#made it so everyone understood her the way luz did?

[antispopausandstuff]

this might be a hot take and i might not be remembering much, but i feel like amity and willow should've been the "we're cordial and get along for the sake of the people we mutually care about" or "friend of a friend" dynamic instead of what the canon gave us.

[thousand-winters]

Something I love about TOH is how it lets adults be wrong and make mistakes and be whole messes that do not have their shit together because... yeah, that's just life. Adults aren't so put together as one believes when they're a child, and of course they can act rashly and fuck up because of their emotions and generally experience the entire spectrum of human emotion.

It would be lovely if the fandom would be less racist about it tho.

It keeps driving me mad to think about because with characters of color, one mistake is taken and generalized as their entire behavior despite having proof that it was a one time thing, a extreme born out of emotion or after many things have happened, while for white characters it's well understood it was a one time instance.

Nobody took Eda's "I'm going to break every bone of your body" toward King (who, mind you, is like 8yo and the kid she raised since he was a baby) seriously, nor said "Eda totally threatens King with bodily harm every time she's angry". It wasn't a serious threat, King wasn't bothered by her because he knew that, and the world kept spinning, nobody made a bigger deal of that than it had to be, despite the fact that it's objectively a horrible thing to say to your kid.

Nobody said either "every time Eda is feeling unneeded, she avoids talking to her kids and ignores them for days and then attempts murder-suicide on the name of good", although the avoidance aspect of it at least IS more in tune with her general lack of coping mechanisms.

Now, Camila making Luz go to camp? Suddenly she was the devil and evil, and Eda should take full custody of Luz, despite the fact Camila was shown as gentle and loving since moment one, and your kid endangering other kids by bringing live snakes and fireworks to school is objectively something alarming that can't be swept under the rug. There was no point at which Camila was depicted as anything but loving and concerned, even during Grom, Luz's fear was about hurting Camila rather than Camila hurting her and yet people insisted she was abusive until Thanks to Them.

Even after Yesterday's Lie. I mean, Luz is 14. I don't know about you, but if I had a kid known for being a bit careless and reckless and act first before thinking, I would be worried sick knowing she's in a land where half the things alive try to eat you and it's also ruled by a genocidal emperor. Hell, even if my kid wasn't reckless, I would be clawing at the walls about it. Camila wasn't being evil for wanting Luz to stay by her side, especially since they only had each other.

Then, of course, there's Darius.

I'm so sick of people being condescending to people who like Dadrius, even in art posts, all like "guys, but don't forget Darius was shitty to Hunter for years", because it's exactly what I'm talking about of taking one event and extrapolating it toward his entire behavior despite the fact the information we have been provided indicates that was a one time thing. Not only we have the Palisman Logs that confirm Darius usually didn't pay attention to Hunter, which, mind you, isn't a crime because he had no responsibility over Hunter and everyone thought Hunter was being treated well by Belos, but we also have the hint of Darius reacting so viciously because of Hunter sewing the Golden Guard's sigil on his cloak and reminding him of his mentor, which is not something that happened every thursday.

I know everyone understands actions born out of emotion in adults, no matter how wrong they are, because of Eda and even some of the other adults who objectively speaking did way worse in the matter of mistakes toward their children, like Gwen or Alador. Yet, people keep refusing to believe that Darius only did that once but nobody ever says "yes, here are the examples and clues that he was this way for years" (because they do not exist) and just keep repeating that he did or that he has the vibes of someone who did (bestie, that's just racism).

It's so strange because Hunter is not stupid. He knew to be on guard of Kikimora and Kikimora was always shitty to him. He can take a clue, he's not a baby. He refused to accept the help of the Owl Fam and the Hexsquad for a good while because they were "the enemy" and in his head he had the idea that he shouldn't trust them even if he wanted to. Hunter's behavior is affected deeply by Belos' abuse, but he wasn't reacting to everyone in the way he did to Belos, excusing their behavior and generally letting them all walk all over him.

If Darius really had picked on him for years, he wouldn't have been so quick to trust him after Any Sport in a Storm, and we got a bunch of little mentions and hints that point to how their bond started to grow behind curtains, which would be really weird if Darius had always been an overly hostile presence in Hunter's life before. Can you imagine him being all chill with Kikimora if she had hypothetically went "oh, well, I guess I was wrong for trying to murder you"? Hell no.

Even Perry and the Parks didn't got spared from this.

Of course their reactions to their kids getting expelled could have been more graceful, but they were evidently not thinking super clearly at the moment and every other moment we've seen them with their kids, they have been loving and supportive. Hell, even in that same episode we saw how the Parks were, if anything, more concerned about Willow's education to the point they were willing to change their whole life to be able to stay to homeschool her.

Adults make mistakes. People make mistakes.

Stop acting like people of color can't make mistakes without being the epitome of evil.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

Hey

Want to know your opinion, how would you improve some arcs of toh characters, like Amity, Hunter, Lilith, Willow, Gus and probably anyone whose arcs you think are bad-written?

good question! let's see,

luz: i have mostly no complaints about her character but i wish they made it clear that her running off to the boiling isles was not ideal. i don't entirely blame her because she was a child and she was looking for a way to avoid going to camp, but the show starts off implying that luz's escapism was a bad thing, but then they kinda contradict that in the end, by letting her have access to the boiling isles forever.

also her s3 arc with her palisman was just overall poorly written. it was supposed to be an emotional and wholesome moment but it didn't have that impact on me. if luz's greatest wish was to be understood, they should have built on that more. i mean, it's not like no one understood her, all of her friends and found family in the boiling isles seem to understand and empathize with her. it just felt like the writers pulled this revelation out of their asses, and the fact that stringbean was inexplicably a shapeshifter didn't help their case.

amity: i would keep some parts of her initial characterization, like her ambitious nature and her resting bitch face energy. even if the idea was to make amity grow into a more cheerful person, it doesn't make sense that it happened so quickly. imo her characterization was at its best when she was warming up to luz but not entirely nice to other people (like during the grom episode). i really liked her cold, standoffish behaviour and i think it would have been nice if she had kept some of that, while still being a better person than she was in the beginning.

also, like i said in another post, she should definitely have goals of her own. her character shouldn't have been reduced to "luz's girlfriend". i would definitely show more of her interacting with the other characters (and these interactions and conversations aren't about luz) and pursuing her own dreams. i think steven universe did this best where connie liked steven a lot and she did hang out with him, but she also had her own life and her own dreams to chase.

hunter: i wouldn't put him in a relationship with willow, or anyone, for that matter. the poor boy has a lot of trauma he needs to work through and based on the stuff that he's said, it's clear that he doesn't know how healthy human interactions work, let alone a romantic relationship.

i would make his arc about slowly healing through his trauma or at least being able to express his emotions, instead of suppressing them for willow's sake. i think it could have been done, despite the time crunch. he needed time to grieve flapjack, to grieve himself after being possessed and almost killed by his abuser, and to slowly start his healing journey.

the others would definitely support him through it, but that's what he needs at the time, not a badass girlfriend.

lilith: i think her redemption arc started off okay but then everyone forgave her too quickly. it wasn't as bad as catra's because lilith did put a little effort into trying to be better, but she still needed to do more before she could have been forgiven.

so either i would extent her redemption arc and let the other characters, especially eda, stay mad at her a little longer before she gets forgiven. or i would just keep her as an antagonist.

they didn't even explore her trauma of being in a cult and the emperor's coven never chased her down after she left. not to mention, her experience of being in the emperor's coven is never relevant to the plot. she could have given luz inside information or talked about belos' potential weaknesses, it was such a missed opportunity.

willow: her arc with amity was not terrible and i like that she was allowed to take her time to trust amity. this is more about amity than willow but i think it would have been nice if we saw amity making more efforts to gain willow's trust. her apology in understanding willow was good but they kinda glossed over the fact that amity wasn't just "letting her friends bully willow", she was also bullying willow.

i think we needed more of willow and amity trying to mend their friendship, instead of lumity being the main focus after that one episode.

and in general, willow deserved a bigger role in the series. for the longest time, she was just luz's friend and then they forced her into a relationship with hunter, which did not work at all.

if her intended arc was to work on her insecurities and get more confident over time, they should have shown more of that process. even Any Sport In A Storm was mostly about huntlow (and hunter, to some extent) then willow. and let's be honest, the whole "half a witch" thing was dragged out more than it needed to be.

gus: okay, buckle up because i think i have the most grievances with gus. i need to make this clear. GUS WAS SO UNDERUSED.

i'm sorry. this guy is a child prodigy who can create illusions and use illusion spells to look into people's minds and force them to relive their worst memories?? why was this not more relevant to the plot? gus is such an insanely skilled witch and yet he's always pushed to the back for some reason. he has the most versatile and useful skillset but he never gets to use it, it makes me so mad!

