#nothing spectacular but I just had to draw her

[narrenstrich]

[stardestroyer81]

It's true— she told me herself! 💞

(Blank template under the cut!)

[azumasoroshi]

unironically the hardest line in the game what the hell

[draftdweller]

Cherry, baby

Logan Howlett x Reader

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, Unprotected P in V, Oral F receiving, plus sized reader.

You were on your way home from your late night Diner shift, the uniform looking straight out of the 50's, your cherry red lipstick providing a stark contrast to your facial features, the dark mass of hair tied back in a nice updo to keep it out of your face and make sure it's contained while you work. You loathed the pastel pink dress that you had to wear for your shift, but money is money. You were flat broke every month after bills and groceries, the economy was more than difficult to survive in. You blamed the cost of things on the damages every city endured from every spat that came from mutants fighting their own wars. You noticed the city you were in was compromised the most, New York. Every week a new part of the city was destroyed, every month a new price raise on things. You loathed it completely. Even being a mutant yourself, you stayed to yourself.

Your family had tried to ship you off to Charles Xavier's school for the gifted. You booked it out of there by first light of the next day. No one had even noticed you were gone. Who would, with your powers being nothing spectacular, just telekinesis and the ability to cloud your presence from others. It was useless in any of their battles, and useless in life unless you were using it to move the trays at your job when you were busy with other things.

When you got back to your tiny apartment, you sighed seeing the notice on your door, three days to evacuate the premises, two months late on rent due to hours being cut meaning you couldn't afford it any longer. luckily you had almost no possessions, and the next thing you knew, you were on your way back to the mansion of professor x.

You approached the door and gave a tentative knock, who knew if Charles would let you back into this place. But when the door opened, it wasn't Charles before you. No, it was a muscular man, broad shoulders, dark hair that came up to a point on either side of his head. He was gorgeous, and rugged. He had a cigar between his lips and eyeing you cautiously.

"Can I help you, bub?" A gruff tone left his lips as he spoke.

"Uh, Yes. I'm looking for Charles"

"Charles? How D'you know him?" Another glance in your direction as he took a drag from the cigar.

"He's an old friend."

"I see. Well, come in then" As he spoke he turned and stepped into the house.

You nodded and walked in, and suddenly all eyes on you, Storm drawing in a breath as she caught sight of you. She was one of the only ones who had noticed you had left back when you did. The look in her eyes was both hurt and shock, taking in the sight of you. She walked up to you, her hair significantly shorter than when you'd last seen her.

"Y/N? Where have you been? I thought you had died. Why are you back?" She cautiously held you at arm's length and looked you over

"Died? No, I was just fine. I was on my own as soon as I could be. No one knew where I was because I knew if you all could find me, you'd bring me right back here, and I don't think I ever belonged here, my gifts are useless to say the least. Could you take me to Charles please?"

Without another word, she led you to Xavier, who you spoke to about staying here. You were assured you would always have a place at the school, and so there it was. You were working on unloading what little things you had, when the man who answered the door was standing there in the doorway. Keeping his eyes on you, as you used your mind to move the items around where you wanted them.

"So. You've been here before then? What brought you back?" He spoke and as he did so, you could feel his eyes tracing over your curves. You took off your hoodie you were wearing and looked back at him. "I had nowhere to go anymore" Your reply was short, not unkind but definitely blunt

"I guess that makes sense. But why'd you leave in the first place?"

"Look. I'd rather not discuss this with someone I know nothing about." Your cherry red lips pursed as you finished your sentence, hoping that would be the end of it. You couldn't be more wrong.

"Yea, well bub, Good luck trying to know anything about me. I don't even know much about myself from before I got here. Just that my name is Logan, and I have adamantium bones, and claws"

Your eyes rolled and you looked at him unbelieving. Then you noticed the look on his face. Your brows crinkled up and you sat on the bed.

"You really don't remember?"

"Not really. When I try to look back, it's foggy. Like someone covered it with mist"

You were nodding along as he spoke, and couldn't help but feel bad for him.

"So then, what is your name?"

"Logan." That was all he said before he left the room. That in itself was weird.

SIX MONTHS LATER

You had adjusted to the mansion life, always buzzing during the day. Quiet at night, there seemed to still have the curfew to be in your rooms at. But tonight, you couldn't sleep. You cautiously made your way to the kitchen, grabbing a drink and snack, and going to the room where the TV was. You made sure that it was turned down low enough that it wouldn't disturb anyone, but high enough that you could still hear it. You were in the middle of a horror movie when there was the sound of someone clearing their throat. You felt your body launch ten feet in the air, knocking the snack and drink off the coffee table in front of you. You turned around to see Logan standing there, his hair messy, and him wearing sleep pants and a white tank.

"You do know, there's a curfew, correct?"

"Yes, I, Yes. I just couldn't sleep. I'm sorry" You were tripping over your words as you spoke, your eyes following the contours of his body.

"Yea, that's the understatement of the year for me. I don't sleep much either. You mind if I join you here then?"

"Go ahead, as long as you promise not to scare the shit out of me like that again." You were moving over to make room on the couch for him, and he sat, eyeing you with a smirk playing on his lips.

"What are you doing sitting so far? I don't bite." He motioned for you to sit closer to him, and nods at the TV "Poltergeist huh? that's a good one"

You nodded, and slid closer to him, leaving a bit of space between the two of you. "One of my favorites that still startles me here and there."

He chuckled and nods. "I suppose it still has some good jumps here and there. If you need to, you can hide in my shoulder"

Your own laugh left your lips, and you nodded keeping that in mind. Eventually you did wind up burying your face against his shoulder, feeling nothing but muscle. He wound up moving to wrap said arm around you, his hands stroking over your plush curves, fingers splaying against your bare midriff, and tracing circles against your skin. You felt your cheeks heat up as he did this and looked up at him. You couldn't form words, but you could feel a spark of energy between the two of you.

