#like belos used him for his knowledge

[kraviolis]

im glad belos got what he deserved and is actually fully gone for good and wont ever hurt anyone ever again, but its also really funny and fascinating to think about shoving luz and ghost-belos into a locked room together where neither of them can physically harm each other and just force them to have an actual honest conversation for once

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

ngl i kind of miss the era of fics after hunting palismen but before season 1b where hunter slowly befriends luz’s friends and family under the guise of studying wild magic/espionage/whatever they were setting up with hunter spying on luz in season 2a that they didn’t have time to pay off in the show. and he finds a loving mother figure in eda and gradually realizes that belos and the emperor’s coven are bad before bravely standing up to his abuser and permanently moving into the owl house to be luz and king’s grumpy older brother.

i know his arc in canon didn’t go like that and tbh despite having more episodes to interact with him than darius or camilla eda ended up being like. the least parental towards him out of the three. but i really like that fic concept? not very action-y so i get why they played his arc out this way in the show but hunter’s heel turn in the show didnt. really feel like it was in his control? he has doubts about helping belos in every episode he appears in bc he was growing to care about luz and her friends. and ofc he finds out that belos is evil in hollow mind and ends his redemption arc by choosing to help hexside fight off the scouts.

but he was forced into all the realizations about belos by outside factors. he leaves the emperor coven not because he made an informed decision about how it was bad but because he knows belos would kill him if he didn’t leave the coven. and then when he helped the students at hexside it was because the teachers were about to trade him for gus if he couldn’t prove that he was trustworthy. i guess in the human realm he does get to learn what counts as a normal childhood and loving family, but that ties more into his post-redemption arc about found family rather than this being what makes him realize that belos was evil.

(this is also why i like to compare hunter to peridot from steven universe rather than zuko. i know on a surface level hunter and zuko are both angsty boys with a scar and an abusive father figure. but zuko had a journey bonding with civilians and the gaang where he learned why exactly the fire nation was wrong. and his decision to leave the fire nation, after zuko got back all his privilege and his fathers favor, was meaningful because it showed he was willing to give all that up to do what was right. meanwhile hunter, like peridot, had nothing left to lose by the time they join the protagonists. they fought against the villains because they were trapped with the protagonists and would die if they didn’t. i’d say even peridot had more agency in her redemption arc than hunter because she was given a chance to go back to homeworld but instead chose to save earth anyway and tell off yellow diamond.)

every confrontation between hunter and the villains during and after hollow mind was forced on him. in his earlier episodes, hunter did some small betrayals towards the coven to help luz and willow. but during the final part of his redemption (hollow mind & labyrinth runners, where he fully does a heel turn towards the protagonists’ side), saving gus from getting his sigil was the only major action he chose to do. in every other instance, his options were either help the protagonists or be killed.

this isn’t a bad thing. i like hunter’s character arc. it’s definitely more about coming to terms with one’s trauma than about anything bad hunter actually did. so they kind of brush aside his redemption arc once it’s over and the major focus is on what comes after. which i think is how toh does most of its redemption arcs? like with lilith or to a lesser extent amity. hell even mattholomule. once the character realize they’re wrong they get on the protagonist’s side and there isn’t much lingering tension about the harm they did. because once they’ve dedicated themselves to helping the protagonists, there isn’t much more they can do to make up for the past harm and toh definitely isn’t trying to preach anything about punitive justice.

so for hunter he realizes belos is evil and going to kill him in hollow mind and decides to help luz’s friends stop him in labyrinth runners. and after that he permanently joins the gang and helps fight belos and the rest of his arc is about finding himself after his redemption. which with how they wrote his backstory and arc so far i am more interested in this than seeing him haggle with the moral quandaries of working with belos and slowly realizing that he wants to be a Good Boy.

but man. those season 2a fics are so good. they’re like an au where hunter’s redmption arc is more like zuko’s than peridots and they give him a LOT more agency. in those fics he might get forced to stay with the owl family at first out of plot contrivance, but by the end he chooses his new family. and he chooses luz and eda and the rest of their friends and family over every privilege he had in the emperor coven, and over belos. and even though it might be a bit cliche, i still think that idea is really powerful.

[narenohate]

the reckless, the wild youth (WIP)

(since eda and raine's backstory is so different in this AU, i'm pondering a comic about the two of them and just how and why it went so wrong) (infodump.... ramble?? ig down there + design notes on how my progress is going with this project)

Seb's design notes: anyways i've been dancing with the idea of making canis caninam's witches more animalistic. because yeah im just having fun at this point. bonus, sphynx / owl beast design. i'm not a big fan of her canon design, and it's not because i think she's scary.

my current inspo for the witch faces is a mix of good ol' na'vi 3d models, deerchip's s work (they're on twitter!!) and olya bossak's anthropomorphic portraits!! i didn't just want them to be elves who purr, tbh... though more and more as i post this i'm kind of hoping to get harrassed off the fandom for my weird ideas and "forced" to make this into an original story.

ramble on story derived from conversation with Bow (idea beta tester, victim of the circumstances of my hyperfixation, beautiful white hetero man who got here by accident). IT'S A ROUGH, UNEDITED DRAFT. PARTS OF IT ARE DIRECTLY FROM A CONVERSATION. IT'S ROUGH. Eda is born to the Clawthorne family - daughter of Gwendolyn, a healer, and Dell, a toy maker who married into her clan as to escape the hardships of living outside the barrier, amidst bestial demons... and probably something else, smart enough to scare him into hiding, though that usually goes unsaid. She is one of a pair of twins, and, for the first fourteen suns, eleven moons and twenty-nine sundowns of their lives they are inseparable.

It's their fifteenth birthday when Dell gives them an old grimmoire that has been in his family for centuries. Some of its words have been altered with the years, rewritten and repaired by generations, their meaning lost - symbols re-drawn from memory with each unfortunate accident.

Lilith partakes in that tradition - having to repair a page of a long-winded wild-spell meant to be cast by a powerful warlock, after she spills some tea on it.

that night, the two set out to camp with a group of their friends -hyacinth, a selk nobleman who, despite his young age, served under belos as his huntsmaid and personal cook, and his apprentice, darius, a prodigy who'd already been branded for a coven, and who'd been personally selected by belos to be a companion for the golden-haired boy who'd earned his favor.

and, of course, trailing slightly behind, raine whispers. their glasses are foggy and they already smell like the alcohol they brought to the party.

nobody leaves the outermost wall to camp these days, of course, so the bunch of them settle in an abandoned park, before doing as teenagers do when provided alcohol, and getting plastered.

at some point, eda, raine and hyacinth get into an argument of some kind - one that results in eda opening the grimmoire she brought along, and going along with the plan she'd nearly abandoned: using her rudimentary knowledge of the old tongue the tome was written in, she makes a circle out of salt around herself, and reads the spell.

its words are all wrong. whatever she summons she angers, and, at first, nothing happens.

then, as she and raine lay together on her hammock the afternoon after the party and the tiny backyard camping "trip", eda falls ill.

it was fever and it was vomiting. then the lining of her stomach, then her gums and her teeth and her tongue. her skin sagged and it was like she was all liquid inside it.

raine slept by her bedside, singing to calm her down whenever she awoke. lilith laid in the old manor's basement, endlessly brewing potion after potion to try and quell the pain that refused to ebb away.

darius and hyacinth did not go to belos - instead they were stopped at the door by the clawthorne patriarch, and with his help, took a griffin out of the city, found an old thing. it called itself queen of bats, and it was made of wood, and it knew dell very well.

the three give her the griffin, and spend four sunsets and three sunrises walking back with their prize - it's a living tether, a wooden owl dell had made as a toy for his daughter when she was very young. filled with the griffin's soul, it was given by its enchantress the mission of tethering its holder.

they arrive to a burning house. darius and dell don't speak of it, but the only time they both see the emperor is when they deliver his selk concubine's mutilated carcass at the throne room, laid at his feet like an offering.

dell lost one eye to his daughter, the other eye and both hands to the emperor.

raine was gone to everyone except the thing that eda had become, a sphynx that spared their life for the price of their song. they land atop a rocky cliffface, a few miles away from the outer border of the bonesborough wall - soon, something finds them.

the owl her father had carved for her followed eda, and raine became sure, at that moment, that she wasn't lost.

lilith and darius compensated for hyacinth's loss, sitting for years at the foot of the throne as the emperor's guards, until belos found it fit to entrust them both to make for him a new selkie servant - they took hyacinth's old heart, a blue stone that ebbed and flowed, and they took the lungs of a dragon, the innards of a maiden, and all the blood they could get from a seal-devil, along with a tiny fragment of bone that had been strapped to hyacinth's old heart.

they spend day and night putting him together - the rough face of clay mixed with blood, the organs gracefully gifted, the bone.

they bury the sculpture. a boy digs himself out of the dirt while they sleep in the temple, curled up together in a mess of ratty old sheets they'd found.

they name him hunter because he was more demon than boy, but had hyacinth's face, and, though something seemed very wrong, he had somehow killed and dragged in a rat to eat by their side during the time they'd spent asleep.

belos allows the name to stay, and grants them both titles and robes of white, and allows them to mary whomever they wish.

lilith secludes herself to a temple and studies every grimmoire she can, and darius takes on apprentice after apprentice, teaching them how to pull the throat strings of a bard out, and how to best slay a sphynx.

hunter looks just like hyacinth, and, despite how strongly he'd imprinted on his makers, they both hate him from just the look in his eyes.

lilith finds the portraits of every other selk concubine, every other golden guard.

it's always hyacinth's face. meanwhile, raine managed to unearth eda - partially.

they bind her to them, and she remembers very little, but she is undeniably herself, and despite the tragedy of her body, or maybe because of it, she seeks to cause chaos. she embraces the life of a wildling, and raine follows in her stead.

a year passes. then two. three, maybe. probably more, considering everything that comes after. what really matters is that, as raine grows more frantic in their search for something that can help her, occasionally coming in contact with the fragmented clawthorne family's matriarch (before finding her treatments too harsh), all in search for a way to stabilize eda's mind and body...

she accepts that fate she was given.

the system of castes and castings and divisions becomes pointless to her, and she eagerly, easily pushes raine to rebellion by her side. the wards around the walls have nothing against her - usually, griffins and dragons don't fly that high.

raine found gwen's attempts to heal her daughter too much - but at some point, more than a decade after the two set out together, a night after raine settles a chain with a golden ring around her massive paw's wrist, they catch wind, through that shared palisman of theirs, that raine's mother has passed.

they leave eda to sleep atop the church, tail around its tower, and enter it to pray.

they meet someone - a who who dances on the edge of being a what - and, in their grief, bear to her their heart, and are offered a deal in return.

all they want in life, for a price, their mind.

eda wakes up, a moon later, transformed, and with every memory made vague, erased except for vague outlines.

naked but for a wedding ring around her neck, in a dark, low chunk of the city, with the body of a beast, she's seen as exotic enough to work the night for a couple years, as she catches up on a life she lost, and takes the name of a harpy, not knowing she's a clawthorne.