even him looking into belos' mind was only used for that brief moment where he admits that he knew hunter was a grimwalker, but didn't want to force hunter to talk about it. that's it. we get no further conversation about it, gus never addresses the other stuff he saw in belos' memories like him MURDERING his brother and creating all the grimwalkers and god knows what else??

also just the fact that he's able to psychologically torment people with illusions is such an OP move that the series just kinda glossed over. it was used in a few episodes, but it could have been used to a greater extent. i just think that gus could have been such an interesting and powerful character, if he was given enough spotlight.

he also had a good thing going with mattholomule but instead of making that canon, they went for huntlow. i'm not saying that gus has to be in a relationship (or any of them, for that matter) but why create a new rushed ship when you already have a perfectly good one to work with?

i also find it weird that gus and willow were supposedly best friends but we got very few moments between them. i would have loved to see more of their friendship, and more focus on platonic relationships in general.

so yeah, if i were to rewrite gus, i would definitely give him a lot more spotlight. heck, given his powerset, he has the potential to be the main character even!

belos: i've mentioned it a lot before but belos deserved a more climatic end to his arc. all of the implications of religious trauma and puritan culture was thrown in the trash in s3.

he was actually such a compelling villain, genuinely intimidating and with an interesting motive and backstory. what was the point of crafting such an interesting character, just to be like "lol he's evil murder his ass"?

i'm not even mad that he died, i'm just mad that THAT'S how he died. i was expecting his death to be something ironic and self-inflicted, like the people from the human realm being horrified by him and killing him. maybe even burning him to death, the same way witches were burned at the stake. buuuut no, we get king, raine and eda stomping on his corpse because haha that's funny. hunter didn't even get to be a part of all this, and he was the one who deserved closure, he was the one who deserved to see his abuser face consequences of their actions, not fucking eda and raine.

and that part where he tries to convince luz that he was just under a terrible curse was just.. so childish. and not in-character childish, but just childish writing. it was just so ooc for belos, he is a manipulator but this wasn't how he manipulated people. i guess you could argue that he was just too desperate to survive but eh. i think it could have been written better.

eda: i don't have too many complaints here, i think she was probably the most well-rounded and compelling character in this show. her arc about the owl curse was interesting and very relatable to me, as someone who is epileptic. her relationship with raine was the best in the series imo.

the only thing i would change is, as I mentioned earlier, i wouldn't make eda forgive lilith so easily. i also think that she kind of lost her "morally grey parental figure" edge by the end of the series, and i honestly liked that part of her a lot, so i would keep it. but that's just a personal preference.

raine: they were definitely a very interesting character, i just think they deserved more screentime. most of their role in the story was surrounding their relationship with eda, which was very compelling, but we could have gotten more of their character outside their relationship.

the members of the emperor's coven, as a whole, could have been used better in the series. but for a side character with medium relevance to the plot, i'd say raine was written pretty well.

[daystarvoyage]

Hi! I read somewhere about someone not liking Luz's ending since she "didn't grow as a person" at the end of the owl house. They said that she only became more depressed or traumatized but she's still the same cheerful and helpful girl like in the first episode of season 1. Do you agree?

Hello Hope you have a great day from the brown sugar queen, I know it’s late by the time you get this so ima clear a lot,

time for the tea.

Now i have all the love and heart for my girl Luz Noceda but lemme me tell you her personality made me look at how she was handled gave me a SIDE-EYE besides that,

Yes, i agree on this, definitely,

I felt That the crew wanted to do so much with the show but felt they had no idea writing Luz, however they too had there drawbacks, Yes I LOVE LUZS CHARACTER AND SHE IS SELFLESS A GOOD FRIEND (even if it’s the wrong person) Loyal, and cheerful. How we get moments that

Luz's character can be bastardized!

i feel fans try to view her as this bubbly girl boss, we know and love, however we overlook her flaws cause of discourse. she’s this impressionable, unruly, explosive girl with self imaging issues & unresolved grief, that effected her lifestyle.

I truly do depict her as a girl failure which ill get to a list of reasons, I’ll be getting into

EDITED its Masculization

heres a term masculinization comes to her character writing, style-wise, cause this word has been used throughout the animation to the point it’s a trope.

Now let’s get down to reasons why, she gets to the way she is.

Luz wants to do so much for others, that she hasn't practiced learning about self-love and acceptance, it all backtracks in her past of her deceased father & trying to relate to earth kids with opposite interests that can be harmful.

I felt they truly had fun time to an extent how they can push her in a negative direction, (this goes for hunter which I’ll do a post/video soon.)

how they wanted her to be more of an edge lord along the series run, (and the proper writing of the show didn’t help.)

Heck to the point in season 3, she never interacted with anyone on earth in her school, which is concerning, cause that can lead to self-harm or failed relationships, also known people as kikimora or talking to her other friends in season 3 coulda gave her a wake up call.

ALSO CAN WE BRING UP LYING TO HER LOVE ONES OUT OF NO WHERE! Season 1

DRAGGING THEM THROUGH MORTAL PERIL IN SEASON 2!

AND NO NEURODIVERAGENCE DOESNT EXCUSE BAD BEHAVIOR OR BLACK FEATURES BEING MINIMIZED.

2.They should've let a POC (person of color) write Luz cause of how she turned out Personality-wise throughout the series, which I rewatched, along critic videos and yes even in season 3 they decided to make her some shonen wannabe edge lord,(A wannabe Pokemon Goh But more emo.)

Luz's is flawed, as a character & written wise, felt the show didn’t know how to write for POC, cause fans who are another ethnicity might view this, and say oh, where portrayed as this etc, but without our black features or even how where portrayed in society in social norms.

Yes I did a post on her fashion & wardrobe and how it affects a character, boy they got my girl looking a hobo at times. ( and the good so called hair symbolism could’ve made Luz even better.)

ALSO (I may be ranting but hope ya listen)

Hated how they tried to Mary Sue her at certain episodes when she's faced with problems or issues that can affect everyone in dire times, for example,

her willingness to learn magic, which she can be impressionable and wanting Praise for the wrong reasons, but To be loved I Understand.

She is a person wanting acceptance and tolerance ( which that whole wanting to be understood season 3 dialogue could've been for season 1), just to be liked by a new world, would have fleshed out her character more, and given the viewers and her friends reasoning why she does staggering things.

also when she wanted to get to learn magic from her sensei, Knowing Eda knew how unpredictable & reckless at times luz can be, but Eda has her issues. throughout 4 episodes I think its been dragged out she has done stupid things to put others in harm's way even OWLBERT.

3.she can act nonchalant & ambivalent in dire situations, (to the point her friends should've Gotten angry with her actions, GUS AND WILLOW PERIOD) But don't worry all that's being glazed with the Mary Sue trope, discourse, & her being submissive to amity,

which she can take many stabbings and hits for a cause you know all is well with a Good ship. INSERT SARCASM

tragically i do feel she ended up a girl failure, But they Try hard at girl bossing her up, cause she was put in situations where she didn't have dire punishments and consequences. plus excepting a power she had no choice accepting at the season finale,

Comment below for more, about how Luz should be improved or the fact the series could've written her better.

Hopes this answers all your questions, have a great starlight day. glad we can unlock the topic with a key, & sip some tea.

A VIDEO I DID DOWN BELOW FOR MORE ON LUZ.

[emberkeelty]

So there's been a lot of talk about Belos in those last moments, including from me, and now I want to talk about Luz.

A lot of Owl House fandom seems to have latched on to the idea that Luz is irresponsible - because she ran away from a world that was treating her badly, because she spent a big chunk of Wing It Like Witches not taking things seriously and got her friends hurt before correcting course, or for any number of reasons. But I think that's looking at it the wrong way around.

Luz is a very average amount of selfish and impulsive. She makes mistakes at about the same rate as anyone else. But her mistakes stand out more than other people's precisely because she is actually a remarkably responsible person: she's always quick to acknowledge her own mistakes, and she doesn't make excuses for them, and the narrative, which is largely from her perspective, treats them with that same seriousness.

This quality of hers is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, she is unfailingly great at buckling down and fixing whatever can be fixed without complaining about what it costs her. Undertaking the Bat Queen's trials to make things up to Owlbert, doing menial work for the Blights to try to get Amity out of trouble with them… She's not like Belos, recoiling at every twinge of guilt and turning all the blame back on his victims, or like Lilith in season 1, so obsessed with her own absolution that guilt becomes self-pity and increasingly destructive, selfish action. In Through the Looking Glass Ruins, her getting Amity's library job back happens entirely off-screen, because at this point we know Luz, and we know how she handles things like this, and we can picture it all easily. I like to think that that's the moment that broke Amity's composure and led to the first kiss not only because it was such a sweet thing that Luz did for Amity, but because it was such a Luz thing, just a perfect encapsulation of the person who Amity loves.

