#i was gonna post this on the first but i'm nearly finished with the theme so

[ordinaryschmuck]

Why I Love The Owl House-Part One: The Characters

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

Back in 2018, when The Owl House was announced, I didn't think much of it. I looked at the teaser poster and knew that it would be a show that would gain a following, but I didn't think it'd appeal to me specifically. Then, in January 2020, just before the world made an oopsie, I saw that Disney Channel uploaded the show's first episode on YouTube. Having finished my homework and studying at the time and having nothing better to do, I clicked it out of morbid curiosity to gain a first impression of this series. And I'm not kidding when I say that the second the episode ended, I said, out loud, to myself, "I think I just found my new obsession for the next few years."

Yeah, I went from thinking the show wouldn't exactly be my thing to being obsessed with it. And obsessed I was! I wrote fan fiction and reviews and even drew a handful of fan art you are NOT allowed to look up due to how bad it is. The Owl House, with no exaggeration, also changed my life as it gave me quite a decent following on Tumblr for thoughts and stories I've crafted regarding the show and even gave me a new friend or two to share those same thoughts and ideas together. One of my closest online friends is someone who once reached out to me as a proofreader for a fic I wrote once upon a time, and I probably wouldn't have talked to them if not for The Owl House. I owe so much to this series that I adore that to explain what makes it so great...can't be done with a single review. I even considered writing a long review after Season One ended but gave up on the idea after realizing there's so much to talk and praise about the series. And that was with Season ONE! That was before Season Two made the show more spectacular in nearly every conceivable way!

So, yeah, we're gonna have to do this in parts, each dedicated to a specific theme. However, before we discuss THIS review's theme, I should get one thing out of the way: I'm not just going to praise The Owl House in every single review. There are problems to be had with the show, and I can't ignore them because the praises are stronger. I love The Owl House. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't. But it's because I love it that I have to point out problems as they come because to truly love something means to take the bad with the good. And while there's a lot of good, there's still some bad worth mentioning.

With that said, let's finally begin by discussing the backbone of any series: The characters. And BOY, does The Owl House have a LOT of great, well-written characters, to the point where I initially considered that there wasn't a bad one in the bunch...I say initially because I finally woke up to how much I despise Tibbles (Yeah, wait until we get to him). Although, know that while discussing characters, we're not talking about one-offs like Bria and her lackeys in "Through the Looking Glass Ruins" or ones who weren't named in the show, like Amelia and Cat. We're focusing strictly on frequent players and fun side characters that nail the short time they appear. And we're also going in order from my least favorite to my most favorite. And just know that this is in order based on how good they are as CHARACTERS and not as PEOPLE. There’s a difference, and I’ll be able to explain as I go.

Now, without further ado, let's begin this wild journey together with the worst character in the series.

(Also, be warned, this is going to be the LONGEST post you’ll ever read. The Google Doc is 33 pages long…)

Tibbles: Yeah, really no contest here.

Tibbles is, quite frankly, the only character that I consider inadequate. I get the idea the writers were going for: He's a secondary antagonist for lighter adventures amongst heavier ones. The problem is that type of character does not function for a show like The Owl House, a series where the writers were told they'd be cut for time while working on Season Two and having little time for lighter tales. Maybe if the show had enough room for twenty more adventures or if The Owl House had a slight lean toward episodic misadventures like Amphibia, Tibbles might have functioned better as a comedic villain that occasionally screws with the main characters for filler. But because The Owl House has so much to do and would eventually become a series with no time to do it, Tibbles becomes more annoying when he distracts from the plot. Fortunately, he's only in three episodes. Unfortunately, Tibbles never becomes as entertaining as he could have been. He has one good capitalism joke, and that's all the good I can say about Tibbles. Let's move on…

Jacob: Another secondary antagonist that would have worked better if the show had more time. Maybe make him a constant threat (read: annoyance) to Vee or the rest of the Hexsquad while they're stuck on Earth. Instead, he's nothing more than a one-and-done threat who makes a singular cameo in the best episode of the series ("Thanks to Them"). At least Jacob being a crackpot conspiracy theorist is kind of funny. Otherwise, he'd be lower than Tibbles.

Perry Porter: He has next to NO character. Barely even a scrap.

He’s the father of one of our primary characters, and Perry has NOTHING going for him other than that and being a reporter. At least he’s not annoying.

The BATs: Yeah, might as well lump these three together because they started off making you think they'd do SOMETHING, only to have very little to do with the plot, with only one of them having a definite personality (It's Amber, and I love her).

Katya's kind of fun as this weird fanfic writer who has a hint of appreciation of showmanship, given how she very clearly wrote Raine's speech. But then you also have Derwin, who's so forgettable that I know for a fact that you had to Google his name to remember who Derwin is. These three are a mixed bag of sometimes being fun yet forgettable, to the point where I don't blame the writers for forgetting their existence when it came to the rest of the series. A shame, really, because there could have been something interesting to explore with this secret resistance organized by Eda's ex. The problem is, just like Tibbles, there's not enough time for characters like the BATs to flourish. They're missed potential, sure, but that doesn't make them bad. Just less than remarkable members of this very extensive cast.

Gilbert and Harvey Park: Have slightly more personality than Perry with Gilbert having more of a playful and laidback side to him and Harvey being the more serious and worried of the two. You can see glimpses of this through the little details like Willow falling onto Gilbert in that swinging memory in “Understanding Willow.” Gilbert laughs with Willow while Harvey looks a little worried. That’s sweet. They balance each other out.

Also, they’re gay, and gay characters are always better. It’s why they’re a step above the BATs. NEXT!

Warden Wrath: He has the same problem with Tibbles and Jacob, where Warden Wrath is a secondary antagonist in a show that doesn't really have the time for him to be as effective as he COULD be. What makes him BETTER is that Wrath is at least funny. Like, the man chopped off Eda's head and then asked her out. That's humor, baby.

Also, he's a good dad to Braxus, so...you know.

Though I will admit, I'm surprised how little a role Wrath played in the show. In "A Lying Witch and a Warden," he gave off main antagonist energy with his look and menacing demeanor. Turns out he's just a throwaway character, and that's for the best. He doesn't overstay his welcome, never distracts from the plot, and has a few hilarious lines and moments. Not the strongest threat or character, but decent's good enough for me.

Kikimora: I might be the only person who doesn't hate this little gremlin, and even I have to admit she's not that great.

Don't get me wrong, I adore how insane she acts and how obsessive she can be in wanting to beat Hunter, specifically. She has a lot of fun moments and, weirdly, looks adorable when not wearing a cone of shame. She has her fun moments...but fun enough to be a recurring antagonist throughout the series? To the point where the characters have boss fights with her in three prominent episodes?

I...don't think so. I like Kiki just fine, but only in spades. Her voice can get grading after a while, and you do get sick of her obsession with the Emperor's coven given time. She's at least funnier than Wrath, though. I will ALWAYS stand by that. But that's not enough to get her higher.

Adrian Graye: He's yet another secondary antagonist that would have benefited from more time...I'm noticing a theme here.

Eh. Either way, this guy's great. His whole schtick is being a bad and nitpicky director, and that's funny to me. It's what I would expect from the head of the Illusions Coven, who are witches best defined as ones with a sense of showmanship. Some might find Adrian annoying, which...yeah, he's kind of intended to be. But I get it. Not everyone would laugh at this guy as much as I do, and that's okay. Comedy is subjective, after all. My only complaint with Adrian is that we don't see more of him. He's too fun of a villain with an equally entertaining concept to be wasted as a one-and-done antagonist that resorted to only cameos in the future. Still, if the worst I can say about a character is that I want more of them, is that actually a problem?

Tinella Nosa: Also known as Dana Terrace's self-insert. She's used primarily for comedy, and thank goodness for that. I don't know if I would have appreciated this character as much as I did if Tinella was best friends with the main cast or had some stake in the plot. In fact, the one plot and subplot that feature Tinella in a prominent role was some of the worst the show has ever had. Thankfully, she's mostly a character for random comedic bits, and I really wouldn’t have it any other way.

Barcus: Another character whose primary purpose is to be funny. At least Barcus is a dog that radiates stoner energy, giving him a ton more bonus points.

Braxxus: ALSO a comedic character, but is only better because the joke's funnier. I mean, Braxxus is just a character who's a little toddler that looks and sounds disturbing. How can you NOT laugh at that?

Eberwolf The Huntsman: Quick aside: Was anyone going to tell me that Eberwolf was apparently a man, or was I supposed to find that out for myself? I mean, shame on me for assuming genders, I guess...But I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one on that.

Anyways, Eberwolf is fine. In the short time he's in the show, Eberwolf offers great humor by being this feral little rascal that primarily annoys Darius. Not much to say other than that, and I doubt having more time would benefit Eberwolf. He really does scream "Comedy Relief" to me, and sometimes being entertaining is enough. Not everyone needs depth.

Boscha: Speaking of depth, I will forever stand by my claim that Boscha worked better as a one-dimensional bully than a three-dimensional one. Sure, three-dimensional bullies can be interesting because it leads to us learning why they do their harsh acts and that there are reasons why they're bad kids...However, that's why we have Amity. And for a redeemable bully like HER to work, you need an irredeemable one to show up to prove that not every little s**t can be better with time. Some are just sadists for no reason. And that's where Boscha comes in as a bully that knows full well she's hurting people but doesn't care because her only justification is that they deserve it. Why? Because Boscha believes she's better than them. That inflated ego makes her the perfect mirror of what Amity could have been and causes Boscha to be the best rival to Willow. Willow starts off with confidence issues, where even though she gains more of a boost thanks to her friends, there's still lingering self-doubt in the back of her brain. Boscha lacks that. She may do some affirmations to her reflection, similar to what Willow does in "Any Sport in a Storm," but while Willow briefly second guesses herself, Boscha says every word as if she knows its universal truth. So when these two go up against each other, it's great because it allows Willow to prove that she IS the best while proving that Boscha's the worst. It was perfect, and it's why I had no issues with Boscha remaining one-dimensional...But then the writers had to SCREW IT ALL UP!

Now, don't get me wrong. Revealing that Boscha had codependency issues with Amity and Boscha's other friends is interesting. There's just one problem: They introduce this idea in the second to last episode of the series. There's next to no time to fully flesh it out, leaving Boscha with a character arc that feels both forced and rushed. It might have been better if this idea had been established from the beginning instead of using most of that time writing Boscha as a one-dimensional bully with no depth to her. I still say she's entertaining, but maybe the writers tried TOO HARD with her.

Matt Holomule: But sometimes, it's better to try for a character that used to be the most universally hated.

How in the hell did I go from hating this little stink rat to being genuinely entertained by him? He's not my favorite or anything, but, like...compare Matt's first appearance with his last. He was an insufferable little prick who caused problems for Luz and Gus all because Matt wanted power and drama. That's it. Just those two things: Power and drama. Yeah, those are not great motivations for a character.

In fairness, it was clear we were supposed to hate Matt, and humor comes from watching him fail miserably. The problem is that he didn't do it enough, and while I'll laugh at the little stink nugget getting messed up at the end of "Something Ventured, Someone Framed," Matt still won by the end of the day, getting everything he wanted. He just got a little messed up along the way, is all. So while the idea is there, it's not strong enough to make the character entertaining.

But then the writers decided, "Hey since we're not going to try with Boscha, let's try SOMETHING with Matt." And it worked! "Through the Looking Glass Ruins" showed why Matt was such an insufferable, slimy weasel because he attended a school where the more powerful received more respect. Matt never got that in his old school, so he tried again in his new school, looking for power and drama because it's all he knows. Then by "For the Future," not only is the guy actually competent, but he's hilarious through false bravado and not being smart enough to know that he's been crushing on a robot. It's a huge improvement...but only from a character that makes three primary appearances and sucks with one of them. A character who's decent two-thirds of the time isn't too bad, but that still doesn't make him high up on my list, where characters are better for far more than that.

Viney: Or a character that has a better vibe despite...barely having anything to work with.

Viney...is insane. She dumps friends over the tiniest of misunderstandings and uses her griffin as an assistant for everything. She's clearly not well in the head...and that's what makes her entertaining.

Vine is a looney nut who might be unaware of her crazy actions. It's good fun, but the problem is that there's not enough of it. Like Matt, Viney has very few prominent moments in the series, and you can tell she's not as entertaining as she could have been. If the writers went all the way with her insanity or made her a character that's the textbook definition of "zero chill," you can bet Viney would be one of my favorite characters. As is, her craziness is only...a scrap of what could have been a great personality. I like her, don't love her.

Jerbo: Jerbo's higher because he has more of a well-defined personality. And he wasn't instantly unlikable, so...

And that really is all there is to say about Jerbo. He's fun as a fearful boy down on his luck and has a bit of intrigue with how he wanted to change the coven system forever. And he does, which is honestly pretty cool. Still, not a lot to make him higher.

Owlbert: Hey, look! It's a character that had a ton of prominent appearances in Season One and was all but forgotten in every season after!

This is a shame because Owlbert is one of the two palisman in the series that feels like a genuine character. The others are cute (my favorite is a tie between Ghost and Stringbean), but Owlbert, for a few episodes, felt like a prominent member of the cast with his loyalty to Eda and the connection formed with Luz. In fact, he and Luz had such a great connection that, for a while there, I assumed the show would do a thing where Eda passed down Owlbert to Luz as a form of passing the torch from the master teacher to the master student. But that didn't happen, which I can be fine with because Stringbean's perfect, and I will not hear any argument about it.

Still, it's weird how Owlbert showed up a fair amount of times in Season One, even having an entire episode dedicated to him, only to be forgotten and discarded by the time Season Two rolled around. And I know someone who'll be mad about that.

Bat Queen: And she's a character that had her own kind of potential only to be forgotten in Season Two. Only in this case, I'm willing to be more forgiving toward Bat Queen. It sucks that we'll never fully know who her owner is, but that always felt like a minor story beat for someone who wasn't that major of a character. Or, at least, someone who never had TIME to be a major character. The Bat Queen had intrigue as a discarded palisman who dedicated her life to looking after abandoned ones, but someone like her doesn't really have a place in the grander story of the show. Plenty of characters in the series have good reasons to have their stories continue or their personalities develop, whether having close ties with a main character or having a narrative purpose. Bat Queen doesn't really have either of those things, so it's why I'm not someone who’s losing sleep at night just because she has this engaging backstory brought forth but never followed up on. I'd still like to see it, but I always knew that after hearing Disney shortened the show, it was always going to be the Bat Queen's story that would fall on the cutting room floor. Missed potential for sure, but at least we had an interesting character for a short while.

Odalia Blight: And the winner for the worst mother of the year goes to--Yeah, I know. An easy joke to make. But I can't help it! It's always served on a silver platter!

Anyways, Odalia's the worst. Yet that's what makes her the best, funnily enough. She's the most snobbish snob that's ever snobbed while having zero respect for other people, least of all her family. You hate her with every fiber of your being, and you cannot wait to see her fail miserably despite trying so hard to reach the top. And Odalia absolutely is a character one loves to hate. She called Amity and her friends into the office and soon scolded Amity for not being in class. It is a challenge to make someone that kind of entertainingly despicable, yet the writers nailed it. However, they might have worked too hard to make us hate Odalia and not enough to deliver her just desserts.

I have no problems with Odalia being an awful mother, wife, and overall person throughout the show. I figured it was only a matter of time before she got hit in the face with SOME karma that would make it all worth it. Sure, it was nice to see her bend to the whim of a literal god that craved pizza bagels, and I do love that Belos, who values life less than her, didn't even want to use Odalia as his meat puppet. Still, she deserved worse. After everything Odalia did and the bridges she burned, it would have been nice to see either Amity or Camila knock her lights out for being a terrible mother. Hell, we even saw Kikimora doing community service and grunt work after her crimes, so it would be fitting to see Odalia right there with her. Or giving her SOME punishment other than making the last time we see her being Odalia standing off to the side and acting like she doesn't care that she lost everything. And that...doesn't feel right. After everything Odalia's done, we, the audience, and her family, deserve to see Odalia receive the worst punishment she had coming to her. Maybe not death or even going to jail. But SOMETHING is better than nothing. She was entertaining, but being so goes only so far without a proper failure.

...But at least she's hot. I know that's out of left field...but we all know it's true...Camila's still hotter, though.

Gwen Clawthorne: ...At least she's a better mother than Odalia?

Alright, I might be the only person who doesn't hate Gwen like others in the fandom, just like with Kikimora. But unlike Kiki, Gwen has much more to like...at least to me. Yeah, her falling for scams isn't great, and realizing the error of her ways could have been done better if not...quickly paced, but I don't mind her. Upon her introduction, it's clear that Gwen wants to try and help Eda with a vile curse. She may have been a bit hostile with her wording, but we soon learn that the curse not only turns Eda into a savage beast but one that clawed Gwen's husband's eye out and ruined the family business that's been around for generations. You can't really blame Gwen for being...agitated about the curse. Or wanting to try anything and everything to cure it. Yes, Eda's curse is often used as an allegory for a chronic illness. And a pretty decent one at that. But sometimes, with a story, you have to remove the allegory from what's shown, and doing so helps you gain more of a perspective for why Gwen reacted the way that she did. Was it right? Well...Not really. I guess she could have seen sooner that she should have been there for Eda instead of scaring her off, not to mention the damage Gwen caused in her debut appearance, but Gwen was at least quick enough to come around and realize what she did was wrong, and APOLOGIZE. Most parents like her won't be that easy, obviously, but another thing about fiction is that you have to realize that it's...fiction. Not everything equates to real life, and you should accept a character's choices and actions if it suits the story. Not many kids can do that, sure, and that's where the hesitation fits, but I think Gwen's kind enough to prove that she's worth believing in. She still spent years trying to help Eda, even if it was misguided, and was ready to kill the guys scamming her. Gwen is not a bad person. Her heart's mostly in the right place despite the troubles she caused, and I'm willing to bet she learned her lesson in the end. Just listen to her speech to Eda (and a little to Lilith) near the end of the episode. That's a mother's imperfect love if you ask me.

Masha: Admittingly, there's not much to them. Masha's a solid character. They have tidbits of personality as someone who's into the grim and horrifying but has a good sense of humor about things when they laugh off reading Vee an accurate fortune by saying she needed bath bombs or humorously sum up Belos' backstory about him being upset that his brother got a hot witch girlfriend. Plus, there's the genuine representation of having Masha be non-binary but still comfortable dressing and looking feminine. From what I've learned, being non-binary doesn't mean sticking to a gender-neutral style. Some like to look feminine, while others are fine appearing masculine, and it's cool for The Owl House to represent that through Masha. I only wish there was more about them. I could go on and on about most of these characters, but for Masha, there's not enough to go off of. It really is the good vibes and representation carrying them, but that's not much to complain about if you ask me.

Skara: SKARA IS THE BEST GIRL!

What's that? She barely has much of a consistent personality and is an over-glorified background character, if anything else? Well, too bad, because she's the best girl.

Honestly, I don't know why I love Skara so much. She hardly has any character to her, but something about her is just so gosh darn endearing. I'm telling you, sometimes a character can be entertaining by having a good vibe alone.

Steve: THIS MOTHER F**KER, however, had NO RIGHT being as entertaining as he was! Nor how popular!

Steve. F**king STEVE! All he had was one or two lines in a less-than-stellar episode, yet the fandom ADORED this mother f**ker! And, yeah, they were funny lines, but not "OMG, best character EVAH" levels of funny! But sure enough, people loved him! So the writers brought him back, and gosh dang it, he's so endearing! He's the most chill and reasonable character in the entire show! He gave King insight into who he was in one of the biggest character moments in the series! He's...NOT the golden god that I think people were picturing him as under that mask, but DAMN, is he still a handsome fella! He's so great, that I honestly wish he was in the show MORE! Gosh, DANG IT!

"If you love him so much, why are you acting angry about it?"

Because it's FUNNY!

"No, it isn't."

Yes, it is! Moving on!

Terra Snapdragon: Finally! Some good frickin' secondary antagonist!

