#its because i sound like king from toh

[sarosthewizarddude]

100% success rate so far

[mdhwrites]

Belos' Empire Was Perfect

In theory. For a kid's show dictatorship, I don't know how much better you could do with your concept, especially with the themes that TOH was going for.

I want to emphasize this because it's going to sound like this is praise for a bit: IN. CONCEPT.

Belos' dictatorship has a very easy methodology to it as presented by literally the only three elements of oppression we ever see. The Conformatorium in episode one and the prejudice of wild witches which... Wait on that one. And finally the last one is of course the coven system. This forms the backbone what is frankly one of the most basic elements of any dictatorship: The loss of self. Without individuality, you do not have self worth and thus do not consider whether the treatment you are being given is what you should be getting.

This is coupled by the Wild Witches being the enemy of all. You do not question the state because they are the only thing protecting you from that boogeyman under your bed that will destroy all that you know if not for them. Adding theology to that is honestly barely a change. It just means you worship the government approved god rather than the government itself. It really cannot be understated how that BARELY changes the actual mechanics of a dictatorship besides them likely implementing prayer more.

But none of this is violent besides the wild witch stuff and even TOH tried to be clever in showing that the enemy never existed (in the dumbest possible ways that I have discussed before but I couldn't find my blog about it). So... No violence but all the oppression of a dictatorship! That's literally perfect for a kid's show about rebelling against a system that wants to push you down and put you in a box.

Partially because it allows for some of the best parts of being a kid to be the driving method for success: Friendship and Creativity. Your open heart and open mind. In a world that is stagnant, you will bust it open with your ideas and your unique personality, especially while mixing with others and giving them back their own individuality. This isn't complicated but it works EXTREMELY well.

And TOH executed on none of this concept.

That isn't even an understatement. Wild Witches DO exist, we see them being round up in Eda's Requiem, but that's also the ONLY time we see them. So the main enemy is only humanized through Eda who is a genuine piece of shit before Luz so Belos is kind of right about her unfortunately. So the boogeyman is real and indeed the only people who give a shit about them is the EC so yeah, the populace is just correct to fear them.

And why wouldn't they when they have complete freedom under the government? We see PLENTY of weird people during the time of TOH and none of them go to the Conformatorium. The prison may as well exist just for the pilot for how much it actually matters or does its job. The idea that being different and unique will get you jailed just straight up does not exist after the first episode except for a VERY discordant moment of Luz and King being jailed for walking on grass. Otherwise, NOTHING.

(To drive this home briefly: Someone in my Discord pointed out while I wrote this that Gus' interest in humans is seen as weird and discordant from the rest of the populace. It is why he isn't more popular despite his skills. So... Why is he able to be loud and proud about that interest if your unique interests get you jailed?)

And in return for submitting to the coven system, the citizens of the Isles enjoy protections they don't appear to have had before, have a level of technology that COULD NOT have been a thing during Belos' rise or else he literally couldn't have done it because his rise to power is genuinely terrible, and they have freedoms that anyone in America shares. As far as we know they don't even censor which is dictatorship 101. They don't even enforce their own rules because so long as Eda, the most wanted criminal on the Isles, doesn't literally point herself out and scream at the top of her lungs who she is, no one, not even the guards, will bother coming for her. The Isles is genuinely idealic in this way.

And it comes back to a problem that TOH has of well... Yeah. It had to be appealing and easy because Luz is a genuinely terrible person. If the Isles had been awful, a place truly hostile to her like Amphibia was to Anne, then she would have just gone home. The only way she decides to stay in the Isles is because she's cosplaying. Not because she actually has a sense of justice or duty against corruption, otherwise Luz might not have taken until HOLLOW MIND to actually for once speak against Belos or do literally anything against the EC (and only once she doesn't get to have her witch cloak because of it because these writers have no idea how to write a genuine hero or honestly a properly good person. Just nice ones.) but because she can pretend to be Azura. We even somewhat got confirmation because she literally ends the series just admitting she sees Azura as her. She quotes the god damn book and what is supposed to be cyclical is actually INCREDIBLY toxic because it's just a fulfillment of her fantasies rather than any acknowledgement of reality or growth besides "I only can exist in a fantasy world," which is GREAT messaging to your LGBTQIA+ and Nuerodivergent fans. Thanks show.

So this concept they have for their themes essentially REQUIRES that there be a dictatorship, and allows for one you can do in kid's shows (reminder: there is somehow a stock trope of a villain getting ultimate power and immediately going Nazi with it in kids' shows. They ABSOLUTELY could have shown more than what TOH did.). They just also couldn't because the protagonist they wrote and the wish fulfillment they wanted to play into, as well its 'subversive' elements, literally couldn't function with it actually existing. With the show actually being about taking down that hates you just for being you.

And I REALLY want to emphasize that that's not new. POKEMON has their main villains, including Team Rocket, not care about the individuality of their Pokemon, and thus be willing to brutalize them, because all they care about are results. The main villain for Slugterra's whole thing is robbing slugs of who they are, turning them nasty and violent, just to make them 'more powerful' and that WAS a Disney show. TOH could have done this...

They just didn't and I cannot tell you why besides them not actually being interested in telling their own story or themes because otherwise, why did you include this?

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[calypsolemon]

if i did have one Actual Criticism of ToH (I actually have a few I just am trying to avoid sounding negative about the show bc overall I very much enjoyed it and think its good) it would be that I do think the reasoning Papa Titan gives Luz for why Belos's actions and her own do not come from the same place is... a little off the mark.

Mainly because I think there's not too many ways in which you could say Belos's choices aren't genuine to him. Oh, the reasoning he gives other people of course are a bunch of lies and bullshit, and he even lies to himself, but the root cause of his delusions lies in the puritanistic upbringing he was exposed to from a young age. An upbringing which very much convinces people that control and subjugation of others are necessary to protect their mortal souls from the damnation of hell.

For this reason, "genuine-ness" reads a bit too much of a handwavy abstraction of Luz's actual concern to me. Belos's existence has made her painfully aware that it is really easy to rationalize massively harmful actions to yourself if you believe it is in service of protecting someone else. This doesn't mean that Luz actually has hurt anyone, or that she needed to be as harshly punishing of herself as she was (in fact I would say her desire for self-punishment is a reflection of Belos's puritan values weighing on her), but rather that I think it doesn't really solve her conundrum to simply tell her "well, Belos is kind of a big fat liar who is trying to control people, but don't worry, you're Not That."

What I really wish he had said, and what I do think the series implies in other ways but maybe could have been served to have said openly in that moment, is that Luz is not the same because she is capable of self reflection. In all the times Luz has ever lied to someone, or attempted to change someone or something else to fit her idea of them (think attempting to cure Eda, playing along with King about him being the king of demons, Witches before Wizards, etc) she has ultimately realized it was wrong, and allowed herself to embrace the way things naturally are. In fact, she more often feels like she should be trying to change herself in response to ppl expecting her to fit into social norms. When her environment feels too stifling for her, she finds a different one. She doesn't attempt to fit everything around her into a mold that perfectly suits her, nor does she attempt to destroy everything which doesn't agree with her.

Luz stresses over being just like Belos because she has been raised to, if anything, be too self reflective, and feel like an awful person for not being able to conform to norms that don't naturally fit her. What she needs to be told is that it's admirable, that she tries so hard, and it's a good thing that she is able to see where she maybe needs to change herself at times, but she needs to allow herself the same grace she gives others. She needs to be told that nothing good comes from keeping yourself from happiness. That wanting acceptance and love from others is not the same as attempting to control them.

Buuuut I know they only had like 3 minutes to convey what's going on so I get why they phrased it the way they did. What Luz really needed was a 7 hour long therapy session with daddy titan which. I'm not even sure would have been entirely on point bc the Titan himself probably has some issues he needs to work through. But that's another post

[kindestegg]

It bothers me seeing some people complain about TOH going a ‘boring’ route for the Collector ‘without moral grayness’ just because they hadn’t been imprisoned for killing anyone or destroying anything (as far as we technically know at least). The clues were already there in 2B that the Collector wasn’t malicious and probably didn’t even hunt Titans to begin with, plus it reminds me of that past fandom trend of ignoring the psychological impact of Belos’ abuse on the Collector, and reducing him to funny murders iPad kid.

Also, it feels like said people are ignoring the fact that, a more sympathetic side to the Collector being necessary here, they still very much did turn people into puppets. Like that was a thing that still happened in this episode. Besides, there arguably is a ‘moral grayness’ to this well-intentioned kid who still ended up betrayed, used, and punished, even by King to an extent, finally snapping in retaliation and betrayal. Idk it just feels like they’re complaining the story didn’t go in one direction for his character VS another, when both routes are equally compelling.

(holds hands with you and we skip over a field of flowers into the sunset together)

but really, you worded this pretty well and in a way i have also been thinking for quite some time!! really, its something ive considered making something about in the future because it fascinates me endlessly: there is just something so strange to me about the fact that to some people recognizing collector is a kid or that he has a complex backstory and is more layered than "sadistic selfish shadowy entity" means "ruining his character"

on the one hand i get it, sometimes people just want a mean old crazy villain who has no qualms in doing whatever just for the hell of it because they want to have fun, and i get it!! i really like villains like that- hell, part of the reason i even got interested on collector when i first saw them in hollow mind was because i love characters like that so much!! the bill cyphers, the discords, the quackerjacks, the dimentios, the jevils, the ecolos, i love all characters like that!!

but like... come edge of the world, hearing luz go "that collector kid" and going "OH SHIT THIS IS A CHILD" was game changing for me because?? you really dont see characters like that often that are also kids?? and idk about you but that was exciting to me! because it explores such an interesting path of like, how do you begin to approach an antagonist that IS so sadistic and self serving but also is STILL growing and still young and has still potential to be good?

old time followers of this blog will KNOW i have already talked all about that though... so what else can i say?

i will say i absolutely agree with you there on the cues being there. while i dont think its fair to say that it was easier before to infer he really didnt do ANYTHING, there were at least a lot of indications carefully laid out to make us empathize with them and understand their situation. like, isnt it interesting that at the start of o'titan, they couldve shown collector saying anything at all, since he thought he was all alone monologuing to himself, and they chose to have him talk about how lonely he was and then plead for king to stay with him? and then, as if to follow up on that, clouds has him doubting whether belos is his friend or not sounding genuinely concerned! we know from these clues that collector is a kid, that he is lonely, that being inside the prison has messed with his mental health, and that belos is unsurprisingly a terrible friend that is making him worry if he will uphold his end of the bargain.

all of these puzzle pieces were put there deliberately, including kings connection to collector, to first let us see a different side of this character and understand him better, and then second to also let king do this and prepare him to be more likely to want to consider collector as someone he could approach, even back in kings tide! because having that previous mental connection allowed him to wonder if collector could be reasoned with, and it worked! he stopped the spell for him! and like, once again, the writers utilize what time they have to quickly establish that the collector would rather play with king and holds no anger towards him or desire to hurt him! this is again, important as an indication that collector is not like we thought!