On the other hand, when she makes a mistake that can't be fixed, she ends up spiraling into self-destruction, futilely punishing herself in ways that help no one. Even if it was a mistake made with the best of intentions and there was no way she could possibly have predicted the negative consequences it would have, if there's nothing she can do to correct it, she feels like a horrible person who everyone will rightfully hate. The most obvious and important example of this is the "I helped Belos" guilt that comes to a head in For the Future, and the conclusion of that episode reveals what's always been driving it. Her deepest wish, the desire that's strong enough to awaken her palisman, is to be understood. This comes up in the context of her guilt because her guilt comes from other humans never understanding her. At school, whenever a problem occurred that could be traced back to an action she took, her intentions were treated as irrelevant: it was just her being a Bad Kid who needed to fix herself. She took that lesson to heart, and it's been hurting her this whole time.

It's still hurting her at the beginning of the final episode. Even after her breakthrough, there's still a part of her that believes she deserves to die, deserves to be killed by her own friends, that surely they're all going to turn on her at any second because one time she helped someone who turned out not to deserve it and who went on to do things more horrible than anyone could have imagined. It's easier for her to believe that than to believe that Amity would misquote the Azura books. (Though I do wonder - where did that misquote come from? Was it a different part of Luz's subconscious fighting back to wake herself up? Or was it Amity, unable to break the mind control outright, slipping through a message that she knew Luz would understand? I don't think it was just a mistake on the Collector's part, because the rest of the nightmare seemed far too accurate to Luz's fears and the other kids' voices and experiences for him to have been controlling it that closely.)

Maybe some of that hurt is starting to heal by the time the Collector makes nearly the exact same mistake that's been eating her alive, and she responds by offering them the sort of understanding that she always desperately needed but still isn't used to receiving: You did good. It's just complicated.

Which brings us here.

Staring down the same sad eyes he had when she met him for the first time (chronologically and from his perspective) and immediately rescued him from the demons whose brother he'd murdered. She's had plenty of time since then to think through the complications, and now here she is, faced with another choice between stepping in to help him or stepping aside and letting the Isle and its denizens take their revenge.

So, in the end, she does get a chance to meaningfully correct that mistake. She doesn't need to correct it for personal redemption - you did good, it's just a little more complicated - but she is going to anyway.

She's always been responsible like that.

[cutesharkstudios]

Lumity Comfort Ch. 5: Are You Okay?

Amity picked up some food from the cafe Camilla and Luz like, just in case of emergency comfort. She didn't know what to expect, so she wanted to be prepared. When she got home, she looked in the living room, and saw the mother and daughter duo on the couch, both in each others warm embrace. They both looked like they had been crying for a while.

Amity: Hey guys, I brought you both some stuff from the cafe you showed me. You want anything?

Luz: Si, batata.

Camilla: That would be lovely.

The three sat around the table, looking absolutely exausted. The Belos fight and Collecter takeover had drained everyone of their power and emotions. They just wanted some time to recover. It had been a couple of months since those events, but that doesn't mean that they were all better.

Luz: Mama?

Camilla: Yes?

Luz: Are you okay?

Camilla: No. I didn't know you were suffering from those nightmares. If I did, I would have spoken up sooner. I saw you were okay physically, but you weren't emotionally. Thank you for not being mad at me, even though I deserve it.

Luz: Why would I be mad? You wanted to give me my space.

Camilla: I just want to make up for the mistake I made of sending you to that camp. I want to be there for you. For 14 years you felt like you couldn't be understood, and I only have so many years to make up for it.

Luz: Making up implies that you made a malicious error, not a misguided one, and even as an adult I want you in my life. Mama, I think Amity should know what you told me.

Amity: If that's okay with you.

Camilla: Amity, I too have been having nightmares. I was in the middle of one when Luz comforted me before we went to the Boiling Isles. I just want to make things better with someone I care about.

Amity: I'm with you there. I thank God every night for Luz.

Luz: Same. I think I know what we all need.

Everone: Therapy.

Camilla found a therapist who worked with trauma victims and reformed bad people, one Dr. Sasha Waybright. She set up an online meeting with the three, and they all got to work.

Sasha: Greetings Noceda household. Thanks you for sending me the details of your problems. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourselves and how you all know each other? That way, I can have a better idea on how to help you as a group.

Camilla: I am Camilla Noceda, she/her pronouns, which also applies to the rest of us. I am the mother of Luz, whose girlfriend is Amity Blight, the one with lavender hair.

Sasha: Ah, thank you. Why don't we all start with the core of what each of you want to fix?

Luz: You first, mama.

Camilla: Right. For Luz's entire life, she had always been a creative and kind soul, and I wanted her to feel loved and accepted, but everyone I knew aside from her late father treated her like a freak. So when I was given a pamplet for a camp that promised to make her more normal, I paniked and sent her. I just didn't want her to go through life being called a freak, a monster, a weirdo, A LOSER, A--

Camilla then felt the hand of Luz on her arm. She almost spiralled again, with Luz bringing her back again. Camilla wiped the tears from her eyes and continued.

Camilla: And all this time, Luz, my precious baby girl, just wanted to be loved for who she was. And here's the part that doesn't add up to me, she doesn't hate me.

Sasha: Of course she doesn't.

Camilla: What?

Sasha: What I saw right there was genuine love from your daughter. It's clear that she doesn't hate you in any way. And she doesn't seem to feel betrayed. Believe me, I betrayed one of my closest friends to do what I thought was right, and it still haunts me to this day. I screwed over her friends and manipulated her, and I'm shocked to this day she forgave me.

Amity: Same with me. I made Luz's life hell on earth when we first met. I had a lousy childhood and took it out on her. Why she wanted to be my friend even back then caught me off guard. I guess one of the reasons why I'm so lovey dovey with her is because she changed my life for the better. My family grew up in a town led by a cult, and if it wasn't for Luz, I would have joined it.

Sasha: Yikes, I've dealt with my fair share of cult victims, sorry you had to go through that.

Amity: Said cult was led by a religous fanatic claiming my people to be unpure and even tried to kill us. Even after these few months, my people are trying to heal.

Sasha: It will take more than that to heal, and you may need longer. But just know, your family will be there for you.

Amity: Hey Luz? I think it's your turn.

Luz: Yeah. I helped Amity and her town escape the cult leader, and I did that by doing something I never thought I'd do. I killed the cultist. It only sank in a day or two after the matter that there was now BLOOD ON MY HANDS. That man is in hell now.

Camilla: Where he belongs.

Amity and Luz looked at Camilla with wide eyes. Never in their lives did they imagine she would be happy someone was burning for all time.

Camilla: No way did he repent to God for sins. That guy had it coming. From what I heard from everyone, he brainwashed people, tormented the land, and worst of all, HE. HURT. MY. DAUGHTER! If he didn't die by another's hands, I would have done him in myself.

Sasha: Scared to lose someone too, right?

Camilla: Did you almost lose someone too?

Sasha: Yes, the friend I mentioned previously, Anne, and our other friend, Marcy. In fact, Anne is now my wife, and is carrying our little bundle of joy. She almost was lost to me, and I'm thankful to God every night that she is safe. I never want to lose her again.

The best advice I can give all of you is to be open and honest about your trouble with your friends. Sorry, I need to get to another appointment. Why don't we set aside some more time next week?

Camilla: I'd like that.

[takerfoxx]

The Owl House, Season 3, Episode 2, "For the Future," First Impressions!

I knew this was gonna be big.

I knew this was gonna be emotional.

I did not know it was going to hit me like it did, or for the reason that it did.

I wasn't expecting this episode to speak to me personally the way it did, I really wasn't. I was gearing up to see what the Collector had done to the Boiling Isles; to be reunited with Eda, King, Lilith, Hooty, and the rest; to finally see Luz's palisman, to see what Belos was going to do, and all that other stuff that we've been speculating for months about.

Instead, this episode hit me in a way that I haven't experienced very often. It spoke to my own experiences.

I'll cover the lesser (but still very important) moment first, and surprisingly it came from Willow.

Now, I haven't talked much about Willow. She's fine! She's an important part of the cast! But let's face it: for character discussion, she just kept getting overshadowed by the absolute angst factories that are literally every single other main character. Even Gus had more going on in that department!