Terra is why I hoped the series would dive deep into the other covenheads, primarily the clearly evil ones. This woman radiated supervillain energy as someone who seemed super sweet but would kill you with zero hesitation. And we learn in the flashback episode that Terra was somehow more bloodthirsty, having zero care for the lives of others, least of all children. The woman was despicable, and it was a treat seeing her return when she did. And, unlike Odalia, Terra had a proper amount of punishment. Sure, it sucks that she slinks away in the finale, but her forced to play pretend with the Collector while in an outfit that...did not work on her is pretty decent karma for someone who saw others as below her. Plus, she at least turned into a puppet for being too big of a big mouth, which is more than what Odalia got. I'd prefer if Terra had MORE punishment, but who knows? Maybe she went to jail or...tripped and snapped her spine off-screen.

If anything, my only complaint was that Terra wasn't in the series more. Make HER the main threat in "For the Future" instead of Kikimora and Boscha. THAT would have been fun. Regardless, she's entertaining enough as is, even if more screen time would have made her better.

Principal Bump: This man deserved more love...He said, while still leaving Bump below several characters.

For real, though, Bump deserves more credit, even from me. He's the school principal in a children's animated series, but instead of making him the demonic, overbearing dictator, the writers made him...the exact opposite. If anything, Principal Faust is more of what I would expect as a cold, careless, and horrifying hater of fun and children. Thankfully, that's not Bump. The man may be strict and have no problems throwing a kid into a detention pit, but he still cares about the safety and well-being of his students. Hell, he loves his students. Even with trouble-makers like Luz, Gus, and Willow, Bump can't help but cry because he has fond memories about the three of them and the trouble they caused. And while he can be dead-set in some ways, Bump is still willing to admit when he made a mistake and chooses to correct it, like in "The First Day" by letting the Detention Kids pick multiple tracks to study from. He's kind and reasonable, and that's what's to love about him. Plus, Bump's got some Grade-A snark on him. Some of the show's funniest and most quotable lines come from his dry remarks, and it's partially why he's bumped (ha) up so high. As I said, Bump deserves more love...It's just unfortunate that there are more entertaining characters than him.

Lilith Clawthorne: Admittedly, Lilith would not be up this high if she remained the person she was in Season One. Back then, Lilith wasn't the worst. She functioned nicely as a foil to Eda's wild side and had a great design for a secondary antagonist. The problem is that Lilith was a little boring, her motivations weren't made clear until the finale for the sake of a twist, and that same twist REALLY hurt her character...for about a week until everyone was quick to forgive and forget after a poorly paced redemption. And that's another fault of Lilith: Her redemption. She cursed Eda, ruined the family, ostracized Eda from society, hunted her down for YEARS because of blind faith in a man playing her like the cheap-ass kazoo that she was, and it all got wiped away almost instantly. Granted, there is one asterisk to this: It was all an accident...Sort of. 

Lilith did mean to curse Eda but didn't intend for it to last as long as it did. And you at least get a sense that Lilith feels some remorse for doing so, even stopping their first duel together the second Eda brought up the curse. The problem is that she doesn't feel enough, still treating Eda as lesser than her despite the two of them being close and Lilith supposedly feeling guilty about cursing her. And, again, it feels like everything got resolved too quickly. I accepted everyone is quick to say, "Everything's good for now" in "Young Blood, Old Souls," but only because I expected Lilith to get dragged through the coals in Season Two. But she didn't. She was quickly treated as one of the gang, and Eda did nothing but jokingly remind Lilith that she cursed her. You do that after years of getting over something, not after a week. So, as a redeemable antagonist, Lilith might as well get a C-...Thank goodness she became an entertaining character, regardless of that.

By Season Two, Lilith becomes an almost different character. Better yet, she becomes what I wanted Viney to be: Bats**t insane. Lilith is violent enough to tell Philip that he better be digging his own grave and punches him in the face without hesitation, ecstatic about banisters and having barnacles on her head, and willing to devote her whole life to an eight-year-old and perform blood sacrifices in his honor. The woman lost her mind, and I was all there for it. Even then, though, she still had a bit of intelligence, being hesitant to trust Philip after seeing some similarities to Belos and studious enough to figure out glyph combos herself. It's just that now because there are fewer worries and fears about keeping an image and being the best, Lilith can let go of inhibitions and go nuts. Her redemption could have used a lot more polish, but being so dang entertaining in Season Two is what made Lilith a character I couldn't care about to one I was excited to see when I could.

Alador Blight: Wish I could say the same about this guy...

I think I love the idea of Alador much more than his execution. Upon his introduction, he's presented as the lesser of two evils between him and Odalia, with Alador being easier to talk to without threatening to kill anybody and trying to find compromises that could stow Odalia's fire when she becomes unreasonably angry. Initially, one could assume that he's on the same agenda as hers, only to later find out that Alador's being mistreated too, with Odalia working him to exhaustion, too tired to even notice his children's problems half the time because he's too busy working for Odalia to the point where he never even took a sick day. In Season Two, this lines up with a lot of his behavior. It's why he acts so scatterbrained and unsure of what to do in most appearances. Or the way he tries to tell Odalia they've demonstrated enough with the Abomiton and how he forces a compromise by making Odalia stick to her word and sneakily tell her that being with friends makes Amity stronger, and how he promises to Amity to let Odalia back down in "Reaching Out." If you look solely at how he acts in Season Two, I believe it's pretty decent character work/development, showing a man who loves his kids but can't be the father he wants and needs to be because of his overbearing wife...However, there is ONE moment that spoils everything.

Yeah, that one. This is the scene that everyone points back to when discussing Alador's change of heart and whether or not he earns Amity's love despite it. He's very clearly on Odalia's side in this argument, being just as cold as her. Some argued that because this memory came from Amity as a kid, she might misremember the details and misconstrued how Alador acted that day. Even his silhouette seems different from how he looks in the present, and I was willing to agree because I remember days when my parents got a LITTLE mad, and it was the scariest thing in the world. However, not only would you be surprised how more traumatic experiences stick with kids, but the show makes it very clear that memories inside one's mind recreate things to the exact detail. Sure, there's the fact that it's Amity's recollection in Willow's brain, which, as far as we know, isn't as perfect as a picture. But The Owl House never explicitly establishes how weak a witch's memory could be while already inside a memory. It's a very weird distinction to make but necessary to prove that Amity's memory isn't as exact as it looks. Although, if you want explanations, I have some of my own. One realistic, another analytical, and one argumentive.

Realistically...this is a retcon. The writers had a new idea of what to do with Alador and realized, too late, that they had to make changes to his character for it to work. Changes that go beyond a scene where all we see is his silhouette. And when a retcon's made, it's sort of a team effort between the writers and the fans to explain how it works, with the writers providing the information and the fans analyzing previous scenes to see how it holds up. And after writing about how he's under Odalia's abuse and manipulation, here's where the analysis comes in.

Alador works so much and dismisses his kids because, if he doesn't, Odalia will have the kids do work for him. Not wanting to let them go through what he does, Alador reluctantly goes along with what she demands, only getting her to back down when he sees an opportunity, like in "Escaping Expulsion." Unfortunately, just like that episode, he's still on her side most of the time, doing what she wants and saying what SHE thinks is right even if he probably doesn't want to. Because if he doesn't, he and his kids are in WORSE trouble. That day, when Alador scolded Amity, might be a day when he felt like there was no other choice because Odalia left no room to back down and was forced to do and say what she wanted.

Plus--and here's where I get argumentive--We forgave this:

Granted, there are some arguments against this as well, one I'll get to when talking about Amity. For now, I will say there are three reasons why we're willing to forgive Amity: One is that she's a kid. People are more willing to forgive a child's behavior because they can outgrow it and become better. People have this idea that adults can't do the same thing, that they should already know better...even though adults rarely do, and they could live up to seventy while still unaware of how their behavior is wrong. Number two is that we spend more time with Amity, learning how much she regrets her actions and proving how she'll work hard to be a better person despite them. We can't have that with Alador because the show has to do so much and has very little time to do it. Some corners can be cut, and Alador was one of them. Thirdly, and this is the one I can't argue against, people understand Amity's plight because they WERE Amity. They've had experience with neglectful and abusive parents, and that experience beats any argument a person has. It doesn't matter if you, me, or anyone else argues that Alador isn't badly written. THOSE people, the ones who had an Alador of their own, will always feel uncomfortable by how the writers made him because those people know not every parent is like him, and they don't want kids thinking THEIR parents are the same. I mean it when I say I can't argue against that because that's a fair reason to not like a character.

Personally, I like Alador enough. At least, I like the idea he represents. It's good to show that parents can be mistreated too, especially a father because not enough people take men getting abused in a relationship as seriously as women do. The execution is a little sloppy because of that one scene in Season One, but it doesn't bother me. It DOES, however, bother others, and for reasons I can't help but sympathize. I won't call Alador a bad character, but I won't stop others from disagreeing. But at least his kids are great (and, yeah, we’ll get to them).

Dell Clawthorne: Dell's kind of both a symbol and a character.

Symbolically, he's the physical representation of Eda's biggest regret. She blinded and crippled her father, ruining the family business in the process. But the sad part is that none of it was her fault. Yet Eda still blames herself, not even wanting to go and SEE Dell because the pain of knowing what she did to him is too great. He proves that Eda can turn into what she is afraid of becoming. Something that we see in her nightmare in "Watching and Dreaming." Something that no one wants to be: A monster. A monster that doesn't deserve forgiveness or love. A monster that should be locked away for the safety of the ones she loves. But the crazy thing is that Dell DOES love Eda. He DOES forgive her.

Dell has every right to be angry. He lost his eye and his job. Who wouldn't be angry after that? And maybe he was for a bit, but I doubt he was ever angry with Eda, let alone resent her for it. Instead, after years of her running away and never wanting to talk to him again, Dell only wanted to see his daughter again. His scene with Eda in "Elsewhere and Elsewhen," where he clarifies that what happened was tragic but still loves Eda despite it, is one of my favorite interactions between two characters in The Owl House. And trust me, that's a hefty list to get on.

Dell's time on the show wasn't long, but what he does gives a lot of substance to the show for a guy who probably has less than five minutes of screen time (I don't know, I didn't do the math). Maybe he could have offered more, but I'm glad with what we still got.

The Titan: The same goes for this fluffy individual. We only knew them for a short amount of time, but holy hell, did the Titan make the most of it. Even though, technically speaking, we knew them the whole time.

I don't think I've seen a show where the setting happens to be an essential character in the plot. I'm pretty sure everyone assumed the Titan was a corpse that our characters had adventures on, and that's it. Any idea that they were a being that could talk to others could get shot down because the only person to "talk" to the Titan was Belos. And with him being the serial liar that he was, any fan could assume that even talking to the Titan was impossible, and meeting them was even more so. Turns out it wasn't.

And the Titan, the powerful being whose corpse is big enough to form a landmass, also turns out to be a chilled-out individual. There are brief moments of seriousness and even nobility in their final moments, but for the most part, the Titan is just a laid-back, jovial person. Personally, I'm into god-like beings that are like that. Not one that's wrathful or vengeful, but kind and acts like someone you could, I don't know, have a beer with. Not that I drink beer, but...you know.

Granted, the Titan WAS a bit wrathful with how they treated the Collector, but they clearly feel bad about it after finally realizing the Collector meant no harm, and it was the Collector's SIBLINGS who did the dirty work. The Titan admitted to making a mistake, making them both a kind god and a humble one. It amazes me how much characterization was given to the Titan in how little time they were officially introduced in the show. There are characters who are better after having more time, but there are also ones who might just be worse. So I appreciate that they made the Titan so top-tier, even if making them nothing more than the Isles, and the show's setting, would have been more than enough.

Emira Blight: I will forever be grateful for the course correction that the writers took with Edric and Emira, not only making them great supporting characters instead of semi-antagonists like in "Lost in Language" but also giving them their own personalities that help them stand out instead of being exact copies like most twins in media. Unfortunately, Emira might be the least interesting Blight sibling.

THAT DOES NOT MEAN BAD! Just because Amity's more engaging and Edric's more entertaining, that doesn't make Emira a horrible character because of it. It just means that, comparatively, she's not as high as her siblings. With that said, Emira's still pretty fantastic as the only Blight with a functioning brain cell. She calls Edric out for his occasional stupidity, gives proper advice to Amity when she's freaking out, and has her thoughts together because Emira didn't work herself to exhaustion. It also makes sense why Emira's a healer. She's there to keep her family physically and emotionally safe, making sure Edric doesn't hurt himself or counseling Amity when things are too overwhelming. Not only is Emira the most sensible, but it might make her the glue that keeps the family together. But despite that, she's still playful, still mischievous. Except, unlike her brother, there's a more controlled intelligence behind the fun and games Emira pulls. It's a bit more subtle, but it's there. So, while she might be the weakest Blight sibling in terms of story value, Emira is still a great character in her own right, being a fun yet essential family member with that perfect older sister energy...Mainly because she's the older sister, but my point still stands!

Edric Blight: Ah, the one Blight sibling that proves how most of the brains went to Amity and Emira while he got only the scraps.

Edric is not smart. And that very fact leads to two kinds of entertainment. Firstly, it's funny seeing his dumbass stumble through life. He tried to eat snow, attempted to keep a wild bat as a pet, couldn't pick up a hint to save his life, and ended up in a full-body cast after a reckless rescue mission. The poor boy is a riot because of how dumb he acts, which leads to the second thing entertaining about Edric: He's aware of his lack of smarts and how others see him as "The Dumb One." It causes Edric to be a little insecure about his talents, despite having great knowledge of Beast Keeping and decent skills with Potions. It's as if the writers saw the fans' preconceptions about Edric and decided to do something with it. Unfortunately, they only did it for one episode because we're strapped for time, but that brief instant of character insight is what's to love about this show. We have so many characters to use and so little time that instances like Edric helping Eda and King make a potion is enough to be considered great character development for someone who could have easily been "The Dumb One" and nothing more. He was funny enough with that simple character trait, but one tends to appreciate when a show goes the extra mile, even if it's for one episode only.

Hooty: Oh, Hooty. Sweet, dearest Hootcifer.

At first, I did not like you. You were an annoying addition as comic relief, whose screechy voice only made me hate you more. But then something interesting happened. As time went on, you became less annoying and more endearing by nature. Having an eagerness to please others mixed with a constant ignorance of social cues made you quite humorous. Yes, quite humorous indeed. The laughs brought forth by things you have done and said were plentiful, and I was delighted by each appearance you've made.

And best of all, dearest Hootcifer, you've made Luz and Amity a canonical couple. In an episode that will be nearest and dearest to many fans' hearts, you have not only brought out beautiful development between King and Eda but also managed the most adorable display of young love to occur. A young love between two girls, no less, meaning this moment of spectacular representation for the LGBTQA+ community is all thanks to you, a character best described as a "bird worm." That is both mildly hilarious as well as incredible.

Unfortunately, dearest Hootcifer, your time on the show was not perfect. Whilst Season Two was you at your best, it took all of Season One for me and others to warm up to you. And by Season Three, with every other characters taking story prominence, there was nary any time for you, Hootcifer, to add anything of value. You hardly had any lines, nor did you manage to have any final words in the series finale. Other characters in the series had faced this injustice too, but it is extra ludicrous for you, Hootcifer. You were there since that very first episode, becoming the fourth member of the Owl House family. To think that your last line was only in the second to last episode, despite how much of an impact you've left on the others and the fans, it pains me that you were one of the few cheated out the most with that final season.

Regardless, despite everything, Hootcifer, you are a well-done character with humor and heart. Tis no wonder that the show is named after you, for you are worthy of such an honor.

...In short, Hooty is funny, endearing, and surprisingly grows on you. I have...no idea why I gave that sentiment across in such a fancy way, but oh well.

(He deserves it anyways)

Flapjack: *Sigh* Another loving bird...

Just like Owlbert, Flapjack's the only palisman with enough prominence in the series to feel like a character, but unlike Owlbert, the writers actually explore more with Flapjack. But that may be because his story is tragic.

It is heavily hinted that Flapjack is Evelyn's palisman, who also lured Caleb into the Boiling Isles and indirectly sparked DECADES worth of...bad stuff. And within that time, Flapjack lost an eye and an owner and spent so much of his life alone. That is until he met Luz...who then introduced Flapjack to Hunter.

It really was a solid expectation subversion that Flapjack chose Hunter as an owner. He had a kind and playful energy that matched Luz perfectly, but no. He wanted Hunter, possibly because he looked so much like Caleb. And not wanting to lose another Caleb, Flapjack seemed to make it his number one goal to help Hunter in every way possible. That's when it hits you why Flapjack is perfect for Hunter: He's what Hunter NEEDS. Flapjack may have worked well with Luz, but Hunter needed him more than she did. Hunter was all alone for most of his life and went through so much emotional and mental stress in his unfortunate existence. Then here comes Flapjack, cheerfully supporting Hunter in his interests and literally pulling him to people who will make him happy. Flapjack's basically a therapy bird if I've ever seen one. And it really was nice seeing the majority of the time he's spent in the series be dedicated to making someone else happy...because it makes his death all the more tragic.

All Flapjack wanted was to make Hunter happy, ignoring the fact for so long that being near Hunter was the biggest risk that Flapjack could have ever taken. The second Belos might see Flapjack, he'd be as good as dead due to Belos' need to feed off the souls of palismens and because of Belos' hatred for everything that Flapjack represents. Yet Flapjack still stuck it out and stayed by Hunter's side despite these risks. His death was all but inevitable, but it hurt all the same because while we knew, deep down, it would happen, we didn't WANT it to happen. But it did, and it stings that a bird that wanted to do nothing but good only paid a horrible price for his kindness. On the bright side, Flapjack died doing the one thing he did best: Helping Hunter. No, SAVING Hunter.

Flapjack was loyal to the end, and we all love him for it. And miss him all the same.

Darius Deamonne: Hey, look! It's another character that's important to Hunter! And this one is FABULOUS!

I'll forever be blown away by the expectation subversion the writers did with Darius. Upon his introduction, you think he would be this menacing secondary antagonist the characters would have to fight through in a final battle against Belos. That was definitely the vibe I got from the guy, with how menacing he acted and how he looked in his abomination form. Turns out, most of that was an act...Most of it. I'm willing to bet that he really was ticked off by whoever was screwing with him, and his annoyance was real with Ebberwolf. But by using what we NOW know, it's clear that Darius was playing SOME of his behavior up to make it convincing enough that he's on the Emperor's side in case any ears are listening in. Belos does have eyes and ears everywhere, after all...somehow. Plus, it makes the reveal that Darius is on the side of good all the more pleasant of a surprise. He's certainly less menacing, but not as a fault. Darius still has the same snark and agitation towards people who are more, let's say, foolish than him, just as Darius did in his first appearance. It's just that now he's more subdued because he's surrounded by people who Darius doesn't need to scare. Even when dealing with the Emerald Entrails, Darius acted cold but reasonable. And when actually TRYING to scare the kids, you can argue he wanted to further scare them away from joining the Emperor's Coven, showing them what type of person they'd be dealing with.

But the biggest surprise came when he turned out to be a decent father figure for Hunter. Unfortunately, we never get to see him as an actual father, but it's still sweet seeing Darius show Hunter the first amount of respect and care from an adult the poor boy ever got. Darius shows interest in Hunter's interest, respects his decisions, and encourages him to be a kid and not a soldier, likely because Darius knows full well where that leads for the previous Golden Guards. It warms the heart to see how much Darius cares for Hunter, getting worried when he's in danger and feeling joy when he's safe and sound. It's all great...and it SUCKS that Darius is one of the few screwed over in the finale. No final lines, just pure silence...and some shipping fuel between him and Alador. At least there were still moments of Darius showing he cares for Hunter, and they're both happy together. I didn't really expect much from Darius. He was already fun upon his introduction, but having him become this stern yet caring person was such an interesting twist that I can't help but admire more. It's not what I expected, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

Vee Noceda: That IS her last name, and I will hear NO SLANDER ABOUT IT!

...Anyway, Vee's a great character.

I am forever impressed by how great of an, yet another, expectation subversion Vee is. Everyone, including Luz, upon first seeing Vee, saw her as an evil doppelganger trying to steal Luz's life. I still remember the shock and fear I felt when first seeing Vee, worried about what this could mean for Luz and Camila. And then we got to know Vee...and I much prefer the character we got over an evil clone or whatever the popular theory at the time was.