the whole "murderous ipad kid" started rubbing me the wrong way too, while i am brazilian so the "enzo gabriel" memes were endearing to me in a way, it became really frustrating seeing as how EXTREMELY few people back then seemed interested in exploring the tragedy of a character so young mentally having been stuck in an eternal unchanging prison and how that fucked them up, and how it being BELOS who he was stuck with was even worse! or even, hell, explore the fact he seems to not have wanted to hurt king and how their connection makes them perfect foils to each other and how they could be friends in a better world! but most people just saw him as a one dimensional murderous child (if even a child at all) and either ignored him completely or if not, had him do incredibly uncharacteristically violent and extreme things. and like, yeah, sure, this IS the kid who helped with the draining spell and was excited for people dying, but also like. come on buddy, if thats all there was to him, they wouldnt have tried to establish this other side of him during s2b.

and you are so correct on the puppet thing like!! that is STILL fucked up! even if he isnt physically torturing or hurting people, that is still not a good thing to do and it is terrifying to imagine losing control of your body and even consciousness for god knows how long! and collector doesnt care! he thinks that just because he is playing pretend and that this is how the game is played, that it doesnt matter that he is doing this. that is messed up! and it reminds us that this is still the kid who laughed about people dying, laughed about the grimwalker deaths. him being a sad and lonely kid with a compelling backstory doesnt change that. it just adds to more layers to his character.

i think you are on the nose when you say that it is just because people are disappointed they wanted a type of character and got another. though it is puzzling to me seeing them be unable to admit that they were wrong and that they did miss the cues early on and move on, instead complaining that it "came out of nowhere". i will say i think the BEST argument for them is that his character feels rushed and that it is confusing to add him into the series when he is so similar to so many other characters (caleb, hunter, luz, king, etc), because then yeah, i agree, it is a really odd late minute addition, specially considering he only exists because of the shortening, not in spite of it. and to that i can only say: i think collector wasnt a character added with logic in mind, but rather with pure pathos. dana and the crew wanted a fun out of left field super silly character that was entirely self indulgent and so they added him just for themselves, and as result, he is neither fully well fleshed out nor is he the most unique in terms of metanarrative role.

then again one COULD argue his role is more one of giving king a foil and someone he can further his own arc through, as well as giving better exposition to the history of the titans, but... yknow. ive already talked enough.

[ottisbuns]

uhhhh toh, raeda, and thennnnnn caleb

Ok wow this was a lot and ended up taking a hot minute, but anyways

001 | The Owl House:

Favorite character: Luz Noceda, I am a basic "Main Character Enjoyer" bitch like that

Least Favorite character: This is hard because all of the characters are so good in their intended role, but if I had to pick the one that I dislike the most as like, a person? Tibbles. The only thing worse than a Genocidal Maniac Tyrant is a capitalist.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Help me I have too many ships I like. I am a serial multi/poly crackshipper. Saying Lumity and Raeda feel like cheating, so I will be giving my top five crackships/rarepairs, in no particular order. Camilraedarius, Skara/Luz, Emira/Viney, Skara/Viney and Skara/Boscha.

Character I find most attractive: Probably Emira, for reasons that will become evident soon.

Character I would marry: Oh this is a tough one... most characters are either significantly older or significantly younger than me so picking one feels weird... Hooty will treat me right, I just know it.

Character I would be best friends with: Luz. We could bond over being neurodivergent and enjoying fanfiction and shipping.

a random thought: Emira's hair gives me gender envy

An unpopular opinion: The entire show should be replaced with Lumity screentime Honestly my opinions are pretty basic, and I'm also really bad at knowing what opinions are unpopular, but the one opinion I could see getting me crucified is that I don't have that strong an opinion on Huntlow? I see its value as a ship, but I don't have strong personal feelings on it.

My Canon OTP: LUMITY. They're the whole reason I even got into this show.

My Non-canon OTP OT5: Ok, listen, hear me out here because I'm about to sound completely insane, but Luz/Amity/Willow/Skara/Boscha. I realize this doesn't make me seem less insane but I had to get it off my chest. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Most Badass Character: Amity, her fight scenes are amazing.

Most Epic Villain: Kikimora Belos told her to go find a hole to die in, and she did. Truly the most henchperson of all time.

Pairing I am not a fan of: Picking from actually semi-prevalent ships, probably Boschlow? I'll still devour fanfiction about it given the option, but especially in canon I don't think it works.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): The Writers? None. Disney by shortening the show? The Covenheads.

Favourite Friendship: Luz and Hunter, though they're more like siblings so does it still count?

Character I most identify with: S3 Luz

Character I wish I could be: EMIRA GIVE ME YOUR HAIR I WANT IT

002 | Raeda:

When I started shipping them: I have very few memories of my early time in the fandom, which was quite late, so basically for as long as I can remember

My thoughts: That one screenshot of Raine bridal carrying Eda with That Expression™... yeah...

What makes me happy about them: How they were so in sync even as kids and stuck together for so long until...

What makes me sad about them: ...they were torn apart by the curse.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: I know a lot of them were written before we even knew Raine existed, but Camileda fanfiction where Raine isn't acknowledged still bothers me.

Things I look for in fanfic: Established Raeda is always fun in AUs, bonus points if it's Camilraeda and they are all raising Luz, Vee and King.

My wishlist: NOW KISS

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Frequently bought together DO NOT SEPARATE! but I guess if I have to then Camila for Eda and I guess I could see Darius for Raine?

My happily ever after for them: They get married and help take care of Luz and Hunter with Camila.

003 | Caleb:

How I feel about this character: He wife guyed too close to the sun and it's still haunting the narrative. Iconic.

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: His wife Evelyn, duh.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: His connection to Hunter, if you can call that a relationship.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I'm not super interested in like a flashback to his time in Connecticut to be honest, I'd enjoy seeing more of his time and relationship with Evelyn, but his time in Gravesfield isn't that compelling to me

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: One thing I think could have some really neat potential is if he somehow could have a heart-to-heart with Hunter. I think that could be fascinating.

Favorite friendship for this character: I mean, there aren't exactly a lot of options but I think he and Luz could be great friends.

My crossover ship: Caleb X Not Dying

[castiellelovesbees]

I love The Owl House and I've always loved Pokémon so I had fun thinking about what the companions of four of TOH's main characters could be. Let's start with Luz Noceda.

Her name means light, so it was mandatory to include an electric type pkm, I chose Pichu because being a little mouse connects with the fact that Luz has an Echo mouse. Noctowl and Houndour of course I chose them in relation to Hooty and King. Solrock because it's paired with Lunatone (that I associated with Amity) and from the name it reminds of the sun, therefore the light. Leafeon I chose because of Luz's friendship with Willow, who uses grass magic and because I wanted her to have an Eevolution. Lastly Unown, of which I chose the letter L, because it reminds me of the glyphs Luz uses.

Let's move on to Edalyn Clawthorne, the Owl Lady.

Her pokémon reflect both herself and her connections. So we have Hoothoot and Cubone representing Hooty and King, while Decidueye, Talonflame and Hoopa representing her. Specifically, I chose Hoopa because of its rings, reminiscent of those used to cast spells, Talonflame because it's a fire type pkm (magic that Eda often uses). Last but not least, I chose Applin because Eda is crazy for Apple Blood (thanks to Raine).

Not to miss Luz's no longer rival but amazing girlfriend, Amity Blight!

Her theme is the color purple, so her pokémon almost all reflect this pattern. Muk and Ditto were the first ones I thought of because they both look like abominations, while Glameow I chose because Amity's palisman is a cat. Mismagius obviously because it looks like a witch itself and Espeon because I wanted Amity to have an Eevolution too and the color was perfect. Lunatone because Amity is associated with the Moon (her clothes often have accessories with that shape) and then it pairs with Luz's Solrock. Both are shiny to emphasize the bond between the two girls.

We made it to the last character Raine Whispers, who was also the one who inspired me in making this post. Obviously all of their pokémon are related to music, so it was pretty easy to choose them, although compared to the post I wrote on Twitter, I made a small change here.

Let's start with an unmissable choice, Jigglypuff, with its sweet little voice, I couldn't help but include it. Kricketune I chose in place of Loudred, the cricket is shaped like a violin and is therefore more suitable for Raine. Chingling, Chatot and Meloetta are obviously all music related and Chatot is also a bird so there is a connection to Eda in this case, and Meloetta I chose shiny because it has the same hair color as Raine. The least obvious maybe is Primarina, but I definitely wanted a water type pkm because in the episode where Eda and Raine met, Raine demonstrates Bard magic by changing the taste of a drink with sound waves. Primarina is perfect because it's a musical pkm, as well as a water type, plus is gender non-conforming.

[picturejasper20]

Something that may sound controversial: I think the reason of why Amity Blight is more popular than Luz Noceda in the TOH fandom is because Amity appears to be overall a more complex and developed character than Luz is. 

Amity starts as someone with an antagonistic role to becoming friends with the main characters to falling in love with the main protagonist. She goes from a being the arrogant popular girl to a very caring person. She learns to stand up against her mother and don´t tolerate pushing her around. Her character growth is more dynamic, she goes through multiple changes from Season 1 to Season 2.

Luz in comparison has had a good character growth. She has become more responsible, not dragging her friends into problems too much. She realizes how her actions impact others. But unlike Amity Luz has what its called ¨flat character arc¨. This doesn´t mean that Luz is one dimensional- it means she is defined by how she makes other characters change like Eda, Amity, Willow and King. 

I think another issue is that we don´t know too much about Luz´s family yet. We don´t know how her mother is like and we only have seen brief mentions of her life back at home.

I don´t want to compare shows but Anne Boonchuy from Amphibia had multiple flashbacks about how her life back at home was like. From how she meet her friends to how her relationship with her friends was like before coming to Amphibia (that´s very important theme in the show). There is an entire episode that she helps remodeling a restaurant from Wartwood with Thai theme because her parents work in a restaurant too. 

I don´t remember Luz having flashbacks about her life back at home or her talking about her family. I don´t know if this is because there is going to be an upcoming episode about Luz´s mother that may reveal more about the Nocedas. 

So, that´s my take. I´m not denying there may be a bias over how Amity has lighter skin tone than Luz has/ is more feminine. I´m just saying that another  reason that explains why fans like Amity more is because of her character development.

[tedturneriscrazy]

Another Saturday, another episode! Let's take a look at Keeping Up A-fear-ances!

(Good lord I'm starting to make myself sound like some sort of content creator)

Oh, okay, we're just starting at that level of intensity, huh?

Chest gem origins

Gwendolyn not being satisfied with managing the curse and determined to cure it? I'm sure this won't be a real world allegory in the slightest.

Oh, so Eda literally just stumbles upon the portal? I could call that contrived, but honestly it's not dissimilar to how Dipper found Journal 3. For that matter, the entirety of Lord of the Rings is predicated on an accidental discovery like this and nobody gave Tolkien shit about it.

Was the eye on the portal cracked in previous episodes? I don't remember.

Seems like Gwen is the "well-meaning but ultimately misguided" flavor of mom.

As an aside, I am now quite curious about how Eda's first trip to the human realm went. Maybe a future episode will cover it? At any rate, I smell a new favorite fic prompt.

The screaming alarms in the Demon Realm will never not be funny to me.

Also, that is a worrying number of hearts. Eda is straight up murdering these poor creatures.

For some reason the gold fang being removable never occurred to me as a possibility, and now I feel like a kid who's discovered that Santa isn't real.

Oh hey, the new outfit! I'm also impressed how close to symmetrical that tearing was.

I need to get a screencap of Luz sleeping on that stack of books because she is adorable.