But like everyone else, it seems that I've been taking her for granted. It really does suck to be the reliable one, to be the one expected to carry the team, to be the one to set your own problems aside for the sake of other people. I've been there, many times. And honestly, like Willow, I'm kind of nearing a break down of my own. You really do start to feel like you don't matter, that your own hurt is unimportant, but if you don't take it on the chin and keep truckin', everything will fall apart and it'll be all your fault.

So yeah, I'm glad that they gave her that moment. Maybe it got tied up a little too neatly and could have stood to have been foreshadowed a little more in previous episodes, but then again, maybe that was the point.

The other moment should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me and has read my other comments on this show, and it serves as a MASSIVE emotional payoff to my one big gripe about The Owl House, one that I've had since the very first episode.

So, we all remember that camp Luz was being sent to, right? Remember all the fuss people kicked up over it, saying that it was basically conversion therapy and that Camilla was abusive for sending her there. It was a real point of contention for a while.

And I'll admit, I was one of those people. I'm neurodivergent myself. I'm autistic and have ADHD, and my parents tried a number of bullshit methods to make me "normal." It was all with the best of intentions, and none of them were as bad as sending me to conversion therapy, but it does mean it is something I'm pretty sensitive about. So when I saw that flyer, I just got the most uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. Like, how could you do that to your child? And since that was literally the last thing we saw Camilla doing until Yesterday's Lie (aside from a couple quick Vee segments), that feeling stayed for a long time.

Obviously everything we learned changed my perception. Like I've said before, I think the writers realized their whoopsie and made sure to address that, and they did so in the best way possible: weave it into the storyline and use it for character development. Vee's friends showed that maybe the camp wasn't as bad as we feared, Luz really did have behavioral problems that needed addressing, and Camilla was a harried single mother still grieving her husband just trying to do what was best.

But we also learned more about Luz. She wasn't acting out just because she's a wacky kid with ADHD. Maybe that contributed, but she was acting out because she was also grieving. Her father was her bedrock, the guy that truly understood her and kept her grounded, and with him gone, she was desperate for some kind of validation. Her antics were a cry for help, which is why the Boiling Isles was so good for her.

Seeing those two finally sit down and talk about what happened really hit me where I live. They're both neurodivergent weirdoes that have tried to hide what they are to fit in and were deeply hurt by losing the one person that understood them, and in the process unintentionally hurt each other. I loved this. It reminded me of Entrapta's "Imperfections can be Beautiful" speech from She-Ra.

And as it so happens, that bit of honesty is what was needed to finally awaken Luz's palisman. Everyone? Meet Stringbean!

I love the cheeky little references to everyone's speculations of what Luz's palisman might be. And as it turns out, everyone was kind of right! In keeping with the theme of Luz's palisman choosing what it wants to be, it's a snakeshifter! Oh, that is clever.

But also, snake people were also right. Personally I was thinking spider, but even so. We have our new baby!

Oh God, Luz has a staff. Everyone, fear her.

Speaking of palismans, Hunter is still grieving the loss of Flapjack and NOT doing okay, but I'm glad he got that catharsis of realizing that Flapjack is still literally a part of him. It's small solace, but it is something. And as a lot of people predicted, he now has the magic that he formerly could only use through technology. The poor boy, though. I'm glad he and Willow are starting to inch toward one another. They do seem right for each other.

Okay, time to talk about plot stuff!

The Hexside stuff was a ball. I did sort of call Boscha's minions being Kikimora, though it didn't click that her big robot was involved until a few moments before the reveal. And give it up for the best tribute to the best principal!

I miss you, Principal Bump.

Also, credit for Mattholomule for stepping up! Gotta say, he's looking a lot like his big brother now, so much so that for a second I really thought that he was Steve!

I do hope Boscha gets some comeuppance. Not a whole lot, just some humble pie. Willow really owes her a smack. Still, I did crack a smile when Boscha desperately begged for Amity back. Amity was Queen Bee, and Boscha was her sycophantic minion, and can't do it without her, lol!

Now, the Collector!

I do feel sorry for this kid, despite the damage he's doing. I mean, the Collector is just a kid, one that was alone for a really, really long time, was betrayed several times, and doesn't fully understand what he's were doing. Doesn't excuse the pain he's caused (okay, the Terra thing was pretty funny, and we all love to see Odalia get humilated), but it is understandable, at least.

We also get some lore! Collectors literally collect living beings, which explains what that long one was doing to the owl beast, and why the Titan Trappers called our Collector the Great Hunter. But they are also predisposed to wipe out mortals that interfere with their affairs, which our Collector doesn't care for.

Huh, I wonder who sealed the Collector. Was it their natural enemies the Titans, or his own kind for not going along with their genocidal tendencies?

Speaking of villains, damn it Belos, why you gotta be so creepy? Does that mean all of his bodies are former Golden Guards and he possesses each one once they've been used up? No, wait, he still has the broken nose Lilith gave him. Regardless, possessing Raine will not end well for him. But you can't say he doesn't know how to manipulate the Collector, the poor kid.

Man, I know he was probably hallucinating those ghosts, but it would be really cool if they were real and drag him down to Hell or whatever.

Glad Eda and Lilith are doing okay, and that Hooty managed to at least regain some sanity. Seriously, the hell is he even? Also, I actually like that Lilith is going back to her old hair color.

What else, what else, what else?

Okay, where is Steve and the rest of the CATTs? I want my boy! And Katya! I will continue to uphold my fanfiction queen until the day I die!

Also, damn it, Edric! Stop hurting yourself!

[rosyhue-nightss]

I have this problem with For the future...

We know that Hunter is hurt and frustrated by Flapjack's death and wants to finish Belos off fast. We know that Willow and Luz are also sad and frustrated by their respective personal problems:

Luz is upset because her plan failed and because she doesn't want to leave the demon realm while Willow misses her parents, feels a lot of responsibility towards others or feels the responsibility of not showing weakness so as not to worry anyone and she can't control her power therefore also feels powerless, half-witch Willow.

The three of them have in common that they try to minimize their feelings, not to think about them, not to express them.

In the end, after Camila encouraged her to tell her about her problems, Luz receives emotional support and a hug from her mother (as a result of her mother apologizing, she also receives her palisman, because she always wanted to be understood, even though she already was?). Willow too, after losing control of her powers and admitting to feeling useless, Hunter saves her, clarifies that she did nothing wrong (because let's remember that she felt bad about herself because she thought she made Hunter feel worse by trying to cheer him up) and he and Gus encourage her to let out everything she's been keeping. She cries because she misses her parents and then she feels better.

But… what about Hunter?

He lost his best friend, he is angry, sad and wants to find Belos fast to take revenge for him. And when they try to make him feel better and he doesn't know how to express it, the writers decide to make it about Willow, who leaves the room followed by Gus, who now also feels guilty, leaving Hunter alone and feeling confused and responsible because they feel responsible. The only time he expresses his grief is when he is alone and feeling helpless because others are suffering (And I will clarify again that he believes that it is his fault that everyone feels that way.)

Of course, by the end of the episode, Hunter feels better, but his problems are still there, and no one has yet managed to get him to express them properly. And no one, after failing to cheer him up by showing him the photo, tried again.

The boy lost someone important in a tragic way, someone only he and Luz really knew, someone who died saving him, someone who died because he was murdered by the only family Hunter had ever known. I wonder what was the reason that led the writers to trivialize Hunter's loss. Is it because there was no time? I don't know, I just feel that they are not handling the loss of a loved one in a sensitive way.

Even if in the end everything works out because Flapjack gave his powers to Hunter and therefore they will always be together, there was still no talk, no warm scene of emotional contention.

[teet-swea]

I’m thinking about Luz’s line in “For the Future” when she finally unlocks her Palisman.

“The only thing I’ve ever really wanted… was to be understood.”

And I know that I’m not the first person to have talked about this, nor will I be the last, but I don’t think I’ve ever been more seen than this moment. I remember being 10 years old when I realized I didn’t trust anyone in my life. Years of upbringing in the church combined with a family that enjoyed finding criticism with everyone around them had made me feel ashamed of my own thoughts and feelings constantly, so I hid everything that made me unique. I was good at it too. I was in theatre from a young age, learning the tricks to hide myself in performance, and my academic talents meant that I always seemed to be doing ok in terms of grades, and of course no one really cared to dig a little deeper if I was doing well in school.

I will confess, the sham personality I put out to the world made me a lot of friends, and for a long time I could at least hide my internal turmoil from the world. I knew deep down it wasn’t really what I wanted, but I had people I could talk to, and on the surface I was doing great. And to be honest, a part of me was proud that my talents let me hide myself so well.

It all changed when I got to college though. I was finally free from my family, and maybe I could find out who I wanted to be, and—oh… maybe not. In my first year, I realized I was still lying to myself and that I didn’t really know who I was anymore. And then a failed relationship further just drove me into loneliness and paranoia.