Vee, quite possibly, might have the most tragic life out of everyone in the show. She was born in a cage, was treated as a lab experiment and nothing more, gained a ton of PTSD surrounding rats and cages, and likely never knew the feeling of a warm bed or a good home-cooked meal until meeting Camila. Vee's life was a nightmare before running away to the human realm, and after learning about all that, it makes her finding a home with the Nocedas, being a part of their family, all the sweeter. A friend of mine said that her plan was a LITTLE flawed because Vee didn't know whether or not Luz would return, but in fairness, Vee said that she didn't mean to keep the act up forever, but Camila was nice to her. Vee was operating off of emotions due to getting an inkling of what love feels like, even if Camila's motherly love wasn't for Vee exactly. And with the family she's found and the friends she made in the Human Realm, it's no wonder that she prefers a life there, graduating high school with Luz and having a form for herself to gain an identity of her own. It's amazing how much care and attention the writers put into Vee and her story...Especially since she's basically a minor character.

Yeah, it's crazy to think that a lot of this stuff that happens with Vee is for a character with a substantial role in TWO episodes. Honestly, I wish she had more and could have time to bond with Camila and Luz, showing how much of a happy family she's gained. But, even after "Yesterday's Lie" ended, I already assumed the odds of seeing Vee again in something big were NEVER to become a reality. The shortening of the series, leaving fans with only half a season and three specials, meant that the odds weren't in Vee's favor to grow and develop more than she already did. In a case like that, you have to learn to accept what you HAVE instead of complaining that you didn't get what you WANT. And as for what we have with Vee, it's still good and compelling stuff for a character that makes two appearances. Sure, the potential of a greater character is there for Vee, but for a minor character, she's still really great. Now, if she was a MAIN character, THEN it'd be an issue...Speaking of which.

Gus Porter: Ah, NOW we're getting to the important characters.

Gus is...probably the least interesting out of the main cast. That doesn't make him bad, mind you. I mean, look how far he's come in this list. It's just that, compared to everyone else, Gus felt as if he had less going on. While everyone else was dealing with trauma, family issues, and self-worth, Gus was always kind of...there. The worst part is that there are a lot of hints of there being more to him. He somewhat admits to Hunter in "Thanks to Them" that, while things aren't awful, Gus isn't happy. He missed his dad, and Gus was the first to break down and cry after "King's Tide." There's something there to explore, but because it's a season where so much is going on and there's little time to focus on everybody, Gus, unfortunately, gets the short end of the stick when dealing with HIS trauma. And there's not much going on with his family. There's no discussion of what happened with his mom or any animosity between Gus and his dad. They have a healthy relationship together. Which is appreciative, don't get me wrong. But it's NOTHING compared to Amity's issues with her parents, Eda's strained relationship with her sister and mother, and Luz's difficulty in getting her mom to understand her. The closest bit of intrigue we get with Gus and his dad is how bored and kind of annoyed Gus looked during the Grand Prix in "Eda's Requiem." There could be something to explore there, maybe talk about why Gus went with his dad even though he clearly wasn't having a great time. Unfortunately, this was during a season when the writers were told the series would get cut, and they had to rush to close up as many character arcs as they could before reaching the end, with Gus, again, getting the short end of the stick. Thankfully, the show does something about Gus' self-worth, showing his doubts as an Illusionist and some anxiety about being used by others for personal gain. It's engaging stuff, but it comes at the cost of Gus being overshadowed by an admittedly cute couple and the fandom's favorite white boy.

We definitely get a good amount where I say that Gus is an engaging character, but never enough to stand above the others. And that, right there, is why Gus is the least interesting in the main cast. There are great things about him to explore, but he's never given a chance to truly shine. Thankfully, Gus is still great in a supporting role, acting as the group's cheerleader and hyping them up to do something. Or how he acts as the little brother, having sometimes naive optimism and playfulness compared to everyone else. He's still a smart cookie who knows when to be serious, but it's clear that he's the second or third youngest in the cast, right next to King or the Collector. So, while Gus would have been even better with more time dedicated to him and him alone, that doesn't mean he's any worse of a character because of it. He's still endearing with how supportive he is, even if that makes him less interesting than his friends.

Speaking of which...

Willow Park: Willow...has a similar problem as Gus, but it might be a little worse. Because while Gus has entire subplots in episodes dedicated to him and his issues, Willow has consistently shared the spotlight with other characters throughout the series, where they get a lot of development, and she gets the scraps. To the point where fans talk more about the people Willow has a relationship with instead of Willow. She used to have a friendship with Amity? They latch onto AMITY'S side of things. Hunter's her boyfriend? They latch onto HUNTER'S side of things. In fact, I think people talk more about her BULLY than they do about Willow. Rarely does Willow get any attention in the fanbase and even in the series, which is a shame because she IS a solid character.

Willow's your typical shy girl who learns to gain more confidence. Only this one has more of a violent edge and seems more than capable of killing someone for hurting her but doesn't due to her self-confidence issues. Plus, instead of stretching out those issues throughout the entire series, Willow gains more confidence at the end of Season One. An annoying thing about shy girls is that they remain progressively so, getting better through inches instead of miles. With Willow, she gets over it pretty soon, to the point where I genuinely thought Willow didn't have much to do in Season Two because the writers figured her character arc was done. Which is a shame because even though her friends have more development than her, Willow is a great straight man to their antics. She's often remembered as a friend with the one functioning brain cell in the group, acting as the voice of reason when her idiot friends have a dumb idea. But she's still supportive of their ambitions and adventures because THEY were supportive of her. It's her way of paying them back. Willow just has a better idea of when to draw the line.

Plus, there is an interesting idea about Willow that the writers manage to explore beyond her shyness, even if it's not to as great of an extent as everyone else's development. You see, Willow has a problem processing trauma. In "Understanding Willow" (which ironically helps us understand Amity better), Willow states that it's best to hide away what's upsetting her while saying, "Out of sight, out of mind." Only for that to QUICKLY backfire as Amity takes things further by burning the very thing Willow only wanted to hide. They both learn it's better to confront the things that make them uncomfortable, gaining an understanding (ha) that you need to face your pain to heal from it. Except that Willow somewhat forgot that lesson in "For the Future," which showcased what makes Willow great. She's there to help her friends and their issues but ignores her own because she believes her friends’ are more important. All the girl needed was a good cry over her dads, but Willow instead repeated to herself, "Keep it in," not wanting to let her own problems overshadow everyone else's, which caused her emotions to grow more out of control. This side of her is an engaging idea, and it sucks that it's only been explored twice while her friends got more development. I'm willing to blame the shortening of the series for this one because there's no way she only had such a small role to play in the series upon conception. Willow acts as great support like Gus, but she could have been so much more. And that's a "What if" that's going to unfortunately be lost to time.

King Clawthorne: I have mixed feelings towards King, at least in the first season. I didn't hate him. It's just that, within Season One, King hardly had a direction. More often than not, he was the comic relief that went off doing silly things in the B-Plot while everyone else went on the real adventures. It led to entertaining bits, like gaining an army of sentient stuffed animals or using the Owl Beast as a tool to dominate the playground. But then there were times when they felt like an unnecessary distraction, like being an MC at Grom or being mistaken as a substitute teacher. And most of the time, it's all for the sake of an unrealistic goal. I could tell from the beginning that he would NEVER be the actual King of Demons, and it was just something the other characters played along with because even THEY knew it would never be a reality. So there was never anything King could add to the show besides humor, which he did well due to Alex Hirsch's hilarious delivery with a few jokes. If King stayed the same as he does in Season One, he'd go just above Hooty as someone entertaining with a few solid scenes of heart with the rest of the main cast, but nothing more than that.

...But then the writers decided to make King an actual character in Season Two.

King became more consistent and engaging in the series from "Echoes of the Past" to beyond. In most of the series before this moment, King always went back and forth as either a child, a pet, or an immature adult with delusions of grandeur. Post "Echoes of the Past," it's pretty clear that King's a child but one with a bit more maturity than others. He acts naive and has a definite need to be protected at all costs when he acts sad. And Alex Hirsch KILLS it when portraying King's youth, where the times King cries or gets emotional sounds like an actual kid rather than a grown man playing a kid. His delivery isn't just good for humor but for some amazing voice acting that surprisingly adds to the illusion. It's sort of like how John Roberts convinces me that Linda from Bob's Burgers is a New Jersey Mother in a way that's better than any voice actress ever could manage. Sometimes, you need to give in to the illusion.

As for what makes King engaging, that's where his purpose comes in. King wanting to become the King of Demons and have people bow down to him is...cute and results in some good humor. But King wanting to know what he is and where his Dad came from? Now THAT is a way to make someone invested in a character we already enjoyed. King was entertaining before, but seeing his struggles to find answers about his past and heritage was always endearing and helped you feel for the little guy. And when he finally DOES get answers, it cleverly gives King what he wanted in Season One: To be something that people would bow down to in respect and fear...and King doesn't want that anymore. After learning he's the last of his species, that his blood family is dead, and everything is falling down around him and his found family, King doesn't want to be the monster everyone fears. He just wants to be King and have things go back to normal. Or, HIS version of normal, anyway. It's pretty compelling to show King's growth as comic relief to an actual character by giving him everything he thought he wanted, only to practically refuse it. King is almost a completely different character by Season Two, and it really is for the best. Season One King wasn't too bad, but his Season Two self really gave him the boost he needed.

Raine Whispers: Raine is best defined as a pretty flawless character. At least, in my eyes, they are, as there's not really a bad thing I can say about them.

Upon conception, Raine was nothing more than a love interest to Eda...and that tracks. So much of Raine's development and story occurs when Eda is there, fawning over them and wanting to reconnect. Even their debut episode was more about Eda's issues and how Raine was there to guide her to the right path when it mattered most. They're very much a character severely connected with Eda and never had the chance to star in the spotlight instead of sharing it. A shame, really, since Raine organizing a resistance against Belos could be enough for an episode of its own, but, unfortunately, not the case for a series that got shortened. However, just because Raine's a character connected to Eda, it doesn't make them any less fun or engaging.

First and foremost, you GET why Eda is so in love with Raine. Where Eda is an agent of chaos, Raine is more for CONTROLLED chaos, willing to join Eda to cause some mayhem but in a way where they don't get caught or in trouble. And that's just them as kids. As an adult, Raine wants to destroy a militaristic dictatorship from the inside out, determined to keep the act going and fight literal brainwashing no matter how often they get caught. They're also pretty determined, fighting against Belos infecting Raine's brain and fighting with their last breath when Belos tried to get to the heart of the Titan. Because while Raine was one for chaos as a kid, they're still a good and caring person. Raine didn't want Eda involved so she wouldn't get hurt and MEANT their promise to Luz to make sure nothing bad happened to Eda during their mission on the Day of Unity. But on top of everything else: Raine is a charismatic dork, having enough charm to make Eda the Owl Lady blush but still having the dorkiest smile when announcing their crew's name is "The CATs." Raine is ALL these things, and the result is someone who's a blast to watch, even if they're simply Eda's love interest. They still add enough entertainment and drama, even if some of it, unfortunately, focuses more on the Eda side of things. Would I love more of a spotlight to shine on Raine? Of course. They're an outstanding character who unfortunately got put through the wringer, what with being physically tortured, used as Belos' meat puppet, and MAYBE groomed by Terra Snapdragon (That creepy witch). But when a character's conceived as a love interest, even if there's more to them, you gotta take the good moments when they're badass and awesome and appreciate when they contribute to the story on the sidelines as a supporting character than a leading one. At least they were right there to kill Belos and lived happily ever after, snuggling with Eda. Not too bad for a love interest, huh?

Oh, and Raine's also the first non-binary character in a kid's cartoon with a major influence on the characters and the plot. That's pretty cool too.

The Collector: Here we have a character that turned out WAY better than I imagined. I didn't admit it in the past, but I was a LITTLE worried that the writers would make The Collector like Bill Cypher: A chaotic god-like character who takes pleasure in treating others like his playthings. And The Collector IS that...but there's something that makes them a different yet intriguing character: The Collector's a kid. Yes, he's a kid who turned the Boiling Isles into their playground and the residents into toys, but they’re still a kid.

Upon our introduction of The Collector, we're given this idea that he’s a sick and twisted little gremlin who's just as excited as Belos is about the genocide of the Boiling Isles (which might be an image aided by the fact that it's Belos' memory). But every time we saw them since, the more the writers leaned into the Collector's child-like behavior, showing that the reason why he might be all for Belos' genocide and treat people as literal playthings is that they don't understand what life and death means. He doesn't MEAN to be a problem. It's just that no one has ever taught them otherwise. And that's a more interesting way to go about this character instead of making The Collector a new primary antagonist. It might have worked fine, but when you make a character with god-like powers, it becomes difficult to believe anyone could defeat them. So, the idea to stop The Collector by TEACHING him what's right and wrong before it's too late is a clever way to go about things, especially when it's King that does most of the teaching, using his newfound maturity to teach The Collector what Eda and Luz taught HIM. The result is a new, engaging character that also shows the stellar development of another. Not too bad for someone added to the series at the last minute...Yeah, no, that's what The Collector is, though.

After finding out the series would get shortened, Dana Terrace and the writers thought, "Hey, let's just go NUTS this season!" So, they threw in The Collector as a way to add more spectacle to the final three specials of the show. Sure, the writers had SOME idea of what to do with The Collector beforehand. But after getting the bad news from the executives who decided the series no longer fit the brand, it was the final nail in the coffin to shove The Collector in there. And MAN, there is no better representation of the show's forced conclusion than The Collector, as they're this thing that ALL the characters react to, whether protagonist or antagonist, and are forced to work through their story arcs and character development around within the last few minutes of the show. It's a pretty fun way to look at The Collector, even if he's still a great character despite all they represent. Regardless, I'm still grateful the writers didn't just turn him into the new primary antagonist who killed the old one to show off their threat level...Especially since the old one is REALLY good.

Emperor Belos/Philip Whitebane: "YOU LIKE BELOS MORE THAN WILLOW, GUS, RAINE, AND EVERYONE ELSE?!"

Yes...As a CHARACTER. Not as a PERSON. Because he's NOT a PERSON. He's a FICTIONAL CHARACTER.

I'm serious. People should stop equating "good character" to "good person," especially in this fandom. You can't talk about how well-written Belos or Odalia are without someone coming around and saying, "THEY'RE AWFUL PEOPLE!" I know that. Most...SHOULD know that. But here's the thing: Belos is an antagonist. A character whose purpose is for the audience to love to hate him. If that's done well, he's a good character. And guess what: Belos does it REALLY well, to the point where he's one of my favorite antagonists in a Disney property. Probably one of my favorite antagonists of all time.

Upon his introduction, Belos scared the crap out of me. From his design to even the way he spoke sent chills up my spine. He didn't even SOUND all that threatening, with a deep and scary voice. He sounded like a dude, but it’s in the way he said things, as if Belos knew what he was saying was messed up. But he didn't care, almost like it was because he thrived on people fearing him. And that was just on his INTRODUCTION. From a few of his future appearances, the writers showed Belos acting MORE horrifying, having disturbing spells unlike anything we've seen before, being aware that SOMETHING is spying on him, and revealing that he has a curse that turns him into a somehow MORE terrifying monster. It was pretty effective in getting me to fear this creepy son of a non-witch...And then "Eclypse Lake" showed us his face, revealing that he not only SOUNDED like an ordinary dude but LOOKED like one too. Sure, he had that weird green mark that went down his face, but so much fear I had of Belos went away when I saw that he looked like someone's grandpa who forgot to wash his face. But as the show went on, the more it made sense to make Belos look like a regular man. Instead of portraying a fantastical evil, the writers went for a more realistic one...with supernatural powers, yes, but consider the villains of OUR world. They're people who look like you and me, using their faces to hide dark intentions and charm their way to a position in leadership. That fits Belos' actions to a T, and you see how perfectly it matches in real life when Luz voices her frustrations that no one can see how evil Belos really is, only for King to tell her that no one wants to realize that they've been following the wrong guy. Do you want to know why members of your family refuse to accept that a LOT of Republicans are evil? It's because they spent years, even generations, believing the opposite. So to tell them the truth, even if they NEED to hear it, they'll refuse any facts given to them. So having Belos be the exact representation of all of that, showing kids what to be wary of, is a great way to educate them to learn that sometimes the most dangerous people in society are those who control it in the first place. Even making him a grotesque monster doesn't really take away from the allusion but adds to it, letting Belos' true, inner self take physical form and showing kids what happens to these monsters when you're too late to stop them.

And that's not even getting into the motivations! I didn't feel TOO shocked when it was revealed that Belos was Philip Wittebane. Don't get me wrong, I was still a LITTLE shocked, but I predicted it and expected that Belos' big plan was to return to the Human Realm in some way, but that left some holes into why he spent so much time controlling the Boiling Isles to do it...And then it was revealed that Belos was a WITCH HUNTER. And I'll never forget the dread I felt when I realized, "Oh, they're doing THIS. Oh, no..." The level of fear that I once had for Belos skyrocketed once his real plan became clear and how INTENSELY close he was to reach his ultimate goal.

The scariest part of all is how believable it is. Given how real-world politicians are willing to wipe out an entire group of individuals just for existing, someone like Belos isn't too far of a stretch. Neither is how he came to be the monster that he is. Philip was only an orphaned child raised to believe that witches were Satan's spawn set to destroy everything. And one witch "stole" his brother, the only family Philip had left, and left him feeling like his rage was justified. Except...it's not. It was NEVER justified. Caleb left Philip on his own volition and, when Philip found him again, tried to convince the twit that Evelyn was fine. Philip could have easily taken his brother's word for it and changed. Philip would later have YEARS, possibly CENTURIES, to learn that he was wrong, but he never did. The conditioning was put too deep into his brain, and Belos was the result. I wouldn't say that makes him a tragic character, but it DOES explain so much about why he acts the way he does.

The best part about Belos is that he's consistent. Because of his conditioning, he never once wavers his opinions or questions if what he's doing is wrong. Belos considers himself the hero of his story and views Caleb and Luz as tragic losses. When met with the LITERAL GHOSTS of his sins, Belos yells at, or flat out ignores, them, proclaiming that he was doing the right thing and it's not HIS fault that their souls were too far gone. And with Luz, Belos tried to kill her on three separate occasions, actually succeeding the third time around. And when backed into a corner, realizing he's as good as dead, does Belos ask for surrender? Does he beg for forgiveness? NOPE! He initially tries to manipulate Luz, attempting to take advantage of her good nature into thinking he's good now. And, when THAT instantly fails, Belos yells at Luz, saying she's betraying her humanity and is nothing more than the very evil he spent his whole life fighting against. Luz doesn't buy a word of ANY of it, least of all when he says they're better than this petty revenge and killing out of a twisted form of justice. Even though that's exactly what he's been doing all his life.

Evil to the end, Belos is an antagonist that works because of how perfectly diabolical and realistically despicable the writers made him, making him interesting to dissect while having it feel so cathartic to watch him get stomped to death by the very people he hated. I could honestly go on and on about what makes Belos so engaging to watch and easy to hate...but this gosh dang review is long enough already, and I haven't even gotten to my top five favorite characters yet!

Speaking of which, let's talk about the ONE good thing Belos did with his life...After we talk about Amity.

Amity Blight: How's THAT for a smooth transition?