Also, staying up all night researching? This season seems determined to completely eradicate the notion of Luz being dumb, and I am here for it.

I have a feeling the Hexside mug will be making its way to The Mystery Shack in the near future.

Lilith's first experience with transformation and she seems understandably horrified.

The curse acting stronger when stressed? That seems...important.

Ah, so the dismemberment is from the curse! A surprisingly useful side effect from what we've seen so far.

Can I just say that I appreciate how Eda's reaction to Lilith's first taste of transformation is immediate remedy, explanation, and reassurance? And doesn't make any snarky comments along the lines of "now you know what it's like?" Whatever happened in that week and a half must have been cathartic as hell.

"Always. Always curious." Luz is the TOH fandom.

(Also, Eda, you know she is, considering how much she went on about your "mysterious past" at the Covention)

"Magic bird tornado?!" Luz has a way with words that's just *chef's kiss*.

"Gwendolyn." Eda is already just fucking done.

"MOM?!?!" Jeez, Lilith, you're just now hearing all this?

I was charmed by how motherly Gwen was acting toward Eda, but then she kinda just...dismissed Lilith, and now I'm somehwat less charmed.

(Sweet flea as a term of endearment is kinda cute, though might have some unfortunate implications depending on how you want to interpret it)

"Who knows what they put in those nasty concoctions?" OH WE GOING FOR THE ANTI-VAXXERS NOW YESSSS

Luz and Lilith's reaction to that whole exchange is priceless.

Everyone's perspective here makes perfect sense for who they are and what they've been through.

Poor Lilith. Her cursing Eda is beginning to make more sense.

Ah, thus begins the collaboration.

"We'll be consulting someone very special." Why does that seem so...ominous?

Is there anyone who watched this episode for the first time whose bullshit detector didn't go off immediately when Gwen mentioned finding someone who promised a cure?

Heh, Palm Stings.

Nonbelievers will be blinded by the power of the tome? I'm sure they will be, Wartlop.

I must say, as something of a scientist myself (okay that's not true, I'm a QA tech for a food manufacturer, but I do have a chemistry degree), I am 100% here for the swings being taken at faith healing/"miracle" cures/anti-vaxxers in this episode

Oh, we Wile E. Coyote now, huh?

Also, interesting how much apple blood is being played up in this episode.

Lilith please you're projecting your mommy issues on a literal child

OH WE REALLY JUST WILE E. COYOTE HUH?

You're right, Luz, Gwen's bicep game is goals.

(Somewhat disappointed the scars are from questing and not beastkeeping, but eh)

Why do I get the feeling there's gonna be a future episode where everybody stages an intervention for Eda's apple blood problem?

"Those feathers mean we're driving the beast out" Gwen no

Hooty is holding the brain cell? Oh no...

If that ice cream came from the Night Market it would explain why Lilith sounds drunk.

(Side note: I can't be the only one getting flashbacks to Mermista's ice cream binge, right? Different context, but still)

"Abomi-berry" "Franken fruit" "Key slime pie" These are A+ flavor names.

Oh, there's the transformation...

I must say that whole segment kinda rubbed me the wrong way. The way King's opinion on his dad was changed seemed...I don't know how to describe it. I get that they needed a trigger for Lilith's transformation, but honestly if any part of the episode is contrived it's this.

"¡It really is that good!" So that's what an accent slip in written form looks like. (The upside down exclamation point is used in Spanish, in case anyone didn't know)

I keep half expecting Eda to say "Beep! Beep!" at this point.

Luz is finally asking questions. Took long enough.

Ah, the classic "moving the goal posts to extract more money from a desparate family member" technique.

Luz channeling Scorpion, we love to see it.

There is an exquisite irony in Eda's mom being scammed, I must say.

Ah, so that's where the elixirs went. Dammit, Gwen.

Luz is definitely thinking "Are you fucking kidding me right now?!"

Beast!Lilith is massive.

"Sweet flea?" Gwen just realized she done goofed.

"I can see you still need a little time." God Luz is so fucking smart.

The con revealed.

OH DAMN SCARY MAMA

(Also I am terrified of bees/wasps, so extra scary mama in my book)

The scam is revealed, goblins, getting back into the Wartlop disguise is kinda pointless.

She joined the Beast Keeping coven entirely to cure the curse? That's dedication. A shame you couldn't have spared some of that for Lilith.

Still, I do like badass scary mama Gwen. I'd be down to see more of that.

Owl Beast fight!

I am slayed by the fact that the portraits are now officially a recurring gag 😂

Aw, here's The Moment™️

"My turn to drive" Does this imply cars are a thing on the Boiling Isles after all?

Lilith crying almost immediately💔 She was holding onto a lot of pain.

Yes, King, she was trying to do her best. I mean, road to hell or whatever, but at least Gwen got there in the end.

WHAT?! YOU'RE BREAKING UP LULU AND HOOTCIFER?!?!?!?

Terrace, that's just cruel. (Worthless brownie points for whoever understands that reference)

No, seriously, you can't just give me my favorite inter-character relationship in the series after Lumity and just...take it away like that, come on! 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I know I should remark on how Lilith told Gwen about the circumstances of the curse, how Gwen rightfully accepted responsibility for the whole situation, and how Luz finds the big hair aspirational, but...NOOOO DON'T END THE ADVENTURES OF LULU AND HOOTCIFER WHYYYYYYYYY💔😭💔😭💔😭

"BUT I CAN'T HOLD A PEN!"

I will never emotionally recover from this.

Okay, I think I got that out of my system. Anyway...

Not the only human, huh? Cue the "Belos is a human" theorists going into maximum overdrive.

That said, a tantalizing lore dump.

We certainly do have a lot of garbage. Some of it even holds office. HEY-O!

Setting up the next episode, too. Continuity!

Camp's over, huh? That means it's been three months.

Way to misdirect with Camila, guys. That said, we have now seen Camila cry and I HATE it. (In the right way, I think)

WHAT THE FUCK

HOLY SHIT

CREEPY LUZ IS REAL WHAT

OWJEIWHQGIWWOPQ

(It's hard to keysmash on a phone, even with autocorrect off)

That wraps it up! The flaws in this episode seem more pronounced than any others in the season so far, but the good stuff was really good! Overall a solid episode! I know everybody's looking forward to library Lumity in the next one (so am I), but I'm personally eager to see what they do with Gus. His part is the A plot, after all.

Anyway, I'll be back at this next week! Still hard to believe this is a thing, but that's life, I guess.

[sepublic]

You know, I've seen plenty of great ideas for Amphibia x TOH swaps, but there's one thing I haven't seen anyone point out yet. If Luz takes Anne's place and goes to Amphibia, then she gets something she's always wanted at the start of TOH: Being part of a prophecy.

           …That is, a VERY interesting concept, not gonna lie!

           The thing about Luz’s fundamental issues prior to meeting Eda was… She really had a problem with distinguishing fantasy from reality, learning to set the boundaries between the two, and fully respect said boundaries. She wasn’t malicious of course, but regardless…

           This is an interesting ask because we don’t know yet how the prophecy will unfold and be revealed within the show, or even its exact nature! But regardless, this is making me imagine Luz meeting the Plantars, and… Really, I can see Hop Pop’s more down-to-earth nature helping Luz learn to distinguish fantasy from reality, to an extent. Especially since Hop Pop himself is lowkey like Luz in that they’re very unorthodox heroes who don’t quite save the day the way they expected to; But their methods are –usually- valid. Such as Hop Pop accidentally inspiring a revolution among the Frogs, or that time he served as a martyr for those tiny frogs, with his mistreatment by the Hasslebacks being the final injustice that pushes them to fight back and defend themselves, without having to rely on any outsiders to do the work for them. Then there’s him projecting a Noir Film onto his search for Sal, to the point where he straight-up kills an innocent man…

           And, that’s making me imagine Luz and Hop Pop kind of bonding over this (not the murder though), especially with Hop Pop’s failed dreams of becoming an actor. I can see Luz being pretty sympathetic and a lot more involved in Hop Pop’s stint with Renee Frodgers, a lot more than Anne did- And considering we see her try out for Romeo and Juliet at one point, maybe she also has a taste for theater herself! Not to mention, all of this discussion of confusing fantasy with reality is just reminding me of Marcy… Specifically, the speculation of Marcy low-key seeing her time in Amphibia as more like a videogame with its tropes, to a potentially harmful extent as she might not treat this situation as a very real one with actual stakes and living, breathing people.

           Of course, the thing to remember is- Luz takes a lot of initiative in her own character development, too! She’s a receptive person and self-reflects. I feel like even if she never met Eda, it wouldn’t have been out of the question for Luz to still resolve her own issues… It’d have just been a much more difficult and tedious journey, especially if Luz had to go through that Reality Camp. But regardless, when you remember that Hop Pop also goes through similar character development, albeit more around the Season 2 timeframe… With Hop Pop making the conscious decision on his own to call out Renee on her thievery, without Anne nor any circumstances goading him into it, because he’s a very moral character at heart…

           Maybe Luz could have issues like Marcy. It’s worth considering if Andrias is manipulating and feeding into Marcy’s dreams. But regardless, I see Luz and Hop Pop working together, mutually, to get past their own issues, well before the prophecy is revealed- And we still don’t know when that’s going to happen! Maybe Luz and Hop Pop could be a duo reminiscent to Luz and King during Sense and Insensitivity. I can’t say for sure if Luz’s character development will be as potent by the prophecy’s reveal, as she is as of the Season Finale in HER show… I think Eda is ultimately a wiser character than Hop Pop, and characters like Willow and Amity serve as neat narrative contrasts/foils to Luz’s own antics. Though, I can imagine Luz getting caught up in shipping Sprig and Ivy, and possibly the fallout of this leading to a lesson or two…

           But in the end, as I said- Luz has a good heart, and she goes around to do the right thing, in the end. She’s like Hop Pop in that regard, and of course there’s also the existence of Sprig and Polly, not to mention what a fellow weirdo like One-Eyed Wally might have to say, here or there. I guess a lot of it depends on the exact context of how this prophecy is revealed, and how it even works… But I see Luz as being grounded by the more down-to-earth Wartwood, well before she gets to Newtopia. This does raise the interesting idea of her possibly backtracking on her character development, especially with Marcy’s influence and Andrias’ potential manipulations…

           And yet, I can see Luz still turning around to do the right in the end, just as Hop Pop did; Even when his dreams DID come true, and he became a renowned actor! I think Luz would come to the conclusion that even being ‘chosen’ by some divine force doesn’t really make her any better than anyone else… Not to mention that the people and world she’s saving is still very much its own thing, not beholden to her. So I see Luz accepting the mantle of being a hero, if only because she’s a good person and of course she’s not going to let something bad happen… And I can imagine the Plantars helping to gently nudge and remind Luz of her past lessons, to not get confused with fantasy and reality again. The prophecy would definitely be a twist antithetical and contradictory to Luz’s character development, given how she’s being transplanted into a different show with different themes, originally intended for a different protagonist…

           But, if Marcy is going to learn her lesson and get past her own issues –assuming those specific issues ARE a thing of course- then I can see Luz being a guiding light and force for her… Maybe the two mutually navigate past potential delusions together, who knows? I’ve speculated in the past how Luz would handle the revelation of having powerful magical heritage... How Luz would truly show off her character development by rejecting even this seemingly objective, tangible cosmic reason for her being special, and still asserting her equal standing with everyone else. Even when placed on top of the hierarchy, Luz rejects it, showing how much her lessons mean to her. I can see Andrias trying to set Luz up to agree with his hierarchy under that concept of divinely-ordained ‘specialness’, and how it’d all just tie into Luz working to abolish the caste system with Hop Pop.