You leaned up, and pressed your lips against his, kissing him slowly. At first, he resisted, shocked by the bold move and then kissed back. The kiss increased in passion, until you pulled back looking at him sheepishly.

"I, I'm so sorry. I don't know why I did that."

"Don't apologize, I was just stunned at first, bub. I liked it."

You met his eyes, your own wide, just as he crashed his lips back into yours, kissing you hotly. You returned the kiss with the same urgency, your hands coming up to tangle in his hair, a guttural groan leaving his lips as you tug gently, and his hands coming to rest on your hips, trying to pull you into his lap. You resisted with that move, mainly because you were self-conscious about your weight. You pulled back and looked at him "I, I can't" Your words were hushed, and he looked at you his brows knitting in confusion. "I'm heavier, I don't want to crush you"

"Bub, look. You wouldn't crush me, believe me. You may think you're too heavy, but I promise, I'm indestructible. I can handle you" As he spoke, his fingers came up to grip your chin gently. His words were sincere, and his touch gentle. He brought your lips back up to his, kissing you slowly. Instead of pulling you onto his lap this time, he pushed you back gently, causing you to lay back on the couch.

He pulled back from the kiss and moved his lips to the hollow of your throat, kissing and nipping gently, eliciting a gasp from you. He looked up at you from your throat and smirked "Oh, you liked that, did you?"

You didn't respond. You just nodded your head. In an instant, his lips were back on your throat, licking, nipping and sucking on it. Sure to leave marks on it. His hand was trailing up your thigh, and stopped at the junction between your thighs, stroking gently through your clothes. You moaned out and covered your mouth. He smirked and hushed you slightly. He moved up and hooked his thumb in your sleep shorts, pulling them down, revealing nothing underneath. He let out a ragged groan as he took in the sight of you. You glisten slightly in the lighting of the TV.

"Fuckin' beautiful" He murmured. His eyes had a look in them like a man starved and he met your gaze again. "If you want me to stop at any point bub, tell me. I will" "I want to keep going" Your words were a whisper, your hands covering your face slightly as he moved to place his head between your thighs.

He gazed up at you, and his fingers coming up to stroke along your folds. The little moan that left your lips encouraged him to keep going. His fingers slipped between your folds and caressed the sensitive bud above your entrance. Another gasp slipped from your lips, and he inhaled sharply, taking in your scent. His lips replaced where his fingers were, and they slipped down, teasing your entrance before pushing one digit in. You moan out loudly and arch your hips, his lips capturing the sensitive bud, sucking and nipping on it gently. "Logan, please. I need more" You mewled out as his pushed another finger into you. He smirked against you and sped up the motions of his fingers, continuously hitting the spongy area that had you most about to come undone. You felt yourself tighten around his fingers. "Come on bub, let go. Soak my fingers."

With his words, you let out a strangled cry, coming around his fingers and your hips buck slightly. He pulled back and looked up at you, bringing his fingers to his lips, and sucking them clean with an appreciative groan

"You taste so sweet, like cherries" His words caused your cheeks to heat up again and you look at him

"I, maybe we should go to my room, if you wanted to, I mean"

He smirked and nodded, pulling your shorts back up and lifting you effortlessly. He made his way to your room, and opened the door, bringing you into the room and shutting it with a kick. He made his way to your bed, laying you on it and kissing you once more. His knee separating your legs, and he nipped at your lip roughly. You could feel the bulge of him in his sleep pants pressing into you. Your hand came down to rub against it gently, causing him to let out a low growl "You sure you want to go there bub?"

"I've never been surer of anything, Logan" He nods and pulls back, peeling his shirt off his body, and then his sleep pants. Finally, he removed his boxers, and you gasped as he sprung free. He was thick, and long, with the tip red and leaking precum. He noticed the way you were looking at it and smirked slightly. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you" You nodded slowly, and looked at him, carefully peeling off your crop top and sleep shorts. You made an effort to cover your body back up as his eyes danced hungrily over you, but he grabbed your hand gently. He looked you over and used his free hand to stroke your face gently "You are so beautiful. Don't hide it" You were speechless, most people didn't compliment you for your body. But he did, and his eyes devoured you. Before you knew it, his lips were back on yours. His hand moving down to line himself up with your entrance.

He slowly pushed into you, stopping after an inch to let you adjust, and your jaw was slack at the feeling of him. He was waiting for you to adjust. "Logan, please move" With your plea, he pushed further in, until he bottomed out, his balls against your ass and a groan leaving his lips at how tight you were around him. Slowly he began moving and growled at the first thrust. He couldn't take the slow pace, and began to speed up, the sound of skin slapping filled the room, along with the grunts and moans. Your hands were on his back, nails digging into the skin making him hiss. Your eyes rolled back as he hit your sweet spot. The feeling was washing over you again, and he was murmuring sweet things to you, encouraging you to let go again. You let go with a cry of his name, tightening almost painfully around him, and he thrust, the thrusts getting sloppier. As you came undone around him, he followed quickly. His hips stuttering as he shot his seed deep into you. He collapses on top of you, breathing hard, and looked up at you, a small smile playing on his lips. "You did so good for me, Cherry baby" "Why do you call me that logan?" your eyes met his curiously

"Because when I first met you, and every day I see you. your lips are red as cherries"

You smiled and nodded, taking in what he said and agreed. A yawn slipped from your lips, and he pulled out gently, moving to lay by your side. You turned to face him, spent entirely from the sex and his hands rested on your hips. Before you knew it, you had drifted off to sleep, and logan snuck from your room.