Anyways, Amity's great because with nearly every new appearance she's made, she becomes a better character, and I mean that in two ways. For one, she becomes more intriguing as we learn about her home life, interests, and motivations, all three being connected in some capacity. Everything that Amity did, she did because her parents (her Mom, mostly) told her to do it. Ending her friendship with Willow, forcing her to be friends with Boscha and her mean girl squad, be the best of her class no matter what, and join the coven that she slowly doesn't want to join anymore. These are all the things Amity was forced to do, and had no choice to do it.She had almost no free will, but that doesn't mean she couldn't rebel in the tiniest ways. She took time out of her day to read to kids and used the cover of it being extra credit to keep doing it. She has a secret room with a collection of Azura books to enjoy a fantasy series, idolizes the purest hero, and has some creative freedom if that fan art on her diary's cover is anything to go by. Even her bullying has SOME ways of cheating. Amity may have said that Willow had no talent, but it was an attempt to get Boscha and the others to stop while covering her tracks so they won't tell anyone she went soft on Willow. And in "I Was A Teenage Abomination," some of Amity's words almost sound encouraging. There's a mocking tone to a lot of it, but the subtlety of her going "keep it up" is still there. Sure, Amity would later have a rage later regarding Willow and Luz’s cheating, but even that is more or less justified. They broke the rules, and, knowing how Odalia reacts to failure, Amity is NOT willing to let go of her "Top Student" badge without a fight. Maybe I'm stretching, and maybe I'm looking deep into things that aren't there. But it's the same thing I do with Alador: When presented with new information about a character, it's a collaborative effort to look at what came before and figure out how it works. And I think there's enough to Amity's actions in the past that are justified by her motivations yet still have a bit of her good side shining through. Which is good because that brings me to the OTHER reason why Amity gets better with each episode.

Piece by piece, bit by bit, Amity becomes a better person after learning a new and valued lesson by the end of every episode. And unlike a blonde-haired character I hate from that frog show, Amity has a clear and definite desire to become a better person. The writers SMARTLY confirm early on that Amity doesn't want to be cruel. She specifically can't show weakness, so she builds walls to hide away her good side, believing that part of herself is weak. But through Luz, the best thing that ever happened to Amity, all those walls come crumbling down, and the Amity SHE wants to become would soon blossom. She's less reserved, more open about feelings, smiles instead of sneers, and acts nicer to Luz and others around her. There's still some anger, annoyance, and the occasional snark, but it was nowhere near as bad as how Amity USED to act. And through each wall that falls gives Amity courage to stand up to her parents and finally become her own person, to the point of dying her hair to reflect the kind of person she wants to be. By a quarter of the way through Season Two, Amity finally gains an identity that reflects what she always had hidden underneath. And it's satisfying...And then writers made her Luz's girlfriend.

Yeah, this is a complaint you'll often see floating around. The second Amity and Luz start dating, a lot of her individuality tends to trickle away, with most of Amity’s problems being related to or overshadowed by Luz's. Just look at "Reaching Out," which has Amity dealing with her issues of Alador's neglect and wanting to form SOME connection with him. But it's barely touched upon due to the real meat of the episode being Luz using the event as a distraction towards her own issues, which I remember more regarding that episode than anything Amity went through. And things get worse by Season Three, where almost every character has something to go through or a chance to highlight their grief, and Amity is...just kind of there, being looped in with supporting her girlfriend and dealing with an ex-friend instead of dealing with her own problems.

It definitely sucks that after all that fighting that Amity went through to gain independence and discover her true self, only to be sidelined once she gets it. But I will say that while Amity is forced into being categorized as Luz's girlfriend, that role still highlights Amity's development. She acts warm, kind, and, most of all, understanding towards Luz and her issues, the same way Luz acted towards Amity, proving she can give as much as she can take. It's not how I wanted things to turn out, but hey. At least Amity got a complete character arc before being pushed to the side. That's WAY more than what I can say about Gus and Willow, the characters introduced to us as Luz's best friends. Guess a girlfriend takes more of a priority.

But that's enough about the fandom's favorite white girl. Let's NOW talk about the fandom's favorite white boy AND the writer's favorite punching bag.

Hunter: In all seriousness, Hunter feels like a character where the writers went, "Hey, remember Amity? Let's just...f**king do THAT again. But BETTER."

And they did! Hunter pretty much has the same journey that Amity did as a character, but with all the strengths and NONE of the weaknesses. Upon his introduction, you think he's a charismatic yet evil little brat who doesn't value the lives of others with how quickly he threatened to kill Luz, Eda, and King. But, just like with Amity, the more we learn about Hunter, the more we realize why he WOULD act the way he did and even why he SHOULD.

Hunter is the supposed "nephew" of Emperor Belos, a man who hates failure to the point where he's ready to kill after you let him down ONCE, and you don't want to push his limits too many times. Hunter knows AND fears this fact, so he learns to hold his tongue when possible so as not to gain another injury during one of Belos' temper tantrums. So, Hunter does what he's told, acts carelessly toward others beneath him, and constantly tries to prove himself as a valued soldier instead of acting as a teenager. The poor boy has his own set of walls built up, and instead of letting the cracks grow, he often tries to patch them as quickly as possible because he fears Belos WAY more than Amity fears her parents. And rightfully so, because Belos would absolutely kill Hunter if he betrayed him. He's done it before.

Hunter being a Grimwalker shouldn't surprise me, as the pieces were there and...not really subtly hidden. Yet that doesn't change how horrifying it makes Hunter's situation. It's one thing to fear being replaced by a better soldier in his ranks or something. The fact that Belos can and will attempt to make a better, more efficient clone of Hunter and kill him if needed...makes Hunter digging his own grave in "Eclypse Lake" more fitting than we realized. It makes him not only replaceable but disposable, with that newly acquired knowledge making Hunter shatter, having a panic attack as it hits him all at once that his fears are more than justified. The worst part is that Hunter spent YEARS with that monster, never standing up because he couldn't do it as easily as Amity did to her parents. She can always run away, hide out in someone else's home to escape a mother who probably doesn't even want her. There's NOWHERE Hunter could go that could keep him away from Belos for long, what with him being the Emperor and Hunter having little to no friends. Thankfully, the ones he had did a lot of work.

Luz, Amity, Willow, Gus, and ESPECIALLY Flapjack all helped to give Hunter a better life. Luz offered perspective, showing Hunter that there's more to life than being told how to live it and that the authority figure he listens to isn't perfect. Amity represents evidence, showing Hunter that if you let good people in your life, they will help you with what tortures you. Willow gave companionship through herself AND a group of people that made Hunter genuinely smile for what must have been the first time in his life. Gus then offered comfort, showing Hunter how to calm his anxieties and fears he'll continue to have. And the one to provide all of these things is Flapjack, who gives Hunter perspective, evidence, companionship, and comfort through his own actions and dragging Hunter to people who could offer more. This gave Hunter a support group of individuals that slowly but surely gave him the desire to be the person he wanted to be and gain an identity. Sure, Hunter would build his walls back up each time they tore them down. But there were always cracks that made it easier to convince him what was the right thing to do for others AND himself. And it all gave him the courage to finally stand up to Belos, who saw Hunter as nothing more than a meat puppet, metaphorically and literally.

Hunter's journey does share a lot of similarities with Amity's. I will admit to that. But where she's later demoted as a character defined by a relationship, Hunter is a character that grew because of the support system he gained and was allowed to keep a sense of identity after his friends brought out his good side. They're the ones who guided him down his path, but what Hunter chose to do after was all his own. Plus, it feels SO GOOD to see that after Hunter's grief and knowing how many others before him died tragically to Belos, he gets his happily ever after. Hunter has a home life that's healthy, friends to support him, a girlfriend to LOVE him, and a chance to genuinely smile every day. He LIVED. He SURVIVED. And that must feel inspiring to those who feel there's no escape from the tragedy of their own lives. I love Amity's journey, but Hunter's definitely better and more impactful in ways you won't believe.

And he'd be the best character in the show...if it weren't the fact that I love three more. At this point, you can probably tell who they are, so let's get started with the fandom's favorite MILF.

Eda Clawthorne: I swear that Eda being hot isn't the reason she's in my top three...Maybe.

But for real, Eda is the only character on this list where if the show was about HER...I would watch it. There is SO MUCH about Eda that makes her a blast to see and a lot to dissect that makes her engaging as she is entertaining.

When regarding her personality/character traits, Eda is an instant gem. She's a con artist, frequently driven by greed, has NO problems breaking the laws, and is more than willing to beat up anyone who messes with the kids she's grown attached to. Now many, myself included, have pointed out that Eda's character shares similarities to Grunkle Stan from Gravity Falls. And...yeah, there's definitely a lot to compare, but there's much more to contrast to help make Eda stand out more as a character. For instance, while Stan one hundred percent loves Dipper and Mabel, Eda still feels warmer towards Luz and King. She may show some annoyance at Luz's enthusiasm or playfully mock King believing he's the most dangerous creature alive, but when it matters most, Eda's there for her kids. To protect, counsel, and sometimes cry over them when situations seem dire. Though she'd probably hate to admit it, Eda has a good heart and one that isn't buried after years of emotional baggage (don't worry, we'll get into that). And she doesn't need much bonding experience to help bring that goodness inside her. When Eda saw a little creature alone in a dangerous environment, Eda took it in and raised it as her own. When seeing a young girl with the same amount of spirit as Eda did when she was younger, Eda decided to accept that young girl's offer and teach her the best she knew. Eda was a caring mother figure to King and Luz when they needed her. As for being a teacher...she could have been better, what with barely teaching Luz anything. Still, she tried, and that's primarily in part because of her own love of magic.

Eda may be a criminal striving to get rich, but those two things aren't mutually inclusive like it is for Grunkle Stan. Eda's a criminal because she disagrees with this close-minded rule that witches should be in a coven, doing one kind of magic for the rest of their lives, except for a small group of elite soldiers picked out by the Emperor himself. Anyone with half a brain can see the flaws of this, and Eda was one of them, breaking the law for years because Eda couldn't help but see how it never made sense. So, she never joined a coven, something considered a major offense against Belos' rule, with Eda being considered a wild witch by her community. And the woman RELISHED that idea. Due to not joining a coven, Eda was allowed to do any type of magic she wanted without being in a stuffy uniform and listening to the vague lies of an evil emperor. It left her with a bit of an ego boost, claiming that she's the most powerful witch on the Isles, but at least Eda gets to do what she loves. Even as a kid, Eda had a PASSION for magic, wanting to learn as much as she could and knowing more than Lilith, a character proven more studious than Eda. It's why you can buy Eda being the better witch than Lilith, because while Lilith can understand the technique, Eda has a better grasp of how good it feels to do magic. After all, she loves doing it in a variety of ways. Even her being a new headmaster of a magic college makes a lot of sense. She may not have been the best teacher for Luz, but they were both dealing with a form of magic that neither really knew much about. The only time their teaching clicked was that moment when Luz had natural magic, and Eda could finally offer advice she KNEW would work. Natural magic is what she understands and has a greater passion for, and teaching "wild magic" to the new generation, giving them something she always wanted and a chance to learn further, makes all the more sense when you take the time to think about it. It's a side of Eda that I don't think fans talk about much. A shame, really. It's an interesting part of her that's worth sharing and deserves to have more attention drawn to it. The show certainly didn't...Though, to be fair, there was one last aspect of Eda's character that's, admittedly, more engaging.

Eda's past, from her family to her ex and to her curse, is a subject that follows Eda throughout her life whether she likes it or not. One way or another, something keeps crashing back into her life, and the results lead Eda into an emotional rollercoaster that ends in tears or violence. Some healing comes from it, but the tears and violence are still prominent. Her fights with Lilith, turning into a rage monster due to her mother's meddling, losing Raine, and her father wanting to talk are all emotional situations with Eda and the tattered relationships she had over the years. The hurtful part is how it all leads back to her curse, one way or another. I'll talk more about Eda's journey with her curse and the allusion it represents in future parts, but I'll still say that so much of Eda's pain, her drama, became prominent because of something Lilith did and how Eda reacted to it. She always ran away or denied there was a problem in the first place, making a horrible situation even worse as it left her burning bridges she'll want to rebuild later. And the worst part is that this is something Eda struggles with the most.

Despite all her pain and trauma, Eda tries to cover it up with jokes and a cocky smile or anger and determination. When the curse started overtaking her in “Agony of a Witch,” she looked at Luz with a smile to make things light, but the fear in her eyes betrayed everything. When losing Raine to Darius and Eberwolf, she choked back her tears and forced herself to focus on anything else. Because to her, it's better to deny how hard you're hurting than face it. She'll voice her worries from time to time but often hides just how strong those emotions are for her. And she definitely doesn't want to relive emotional memories due to how hard it was keeping things together the first time. The only time when Eda tends to embrace her inner turmoil is when things are so intense that she can't help but cry and voice how scared/worried she is. It weirdly makes sense that the only thing that could make Eda finally open up is facing the end of the world where it's not just HER who's in danger but the people she loves too. Because above all else, while she may hate to show it, Eda is a softie to the ones she cares about, especially Luz and King. The three of them have gone on so many adventures together and faced so much danger that you can understand why it's almost always them that brings Eda to tears. Luz's attempt at a goodbye in "Young Blood, Old Souls," King's adoption in "Eda's Requiem," knowing how deep in trouble Luz is in "Edge of the World," and finally revealing that there's no plan in "O' Titan, Where Art Thou." Those kids mean the world to her, as she would be nothing without King and Luz giving her purpose, love, and a healing heart...Which makes it weirder how little Eda got to do in Season Three.

Yeah, a lot of characters got the short end of the stick in Season Three, even members of the main cast like Amity and Gus. While most got some narrative or development, others got forced into the supporting role to help those more important characters. But for Eda, it feels weird because she's part of the main trio. Nearly every poster and promotional material featured Luz, King, and Eda. Nearly every episode featured Luz, King, AND Eda. And every version of the show pitched, even if they didn't look the same, it was always Luz, King, AND EDA. So to have a season where she takes a narrative backseat while Luz and King have more relevance to the story feels off. Although, to be fair, it's not like there was much to be done with Eda. Pretty much every narrative she had got wrapped up with Season Two. She's accepted the curse as a part of her, made peace with her family, and reunited with Raine (even if they didn't seal that deal with a kiss). It's almost as if the writers knew they wouldn't have a chance to explore Eda further with a shortened season, so they completed every arc they could with her in the remaining time they had left. So I can see why they didn't do much with her because what else could they have done? But it doesn't stop how weird it is that Eda could have easily been written out of the season if not for the fact that she's part of the main trio, and it'd be even WEIRDER to have a final season without her. Because, truth be told, the series wouldn't be the same without Eda.

Eda offers humor, heart, and tragedy to The Owl House. Her past, trauma, relationships, and love make for someone that deserves main trio status. Probably even main character status too. I would love to see more of her with how much intrigue Eda has, even if a lot of it is done already. Would I want to watch a spin-off of her as a teen? Probably not. But I wouldn't mind seeing more adventures this wild witch would get into.

Also, I'll say this much about her: There's a consensus in the fandom that Eda is the best mom in the show. And while she certainly is a great mother like no other...there's someone we ALL know, deep down, deserves the title for Best Cartoon Mom.

Camila Noceda: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH, I have been waiting for this one...

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I am incredibly biased towards Camila. Upon her introduction, I always thought she was neat as a mother who truly cares about Luz, her interests, and her wonderfully creative mind. She said so within the premier. And even when sending Luz away, all Camila tried to do was look to the bright side and convince Luz that her summer won't be as miserable as she might predict it to be. Camila could tell that going to Reality Check Camp was the last thing Luz wanted to do, so Camila tried her best to make it seem like a fun time despite how down it made Luz feel. It shows that while she may not be a perfect mom for sending her daughter away, Camila is still caring enough towards Luz, and she wants her to be happy despite encouraging a decision Luz wouldn't like. I considered that a fascinating angle towards a mother like Camila, providing a reason for Luz wanting to leave but never out of malice. I liked it...But a quantifiable portion of the fandom did NOT, with too many people claiming Camila was an awful mother who hated her daughter. Camila had maybe a minute, maybe TWO minutes, of screentime, and that's somehow the interpretation people made. I wouldn't say I'm the best at analyzing and interpreting characters, which is a crazy thing to bring up THIS FAR into my longest review yet. Still, even I have to say that people's interpretation of Camila was a MAJOR reach. Like...how do you look at a woman who explicitly states she loves her daughter, gives her multiple kisses goodbye, and you immediately go, "Oh, she HATES Luz." How do you do that? And how do you claim she's a worse mom than Odalia? Yeah, that was a thing! People genuinely would defend Odalia for being a good mom with their last breath and then turn around to s**t on Camila. Even after finally meeting Odalia and seeing how bad SHE was, people still somehow considered Camila worse. I never understood how it got out of hand, and I'm convinced the writers somehow picked up on all this overreacting and decided to make Camila better with every single appearance she made soon after.

From that premier, I already gathered this idea that Camila was a flawed but caring mother trying her best despite mistakes. By "Yesterday's Lie," I was convinced she was the best mom Luz could ask for, even if powerful emotions caused Camila to make mistakes. When Vee acts like the "perfect daughter," you can see, on Camila's face, how Camila noticed something was off and how much she didn't like it. To her, "Luz" was throwing away everything that made her Luz, and Camila didn't WANT that, made even more evident by bringing all of Luz's stuff back in after Vee tried throwing them away. Then when the real Luz "calls" Camila, acting like her true self again, Camila seems ecstatic and is willing to play along with what she assumes is a weird game because she's so happy to see Luz be herself again. Through these small moments, you understand more how much Camila cares for her daughter, despite sending Luz to a camp to teach her to fit in better. It was an action done out of love, not malice. Camila couldn't be FARTHER from a bad person, as proven by how she reacts toward Vee. There may have been initial fear of finding out what Vee really was, but through some coaxing from Luz, all Camila can see is a poor girl locked in a cage and needing help. It's there that you understand where Luz got her kindness from. Because even though everything is going beyond Camila's comfort zone, the woman's still willing to kick a flat-Earther's ass to protect Vee. She's kind and warm to the people she cares about and violent to the ones that hurt them. Like mother, like daughter. But Camila isn't all too perfect. As the events finally come crashing down on her at once, she feels ALL the emotions as she has this breakdown. There's fear that Luz is stuck in a demon realm, anger knowing she WILLINGLY went there, and despair at the idea that Camila might never see Luz again. All of this leads to Camila BEGGING Luz to promise to come back, with Luz interpreting her words as "stay here and NEVER return to that awful place." This caused Luz to be fearful for the future, and more fans hyper-focussing on the negatives instead of the positives. They saw a mother telling her daughter to abandon everything that made her happy when anyone with a single functioning brain cell can tell you that it's just Camila being worried about Luz and not fully grasping the whole story. She knows Luz had SOME fun in the Boiling Isles, but Camila's strong emotions at the moment caused her to fail to understand why Luz loves it. Or, at least, misconstrue the facts, thinking it was just Luz living out a fantasy, the same thing Camila sent Luz to summer camp for. It might seem weird that Camila also focuses on the negatives instead of the positives, but in fairness to Camila, the woman went through the worst thing any mother can go through: Losing contact with her child for who knows how long. I can't blame her for her judgment being clouded by everything she's going through. Still, fans clung to the negatives, too...So it's good Season Three shut them all up for good.

Season Three might as well be the season of Camila, because of all the things Season Three did right, diving deep into Camila's character is one of them. Where her first two appearances showed how much of a caring mother she can be, Season Three took it up to TEN notches. She took so many children into her home when they had nowhere else to go, stayed up late to figure out how to get them everything they could need for a happy life, acted nurturing when they had a tough time, chose violence for someone even saying ANYTHING mean about her baby, and dove head first into a dirty graveyard pond to save a child. Camila earned the title "Mother of the Year.” And she wasn't even trying. But while the season shows how kind, nurturing, and even badass Camila can be, it also had her face some mistakes. Camila wasn't bad for sending Luz away or asking her to stay home. She's a single mother who lost her husband, who probably connected to their daughter in better ways and left Camila to do everything alone. She wanted to be the best possible mom but second-guessed every decision and was unsure if she was doing the right thing. So I like that most of this season is about her trying to LEARN from these unintended mistakes, asking for advice from Luz's friends, and finally sharing with Luz the mistakes Camila made and how she now comes to regret them. What's even better is that Camila tries her best to understand Luz's world. A lot of it scares Camila and makes her uncomfortable, even years after being aware of the Isles in the epilogue, but she still puts in the effort to TRY. It's because Camila loves Luz and wants to be a part of every aspect of her life. Camila may struggle, but she still wants to try. And THAT'S what makes her the best mom.

Camila is warm, loving, and just so much fun to see. She isn't perfect, but instead of denying those imperfections, Camila chooses to confront them and TRIES to better herself. It's evidence that not every parent gets the assignment as they receive it, but they're not instantly failures because of it. Yes, there are horrible parents who refuse to change, but I like that the show teaches kids that there are those who care enough to do better. That's what Camila is, and I love the hell out of her for it.