But then I met my current friends, and for some reason they were accepting this broken mess of a person, and I thought maybe, maybe I can find myself, and I started to open up.

But things got complicated. The stresses of my ever-present workload and loneliness led me down a path of self destruction in subtle and insidious ways. In the end, it was difficult for people to interact with me, and my own recognition of the newfound distance this brought led to worsening loneliness and a devastating spiral. And because the new me insisted on opening up about everything all of it was witnessed and further ripped my friends and I apart. In my quest for understanding and acceptance, I felt like I lost everything.

I don’t know where I stand with my friends, and I’m afraid to ask because I feel like it’s all hanging by a thread and I don’t want to push it over, but the short version is that I feel like I might as well be alone again because I don’t feel safe being vulnerable anymore.

I hope I can find myself like Luz did, but I’m not there yet. This quote is my hope for the future.

[juliettedunn]

“I know what I have to do now” (Part 2)

Part 1 is here

Several months after dealing with suicidal thoughts while trapped in the human realm, Luz opens up to Eda about her feelings, and asks for help.

CW for discussion of suicidal ideation

***

“I almost killed myself,” Luz whispered. At first she wondered if she had even managed to say out loud. If she hadn’t, and only spoken it in her head, she doubted she’d be able to correct the error. The effort of even saying it once was so great, she wanted to retract the very idea.

Emerald smoke curled from her cauldron and she hunched over the potion, stirring vigorously as if she could outwork whatever was said, drown it out with stimulus. If her brain was too enveloped in smell and color and bursts of idea, then whatever she was afraid of didn’t happen.

But no, Eda stood from her seat nearby, where she had been offering helpful guidance as Luz devoted more earnest study to potioneering, and looked at Luz with…but that wasn’t shock. Luz had been expecting surprise, screaming, uproar and outrage at the idea that she would throw her life away like some coward.

Especially with how sudden her statement was. Not that the prior conversation had been light, exactly. In between babbling about potion ingredients and where Luz could track down better ones, they had been discussing life. The new norm, as it was.

Luz’s return to human realm school, after a break of a couple months to get her bearings. The strange experience of disdainful treatment and struggle in the human realm, while she was subjected to constant publicity in the Isles. How nice it was to have potion lessons as this little escape, slowly gaining back confidence in her identity as a witch, as she learned new ways to work around her lack of magical ability.

She didn’t mean for the conversation to turn so serious. She didn’t mean for the topic of her near-suicide to ever get brought up, to anyone, but as she talked to Eda about her feelings now, about the confusion and anxiety and the pull between her double lives, the effort it took to get out of bed some days, she knew there would never be a better chance. And now the words were spoken, and it was too late to turn away.

“Before I returned,” said Luz, quickly. “When I got separated from you for a few months. I wanted to kill myself.” 

“Oh, kid…”

“I’m sorry,” Luz mumbled. “I’m really sorry. I know that sounds so stupid, especially after what happened. It doesn’t even matter now. Obviously I didn’t do it, and then I died for real, and I didn’t want it. I came back. I’m sorry to bring it up, I’m sorry-”

“Hey.” Luz broke off as Eda held out her arms, and she didn’t hesitate, letting Eda wrap her in a hug. “You don’t need to apologize,” Eda murmured. “It’s okay. I thought maybe something like that had happened.”

“What?” Had she really been so unsubtle? So mopey and fretful, even in the demon realm? “You didn’t see me at my worst, in the human realm. How could you have known? I was so happy around you. Did it show?”

“You weren’t that obvious, if that’s what you’re worried about. But you forget how alike we are. I know all the tricks.” She smiled sadly. “I’m glad you told me.”

Thank titan Eda kept in control. Luz thought she might respond differently, panic and hold onto her and ask her incessantly if she ever planned to do something like that again. Eda was calm. She understood. 

“I…I thought…I don’t know. I thought everyone would be better off. Because I messed things up so bad. Because I’ve always messed things up. I knew people would miss me, but I thought eventually they’d just be better off. And I…I got up to do it one night. Did this stupid little goodbye kiss to Amity while she was sleeping and everything.”

“What stopped you?” 

“Amity had a nightmare and I had to wake her up and comfort her.”

Eda made a dimmed version of her snorting laugh. “Girlfriend duties, huh?”

“Yeah,” Luz tried to chuckle. “Sort of. But I did realize, it was more of an excuse. I really didn’t want to die. I was so scared, I just went numb. I feel like I would have done it and not felt real until I started choking and then I would have tried screaming for help. I would have changed my mind. But then it might have been too late. And I’d have been actually dead. And I’d never have seen you again.”

Luz’s heart pounded as she imagined it, the fantasy scenario interspersed with her actual death. The way she had actually seen her body crumble, the feel of her head rotting and hollowing out, as she could do nothing but try to reassure her loved ones. To think she had almost willingly done something like that. And to think part of her had thought that maybe, rotting away from Belos's mold might be an acceptable end. That sinking down into that peaceful lake, vanishing into nothing was fitting for her. 

She clutched Eda tighter. “But I don’t want to die. I never did. Not really.”

Eda gently brushed Luz’s hair away from her face. “Kid, you’re the most spirited person I’ve ever met. Of course you wouldn’t want to die.”

“But you said you weren’t surprised.”

“I know what running can look like. Now I don’t like to talk about it much, I think we both know that. But...I’ve had those feelings too."

“Really? What - I mean, you don’t have to talk about it.”

“I almost made some serious mistakes because I thought the same thing as you, that somehow people would be able to just ‘move on’ without me. And that sacrificing myself was going to make a bigger impact than staying alive. I didn’t want to wait around to find out what else there was because I thought it would always be lonely, and I’d just hurt more people. And because I had stupid thoughts like that, I almost missed out on all this. You and King, Raine and Lily and all my family. And…and knowing what it’s like to lose you, even for a few minutes…” Eda’s composure threatened to break for a moment and Luz went to hug her. “That’s something I could never heal from. You could cause all the damage in the world and I’d rather that than ever have something like that happen again.” Before Luz could reply, she added, “And don’t take that to mean you do cause too much trouble. I know what you were thinking.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“No more sorrys unless you think I should start apologizing too.” Luz shook her head vigorously and Eda smiled, ruffling her hair. “There’s nothing to apologize for. You’re safe, and you told me what was going on. Don’t let those guilty thoughts get you.”

Luz nodded. “The, uh, the Titan gave me a choice, when I died. It’s like he knew, too. He told me I had to choose myself, and I did hesitate. I wanted life, but some part of me thought it might be better if I just sunk down forever, in that water I told you about. But I chose to live.” Luz wiped away the beginnings of tears. “I thought sacrificing myself was the way to go, but it wasn’t. I’m so glad I chose myself, instead of just…letting that happen.” She hesitated, wringing her hands together. “But even though I did that, I still...I still need help. I’m not better. I’m really struggling.”

Now she could see how much Eda was fighting to maintain her composure; this was why she hated to bring up the event at all. But she had to get the rest of this out, and after a pause where she didn’t know what to say, Eda encouraged her. “Yeah? What’s been going on?”

“I don't want to die anymore. Not like that. But I'm also not feeling okay.  I should be happy. We defeated Belos. I’m alive! But I feel the old feelings coming back, especially when I’m at school, and I’m having so many nightmares, and I still just feel empty, and I don’t want to get close to doing anything like that again. I’ve been trying to just push through but I really, really need more help. I think I need to talk to people more, and I need you to check up on me. And I'm not clicking right with my therapist, I think I need someone different. And I want to do a project, not for rebuilding the Isles or school or whatever, but just for fun, no expectations. And I want to rest. I'm trying to do all these things but also I don't think I can do it alone. I want to get better. It's like I beat the suicidal thoughts but I'm still in a weird state and I don't know how to get out of it."

Eda’s eyes shown with pride. “Look at you, only fifteen, admitting what I couldn’t in my thirties. You’ve got so much to be proud of. Me, Raine, your mom, we’re going to get you the help you need. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but we’re going to get you through this. Okay?”

“Okay,” Luz said softly, as Eda scooped her into a hug. A gesture of affection Eda would never have dared to do a year ago, she now did with such comfortable ease, and Luz readily snuggled back. Before, Luz would have said it was a miracle of prophetic design, that two people set on destroying themselves could manage to keep going until they found each other like this. But it wasn’t. They continued because as much as they’d like to deny it, they wanted life, and they chose it. They chose to be here even when their minds screamed it was necessary to leave, to destroy themselves, that life would descend into greater emptiness if they stayed. They chose to stay, and somewhere on the painful journey, they found each other, and so many others, and they started to get used to feeling comfort alongside the despair. Luz couldn’t say whether it outweighed the hardship yet, but it was easier to see, and hold onto. Maybe it would shrink again, but it never left. As long as she kept choosing life, it could never leave entirely. And if staying alive meant she could experience love like this, she would try to choose it forever.

