsible.

And considering Amity is overdue for her ✨️Moment✨️ I'm wondering if this might be it. There's a running theme in the owl house when it comes to puppets and puppet masters, and this is directly linked to the characters who suffered abuse and manipulation at the hands of their parental figures.

Hunter got his puppet moment in TTT. Maybe Amity gets something similar in WAD. I know she's HAD her big important moment of establishing her autonomy in EE and then again in COTH. But maybe its one final nod to it. I also find it interesting that in spite of being puppetfied her hand is moving. Like to symbolise this defiance and stubbornness to comply with what Odalia has demanded of her ever since EE

- I've been mostly thinking about the potential scenario of Belos!Luz and GG!Hunter from Luz's POV. Cuz idek if we're getting the actual Hunter or a dream version of Hunter.

But like. It's FUCKED. Because Belos was Hunter's blood relation. He was his family. A terrible twisted version of a family but the only kind Hunter knew.

And then came Luz, who reinvented the meaning of family for him. She confided in him, she trusted him, she loved him. She made that boy her family because she adored him.

So THIS is deranged. Its warping the relationship they've built together into this depraved disturbing thing. The merger of these two family dynamics into one sickening thing. Like Luz was his shelter. But now she's become the exact thing he was running from.

Having Hunter look at her with blatant fear, shrinking himself so he stands beneath her, the horrible emotions that must make her feel. Oh I HATE THIS!!!

And even getting this miniscule comfort of Hunter ripped away from her. Like he was her PERSON. The only one who was aware of the horrible things she's done and she doesn't feel judged by, for several months. Like if all else failed, at least Hunter didn't hate her.

And now THIS scenario which is like "maybe....maybe he should be the one to hate you the most."

- Want a scene where Willow and Hunter gotta split up and there's some kind of antagonist pursuing them. They've only got a moment of peace before it reaches them. And Willow's like "You go ahead. I'll hold them off." (Like she did in LR) and Hunter doesn't want to leave her. But the circumstances are dire and he knows he has to and he KNOWS she'll keep herself alive. But he still worries. So they promise each other that they'll stay safe and Willow turns her back to him after that, preparing herself for a fight and expecting him to hurry off now. But he doesn't. He lingers there for an extra moment, wanting to tell her something but unable to put it into words. Then he zaps himself to her side, hastily smooches her cheek and zaps away before she can recover from her shock.

And then Willow is just. Left there. Stunned. Staring blankly at the space where he once was. And then a smile cracks her mouth wide open. Whatever she's fighting catches up to her and Willow can only cackle giddily, her engine all revved up, and she's all like LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO

Willow gets one teeny tiny little smooch by Hunter and it makes her go all "I AM POWERFUL AND I WILL NEVER DIE!!!!!!!"

- Actually overall I believe in a Willow and Hunter comic relief. I think Gus and Amity are both having special spotlight in this episode. And Luz will finally reunite with Eda and King. And idk WHERE the fuck Camila is (smooching puppet Darius or smth). But ya Willow and Hunter are gonn be so cringe.

- Evelyn Clawthorne voice reveal and Irish accent.

- Belos dies an excruciatingly painful death

- Hunter Noceda

- If there is not a big dramatic scene dedicated to Willow and Gus reuniting with their dads I am fucking killing somebody.

[animation-recaps-by-sean]

The Owl House For the Future Recap

The gang tries to navigate the Collector’s new playground while dealing with the fallout of their fight with Belos. Spoilers below. 

Cause even the shortened season couldn’t even go without some controversy, Canadian itunes leaked the whole episode two weeks ago. Urg, anyway, like last episode we pick up from the end of King’s Tide, except from the Boiling Isles point of view. The Collector rains down stairs turning people into puppets, including Lilith and Hooty. Oh Hooty, We hardly knew thee.

Once back in the Isles, Camilia has a hard time dealing with both what is normal for the demon realm and what the Collector is doing. But I love her little mom moments with Luz. Willow is trying to be everyone’s rock but this causes her to push down her own fears about her missing Dads. Her stress manifests as planets popping up until she nearly smooshes herself with vines. Hunter summons the magic inside him and talks her down and allows her to cry. It’s so sweet. And they hold pinkies. Oh my shipping heart, let them get together!

Meanwhile at Hexside, the kids have predictably fallen into chaos. Boscha is the puppet Queen of Kikimora whose big villain plan is.. Hide in a high school and pretend to be a teenager. Luz doesn’t see her as a threat. Camilia hitting Kiki face with the bat is fantastic!  

And Boscha, whose friends were some of the only teens taken by the collector, just wants Amity back as queen bee so she could get some kind of normal. But Amity just isn't that person anymore. But she can save her friends. I do find it hilarious that Boscha just wants to be the beta bitch to Amity's queen bee. In the end she redeems herself by leading the other kids against Kikimora, which was a pretty fitting end for her.

Without any palismans to eat, Belos is now falling apart. He sees the ghosts of Caleb and the other Hunters; it's about 50/50 between hallucinations and actual ghosts.

Odalia has escaped puppetification by working with the Collector and by working with, she’s basically a nanny. It is going better for her than Preston Northwest’s attempt to work for Bill Cipher. No Picasso face! I still wonder where Alador is.

Eda and Lilith are being kept safe from the Collector by King. They don't do much here but it's nice to see them.

Now to talk about the Collector. I know I'm in the minority on this, but I’m deeply disappointed that they’re going with a ‘wowowo whiddle baby who doesn’t understand the stuff they’re doing’ character. I really love the sinister build up The Collector had when they were introduced. The creepy cloak when they trapped the owl beast up to his excitement at the day of unity in Hollow’s Mind. But this feels like a very different character. I guess there are more sinister evil Collectors mentioned in the lore, and the Collector who trapped the Owl beast and the Grand Huntsman could be different Collectors. I don’t know, I just didn’t want the big bad to get Steven Universed. We still have Belos at least.  

I do feel like Luz’s Palisman was a cheat too. Oh, a snake shifter. Cool would be cool if I knew what the hell that was Luz. I did love how the palisman got hatched though. I love Luz’s little realization that she just wanted to be understood. And Luz calling her mom a secret nerd! So cute.

I continue to be impressed at the show's ability to organically fit in as much plot as it does. It helps that it was a very lean show to begin with, sneaking in plot and set up in even fillery episodes. As opposed to Steven Universe and Star vs the Forces of We Evil which loved to take many brothers with characters that don't back. Which is fine in theory but it left their finals rushed and awkward when they got cut short. I mean we still got one more episode but we don't have much left to cover. Just Collector/Titan lore (differently involving that gold guy Luz saw in the in-between), maybe some more Belos/Clawthrone history, final battle, and the resolution. There is the Bat Queen stuff but that hasn't been brought up since early season two and will most likely to kept in their back pocket in case of a revival.

Grips about the Collector aside, a wonderful part two. 3 ½ out of 4.