But do you want to know her GREATEST achievement? She gave birth to the best character in the show…

Luz Noceda: Luz Noceda. Luz fickin' Noceda. A character so good that I made an entire post discussing how she's a fan-frickin'-tastic character. And even then, it felt like I barely scratched the surface of what makes her so good. I mean, how can you accurately explain everything that you love about your favorite protagonist ever? Better yet, how can you summarize it for a review that's gone long enough already? Well, I'm at least going to try...Emphasis on try.

Luz is a character that won me over instantly. The happy, goofy character is always fun for me as I think they're perfect for humor and endearing entertainment. That's Luz to a T, as her antics and attitude towards so many things cause me to smile to no fail. How can I not when she has a kind smile as a snake bites off her doll's head or when she has an argument with her hands? Luz is almost always a delight, but what's interesting about her is that while she's primarily happy and fun-loving, that doesn't make her naive or stupid. Luz has a good sense of maturity, even before her angst arc (Yeah, we'll get to that). In "Covention," I was impressed by her response to Eda's disdain about joining a coven. Luz made it clear that she understands Eda's outlook but wants to go and make her OWN decision. In fact, Luz is mature enough not to follow ALL of Eda's orders. There are times when Luz DEFINITELY should, but I like how the writers gives her enough emotional intelligence NOT to listen to ALL of Eda's wild and free ideas of anarchy. She has enough emotional intelligence to know what's right and wrong at times but is still young enough to learn more when put in danger at a time she really SHOULD have listened to Eda. Luz IS a teen, after all. She wouldn't have all the answers.

But now that we're talking about her intelligence, that's probably an aspect of Luz that's looked over the most. Because Luz is smart, and that shouldn't be an argument. It should be a fact. The girl endlessly worked on glyphs until getting them right, often having scraps of paper lying around her after past experiments. And not only is she studious, but Luz is also crafty at any moment. Some of my favorite scenes with Luz are ones where she comes up with a great plan on the spot, like how she thought up a way to brand Belos as he was killing her. It makes sense the girl wanted to try out for theater because her improvisation is on POINT. And she has the power to back it up. I said in that character analysis that Luz is powerful but not TOO powerful. My good buddy @l-egionare pointed out how I misjudged how powerful Luz CAN be, given how a single plant glyph made that big tree in "Enchanting Grom Fright" and how she wiped the floor with Emperor's Coven members and Conformitorium guards. She certainly has the power. I highlighted her intelligence more because I love characters who win fights by outthinking their opponents rather than overpowering them. The truth is, Luz, CAN do some epic stuff. She's just not AS powerful as Eda and Lilith were at their best, due to Luz having limitations to her glyphs and how she sometimes casts them. Luz can be invisible but only for as long as she holds her breath, and the strength behind her glyph depends on how much she uses and how big they are. She can do great stuff, even with very little, but nothing TOO grand until the Titan gave Luz that power boost in the finale (which I didn’t initially want, but DAMN amI not complaining). Besides, as cool as Luz CAN be, and how underappreciated that part of her is, it’s not her best feature.

I think we can all agree that the best thing about Luz Noceda is her kindness. She’s not naive enough to believe that there’s goodness deep down inside everyone. Her kindness has limits and it says something that Luz’s first instinct upon finally meeting Belos for the first time is to go for the head. While she will help others that need it, Luz will still take the violent route if you mess with those she loves. Speaking of, do you remember your favorite characters? You know all that development and growth they all went through? Do you know who’s responsible for ALL of that? Luz, that’s who. She helped reconnect Eda with her family, led King to gaining a sense of identity, helped Willow blossom into becoming more confident, indirectly helped Gus make new friends, and helped Lilith, Hunter, and ESPECIALLY Amity become their truer, better selves. They wouldn’t be who they are now without Luz, as every person she made a connection with had their lives changed for the better. And the crazy thing is that’s…not entirely mutual. Another great point my buddy @l-egionare made is that Luz’s life wasn’t doomed for the worst, and his argument has legs. Luz could have made friends like Vee did at summer camp or befriended those two kids in “Thanks to Them” who seemed to love Luz’s brand of weirdness. After high school, Luz could have also gone on to be a writer, sharing her love of fantasy to the world. Heck, she might even  fall in love with someone else one day, like with a horror nerd that loves gore and doughnuts…Just spitballing ideas here. The point is that while Luz’s friends on the Boiling Isles ABSOLUTELY need her for a happier life, she doesn’t necessarily need THEM. It’s an interesting interpretation to think about that makes Luz even BETTER. She’s a protagonist that leads others to their change and growth, which is a primary directive for most protagonists. Not only should THEY grow and change throughout the story, but they should lead the rest of the cast to do the same. It gives importance to the main character, showing just how much they’re needed for the world and the people in it…Which is why it pains Luz to find out she’s indirectly responsible for some strife too.

Like most plucky protagonists, Luz goes through an angst phase, mirroring how the show started off as light-hearted only to become darker as time went by. Luz’s angst, in particular, started in “Young Blood, Old Souls,” where a bit of Luz’s wackiness remained, but she still slowly got more serious as Season Two continued. By the time we reached “Hollow Mind,” an episode that forces Luz to realize she accidentally helped BELOS, most of Luz’s silliness and optimism became fizzled out, with damn near all of it being gone by Season Three. This is due to her seeing what Belos almost accomplished and the damage that The Collector was already capable of. Luz was accidentally and unintentionally the cause of these issues, and it broke her for reasons that ARE understandable…but they’re not justifiable. You DO get why Luz blames herself for everything that happened. She prides herself on her kindness and helping others, with the idea of being a burden crushing Luz in “Separate Tides.” So, to find out that she’s accidentally responsible for Belos, it hurts her because it makes her believe she’s a burden to EVERYONE, to the point where she believes that the Boiling Isles would be better off without her. Even though we LITERALLY just established how that’s false. There are some haters and idiots out there who do like to point out how none of Luz’s friends wouldn’t have had any strife if she never came to the Isles. Except…No. They absolutely would have. I mean, do you SERIOUSLY think Belos wouldn’t have tricked anyone else? The man pulled off a genocidal scam for DECADES. He could have easily tricked somebody else to do his dirty work for a few minutes.

“But he was driven out of too many towns! No one would trust him!”

Which is why he made a false identity to fix that problem. For all we know, he could have done it sooner.

“But Luz gave him the light glyph!”

A glyph that did nothing but offer Belos a shortcut to finish a job he was already 99% done with. Besides, he could have learned it on his own or maybe even through The Collector, who already knows that glyphs are the language of the Titans. Belos’ plan would have gone forward no matter WHAT reason you bring up. And what’s weirdly interesting is Luz’s refusal to see it. Yes, Belos could have tricked ANYBODY, but it’s still LUZ that he tricked. That guilt eats away at her and I’m kind of glad it’s not entirely resolved by the series finale. Don’t get me wrong, I want my favorite character to live the happiest life imaginable, but there’s a sense of realism that, even though she killed Belos, there’s still a bit of guilt. It’s hinted that it sticks with her years later, as she missed birthdays just so she could help rebuild the Isles. Although, that doesn’t stop Luz from living her life. She still hangs out with friends, joins her school’s softball/baseball team, and goes out with her family. Luz’s guilt is a lot like that scar above her eye. It’ll be small and hardly noticeable on some days, but it’ll still be there, as a reminder that life isn’t a fantasy.

It’s pretty ironic that Luz escaped to a fantasy world to avoid Reality Check Camp, only to get a reality check anyway. Everytime Luz tries to apply her favorite book series or pop culture to a problem she and her friends face, it always goes wrong. Within the second episode of the series, Luz learns quickly that she’s not some chosen one predestined for greatness…I mean, she kind of is, but not in a way most fantasy stories tend to play it. Luz quickly learns that her coming to the Boiling Isles was an accident, and that the environment she’s forced to adjust to isn’t as pretty as it is in her books. Things are difficult and solutions are complicated with there being no easy answers. Luz learns this throughout her adventures and grows to understand that being a witch like Azura isn’t simple. Luz even goes through a sort of identity crisis, now realizing that her dream to be a witch was always a little too vague and that she has no idea what she wants in life after the adventure’s over. It’s a compelling aspect to her character to have Luz realize that she’s not your average protagonist. So many of us want to be the main character of the world’s story, when we should realize that job would be extraordinarily difficult. Luz learned that the hard way after experiencing pain, suffering, and literal death that will haunt her nightmares for life. I wouldn’t call Luz a cautionary tale of what happens when you continue to live in a fantasy. That’s more like Marcy from Amphbia. Instead, I’d say Luz is more of a representation of a character understanding the cruelness of reality, but through a fantasy setting. We all learn best through the things that interest us, and Luz is no different. And that’s one of the MANY reasons to love her.

I could go on and on about how much I adore Luz alone. And probably would if this thing wasn’t THIRTY-THREE PAGES LONG! And you can’t blame me. She’s my favorite protagonist in anything, and is definitely up there as one of my favorite fictional characters. There might be problems with her character, but I’m more than willing to overlook them because of how much I enjoy Luz and the journey she went on. She is flawless in my eyes, and I will never look at her in a negative light no matter who tries to make me.

And that’s it. That’s EVERY IMPORTANT CHARACTER in The Owl House…My goodness.

As you can probably tell, there’s a LOT of characters here. One could argue too many, as it becomes evident that a few of them could be better if the show had more time to let some of them grow. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a world where The Owl House had three full seasons and all the time in the world to let all its characters blossom into their beautiful selves. But with that said, there aren’t any characters in the show that I’m willing to call bad.

Okay, Tibbles is still inadequate, but he’s still not the worst. None of them are. If any character is lower than the other, it’s due to them being unable to compare to the rest of the show’s standard. Because The Owl House managed to have an expansive cast of lovable, endearing, and complex characters, with a lot of them worth a deep-dive analysis of their own. I can’t get enough of them and they will stick with me for a while.

But as great as these characters are…how well do they work TOGETHER?

Tune into part two, and I might just tell you.

Next part

[fullmetal-scar-simping]

Alright, my Brotherhood character tier list. There are a few characters I could shuffle back and forth between the lower tiers, but thus is the nature of finding most of the cast to be unseasoned and bland.

A mountain of salt and indifference lays ahead:

First tier: No one should be surprised about my top pick. He's the one character I was absolutely rooting for from start to finish, and WOW did I hate what this narrative puts him through. The way this show takes every opportunity to kick him in the ribs while the war criminal characters are given so much sympathy was a ride (derogatory). The absolute anxiety this anime has around what Scar's character represents is palpable and it sucked so hard. In spite of these massive issues, he still managed to be a rich, layered character, and he was the absolute highlight to what was otherwise a trainwreck of an experience. I nearly dropped this show multiple times, with the scene in the abandoned Briggs town being the one that nearly turned me away completely. There are only two reasons I kept watching: to better articulate my opinions on this adaptation, and because of Scar. If he was removed from the story I would have absolutely ditched this mess. Though the disappointing conclusion to his story, post-Promised Day, as a military collaborator and reformist? Hurts my soul. Scar, babygirl? Sweetheart? You're fantastic and you deserved infinitely better than *Hand waves at the entirety of Brotherhood*

Second tier: I really was quite surprised how much I liked these two! Hohenheim was an actually well written character, he was complex and sympathetic, his arc had an emotional weight to it that the show's writing frankly bungles for the majority of its other characters. A very different character from the version of him I'm familiar with, and I liked this one quite a lot!

As for Mei, I won't lie. When she first got introduced I rolled my eyes, thinking she would fall into the "peppy mascot-adjacent kid who brightens up the dour characters and pays no mind to anything around her" role. And although she does match the archetype to some extent, she doesn't end up hollow. Her zeal for combat, her passion towards saving her clan, the care she shows for others and her unabashed friendship with Scar won me over. I really appreciated that she seemed less concerned with ruling an empire and more with securing the safety of her people. Watching her fight was always a treat too (that choreography, man), though I wasn't remotely invested in the romance angle presented with her and the Elrics.

Third Tier: An odd grab-bag of characters that I still liked enough, but on a comparatively superficial level. Izumi was cool but (like half of the Brotherhood cast) was often played up more for comedy relief when she wasn't doling out beatdowns (and often the comedy was because she's such a powerhouse). There wasn't enough here for me to be more invested in her than I would prefer.

Scar's brother is a brief glimpse of a character in any version of fma, so it's not like he has much of an opportunity to shine on his own versus what he provides for the plot. Still, I like him well enough. Too bad he's the "positivity even in the face of imperial aggression" guy, as a key antithesis to what Scar symbolizes pre-reformism.

Greed's effortlessly cool, and although I can appreciate that this time around he has an ongoing role in the story versus FMA 03, I wasn't won over by his particular arc. I can see what Arakawa & co were going for regarding themes of community, and Greed is a big part of that contrast against the other isolationist and war-mongering homunculi, but I'm gonna be real here: the "power of friendship" story is not something I come to fma for. (Jokes on me, that was pretty much what the manga and its direct adaptation are all about.) It can be done with some gravitas, but it felt more... Juvenile, simplistic. Still, I liked the "greed doesn't need to be a bad characteristic" bit, regarding the desire for other people in your life. That's about as interesting as it got for me.

Yeah, McDougal is more a vehicle to kickstart the show than he is a character. And yeah, he's an example of how this show regards radical actions against the state without working within said state. But I'm always gonna stan any character that seeks to destroy the seat of power in an empire, even if that character is meant to be an anti-radical strawman. So fuck you, Brotherhood, McDougal was right. He was the single Amestrian war criminal who actually took the correct actions against the institution he once served: he abandoned it instead of reaping the class benefits from its rampant bloodshed (y'know, unlike our "valiant" heroes, Mustang et al), worked to destroy it, and nearly accomplished exactly that.

Paninya! What can I say, I like Paninya. She's clever, fleet of foot, sweet as can be, and a solid fighter too. What's not to love? No version of fma provides enough Paninya content, and that's a bummer. Also, stfu Winry with your "stop stealing" crap. Damn.

Here's where we start to get controversial. The fourth tier:

I know Ling's a core character. I know he's a fan favourite. I know he's meant to be a paragon on what a "righteous ruler" ought to be. I can't yawn hard enough. I don't hate the guy, and he's got enough entertaining moments for me to mostly provide a polite shrug if asked for my overall opinion on this character. But man, the amount of "the system can be good, we just need good rulers/soldiers" that comes packaged with his character arc and its attending themes gives me critical organ failure.

Winry. Oh, Winry. As much as I like having more screentime for her, I just. Ugh. I really dislike how she got written into being the heartbroken white girl who rises above hatred and revenge, as though she is the ultimate victim of the Amestrian genocide of the Ishvalans. She "breaks the cycle" (ugh) because "her hands weren't meant to kill" (ugghhhhhhhhhh). She's still a headstrong, passionate character, skilled in a complex trade, and overall a kind person. I like that about her! But fuckin' YEESH with that brazen ploy to make Scar look less justified in his actions by throwing the Rockbells and Winry into his backstory and ongoing arc. Like Ed, she exists to be Broho's "moral" backbone, which ruins any potential for complex interiority. Also, I don't care about the good-little-future-wife shtick either. I appreciate that she remains an automail mechanic even after starting a family, but I'm bored to tears that this was the ultimate payoff to her narrative.

On paper, Truth and the character-specific Gates are interesting concepts. In execution, Brotherhood manages to render Truth into a rather goofy entity who happens to dole out consequences for alchemic taboos. And my bias is that fma 03's non-personified Truth-as-concept and a Gate that is wholly indifferent to human suffering, and wholly unsolvable > a personified Truth with a circus theme, cracking jokes while waiting for you to solve their grand Riddle.

So I'm putting Greedling as a separate entry from Greed and Ling 1) because he's a different enough character from both while still serving as a vehicle for both of their arcs, and 2) because WOW was I disappointed with the entire twist of Father 'granting' Ling his wish, monkey's paw style. And my disappointment stems largely from the fact that Ling maintains himself. Like. This body snatching ends with a teary friendship speech, Ling getting his body back intact, a philosopher stone, and his seat as the new emperor of Xing. Greedling, as an amalgamated character, never properly feels like a combination of the two, nor does he come with any real downsides or repercussions for Ling (for Greed, the mind reset from being liquidated is where he suffers tragedy, not from being given possession over a human being's body). Oh no, Ling has become Greed! Now he gets to argue with his new homunculus pal in the interim between this minor setback (where he's become physically stronger btw) and getting everything he wanted! Riveting.

Fifth tier: I won't go into every character on the average tier. I don't dislike them, I'm mostly neutral to em. They're fine. Sid, Pinako, Madame Christmas, Trisha, and Sciezka could all stand to be more fleshed out. I have a soft spot for Pinako, and I love the concept of Madame Christmas (the head mistress of a brothel who helps undermine the state? And a grade A hot older, larger woman who isn't designed to hide her age and stature? Hell yeah!) Sciezka's fun for the one episode we see her, but she's just a one-off, unlike her 03 counterpart. Shame. And the kids are cute and inoffensive, and Gracia's there too.

Sixth tier: Brotherhood's famously bloated cast will inevitably have characters that, much like the previous tier, are average due to having very little meat on the bones character- and plot-wise, or whose presence don't ultimately add or detract from the story, BUT! The dedication from those fans who see something more to those characters can really enhance my appreciation for what would otherwise be more additions to the average tier for me. Shoutout to Manfred (of Funny Bido Comics fame) for his lovely comics and artwork centering the Devil's Nest cast. At least now I can look at these guys and fondly think "Fuckin' sweet". As for the military chimera dudes, I wish there was more to them in-canon for me to better enjoy what they could have added to the cast, but while watching Brotherhood it felt like a lot of bloat. Still, charming fanart has managed to make me look at them a bit more favourably. (I should have put this tier above the basal Average tier, but I'm a fool and a charlatan, so.)

Seventh tier: Critters! Not much else to this one. They don't really count as characters per say (Xiao Mei being the closest one I could call a character, kinda), but hey, they're cute. To be honest, this tier should exist outside of the hierarchy since they don't really fall above or below most of the tiers, barring the top and bottom 3.

Eighth tier: The "both sides!" clutch that Brotherhood rests so much of its goddamned weight upon. Great that they helped wounded Ishvalans! Shit that they're not really characters, they're just perfect white martyrs for Winry's and Ed's character arcs, and a repeated shitfest for Scar's arc. Not all Amestrians, but definitely all Ishvalan rebels, amirite Arakawa?

Ninth tier: Compelling is perhaps a strong word here. They could have been compelling. Father, in Brotherhood's vacuum, could be an antagonist rife with symbolism and pathos. The attempt is there. But instead he ultimately feels more like a cardboard cutout that acts as the RPG final big bad. Bradley and Pride are at least more interesting as characters, and I felt Bradley being a human long possessed by the Wrath homunculus worked far better as a concept over Greedling. Overall the Brotherhood homunculi are flat tires, and as I said in the tier name, they're meant to exonerate the military apparatus by being the core problem with it. (Anyone else notice how much more sympathy the narrative gives King Fuhrer Bradley over Scar? He has a WIFE you know. Isn't he so soft? Man, what a good show /s)

Tenth tier: Easily forgettable. I don't even have anything unique to say about most of them. What I can say is: I wish I liked Lan Fan, Barry and Gluttony are whatever, I don't feel pity for the genocidal dictator's wife, and Sloth was a soggy wet fart.

Eleventh tier: The "you are all so thoroughly overshadowed by your 03 counterparts that I can't feel anything but a numb indifference or disillusionment for these versions" tier.

Al just. Feels too prim and quiet here. He disappears in the backdrop of 400 characters vying for screentime once you hit the halfway point of this show and he hardly re-emerges from that point onwards. Even when we switch back to his side of the journey he's overshadowed by everyone around him. Him meeting his dad in Liore, being puppeteered by Pride and his subsequent mutual entrapment with Pride seems to be all I can recall about Al after splitting from Ed in Briggs (until the final showdown with Twink Father). Characterization feels so flat, especially since I've got years of 03 Al lodged in my brain, and that version is just phenomenally written. Sorry but Broho Al inspires nothing for me, and he doesn't leave 03 Al's shadow one bit.