… clawthorne health clinic seems so familiar of a name, though. she jots down their contacts. attends every speech given by darius deammonne, head of the carnomantis force, and often borrows from the library books on forbidden magic written or translated by one lilith clawthorne.

it's not familiar.

she feels like it should be, though. so she digs into it all - never takes the name of clawthorne, but as her social standing falls and she teeters ever closer to living outside the walls, the people around her take to calling her the owl-lady.

she eventually takes to stealing from old homes - the abandoned sort, full of hobs and rats and hexes she can easily bypass, with magic as strong (as well-trained, despite the lack of any memory of schooling) as hers.

there's a farm-house, though, mostly burnt, long ago vacated, that feels very familiar when she enters. she tears up despite not remembering her, when she recognizes her twin's face beside her own in a portrait. in the rubble of a bedroom, a large woven hammock still has an old violin sitting broken on top of its torn fabric.

inside its case, the thing she knows she gave up her memories - or maybe something more - for, sits waiting and patient.

... a key to the human realm. she knows a lot about it, and remembers an unbound fascination.

(her one visit goes very wrong, of course - but she can spy through her palisman's little eye, so it's worth it. it's all worth it.)

meanwhile, raine wakes up, married to a woman whose face is foggy to them, with three apprentices who don't know their name but promise they've been there under them for weeks.

whomever wiped their mind didn't bother to take the human-styled wedding ring off their finger.

[againwiththeturtles]

i KEEP seeing the take that the ending of the owl house turned luz into "god's specialist boy/chosen one" and that took away from her arc but!! gotta disagree bros. The final three episodes of The Owl House leaned into the parallels between Luz and Belos, and Luz's own awareness of them. And she's terrified that she's going to share in his arrogance, or his disregard for others, or that she'll continue to aid his destruction of the isles. But she didn't end up like him, and it's not because of random chance. She chose not to end up like him.

Belos thought he was chosen by god because he ended up in the demon realm, surrounded by witches that he decided he had to eradicate. Luz spent a few episodes thinking she had been chosen because she ended up in the demon realm, before realizing that no world works that way, and that she'll have to carve out her own place here. And then she spends 2 seasons doing just that! Making friends, connecting with the natural world, learning the language of the Titan.

Luz was only chosen by the Titan because *she* chose the Titan first. She devoted herself to learning from him, and respecting him, and spreading that knowledge to help other people connect with the isles and with magic. Which sounds a lot more religious, written out like that, than it was. Belos tried to make it look religious, to make it seem like the Titan was an old god, in order to manipulate people. But the Titan is not a god, he's just a huge kind of alive corpse with magic, which witches also have, but Luz doesn't. Luz has been borrowing his magic, just like Belos has. But Belos was using it to destroy the Titan and the life that depended on him, and Luz wanted to keep it alive. So! The Titan helped her! She earned that! She forged that connection with him over months and months of hard work and self-reflection and compassion. Before the Titan died, they had a reciprocal relationship, so of course the Titan wanted to meet her, and use the last of his magic to help her finish what she started.

She was not Chosen (capital C) she was just chosen. As a friend, a human, and a witch, because she chose to be those things herself.

[shrimpatheticx]

Drained [Malleus Draconia X Reader]

when I read this part of malleus' dorm vignette I DIED. RIP malleus' previous phones.

again, this will be in female's pov. read it platonic or romantic, it is up to you. not proofread.

---------------

"We seem to be... lost," Y/N whispered.

"Perhaps they may have lost sight of us," replied Malleus. "I don't even see Asim's carpet."

Feeling her pocket, Y/N pulled out her phone. "Dammit, Grim," she whispered. "Hey, Tsunotarou?"

"Yes, Child of man?"

"Can I borrow your phone? Grim drained our cell again playing Tuna Crush."

"Phone... Ah, you mean that small device you humans love." He pulled out his, checking the newly found knowledge Lilia thought him. "My "battery percentage" seems to be at 3%. It is enough battery for one object, should it not be 1%?"

"Oh no. We better call the others before it drains out, too. Quick, hand it over!"

Malleus wasted no time giving his phone to the prefect. Observing the human in their natural habitat, he was staring intently how she would use his belongings. "Are you... disgusted by it?"

"M... Maybe," she weakly answered. "Tsuno, when was the last time you cleaned your phone?"

"The last time I did, Lilia gave me a stern lecture. I could not go through with it again. The answer would be, never."

"Is this mud? I can see bits of dirt but..."

"I apologize. How unbecoming of me. Perhaps I should use wind magic instead of water to clean the device?"

"You used water?? No wonder Lilia scolded you," Y/N answered. "Don't worry. I have some tissues and alcohol in my pocket."

Again, Malleus was just observing. He noticed how gently her hands rubbed on the screen. "This is how you clean phones," she said, though it went past his head as he fondly watched the sight. "There, see? All squeaky clean!"

"Yes," he replied. "Now we can contact the others and know their location."

Y/N pushed the switch once. And then twice. And then holding the switch button before an image of a red battery blinked on the screen.

"What's the matter?"

"Your phone... is drained, as well."

"I thought it was still at 3%?"

"Yeah, a few minutes ago. Either we need to charge, or we wait for others to come find us."

"If a simple charge is what you wish." Malleus raised his hand as thunders started to crackle in the air. "Then a "charge" I shall deliver."

"Tsunotarou--NO!" She quickly pulled his hand down. "This is not how you charge phones! It won't handle as powerful as lightning!"

Malleus pouted but softened at her touch. It may look like she used her whole body to lower his hand, but it felt like a gentle touch. Though, her feet were swaying a meter off the ground.

"I apologize. That was also part of Lilia's lecture. I seem to have forgotten."

"It's fine, just--- We'll just wait, ok?"

"It is uncertain when will the others find us. Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm with you. I don't mind."

"You... don't mind?"

"Yes."

"Even if it is for a long time?"

"Yes."

"You cleaned something that belongs to me, and now you are willing to spend your short lifespan by my side?"

"That's... Well, yes."

The dark clouds quickly dispersed.

"Then I'll savor my time with you, my belo--"

"AT LONG LAST, THERE YOU ARE!" Sebek's voice boomed. And the dark looming clouds returned once again.

"Mmraah! Where have you been henchman? I'm tired lookin' for ya!" Grim followed.

"Well, that was quick," Y/N chuckled.

"Too quick," muttered Malleus.

[sepublic]

I’m pretty sure I’m late in posting these revelations from Momocon, but:

TOL LUZ SUPREMACY I’VE ALWAYS SAID IT!!! Look at those gangly spider limbs of hers you can’t tell me Luz isn’t a beanpole!!!

Love Amity and Willow being considered, Willow recognition real! Hunter was also indeed a toddler so that can dispel the Huntlow anti arguments… I always knew baseball was important! Not just to King but I bet to Luz too, given her Dominican heritage! AUGH I really wish we got that now…

So Darius DID see the previous GG’s face, but given his close relationship that doesn’t necessarily mean it was public knowledge. Plus there were differences to throw things in doubt, makes me wonder if Darius or anyone else suspect Hunter was the son of the previous GG and got there through nepotism (as would the previous GG, since Belos is Hunter’s uncle). This also gives us some cues on what Darius’ mentor looked like…

Luz initially being more skeptical of the isles makes sense in some ways, but it also makes more sense in others for her to embrace it, especially since it shows what a weirdo at heart she really is. Interesting that it was also in response to Belos’ development, as Luz is meant to be a foil to him and not just a parallel! He’s the system and prejudices that Luz was fleeing and ultimately confronted and refused to let define her. Makes me wonder if Belos wasn’t always a witch hunter in development, but when that happened Luz was changed to incorporate more of a Man VS Society conflict to her arc. I wonder when all this happened in relation to the pitch bible and pilot?

And anime cover Luz she’s just like me fr!!! Weeb Luz confirmed since the first episode haha. Plus TOAST TOAST TOAST!!!

[thousandyearphantombunker]

The Owl House Critical Post, scroll away now I don't know if I am being too harsh in this post but I wrote it anyway so if you don't wanna read something potentially upsetting this is a warning (to those who decide to read please tell me if I'm being too harsh)

I remember initially hating how the show handled its villains, they all felt like jokes, they never felt like threats or like they provided a meaningful challenges for the main cast, they never had any real depth or complexity. but i bit my tongue, I was told that I was basically a dumbass for complaining that Bump openly breaks a law that's supposed to be punishable by death so that Luz could fulfill her witchy fantasy and that he wasn't arrested. the show could've had him make the multiclass student thing be something underground- boom it lets luz live out her fantasy but doesn't ignore what was established about the setting and creates potential stakes if these underground classes ever got discovered! That already made me angry but the cult thing is what I wanted to complain about- i only had basic ass knowledge about cults and TOH fails at portraying that crap, most people in the EC can just quit and do so in a way that makes it feel like they're just quitting a job, it doesn't feel like they fear losing their friends or sense belonging and community, they don't feel like they're anything but jokes. Leaving a cult is scary, often times cults will send their followers into the real world and set them up to have bad experiences so they'll come running back, they'll hire thugs to scare them into staying or position them in away so that they suffer (sending them out without money or the skills to survive), they humiliate those who begin to ask questions so that they stay in line. guilt tripping, putting members against each other, cutting off contact with the rest of the world! The show only adds the whole 'forced to fight on a mountain' thing for flavor! Everytime it brings up actual stuff cults do it feels like it's more for flavor than actually writing this topic with sensitivity- look at how they treat Lilith! Imo It feels like the show insulting people for ever trusting belos, treating them like they're braindead and could've just realized fairly easily that he was evil. It's the most egregious with hunter who was basically fucking born into the EC. the show is also pretty black and white, which is curious for a show that gets praise for its portrayal of religious trauma. You think the show would be more grey. I did deeper research into cults and just got SO tired of people talking about how good the show was at conveying such a heavy topic. The titan reveal also doesn't help- Luz is told by an all powerful deity that she is the chosen one basically and is told that old man is evil and needs to go down- isn't that the same justification that belos uses for his actions- not saying belos should've gotten redemption or forgiveness but this feels wrong. He deserved to die don't get me wrong but using this justification feels gross. What's even worse is that the titan made Philip's life harder on purpose- ah yeah that brainwashed cult victim would totally change his mind especially if you make his life harder- yeah I would've preferred if belos was depicted in a flashback just having a bad time on the boiling isles and cherry picked those bad experiences to justify his actions. Also I hate that the show just writes belos off as greedy and glory seeking when it could've conveyed a message about how people can get absolutely get warped by religious dogma. I do wonder though if I'm being too harsh because TOH is for kids and I was told it would be hard to portray this stuff in a way kids could understand. I can come up with ways to make the breaking the law openly thing less egregious but I am struggling to think of ways the show could have handled the cult thing, I am aware that maybe I'm accidentally saying stuff that is kind of bad faith but this is my truth. I feel like TOH wasn't good at villains and it sure as hell didn't write cults well

[findmeinthefallair]

The scenes towards the end of the finale were like an intersection of multiple characters experiencing the loss of father figures, in different shades:

Luz's relationship to her late father took on a different form, after King's own father passed on and his glyph magic was gone for good. Manny gifting her the Azura books before his death, and Papa Titan offering her glyph magic before he too passed on, helped Luz find her place in the world and defeat Belos.