By the time you woke up, you had noticed the side of the bed he'd been on was cold, and empty. You couldn't help the disappointment you felt. You decided that last night was just another meaningless night.

A/n: I'm so sorry, this was my actual first attempt at writing smut. It's not very good, but I enjoyed it. Let me know if you did too!

[otdiaftg]

The King's Men - Chapter Eleven

Day: Thursday, February 29th/March, 1st* Time: 10:45 PM EST

By the time the Trojans and Lions hit halftime Neil had forgotten all about Kevin. He'd been so wrapped up in the Foxes' season and the Ravens he'd forgotten how spectacular the rest of the Big Three were. These teams played like they were professionals. They didn't have the Ravens' spotless record but they were only a half-step behind Edgar Allan. Kevin had warned them weeks ago the Foxes weren't ready to face these schools. For once his callous dismissal felt like a gentle understatement. He wasn't the only one who found it a sobering sight. Dan muted the commercials, tapped the remote against her thigh in a nervous rhythm, and said, "So we definitely need to step it up, guys." Kevin frowned at her. "Even if you'd stepped it up when I told you to a year ago, you would have no chance of beating them. There is nothing at all you can do this late in the year. They are better than we are and they always will be." "Do you get off on being such a Debbie Downer?" Nicky asked. "Denial does none of us any good," Kevin said. "We struggled against Nevada. How do you honestly expect us to make it past the Big Three?" "California's overdue for a big earthquake," Nicky pointed out. "That'd take care of USC, at least." "That's a little extreme, don't you think?" Renee asked. "We need something extreme at this point," Allison said. Renee's expression was calm and her tone steady, but Renee didn't need to look disappointed in them for them to get the message. "The Trojans had our backs when we needed them most. Do you really want them to suffer just so we can profit?" "It's just not fair," Nicky said, shying away from her gaze. "Us getting this far and putting up with so much and then losing here, I mean." "We haven't lost yet," Dan said, "but we will lose if you give up right out of the gate." Kevin started to say something Neil knew would be negative and dismissing. Neil reached behind Andrew and popped Kevin in the back of the head to shut him up. Matt choked on a laugh and tried unsuccessfully to pass it off as a cough. Kevin froze for a startled second, then sent Neil a scathing look. "No one wants to hear that right now," Neil said. "If you hit me again," Kevin started. Andrew cut in with a casual, "You'll what?" Kevin shut up but didn't look happy about it.

Art used with permission by Rainbowd00dles. Thank you @rainbowd00dles.

(I merged the og art as well as the re-draw because I adore Andrew's face in the second panel.)

*Due to the Leap Year, I have opted to highlight the day rather than the date to keep the events in occurrence to the 2007 year. I will continue to mark both days accordingly.

[l-egionaire]

Just saw Kung Fu Panda 4. Here are some thoughts.

Plot was... okay. Nothing super special, but it was fine enough for the kind of story the movie was trying to tell. And there were some great imagery and animation moments. I honestly don't get all the complaints about the animation. I saw one thing on TV tropes say it'd because it's not something like Puss in Boots Two or The Bad Guys, but I'm honestly fine with it not being like those. I feel like if all animated movies used that style, people would just start to complain that they're all the same.

Zhen was fine as a character. Bit of the usual "thief with a heart of gold" type character, but while I do think her changing was a bit fast, I can get why it happens. Po's the first person to show her genuine kindness with little alterior motive, and combined with a later betrayl, I can see her motivation for becoming a better person. Her voice acting wasn't too bad, but I think it could've been better in some dramatic moments. Also, while the movie doesn't draw attention to it, I do think there's a lot of parallel that could be drawn between her and Po, not just with how they grew up but also in their parental figures. Not to mention, they ultimately aren't THAT different as characters. They're both goofy people but grew up being looked down on by others and seem to use humor or goofiness as a defense mechanism. Just that she uses snark whereas he uses his big happy personality.

I REALLY like Po in the movie. Not just because he's his usual big fun self, but because he's still just as, if not more competent as he was in the previous movies. A big issue I had with the How To Train Your Dragon franchise was how Hiccup seemed to keep being less competent or capable in the movies. But no. Po's still able to kick ass and is the skilled warrior he should be after three movies of fighting. And I do think his fear of losing his dragon warrior title is understandable since that HAS been a big part of his identity across all three movies. Some might say that it's odd he's so afraid of change since he became a teacher in the last movie, but that was just adding on to his the responsibilities he already had. I would say his arc of becoming a spiritual leader was neglected some by the end and could've used a bit more focus.

Po's dad's are great. At first, I thought their subplot was just a comedic b-plot, but I liked how they ended up getting their and providing Po emotional support. And again, while it's not given much focus, their relationship and how they encourage Po creates a nice parallel between Zhen and her parental figure.

The Chameleon as a villain isn't THAT interesting, but she's not terrible. Personality wise, she's okay, but nothing spectacular. I do think her backstory was interesting, and, like the past three villains, her backstory mirrors Po's in a way. Which I honestly kind of wished they'd focused on a little more. I think it would've given her more depth that she's hinted to have.

Yes, the Furious Five aren't in this move for 99 percent of it. But.....I think it works. Because the whole point of the movie is about Po and Zhen. Them building their trust and relationship to get to the point they are by the end of the movie. And having the Furious Five their might have made things feel overstuffed.

Ultimately, I think it's a good movie. Nothing AMAZING but it's good and It does pick up more in the second half. Overall I'd say this around a 7.5 out of ten if I had to describe it.