White Rose haunts my nightmares. And having her gush about how grateful she is for Ed showing her "ignorant" ass the True Way Forward (even with the decimation of Liore) with Winry (while the audience gets to ogle Winry taking a bath lmfao) was just. 😐

Calling Brotherhood Rick a "flash in the pan character" would be an overestimation of his extremely brief presence here. I forgot he was even in this show. F

Maria Ross may not necessarily be the most done-dirty of all the mutual characters across the two fma anime, but man, she just doesn't hit the same high notes as 03 Ross. Brotherhood did manage to get me worked up when I thought Mustang had murdered her, but after that was cleared up, she gets bookmarked until she can return as just a cog for the coup to commence. Sure she had this important role in-universe, but overall her actual impact on the core characters and the broader story was negligible. I get it, she's simply not supposed to be That Character in this version (much like Broho Sciezka vs 03 Sciezka). It just sucks seeing her be more formal and uninvolved with the Elrics, unlike her bond with them in the first anime which really made her shine. As it stands, Envy taking on her form to kill Hughes felt like her most memorable contribution to this story lol

WHAT THE FUCK DID THEY DO TO YOU, LUST?! OMFG WHY?? I still can't believe this version of her exists. Holy shit, I was not prepared to be so thoroughly rocked by how badly this character was going to be handled. She was nothing more than a sexy henchman with a D Plot about a feigned "relationship" with Havoc (which was a steaming load of nothing btw, since we only see this for one scene that lasts, what, a few seconds?) We get a joke about how much Havoc can't resist her massive titties, replete with water sloshing sound effects and anime jiggle physics, and then she fails to kill a pair of idiots which leads to her getting flambeed to death. All while being horny for Mustang's declaration of Immense Rippling Manhood with strong undercurrents of Monogamous Codependent Dedication for Riza. Just. What the fuck. What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the actual fu-

Twelfth tier: Fuck these guys. Love how much screentime the characters I beloathed got. Truly stupendous. I don't hate them all equally, but my dislike was palpable every time any of these assholes were on screen. And keep in mind, I hate them most for what they are for the themes, conclusions, and plot of the show far more than merely how I perceive them as individual characters (which doesn't completely eclipse the fact that I also don't like them as characters either lol).

Miles: One of Arakawa's many mouthpieces for her great takes on reforming a racist institution and why radical violent retaliation against an imperial giant is WrongBad. Make the genociders more diverse! "Did ya ever think of JOINING the military so you can CHANGE MINDS in the boonies at a military base on a border with another empire we're warring with, huh Scar? What were you doing while the military was genociding you and our people in Ishval, hm? Why did you fight back instead of making more gains for this monstrous apparatus? Shoulda signed up to be a pig instead of getting blown up, idiot." -Miles

This Ed is a fucking travesty. I cannot believe the monumental poor taste of the fma fandom for seeing this Ed as a better written, more human, worthwhile character than the 2003 version. It's inconceivable! This pompous, chauvinist racist is your guy? He becomes a meat-headed comedy relief character post-Briggs/pre-coup, which is great because I already couldn't take this version of him seriously. You'd think I'd have more to say, but honestly? 03 Edward Elric already exists. Therefore this jackass is fully irrelevant to me.

I waffled between putting Buccaneer in either the 10th tier (Literally Who Cares) or this one, and I thought "Y'know what? If the other core Briggs cunts are in the 12th tier, then why not keep the loyal squad together?" Piglet, nothing more to add.

The fact that the conclusion to Alex Armstrong's character arc was apologizing to his frothing nationalist sister for not doing enough genocide at his country's behest lands this coward here. A coward not for making a (meagre, failed) attempt at saving some Ishvalans, but for being a sniveling aristocratic boot-boy with no principles to compel him to turn away from the source of his family's generational wealth.

Cornello was an inept clown here. An easy "Literal Who" in this version, but hey he still exploits the Liorans for his own gain. With nothing else to his character or place in the story (which is arguably quite redundant given Brotherhood's handling of the timeline of events), the bin is the only place for him.

Shou Tucker. He's a monster, we all hate him, and yet he still committed markedly fewer atrocities, including against children, than any one of your military faves.

Overrated trash Olivier, the peak patriotic liberal wet dream. She's a top-cop who girlbossed her way to a male-dominated field (warmongering and genocide! But "feminist™")! She spouts pseudo-progressive (progressive if you squint and don't have standards) rhetoric while supporting her nation's imperialist agenda! (Optics>material actions, just how libs love it.) She has no qualms with ethnic cleansing but she doesn't see colour, so obviously she's a 'badass' babe who can dommy-mommy you whenever she even deigns to look your way! But she also has a heart of gold, because she cares about the porkchops under her command soooooooooo much! Wow! 🤢🤮

Riza, everyone's waifu (Mustang's, the show's, and yours too). Super cool how Roy committing genocide wasn't a good enough reason to blow his skull into chunks the way she claimed she would if he ever used her father's flame alchemy for ill. Love that she even joined the military so she could gain that sweet, sweet angsty backstory with her main squeeze while slaughtering hundreds of thousands of brown people. She regretted it so much as the carnage was being carried out that she made sure to do an amazing job of sniping Ishvalans! Because she's conflicted and nuanced.

Pfft. Mustang. Refer to the above. And what gets me is, yeah. He (and Riza) are written to be as charming and lovable as possible. They're both practically the unofficial main duo of this show. And I can't stomach these clowns. Love that nepotism will ensure he gets to be fuhrer of Amestris once Riza's grandpappy kicks the bucket. Btw cool eyesight bro, how many alchemically murdered Ishvalans did it cost? :))))))))))))

Guys guys guys, Hughes! He's the best! He'll sign up to murder as many Ishvalan families as it takes to keep his own (at the time hypothetical) family safe (in the militarily dominant imperium for which they were never once in any danger from the ethnically different occupied country)! Good thing Brotherhood and the manga both RESPECT Hughes, unlike the 2003 anime's movie, which made him a racist pro-genocide jerk!

I don't even remember this guy's name. Genocide doctor one.

And genocide doctor two. Marcoh makes up for his unforgivable actions of making philosopher stones out of Ishvalans for the Amestrian government by giving a philosopher stone made out of Ishvalans to the future head of the Amestrian government.

Hey, does anyone recall that scene where Grumman practically Evil Monologues to himself about his chance to snatch the Fuhrership once Bradley is deposed, so that he can run the military dictatorship? No? No one? Not gonna talk about it? Not even the fact that he got exactly what he wanted? Hello?

Envy could have easily been in the tier with Bradley, Pride, and Father, or even the tier with Al, Lust, etc. But the weird pathetic shtick during his demise, where Ed makes a grand speech about how tragic Envy is, after everyone (including Scar because we gotta highlight how ~reformed~ he is) stops Mustang from killing them, and we're meant to sniffle along to the super sad 'nuance' of this character like??? Nah. Super funny how Riza then thanks Scar for making a pacifist speech at Mustang because he helped stop Mustang from "needlessly" killing Envy, when she herself failed to do exactly that in Ishval AND while staining her hands in the blood of innocents. And Ed feeling so much heartrending empathy for Envy, despite Envy having tried to kill him numerous times, they tried to kill his friends and allies, and they had murdered scores of human beings prior to all that. Yet mere moments earlier Ed was offended that Mustang and Riza had him team up with Scar. ... .... .... ....Did I mention how fucking badly this show treats Scar? So anyway I can't feel anything but disdain for this version of Envy, as yet another key point of Brotherhood's oozing hypocrisy.

Only good thing Olivier ever did was kill this guy and bury him in cement. She shoulda jumped in too. What was his name? Raven? Bah, who cares. Obviously screw him and the entire council of politicians surrounding Bradley.

Genocide doctor three.

Kimblee's a no-brainer, he's a proud fascist through-and-through. But you all know he was right about how naive and stupid Riza, Roy, and all the other idealist soldiers were for thinking their job, as a SOLDIER, was anything other than carrying out the orders of their superiors with the utmost violence. Like. You know he's correct about that, and only that, right? Because apparently even Arakawa didn't think he was right about that particular truth either, what with the Good Cop vs Bad Apples bent to her manga. Yeah so anyway, why the hell did we get a "Fuck yeah, humans rock!" speech from this pus-spewing sack of garbage, in support of Ed, after he had been eaten by Pride? Why did we get a friendship speech from fucking Kimblee?!

Disclaimer: Do I think anyone who likes or dislikes the characters I like/dislike are evil? No. Do I think anyone who likes Brotherhood (or the manga for that matter) are evil? No. Do I hate this show? ✨Yes, absolutely.✨

[rosyandraw]

oh my god you have no idea how good it is to come to tumblr and discover that you, besides still posting, also still talk about capri 😭 I finished reading the posted chapters of "(not) meant for you" (And I was obviously OBSESSED because well… THIS STORY IS INCREDIBLE??? LIKE TF COULDN'T I SLEEP I WAS SO OBSESSED) and I worried about the story being unfinished forever, the fact that you're still involved in the fandom gives me a little hope that that won't happen! I'm so excited to read more of your capri stories. do you plan to continue posting fics after you finish NMFY? (especially Modern/Modern Nobility aus these are my particular favorites lol).

Anyway, sorry for the clumsy message lol, I just loved your story and thought I needed to come and check if everything was ok. You are a very good writer <3

Hey my lovely,

That's so kind, I'm really glad you enjoyed it (even if it made you lose sleep)

It isn't abandoned I am just useless and life has been hectic AF. It is nearly done, I cannot stress enough how close I am, I'm just lazy atm and renovating my house which is stressful ngl

I do have a few fics to come after NMFY yes, most of them are good to go already, I just want to finish NMFY first before I post them.

Modern AU- Very dark long fic the main themes are infidelity, hypersexuality, abuse, and mental illness (this is the one I’ve mentioned previously that currently has 2 full word pages of triggers and warnings LMAO so it really won’t be for everyone)

Modern Nobility AU - Veretian Masquerade coming of age party

Modern AU Cam boys/Only Fans

AU 1920s Gangsters

AU Roman-esque Gladiator fic

Canon Divergent - Marlas peace treaty-esque that’s a little bit D/L and a little bit D/A

Canon AU – Challis scene/post assassination attempt sexy times because why not.

So hopefully there will be something you like in those and if not, I say it all the time, but if you have something specific I love a good prompt, you never know what’s gonna spark a little bit of creative magic, you know?

So thank you my love and don't apologise, it isn't clumsy at all and I appreciate you dropping me a message, I hope you're having a fabulous day/night 💕

[kellyscabin]

Hey I love ur amvs!! I was wondering if you had advice for someone that's interested in making their own? I'm not sure what the best programs are for editing or getting clips. Ty! :)

this is so flattering thank you so much!!!!! I LOVE making amvs…… favourite thing in the world to do so this is gonna be probably longer than you wanted…..

I’ve bounced around just about everything in the last couple years so I can give you a few different ideas!!

For clip sourcing:

initially, I used episodes that I had downloaded as supernatural was airing so the quality was iffy and there were logos on a lot of them… THEN I went the screen recording route (for when I was on my phone, I’ve never tried this on desktop but I know this works well for others!!) but I found that the quality still bugged me AND I ended up with nearly 2000 supernatural clips on my phone…… which was a nightmare to sort through… NOW I use this which is very fabulous and easy to use… you can select which eps to download if you don’t need all of them!! (and no vpn needed)

For editing:

I’ve used a lot of different programmes til I found one that worked well for me so definitely shop around…. youtube tutorials are your friend…. when I started, I was using sony vegas pro…. which worked fine even though my laptop was the first one ever made… but I didn’t want to pay for it and it got blocked on my laptop forever and windows would notttt let me get it back…….. SO, as I mentioned, for a while I was editing on my phone which I would personally nottt recommend for full length amvs… smaller edits would be completely fine!! I used splice which was very basic but it got the job done!! actually. looking through my videos- everything from mr perfectly fine to dean movies was made on my phone which is about 30 videos- so this works!! it’s just much more difficult and harder to polish up…. I personally make amvs much quicker and cleaner on my laptop.. and noticed a big big difference in my own quality since I switched….. NOW I use capcut since it’s free and my laptop can run it without any issues. I’m genuinely very impressed with it as a free software- lots of really good tools and effects, I find it so easy to alter colours and subtitle as well!! which I struggled with on other platforms!! very user friendly too!!! would be very beginner friendly!!

fun stuff :)

PLANNING is my absolute favourite part of making an amv…… normally I hear a song and can very easily picture shot by shot how I would amv it - once I’ve got the song and general theme I’m going for- I normally print out the lyrics and annotate them - jotting down timings, voiceovers, season, arcs and clips.. I can sometimes skip this if it’s just a simple video but if it’s anything complicated I HAVE to write it down. I also find it’s easier to make a video have a ‘point’ if I do this??? idk.. I think it helps but idk if this is something everybody does :)

there’s the spn transcript searcher which is very useful as well if there’s a line you’re looking for but can’t remember where it’s from!!

and of course homeofthenutty which is great for thumbnail stuff!!

editing things:

honestly… I don’t think there’s a wrong way to do this if you’ve got a really fabulous idea….. timings are the trickiest thing to get the hang of- I do dashes on my printed plan to kind of show where I need cuts and if it’s fast cuts I write down how long each clip should be so it looks cleaner. I find that my videos don’t really look finished until they’re subtitled either- so that always helps!! everybody kind of does that differently so definitely play around until you find a style you like!!

I wouldn’t worry too much about colouring when you’re just starting out- sometimes I find that filters can be distracting but I know others who swear by them so that’s just personal preference!! I really just tweak certain clips to make them less saturated or green-looking….

for posting:

I really recommend posting simultaneously on tumblr and youtube!! I have videos with basically no notes on tumblr but did really well on yt and vice versa!! the yt algorithm can be funny- I find that as long as it has a custom thumbnail and a few comments it does alright!! on tumblr- I always link the yt video since the tumblr player doesn’t always work for everybody…. also don’t be afraid to use taglists!!! I’m sure your mutuals would love to be tagged and please definitely tag me in anything you make!!! genuinely owe so much to my mutuals for their support 🫶🫶 and also don’t be afraid to self-reblog!! chronological dashboard means people WILL miss things if they aren’t online!!!

but genuinely the most important thing is to have fun…… I seriously love amvs…. I think they’re the best thing in the world and spend probably at least half an hour minimum a day watching amvs…….. and we need more of them!!!!! so thank you!!! and please please tag me when you make one!!! and feel free to dm me if you need anything at all!!! like all technical aspects aside… an amv made with so much love and to a fabulous song is a gift to the world…… 🫶🫶

[captainhattersvoyagerstuff]

Caretaker Part 1

Okay, so I just finished Caretaker, the 2 part season premiere of Voyager. It's been a while, so there's stuff I forgot was there. Some of it was good. Some of it was, omg. But let's see if I can post my review, which is a series of notes I made while watching. I hope for more discussion later.

That thingy you're running into means you're screwed, Chakotay

Star Wars Crawl

Okay we start out with words on a screen. There’s this group of federation citizens called the Maquis who didn’t agree with Starfleet’s moronic treaty that are fighting the Cardassians and some say they are heroes and the Federation says they are outlaws.  Yay I saw the Maquis on Ds9!  I can’t wait to see more of them. (cough)

Scene 1: Maqui Ship. Chakotay and Maquis crew trying to outrun Cardassians.  Yay!  Chakotay is a really assertive leader here.  I’m excited. We have a coherent tetryan beam.  I hate those incoherent ones.

Wave hits them and light and we have Voyager credits.  Good theme song. Love the orchestra.

Scene 2: Federation penal colony.  In New Zealand?

That's right, bitches, I'm here.

Janeway shows up at the penal colony to find Tom Paris who could maybe find the Maquis cause he served with them before they kicked him out just like Starfleet did.

I'm really tough. I don't have Daddy issues.

She tells Tom he is an observer and he whines about being a good pilot. Except for the pilot error that got three people killed, oh nevermind. Just wait five minutes, Tom.

Scene 3 Tom is annoying on the shuttle to Voyager

Okay I have a question. Tom is wearing a Starfleet uniform. Why do observers still wear a uniform?  Don’t you need to earn that?

Also: Pretty Betazoid Ensign Stadi (don't get used to her) informs Tom that Voyager has bio-nueral gel packs.  They are so much more efficient.  Unless there is cheese on board.

Scene 4 Harry is nearly conned for first time on space station ds9. Harry's theory: get con artists off your back by buying everything. Tom saves him cause he's as big of a con as Quark.

Oh, hey, is that Quark from Ds9 that other show you should watch?

Scene 5 Tom and Harry meet the Doctor

The Doc is super bitchy to them. I met he's gonna make stuff hard for Tom.

Scene 6 Janeway talks to fiancee

His name is Mark Johnson. Really. Unknown Truth: Tuvok's real last name is Smith. Anyway, the show has a few minutes to tell us who Mark is and why Janeway loves him. So they talk about her dog.

Nice knowin' ya, Mark

Janeway's dog is named Molly. She is expecting puppies. She likes her doggy bed. I am officially more invested in her dog now.

Scene 7 Junior High mess hall

Doctor and First Officer Cavitt, two of the most nondescript white guys ever (doctor isn't even named), gossip with Harry about what Tom did cause it's junior high and oh no these guys don't like Tom what will he do?

Scene 8 Wonder why it's called the Badlands

Plasma storms, more coherent beams, stuff is fine. What could go wrong? What's that bright light?

Scene 9 Voyager go boom

This is going to take FOREVER to fix!

Ship is transported 75,000 light years to the Delta Quadrant and they hit the breaks kinda hard. The ship is all messed up. So is Janeway's hair.

Where is my HAIRSPRAY?

A couple of shots later:

Seriously? It's hair magic!

Turns out that all command officers (including that pesky doctor and first officer) except Janeway and the entire medical staff are dead. What kind of bad karma does Janeway have? They get scanned and beamed off the ship.

Gonna stop here for a break so it's not so long. Stay tuned next time for Farmville and the evil corn on the cob lady.

[strangersteddierthings]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by the ever wonderful @slavicviking. Thank you SO much!! I kept seeing everyone do it and wanted to, but I wanted to be tagged so thanks!! :D

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

30, and 29 of them are Steddie fics lol

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

138,437, holy smokes. Steddie really got me writing!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Steddie. I won't even pretend it's Stranger Things because I'm not nearly as hype about the show as I am just Steddie so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Class of '85

Assuming Makes an Ass of You (And Me)

Bad News First, Eddie

Shovel Talk(s)

The Interview

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes. I didn't at first, but I respond to every single comment I get now. Either to thank them for commenting, or answer the musings people have, or just to respond with a heart so they know I saw/read their comment and appreciate it. 'Cause I do. I appreciate every comment I get, even if it's just a lil heart emoji or them saying the word 'kudo'.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't do angsty endings. Angst with a happy end or bust!! However, I did post this lil thing about Steve thinking about karma and the balance of the universe and how he's happy to give up all the good things he has in life if it means Eddie will get them instead.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

They all have happy endings but I'm gonna go with Bad News First, Eddie simply because of how sad the beginning is.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not that I'm meant to see, but Tumblr's tag system is garbage so sometimes you come across a post not meant to been seen. Saw people trash talking The Interview before the last chapter was out, and seemingly having missed the 'unreliable narrator' tag.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not typically. I've written suggestive themes and one explicit BJ but for the most part, no. If I wrote longer, chaptered fics I might write more smut, but I just write oneshots where it's because I had a specific scene in mind, or minor conversation to have, and I don't ever just want to write smut for the sake of smut.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nope. Never crossovers. I will do other media AU but it will never be about including the characters of a different media. I just want the worldbuilding from a different show/movie sometimes.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. How do you even go about learning if your fic was stolen??

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Kinda??? @rebelspykatie wrote an angsty lil thing that made me sad, so I wrote the start of how it could be fixed, and @steviesummer wrote the wonderful ending. We didn't plan to write the fic together but I think we did an awesome job.