Apparently this scene is what made Sarah Nicole-Robles bawl in the recording studio, right after she recorded the lines.

When these changes happen - when we experience the loss of a person, when our ties with them are wrangled into a new form, against our will - it can be devastatingly painful. Change and transformation make for fancy, dramatic scenes in fiction, and they always incur loss in some form, painful or not. It also made me so emotional when seeing how much 18-year-old Luz resembles Manny, and how her enrolment in the university is linked to both her biological father and Papa Titan.

King's experience of seeing the majesty of his father, however brief, left him in awe and exhilaration. He can rest in the beautiful knowledge that Papa Titan was watching over him the whole time too. The message that his dad left him, relayed by Luz, is something he'll hold dear forever.

Hunter will never be truly harmed by Belos ever again. But he can't discard the memories of Belos granting him attachment: even if the attachment ended up not being real in a sense. However, like what can be applied in real-life therapy, he can get guidance on how to rescript those memories.

Belos's lies about having good intentions don't change how it felt real to Hunter all those years ago. Hunter was a young child when receiving this 'love', and in a twisted way...the mission given to him by Belos kept him alive up till he could escape the Coven, because the mission gave his life meaning despite the circumstances being awfully terrible. A child cannot survive without attachment, and needs attachment even if the experience of attachment has been horrendous and scarring. And holy Titan don't get me started on how at age 16 (before the timeskip), he had yet to learn more grisly details about his predecessors - whom he might view as older brothers and fathers whom he never met - and the generational trauma in his Golden Guard family tree:

which would have definitely been explored before he could experience that amazing hard-won serenity and peace at age 20.

Even Philip's arc is inextricably tied to his manner of coping with how he murdered Caleb, who was the closest thing he had to a father, given how these two brothers were orphans. In the end, Philip meets his end while Luz gazes upon him the same way Caleb's ghost did. Philip won't be haunted by Caleb's ghost again, and he joins the person who was essentially his father figure in death. Till the very end, he was projecting onto another person because he didn't want to recognize the same traits in himself. He was the one responsible for his father figure's death.

But grief doesn't mean the relationships in question have ended altogether. It's kind of like what this post about the finale (link) says, and it even extends to the relationship between us fans and the show itself.

The cliché "5 Stages of Grief" is the most commonly mentioned grief model, but I follow the development and advocacy of a newer perspective on grief that challenges it. In fact, the 5 Stages was originally just intended for terminally ill patients, but it was taken out of proportion. I began a serious investigation into the newer models after I went through something that parallels Hunter losing Flapjack...eerily, it happened to me two weeks before TTT's release date. No wonder I feel so close to Hunter as a blorbo, I guess.

Unlike what the 5 Stages of Grief says, grief and linear time don't mix well. Without "stages" to follow, there isn't an expectation of some deadline or permanent end of a tunnel in the newer models. Such pressure wouldn't be honoring the sacredness of connections between us. Instead, less famous grief perspectives like the dual-process model and continuing bonds model, are a better fit to honor relationships that mattered, since they aren't given an expiry date.

I wonder how Luz would be feeling on the day she graduates from the Wild Magic University, and how King feels each time he unlocks his own new glyphs since he is the new Titan to supply the Isles with magic. And I wonder how Hunter felt when his coven sigil was replaced with the Flapjack tattoo, and how he feels when he sees the Gravesfield town seal and Wittebane statues.

There are ways in which they can get creative to integrate their grief (notice I didn't say "get rid of", "remove", "erase" or even "manage"...the pain is what is to be managed, not the grief itself) the best they can. In canon, we have examples such as the Hexsquad agreeing to get their Flapjack tattoos together. Luz letting go of the light glyph sheet here:

is also a fantastic representation of rituals like sending off a message in a bottle at a beach, tying a message to a balloon and letting it fly away (this happened in Reaching Out, didn't it?), or burning a message in a campfire to let it float up towards the sky in the form of embers.

It is a common recommendation to have exercises like letter-writing where the griever writes to the lost loved one. What many may not know is you can also do the reverse: you writing as your lost loved one, to yourself. Because the griever takes a piece of the lost loved one with them, that the griever has shaped within themselves. This is especially good if you need to extend forgiveness to yourself. An example from a book called Bearing the Unbearable:

The author felt responsible for the stillbirth of her child, but had a "happy accident" where she intuitively asked for forgiveness and then received it, by invoking the love that her child would have shown to her in a world where said child had remained alive.

I think Hunter in particular could benefit from something like this, writing to himself as the uncle whom he saw as genuine and nurturing, and gaining ownership of that part of him even though Belos was a liar and is now gone for good. It can help him move forward especially since he won't be spared from nightmares in which his loss is re-enacted. With this kind of rescripting, historical accuracy doesn't actually need to matter. After all, our own minds lie to us at times and mess with historical accuracy anyway, like Luz's thoughts telling her she was as bad as Belos, and how true that felt.

A physical loved one is lost to death, and it can feel just as painful - only in a different way - if people become estranged or separated without a literal death having occurred. But the connection to them isn't lost, it is only adapted. The bond continues. For better or worse.

I believe the pain in grieving is connected to each moment when we remember all over again that the one we loved isn't coming back.

It's like the needle of a gramophone getting stuck in the loop of an unpleasant-sounding record scratch noise. It's a bit like what C.S. Lewis says in his book A Grief Observed: "In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out." I can't find the other part but he later said something like, therefore if a friendship is lost, the part of you that only that friend could bring out, is also lost. Something in you is locked away forever, though new things can also be unlocked after the loss.

It wasn't shown onscreen but I wouldn't be surprised if it's regular for Luz to come across a meme and be freshly reminded of her dad's absence, because she can't show him that meme. King would be wishing that a new funny cat video he discovers is something his dad could also laugh at along with him. Hunter would be hoping that Flapjack, the previous Golden Guards and Caleb are watching as he brings back palismen.

Bereavement, and any grief that is significant enough to alter our personhood forever, are the forms of love that can never really grasp how time flows in a linear way. They can't be reasoned with, only experienced.

"...the howling at the center of grief is raw and real. It is love in its most wild form" - Megan Devine.

[eldritch-spouse]

HI AGAIN. Ever since I found your blog and also sent a totally normal ramble abt cannibalism I've been just. Gently tossing your guys back and forth in my head. You're a wonderful writer and I'm always excited to see you on my dash!!

Gonna throw my hat in as asking an actual question- How would your guys fare if their obsession had a particularly weird or morbid interest? I get the vibes that some of them would most certainly encourage it but I also feel like Vinnel would hit me with a hammer if I panic infodumped about ebola-

[Hellow, glad to see you again! Also, I know you probably just forgot, but "your guys" encompasses way too many characters to talk about at once, so I'll assume you were going for TCE staff.]

Morell especially likes hearing about your cannibalism infodumps. They're actually useful to him, since he's going to be living with you, and he needs to know what he can and can't feed you, as well as a possible child between you. It's actually interesting stuff, he'd like it if you talked about it to his family too, you're a smart piggy. Any other topics are usually met with less enthusiasm (unless kitchen/food related), and he'll ask you to quit it if you start talking too much about mushrooms. Overall, it's nice background noise to work to.

Patches is all about infodumping. In fact, you're subjected to it often too, even if he doesn't always stop to explain basic concepts you'd need to understand his rambling. He'll give you a recorder he has, so he can keep the sound of that boundless enthusiasm in your voice forever. He's much more participative than the others, asking various questions and tossing random scenarios at you that'll prompt you to learn even more. There's a potential he'll get distracted and stop working to just research this with you the whole day.

Gallon loves a weirdo -No offense- Feel free to dump all that morbidity on him, he soaks it up like a sponge (so does Martin, be careful). Although he prefers to let you speak unhindered, only egging you on when it seems you're getting passionately angry about things, there's a chance Gallon may begin his own little tidbit sharing regarding a variety of poisons and toxins. He's selective with what he lets slip, but figures it could interest you.

Santi likes listening to you. Doesn't matter what it's about. There's only one thing he doesn't want you to morbidly talk to him about, anything featuring kids. Other than that, you think a rant about the intricacies of cannibalism's effects will kill his mood? Hah, nice try. He usually doesn't have anything smart to say, but may actually pitch in with some first hand details if you mention something sexual and morbid.

Let's face it, this is going in one of Grimbly's eardrums and out the other. Unless, you can talk like you're in a true crime podcast, then he's all ears. Grimbly typically responds to these interests by bragging to others about how his Mommy's "so smart" and "cultured" and he learns so much with you! You should start a YouTube channel!

Nebul likes to hear what you think is morbid. He'll let you ramble when you've been good enough to earn his attention, or if it allows you to keep obeying him. He has his own morbidities to share with you, as a wraith who has seen the darkest parts of many a mind. Surely, you of all people would be fascinated to know how the brain reacts to very invasive types of trauma only some monsters can inflict...

Vinnel will use this to his advantage during shows. You're placed in dangerous games where the whole goal is for you to explain said morbid concepts to the audience while Vinnel or Jingles try to destabilize you so you'll fall into painful contraptions or get cut/bruised/undressed. Sometimes Vinnel pays attention to your infodumps, other times he openly doesn't, it's a coin toss.

Belo sincerely discourages you from seeking such dark information in your brain. A lesser's mind is like a canvas, and it shouldn't be furnished with such desolate knowledge... If your morbid interests somehow can shine a glimmer of positivity or utility, the angel will be a little more inclined to letting you keep pursuing these topics. Otherwise, Belo actively attempts to distract you.

Sybastian doesn't understand about 80% of what you're about to tell him, but he has all the time in the world to sit and listen to his favorite person spit words. He's not verbally communicative during these episodes, but he may clap depending on how impressive the information is, and he remembers things you say enough to sometimes present you with paraphernalia vaguely related to the topics of your morbid interests.

Fank-e is a good bet because he can add onto your information in real time, or correct small detail you may get them wrong. He's generally happy to give you links to more information sources and try to match your level of knowledge, uncaring of how dark the subject theme may be.

If there's one thing you can infodump to Krulu about, it would be diseases. Plagues and ailments of several types are his specialty, the chances of him imparting bits of knowledge you absolutely should not possess on this matter are high. Another thing you may infodump to him about is corvids. It gets him in very favorable moods, surprisingly.