[thegreenthepeacetheorange]

Everlark (Catching Fire, Ch. 15-16)

(finnick and johanna are in the building. i repeat, finnick and johanna are in the building!)

katniss likes her men medium handsome. she likes to find the beauty in the ordinary things. so of course finnick is of no interest to her whereas peeta...

katniss mocking finnick to peeta is hilarious

"because you have a weakness for beautiful things and i don't" "having an eye for beauty isn't the same thing as a weakness... except possibly when it comes to you" i know peeta had katniss's insides turning to mush on the regular. again, them having another compliment-off. they love those.

katniss fixating on peeta's blue eyes. again. "those blue eyes" - they're nothing spectacular... they're just blue eyes that belong to him so they're those blue eyes.

hand holding is just their thing. constant handholding at every opportunity. their hands are permanently intertwined

"peeta and i.. are so mesmerising" "peeta and i appear... young and strong and beautiful"

katniss being JEALOUS when johanna strips down. like she's so annoyed she won't look at peeta and throws his hand away from her when johanna leaves. "she spends the whole ride... chatting to peeta about his paintings while the light of his still-glowing costume reflects off her bare breasts" - she's MAD mad.

their fight after the elevator is so teenage it makes my heart ache. like they're really just teenagers navigating so many human experiences for the first time amongst this chaos.

one of the main reasons she's still angry with him the next day is because of him teasing her (and lingering jealousy over johanna). her being like 'i don't want his comfort but i'm still gonna die to ensure he's alive but i don't owe him more than that' (paraphrasing) is so funny because what do you even mean, katniss? she's unhinged

peeta just having a big group of friends around all the time, like he did in district 12 - and still it's katniss he wants the most. aw. "it's amazing that he ever took any notice of me." you can't convince me that katniss doesn't absolutely adore that she's peeta's chosen one. like she feels so special that he fell in love with her/chooses to love her.

"so i'm stupid for thinking that they might be useful. because of something johanna mason said while she was oiling up her breasts for wrestling" - oh she is so jealous and mad. lmao

i don't think i hold anything against peeta for not saying/doing something to chaff in the moment he kisses katniss. like he's also just 17 and he was probably equally caught off guard. haymitch really should've been the one to protect her but he laughed. peeta saying he won't let chaff kiss her again feels like him teasing but also him realising that she really didn't like that and i know for sure he wouldn't let that happen again.

katniss being like oh these people are quite nice and friendly and quite damaged that i would want to protect them "but all of them must die if i'm to save peeta" - she's unhinged. and this goes back to my point that a lot of her motivations are driven for selfish reasons. she's saving peeta for herself, because it's what she needs to happen

katniss doesn't want to stick it to the gamemakers because they're terrible people (although i'm sure that plays a part), it's just so she can draw attention away from peeta and hopefully onto herself for the sake of his survival

[genderstormwrites]

Secrets in the Cellar

By every metric, the date had been a spectacular one. For a random pairing on a dating app, Kels seemed to be an incredible woman, far surpassing the low expectations you tended to have on these kinds of dates. She had been thoughtful and attentive as you spoke about yourself throughout dinner. She knew just what to say to keep a conversation going, or when to pivot into telling a story about herself that kept you gripped. You had so many interests in common, from movies to games to hiking and baking. After dinner you went on a walk, got ice cream, and finally, she'd invited you over to her place.

What you had not expected, as you pulled up to her property, was the sizeable home that Kels inhabited. "You live here all alone?" You stared up at the two-story historical home, the size of it all flooring you. You were used to dates bringing you back to cramped apartments, often with one or more roommates to boot. This was a fascinating change of pace.

She hesitated, for a moment, before replying. "Yeah, just me. I bet you think it's awfully big, right? How can I afford something like this? Well, it was actually my friend's house. Or more accurately, her grandmother's. It's a long story, that I'd love to tell you sometime. Let's get inside and I can make some coffee."

You followed Kels inside, fascinated by the Victorian home as you passed through the foyer and into the den. "Please, make yourself at home. I'll get a pot started and- oh drat. I gotta grab a spare bag from the cellar. I'll be back in a few."

You nodded, allowing your date to walk off down a hallway as you admired the pictures and knick-knacks lining the room. The furniture and decor felt archaic. Perhaps Kels had neglected to update things when she received the house from... her friend's grandmother? That sure seemed like quite the story...

As a few minutes passed, a loud crash could be heard from below. A noise from the cellar. Perhaps Kels had dropped something? You peeked around the corner of the hallway to spot the door to the stairs leading down, fully open. The cellar was dark, and as you peeked down the stairs, it seemed no one was down there.

"Hey, Kels!? Are you okay?" A thick silence radiated up the stairs and chilled your skin, goosebumps running up your arms. What if something had happened? What if your date had been injured, or worse? You decided an investigation was in order, and began creeping down the steps.

The further you got into the darkness, the more the dank basement seemed to crawl under your skin. You tried your best to find a light switch, but there seemed to be nothing along the wall as the darkness swallowed you. From behind, the door leading upstairs closed, and you turned with a jump. Now in pitch blackness, you attempted to turn around fully and re-ascend the stairs to the top, but the next step you took led downwards, further into the cellar.

That's odd, you thought, surely you were going back the way you came? But in the darkness, every step seemed to lead down, drawing you into the cavernous maw beneath the old home. By this point, you were far less concerned with finding Kels as you were with returning alive. You weren't sure if you believed in ghosts before entering the home, but now they were certainly on your mind.

The further you descended into the cellar, the more you noticed your movements slowing. Almost imperceptibly at first, but before long, you began to feel the drag against your body as impossibly thin threads tangled in your hair and through your clothes. They began clumping - cobwebs clinging to every inch of you as you continued aimlessly forward.