Also I am always down to colab/co-write a fic. I've never done it before but might be fun to do!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Steddie. Obvy

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oh this questions just here to drag me through the mud, huh? I have a very ambitious Outer Worlds-esque AU I've planned out but starting the writing process has been.... hard. It may never see the light of day and I'll be sad forever about it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I don't know? Never really thought about it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Being able to tell a long-form story. I just don't have the patience/capabilities at the moment to tell an entire story instead of just the scene that's in my mind.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Oh. Can't say I have given it much thought. The only fic I've written with another language in it was a conlan (Tolkien elvish), and it wasn't in dialogue. So I can't say I have any thoughts in particular about this.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Digimon. I loved Digimon Adventure as a kid an as a little girl, I was sad that their wasn't more Hikari in the show. So I wrote my own fic that featured her and Tailmon becoming best friends with my self-insert and her digi-partner, which was Wizarmon reborn.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Oh, that'd be Porcelain Steve. A completely self indulgent fic with the fairy tail element to it. I had so much fun writing it!

This was fun!! I'm gonna tag: @i-less-than-three-you @nburkhardt @afewproblems @skepsiss @finntheehumaneater @steddierthings @rebelspykatie and @steviesummer (sorry if you've already been tagged/done this)

[itjazzbicch]

Post-Workout

Pairing:  MJF x Fem Reader 

Summary: After losing a little challenge while working out with MJF, the reader finds herself in a situation that she's actually been waiting for...

Warnings: SMUT! (18+ ONLY! MINORS AND AGELESS BLOGS DNI )(Oral M Receiving, hair pulling, swearing, degradation, shower sex, spanking, creampie)

Word Count: 932

Theme/Motivation:

Tag List: @demonqueen29 @peachy-satan00 @new-zealand-chic  @crowleysqueenofhell @unoficialy-married-to-ace-austinn @thatpanpal @melissahausen @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @linzi-land @xxx-jazz-xxx @writtingrose @legit9thlunaticwarrior @seeingstarks @rubyred1980 @alexisquinnlee-bc 

I DO NOT OWN THIS GIF:   

I should've known that my pride and ego would land me in a situation like this. Challenging Max at the gym to see who could leg press the most weight, knowing he was stronger than me?

Now there I was, kneeling on the shower floor, the tip of his cock just inches away from my mouth, his hand guiding and smacking it across my lips, poking at me:

"You talked all that shit, so how about you finally put that smart mouth to good use?"

Even though I lost the bet, and this was the result, I had this feeling that I'd still end up in a similar scenario, keeping a smirk on my face while my tongue traced the slit of his cock:

"Planned on it, babe."

"Get to it then," He was never patient, let alone after a workout, pushing my head down onto his cock the moment my mouth opened wide enough.

He thought this was some sort of punishment for me, but my eyes were locked with his, a smirk still on my face every time my head bobbed up and down, grazing the muscle of his thighs as I began to deep throat his cock, keeping still when he thrusted his hips toward me.

"Such a slut for my dick, aren't you?" He was having trouble admitting how much he loved how I took him, hand taking a grip along my scalp, fucking my throat.

His speed did put some tears in my eyes, my chest burning from the lack of oxygen, the steam of hot water around us not making it easier either, but I only encouraged it, hands finding the v-line along his pelvic muscle, sliding to the side of his hips and guiding with a quicker tempo.

"Only proving me right," Locking gazes, we both began to feel how he was beginning to throb slightly, not bothering to stop, only bobbing my head quicker until he pulled me back by the hair, "Gonna be my little cum slut too?"

"Just tell me how you want it," I breathed out, taking the chance to gather myself before things got crazier like I knew they would.

I was already so turned on, barely containing my temptations, the smirk on my face growing as he sat on the bench.

"I already worked my ass off today. So, if you want this dick, you got to do it yourself," Of course, he acted like he didn't want me sitting on him, slicking his wet hair back, slouching some as I came to straddle him:

"Don't sound so bored," I teased, lining my entrance with the tip of his cock, "I'm capable of a lot of things."

"Is that ri-" Before he could finish, I dropped on all of his cock, laughing softly with a moan while seeing his lip get trapped between his teeth.

"You just tell me when you don't want to hang on anymore, baby," I kept teasing, whispering in his ear while bouncing my ass off him, adding a quick roll of my hips, "You probably used up a lot of strength lifting all those weights."

Hands running across his biceps, finding his chest and his abs next, his body proved how hard he worked in the gym, his muscles more sculpted and defined than ever before, which only excited me more, moaning louder and louder moving faster.

I could only feel as if I couldn't get enough, throwing my head back as a spank found my ass, the water making the impact sting more than it normally would have, nearly crumbling in his lap when his thumb found my clit and jumbled my nerves and made the feeling more intense.

"I better feel you cuming first," He warned, squeezing where he spanked hard, tense muscles showing that he was fighting his own orgasm.

"Just a little more," I panted out, fixing myself and grabbing his shoulders, back arching and making our chests meet, bouncing off and on his cock harder and faster, more lewd moans spilling from my lips, "I just need a little more."

"A little more?" The hand between us started rolling my clit, a pinch making me squeal and jump upwards, a newfound determination waving over me, walls clenched so hard it ached, but so close to bliss that I moved relentlessly, the wooden bench underneath of us creaking from the overwhelming speed and weight of us both.

"Hope you're ready," I barely got out, the smacks at my sweet spot trying to make me collapse again, biting my lip only to give up and moan salaciously, "I'm cuming, Max!"

From behind, his hand pulled my hair back by the hair, leaning back some more to watch how I came around him, free hand spanking:

"Who told you to slow down?"

Oh, so he wanted a flashy display? I still had some strength in me to keep bouncing, slicking his thighs after his cock, hips rolling up and against his, cooing to him:

"Fuck, you're throbbing so damn hard."

"What do you expect after riding my dick like that?" He chuckled, bringing me back so we were nose to nose, "Gonna keep being good and let me fill you up?"

"Please," I cooed back, kissing softly, moaning at the heat filling me inside, hips rocking with a stutter, rising on my knees some, both of us watching and feeling how his seed oozed out, but sat back down on his cock till I was stuffed, giggling softly as I met his lips again, "Good thing we're already in the shower, huh?" 

[lancerious]

when?

When your mo-

Lol kidding I'm not actually gonna finish that :P

I'm just gonna think of random questions & I'll answer them. Okay? Okay

Q: When did you first start getting into Deltarune?

A: I want to say it was about four years ago, perhaps five at most! I know I first started getting into it before Chapter 2's release, even if I wasn't nearly as vocal about my love for the game back then as I am now. I actually was intrigued by the game way BEFORE I ever played the game in the form of Jevil! This was back when Chapter 1 was still fresh, and Jevil was SO widespread that even I, someone entirely oblivious to Deltarune's existence, discovered Jevil. I started liking Jevil straightaway, as I have always been fond of jesters, and Jevil's entire concept was super fascinating to me, still is to this day. I eventually started liking other characters too! Lancer was second, albeit I wasn't QUITE as focused on him then as I would later be. Spade King was third, and my obsession with him went from 0 to 100 in NOT even two minutes due to me discovering a hint of Spade King not being a one-note villain--I generally don't like those types of villains--through the Deltarune wiki. I continued obsessing over Spade King, though Lancer slooowly kept crawling his way up my list. The two eventually tied for quite a while, but then Lancer finally overtook his father as my #1 favorite...poetic, huh? I still adore Spade King, my interest in him has NOT wavered; if anything, it's only grown stronger. However, my passion for Lancer always manages to stay ahead. And I like lots of other Deltarune characters as well, though none are on the same level as Lancer & Spade King. Rouxls Kaard, Susie, Jevil--a familiar face!--Rudinns & Rudinn Rangers, Kris, and more are all characters I am also very interested in.

Ok I guess I answered the question in the first two sentences, but I like sharing my origin story for discovering Deltarune! I consider mine relatively unique as it was an aspect of the game that got me interested in the game itself, not the other way around. I think it's pretty cool :)

Q: When did you declare blueberries as your favorite fruit?

A: I technically have two favorite fruits, those being blueberries & peaches, but I have been into blueberries for A LOT longer. In fact, it's been so long I can't remember when my blueberry obsession started! I do know a story about it though, albeit I can't remember how old I was. My mom took me blueberry picking once to...pick blueberries lol, duh. I ate SO many blueberries, I don't know HOW much my mom had to pay for what I ate, but I'm guessing it was a lot. My blueberry cravings have started young & have not stopped since! Though, when it comes to fruits straight-up, blueberries are my favorite. If fruits are incorporated into a DESSERT however, I much prefer apples & peaches :)

Q: When do you think your hyperfixation on Lancer & Spade King will end?

A: Never. I will make sure of this :>

Q: When did you gain the confidence to become a Tumblr regular?

A: Really, I can't quite remember when I decided to post regularly on here, or I guess as "regular" as my hiatus-prone ass lets me lol. I know I first began my time on Tumblr as a gimmick blog of sorts, creating written works of dialogue for those who suggested it. This was Deltarune themed by the way, I figured it was obvious but you never know :P. However, the account I first started on...got banned by Tumblr during their major ban waves, since that was when I first joined. I then created this account but decided to switch things up a bit & just post/reblog whatever I felt like! I eventually got my old account back up, but didn't feel like returning to it since I had built a larger audience on this account. So I deleted the first account & changed my name to what I had when I first joined Tumblr, aka the username you see right now!

However, it DID make me some time to learn Tumblr's gimmicks. I was never big on social media before Tumblr, but I had a general idea of how other social medias worked. Tumblr, to absolutely nobody's surprise, does NOT work like other social medias :P. There's a tag system that's ESSENTIAL for visibility, same goes for reblogs. For so long I largely liked posts & rarely reblogged--yup, I was one of THOSE people--but I slowly started figuring the site out. I now consider myself to have a decent grasp on how Tumblr works, and I'm a lot more confident & have no hesitations as to what I post/reblog :)

Q: When did you first get into Minecraft?

A: The short answer is...I don't remember lol. It must be around a decade ago by this point, I know I got into it when I was seven at the very least. I'm comparatively a veteran at the game & while I have all sorts of crazy stories to tell, I want to tell the one that got me into Minecraft in the first place because I think it's genuinely hilarious...and kinda sad lol, but not for me :P

I was at my cousin's house one day, and my cousin already had a Minecraft account. This was back in the OLD days--comparatively speaking--before even 1.8 I think. My cousin decided to build me a house in creative mode, and he did just that. He let me take over, and I wandered around the house, just enjoying it all. Then I got curious & started looking through the block selection, then found TNT...but poor naive ol' me didn't KNOW what TNT did, so I placed it all over the house and...accidentally blew it up. My need for explosives in creative Minecraft started early I guess :P

Q: When are you going to run out of question ideas?

A: Right now! This is the end of the post xP

[n080dy-creates]

Happy New Year!

As the year 2023 has come to a close, I have realized that I can count the amount of finished art I made in the last year on two hands. It's almost a bit surprising how little I finished. I've decided that this year's gonna be different.

As a sort of challenge to myself, I want to try to make one decent piece (nearly) everyday. With how volatile my schedule can be with work and school, I most likely won't be able to live up to the full 366, but I want to try to make as many as possible.

I had a ton of fun for Inktober 2022, where I themed each drawing around something for my fantasy world: Beldon. So, why not do that with this? Even better, why not do it with my favorite aspect of worldbuilding: creature creation!

For each drawing, I'm gonna create a new creature based on a few randomly chosen aspects like location, size, diet, etc!

I haven't posted a lot about Beldon here, but I'll be sure to change that over the course of these next twelve months!

The first one's gonna be posted right after this, since I've already finished it :D

(I'll also be recording most of the time in order to make videos on both the process and the world these creatures will reside in!)

[fr3sh-tragedies]

Sweets

[Attack On Titan] Modern! Annie Leonhart x G!N Reader

Word count: 1.2k

Proof-Read: No

Content Warnings: None!

[A/N]: Sorry for kinda just...disappearing! I've had a bunch of exams already, and I got overwhelmed. I'm working on different stories/preferences/imagines for all kinds of characters, so bear with me as I try to start writing again! Also, thank you all so much for the support on my first three posts! I was really nervous to post my works on here, but I'm so relieved to know you enjoy them!

I hope you enjoy this as well!

-Okay, so–

-We know Annie has a sweet tooth and absolutely loves sweet foods like pastries

-So, when she comes home one day to the smell of something deliciously sweet, wandering into the kitchen to investigate who could be responsible for her mouth watering and stomach growling, she’s surprised to see you in front of the oven

-She examines you for a moment

-You’re in a apron dusted in flour and sugar, and your hair is tied back to keep it out of your face

-She has always adored seeing you get focused and enthusiastic about your interests, so when she sees your concentrated face as you level off the cakes, she can’t bite back the smile that paints her lips

-You can bake?

-And it actually looks and smells good?

-She falls in love all over again

-After a moment of her staring, you finally notice her

-You turn back with a smile and wave

-”Oh, hi, Annie! You’re just in time! Wanna help me frost and decorate these cakes? I’m making them for Sasha’s birthday.”

-She absentmindedly nods and walks over to you

-She takes a small part of the layer of cake you had cut off to level it, pops it in her mouth, and hums

-Her outward reaction is minimal, but inside she’s ecstatic

-Not only does your cake look and smell good, it tastes incredible too!

-She fails to realize that a cheeky grin crosses her face, so she’s really confused when you chuckle

-”I’m guessing it tastes good?”

-She looks at you in confusion

-You point to your own mouth and then to her

-She finally registers that she’s smiling and blushes, turning her head away to hide herself a bit

-She still nods though

-You smile and turn back to the cakes

-At length, she turns back and watches as you layer the cakes with buttercream

-”What do you need me to do?” She asks

-”Oh. I was gonna see if you could help with the decorating. You’re really good at painting and drawing and stuff, so I feel like it’ll look way better if you decorate it instead.”

-If Annie’s blush wasn’t noticeable before, it certainly was now

-Sure, she’s used to getting compliments, but never on her personal hobbies

-And the fact that compliment came from you? Her favorite person?

-That alone made her heart flip

-”O-Oh, uh…sure.”

-She mentally slaps herself for stuttering

-You nod and finish putting the cakes together

-Once you finish, you wash your hands and dry them before handing her a spare apron

-She puts it on and waits as you gather the materials

-”What exactly is she wanting on the cake?”

-”Oh, she said she wanted something, like…forest-themed? I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with that. That’s kinda why I was hoping you’d agree to helping me decorate.”

-You let out a nervous chuckle

-Her expression is dead serious, however, as she puts a finger to her chin, the gears in her head visibly turning

-She takes her art very seriously

-She’s not going to goof around for this

-She grabs a piping bag with green frosting and gets to work

-You watch her for a bit, occasionally asking if there’s anything she needs help with, but she only shakes her head each time, her eyebrows furrowed together as she focuses on keeping her hands steady

-You realize after a moment that she wants to work on this on her own

-Instead of standing around and just watching her, you work your way around her and clean up the mess from everything else

-She’s still working by the time you finish, so you head into the living room and put on a movie

-It’s nearly two hours later when she emerges from the kitchen, small splatters of green and brown icing peppering her face and apron

-”I'm finished if you want to take a look.”

-She seems almost shy as she says this

-As stated before, she takes her art very seriously because it’s a very important personal hobby to her

-She wants you to approve of her work

-Your opinion is very important to her, even if she’s not the best at expressing it

-You smile and walk with her back over to the counter

-Leaning over to get a full view of the cake, your lips part themselves in awe

-You stay silent a little too long as Annie watches anxiously, and she assumes the worst

-”If you hate it, you can just tell me…”

-You turn to her, confused, barely realizing why she seems so upset

-”Oh! No, Annie, I don’t hate it at all! I love it. I-I’m sorry it came across that way. I’ve just…I’ve only seen your art a couple times. It just always blows me away how you know just what to do with the colors and concepts. You truly are incredible at doing what you love.”

-Your words make her heart flutter, yet another layer of blush dusting her cheeks

-She bows her head down to stare at her feet, unsure of how to properly thank you for your compliments

-Finally, she mumbles a soft, “thank you,” before wringing her hands together

-”Do you mind if I take a picture?”

-She shakes her head and takes the time you use to snap a photo to calm herself down

-You both wait for the icing to dry a bit before covering the cake and storing it in the fridge

-As you take your aprons off, Annie taps your shoulder

-You turn to find her blushing yet again and averting her gaze

-”U-Um…If you, uh…If you need help decorating anything next time you bake something, I’m willing to help.”

-You don’t respond, so she finally looks up

-Her blush worsens as she sees you staring at her with a warm smile, your eyes soft and welcoming

-”I think that’s a really good idea, Annie. We could be a little baking team.”

-She rolls her eyes at your slight enthusiasm, but she still smiles at the thought

-Each time you bake something after that, no matter how small, Annie’s always there to decorate it with or for you

-Sometimes you’ll switch things up

-She’ll bake the treat, with plenty of your guidance, and you’ll decorate, with constant suggestions and reassurances

-Holidays are especially fun because she gets really extra with designs and colors

-On Halloween, she’ll decorate your cookies and cupcakes to make them look like creatures such as spiders and roaches

-It always grosses everyone else out at first, but they truly do admire both the taste and the visuals

-Annie starts to get more compliments on her art and even starts to share it publicly

-She creates an Instagram account after plenty of your encouragement and occasionally posts pictures of her sketches, paintings, and always tags you in her posts of what you’ve created together

-Gains a large following rather quickly, and she’ll never admit it out loud, but she’s much happier and more confident in her work

-After a while, she even starts to consider going back to college to finish her Major in Art

[brtycrouchjr]

Hi there! We’re a new network, searching for others who love the Harry Potter Universe. We plan on creating a place for Harry Potter fans to make friends, share edits, and grow on tumblr.

If you’d like to apply, please read the information below :)

rules:

must be following hannah and ali

reblog this post (likes are for bookmarking only)

please follow the network blog

please track the tag #thepotternet

fill out this survey

what you receive:

more followers

a group of friends who are all interested in harry potter

access to a group chat with the other members

a network tag to boost post visibility

a place to post harry potter edits (and reblog others’ posts)

deadline to apply: dec. 31st 2017 members chosen: mid january 2018 (exact date will be announced later)

[dogydayz]

SPOILERS FOR SONIC FRONTIERS AHEAD!!!!

So i was playing Frontiers for a few hours today- okay most of the day actually. But like, i nearly fucking cried already??? And im not even at the end??????? Im at the last island though. It physically pained me seeing his idle animations slowly start to show him more and more tired, and how he looks in cutscenes too. The whole Tails quests have left me REALLY hoping we might get a Tails game, like one literally just based on him and his own independent adventures and shit like that. That'd be such a neat way to build off of what Frontiers has set up for him! The brotherly relationship between Tails and Sonic makes me so fucking happy too man,,, Like god fucking damn it, SONIC CALLS HIM "LITTLE BRO" LIKE THEY'RE ACTUALLY JUST BROTHERS,,, I played a lot of the fishing minigame stuff with Big and it made me really want a post-game DLC where you can keep the fish you catch if you wanna and like.... put em in a fishtank or smthn, like a really BIG fishtank that you can decorate and shit, and you could buy decor and details + space for it with the tokens you get (because infortunately it seems that Big's fishing spot stuff has little purpose after the story is finished). On the fourth island, Rhea Island, I nearly started to fuckin cry i was hit with so many emotions. The Ancients having to leave then being destroyed in the end, Sonic's idle animations showing the worst of his condition, the corruption taking over him more and more each tower.... AND GOD. FUCKING. DAMN IT. You start off the island before the first tower and are in a MASSIVE FUCKING FIELD OF LAVENDERS. Afaik that's one of the only places in the game with a lavender field???? So now im just begging SEGA to make the Twitter Takeover stuff about Shadow liking lavenders canon by referencing him in that area, like.... if you go back there after the story (since having Sonic randomly mention Shadow while he's about to fuckin keel over would probably ruin the moment entirely lmao). LIKE COME ON. It's SUCH a pretty spot too you better fuckin believe I'm gonna draw art of Sonic bringing Shadow to the Starfall Isles post-story and shit like that just to show him the fields and the sights. You absolutely know I am. The game overall just has such good fucking MUSIC!!! I'm like 90% certain that every mini-boss (big crazy battle enemy) has its own entire battle theme, which is ABSURD. There's none of the eventual monotony that BotW unfortunately ended up having, the enemies on every island differ AND they have features to them that actively prepare you for what you'll have to do in the future with the bosses and Titans. The game design, sound design, controls, designs.... It's all just so fucking amazing I can't even explain it properly. Every goddamn time I ran into another boss I'd be like "the fuck is this thing" and have to learn "new" mechanics that had ALWAYS been there, yet I'd just never used before. The world is INTERESTING, it's FULL and FUN to explore! That was one of the fanbase's biggest fears when the game was first announced, that the world would be empty and boring due to how Sonic needs space to go fast properly, but holy FUCK they nailed it!! They actually did it!! There are so many small locations that are just so beautiful. I really am excited for that future photo mode update, that's gonna be such a blast auuughh!!! I really hope they continue to add more through DLCs as time goes on. While I'd KILL for a "Dark Expansion" DLC that adds in Rouge and Shadow (or even Omega as a secret borderline OP playable character lol), I know it probably wouldn't be able to work into the story so I doubt it'd happen? Would be fun though, to get to explore as different characters during the post-game, hell maybe even have some characters explore together and interact in various locations somehow.... I wonder if someone would end up modding that or some shit lol. But yeah, the game is fantastic and I'm going crazy over it, I just hope we do get some good stuff for the post-game, even if in the future.