           I can see it being a contrast to Sasha and Grime, who want to topple the current Newt Hierarchy… More than likely, so they can switch it around with Toads on the top. Not exactly the most helpful change, in the end… Luz decides that instead of reversing the roles, it’s best to just get rid of the roles entirely. It could play into a discussion of privilege, and it’d be interesting to see how Luz, Marcy, and Sasha would all bounce off of one another- Sasha low-key has her issues with dismissing the people of Amphibia, and once talked about ‘having fun’ there. Obviously her respect for Grime has changed this a lot… But there’s still that willingness to conquer what she fully recognizes now as an actual civilization of people. She would certainly take the revelation of a prophecy as full justification that she was never wrong about anything, and that Sasha is of course entitled to taking over Amphibia- Especially if Grime feeds into this both out of genuine support and his own desires.

           Then there’s that idea of Sasha and Grime enabling one another to be worse, even if they also still go through a little bit of positive character development… And as for Marcy and Andrias, I can’t quite say because the latter is still quite the enigma. Either way, Luz has to serve as a grounding force for the other girls with Hop Pop’s help… And really, it sounds like the set-up for total chaos, a battle royal, a complete free-for-all with every Amphibian and Human for themselves as they navigate one another amidst the backdrop of this prophecy. If we want to apply Luz’s motif and themes of being a guiding light for other characters in her own show, I can see her forcing Sasha and Marcy to confront the reality of what they’re doing… And I think interactions between her and Grime would be fascinating, as she’d be VERY much in favor of toppling the monarchy- But specifically to undo the hierarchy entirely, instead of switching it around to the Toads’ favor. If Sasha and Grime enable one another, perhaps Luz will have to act as a voice of reason and buffer between the two- And again, it depends on how Sasha and Grime’s character development goes.

           Overall, this sounds like QUITE the debacle, and I’m kind of fascinated, imagining how these different characters with different motifs, meant to be compatible with narrative parallels and contrasts, amidst the themes of their particular show; And how they’d adapt and fit into another show’s cast and themes! Anne taking Luz’s place in the Boiling Isles would be interesting, given how Anne has clearly internalized Sasha’s idea of ‘knowing what’s best for someone you care about’, and how this seems to be a recurring trend amongst people like Emira and Edric toward Amity, Lilith with Eda, etc. And, I guess I could go into a whole ‘nother discussion of how Eda has to help Anne recover from this low-key abuse and toxicity, and Anne having a similar moment of standing up to Sasha with those characters, possibly citing her own experiences… But, that’s probably a discussion for another time, I think. I guess it depends if I have the time and energy for it, and my cyclical focus aligns just right…

[prinsesa-ng-musika]

My Reactions to Boreas (the EP) by The Oh Hellos ❄

I recorded my initial thoughts on audio so I know exactly what came to mind. Post-recording thoughts in parenthesis. Under the cut because of length.

1. A Kindling, of Sorts -already heard this in 08.21.20 but whatever

-still very much love it

-you build a kindling to start a fire meanwhile this song builds up until all the rest of the instruments join in and that's so cool

-still adoring the torches motif + dry branches motif

2. Cold

-wait this intro is so cute

-wow i like this song

-this so christmassy

-which is fitting since it's ber months already haha

-the greek mythology allusions!!!

-this song is a tyler + maggie duet and honestly i like that already

-(in reference to the fourth verse) this gives me grow vibes (idk why i said that lol probably because of "chokes it back"

-this motif sounds familiar omg but i can't place it??? (two listens later: WAIT it's passerine aaa love [you know your ear is bad when you can't even recognize your fave toh song's melody smh])

-the mention of patricians and the rich is such interesting imagery (in retrospect: especially in relation to eurus!)

3. Lapis Lazuli

-TYLER we stan a king 👑

-hey i like the song!

-this song hits this song hits this song hits (for context as i was listening [and even currently] i was not in a good place bc Family Issues)

-what is a rayleigh (yes i'm uneducated pardon me)

-oooh this song's about truth that's neat

-blue as the color of truth while it's also usually the color of nobility or loyalty hmm🤔

-(in retrospect: THE DEAR WORMWOOD CALLBACK AAA)

-this gives me constellations vibes!

4. Rose

-i found the song that's most explicitly christian related and as a catholic and a lover of the song passerine i am Getting Ready (i based this on the bio and annotations on genius)

-this is the passerine of boreas isn't it

- "my mouth don't taste of metal" reminds me of "my palms and fingers still reek of gasoline" in the sense that they mention a body part, a sense, and a flavor/smell

-is this why boreas (the song) is themed around sacrifice as well, because rose starts the concept about suffering and sacrifice first?

-oh is this a reference to sleeping beauty?

-oh Yikes

-oh is the "hangman" supposed to be the hanged man like in tarot cards? i love that symbolism of sacrifice and martyrdom

5. Smoke Rising Like Lifted Hands

-mm okay so i think i still prefer akos more

-but i do like how it gives the vibe of smoke rising

-i think cause of the upward progression of notes?? (i'm not very good at analyzing music by ear sooo feel free to explain to me why it Sounds Like That)

6. Boreas

-skipping mostly bc y'all already know what my thoughts are (search "the oh hellos boreas" on my blog and scroll up a lot)

-but one significant thing is that this is the song i started crying at

-and it continued until glowing

7. Glowing

-(in retrospect: oh what is that morse code??? i later learn that it doesn't mean anything [kloud bdix tho 🍉]. however, i absolutely freaking ADORE the concept of "a message trying to get thru in the midst of darkness" 💙💙💙)

-i like the tune! as in, the overarching one that goes up-down-up

-THE "IN THE END" FROM THE FIRST PLACE CONNECTING WITH "IN THE END" FROM BOREAS I'M 😭😭😭

-not sure but i kind of see lines pertaining to the day of judgment/the second coming/afterlife?? maybe i'm focusing too much on the first part but that would be interesting

-*insert audible crying noises*

-i *sniff* like *sniff* this *sniff* one

-rose + boreas + glowing and their mentions of sacrifice... i appreciate that

-the journey across this 20 minutes is beautiful... we decayed and then we went numb and then we sacrificed ourselves and then we were brought back to life... and that's where ideas come from 😭😍💚💙🍉❤

Okay, on first listen, it's either Boreas or Glowing that's my current favorite BUT I need to relisten so it's fair as I've listened to Boreas ten times already and have only listened to others once (I have now listened to Cold thrice, and am getting more endeared to it and its simple, repetitive melody) but this was such a pleasant album to listen to. It's my first time reacting to an album on the day it got released and with no prior knowledge about it, and it was a great experience. Love y'all passerines, stay glowing 💙

[e8luhs]

HERE’S TO LIFE.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

TRACKLIST & ANNOTATIONS UNDER THE CUT! (last edited 04.18.19)

I. WALK, DON’T RUN / THE VENTURES

[instrumental]

II. SON OF A GUN / ERIC WILLIAM MORRIS

my favorite comic book, favorite comic book, favorite comic book about a guy whose hand's a hook, guy whose hand's a hook, guy whose hand's a hook and he's got blood on all his shirts, blood on all his shirts, blood on all his shirts cause everything he feels he hurts, things he feels he hurts, everything he hurts

III. ACTION MOVIE HERO BOY / LEMON DEMON

i gotta figure out where mommy keeps the dynamite i'll get some measuring tape so i can time it right i know it's dangerous, i know you're thinking i am a fool but it's the only chance i'll ever get to look so cool

IV. THE SHARK FIGHTER! / THE AQUABATS!

i gots me a knife, a bandanna and a topaz necklace yeah, i'm extremely reckless: i ride an otter like a motorcycle! yeah, i'm not kidding, man! yeah, i'm not kidding, man! i’m not kidding, man! you know i’m just a... shark fighter, toughest man in the sea! shark fighter, with his wavy blond hair flowing so freely

V. MR. REBEL / THE SURFARIS

[instrumental]

VI. KING OF THE BEACH / WAVVES

let the sun burn my eyes let it burn my back at the beach in my dreams but you still...

VII. FEEL IT STILL / PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ooh woo, i'm a rebel just for kicks, now i been feeling it since 1966, now might be over now, but i feel it still

VIII. HATE TO SAY I TOLD YOU SO / THE HIVES

do what i want 'cause i can, and if i don't because i wanna be ignored by the stiff and the bored, because i'm gonna spit and retrieve 'cause i give and receive because i want to gonna get through your head, what the mystery man said because i'm gonna

IX. PIZZA HEROES / LEMON DEMON

when you need a disk of oven baked bliss (we always deliver!) 24-hour pizza pie power (we always deliver!) rain or shine (aaaah!) sleet or snow (aaaah!)

X. KIDS / MGMT

control yourself take only what you need from it a family of trees wanting to be haunted

XI. HOTTO DOGGU / SHAWN WASABI

[instrumental]

XII. WAVEFORMS / DJANGO DJANGO

touch it, break it, shake it, yeah take it apart and break it, yeah try to rearrange it, yeah couldn't recreate it, yeah

XIII. DIVE / COAST MODERN

sunrise over my shoulder, reflected in your eyes untied, we do what we wanna drifting in the wind, don't know where this will end up there's a fire in my head going wild over things we did can't believe it, am i dreaming i just feel like, this ain't real life, whoa

XIV. POPPIN’ A WHEELIE! / THE AQUABATS!

i like long walks on the beach and i like the feel of sand on my feet yeah i like nature just fine from time to time i like those video games and i like most airplanes and trains i like nice weather but there’s something so much better

XV. SECRET AGENT MAN / THE VENTURES

[instrumental]

XVI. BONETROUSLE / TOBY FOX

[instrumental]

XVII. THE ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN OF ULTIMATE DESTINY / LEMON DEMON

this is the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny good guys, bad guys, and explosions as far as the eye can see and only one will survive, i wonder who it will be this is the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny

XVIII. WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE / BILLY JOEL

we didn't start the fire it was always burning since the world's been turning we didn't start the fire no we didn't light it but we tried to fight it

XIX. THE THREE OF US / STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO

i will never defend the men who make amends with any enemy’s friends, i will never pretend i will never bow down to another man even when everyone’s saying i’ve sinned, i will never repent

XX. ABRASIVE

[instrumental]

XXI. 10,000 EMERALD POOLS / BORNS

i'll make a living, trying to get away ten thousand fathoms, under a tidal wave it can never pull me away no way

XXII. KISS / PRINCE

ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with i just want your extra time and your kiss

XXIII. SUMMERTIME CLOTHES / ANIMAL COLLECTIVE

it covers my rest with a saccharine sheen kissing the wind through my window screen the restlessness calls us, that i cannot hide so much on my mind that it spills outside

XXIV. SPICY BOYFRIEND / SHAWN WASABI

[instrumental]

XXV. FIRELIGHT / KUBBI

[instrumental]

XXVI. GOLDEN SKANS / KLAXONS

light touched my hands in a dream of golden skans from now on, you can forget all future plans night touched my hands with the turning, golden skans from the night to the light, all plans are golden in your hands

XXVII. HAWAII FIVE-O / THE VENTURES

[instrumental]

XXVIII. WOLF LIKE ME / TV ON THE RADIO

my mind has changed my body's frame, but, God, I like it my heart's aflame my body's strained, but, God, I like it

XXIX. EASY TIGER / PORTUGAL. THE MAN

but it's hard to see clouds when you're 6 feet underground keep building a house then tearing it down

XXX. THE END OF YOU TOO / METRONOMY

[instrumental]

XXXI. MASTERPIECE THEATRE III / MARIANAS TRENCH

i got a new disease in me i got a friend that's losing sleep i take it hard, it's hard to take i'm wide awake i'm wide awake

XXXII. HOW FAR WE’VE COME / MATCHBOX TWENTY

i'm waking up at the start of the end of the world, but its feeling just like every other morning before, now i wonder what my life is going to mean if it's gone the cars are moving like a half a mile an hour and i started staring at the passengers who're waving goodbye can you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time?