Driven by fear and unquantifiable persistence, you pressed forward, allowing the webs to coat you as you pressed further down into the infinite cellar. After what felt like hours, a light became visible in the distance. You followed it, pushing through the resistance of the webbing around you, and rushed forward to a small room, dimly lit by a candle on a tall holder.

And there, in the room, stood your date. Kels was entirely nude, her eyes empty and jaw slack, as she turned to you. She, too, was covered in webbing, but also something wet and slimy. A viscous coating that, on further inspection, seemed to have slicked the floor in this strange room as well.

"Kels, thank god you're okay! What's going on!? What is this place!? Kels?" The woman barely responded to your pleas as you felt your body hoisted up in the webbing and spun quickly. You barely noticed her body as she twisted you around. Her legs moved swiftly and silently as they wrapped you in more and more of her webs. Finally, when your body was entirely immobilized in thick webs, her face descended into view.

Her features were largely human - a nude woman's body with large perky breasts and a soft, chubby tummy. Her mouth curled into a fanged smile as her nostrils flared and the dozens of black eyes on her face stared into you. Her long, pointed ears twitched and her dark hair dangled just above you as she stared with a smile on her face. Before you could react, she lunged forward and bit your arm, then your other arm, and instantly you felt a numbing sensation spread through your body.

"So this is your offering to me, little one? This human?" The spider woman spoke in a hissing tone, appraising you as she called down to what was once your date.

"Yes, mistress. This one seemed most promising."

"As a meal, or as breeding fodder?" The curiosity in the spider's voice struck fear in your heart even as your chest lost feeling and your body grew limp in your webbed restraints.

"Whatever suits you, my lady. Though I am inclined to recommend breeding this one, if I may."

The spider's attention shifted. She crawled down the ceiling and walls, allowing you to witness her 8 monstrous legs and enormous, bulbous abdomen as she closed in on Kels's wet, nude form. "And what makes you say that, my puppet? This human looks awfully tasty. You've been bringing me lackluster meals lately. This one seems far more substantial."

Kels did not react as the spider's face closed in on her, thick strands of saliva dripped onto her shoulders and cheek, but she paid them no mind. She replied, staring emotionlessly forward, "If you desire a meal, then by all means, she is your catch. And if you still hunger, you may have my flesh as well. But if it is a healthy brood you seek, then this human's fertile body shall be the perfect incubator."

Despite the feeling in your body being almost entirely gone, chills ran down your spine. This whole situation was unfathomable. A meal? Breeding fodder? A brood? Surely this was all a dream. Surely you would wake up at any moment. Perhaps you had fallen asleep on your date. Or maybe the whole date was a dream, too. At this rate, anything to prevent the fates that seemed to dangle ahead, completely out of your control.

The spider considered these words, looking back up at you, her prey. "Perhaps you are right. And perhaps I shall have my brood. As always, your willingness to serve me in any way is appreciated. I knew I chose wisely when selecting my nestwife. But there is something else, here. You do not speak the entire truth. So tell your wife, lest I devour you here and now, what it is you are hiding."

Kels hesitated, suddenly fear and uncertainty entered her eyes. She quickly composed herself, took a deep breath, and spoke as evenly as she could. "I'm sorry, my wife. I did not mean to withhold the truth from you I just... I found this one quite attractive. It is never my decision what you do with the meat I bring you, but as I lured it here, I imagined it full of your eggs, and the sight was beautiful. I imagined myself, beside it, filled with your brood as we relished in your gifts and it made me quiver with excitement."

The spider smiled, her lips approaching her wife's ear so close that her warm breath made the woman shiver. "Very good, my puppet. Thank you for being honest with your queen. Now, you may cum, pet."

And instantly, Kels fell to her knees, shuddering in pleasure. The quiet movements of the spider approached you once again as she climbed back up to your home on the ceiling. "Good news, meat. My wife has convinced me to spare your life, for now, so I must prepare you for your new life as my incubation sac. By now you must already know that your body no longer feels or responds to anything. That is, unless I tell it to. Why don't you speak to me, little one?"

At once, your mouth began to move as she allowed it. "Please, please! Let me go! I won't tell anyone! I won't do anything! I'll forget this ever happened. Just ple-" "Silence," She commanded, and your body obeyed. Whatever venom coursed through your veins now gave her so much power over you. Tears streamed to your eyes. "Your fate has been sealed, little puppet. You never had a chance. Now open wide." Your mouth stretched on its own, sweat dripping down your neck as you watched the queen reposition, her abdomen pointed at your face. Slowly, a long tube began emerging from her underside, creeping towards you open mouth. As hard as you tried to close it, you had no choice but to allow the ovipositor to slide into your maw and up against the back of your throat. You felt like gagging, but nothing responded. Your muscles relaxed as several large lumps began traveling along the tube before moving into your mouth and towards the back of your throat.

All the while, you could feel your body changing. The webs fused with your skin as your old form dissolved away. As the first egg entered your stomach, something felt different from within, as your body seemed to cradle and warm the egg as though that were its entire purpose. Another egg slipped through the elongated tube and into your throat, your body seeming to massage and welcome it down. Tears welled in your eyes as your flesh molded to accept these gifts from the spi- from your queen. What a horror it wa- what an honor it was to be changing into her incubator.

Minute after minute, eggs slipped through your mouth and into your body. You were ready to protect them. To serve your queen as her brood approached. You graciously accepted her gifts as your body melded into the room around you. Incubators do not need to move. Do not need to think. All your pleasure could be derived from the subtle movements in her eggs. The beauty of her visage was staggering.

And all the while, Kels watched you with fond and envious eyes. Though just an hour ago, you'd viewed her role in this as a betrayal, it was now clear that it was a gift. She had seen such promise in you, and you would not fail her. You would not fail your mistress. You would not fail her brood. You smiled around the ovipositor, grateful for all Kels had given you. A lovely date, and a glorious new purpose.