[juliettedunn]

Epiphany: King and Luz are how fanon imagines Philip and Caleb

King is clingy, and has major separation anxiety. He insists he’ll never let Luz leave him, gets anxious and upset when she does anything without him. He wants nothing more than to have her stay with him forever at all times, having assurance and full control over it. He even specifically was afraid Luz would leave him for another realm. He wasn’t just orphaned, but he lost his entire species before he was born. Luz and Eda are the only family he has.

He’s a scared little kid who just wants a family who stays with him. That’s almost exactly how I see Belos stans portray young Philip. And maybe that is indeed how Philip acted when he was King’s age.

Though, crucially, King doesn’t target Luz’s other loved ones and then kill her, only to clone her tons of times and abuse those child clones before murdering them. Because King isn’t a pathetic weirdo bitch.

King grows up. Which, he shouldn’t have had to mature so fast, because unlike Belos, he really IS just a little boy during all this. When his entire world gets shattered, TWICE, he has every reason to think only of himself and cling desperately to everything.

When he learns his entire species was killed, that he’s alone in the universe, it’s even clearer that Luz and Eda are all he has. But he chooses to open up his world and see things more widely, to pay attention and have a deeper understanding of his loved ones.

He becomes more aware of other people and their own lives, his worldview expanded outside himself. He uses that knowledge to reach out to others, like having empathy for the Collector, not condemning him. He tries to help Collie with the lessons he only learned recently.

In the end, King himself sends Luz away to another realm to protect her. All that time swearing he would never let her leave him, but he loves her more than that. He expresses his joy over her having her as a big sister, and he saves her. Because he truly loves her.

King is a CHILD. He couldn’t be faulted for acting more selfishly. It would have been reasonable of him to cling and beg Luz to protect him during King’s Tide, but he was a hero.

Belos never understood actual love like this. Caleb gave it to him, but he didn’t return it. It further emphasizes what a fucked up weirdo Philip is. He hasn’t been a child in hundreds of years. He was an adult who couldn’t learn to think beyond himself and the idealized fantasy narrative of his brother existing for him.

He thinks that any attempts for Caleb to have his own life are an insult to him, that the entire world starts and ends with Philip and his own desires. Hundreds of years and he never learned to see beyond that. He doesn’t feel joy that Caleb was his big brother. Only that he has a right to control and possess, and he will do anything to make it happen. Murder, abuse, enacting sick, petty fantasies.

He even disguises himself as a little kid and clings to Luz, hiding behind and clinging to her, tricking her into caring for him, in Hollow Mind.

Two clingy, anxious, possessive little brothers terrified to be abandoned when the world already took what should have been their family from them. One who matured greatly at only eight years old, and sacrificed everything to protect his older sibling.

And one who maintained a petty, selfish obsession for hundreds of years, colonizing a world and trying to commit genocide, while playing out a sick power fantasy of caretaking and control while screaming about what was taken from him, which was his own doing

Istg, if King wasn’t placed into the “animal companion” category as default, the fandom would have been all over the parallels. I would say “Hey Belos stans! Your cute, sweet, angsty,clingy younger sibling with abandonment issues is right here in King! Make stuff with Titanlights!” but they’d probably hear that and miss the whole damn point.

[shinjisdone]

Two Humans in the Demon Realm - Fantasy And Nightmare

What if by the time Luz Noceda the human emerged into the demon realm...some other human did, too? However, instead of being joyful of being surrounded by all they love and taken in by a kind and openhearted witch...they are terrified of this place, taken in by the ruler of the realm?

[Basically I watched TOH again and dammit HUNTER SHALL HAVE A FRIEND I SAY NOT UNTIL S2 but NOW I SAY NOW]

BECOMING THE GOLDEN GUARD'S/HUNTER'S HUMAN FRIEND BECAUSE I SAID SO

Part 2 of this

Things seemed to become okayish.

The visits were more frequent and the Golden Guard would come in with different, hopefully tastier dishes to you. "Your little drawings of human food aren't the best, you know." He said as he returned with a plate of hot...moving...algae? When all you drew for him was bacon.

They don't even have bread here *crying*.

Alongside the questionable food he also brought writing utensils, something akin to a magical board and the like. You were unsure and so let him use the majority when teaching him about glyphs.

The Golden Guard would nod and hum before grabbing everything under his arm and excusing himself off until the next time he visits you. At times he seemed to be in a good mood so you assumed he made progress - yet he mostly returned tired and grumpy so you did not try your luck to ask how much progress he was doing and how much of it was actually successful.

You did not even know what he's doing with the knowledge or why he needs it.

Still...being kept in a room out of everyone's sight can be boring...and overwhelming.

You've asked your guard a couple of times if there isn't any other new places to be. Just for fresh air. Or to feel the sunlight directly and not through the window you weren't even allowed to touch.

However, one day after requesting it a couple of times, the Golden Guard halted with you almost bumping into him, spun around and agreed.

Under one condition: You'd go outside of the castle's barriers and into the wild to practice wild magic.

Learning about it by theory was no problem but the Guard couldnt risk practicing any of it on Belos' territory. The punishment would be too severe.

Besides...he won't ever tell you but he's scared of using it. Wild magic is dangerous.

Not that he wants to endanger your life but you have far more experiences with it, so he likes to believe that things will turn out fine if you practice them out. He can stay back with the theories on paper and you can actually cast them.

So clad once again with the humble scout uniform, you made your way - though you feel like you instant traveled or zapped - to an abandoned shore. The sea and cliffs would shield you from unwanted attention.

The Golden Guard is very much aware of what a risk he's taking - but it could lead to an solution, to healing.

He is still doing his job. Looking after you and making sure you don't kill yourself through careless spellcasting of wild magic. Thats what he tells himself at least.

The hours pass by and the two of you were engrossed in the many glyphs and the possibilities they offer. You so effortlessly draw them into the sand, it leaves him a bit impressed.

You finish drawing each glyph that you know. "I'm sure there are many more but the majority are like...basic ones from nature, you know? Light, fire, plants...they seem like any other magic spell of your Emperor's Coven, I don't know what else they could do."

He trotted over with his staff, inspecting the glyphs further. "They can be. I've read about it." He passed you by, letting the end of his staff draw along the sand and connecting your drawings with his own lines. "Magic has layers even when the core is the same. Light is more than just able to see in the dark, it filters through the atmosphere we exist in and can cast shadows - thats already another path that light glyph opens up for you!" You noted how much lighter and higher his tone gets as he jogs around the shore, drawing more circles. "Back then before the Savage Times witches were able to create more spells with their imagination and willpower alone just through understanding each core-!"

His figure froze mid-drawing as his gaze met your quizzical one. Straightening his posture, he cleared his throat and intentionally spoke sternly. "I, uh, read that. It's history 101 here on the Boiling Isles, nothing...crazy. You wouldn't know that."

You can't help but crack a smile. "You sure know a lot about magic even if it can be scary. You must be a master by now, is that what it means to be the Golden Guard?" You smiled and meant it as a compliment but your companion just seemed to shrink, looking away from you. "Magic isn't scary, well, wild magic doesn't have to be. There's an immense, just...pool of unlimited possibilities, its what this entire isle is made of. Magic at the very beginning was just like this, wild, and kind of endless," Halting, he continued in a low tone, "...but it can get out of control, thats why its wild in the first place. If you're not careful, if you don't know what you are doing, people might get hurt and-"

He hit a rock when shifitng his weight. A part of the circle had been cut by his foot and he gazed down at the grande symbol you two created. It seemed like art but he knew it couldn't ever be.

Taking a deep breath he called out louder with his hand shooting out. "Thats why I am the Golden Guard, yes, I'll take care of this, of everything. So stay back, human-!"

One shift of his foot too much and he came in contact with a glyph. The lines glowed a bright green and before he knew it, the Guard let out a yelp as his staff went flying up to the cliffs, getting stuck in the rocks.

"No! No, no, no!" His hands clutched his head. You jogged over to him and offered the lightest of condolences. "We can get it back. Should be easy with, yeah, magic-" Your shoulders jumped up, retracting your finger that was playfully drawing circles in the air when your companion started clinging up the cliff, only to slide and fall down again and again. You called out to him in assurance but had to snap when he didnt stop even when his uniform got ripped.

"Hey, hey, you're gonna get hurt! Just wait a moment!"

"I can't! This staff was given to me by Belos!"

"Just focus and cast a spell to get it back!"

His sudden silence surprised you. The Golden Guard shrunk in himself and avoided your gaze. He stood still for a few more awkward minutes - until you took a deep and loud breath.

"...Can't you...cast a magic spell? Like something with the wind, maybe?"

Once again, he stayed quiet and you took your book in your hands before drawing a circle in the sand. "Here, I'll go get it. I'll stand right here and jump on the vine, you'll just have to activate the glyph for me." Once again, he looked away before you urged him more with a trying smile. "You can do it, Golden Guard."

Without another exchange you took your position. The Guard hesitated as he kneled down. "I..."

Gingerly he grazed the outline with one finger and a small sprout grew - before he snapped his hand back and it died instantly.

Looking up to you - and somehow you could tell that he asked you on the 'how'. "You just touch it," you smiled, "I need it to be big and strong...you said that witches used to do that with willpower and imagination, right? Maybe...we could try that." You could feel his gaze, could tell how his chest heaved but with a deep breath he slammed his hand onto the sand. At the contact the glyph glowed bright, a sprout emmitted and you were quick to jump on the growing vine.

In an blink of an eye, the staff was retreated and the guard slowly imagined the vine becoming smaller and reshaping into a flower - which it did the moment you landed on your feet.

"Here." You returned the weapon that you so awkwardly held, "...That thing seems more unstable than my glyphs - from holding it at least."

You tried to smile for him but he remained silent. Throwing sand over the drawn glyphs, the both of you returned to the castle without another word.

Back in the discreet room, you took off the mask of the scout uniform with a frown. "Hey...I won't question anything of that...instance if you don't want me to."

He snapped his head back at you before slowly letting it fall. All you got were mumbles under his breath.

With yet another awkward smile that you could muster, you pointed towards his scraped skin. "I found some bandages here the other day...we'd best patch that up before it gets infected...if that uh, happens around here." This time however, he shook his head. "I can take care of myself. I don't need...your help..."

Underneath his mask he scowled as his words trailed off. What a lie.

He's pathetic.

Still, you tried to urge him to let you tend to him with sticking plaster in hand. Begrudgingly he let you - a bit unsure still. Even the act of sitting on that bed - which is your bed now (has been for a while...he wonders how long you'll stay) - has him thrown off. The confident aura of the Golden Guard leaving him and letting him down.

You talk about what you still were able to learn today, how in your world, water is connected to healing or seen as healing - after all, magic was fiction in your realm that you saw in "movies"...whatever illusions those might be - so maybe magic including a water glyph might ease his pain (which no, that's not how it works. However...he does not interrupt you).