XXXIII. LOST IT TO TRYING / SON LUX

what will we do now? we've lost it to trying we've lost it to trying

XXXIV. BURN YOUR LIFE DOWN / BLEACHERS

you lay awake in the night, just staring at the ceiling above pulling pieces of it out is such a waste of time keep on fighting to remember that nothing is lost in the end when you burn, burn, burn your life down

XXXV. CONTENT / JOYWAVE

i'm searching for the difference between what content and content can bring maybe they're no different 'cause they look the same maybe i'm just an algorithm with a given name but trying to find the difference

XXXVI. BLOODFLOOD / ALT-J

a wave, an awesome wave that rushes skin and widens in flooded veins breathe in, exhale i’ve poked a nerve; he’ll slap me like a whale

XXXVII. DOUSED / DIIV

now you've gone so far, you really had to get away you knew it in your lifetime running to it acting like you've come so far, the bed you made yourself, and this house, and me, are all falling apart

XXXVIII. LABYRINTH / MIRACLE MUSICAL

in the rear, i can see the beast getting close surrounded by ghosts in a cloud of smoke the smoke reeks of failure, i don't want to fail but all the stairwells lead straight to hell

XXXIX. APOCALYPSE DREAMS / TAME IMPALA

are you too terrified to try your best? just to end up with an educated guess like success like those times you wake up mystified

XL. CONSTANT CONVERSATIONS / PASSION PIT

now you're standing in the kitchen, and you're pouring out my drink well there's a very obvious difference, and it's that one of us can think if there's a bump in the road yeah you'd fix it, but for me i'll just run off the road but tonight you've got me cornered, and i haven't got a place to go

XLI. TONGUES / JOYWAVE

the palms are down, i'm welcomed back to town sometimes i feel like they don't understand me i hear their mouths making foreign sounds sometimes i think they're all just speaking tongues

XLII. KINDA BONKERS / ANIMAL COLLECTIVE

i'm tryna reach out to you yes, i'm talking to you, you're the one in the room we'll share a moment, let's meet we're a fire with heat you didn't know, not me we all start suddenly and get carried so far away

XLIII. DIVINA / TORO Y MOI

[instrumental]

XLIV. ARE YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO BE? / FOSTER THE PEOPLE

with all these things i wait for revelation these things make me want to duck for cover with all these things i wait for revolution these things ask the biggest question to me and it's are you what you want to be... so are you what you want to be?

XLV. GUYS EYES / ANIMAL COLLECTIVE

so i used my mind and i used my hand it was what i want to do i really don't know what to do if my body should want to what i want

XLVI. THE SUBURBS (CONTINUED) / ARCADE FIRE

if i could have it back all the time that we wasted i’d only waste it again

XLVII. TERATOLOGY / THE PHYSICS HOUSE BAND

[instrumental]

XLVIII. WAVES / PORTUGAL. THE MAN

no one cares about the waves at the bottom of the ocean and at the bottom of the ocean it's always blue no one will remember cause nothing lasts forever and everybody's looking for somebody to use

XLIX. A MOMENT OF SILENCE / STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO

so tell me: how long do you think you can go before you lose it all? before they call your bluff and watch you fall? i don't know, but i'd like to think i had control at some point, but i let it go and lost my soul sit tight, but the revolution's years away i'm losing faith and i'm running low on things to say so, i guess i have no choice but to regurgitate the tired anthem of a loser and a hypocrite

L. SUPERMAN / GOLDFINGER

i'm trying to keep the ground on my feet it seems the world is falling down around me the nights are long i'm singing this song to try and make the answers more than maybe

LI. BELIEVE / THE BRAVERY

so give me something to believe 'cause i am living just to breathe and i need something more to keep on breathing for so give me something to believe

LII. IS THIS IT / THE STROKES

is this it... is this it?

LIII. WATCH IT CRASH / TOH KAY

we can't just blame it on our mothers claim everything they did was always wrong and there ain't not turning back when our train is off its track and there's nothing we can do but watch it crash and there ain't no right and wrong when we know it won't be long and there's nothing we can do but watch it crash

LIV. THE MALL AND MISERY / BROKEN BELLS

i know what I know, but nothing will fill the hole so let your mind go (let my mind go) straight down the runway does one want to get more used to, the mall and misery? (the mall and the misery) the dead mouths it costs to be alive

LV. SICKOS / HARLEM SHAKES

if there's a bomb in your hand, just throw it if the ground's too hot, just run this place is filled with sickos! this place is filled with sickos!

LVI. THE GREAT ESCAPE / WE ARE SCIENTISTS

i'm making my escape, making my escape tell myself that everything's in shape everything's in shape, but me how long can we stay, how long can we stay? tell myself that everything is great everything is great, well how am i doing?

LVII. DIAMOND HEAD / THE SURFARIS

[instrumental]

LVIII. SAVE YOURSELF ILL HOLD THEM BACK / MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE

we could leave this world, leave it all behind we could steal this car if your folks don't mind we could live forever if you've got the time, oh, oh, oh

LIX. UNREST IN THE HOUSE OF LIGHT / THE PROTOMEN

a time is coming, and i must warn you though it's something that you may not understand, they can't be saved by just one man and I am sorry, because i was wrong and I'd take away the weight his shoulders had to bear, because when he fell i was the only one that cared you need to know, you are not him, his fight's not yours!

LX. WILL DO / TV ON THE RADIO

anytime will do, my love anytime will do, no choice of words will break me from this rule anytime will do, my love anytime will do, what choice of words will take me back to you?

LXI. HUGGIN & KISSIN / BIG BLACK DELTA

pushing and shoving, hugging and kissing all of the time all over again

LXII. TRAINWRECK 1979 / DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979

so now i follow it around the world i can’t keep up the story never ends as long as we have blood and cuts

LXIII. INACTION / WE ARE SCIENTISTS

counting on my relative friends when this keeps coming up again and again if everybody knows how it's gonna end why doesn't someone stop me?

LXIV. AMERICAN HERO / RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE

i would do anything to hear you say “there goes an american hero”, darling call the press and tell 'em all "he's got a front page picture face with all of the amenities”

LXV. GHOULS / WE ARE SCIENTISTS

can't help but feel attacked, what's that supposed to mean? i know i won't relax or act like it's no big deal this happens all the time, it's kind of our routine but we all recognize that i'm the problem here

LXVI. VIOLET RAYS / THE SMASHING PUMPKINS

spells fall frail webs catching sail in eternal eternities divine purpose catching free

LXVII. CARRY ME / JOYWAVE

tonight, i think i might explode yeah, nothing's right, nothing's right comfort me until the sun arrives

LXVIII. BAMBI / TOKYO POLICE CLUB

i wanna tell you there's a really good reason why i came down easy, spinning threads to your throne a tiny kingdom at the bottom of the trees where i was always a winner and i was barely alone

LXIX. WETSUIT / THE VACCINES

if at some point we all succumb for goodness sake, let us be young 'cause time gets harder to outrun, and i'm nobody, i'm not done with a cool, cool breeze and dirty knees, i rest on childhood memories we all got old at breakneck speed slow it down, go easy on me

LXX. AFRICA / TOTO

the wild dogs cry out in the night as they grow restless, longing for some solitary company i know that i must do what's right as sure as Kilimanjaro rises like olympus above the serengeti i seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that i've become

LXXI. THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN / THE ANIMALS

oh mother, tell your children not to do what i have done spend your lives in sin and misery in the house of the rising sun

LXXII. THE OTHER SIDE / WOODKID

boy i was shaped for the fury now i pay the price of the human race's vice and i was promised the glorious ending of a knight but the crown is out of sight

LXXIII. RIDING THE FOURTH WAVE / STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO

[instrumental]

LXXIV. 4TH DIMENSIONAL TRANSITION / MGMT

i feel your racing heart, my liquid silver arms extended these waves aren't far apart black gold in claw foot tubs, unchanging i am fire, where's my form? whisper crimson, i intrude there's light beneath your eyes new overtones in view endless form, endless time

LXXV. I CAN TALK / TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

now i can talk, no one gets off (i know how you like to) now i can talk, no one gets off

LXXVI. ATOMIC MAN / PORTUGAL. THE MAN

after you, i don't know what i believe in after you, hell should be easy after you, i don't know what i believe in after you, hell would be easier

LXXVII. GRAVITYS RAINBOW / KLAXONS

come with me, come with me, we'll travel to infinity come with me, come with me, we'll travel to infinity i'll always be there, oh, oh, my future love i'll always be there for you, my future love

LXXVIII. NECKBRACE / RATATAT

[instrumental]

LXXIX. WALK TALL / KELE

rule number one, be bright like the sun whether rude, whether flawed, like it's just begun rule number one, be the only thing they see

LXXX. THE WILL OF ONE / THE PROTOMEN

as i walk through the city streets, these frightened people watching me pass there is an evil that holds them here, yet they won't try breaking its grasp but if i stay here with you then i will leave them to their doom

LXXXI. FUCKING LIFER / AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR

[instrumental]

LXXXII. LETS GO HOME / BIG BLACK DELTA

so let's go home, let's go home let's go home, and you will never be alone

LXXXIII. BEACH BOY / AMINE

who knows what the future holds? i don't, if the truth be told they say "play it safe, young soul" fuck that, i'mma take control

LXXXIV. I BELIEVE IT NOW / EVERYTHING EVERYTHING

is this the place where all our hopes and dreams are piled and burnt? into the waters slide into the flames i'm light but they're watching us lift off, as the chasms open up, it took me a century but i'm starting with tonight

LXXXV. DON’T WASTE TIME DOING THINGS YOU HATE / AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR

[instrumental]

LXXXVI. DO IT ANYWAYS / BEN FOLDS FIVE

sometimes it's not subjective: wrong and right deep down you know it's downright wrong but you're invincible tonight so you, do it anyway it's done, you did it

LXXXVII. THIS YEAR / THE MOUNTAIN GOATS

i am going to make it through this year if it kills me i am going to make it through this year if it kills me

LXXXVIII. LIGHT UP THE NIGHT / THE PROTOMEN

there is a city that this darkness can't hide there are the embers of a fire that's gone out, but i can still feel the heat on my skin this mess we're in, well you and i, maybe you and i, we can still make it right