[sweetsweetjellybean]

TW: Smut-tacular 3 way smut. Angst. NSFW.

AN: Thanks to @loveshotzz for listening to all my ramblings & my beta @billybluboy for all her hard work.

Masterlist Fic Menu

""Goddam, baby."

"Mmmmhmmm."

"Please tell me your close," Eddie says with closed eyes, neck muscles straining, his hand furiously circling your clit. 

"No. Not yet. Just a little longer." With both hands pressed on his smooth, solid chest, you raise your hips and drive them back down, taking his hard cock as deep as you can. After a notably quiet dinner, Eddie wanted to take advantage of the empty house by finishing what you had started that morning. 

The sex between you had always been spectacular and left you feeling closer to him, which is exactly what you are craving, but your body must have missed the memo. Teetering on edge, your muscles are bunched so tight, begging for release, but every time your close thoughts of what could have happened between you and Steve appear, pulling you back from the brink. 

"Baby, I'll eat you out for hours after this, I swear, but I need to come." Leaning back and changing the angle, you ride him faster. "Fu..oh ga." He moans as he pulses deep inside you, filling you with his warm release. 

"Holy shit, that was amazing," he pants as your motions slow to a stop, "Just give me a minute, and I'll make you come.

"It's just not going to happen tonight, Eddie," you say, climbing off him and going to the ensuite to clean up, grateful for a minute alone to sort through your emotions without worrying that your expression will betray you. When you return, he's sitting up with his back against the wooden headboard, the sheet gathered around his waist and his eyes full of worry. 

"What's wrong?" His hesitant tone leaves you steeped in guilt. 

"Nothing," you sigh, pulling a shirt over your head, "I don't know what's going on with me." He holds open his arms, and immediately some of the tension fades. You join him under the blankets without hesitation, letting him draw you close. "Tell me about your day. You got your van, alright?"

"Yeah, I owe Wayne another fifty bucks for the impound fee. The cops tore through it and took my favorite bowl."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find another."

"Baby, she was my favorite. What we had together can't just be replaced. I'll need some time before I'm ready to move on." He pulls the blankets up to his chin and makes his doe eyes droop.

"Okay. I'm sorry for your loss. Please, continue."

"Thank you," he says, putting his arm around you, "Hopper was able to clear most of it up…except for Chrissy." You stiffen at the mention of her name. 

"That's still under investigation, but Hopper said it's a formality. There isn't any evidence that, you know, that I hurt her. Just that she was at my place. So, I've just got to stay in town and stay out of trouble until that's over."

"And why were you two alone in your trailer, again?"

He hesitates. His lips draw into a thin line, and he turns away from you, sliding open the nightstand drawer and rummaging through it.

"Uh-huh." Getting out of bed, you pick up the basket of clean laundry that still needs to be folded. The clothes in the basket mainly belong to Steve, and you sigh, remembering you forgot to stop at your parents" house to pick up more of your things. 

"Can you drive me home tomorrow? I need to pick up the rest of my clothes." Shaking out a pair of jeans, you try to smooth some wrinkles before folding them neatly. 

"I start back to school tomorrow." He's doodling in a small black notebook he found in the drawer.

"Tomorrow? You can't start back next week?" 

"I've already missed so much. I have a ton of make-up work to do or I'm going to be repeating this year again. Plus, there is hellfire and the band."

"Alright. I get it. I was hoping we'd have a few more days together. And I'd have a car or a job or something." And maybe it would be better for you not to be alone with Steve all day, but you weren't going to tell Eddie that.

"No luck today?"

"Not unless you want me stripping. Steve is going to ask Hopper to help me get a job at Enzo's." 

"Steve is?"

"Yeah, why?" You ask, matching up a pair of socks, "Maybe he can take me to my house tomorrow." 

"Well, isn't Steve being helpful now that you've fucked him?"

The shirt you were shaking out slips through your fingers, and you look down at the pile of clothes in front of you. "I'm going to take a shower. You can fold your own goddamn clothes," you erupt, taking the rest of the clothes and throwing them at him. Turning on your heel, you walk to the bathroom. 

"Baby-" The rest of what he said is cut off as you slam the door and turn on the shower.

The clock built into The Mister Coffee dings, followed by whirring and gurgling as it comes to life and begins to percolate. Standing at the island, you yawn as you smear some mustard, mixing it with the creamy mayo on two slices of bread before adding some deli-sliced ham and cheese.

"Baby, are you making that for me?" Eddie walks into the kitchen wearing his hellfire shirt and light jeans. 

"I am. I wanted you to have a good lunch for your first day back." You explain as you wrap up the sandwich in wax paper and add it to the brown bag filled with an apple and a bag of pretzels. 

"Thank you, my love." His arms go around, and you turn your head to receive his soft kisses. 

Lingering in the shower last night, you had hoped the hot spray would wash away some of your anger toward Eddie. By the time you slipped into bed, he was already asleep, and you wondered if his early night was preparation for an early morning of school, or avoidance. You battled a restless night of tossing and turning, and when the alarm blared this morning, it was as if nothing had happened. A silent agreement sealed with an almost mundane good-morning kiss to move on and leave things unresolved—the status quo whenever there is a conflict between the two of you.

"Hellfire on a Tuesday? Did it move nights?"

"Nah. It's still on Fridays. I can't go back to school in one of Harrington's Polos, though. I need to go to Wayne's after school. He said he had saved a box of my things. Hopefully, there are some clothes in there. I need to talk to Rick too. I'm hoping he'll front me so I can get some money for necessities."