***

Note: Wow, a second part! I know a bunch of people asked for a continuation and I never did it, but almost a year later, I felt the urge to do this. So here we are. The original part was the first TOH fanfiction I ever posted, and it had such a positive reception. I was so grateful for that as I was quite nervous. I'm glad I waited until after the show was over to do a second part, because I loved what happened with Luz's death in Watching and Dreaming and how it plays into this. Luz sacrificing herself but then being presented with the choice to live, and having to make that decision to believe in her own worth and value in being alive, is so special to me. She chose to live, and that took far more strength for her than choosing to sacrifice. I know she would still struggle with it, even if she's not actively suicidal anymore. And that's what I wanted to portray here.

[swizzee]

Ok ok, I don’t have any art to share cause I’m in the heat of the moment but I need to rave about the new ToH episode for a second

I was bummed about the leaks and made it my mission to go spoiler free until the premiere so I could enjoy it the way Diana intended

AND HOLY FUCK SHE DID NOT DISAPPOINT

I love all the new lore we’ve just got from the new episode cause it really ties everything from season two in. The ancient rival races of collectors and titans killing each other off so one race could prevail but then their endlings become…. Friends? Also the supreme being of the universe is literally a toddler? So silly, so perfect. One thing I’m dying to learn more about is the collector code cause it’s hinted about a tiny bit and also how the Collector just changed it cause he wanted to play hide and seek?? SO SILLY. King literally reads it and doesn’t question anything, he walks down the halls of the palace and ignores the depictions of his ANCESTORS LITERALLY GETTING MURDERED!!? Hello sir your fat head is hiding the lore! I am excited to see King learn the full extent of his powers cause if they’re equally as powerful as the Collector’s, the final show down is gonna kick ass!

One of my biggest regrets was embracing literally every Thanks to Them spoiler I could get my fingers on so the whole story was kinda meh when I actually watched it. One thing that no one even bothered mentioning was all the Star Trek references! The whole season we learn about how Luz’s parents got together over a shared love of Star Trek. Gus and Hunter dress up the whole episode, I mean twist my arm and kiss my soul Diana!! I love Star Trek so much, almost as much as I love crossovers. So Star Trek x any of my other interests? Just steal my heart already!

BEAM ME UP??? Hunter dressed as Data, Gus as maybe Riker or Forge??? I am in love

Willow coping with her emotions and her friends helping her realize she’s more than just the rock of the group was so wonderful and really embraced so much of the Willow character development we never got to see. Her and hunter holding hands at the end was adorable too. Fingers crossed for a tiny cheek kiss by the end of the next special 🤞

Luz and her mom finally being able to understand each other was so adorable and done with so much passion, the whole scene left me in tears. Her mom relating back to Luz of how she was a weird, nerdy kid in high school and just wanted to protect her daughter from relentless bullying honestly hit way to close to home. I’ve always been a weird kid (ie. Sci Fi enthusiast, artsy fartsy, lover of cartoons, hater of sports) and have had the same conversations Luz had with her mom in season one. “You need to calm down, try to relate to other kids more. There’s nothing wrong with you, you might just be a bit… much for some people”. It broke my heart seeing their strained relationship but that just made me even more in awe of them bonding over their weird passion.

“All I ever wanted was to be understood”. She’s just like me fr ☹️💔

Luz’s palesman reveal was so long awaited by everyone and Diana definitely did not disappoint. I saw so many videos on theories about her palesman but I never considered every single theory would be right lmao. Anyway, string bean is so perfect and a great reflection of how Luz is so much more than a silly otter or a sulking sparrow, she embodies everything. I love String Bean, especially all the different forms they offer for her, can’t wait to draw all of them!!!

More girlfriend content! I love them sm, mmmm young love, so yummy, GET IN MY MOUTH EGGEGEGDHJDJKE 🤬💖

I understand that the third season was meant to be more than three specials but tbh, I can’t imagine seeing such a beautiful piece of artistry separated into episodes. The colors, character designs, plot, everything. It was all leaps and bounds ahead of Thanks to Them so my hopes are even higher for Watching and Searching

This is one of my favorite screen caps, enjoy!

The glittery eyes, the flowing tears, the way the light reflects off her face in a way the separates her from the scenery??? PLEASE OH MY GOD IT WILL KILL ME VGFTVGTDVGYDGVHDHUCUDHCUDJ

[fruitdragon1a]

From out of nowhere comes questions 5, 6, 7, and 8 for the TOH ask game :)

5. Favorite Hexsquad member?

I already answered this question in this post here! Short answer, tho-- It's gotta be Luz. Gus takes a close second place.

6. Favorite Hagsquad member?

Okay, before this ask game I literally had no idea who the Hagsquad even was, so it took a while to think about it. But in the end I think I've got to say Lilith-- she made a terrible villain/enemy, but her redemption arc was done really well (my one problem with it was that she got Luz to forgive her way too fast) and she makes a great cool aunt. Also Lily and Hootsifer BFFs for life!

7. Favorite palisman?

I answered this question in the same post from earlier-- short answer, Flapjack.

8. Favorite other character?

Camila. 100% Camila. Despite learning that her daughter was stuck in a nightmarish realm of demons and witches and that a basilisk from that realm took her place, she was kind to Vee and gave her a place to call home, and when Luz came back she did everything she could to welcome her back and make her friends feel safe and welcome. When Luz decided that never returning to the Boiling Isles was the best thing for everyone, instead of going along with it and getting to keep her daughter with her in the human realm, Camila recognized that leaving the Boiling Isles forever wasn't the right thing for Luz-- and convinced her not to go through with it. She supported Luz all the way, understood and accepted her, not to mention she embraced this part of her daughter and the people Luz met and befriended along the way.

[daystarvoyage]

Hey everyone its the daystar voyage Head LT Kyoko cane here to bring you another good post on my blog, one of my concerned posts on black poc representation in black media

Today in this two part special where gonna discuss about Good hair in animation & how it can define the character and fashion.

i wanted to talk about the topic of hair in animated shows, how it can define the details and proper cultural portrayal of how black people or POC have been represented as a whole (be it of mixed ecthnicity)

Lets get down to it, I feel we need to make a discussion on the Good & bad on proper cultural rep on shows especially when it relates & emotes to viewers & fans, we do have the discussions oof having nothing but our sexuality been made a character define characteer instead of good character, wriitng, physcial features and up holding a beauty standard.

The topic of HAIR Appreciation in animation, Questionable taste in how hair is not styled well for ethnicity.

Example

Luz's hair has so much symbolism of who she is, going to all works of animation, I do feel when she wasn't fully understood at home she acted out very ill-conditioned cause her father pass and moved into a new area, never relating to anyone, So it leads her to not changing her looks be it fashion, which i feel the shows writing shouldve explored more into why she keeps in short and theres a topic ill put in is masculization of black women think about it.

Dear I say it, after rewatching the show, IT feels like A LETDOWN & missed chances at times, with the staff & writers not know how to make great hairstyles to show proper culutral race. (and i have seen alot of fanart who did a great job on giving her better styles that enhnace her physcial features.

i feel this a recurring trope been used since the miles morales hair controversy cause black people or poc presented hair comes in many forms that can gives so much praise. Hers a article on the miles morales hair debut which is a logical standpoint on hair reprenentation, shows we need to have more diverse hairstyles in media or poc characters

NOW

I mean girl this HAIRMET (Fused words hairdo+helmet) and my goodness will never let them down for the outfit choices for luz comparing the femme presented amity and willow which is tasteless at best.

Look down down below on how her hair could’ve made her more feminine and beautiful I blame the masculinity of black women, a topic video you can find on my youtube that contribute to such aspects of how we see poc or black people.

so many missed oppurtunitys Remind yourselfs to draw long hair luz ill be a sucka to buy it which i discuss in my video.

My FAVORITE VIDEO AND PIC on how that did her justice

also another thing, nobody shouldnt have an excuse to brush away fem qualities over sexual orientation , let there design be versatile and not one track (along with the writing of the show.)

The greater aspects of how we should style characters.