LXXXIX. BEAUTIFULUNIVERSEMASTERCHAMPION / AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR

[instrumental]

XC. BELIEVER / IMAGINE DRAGONS

first things first i'mma say all the words inside my head i'm fired up and tired of the way that things have been, the way that things have been second thing second don't you tell me what you think that i can be i'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea, the master of my sea

XCI. WE WILL FALL TOGETHER / STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO

and when we fall we will fall together no one will catch us so we'll catch ourselves and when we roam we will roam forever no one will understand what we meant

XCII. BARE MY BONES / BRONTIDE

[instrumental]

XCIII. AMY AKA SPENT GLADIATOR 1 / THE MOUNTAIN GOATS

play with matches if you think you need to play with matches seek out the hidden places where the fire burns hot and bright find where the heat's unbearable and stay there if you have to don't hurt anybody on your way up to the light

XCIV. IF IT AIN’T BROKE... BREAK IT / AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR

[instrumental]

XCV. FALCON JAB / RATATAT

[instrumental]

XCVI. IT’S ALRIGHT / MOTHER MOTHER

oh hey, i had a night i had a day i did one million stupid things i said one billion foolish things i'm not okay, I got a baseball bat beside my bed to fight off what's inside my head, to fight off what's behind my meds i'm lonely; lost in pain

XCVII. WHITE WHALE / EVERYTHING EVERYTHING

your love is like the white whale my finger's on the third rail i want you to be okay i want us to be okay

XCVIII. EVERLONG / FOO FIGHTERS

and i wonder, if everything could ever feel this real forever if anything could ever be this good again the only thing i'll ever ask of you you got to promise not to stop when i say when

XCIX. THANKS. THANKS FOR COMING / JOYWAVE

i could get used to these endless possibilities adrenaline for dinner means a headache that the morning brings

C. HERE’S TO LIFE / STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO

and i don't know much, but i do know this: with a golden heart comes a rebel fist but i can't help agreeing with those that would not quit

[kunalkarankapoor]

"Other actors just play their character but Kunal lives that character and makes it alive in our hearts n memories forever. Such is the magic of Kunal. We can't save ourselves from it and frankly speaking we don't want to." - Ruchi Gupta

"Honesty, passion and connection. These words define Kunal. Are visible in each of his character." - Ruchi Gupta

I don't know where I stand with him. And I don't know what I mean to him. All I know  is that every time I think of  him, all I want to do is be with him. Do you ever just think about some one and immediately get really happy because their mere existence is a source of joy to you? 'HIM' - Just one word, yet one person comes to my mind, 'Kunal Karan Kapoor' People lets admit it. we love him.  we seriously do. Its crazy Kunal because I don't even know when you became so important to me. Its like watching a  snowstorm .  I see the flakes falling, but I didn't realise how they added up. Then suddenly my whole lawn  is covered . Every little thing of yours has added up, and you are my snowstorm, baby. When I first saw you I honestly had no idea that you would be so important  to me.. When I think , the whole world disappears  and, its just me and kunal. in my whole little world kunal love is broad ; If you love someone, you love all things , not just their looks. Love is narrow ; you love one and only one, compared to  you, no one else matters to me Have I told you yet... How much I love  you, how much you mean to me.. Have I told you yet.. About all the happiness you bring to me.. Have I told you yet.. That you mean the world to me. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me.. Just in case I have not.. I want you to know.. I love u.❤ Kunal Mania 

vinitagill: “Each scene lingers in your mind because of what he brings to it !” k_mavourneen: “The more I see him, the more am in love with him.. gosh..” kunalisthan: “Kunal sir's natural acting never fails to connect us with the situations.it seems as if we are travelling through a web of various emotions and can feel the agony,happiness and any kind of emotions the character is experiencing. Mohan Bhatnagar was a character which was given life by kunal sir.I don't want to think mohan just as a character written by any writer.the character had a soul,voice,a real existence in our minds.and it could never have been possible without this powerhouse of talent, Kunal Karan Kapoor.”

pujam_andal22: “His eyes and actions speak more than his words... Love that part in whole season of nbt😘😘 No one can speak through eyes..😘😘 his eyes r Magical!!”

ipsita_kia_224: “His amazing acting brings to life every character portrays in screen”.  

ashapurna5: “Everyone's story is coming at a similar point.. 😍 When I 1st saw the promo of this show season 1 that was really an OMG moment.. Maine already kunal ji ko pratigya me as angad dekha tha.. So it was hard to believe that is this the same guy.. He's looking so handsome here.. Actually the show's promo was catchy and different.. It was released at a time wen all the TV Shows name was based on a song.. Nd I suddenly remembered this song.. But could nt watch at that time as my 12th board exams were approaching .. But managed to watch somehow as I had that craze ki nahi mujhe toh dekhna hi hai.. Dheere dheere became an everyday part of life.. The spiderman chawanni was the 1st bond which was like dil jeet lena type.. Nd then all was like heaven.. The scene in which mohan professes his love for megha in front of whole family seriously broke my heart.. It felt like it was kunal and not mohan.. If I watch that scene 100 times.. 100 times I'll cry just by watching it.. 2nd season is way more mature and good.. It just made megha and mohan cry so much.. That sometimes makes me sad.. Every year I watch both the seasons 1 nd 2 on voot♥️♥️😍 there's really once in a while a show like this comes..to make u drive crazy for years and decades to come. Thank you @kunalkarankapoor “.

ashapurna5: “Jiski aankhein ho ruhani.. Jo bole dil ki zubaani.. Adaaon me ikhtiyar.. Jisse karein poori duniya pyar.. Chehre me base noor.. Wahi toh hai Kunal Karan Kapoor😍 “

ashapurna5: “Some people express by their words.. Some people impress by their eyes... But only few people can express and impress both by their eyes... He's one among them♥️♥️😍”

ashapurna5: “Teri hasi dekh insan Dard me bhi muskuraye.. Jaise mili ho khuda ki inaayat ban jaye.. Toot kar bikhre huye raahi ki aakhri umeed ko.. Jaise mila ho aashna uske wajood ko.. Keep smiling always like this KKK♥️ “

ashapurna5: The person with a distinctive uniqueness.. With a golden heart.. Nd a genuine smile.. With a lively aura.. That's KKK... WHEN YOU SMILE THE WHOLE WORLD STOPS AND LOOKS FOR A WHILE♥️♥️♥️  His every reply or ans directly comes frm the heart.. Nd that's what shows his originality and genuineness.. His humble and down to earth nature is what makes him stand alone with pride frm the crowd♥️♥️

sumita_0227: “One of the reason we love his ivs is PURITY.dil mein jo jubaan mein woh.he never pretended to be the perfect.he presented himself the way he is(we have got many evidences).jo bhi karte ya bolte hai dil se hota hai ek chote bachche ki tarah.GENUINENESS HUMBLESS and INNOCENCE.this world is a very difficult place for innocent people.they often get hurt.but still he never stops to be innocent and genuine.so i call him brave as well.chahe duniya jo bhi bole....he is the best and wll remain the best.💕💕 “

duskyhues: “Omg.. what a performance. I have told it many times. Would like to reiterate dat kunal Karan kapoor carried the entire season 2... on his shoulders... with his impeccable performance”.

sumita_0227: “There are somethings which are difficult to express in words.it can only be felt and that's what kunal sir make us do.he makes us connected with every emotions of him or rather the character's.it seems as if we can see his soul through his eyes.dialogues are not needed when the eyes and body language can emote so much.it's soul exposing.it's like a magical song he sings to us and we get drown into it's melody.💕💕 “

ashapurna5: “The more I see you.. The more I admire you.. The more I fall for you.. Change is constant.. But you are the one who make that change worth of acceptance.. Love you KKK in all aspects ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️😍 “

vinitagill: “His voice sounds so husky n sexy in this scene!” 

paviviji: “Expression king I bet u no one can beat his expressions” 

k_mavourneen: “He's an amazing actor.. just too good..” 

priyark31: “Har scene main jabardast performance di hai kunal ne. Tareef ke liye saare words kam lagte hai. Thank you @kunalkarankapoor itne khubsurat itne memorable scenes ki gifts dene ke liye. These serials n scenes r an all time hit. Thankkkk youuuuu so much. 😘😘😘😘💕💕💕💕 “ 

sonalipahuja65: “Extremly talented kunal” 

priyark31: “Kunal ne har scene main jaan daal di hai, har baar utana hi maja aata hai scenes dekhane main jitna pahli baar aaya tha. #kunalkarankapoor you are the best . 💕💕💕💕💕💕😍😍😍😍 “

kunal.kkk.admirer: “Kunal's Speechless acting without any word He expressed His all pain in this very short scene ❤ Every time He proved that He is truly a King of Expressions 👑❤”

priyanka.m58: “Everytime when I watching your face,or just even single actions from you I don't know what happened inside of me....It's more and more gives happiness and I started smiling like a child...love you..love you lot..Kunal. And special thanks to Ani..you're editing & your works👏 it's made me to feel good day by day...Hats off to you.💐”

priyark31: “Full of emotions, talkative n most beautiful eyes.💕💕💕💕”

shivangisainisimpleI: “guess not a single scene can describe his commitment...n dedication...all scenes r just magical” 

niveditha_niri: “His eyes speaks everything..no dialogues are needed for him❤️💕..his expressions tells everything”   

priyark31: “Brilliant,👏👏👏 what an actor he is. I think no words can describe him. He is above all appreciation.😍😍😍😍💕💕💕”

vinitagill: “He owns every role he does ...you feel it was meant for no one else but him ! “

sangeetha0606: “Having said that actor like @kunalkarankapoor is par excellence and even the story can be moulded not just because of TRP, but also should be because of a character's reach to the audience..this also challenges the writer and the director..this way the TRP will automatically go up...” 

kunalisthan: “Waiting to witness many more amazing chapters in this beautiful journey. Many more memories are yet to be made and so many new stories and adventures are yet to be unfolded by him. So many characters are waiting eagerly for him to get a life through him. Their emotions are waiting to be expressed through his eyes and expressions. And I am ready to discover him more and more through this wonderful journey.❤️😊”

priyark31: “Truely remarkable...It's a delight watching Kunal's acting, how an amazing actor can give meaning to three different characters and portrait their personalities with such perfection. @kunalkarankapoor is one and only... “

ruchi_kajalvarshney: “The best part is he completely dissolves in the character whether it's funny, intense romantic, sad Or shattered.. He lives that character❤️and makes it alive forever in our hearts ❤💞 “

arpitaoscar: “Kunal sir.. I think koi bhi aisa award abhi tk ni bana jo apke acting ko ja sake coz... Sab awards apke acting k liye kum hai.. Bestest actor... “ 

kunal.kapoor_22: “Hardwork never fails... For each and every scene he put lots and lots of effort and moreover sometimes the normal scene itself become the most beautiful scene because of his presence and effective effort... Such a wonderful brilliant actor 💞👏👏👏” 

Shweta Deshpande: “His ever talking eyes are his best assets. Love them and the gentleman who owns them.” 

[mdhwrites]

I still like TOH, but your comments have made me notice something about reviews praising it: namely, a lot of the elements praised are specifically described- Belos’s character, Luz’s depression, the dark themes, the serialization, etc- as being amazing for a kid’s show, and I think that’s a factor in why critical reviews tend to match fandom opinion. Namely, kid shows having understandable limitations leads to attempt at darker themes/big stories being praised as standouts as long as the execution is competent enough to not be noticeable. So while some people do acknowledge TOH’s flaws, they point out it’s still admirable the show made the attempts it did, especially with Disney’s public stance on what it pushes for in its cartoons.