"I thought you were laying low?" You tighten the lid on the mayo before putting it back in the fridge.

"Baby, it's seven in the morning. Can we please not do this? Just trust me, okay?" He presses a kiss to your lips. "I got to go." He picks up his lunch bag and slings on his jacket. 

"Alright. Play nice with other children." He rolls his eyes, and he's out the door. 

Padding through the quiet house, you had every intention of going to your room to get ready for the day. So when you find yourself standing in front of Steve's room with your hand poised to knock on the door, you pause. The grocery bag with a few boxes of tea sat on the kitchen counter this morning, which was the only reason you knew he was home. He's your friend, and you want to see that he's okay. Your heart beats a little faster as you lightly knock on his door. 

"Come in," he calls in a gravelly voice. Your hand turns the brass knob, and you open the door just enough to slip inside. A sliver of light at the bottom of the window frame steals in below the drawn curtains illuminating the dark room enough to see Steve propped up one arm, laying shirtless in his bed, the light blue sheets gathered at his waist. Your eyes follow the curves and dips of his muscled arms and shoulders, and you remember how they felt as they flexed under your hands while he was inside you. Tearing your gaze away from his body, you focus on his face as the memory has your skin flushing red, sending tiny sparks to every cell. 

All the words you wanted to say stay locked away as you stand caught in his gaze. He opens his mouth and swallows, saying nothing, folding back the corner of the blankets on the empty side of the bed. Accepting his invitation, you slide between the soft sheets until you lie facing him, tucking your hand underneath the pillow. 

"Hi," you say softly, wanting to break the silence as he mimics your position. 

"Hi." His hair sticks up every which way, and light stubble lines his jaw. 

"I didn't hear you come home last night. I was worried."

"You don't have to worry about me."

"Too bad. I'm going to worry about you anyway. That's what friends do."

"Does it make me a terrible person if I admit I like it?" 

"Why do you like it?"

He rolls onto his back and scrubs his face. "I don't know. Don't listen to me. I think I'm delirious from lack of sleep."

"Okay. Let's go to sleep then. I'll stay with you."

"Okay," he says, shutting his eyes. And so it became something of a routine. As soon as Eddie left for school, you would crawl into bed with Steve for another few hours. Then again, after lunch, you would watch TV or read while he napped next to you. By the end of the week, he started looking and sounding a little more like himself. 

"You can come in," Steve calls after you knock Friday morning. Surprisingly, he's up and almost dressed. The curtains are open, and the bright morning light fills the room. 

"What are you doing today?" He asks, pulling a green sweatshirt over his white tee tucked into a pair of light-wash jeans. Your plan was to spend the morning in his bed, and you were a little disappointed that wouldn't happen.

"Nothing special," you try and sound casual, not like your whole day had been planned around him.

"My dad called. I have to bring some paperwork to his office in Indianapolis."

"That sounds nice," you say, looking down at your feet and tugging on the sleeves of your shirt, "getting out of town for the day."

"Yeah? Do you want to come with me?" He fastens his watch over his wrist, and you wonder if he's trying to be as nonchalant as you are by pointedly not looking at you when he says it.

"I'd like to, but I'm not dressed," you say, looking down at your long-sleeved tee and a pair of Eddie's boxers. 

"I have to pick up the files at his office in Hawkins. I can go do that and come back. Would that give you enough time to get ready?"

Smiling, you nod your head.

"Alright. Better hurry." He teases. 

Two hours later, you've traded the quiet streets of Hawkins for the noise and bustle of downtown Indianapolis. Skyscrapers and tall buildings line the streets of Mile Square, and you try not to gawk like a tourist as you exit the underground garage where Steve parked his car. The sound of rushing water has you turning your head. The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is just a block away.

"I didn't realize we were so close to Monument Circle. Your dad works down here? How rich are you?" You ask, brushing aside some hair that's blown into your face. 

"I have about four hundred dollars in my checking account and some savings bonds from grandparents, so not very," He laughs and takes your hand the way one would a child as he leads you across the busy street. His father's office is on the third floor of a tall gray building. Embarrassingly, your sneakers squeak on the polished marble floor of the pristine lobby as you walk to the bank of elevators. Steve hands off several folders and a manilla envelope to the receptionist, who thanks him before he opens the office's glass door for you to exit back into the hall.

"That's it? You don't want to say hello to your dad?" You ask, following him down the beige hallway.

"Nah." He pushes the 'down' button to call the elevator. "He's busy. Besides, there's someone else I'd rather spend time with." 

A warmth that pinkens your cheeks and ears accompanies the smile you wear all the way down to the lobby. Once you hit the crowded sidewalk, you look towards the memorial again.

"Do you want to go?" Steve asks, motioning with his eyes toward the towering monument.

"Do we have time?"

"We have all day. Come on." He holds out his hand, and you take it. The two of you step into the stream of people walking toward the circle. 

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is a limestone obelisk that stands tall enough to look like it's kissing the clouds, but in truth, is still dwarfed by the taller buildings in the Indianapolis skyline. The ornate stone statues pay tribute to fallen soldiers and the four branches of service, with lady victory standing watch over all of it with her sword and torch. The tiered fountains that flank its raised foundation always draw your eyes. The two of you linger there, watching the water cascade from the statuary.

"This is my favorite part," you say in a voice raised high enough to be heard over the falling water as it flows into the pools at its base. 

"The fountains?" He asks, turning those deep hazel eyes on you. The gold flecks are strikingly notable against the green of his sweater. In fact, if you could only choose one word to describe Steve Harrington, it would be golden. 