Now unlike other media i talked about above whihc have been flawed in design and dont contribute to the chaaracters growth, two shows that did a absolutely great job of showing good ethnic & cultural representation in series such as amphibia & molly mcgee whihc made raw characters come out of theere own with greatness with prominent physical features

While anne boonchy & moon girl lunella had great writing, having there cultural cleebbrated in great execution of proper black hair great with good results, In moon girl we also get in episode where we discuss why we see black people be in love with there selves for there beautiful features including hair along anne boochuy diaspora making a impact.

moon girl video below

Great hair episode that impacts Cultural and ecthinic representation above.

i feel we have a long way to go when it comes for the new gen to desgin well executed characters, instead not having there postive trait of whos orenitation being there great feature.

but i disgress

look at the hairstlyes from the winx club, the long hair on characters as layla (aisha) & flora is PHENOMENAL AND COULD’VE PLAYED A ROLE IN BLACK PEOPLES HAIR BEING BEAUTIFUL FOR VIEWERS

One Great example for hair representation, and also cultural goodness put into it was the Winx club (which had actual fashion designers work on the character concepts and outfits)

Thank you for reading this post hope we can discuss the topic on the comments (that means civilized and dont hate appreciate others critiques and statements)

Thank you for being on the daystar voyage.

[shiveringscarletsun]

The owl houses ended.. I have many thoughts

i finally got the courage to watch the last episode and my heart is racing and i cried for a bit and it’s an understatement to say it’s absolutely Perfect. The staff and dana did wonderfully trying to give us the best they can with the cuts that were made and everything they did shows how much they adore the show and love the fans and respect the viewers. I am forever grateful they made a show this magnificent. So here i’ll just talk endlessly about it because i realllyyy want to talk.

The collector

I love how they dealt with the collector. from the first time they introduced them i was genuinely shocked and amused that they had a kid be this powerful sort of “villain” because theres nothing harder to defeat than a kid who cannot be reasoned with.. the only way to deal with a kid is with kindness and mentoring.. showing them what’s right basically. However, since the collector is so powerful and had ruled basically everything it could’ve been possible to forget that they’re a kid and punish them or something.. but they didn’t and i respect it so much. Especially that their whole thing was that he was misunderstood.. Luz was also misunderstood.. they didn’t damn him just because he did bad things but went with him and showed him how good people can be. i love that. luz immediately understood them.. because she felt what they felt.

belos

i genuinely have never seen a villain this vile in my life. goosebumps all the time and insane audacity. them ending him without even luz actually killing him was genius.. the way he remained how he was till the very end, a manipulative scumbag. He was a Good written villain. a villain who had a vision, who knew his vision was opposed by all and made no sense to those around him so he sought power to enforce what “he thought was right”. exploited weaknesses and had no regard for anyone who wasn’t “useful”. the bit where luz told the titan what if we are like that too.. and how titan explained things.. it was on point and was perfect to mention it right then and there.

luz

luz was a wonderful protagonist. things weren’t magically just working out for her just because.. but it was all because of her very hard work and kind open heart. her magic was through her own work, when her friends saved her thats because she worked to make great friends who were there for her.. even the powers she gets at the end were due to the titan seeing who she was and trusting her.. knowing how dedicated and sincere she is. luz is like a tree that gives and stands through it all and i appreciate her. she started out a kid and got hurt after everything she saw, and they showed that, but she got back up because she is strong enough.. good people attract good people eventually and i loved seeing her grow.

everyone

i would love to mention everyone individually but i got tired. regardless.. the ending just shows that a good loving community will breed the most loving ,productive, and confident individuals. i love how everyone naturally grew into themselves, how trauma didnt define them and life treated them good. How those who were just naive and mean grew into their communities while those who actually hated everyone and were truly ignorant got left out because not everyone is actually worth redemption (like amity’s mom). hunter, amity, gus, willow and all the rest flourished when they were given the space to exist freely. A happy ever after isnt a single place in time.. but a life that one enjoys living everyday. i would talk forever if i could.

final thoughts

thank you for every single person that told this story and helped create it, and every person that shared the love from everywhere and dana. your passion flows and the love flows and you can get through anything.. A wonderful story, mesmerizing art, gorgeous designs and world building, heartwarming ending that is so well deserved. peace.

I wished to see more and more, but I’ll continue to cherish everything we already had.

[aquaaquila]

I understand where you're coming from, but I disagree on a few things.

I wouldn't call Luz callous and selfish for wanting to abandon her friends and girlfriend behind. Luz was punishing herself for what she did while believing she only made things worse for everyone, because it's not like Luz doesn't feel guilt regarding her past mistakes, not counting Belos. Luz always had that tendency as she was a people-pleaser through and through.

The reason why Luz didn't feel understood was because people quite often couldn't tell the intention behind her actions, or at least they didn't signal it enough for Luz to not draw any conclusions beforehand, and mind you, her wanting to be understood was also a bit of self-discovery, it was sub-conscious, so we also have to take a look at it from sub-conscious perspective.

For starters, just because you attempt to understand someone, does not mean you're suddenly there. An effort is good, but it's not enough. Amity put an effort to understand Luz. She put an effort to learn Spanish and she told Luz herself in Lost in Language that she tried to understand her and obviously failed to do so by calling Luz a bully. Amity also when she was venting back in Covention, assumed that Luz thought it was "Easy" to be a witch, when Luz, in fact, knew pretty well it wasn't and that she trying hard to be a witch and wasn't trying to wing it like Amity accused her of doing so in that scene. First impressions are important and even after everything they've been through, Luz would still have that one thought behind her head that Amity wouldn't always understand Luz's intentions or actions.

Another thing we can see is Eda who took Luz for granted a lot during the series, which made Luz feel like she needs to prove herself. We especially see this in Grom and ST and it took Luz confessing to Eda how guilty she feels about Eda losing her magic for Eda to actually understand why she put herself in danger in that episode, to begin with. Heck, if you feel like you need to explain and justify yourself and your actions, you don't feel understood. If you were understood, there would be no need to have such a conversation.

Willow (and Gus I guess, though it was mostly Willow) in WILW, while did say she understood Luz meant well, she did this after they had a fight. Luz didn't mean to push Gus and Willow too far, but she knew they were screwed and yet still tried to do her best just so Willow no longer would be an outcast. And mind you, she had to explain herself to Amity first, and then Amity had to convince Willow and Gus to help Luz out, so yeah so much for them understanding her rather than getting to understand her.

And Camila did not apologize for making Luz consider other human beings. I'm pretty sure Luz also didn't mean for snakes to attack students and while she seemed rather unbothered, we also need to remember that she was a dumb kid and probably would cringe at herself at night remembering such fail, but wouldn't bother to tell anyone as it's not like anyone asked about this or it ever was brought up (though she didn't look proud after seeing prohibition rules at the art class in TtT). What Camila did apologize for is trying to hurt Luz the same way she was hurt by society, by making her do something she didn't want just to conform. Yes, Luz needed a reality check, absolutely, and mind you, she got one in the demon realm, by directly putting everything Luz knew and got to know front and center.

Then again, it's just my three cents. You can disagree with me, you can call me crazy and an apologist who defends disgusting actions but trust me, I don't, I simply just do not agree with this criticism as I can tell Luz didn't mean any harm.

Luz’s Character Finish Is Bad

“All I’ve ever wanted… was to be understood!” only works from a meta perspective. From the perspective that she is a nuerodivergent (though never stated in the show), LGBTQIA+ character. Groups that, yes, right now are struggling to be understood, accepted and shown love. Here’s the counterpoint: Who the fuck hasn’t shown Luz understanding in the past season and a half before then? And obviously, villains don’t count because they’re kind of, you know, evil. Unless Luz wants to say everyone in existence needs to show her understanding which is commonly a villain’s motivation as it doesn’t allow for other people to exist. Amity here is the second biggest (we’ll get to Camila when we talk about the actual scene itself) because their relationship is literally built on shared understanding and interests. This actually gets worse when you look at Amity’s character. She acts entirely ready to just live in the human realm with how excited she is about it. Obviously stops studying magic to focus more on studying human world stuff to prepare for it. She even goes as far, just like King does, to LEARN SPANISH FOR LUZ. Now… Can a brain refuse all of this? As someone with Avoidant Personality Disorder: Absolutely. Does that excuse in the context of a piece of media? No it fucking doesn’t without some real explorations and deep dives into why/how the character dismisses ALL of it. Because otherwise, it’s the same to use magic to wave something away. They’re emotions, we don’t have to explain it. But if those emotions don’t make sense from ANY perspective within the show… It’s an audience’s right to call the show out for it. If a character who is very business like, to the point, and quiet suddenly goes on an hour long rant in front of the hero instead of just killing the obstacle in front of them like they have literally any other problem of theirs, you can ‘explain’ that as an author. Come up with excuses. It’s not the audiences for not believing those excuses though when the text actively goes against what is being shown. Which… Well, let’s talk about the potential excuse that Luz has never been shown understanding before the Isles? That until Gus and Willow, she had no friends and that King and Eda still did take half a season to start showing care for her and her interests. Okay. That’s all fair and technically works within the text of the show.