So... I want to be kind first before I somewhat lose it because I am so SO TIRED of it being stated that TOH is different from other kid's shows. The Owl House is perfectly competent and entertaining in just its base elements. The animation is good, the voice acting is amazing, the feeling of teenagers is well captured, it's a lot of fun when it's interested in being fun and S1 has a lot of great ideas that earn a lot of good will with an audience and the plot line with Eda in S1 is genuinely amazing. After all, usually you don't have a character who is actively dying.

A theme they never actually address in detail. Eda doesn't feel like she's being held back by the curse very often and there's even one episode where it's used to re-enact a family guy episode of King trying to murder a toddler who won't let him be ruler of the playground. That... Isn't serious. In anyway. It's only serious when it's first revealed and the big sacrifice moment. After S1, it's barely a thing outside of Keeping Affearances.

This is the fundamental problem with The Owl House... And why it's so easy to praise. Yesterday I talked about how it screams its themes at the top of its lungs. How it is very blunt about how it wants to be perceived. Whether this is perception is earned or not is secondary to what it can easily state.

Which makes making an online article about how it's so different from other kid's shows, how it's the kid's show for those who don't like kid's shows, very easy. If you don't actually know much about kid's shows and how shit like Static Shock way back when was already addressing racism, having serialized content, etc. like that.

I mean, if we look at recent kid's cartoons, we have Steven Universe and Steven Universe Future. Gravity Falls. Amphibia does a lot of the same themes as TOH, with honestly about as much meaningful serialization, but also while being good, consistent and enjoyable. It earns its themes... But you have to dig for them.

So why have to scrape the barrel when the soapbox preacher is right there? This is part of the character arc problem too. Do you know how EXHAUSTING posts about "Look where they were and are now" by the end of S2? Where Amity would be a distinct, interesting, unique character in S1 but all they care about is that now she SMILES!

If you don't actually have to talk about the substance of her arc, if the show actually tackled any of its potential, complications, etc like that, it looks impressive. Then you talk to them about Winging it Like Witches or Understanding Willow, both frankly very much so kid's show episodes that something like Danny Phantom, My Little Pony, or Kim Possible would have and could have done, and suddenly it sounds less impressive, doesn't it? Not when you're describing episodes where Amity's past doesn't match her introduction at all and are obviously wiping away what makes a character arc interesting for "SHE'S ALWAYS BEEN GOOD! It's not her fault."

Sure. That's why she was willing to kill someone who didn't even lower her grade but instead just got someone else to be praised. And that's still S1.

Luz's depression is similar. You can have her make big statements that sound like they may imply she wants to die but they're still not willing to use the actual terms. Have Luz only suffer the absolutely loudest but worst stereotypes of depressed people like being constantly suicidal, pushing others away and not caring about them. 'But it's depressi-" No. As someone literally crippled by it, I don't want it being used as the excuse for literally the worst thing Luz does in the whole series, which is to just abandon an entire world to whatever fate she claims to believe she inflicted on it. I myself and a lot of other depressed people will tell you that it is FAR easier to help others, especially if you've hurt them, than any sort for yourself. But Luz's depression is used as an excuse for her to claim to keep caring about others when she is actually only serving herself and lying constantly to everyone around her while doing it. If that's great, depression representation, something most kids are still going to miss what it is, then fuck that noise.

But depression is a big topic right now so going "DISNEY'S FIRST MAIN CHARACTER WITH DEPRESSION!" sure is a headline, isn't it?

And let's quickly talk about the fact that TOH is very morally weird. It's not willing to do many big lesson episodes, hence why Episode 2 stands out so much to me, and a lot of its main cast has dubious morality. And... Then it doesn't really touch on morality either. It has no interest in it, even to the point of bad actions maybe getting a line or two said about them but then moving on.

As an example: Amity just wants to invade Luz's privacy. Period. She has Luz's phone and wants to be given an excuse to look into it. Talking to Willow, they could have a very real, very human conversation about how Amity's parents have taught her that such measures are okay because trust doesn't matter as much as control and how that's not okay. It could be a genuinely very adult moment for the series and maybe even have Willow talk about how Luz finding out so much about her past during Understanding Willow makes her uncomfortable sometimes because even if nothing bad surfaces, that was information given. By making all that a real conversation, which yes would have taken more time but let's face it, TOH honestly doesn't spend enough time setting its characters morals and letting them have conversations where there's real conflict between the two. And none of this is explicit or so dark or so boring that there's no reason a kid's show couldn't have it.

And do you want to know what you gain by making it a conversation like that? A real lesson to kids. A lesson that will prepare them for not only their own loves but for just how to handle others in general. TOH is still a kid's show after all. It should in theory be considering its audience and while not talking down to them, remembering they do need to still bring them into the conversation.

OR, YOU KNOW, HAVE WILLOW SHRUG AT THE QUESTION! And I could do a full breakdown as to why that's a real, human reaction to that question, even for someone like Willow. But I have to bring the real world, my life experiences, my sister's life experiences (and she's 30 while I'm almost 27) in order to explain why Willow is not blatantly being a TERRIBLE person by not calling Amity out.

And yes, that's when TOH is at its worst. It commonly just brushes off immoral behavior that isn't the end point of the plot as just a thing happening, like how Edric and Emira don't actually suffer consequences for their plan against their sister or how Luz is made to feel bad for stealing Amity's wand but then isn't attacked by Amity but put into a protective circle by her. A time out, sure, but one that leads to the ice glyph and her getting to save everyone.

A kid can learn the wrong lessons by the lack of consequences in the show and they're not going to learn a lot of good lessons from what is there. There's a reason why kid's shows are blunter than other media and they have morals. They're remembering that, especially in our modern age where one income households just DON'T EXIST that they have to pick up the slack and modern cartoons are doing that better than old 90s cartoons.

But do you know how much TOH reminds me of older cartoons like the 80s or 90s? With their villains who are evil for the sake of evil? With characters that can change on a dime, or the blatantly comic relief ones who don't have much character outside of that? The plotlines that are more about spectacle or statement which led to all those terrible PSA cartoon moments? Or hell, with how Amity ended up: The character who is blatantly only there to be the pretty girl that gets with the main character?

That's the thing: You want to say TOH is better than Teen Titans Go? Fine. That is obviously true. Who actually cares about and is praising Teen Titans Go though? When you compare it to the shows that people do praise, like Amphibia, Gravity Falls, etc., shows that not only teach and make kids better but also tell an engaging, full story with real themes, characters, developments, etc... What does TOH actually have? How much more serialized is TOH than say, the first season of My Little Pony? There were two episodes of build up for the Grand Galloping Gala before the finale and in TOH S1, you technically only need to see The Intruder and Covention, besides the pilot obviously, before you will understand almost everything going on in Young Blood, Old Souls and Agony of a Witch. There's more in S2 but most people agree that it's done competently at best, which is why people keep screaming about the shortening and I made an entire blog pointing out that S2 is bad because... The show is bad about serialization effectively.

And as a final note: I lived with a Star Wars and Star Trek fan for two years at the peak of Discovery being out and as wind up for Rise of Skywalker was going on. I lived on their couch and when they put on an almost 24/7 reel of 'reviewers' for these franchises, I heard a LOT of shit takes. A lot of the same shit being repeated with no real thought behind it, it being what was popular said (which goes into what makes people popular online versus being a mouthpiece for the popular opinion) and showing no thought or care about the actual system of production for things or the people behind it. A lot of people just blaming issues on one creator, or praising a single creator for all the good in something without talking about why they were attributing the problem to them. And yes, I know how hypocritical all of this is coming from some white dude on the internet no degrees, experience, etc like that. I just hope that my blogs show a little bit more real thought to storytelling to make it not as bad.

So a show where the popular, fandom consensus is that it's amazing, it states its themes making 'deeper' analysis easier and is very loud about its statements like they're original is going to be very popular to this type of review. Does this mean it's all disingenuous? Of course not. I started this blog by saying a lot of the reasons why the show is easy to like. Does it mean it has none of the depth people give it? No because a show trying this hard is going to manage successes sometimes though a lot of the times it then shoots those successes because it doesn't realize it's doing them.

But this statement that it is somehow better than things that have come before, is somehow truly groundbreaking while shows clearly paved the way for it so that it's just at the front of a wave it didn't have to make, and ignoring its flaws for all of these reasons, especially with "It's special because it's on Disney" or "It's only bad because of the shortening" is... REALLY tiring. To put it mildly.

A thing should be good because it's good. Not because it says it is or because you have to put modifiers on it to make it special. Shrek was groundbreaking not because it was made by someone other than Disney. It was groundbreaking because it genuinely looked at how it could parody the landscape around itself while making a genuinely good adventure and love story. Did it help that the creators wanted to give a middle finger to Disney? Maybe but I don't have to bring that up with what makes Shrek amazing. I can just say it's very good. In or out of its time.

The Owl House will only become increasingly less special and interesting as time moves forward and its big statements have to be yelled louder and louder to be properly heard. =======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[sepublic]

TOH Snake Theory

Full Disclaimer: What I’m about to get into is total conspiracy-theory territory. I’m about to make a lot of connections, some of which are rather stretched. This is just a totally out-there, fun thing I came up with in order to pass the time. I don’t necessarily believe it. If it was false, it wouldn’t be bad writing because sometimes people see patterns that aren’t really meant to be there. Take this with a grain of salt. Or a sack of salt, because this is pretty ludicrous.

With that out of the way... I think The Owl House will soon have a major character and/or plot-related revelation involving a snake. Potentially, this revelation could even be that Emperor Bellows is a snake, or at least has a snake motif.

As I’ve mentioned before, Luz’s life in the human world seems to have a person who resembles and parallels Amity in her own way;

(We’ll call this girl Pink Stripe for now)

As others have pointed out, there’s also a girl next to Pink Stripe, who wears glasses like Willow? We’ll call her... Millow. Luz also mentions a human Augustus (nicknamed Gus), whom OUR Augustus in the Demon Realm nicknames himself after, now calling himself “Gus” as well. If we go by the idea that there’s a thematic counterpart for characters in the human world and the Demon Realm, then would Camilla be Eda? Would the principal be Bump? But who, in the human world, is King?

And then I realized... Luz’s pet snake;

I know that both Luz and King make a point that King isn’t Luz’s pet, but just bear with me for a moment. The snakes are the closest thing Luz has to an ‘animal sidekick’ back home. Not only that, but who does the snake represent in Luz’s book report on Azura?

The Gildersnake! And the Gildersnake is also voiced by Alex Hirsch, even having a similar voice to King!

Now, look at Episode 4. King has THIS book on demons that he holds dear. See the snake on the cover?

Snakes are associated with King twice so far. But, I don’t necessarily think King’s true form is a snake. Let me continue...

I’ve already established with @fermented-writers-block that Luz and Amity both parallel Azura and Hecate, but that the roles are also interchangeable in their own way. Thus, the old witch from the Azura books could be Eda, or it could be Lilith? King’s position is obvious, but then who would be Amity’s animal sidekick in this scenario?