It makes him realizes he doesn't know much about your realm despite keeping you here so that Belos can learn more about it. But what he does realize that in your strange human way, you were trying to comfort him.

He thinks. He never has been comforted before, not like this. Belos never comforted him like this.

After all was patched up, he was quick to collect his staff and leave yet stopped before reaching the door. "...Thanks..." You heard him hesitate and could almost not believe what he was saying, "...for today. And...for the other time where you helped me...with your wild magic."

A smile graced your face and your eyes lit up in a way that the Golden Guard did not know what to think of it. "You're welcome." Quickly he avoided your gaze. "But don't go overboard. Wild magic is dangerous, you could get hurt. So don't do anything without my supervision."

His attempt at sounding stern didn't go unnoticed but as he left, you couldn't find it in yourself to take it personal.

Things have become...challenging. For him.

He stood there with food in his hand right in front of your door, the illusion spell gone for a moment. In his pocket were a few bandages.

He can return your used ones - then again they aren't yours, they belong to the Emperor as everything does here on the Boiling Isles. Well, you could still have some in stock in case you get hurt with wild magic - which isn't something HE can allow to happen as the Golden Guard!

He groans and just goes in.

In time you appreaciated his visits. The extra bandages weren't...neccessary but welcomed. The dishes he brought resembled your doodles more and were *gasp* actually tasty! You asked him if he spend time in the kitchen and he answers embarrassingly (but at least you cannot see the cuts on his hands).

The Golden Guard liked taking his time with wild magic lessons this time though. The outings aren't this far away anymore but each one was at a different place that you appreciated.

You were more open to tell him of your human world. Of quiet nights, of animals like wolves and how the rain is soothing and not boiling. How humans liked to go swim in the ocean as a pass time! (insanity to him).

You mentioned that he'd get it if he would see it...you hoped you'd be able to see it too.

It was interesting...if not fantastical in his mind.

Even with your frequent meetings with Belos who grew more and more impatient, he always stood by your side. Protecting you even with excuses when the emperor chose harsh words. Nevertheless, the man always tried to be a delight in your presence but you could never truly believe him. He did not make ultimatums or threatened or hurt you...did he pity you because you were human?

You always made sure to thank your guard in situations like these even when he had trouble accepting your gratitude or showing any of his own. You assumed he was never upset by it though.

However, when it came to him he was more than reserved. Any questions of his day, interests, well-being, age or even his name he never really answered. It felt all too compelling to just give up on asking him.

The day started off normal enough. What you learned was normal around here.

The Golden Guard announced that he'd go on a mission right before bidding goodbye after his visits. It will be on the airship...not known to Belos but he will be happy with that he'd bring back. No, you cannot come.

"It's top secret, so just between you and me. I won't be back after bringing in victory so don't try to leave this room - okay, byyyeeee!"

There he was again zapping away and leaving you to kill off your boredom all by yourself. It wasnt until the late evening when crashing and guards stomping by your room was heard. In a panic you rushed towards the wall to eavesdrop.

'Airship' and 'Golden Guard' was all you could hear out by a small, high-pitched voice...squealing over the possibility of his death and taking his place.

Your heart skipped a beat and your throat felt dry. Death? What did they mean with him dying? Taking his place? This - This has to be a joke!

But the demon realm taught you quick that nothing was a joke here. Many things could have taken your life and you were sure members of the Emperor's Coven would be more than willing to be the most dangerous things on the isles.

There was no time to think. Your heart was pounding so hard leaving you with a headache yet you did not stop when putting on the scout uniform nor did you falter when stealing from the Healing Coven's closet. It was terrifying but you did not think about it nor about the consequences that could follow if Belos found out. You could imagine that he wouldn't be pleased when the human got out of his castle.

You refused to think about it or else you might shake in your boots with no power to continue to help him.

Sneaking out you were met with rubble and it confirmed your suspicions. You didn't know how to really find him if other witches were already after him. Making sure you stayed out of anyone's sight, you tightly held onto the bag filled with healing potions. You stumbled through the dark and the debris, falling hard enough to lose your mask - but secured the bottles from shattering.

It's alright, you tell yourself and took a deep breath, you can still hide your ears with the cape.

Other scouts searched the area and suddenly you had a bad feeling about dressing as one yourself. Though beyond the orders shouted out, you heard a high voice not belonging to any of the Emperor's Coven and followed it. Without realizing whats in front of you, you collapsed with another person.

You shrieked but caught the bottles just in time. Whipping your head up, you came face to face with another witch - a boy your age with hair pale blonde, scars on his face and ear and heavy eyebags just under his ruby red eyes.

His jaw hung open with a tooth gap peeking from his lips. He looked at you as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Before he could speak you interrupted him: "Have you seen the Golden Guard?!"

Jumping, he recoiled.

You only stared at him with white panic. "He was steering the airship that crashed here I heard! I, I've got to find him - Emperor's orders!" You hoped he'd take the bait - but only kept staring at you in shock.

In turn you shook your head with a scoff and passed by him yet still stopped and gazed at him over your shoulder. "...You look hurt," Your hand fished out a few potions, "I got these for him but you look like you could use them, too." Without another word you shoved a few potions into his arms and made a run deeper into the debris.

After your figure dissapeared, he still stood there. Beyond the smoke another person emerged through. "Who was that?" Her brown eyes looked worriedly over to him as she adjusted the cape around her round ears.

The blonde frowned before quickly packing the potions out of her sight. "No one. Let's go."

The moment he got back, he barged into your room.

It was long nighttime. You did not sleep, refused to rest your eyes as you skimmed around your book for some kind of glyph that lets you track people. Find their belongings, their status. Anything.

He should've expected it but it still startled him when you rushed over, yelling at him with panicked eyes on where he had been.

The Golden Guard told you the truth - part of it at least and sprinkled a bit of fantasy on it. How he was found and brought back to the castle.

"And what about 'taking your place'?! I saw members of the Coven trying to track you down and..." Your eyes softened, your face grim, "...they talked about getting rid of you."

He looked briefly away from your sullen gaze. "They weren't able to."

"So thats just, a thing that happens here? Scouts and generals wanting to get rid of others for their position?! Thats not normal! Thats something that happened in kingdoms and dynasties and..."

You halt and deflate. Your arms that were wildly gesturing just a moment ago slowly fell to your sides. "...empires."

The Golden Guard assured you while shaking his head. "Listen, I don't know what these are but! I'm fine! I'm fine. You don't have...to worry about someone like me."

"Your airship crashed, thats enough reason to worry - and after hearing the members of your own Coven want you dead, of course I'd come looking for you!"

You saw his shoulders jump. He tilted his head up in surprise and even though you couldn't see it, you were sure he was stunned. It only made you frown more.

"...Of course I'd look for you."

The way you looked at him was the final resolution he believed he needed. A sigh escaped and hit his mask as he avoided your gaze. "...Yeah, you did. You saved me. Thanks..." He saw you straightening your back as your head rose and your face grimaced with a puzzled expression. He bet you must be so confused, maybe hurt - of course you are, you just said it yourself. But still, he put the empty bottles into your hands.

"Human, I have to tell you something..." His voice shook as his hands went up to remove his mask. A gasp escaped you as the same bad but sad boy was looking at you. His blonde hair tussled and unruly as his red eyes seemed to beg you not to he angry. They were bandages on his face which somewhat eased your worries. He was hurt and roughed up but not as much as you feared.

"Why didn't you tell me that was you?" You approached him unsurely and he seemed to back away. He twiddled with his fingers and couldnt meet your eyes. "...No one was supposed to see me. I barely take off my mask anyway, only to Belos. And..." He scowled slightly, "I didn't know what to do. I didn't expect you, you weren't even supposed to be there!"

"I was worried they'd kill you! That was true what I heard, wasnt it? Or is that also a lie?" "I'm not lying to you!" He snapped back with a bit more bite in him, "Kikimora constantly tries to take my place! Thats why it was so weird to see you there with healing potions looking for me! And...I should thank you. I wanna thank you." As quick as his fierce glare came, it was gone again as the blonde shrunk meekly, begrudgingly admitting his fault in a soft voice. "...No one's done that for me before. Not even...Belos..."

You frown was filled with pity. "I figured as much." You softly let out and motioned towards your bed. With hesitancy, he sat down at the edge and you followed to do the same. Now sitting next to him, you hesitated yourself. "Is there anything more I should know?" "What do you want to know?" Looking back up, he saw you glaring slightly at him. "Your name for example. Or are you just known as the Golden Guard?"

"No!"

Your anger was nothing compared to the way he snapped.

But as fast as it came, he slowly shrunk again, turning away and fiddling with his hands.

His voice softened once again.

"...My name is Hunter."

You repeated his name and it left a shiver down his spine. Hearing you out of all people say it is weird, it is all so weird. No one adresses him by his name but you just did as if it were normal.

"Well...it's nice to meet you properly, Hunter." Again, you are acting weird, smiling at him ever so slightly and even if it was forced, it seemed genuine to him. That you'd even say something like that. You even repeated your name as if it really is the first time you two met.

He awkwardly shook your offering hand.

"It's...nice to meet you, too."

"But why are you telling me all this, Hunter?"

His red eyes flickered to the side before a more serious expression graced his face. He took a deep breath before staring into your eyes. "There's something you need to know." He began dryly, "When I was out there, running away from Kiki...I was with someone else. It...was another human, just like you."

Your eyes widened.

"If I'm right, she comes from the same place that you do. I believe she appeared later on the Boiling Isles than you did and she might have the means to return. She is not...a friend, but I can bring you to her."

"There is a way back home?!" Jumping up from the bed, you barely could believe your luck. But it still left you confused. "But...can you tell me even this? I-is that something I'm supposed to know? What about Belos?"

Hunter looked back up to you, his hands tightly gripping his knees. "You deserve to know. You...are the nicest, weirdest person I've ever met. And you want to go back home, to somewhere you belong..." Sadness briefly glimmered in his eyes and they glance back at you, "Human, I - no," Hunter corrected himself by saying your name, "I have to pay you back for all the...things you've done for me. Even if I am just a powerless witch...I want to help you get back to your realm."

You were speechless. Taking a step towards him, you opened your mouth but the next words that were heard were not yours but chirping.

On the window behind Hunter, was a red bird watching you two.

[crimeronan]

I can’t help but think about this situation from everybody out of the loop’s POV but IN PARTICULAR I am enamored with whatever the hell Darius is doing. I imagine he finds out after the fact because Lilith is Losing Her Shit. Like,

Lilith, kicking down Darius’ door mid-spiral, manic enough to honestly be considering lunging at the next person who speaks to her uninvited even if it’s Belos back from the goddamn dead: MMMMY KID BURNED HER HER WHOLE BRAIN TRYING TO ERASE HER OWN MEMORIES AND IT IS ALL MY FAULT I’M A TERRIBLE INFLUENCE AND A WORSE MENTOR-

Darius, who has been Minding His Goddamn Business: …I’m sorry, Amity did- okay, actually, you know What. That is absolutely something she would do. I am shocked this didn’t happen earlier, honestly. did she get the memories back.