[bye-bye-sunbird]

Cotton | Yan!Diluc x Maid!Reader

This is part of the Porcelain Collection, you may find the first part, "Porcelain", here. Not gonna lie, posting this continuation is making me nervous (?), but I truly hope you enjoy this one just as much. As always, Ask box is open for any comments, questions, or anything you want to tell me really <3

Credits: The idea for this series comes from a post in @ddarker-dreams 's blog <3, I'm sure most of you are already familiar with her amazing work, but if not, make sure to check it out!

Warnings: Dub-con, very slight N-SFW, be mindful that this is an unhealthy relationship founded on unbalanced power dynamics that is romanticized here for the sake of entertainment purposes only, and that I do not condone this type of behavior, viewer discretion is advised. General Dark and Yandere themes. "Reader" is female.

“To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves.” ― Federico García Lorca

He felt a strange kind of sadness every time he looked at you. The kind that feels peaceful and comforting, but far away. Like the aftermath of an embrace whose warmth lingers long after it's over.

Sitting by the window, you formed a heavenly image. The rays filtered through the delicate curtains depositing soft kisses on the back of your neck. Attentive to your work, your eyes were fixed on something beyond the shirt you were mending, and it would have been said that your soul wandered in the depths of meditation.

In his eyes, you could easily turn the most mundane of tasks into a picturesque scene. It was easy for Diluc to get lost in the way your mouth opened with a slight smile, in how your chest rose delicately with each breath, and although your clothing was modest and impeccable, he devoured that image with pernicious delight.

He wanted to feel close to you... but not in the shameful way he had gone about it before, or at least not now that you incite in him something much more profound than mere desire.

He imagines being confident enough to casually sit by your side. You would gift him the most beautiful of smiles as you raise the cotton shirt you've been spending all afternoon on, asking him to wear it tomorrow and tell you if it fits properly now. He would chastely kiss your lips after promising to do so, making you blush in the process.

... That illusion breaks as soon as you notice his presence, however.

You don't greet him with a smile, instead, you immediately stand in a move comparable to a child ready to be scolded after being found. As always, your eyes are pinned to the ground, devoid of the warmth and familiarity he craves.

It pains him.

"My apologies, Master Diluc," you say after what feels like an eternity spent in awkward silence, "I hadn't noticed your presence. Is there anything I can be of assistance with?"

You hear his slow, sonorous footsteps nearing you. Your hands start to tremble as you try to fold the cotton shirt that's worth more than your entire wardrobe. "I am nearly done mending your clothes, sir. This room has good lighting for such a task, but I can finish it elsewhere if you wish."

No, gods no. Stay, let him fall on his knees, let him yield everything he has to you. Kiss him, kiss him, kiss him.

His lips feel like fire on top of yours, flickering in shallow, hesitant bites. You press the cotton shirt against your chest, your knuckles turning almost white as you cling to the soft, delicate material. This is the first time he has ever kissed you, and while it's nothing compared to his other displays of affection, this feels much more intimate.

This burns.

He raises your face gently to ease into the kiss in a smooth, feather-like move, his gloved fingers barely touching your neck as if your skin was the most valuable, fragile thing in the world. The soft sound of his tongue against your lips was a hundred times more sinful than every other interaction that came before, the way his frame leaned, towering over you, felt forbidden.

Your brows furrow in worry. You can hear the rest of the servants making meal plans in the kitchen, the workers loading barrels of wine onto the wagons. You can even hear Miss Adelinde scolding Hillie for not polishing the silverware properly. Anyone could walk into that room at that moment, or look out the window next to you, and see what was happening, you would no longer be able to hide behind the safety of secrecy then.

As if sensing your tension, Diluc's fingers curl in your jaw in a soft, soothing manner. His thumb caresses your chin as he goes for another feeble, tender kiss. It's like he wants you to trust him, to forget who you are and who he is, for both of you to be someone else, somewhere else.

But you don't manage to convincingly portray any ease. Even now, he remains every bit the imposing, menacing man whose presence intimidates you. Even if you closed your eyes, the unmistakable, dark impression of power would linger like a shadow that is all sin and mystery. No matter what, you remain a small, insignificant servant stripped of any free will, trembling at her master's touch. You feared every small, wicked delight he could bring you as much as you feared fire itself.

He seems to notice, as he parts from your lips, slowly opening his eyes that seem to hold every last piece of sorrow and longing in this world. His thumb brushes your lower lip tenderly, his expression revealing an internal war of thoughts.

"Go." He says, gently taking the shirt off your hands, avoiding your gaze as if looking at you would weaken his resolve. You feel a sting in your heart, but don't know if it's still fear ...

... Or just sadness.

[aidanezra]

Cybermen? Really? (Part Three)

A/N: This was so much fun to write, and it's probably just gonna turn into a short series ;-; everytime i write another chapter I just come up with more ways to cut it off and continue it in another part. could it be a me problem? most likely but who cares! not me. anyways I'll probably take tomorrow off posting, i have like five different things i want to finish because my brain keeps spitting them out but I'll be back to posting on monday. i hope you all enjoy this part as much as i did writing it!

Theme: a lil bit of angst a lil bit of fluff

Setting: After escaping their cell the Doctor and Y/N find their way down a creepy hall. In an attempt at staying together, they get seperated.

Pairings: Tenth Doctor x Gn!Reader

Warnings: fear? does that even count? (first time i hadnt sworn in my writing in a minute)

Words: 685 (this felt like more ;-;)

Tags: @bittersnowflake (let me know if you want to be added :)

Part (One) (Two) (Four) (Five) (Six) (Seven)

---

"So, the question is, how are they going to steal the energy from me?" Ten questions, sticking his tongue out in concentration, fumbling with the lock-- on yet another door.

"Force you into regeneration and take the excess, killing you?" I ask, throwing a rock up in the air, catching it back in the palm of my hand.

"Y/N, please don't say that." He shakes his head, grunting as he tries to pull the door open. Shoving himself to the ground in defeat, he looks behind him, towards me.

"Well, its true." I counter, taking the rock and throwing it at the wall. I shrug, "Plus, you always get out of near death experiences with only a few scratches."

He stops any movement, not even attempting a come back, "Did you hear that?" He utters, standing up and then bending a little as he tiptoes towards the wall I hit my rock with.

"Hear what?" I ask as I slowly follow him.

"That sound, the hissing sound." He begins tapping the wall in all sorts of places, then grabbing his sonic out of his jacket pocket.

"No?" He shushes me, putting his ear to the wall, sonicing the far right of it, close to where the walls conjoin, he laughs triumphantly.

"Y/N! You're brilliant!" He jumps up and down, pushing against the wall, grunting as he nearly slips.

"I'm what?" Just as I question him, the wall opens on the other side like a door, revealing a long, dark and winding hallway.

"Oh no, I'm not going down there. Any of the cybermen could be hiding there, waiting to pounce on us!"

"Oh, come on Y/N! Lighten up a little!" He turns towards me, smiling. He then puts his hand out towards me, wiggling his fingers like he always does when he's ready to run.

"You need someone who doesn't lighten up." Scowling, I grab hold of his hand, intertwining my fingers with his.

"Oh shush, come on! As long as you have a hold on me, you'll be fine. I won't let anyone get you." He nods, assuring me that I'll be okay. And for a brief moment I believe him. So I run with him, down the dark and bitingly cold hall, turning corners here and there until we hit an intersection, followed by the screeching of unoiled metal. My breath catches in my throat, my body threatening to step back and run away. I squeeze Ten's hand instinctively, he rubs his thumb over the top of my mine. He pulls me with him, back and away from the intersection we found ourselves at. We run at least halfway down the hall and then he pulls me into a crook in the wall, seemingly a cleaning closet. The metal men pass by us, completely ignoring our existence. Their stomping fades out, a sign of them farther away from us, walking away.

"We should be in the clear." Ten then whispers to me, his arm wrapping around my back.

I place my head against his chest, "This is your fault, Ten."

He laughs, rubbing my back just before he peeks his head out to check if the coast is clear. I look at him expectantly, he nods, dawning a warm smile on his features. I step out of the closet, his hand still held tightly in mine. And so he follows me.

We take a right this time, a small light shown at the far end of this hall. We follow it as it grows bigger and bigger. I let go of Ten's hand, stepping forward and going ahead of him. Tiptoeing my way towards the light, getting so much, brighter. It's odd, a golden yellow light, white in the middle. So, so, bright. Oh it's beautiful. Oh so desperately beautiful. Almost precious, as if needing to be protected. Protected.

"Y/N!" A yelling is heard behind me, who was that?

The light is so much brighter here, it's all I can see. I step forward, and the golden light hugs me. I become the light.

I am the light.

<- Previous || Next ->

[here2bbtstrash]

2! 7! 14! 22! 26! 35! 41! 50! 63 [LDOMLK]! 72! 74! 77! / I'M SORRY 😭😭😭

these are GOOD questions 🫠🤠

OMG SARAH!!!! STICKING MOST OF THIS UNDER A READ MORE... YOU DEMON...... (thank you and i love you 😭😭)

2. Where do you get your fic ideas?

legit anywhere, everywhere. sometimes in movies or tv shows, sometimes from songs, sometimes from random shit i see on the internet, sometimes from my personal life 🤭 and sometimes my brain just goes "hey wouldn't it be wild if X" so like i have to assume those come straight from god lmaooooo

7. Post a snippet from a wip.

one day i'll finish park and ride 3..... but for now i'll give you the intro ~under the cut~ 👀

14. What is your favorite location and position to write in?

in my mf bed lmaooooo or on my couch. i'll write basically laying down with my laptop on my stomach bc anything else makes my back hurt because i'm NEARLY 30 👹

22. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process?  How do you come up with titles?

this can happen anywhere along the line. sometimes i'll steal the title from a song, either one that inspired the fic ("party on you" comes from charli xcx's party 4 u, "heartless" comes from the kanye west song) or didn't but the specific song line feels correct ("the shape of your body" comes from taylor swift's cruel summer, which.... does not fit the plot at all but i thought it worked well for the themes of bodies/art). sometimes the title comes first and i build the fic around that theme ("babygirl"). sometimes i finish a whole fic and i'm like what the fuck do i call this and i pick something that feels obvious and fits with the story ("park and ride", "two in one").

26. What’s your least favorite part of the writing process?

the first draft 💀 i LOVE outlining, and i LOVE polishing/detail editing stuff once i have a first pass written, but getting that first pass out.... it's like pulling fucking teeth. every time. like do i even like writing 🤣

35. What’s your favorite fic you’ve posted?

WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME CHOOSE A FAVORITE 🔪 i love all my children for different reasons.... we'll go with the shape of your body for now just because i really didn't know if i could write something like that, it was such an undertaking, and i've reread it in bits and pieces multiple times because it's so comforting to me 🥰

41. Who’s your favorite character you’ve written?

i have an insaaaaaane soft spot for fratboy jk from the spins. i wanna write something else with him SO BAD. i wanna give him a motorcycle 😩

50. How would you describe your writing style?

ashdfjkadf this is hard !!! i strive for realistic, character-driven, humorous, thoughtful, accessible, poetic, honest, and horny. so hopefully.... some mix of those 🤣

63. What was the hardest part of writing [LDOMLT]?

heavy emotional bits aside...... it's probably going to be writing the fucking grammys like i have any idea what the fuck goes on there LMAO 💀 gonna need to watch some youtube videos for research

72. What’s your favorite writing compliment you’ve gotten?

anytime i get compliments on queer aspects of my stories and specifically hear that it resonated with someone or allowed them to better understand/embrace a party of their identity, i just.... fucking melt 🫠 i've heard that several times with the shape of your body and it kills me every single time. it is the highest honor of my life 🙇‍♀️

74. Do you have a fic you wish got a bit more love?

babygirl lmao!!!!! justice for jk with his butterfly clips 😭 but i get it that one is uhhhh. deeply self-indulgent

77. Why do you enjoy writing fanfiction?

so many reasons! i love to connect with people. i love to capture my thoughts on the world and the human condition and how we interact with and treat each other. i love to make myself and others feel less alone and more seen. i love to manifest the shit i'm trying to find in my own life 😩 and of course i love to pay my own little horny artistic tribute to OT7 given that their art has done soooo much for me!!! 💜

stuck in the airport ask game party: fanfic writing asks

[palpipeen]

Future Fics Planner...thing

Okay y'all so I'm going to unleash this into the wild, y'all get to decide which one I do next. (Besides the first one, I'm gonna be writing that one on the side adjacent to the rest.) This is by no means a finished list, I'll be updating this when I get more ideas (or when I get suggestions, WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE) so keep an eye on it!

Mentions of NSFW themes but nothing overt but MINORS DNI, stuff is under the cut

Hardcase - Between a Rock and a Hardcase Timeline: Beginning of the Galactic War-Post War This one's a Canon x OC fic that I've been picking away at for a month or two now and it is my ABSOLUTE BABY!!!!! It'll be a multi-chapter fic with an adjacent story that does all the smutty bits. Hardcase and Syd meet in a very ridiculous and humorous way - par for the course with Hardcase. Despite their best efforts not to get involved with anyone years after the tragic end of a bad relationship, Syd finds themself really into Hardcase, and vice versa. This takes place in the 'And Nothing Bad Ever Happened AU' it's a fix-it fic, GONNA HAVE MY CAKE AND EAT IT TOO. Themes: Fake Dating, Strangers to Friends to Besties to Lovers, Hardcase and Syd smoke a lot of dank and they bond over it, Porn with Feelings, Healthy Polyamory, Idiots in Love

Kix - Make You Melt Timeline: Post-Thaw  You’re a smuggler that the pirate crew Kix is running with caught - and Kix doesn’t like you one bit. A one-shot of you meeting Kix as their long-term prisoner, because you’re good at what you do even for a solo-career criminal. Eventually, the tension reaches a head, and angry sex happens after you get wounded. Themes: Enemies to Fuck Buddies, Banter, Morally Gray Characters, Porn with Feeling but the feeling is mutual distrust that borders on outright hostility, Hint at feelings

Fives - Ride it Out Timeline: Height of the Galactic War You and Fives have been best friends since the two of you met. You didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, not that you regret it. And you’re fine with it never being anything else - no really, you are. But then Echo calls you on your bullshit. On your birthday of all days, in the middle of Fives throwing you the best party a clone trooper can afford. Fives has to comfort you when his twin makes you cry, and comforting turns into…well, it’s something. Themes: Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Oblivious Reader, Porn with A LOT of Feelings, Echo is the best wingman

Rex - The Stranger Timeline: Post O66 You’ve worked in this bar for most of your adult life, on a planet where nothing except the odd sandstorm or shoot out between local gangs happens. You’ve kept your head down and yourself out of trouble - until trouble comes walking in. Multi-part series of the hooded stranger who saves your life when you get a dangerous customer, and how you begin to fall for him. Themes: Strangers to Lovers, They’re fuck buddies to just vent out sexual frustrations and then they’re lovers, It’s a space western but with Rex

Echo - By the Book Timeline: Height of the Galactic War You’ve watched Echo help his twin get the relationship he wanted with the person Fives loved the most - but what about Echo? He says it’s fine if his brother bends the rules behind closed doors, but he has to uphold the standards ARCs are held to. You manage to convince him otherwise in part 1. Part 2 details how the two of you find each other again during the events of TBB - and how those flings became something else. Themes: Fuck Buddies to Maybe Lovers???, It’s complicated, Echo is a Service Top, Reader is a Bratty Verse, Shenanigans Ensue

Commander Cody - Read Between the Lines Timeline: Height of the Galactic War One-off of you being the transcriber for all of Cody’s meetings. One of which happens on the battlefield - you try to save one of the soldiers and nearly get yourself killed. A lot of angst and Cody sort of calling you an idiot that leads to you two spilling your guts and having quick, needy sex. Themes: Oblivious Reader, Hints that more will happen but fuck if I’m gonna write it (I know next to nothing about Cody)

Captain Howzer - Rebel With a Cause Timeline: Post-O66 Multi-part series of you being in the inner circle of Ryloth’s govt as an advisor/transcriber, meaning you work in close contact with Howzer frequently. The two of you were not well acquainted despite your desire to be - you’ve had a huge crush on him since day one. As the Empire demilitarized Ryloth and began making orders to harm innocent civilians, you decide that you have to do something about it, and make plans to try and help. When Howzer is detained for turning against the Empire, you manage to turn in a few favors to create a distraction and save him and his fellow defectors. Overlaps with The Stranger when you, Howzer and his men all agree to rendezvous there after finding coded messages from Rex. Howzer stays with you, and over the course of your journeys, the two of you pine over each other until a close call makes Howzer confess just how big of a crush he’s always had on you. Themes: Oblivious Reader strikes again, strangers to friends to lovers, reader is the hero (but is really clumsy and awkward about it)

Din Djarin - The Regular Timeline: Sometime after Season 2 idk Multi-part series about a bartender that has been one of Mando's informants for years. It's not the greatest setup, but you've managed to keep yourself from getting killed for the most part. Getting shot at is another matter altogether, but that's neither here nor there. But the amount of times you get shot at increases exponentially when Mando shows up with a weird green wizard baby, needing shelter until the heat is off his back. The heat being the guard of the town your bar is in. Somehow no one suspects that Mando is holed up in the abandoned factory you've converted into your home, until you manage to sneak him out. Then the whole town turns against you, and Mando has no choice but to help you out. Themes: Idiots to Lovers, Reader has a big ol' crush on Mando but doesn't know it until it's almost too late, Reader is a snarky asshole

Caf Delivery Service: Help Wanted/Running with the Wolves Another OC x Canon story bc I can't help myself. If the title of the second part isn't a dead giveaway, this one's about Commander Wolffe, and my OC I still need to introduce June. June is sick of life on the only planet they've lived on and the toxic relationship with their family, so they flee to Coruscant to attend university there. But not before making a stop in a space station not far from home shortly after the Clone Wars begin. It's there that they meet someone and have a one-night stand, but both lose contact with each other shortly before June is fully settled in on Coruscant. Once money gets tight they get a job at The Senator's Coaster after meeting one of the shift managers (Syd) who lives in their apartment complex. After agreeing to take on delivery services to the Coruscant Guard, June meets someone they never thought they'd see again: Commander Wolffe. Themes: Sort-of Enemies to Lovers, More like antagonistic Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, HUUUUGE Character Growth Arcs

Roach - Unnamed OC x OC Story This one features @jango-fettish's boy Roach and my creechur Koryn. Koryn's an auxiliary civilian mechanic who meets Roach through their mutual best friend, Riggs. These two are a couple of stubborn assholes and this story will just chronicle the change from pseudo-rivals over their status of who's the better mechanic to fucking their frustrations out with each other. Themes: Rivals to Fuck Buddies, Healthy polyamory, Disabled characters, Character Growth through Unconventional Relationships