Then @fermented-writers-block suggested something brilliant; Perhaps Emperor Bellows himself is King’s counterpart! Think about it- They’ve both got motifs of royalty in their name. A bellow is “(of a person or animal) emit a deep loud roar, typically in pain or anger.” So this implies that Bellows could be somewhat animalistic, like King. Kikimora is higher-ranking than Lilith, so it’s not without precedent for people in the Emperor’s hierarchy to be smaller than those they reign over.

(Granted, we haven’t seen Kikimora in person. Maybe she’s got really long legs after all? Or her diminutive proportions still give way to a giant size. Who knows?)

All of the Azura characters have counterparts... Azura, the old witch, the animal sidekick, and Hecate. Everyone, except the Gildersnake, who is portrayed as the main antagonist of the first book that our main protagonist must defeat. The Gildersnake, who arguably has connections to King, who himself has connections to a snake motif. Speaking of a snake motif...

This background is included in Eda’s fake backstory of King. Which... should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt, naturally. But it could also be foreshadowing in its own way. Behind King is a palace flanked by two arms reaching into the sky, and both arms are encircled by snakes. Those arms just so happen to resemble the ones in Bonesborough;

Hence, my thesis; There’s going to be a major character/plot revelation involving a snake motif... And going further, this revelation could be that Emperor Bellows is a snake-like being. Again, not only could one see the parallels between him and King if they squint hard enough... But there’s also the possibility of King having once been an actual King of Demons. Which leaves the chance that he was deposed by Bellows himself... And if Bellows basically took his throne, he’d become a King of Demons in his own right!

And our King of Demons has a demonology book with a snake on it... He’s also like the Gildersnake, but as we mentioned, Luz is interchangeable with Amity in the Azura metaphor, and Lilith with Eda, etc. Luz’s pet snakes are a potential human-world parallel to King. They’re also used to represent the Gildersnake, who sounds a lot like King and is incredibly powerful and an antagonist...

(Also, if we really want to take the motifs seriously, then if we combine my previous suggestion about there being a Bonesborough Giant, then perhaps that giant IS Bellows! Meaning Bonesborough takes place atop Bellows?)

Now, I know that you might be thinking- Am I really suggesting that King is both the animal sidekick in the Azura story, AND the Gildersnake? How can there be two Kings at once?

Well, if you consider the theory that King was the Boiling Isles Titan(or is its child/the same species) to be true, then we have TWO Kings right now, in a sense;

And if the BI Titan is associated with the Gildersnake (as King’s former body and the final, gigantic enemy), who else might be connected to the Gildersnake? And possibly deposed King? Emperor Bellows. For all we know, the finale will have Bellows trying to resurrect the Boiling Isles Titan, but with him in control... Like Bionicle!

Here’s a messy diagram that basically sums up the connections to the best of my ability;

Now, back to the disclaimer:

This is just me noticing a common motif throughout the show. It does not necessarily mean anything. A lot of times, people repeat design motifs simply because they like them. Snakes are associated with demons and whatnot, so it makes sense to see them a lot in the Boiling Isles. It’s possible that Dana just likes snakes a lot! I like snakes a lot as well, and have placed a lot of them into my own stories in some form of motif, without said motifs necessarily meaning anything! Not to mention, the parallels between characters in the Azura series, the human world, and the Demon Realm isn’t perfect, even if you take into account the idea that some characters can be interchangeable from an intentional writing standpoint (like how Amity probably sees herself as Azura the same way Luz does, and Episode 2 makes a point about how everyone sees themselves as the hero of their own story).

Sometimes people make meaningless connections that don’t exist. This does not mean it’s bad writing if those connections don’t turn out to be true, nor is it ‘wasted potential’ on the writers’ part. Again, this is all baseless speculation and me having fun. It’s easy to make connections between things if one has convinced themselves to look for evidence in favor of it. In all honesty I’m not too convinced myself on this theory, I just thought it’d be fun to bring up! For all we know, Bellows is the mystery arm, which doesn’t seem to have any scales or claws like you might expect a snake person to have, and is too buff for an equally-diminutive counterpart to King (granted it’s green like a snake but ignore me). I’ve also brought up the possibility that he’s a bird, which if you consider how snakes have been associated with King, and how some birds hunt snakes, could be fitting in its own way.

So again- Don’t take this as a certainty. Don’t think this is the ultimate, galaxy-brain theory. It’s just me being crazy with details I noticed throughout the show. All of this is just for fun.

TL;DR Emperor Bellows could have a snake-motif and be short, paralleling King, who he may or may not have usurped as the King of Demons. Also Bellows might try to resurrect the Boiling Isles Titan but with himself in control (but that last part is a stretch).

(BTW this is a repost because my original post got deleted from the tag search for some reason)

[sepublic]

TOH Snake Theory

Full Disclaimer: What I’m about to get into is total conspiracy-theory territory. I’m about to make a lot of connections, some of which are rather stretched. This is just a totally out-there, fun thing I came up with in order to pass the time. I don’t necessarily believe it. If it was false, it wouldn’t be bad writing because sometimes people see patterns that aren’t really meant to be there. Take this with a grain of salt. Or a sack of salt, because this is pretty ludicrous.

With that out of the way... I think The Owl House will soon have a major character and/or plot-related revelation involving a snake. Potentially, this revelation could even be that Emperor Bellows is a snake, or at least has a snake motif.

As I’ve mentioned before, Luz’s life in the human world seems to have a person who resembles and parallels Amity in her own way;

(We’ll call this girl Pink Stripe for now)

As others have pointed out, there’s also a girl next to Pink Stripe, who wears glasses like Willow? We’ll call her... Millow. Luz also mentions a human Augustus (nicknamed Gus), whom OUR Augustus in the Demon Realm nicknames himself after, now calling himself “Gus” as well. If we go by the idea that there’s a thematic counterpart for characters in the human world and the Demon Realm, then would Camilla be Eda? Would the principal be Bump? But who, in the human world, is King?

And then I realized... Luz’s pet snake;

I know that both Luz and King make a point that King isn’t Luz’s pet, but just bear with me for a moment. The snakes are the closest thing Luz has to an ‘animal sidekick’ back home. Not only that, but who does the snake represent in Luz’s book report on Azura?

The Gildersnake! And the Gildersnake is also voiced by Alex Hirsch, even having a similar voice to King! 

Now, look at Episode 4. King has THIS book on demons that he holds dear. See the snake on the cover?

Snakes are associated with King twice so far. But, I don’t necessarily think King’s true form is a snake. Let me continue...

I’ve already established with @fermented-writers-block that Luz and Amity both parallel Azura and Hecate, but that the roles are also interchangeable in their own way. Thus, the old witch from the Azura books could be Eda, or it could be Lilith? King’s position is obvious, but then who would be Amity’s animal sidekick in this scenario?

Then @fermented-writers-block suggested something brilliant; Perhaps Emperor Bellows himself is King’s counterpart! Think about it- They’ve both got motifs of royalty in their name. A bellow is “(of a person or animal) emit a deep loud roar, typically in pain or anger.” So this implies that Bellows could be somewhat animalistic, like King. Kikimora is higher-ranking than Lilith, so it’s not without precedent for people in the Emperor’s hierarchy to be smaller than those they reign over.

(Granted, we haven’t seen Kikimora in person. Maybe she’s got really long legs after all? Or her diminutive proportions still give way to a giant size. Who knows?)

All of the Azura characters have counterparts... Azura, the old witch, the animal sidekick, and Hecate. Everyone, except the Gildersnake, who is portrayed as the main antagonist of the first book that our main protagonist must defeat. The Gildersnake, who arguably has connections to King, who himself has connections to a snake motif. Speaking of a snake motif...

This background is included in Eda’s fake backstory of King. Which... should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt, naturally. But it could also be foreshadowing in its own way. Behind King is a palace flanked by two arms reaching into the sky, and both arms are encircled by snakes. Those arms just so happen to resemble the ones in Bonesborough;

Hence, my thesis; There’s going to be a major character/plot revelation involving a snake motif... And going further, this revelation could be that Emperor Bellows is a snake-like being. Again, not only could one see the parallels between him and King if they squint hard enough... But there’s also the possibility of King having once been an actual King of Demons. Which leaves the chance that he was deposed by Bellows himself... And if Bellows basically took his throne, he’d become a King of Demons in his own right!

And our King of Demons has a demonology book with a snake on it... He’s also like the Gildersnake, but as we mentioned, Luz is interchangeable with Amity in the Azura metaphor, and Lilith with Eda, etc. Luz’s pet snakes are a potential human-world parallel to King. They’re also used to represent the Gildersnake, who sounds a lot like King and is incredibly powerful and an antagonist...

(Also, if we really want to take the motifs seriously, then if we combine my previous suggestion about there being a Bonesborough Giant, then perhaps that giant IS Bellows! Meaning Bonesborough takes place atop Bellows?)

Now, I know that you might be thinking- Am I really suggesting that King is both the animal sidekick in the Azura story, AND the Gildersnake? How can there be two Kings at once?

Well, if you consider the theory that King was the Boiling Isles Titan (or is its child/the same species) to be true, then we have TWO Kings right now, in a sense;

And if the BI Titan is associated with the Gildersnake (as King’s former body and the final, gigantic enemy), who else might be connected to the Gildersnake? And possibly deposed King? Emperor Bellows. For all we know, the finale will have Bellows trying to resurrect the Boiling Isles Titan, but with him in control... Like Bionicle!

Here’s a messy diagram that basically sums up the connections to the best of my ability;

Now, back to the disclaimer:

This is just me noticing a common motif throughout the show. It does not necessarily mean anything. A lot of times, people repeat design motifs simply because they like them. Snakes are associated with demons and whatnot, so it makes sense to see them a lot in the Boiling Isles. It’s possible that Dana just likes snakes a lot! I like snakes a lot as well, and have placed a lot of them into my own stories in some form of motif, without said motifs necessarily meaning anything! Not to mention, the parallels between characters in the Azura series, the human world, and the Demon Realm isn’t perfect, even if you take into account the idea that some characters can be interchangeable from an intentional writing standpoint (like how Amity probably sees herself as Azura the same way Luz does, and Episode 2 makes a point about how everyone sees themselves as the hero of their own story).

Sometimes people make meaningless connections that don’t exist. This does not mean it’s bad writing if those connections don’t turn out to be true, nor is it ‘wasted potential’ on the writers’ part. Again, this is all baseless speculation and me having fun. It’s easy to make connections between things if one has convinced themselves to look for evidence in favor of it. In all honesty I’m not too convinced myself on this theory, I just thought it’d be fun to bring up! For all we know, Bellows is the mystery arm, which doesn’t seem to have any scales or claws like you might expect a snake person to have, and is too buff for an equally-diminutive counterpart to King (granted it’s green like a snake but ignore me). I’ve also brought up the possibility that he’s a bird, which if you consider how snakes have been associated with King, and how some birds hunt snakes, could be fitting in its own way.

So again- Don’t take this as a certainty. Don’t think this is the ultimate, galaxy-brain theory. It’s just me being crazy with details I noticed throughout the show. All of this is just for fun.

TL;DR Emperor Bellows could have a snake-motif and be short, paralleling King, who he may or may not have usurped as the King of Demons. Also Bellows might try to resurrect the Boiling Isles Titan but with himself in control (but that last part is a stretch).