Lilith: I… YES?? Mostly?? To my knowledge?? I Think???

Darius: oh, wonderful. well. better learn her ticks for when she’s gonna death spiral again. was she doing the rambly-avoidant thing? I bet she was doing the rambly-avoidant thing.

Lilith: (That One Face. Horrified and taken aback. You know the one.)

Darius, going back to Minding His Goddamn Business: look. she’s Fine. in like 2 days she’ll be back to beating up the Golden Guard and they’ll be even more insufferable about it because he’s seen her brain. it’s FINE. she’s like you. she needs to have a good mental breakdown every now and again to keep functioning. enrichment or whatever.

Lilith: …I never said,

Darius: look me dead in the eyes Lilith and tell me Hunter wasn’t the one crawling around in her brain.

Lilith: Fair Enough.

Also enamored with him approaching Willow afterwords (no idea how he would have found out that she was also in there but. I’m sure someone would tell him Eventually) and just being like. Hey. Did u have fun crawling around in the terror dome. I would just like to mention that u are totally allowed to use whatever you saw in there against Amity if she’s being insane okay. I trust your judgement as one of like 3 people here I actually respect. Anyway, if you ever need a normal conversation my door is open but only in the afternoons cause I’m not getting up that early in the morning. Have fun getting entangled with my baby idiots forever. use protection. Cool talk I’m going to go push Terra off a balcony now

this is all Delightful. yeah this is about how it'd go. darius is like [looking up] do i have to be responsible or did you guys sort it already?? oh thank the titan. i didn't want to get up

darius approaching willow afterward to be like "i see you're in the polycule now. oh, you're not?? nah you will be. anyway bye" thank you darius. that's the least helpful anyone's ever done it....

i think darius and lilith being bitchy @ each other is peak content and ALSO that darius immediately clocking that hunter went into amity's mind is peak content. darius is like yeah hunter would never let amity fry her brain. where would he put all his terrorist energy without her.

[lollytea]

Delighted myself thinking about the witch kids again, specifically their various attempts to build a replacement portal during the Summer. I'm picturing lots of brainstorm sessions that stretch late into the night and when they get tired enough, they devolve into arguing over who gets the last piece of pizza or playing truth or dare or whatever.

Hunter is feeling really proud of himself for having helped Belos rebuild a portal before. He has experience! He can make himself super useful! And then Amity 'Woman in STEM' Blight is also aiming for the same thing. She's an inventor's daughter. Her Dad's main area of expertise is using magic to power technology. She has plenty of opinions on the mechanical side of things.

Hunter and Amity either click extremely well and are plotting away at a prototype immediately or they disagree on every trivial detail and cannot go five minutes without arguing about it. There's no real resentment here. They're both just used to doing everything themselves and struggle to work as a team.

I don't think the project would get off the ground without Luz. She keeps everybody from wasting time with dud ideas because she's already spent tons of time in the Boiling Isles attempting to build a portal home. She knows exactly what WONT work cuz she's already tried it. She's also got a knack for thinking outside of the box and knows that even though glyphs are rendered useless in this realm, they can still be utilized. If she draws just the right glyph combo and finds a bit of magic for the glyphs to soak up, she's pretty sure they can light this portal's engine up.

Vee reminds them that she's still got a supply of Hexes Holdem cards, which have been working pretty well for keeping her human form. Luz, who had forgotten those things existed, nearly hits the roof in excitement.

Vee doesn't contribute much to the whole construction process, but while she does supervise. She did a health and safety course while at Summer Camp and is diligently making sure nobody is getting their asses blown up.

Portal Building is not Willow's strong suit. She does not have Luz and Hunter's experience, Amity's engineering knowledge or Gus' enthusiasm for tinkering with human technology. So she does what she does best and offers support. She hypes her smart friends up. And when they start doubting that they're actually making any progress, Willow swoops in to encourage them that if ANYBODY can build a portal, her best friends can!! Once the team realizes that they're gonna need something super strong to hold the portal upright, Willow beams. Her vines!! Her vines are tough as hell!! She can do that!!

Gus falls behind a little at first. He might be a prodigy but his skills are quite dependent on the existence of actual magic, so he struggles a bit to find his purpose here. He's very eager to work with human technology but Luz knows more about them than he does. He's smart enough to offer ideas but Hunter and Amity always come up with them before he does because they're both annoyingly STEM brained and have gotten a bit competitive about it. Gus is given the task of gathering equipment for the portal with Vee and he tries not to pout about it. After they managed to track down a half busted TV at a lawn sale, Vee takes him to a petstore to cheer him up. Gus gloomily stares at the hamsters running in their little wheels. He idly thinks about an article he read in one of his human magazines. About how hamsters in wheels can create energy. Unfortunately, hamsters aren't magic.

Cut to 2 days later when the team realizes that the Hexes Holdem cards just aren't gonna cut it. They don't possess nearly enough magic to power up a portal. It's not gonna work. All the time they've spent on this, and it's not even gonna work. They need something else. Anything else.

Luz looks like she's gonna burst into tears. Amity is pacing back and forth. Hunter is like this close 🤏 to slamming his head against the wall in an effort to rattle a genius idea out of his brain. Willow is making a valiant effort to keep everybody from having a full blown meltdown.

Gus is staring intently at Flapjack who is pecking away at the floorboards again. Then he's like "Hey....hear me out....what if-?"

[l-egionaire]

I wrote out before what I imagined Luz's life would be like if she never went to the Boiling Isles, so I figured I'd give my idea on what happened to the witches of the Boiling Isles in that situation. (Something I've shared with @ordinaryschmuck)

Belos's plans for the Day of Unity continued on unimpeded....but unbeknownst to him, Raine Whispers, Darius, and Eberwolf work to understand his goals and plans. After an undiscovered trip into his mind (along with the Emperor's own nephew) and discovering his plans, they work to save the inhabitants of Bonesborough. Raine gets an idea.....and goes to see their ex, Eda the Owl Lady. After a lot of discussion and secret maneuvering among their coven members, they all get to work in evacuating all the willing Bonesborough residents along with any kind of possessions they can take into the human world.

Unfortunately, when they try to get Alador to leave on the Day of Unity, while he and his children are willing to go, Odalia isn't and tells Belos and the Coven heads of this plan. The evacuess frantically flee as Belos charges to try and bring them back. Eda the Owl Lady engages him in battle in order to give the last few people enough time to escape...but the battle uses the last of her magic and she's trapped in the form of the Owl Beast, Raine just managing to get her cursed form through the portal door before shutting it on Belos.

At first, it was an adjustment for the former Demon Realm inhabitants to live in the human world, especially since the human "knowledge' they had was extremely innacurate. But, one day, Raine, Darius, and Eberwolf were all approached by a mysterious organization. One member was an effeminate man named Mr X.....and the leader of the grouo was a man with six fingers, grey hair, and glasses wearing a trenchcoat who knew a great deal about the Boiling Isles, simply called "The Professor." After a long talk, they agreed to help the Demon Realm folks integrate onto the human world, giving them forged legal documents and things so they could do stuff like attend human schools and get jobs.

The organization also assisted in helping build a place hidden away, where the Boiling Isles folks could live without needing to hide if they wanted to and hold onto their witch culture, called New Bonesborough. They even assisted them in finding any sort of magical beings banished to the human realm and make contact with them in the hopes they'd join their society.

Some witches decided to integrate into human society, living hidden through the use of illusion stones. Some chose to live in New Bonesborugh full time, continuing their old lives the best they could. And some split their time between the two worlds, living amongst both.

Raine was one such witch, spending half their time as a leader in New Bonesborugh's witches council and the other in the human world being a music professor at Gravesdield University....and now raising their adopted son, King.

And so, the Witches of the Boiling Isles did their best to make peace with their new human world lives, living amongst them in secret.....for a good few years at least.

But that's another story....

If anyone has any asks or questions about this scenario, I'm happy to answer them.

[that-ari-blogger]

That's My Boy (Eclipse Lake)

Eclipse Lake is one of those episodes that anyone who’s aware of The Owl House knows by name. This is one of the episodes that is used to recommend the series, and it earns that reputation pretty much through one scene.

I mentioned last time that Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Hooty’s Door carries the series by taking most of the pacing issues from a shortened season into itself, and this is what I mean. Eclipse Lake is a slow burn that focuses in on one theme and explores it in detail, that being relationships.

Essentially, this episode characterises by implication. It positions Hunter and Amity as mirrors in order to shed light on Belos as a father figure and boss, as well as Luz as a girlfriend. It even throws in Eda as a spanner out of left field to orbit around this thematic as well.

This metaphor has gotten away from me.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (The Owl House; Jurassic Park; Critical Role Campaigns 1, 2, and 3)

This is a Hunter episode, and I want to clarify my reading of this character and his story before I begin anything specific. I don’t see this character as a villain, or in need of a redemption arc. When he switches sides later on in the series, it’s because he learns about what is happening behind his back. His moral code doesn’t change, he doesn’t get redeemed. He gets a support group.

Which brings me to his connection to Amity. Hunter and Amity are remarkably similar characters. They both have an abusive parental figure, whether through physical violence or emotional manipulation or both, and that has informed their personalities. The specifics are different, yes, they are different characters and that needs to be understood. But their similarities are also important.

In that vein, the biggest difference between Amity and Hunter is that Amity has people outside of her family who will look after her and back her up. The opening crawl of the episode sets this out really well, with the Owl House crew dealing with a problem without a hitch. These people trust each other, and their biggest difference of opinion is about music.

Meanwhile, I believe this is the episode in which Belos’ face is revealed, and I mean that in a literal sense and a metaphorical one. We see the most about his parenting tactics from Hunter’s behaviours, at the same time as learning what his villainy actually looks like. I will talk about all of Belos’ character designs in a later blog, for reasons that will become obvious. Instead, I want to talk about his relationship with Hunter.

“Would you like to see how it works, Hunter?”

So, this exchange, on paper, isn’t that bad. Belos is telling his nephew about the world he will give him. He is reassuring him and telling him to stay safe. There are only two things that make it unnerving. Well, two obvious things, and both of them are Hunter.

“I didn’t mean to hide, Emperor Belos.”

Thing One, is Hunter himself, or more specifically, the fact that this relationship is so one sided it almost hurts to watch. Belos speaks of grandeur, and yet his nephew is palpably uncomfortable in his presence, and eternally seeking to prove himself. The affection feels hollow because Hunter doesn’t understand it as affection, he understands it as a test. Hunter will only be happy when he is useful to his uncle, and he treats any acceptance he receives as transactional, as if he has to earn it. I wonder where he learned that.