But Camila exists. And the first special detailed, pretty clearly, how much Camila has backed Luz up every step of the way in her creative journey. That Camila has never rejected her daughter and shown her as much understanding as is quite possible for a mom to show her daughter. She only held back on this ONCE. And I want to mention that the only time Willow and Gus ever ‘turn’ on Luz, is ONCE. Hell, rule of threes: Put the Bat Queen/Owlbert in there. And all three have the same complaint for Luz: You need to stop caring about your interests and goals at the point where they start hurting people. Now, actually, I do want to point out that if this were properly interrogated and a proper part of Luz’s arc, it would be an AMAZING parallel to how the Collector behaves. Make the two both characters who are so in love with their view of the world and excitement for their ideas and games that the rest of the world stopped mattering at one point. Only Luz has learned and the Collector has not. But then Camila, in the moment before Luz’s grand statement, apologizes for that moment. Apologizes for making Luz have to consider other human beings. Apologizes for the one moment that she has ever held Luz back on… And that’s dog shit. It frames this moment not so much as Luz wanting understanding as much as her wanting to be told there will never be consequences for her actions. That no one around her believes she even CAN make a mistake. and the rest of Camila’s speech, and more problematically Luz’s response, or lack there of, only reinforces this concept. After all, Camila makes a very rousing, very real point about the mistakes people make. She admits to a lot of her own and ostensibly, THAT is the part of the speech that the majority of the first two specials have been building up to. Luz has been torturing herself over a mistake she believes herself to have made (which how stupid that whole plot point is is literally another blog I’ve made) so tackling that, tackling the idea that sometimes you just don’t realize the full picture of your actions and you need to know the difference, makes sense. And Luz ignores all of this. Blatantly and bluntly. She doesn’t react to ANYTHING her mom says until her mom reveals she’s a secret nerd. That she is actually one Luz’s kind which is… A problem and a half in and of itself and I’ve talked Camila’s character too in the past. And Luz ignoring all of that begs the question of why none of that matters to her? She’s made such a big deal out of it after all. Acted near suicidal because of it. Unless… The problem wasn’t the mistake. Unless the problem was consequences she couldn’t guaranty she could fix or were too hard to fix. Too inconvenient and painful. One example of this is perhaps the cruelest thing Luz does: Amity quotes back to her about wanting to spend their future together before stepping through the portal. At that time, Luz knows that her plan is to not go through that door. To let it close with Amity on the other side. Supposedly, Luz loves this girl. There are pictures of them going on dates in the human realm despite Luz having had this question on her mind for a while now… If not the answer she came up with. But she says nothing. She fully intended to not give Amity any sort of closure and let Amity, up to the very second they were separated, believe Luz still intended to spend their future together. The level of callousness and selfishness required to break up with someone like that, let alone abandoning ALL of her friends who would have to deal with that emotional turmoil while dealing with the new form of the Isles, is just beyond me. It’s not something you can excuse with being a teenager. It’s not something you should excuse with nuerodivergence and FUCK YOU if you do. It is simply a god awful moment for Luz’s character. Period. And outside of meta explanations, like the writers knowing Camila would go through and so knew Luz wasn’t going to abandon Amity and thus didn’t think about Luz’s actions, there’s no getting what it says about Luz’s character. Let alone mixed with this. Mixed with her blatantly not caring about any lessons about mistakes or having a conversation about mistakes. She just wants to be told she’s special, act like she’s special and continue to believe she lives in a fantasy. That she is the hero and once she stopped believing that fantasy could come true, she was willing to let the entire Isles burn without even trying to help it.

Because understanding to Luz isn’t recognition of your ideas, beliefs, interests, struggles, etc. It is all of that plus not being critical of anything she does. That any amount, literally any amount, of push back, of suppression, means you hate her and just don’t ‘understand’ her. It’s gross, it’s bad and as someone who was born autistic and suffers from depression now… This isn’t how I want to be understood. And I would hope it’s not how most want to be understood. ======== I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join! I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat. And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[spin-offsmirnoff]

Spoilers for “Thanks to Them” (Season 3 - Episode 1)

I'mma just talk about TOH stuff real quick, don't mind me :)

So, I've been rewatching the latest episode like mad, and I've come to realize something

Caleb wasn't a real witch hunter, not like how everyone expected. It was outright said that he and Phillip were orphans that moved to Gravesfield at the height of the witch trials, so I have no doubt that they were just trying to fit in when they first arrived. Of course, being an orphan and an older brother to someone like Phillip, there's no way that Caleb wasn't stressed out of his goddamn mind, and adding in the violence and paranoia the town was probably putting on everyone with the threat of witches, it just made it worse

Now, when you're hella stressed, have no one to turn to, and need an escape, what's something any reasonable person would do? Look for an outlet! And yes, things were no doubt harder back in the 1600s, but this is also a cartoon, so Caleb probably found a witch at some point. Instead of killing/reporting this witch (who is now known as Evelyn) Caleb was "whisked away by her magic and tales of another world". As the oldest brother (probably well into his teens) Caleb most likely didn't rouse any suspicion when he up and left out of the blue at random times, but it would def be sus to Phillip. 

As the younger brother, Phillip def took the witch-hunter thing more seriously. It was the perfect outlet for him, and gave him a shit load of freedom to do some stuff, so when he found out Caleb was talking to a witch, he probably flipped out on him.

So, when Caleb did leave, Phillip knew exactly where he was going and followed in an attempt to save his brother. It really did start out as saving Caleb, since Phillip most likely believed that Evelyn cast a spell on him, but when Caleb tried to tell Phillip about how wonderful this new world was, Phillip outright flipped and a fight started

This is where those paintings in Belos's mind come into play. We can see the life of the two as time went on, and eventually, Phillip holding a knife while looking at Caleb. The next one is Caleb hugging Phillip, so we have to assume Caleb believed Phillip understood his stance on magic, but with outside knowledge, we know otherwise. It's either during the hug or right after that Phillip stabbed Caleb, officially killing his brother, but time had def passed before that happened since Phillip had a beard in the hug painting but was clean-shaven in the story that the guide was telling on the hayride. So that gave Caleb more than enough time to fall in love with the Boiling Isles and Evelyn, and for him to earn his Palisman (Flapjack). Sometime after that is when Luz and Lillith went back in time and met Phillip, as we see literal bones in the tent he's staying in at the end of that episode. 

Any way, my point is Caleb wasn't a witch hunter like Phillip was, he was just masquerading so he could fit into the new town without being an outcast--

ALSO, CALEB HAD BROWN EYES

NOT BLUE LIKE PHILLIP

SEE

When Hunter first touched the Belos goop with his cut finger, he saw Belos's figure immediately after there was literally no pause between it. That means that Belos could literally take control at any time after that (unless he needed to gain magic, but that doesn't make sense cause Hunter didn't have his own magic since he's a grimwalker. Even with Flapjack, he's got mega limitations) so that'd just leave the fact that he was biding his time with Hunter, waiting to strike at any time he wanted. He most def didn't know about the rebus when it was first mentioned, and the hallucinations only really started kicking up a few notches when the titan's blood was mentioned. That means that Belos probably had a different plan on using Hunter as a puppet, but only changed his mind when he realized there was an infinitely easier option for getting back to the Isles. That also means that he probably expected Hunter to die when he de-possessed his body since I don't see any other way Belos could have left that wouldn't have incapacitated Hunter in some way. But that also means that Hunter can't be a full grimwalker any more now that Flapjack has essentially merged with him in a way, cause Hunter's eye color changed to look more like Calebs than any other shade of brown (it looked like Luz's eye color cause of the lighting from the portal door, and the color of Caleb's eyes in the mirror from above is probably desaturated cause of distant memories being faded in a way or because of the way Caleb had been living at that point in time)

Also, if Palismen are inspired by Familiars, then they can be passed down from witch to witch. That means that if Flapjack wasn't created for Caleb, he was def gifted to Caleb by Evelyn, whose family is known to be adept in carving Palismen (it also explains why Flapjack and all those other Palismen were able to bond with another witch after they were found by the Bat Queen)

OH AND In the first ep of season 3, the group finds a literal secret code from Caleb and Evelyn. That means the two of them were in contact for a long fucking time to develop a code/map system that they could understand and create portal doors that work when activated (even hundreds of years later), so that just sells the point that Caleb really needed a positive outlet if he kept such a hard grasp on understanding and connecting with magic/witches

Edit: This is a chart I made trying to figure out Hunter's new eye color, since it's def different from what we've seen so far--