Thing Two, is “Hunter,” the word, and how Matthew Rhys delivers it. Because it isn’t treated as a name. The tone of everything Belos says in this scene is informal, except for that one word. It reads to me like an insult, or a title. Belos addresses Hunter by his job title and has given the child no name beyond it. He sees his nephew only as a tool, and so all of the affection reads as hollow.

Notice how, as Belos speaks, he guides Hunter to the doorway, into darkness. He leads Hunter away from the light, away from knowledge, into ignorance. Almost as if willful ignorance is something Belos thrives in.

Which has a weird affect on the audience perception. The thing about humans is that when we perceive something as normal, we tend to not examine it further. So, the unsettling nature of the conversation provokes us to look deeper at what Belos is actually saying, and we see… not much.

By which, I mean that Belos never actually says anything in this conversation, nothing of meaning. He just agrees with Hunter and lets him drive his own conclusions.

“The Titan has big plans for you.”

That sounds great, but it isn’t anything. It's like a book report given by a year seven. It’s an awful lot of nothing to try and convince you there is more behind it. It’s a nebulous saying that translates to “watch this space.”

Now, people say things like this in real life, and they work because the saying means something. For an example that won’t ruffle too many feathers, Jurassic Park has the iconic “life finds away” line. Which, in isolation, doesn’t really mean much.

You could say this to make yourself feel better if you wanted, perhaps as a form of optimism. But the line doesn’t carry that meaning in the story. It’s about nature and evolution and what that means for the humans. It means that in order to survive and thrive, you need to change. Sometimes physically, sometimes intellectually. It’s also a line about freedom, and that life cannot truly be contained.

Saying “life finds a way” to reassure someone is all well and good, but it's an empty saying without its context.

For another example, this time with absolutely zero subtext, Taliesin Jaffe. To avoid gushing too much, the man is one of the few D&D players who can accurately roleplay a high wisdom score, and has displayed this many a time during the, as of current writing, three campaigns of Critical Role.

During the first campaign, Mr Jaffe’s character, said, off handedly, “life needs things to live” in regard to a specific tree requiring sustenance. An orchard can’t grow in a desert, there are certain criteria that need to be met. However, the context amplified the meaning. The first campaign was centred around the idea of community, and the idiom “no man is an island”. Companions will hold you up, keep you alive, and make your life worth living.

This gets taken out of context twice in later campaigns, and it gets poked fun at both times.

In campaign three, in a moment of exploration and new self-understanding, the line is said again, and the cast points out how little it makes sense here. The phrase is here meant to encourage a character to fill time and do something interesting because life needs things to live. On a surface level, it's kind of appropriate, but not really. It's about life worth living, not time worth spending.

Campaign two is interesting, because the saying applies 100% to what is being said, but because of the characters, it gets joked at anyway. Taliesin has just given a monologue (because of course he has) about how you only get one life, and you need to use it well and fill it with things that make it worthwhile, and so “life needs things to live” is said in response.

But the Mighty Nein were a more plain-spoken troop than the previous adventure. This speech happens less than two percent into the story, and the characters at this point don’t really care for the philosophy and poetry of the idea. Instead, they point out how easily it could have been said any other way without seeming pretentious. In this case, the line was less meaningful than explaining the character’s mindset in simple terms.

Hey look at that, Grimwalkers have a thing about eyes. Artificial humans with a thing about eyes. That's very Bladerunner. A possible Grimwalker character might have a theme of agency and justifying existence beyond their assumed use. I am going to use this in my analysis of Hollow Mind, so hold onto it for now.

Linking this back to Belos, the line about the Titan would be really poetic if it was said in earnest and in context. Because yes, a line about how fate can make martyrs or monsters of anyone would be really powerful. It could talk about being born with talents or discovering you have a gift and putting that to use, seeing your destiny laid out because of skills only you possess. But here, it just means “pipe down and follow me blindly.”

Which is either emotional abuse or spiritual abuse, depending on how you square it. I read it as both.

Keep that in mind for the rest of my series on The Owl House, because it will colour how I read Belos. Everything this man does is a façade of critical thinking, cut down by his own lack of commitment. Essentially, the man is a hypocrite pretending to be deep, and I think that was an intentional decision on behalf of the writers.

“Seem’s clear to me. Come back with results or else, you can figure out the rest.” “Luz wouldn’t make that kind of a threat. I’m an awesome girlfriend.” “Has she told you that?”

I genuinely went into this episode planning to write a whole spiel about Odalia, but it took this exchange to for me to realise that Odalia is kind of irrelevant at this point in the series. Amity doesn’t need her affection anymore and has moved past her. This episode is about the difference between Luz and Belos.

Because, just from this exchange, we can see that Hunter assumes the worst from everything. He assumes affection is transactional, as has been stated above, but he has a scuffed idea of what affection looks like. Because if someone loves you, truly, they don’t have to say it. Affection and a healthy relationship is shown not told.

The best way I can explain this is through the song Nobody, by the Crane Wives. The band has a reputation for dealing with complex emotions through their songs and have a choke hold on the AMV side of the internet only rivalled by the songs from Epic The Musical.

“She woke me up at dawn, soft spoken as a spider Spinning webs of holy words while she was still asleep Kill the moon beneath my window, pull the covers tighter And hear her voice go swinging like a hatchet through the trees”

The opening verse sets up the story. The lover is represented as a predator, the spider who has caught the perspective character in a web made of compliments. A voice that can be both divine, and violent like a hatchet. This builds, adding addiction imagery through the invocation of cigarettes, as well as contrasting the lover with what is ostensibly a beast outside. Then the chorus:

“Nobody ever loved me, ever loved me. Nobody ever loved me Like she tells me, she does.”

Show don’t tell isn’t a rule for how to write, it’s a tool for how to make a story feel real. If you want your audience to trust you, show it to them. If you don’t, highlight that they are being told it.

Here, the affection between the singer and her lover is entirely conveyed by the idea that the lover tells the protagonist that she is affectionate. She tells her that she cares about her more than anybody else. But this is being told to the protagonist, which makes the audience doubtful, and more inclined to trust what we are being shown, which isn’t a healthy relationship at all.

Then there is the fact that the repetition implies this is a mantra, something the protagonist tells herself to make her feel better.

“I’m trembling in the eye of the only storm I’ve ever known.”

The song also implies that this is the protagonist’s first relationship, and she doesn’t know better. She thinks this is what true love actually is, which leads me back to Hunter.

Hunter thinks this is normal, and so assumes that it is normal for everyone else.

“We have a lot in common, Blight. We’re both trying to show what we can bring to the table. And we can’t fail, because there’s nothing worse than disappointing someone who thinks you’re special.”

Something Hunter doesn’t get enough credit for is how he is almost perfect at reading people. In a previous episode, he psychoanalysed Luz, and here is calling Amity’s bluff with uncomfortable accuracy. Amity has been raised by Odalia fear failure just like him. But there was an almost there, and it is a pretty glaring flaw, Hunter doesn’t understand relationships.

In the previous episode, Hunter was blindsided by Luz’s ability to befriend him and give him kindness despite their opposing allegiance, and here he doesn’t understand that an affectionate relationship doesn’t include ultimatums. Luz has chosen emojis that could be misconstrued because it doesn’t occur to her that you could read the messages like that. The ultimatum doesn’t cross her mind, so she doesn’t go out of her way to clarify. Why would she? What option is there other than kindness?

And that is Luz in a nutshell, isn’t it? A character who is fundamentally kind and uses that to change people and inspire them to be better.

This isn’t the only time Belos and Luz are shown as parallels, and it is telling that, on a surface level they are similar in just about every aspect. The difference is in the nuance. Luz is genuine, for one, but there are a ton of other little differences that completely alter the meaning.

For example, both are trickster characters who don’t rely on physical prowess to defeat opponents. But where Luz is a tactician by necessity, Belos pretends to be the underdog. Also, Luz choses to subdue her opponents instead of killing them because she’s kind. Belos does it because they will be useful to him later, and he can hold the mercy over their head like a bargaining chip.

Also, Luz and Belos both rely on other people to help them achieve their goals. They are leaders and organisers. However, Luz leads from the front and inspires people to achieve great things, while Belos scares people forwards and pushes them to their extremes against their better judgement.

The two are superficially similar, but their differences are significant. Belos pretends to be the person that Luz is naturally. Although not specifically Luz. Belos creates an ideal and claims it to be himself, which is why he is so infuriated when Luz achieves it effortlessly. Belos' name means beauty, but light is what truly shines.

“Fool’s blood bad. U okay? Come home? Of course, this is Luz we are talking about.”

I mentioned at the start of this post that this episode only works because of its predecessor, and here’s why: This episode is filler.

If you think about this, the episode doesn’t push the plot forward in any meaningful way. The Harpy Eda storyline is artificial and added in this episode, so you could theoretically skip the episode and not miss anything.

So why am I wrong here?

Well, the episode not pushing the plot forward plays into its actual purpose, psychological storytelling. The fact that this episode is a dead end is the point, it’s a dead end that could have been avoided if Amity had understood the relationship she was in, and over the course of the episode, she does realise, and the futility sinks in.

This episode pushes the emotional story forward, rather than the overarching plot.

Fool’s blood is a play on fool’s gold, a substance that looks shiny but is in actuality useless. Amity can accept the failed job because she learned something about herself, and the fact that nothing will change if things go wrong is reassuring to her.

Take a guess at for whom this isn’t true.

“Since I failed my last mission, I thought: Hey, a chance to make up for it! But I can’t go back empty handed. [Laughs] Not again. Long story short, this is my grave. Want me to make you one?” “This is really bumming me out.” “That’s just life, rat. Everyone has a use, and if you don’t, bye bye. Your friend gets it.”

Please, don’t let Zeno Robinson’s phenomenal acting skill distract you from the fact that Hunter is wrong here. Like, he has reason to believe what he says, but that’s just not how life works. People don’t have uses; you don’t have to justify your existence or value. Your innate value is the benchmark for everything.

In other words:

“You know, you were right. We do have a lot in common. I grew up thinking everything was an opportunity to justify existing, but there are people out where who won’t make you feel worthless. You just have to let yourself meet them.”

The fact that Flapjack is a key player in an episode about Hunter suffering in an unhealthy relationship and rejecting positive reinforcement is a neat metaphor. Specifically, because he acts as the personification of that relationship, a creature with wings that can go wherever and give its wielder the ultimate freedom. But Hunter rejects him, and the relationship.

The teleport thing is Hunter's signature spell, as it were. But we've seen this before. Eda and Lilith used this in their duel at the end of season one. I wonder what that means.

Amity’s speech doesn’t work because Hunter doesn’t have that support group, instead he has desperation bordering on madness. Not everyone will accept help, some people need to help themselves.

Eda is a weird tie into this theme, but I think its worth discussing her interaction with the Owl Beast. In this episode, it is revealed that her ideas for how to effectively communicate have not involved actually talking.

Eda’s relationship with the Owl Beast isn’t romantic or parental, it’s a relationship with herself. It hasn’t occurred to her until now that being nice to herself is an option. The Owl Beast’s side of the bargain is literally just “eat”. Basically, Eda should take care of herself, and in exchange, she will be able to do great things.

That’s a weirdly thematic backing to a comedy subplot.

Final Thoughts

I could do a shot for shot breakdown of any scene in this episode. The cinematography and direction are impeccable. From the fact that Hunter’s POV is almost always looking up, and therefore making him seem less powerful, to the little moment when Amity has been captured and the camera uses Kikimora’s robot to frame her as trapped and boxed in.

If I get enough requests for it, I might to a breakdown for the fight sequence, because that needs its own post. So, if you want that, lemme know.

Next week is Yesterday’s lie, and I get to talk about Camilla Noceda. So stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

[sepublic]

            I’ve already brought up how the loss of glyphs is deeply tragic for Luz on an interpersonal level, given her relationship with the Titan as being kinda found family in a spiritual successor to Manny sorta way…

            But on a larger, cultural level? It’s straight-up genocide. Because glyphs were an ancient practice; They were a tradition at one point, as Eda explains. The earliest witches used to learn glyphs from the Titan on her knee, and eventually stopped when that became redundant with the more convenient source of their bile sacs.

            But it was still an important part of their history; It was how witches and demons first communicated and interacted with the land and nature, and their ‘god’ in a mutualistic way. It was how they respected their world.

            So even if glyphs were evidently forgotten by the Deadwardian Era, they were still available for those who needed them… And in comes fucking Philip, the racist colonizer, and because of his possession of the Titan’s heart, she finally dies and glyphs can no longer work. They’re obsolete now.

            They still happened, but now that part of magic, of history and this world, is gone forever. It’s cultural erasure, it’s what Luz alludes to when she mentions how scars from Belos’ reign still remain, like the left arm being permanently shifted upwards; Who knows how many were displaced, how much the local flora and fauna and ecosystems were devastated, with the desert of Palm Stings now colder than even the knee itself?!?

            It’s just so deeply painful because Luz really helped to bring back an ancient, lost tradition and unlike Philip, breathed new life into it; Glyphs could be used to help people without bile sacs, who didn’t utilize spell circles as well. We actually saw Luz experiment with using individual glyphs, and figure out the combos; Things she did on her own. She shared knowledge of glyphs with her loved ones, like Eda, King, Lilith, Gus, Amity, etc.

            There really was going to be a return of something lost, but now it’s gone forever because of a bigoted old white man who was too bitter about things that are different and needed to feel big and important by standing on the shoulders of others. It’s cultural genocide. That memory where Belos' destructive lies about wild magic drive witches away from the knee that they still had the potential to learn from, leaving behind only ruins in the present-day? With some murdered via the coven sigils that cut them even further off from their own magic they forgot glyphs for? It's truly symbolic of the final nails in the coffin.

            And it’s also desecration of the dead, too; Caleb is not the only one to have had his corpse bastardized by Belos, misused against everything he stood for. Belos also misused that corpse, first by stealing the Titan’s name, then misusing her magic, her resources such as Palistrom wood… And finally possessing that body literally, which is what murders the Titan. It’s like colonizers bastardizing and salting the land that locals carefully maintained a proper relationship with, and keep in mind this fucker is a literal Puritan colonist. There’s no respect, not for the dead and/or past. Compare that to Luz, who lives on in Manny’s memory and makes him proud.

            I’m just imagining Caleb and the Titan watching, in agony, as their bodies are used to create a vicious mockery towards their actual kin, who remain totally unaware, and in the case of the Grimwalkers, it’s another lineage that is also abused. Meanwhile the Clawthornes remain unknowing of their past because colonialism erases history, hence Belos hiring Flora, and hell even getting Lilith to participate in her own historical erasure, as both Clawthorne and witch!

            Meanwhile, King remains oblivious and unconnected to his own heritage. And most of that can also be attributed to the Titan Trappers and Archivists, themselves perpretrators of genocide. So King and Eda go without knowing their heritage for so long, in Eda’s case she may never find out entirely, because it’s part of the many voices who are lost and silenced due to genocide, buried in the past to be forgotten.

            And you know one thing more that fucks me up? It’s that I genuinely suspect that Philip initially had it easier with glyphs than Luz, and that he made them more difficult for her. Because based on his dialogue by finding the Ice glyph in a snowflake, and his diary and memory portraits showing him arriving in the isles via Eclipse Lake, at the Knee…

            Philip was probably shown his first spell on his first day in the Demon Realm. And it makes sense; The first human, the precedent that the Titan would’ve known by this point, was Caleb; Himself Philip’s brother, who was also raised to be a witch hunter, yet learned better. We know people can view both worlds from that in-between realm, but the Titan still isn’t omnipotent and can only watch through a limited number of cubes at a time, while having to know what and who to look for.

            But even so; With Caleb’s precedent, there could’ve been hope that Philip would follow in his footsteps, that he would learn and be more, and actually choose to be better instead of defaulting to Puritan predestination and the like as an excuse to stay the same and absolve him of responsiability. But we know what happened; Philip started off easy, but then made things difficult by rejecting the Titan’s compassion, by misusing her magic for evil and murder and genocide. The Titan showed Philip compassion first and this was how he responded.

            I really feel as if there’s an implicit reluctance with how Luz is taught glyphs, one at a time, in separate scenarios, usually as a result of character development and/or engaging with the world around her, which are things the Titan would really need to see to start trusting another human again (and if he knew Luz gave Philip the last glyph, that would also add to the wariness that Belos caused by manipulating her). Luz didn’t learn her first spell until a few days into her journey, and Luz had already had a few perilous encounters by that point! But she continued to brave her way through everything, continued to accept the isles and its messier side.

            And so the Titan showed Luz her first spell, and only that, in response to Luz needing it, wanting to learn magic, and most of all humbling herself to be kind to the Titan’s own son, and listen to him; Because neglecting King was what low-key led to Eda’s transformation placing everyone in danger, since he only told Luz about the elixir and agreed to steal it for the sake of getting her attention.

            So that makes Luz listening to the Titan for the first time, intentionally, with her second spell –Ice, Philip’s first- so much more hard-hitting. The way she wanted to live out her dream so she went for the wand behind people’s backs, but then recognized and owned up to her mistakes. And she really was just a lonely kid in need of guidance, and not a stubborn adult committed to his cruelty; Luz always had an open mind! She always wanted to learn!

            And she got to! She learned each glyph at a time… And that’s all the Titan could do for her, something the Titan had already done for so many others, long ago, before they realized they had bile sacs and didn’t need to rely on the land around them as much. Luz still experimented even when she just had one glyph; She understood how intent mattered. She and Lilith built off of each other’s knowledge to collaborate and create combos. Meanwhile Belos, he agonized because he made things pointlessly difficult by refusing to adapt to the ways of another land, and only got his first and last glyphs by taking the compassion of someone who knew them and betraying it.

            Plus there’s what I said about Lilith, her whole thing as Caleb’s descendant, directly abused by Belos and belittled by him, made to participate in her own erasure loss of past, separated from that… Really, one could argue the Clawthornes are like the Boiling Isles equivalent to the Irish; Yeah they're white but that doesn't mean they aren't victims of British colonialism that sought to 'conquer the land' and all that.

The Clawthornes are generally known for big orange hair, with Lilith's curly hair being straightened and dyed dark-blue in an attempt to assimilate within the Emperor's Coven's (AKA Philip's) standards of conformity. They worked with the land via the Palistrom carving and began to lose that because of the trees being endangered by Belos' gluttony, as well as the curse disabling Dell; The very curse created by the Archivists, who also invaded this world, the very curse cast by Lilith because the coven system influenced her to feel shame over wild magic and embrace hierarchy instead.

The curse leads to Eda's loss of bile magic, something very important to her and witches in general, and Lilith loses her own trying to mitigate her own mistakes. So not just glyphs are taken from witches, but even their own bile magic they initially replaced them with, and the other resources of the land. And Lilith is cut off from her family, her real family, as she's taken in by an ancestor who has deliberately distanced himself and loathes her on multiple levels as something to be 'fixed'.

But Lilith gets her hair back and re-embraces it, she gets her family back. She still manages to somewhat retain her past; After all, Lilith gets to go to the Deadwardian Era herself! And she meets, as much as it loathes anyone to acknowledge it, an ancestor, and influences history in a subtle yet personally meaningful way. And Lilith helps re-establish contact with the lost practice of glyphs by figuring out how to combine them, which goes hand in hand with her passion of being a historian, and her additional function as both parallel and especially foil to Philip.

             Just… Luz and the Titan. And Caleb. And Lilith. There’s dead people and there’s history and there’s land, there’s bodies and respect. There’s compassion and actually working with people and finding no shame in that, instead of stealing and taking credit. And in the end, even though they manage to regain some things, a lot was still inevitably lost to genocide, and possibly gone forever.

            But the effects and legacy still linger, Luz still remembers and holds dear what the glyphs did; And she honors not just Manny’s legacy, but Caleb’s, by bridging the gap between humanity and witches, and showing both can co-exist in harmony. She helped his descendants, and even the last Grimwalker, find happiness and reconnect with their heritage, even if they don’t know just how close it is to them in particular. Luz honored the Titan by clearing his name, finding his son, and ensuring the last of the Titans is no longer alone and in understanding of his heritage. Luz even made amends with the Titan’s other greatest regret, harming the Collector, by making peace; And she proved glyphs were still useful, they were still kind, and that compassion wasn’t wasted.

            So even if the Titan’s glyphs are gone now, Luz still honored their memory by sharing them freely and helping, teaching, cultivating. The Clawthornes are rebuilding the Palistrom forests, among them is Hunter who as a Grimwalker was one of the purposes for which Belos devastated those natural resources for. And King… King is beginning to develop his own glyphs! And Luz is learning her first one, Light, from a Titan all over again, because she showed King kindness.

            That honors the Titan’s memory by keeping it alive through her son; Who keeps the memory of glyphs alive through the ones he’ll sustain and share with everyone else, and those glyphs will spread to those without and even with bile sacs. And a lost art is brought back, irreversibly different but still intact in the important ways. People are relearning old practices to apply to a new world, because the past is gone but it still lingers and is simply… reborn. Despite the scars and changes it survives and is still itself.

            And with how all of this loops back to Luz’s relationship with her father Manny, who passed away, and how all that was based on Dana’s own relationship with her deceased father, who left her a final gift in Pokemon Red that she chose to cherish to this day, and embrace her own creativity and keep it alive. It’s a story about things dying but still managing to live anyway.