"Yeah. Anything with water just makes me instantly at peace. I have a cousin in Maine that my family visited a few times during the summer when I was little. I used to sit on the beach and just watch the waves for hours." You turn your eyes to the monument and the tourists viewing its majesty. "Eddie asked me to move away with him after he graduates. A fresh start and all that. He said we could find someplace near the ocean."

"You're leaving?" You can feel his eyes on you, but you don't return his gaze. "That's... it's really soon. What I mean is that's good. I'm really happy for you. You both deserve a happy ending."

"Well, we are working with Eddie time here. It probably won't be that soon. We'll have to save up. I'm sure you'll be more than ready to kick us out by then."

"I doubt it." He turns quiet and runs his hands through his hair before resting his arms on the stone banister. "Do you want to go up?" After a few minutes of silence, he asks, "it might be your last chance if you're leaving."

It only takes a moment to consider before nodding your head and following him inside. He pays a small fee for you to take the elevator bypassing most of the stairs that lead to the observation deck. After climbing the remaining forty-nine stairs, the tight stairwell opens up to the small viewing area, and your breath catches at the gorgeous view of the downtown area. 

"When was the last time you were here?" Steve asks as he wraps an arm around your waist, guiding you closer to the windows so a family can pass around you in the tight quarters. 

"The field trip in eighth grade. Do you remember?"

"That's right. I goofed off all day. I don't remember very much of it. That's what we should do today."

"What?"

"Go on a field trip. What do you think?" His excited smile makes him look younger, and you have to admit you're happy to see the lightness in him return.

"Where do we start?"

"I can't believe we're at the zoo," you say happily as you wrap your arm around his elbow while passing the dutch windmill at the entrance of the Washington Park Children's Zoo. "Are we going to ride the little train?"

"Absolutely. Anything you want." The late spring sun warms your skin as you take in flowers bursting with color planted around the park. "What do you want to do first? Look at the Tigers or ride the train?"

"The train," you say, bouncing on your toes, "we can look at the elephants."

"Okay, sweet girl." He laughs and steers you toward the little station. Sliding onto the bench seat of the miniature train, you wait for the driver to sound the whistle before it starts chugging down the tracks. 

A little girl in front of you twists in her mother's arms and peeks shyly at Steve. "Hi." He waves at her, and she buries her head in her mother's shoulder, only to pop up a moment later and stick out her tongue. The two of you start making faces at her until she's caught up in a fit of giggles. Her mother notices and turns her around, seating her on her lap. Steve wraps his arm around you, pressing you into his side as he points out the elk on his side of the open-air car. Hawkins and everyone in it feels so far away. Maybe it's okay to get a little lost with him today?

"I'm glad we ate before we went into the primate house," you say, crinkling up your nose.

"It was a little ripe in there." He shares your sentiment as he sucks in some cleaner air on the way out of the exhibit. "You know they are closing this whole place soon."

"What? No." Your brow pulls together as he takes your hand.

"Yeah. They're moving to a bigger piece of land. It will be all new."

"Another piece of our childhood gone. I guess we're growing up," you say a little wistfully.

"I guess so," he nods, stopping in front of the penguin pool, "I always like these guys. They seem so happy diving in the water, hanging out with their friends, and getting tasty fish."

You laugh and squeeze his hand. "The good life." you agree.

 A flustered dad with three crying children plows into the back of your heels with his stroller knocking you forward and mumbling apologies as he tries to get his children a spot to view the animals. "Are you alright," Steve asks, sliding his arm around your waist and pulling you in front of him. 

"Yeah. I'm fine." He slips his other arm around you, and you relax into his strong chest. His breath is in your hair, and you're not really paying attention to the penguins anymore.

"I wasn't expecting it to be so big."

Steve blows out a breath and tilts his head to the side. "I get that a lot." Spinning to face him, your eyes widen, and your mouth hangs open. His cheeks blossomed apple red. "I mean not a lot. I've heard it…The sculptor. I'm talking about the sculptor," he stutters, rubbing the back of his neck, "Get your mind out of the gutter. Let's go." 

The Love sculpture stands impressively about twelve feet high with the serif letters of L and O stacked over the V and E, spreading its message to the visitors of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Walking closer to the steel rendering, the poetry of feeling small in the face of the word that defines something that often feels too big to contain is not lost on you. A light breeze sweeps across your skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake, and you turn to look at the boy standing a few feet behind you, whose gaze brings about the same effect. 

"Now I know what love looks like." He's watching you with glittering eyes, and pieces of your heart break away, turning into butterflies that flutter inside you. Moving to where he waits for you, your fingers thread through his, and you wonder how you can be afraid to lose something that's not even yours. 

He's still holding your hand. Driving with the other, your intertwined hands resting on your thigh while he sings softly along with The Cars playing on the tape deck. Unlike earlier today, Steve hadn't stopped touching you as you toured the museum, his hand tangled with yours, an arm around your shoulders or waist, pressing against you with his soft lips grazing your temple and his thumb tracing patterns on any exposed skin it found.

An unspoken permission had been granted with your act of affection, one that you are now rescinding as you cross into Hawkins town limits. Your trembling fingers pull away from him as you rest your head against the car window and hug your arms across your chest to stave off the loss. His empty hand falls to your thigh, giving you one last squeeze before returning it to the steering wheel. 

The passing street lamps illuminate the dark roads on your way to Steve's house. Most streets are barren, the majority of the town already tucked safely into their homes at this late hour. Eddie's van is in the driveway when Steve pulls in and shuts off the car. 

"I had a really nice time today. Thank you." Your voice is shaky as you break the silence. 

He twists in his seat to face you. "I should be the one thanking you. You gave up your whole day for me." 

No stars are out tonight, and the moon is obscured by clouds. The inky blackness of night presses in on all sides. The only traces of light escape from gaps between the curtains covering the house's windows. The engine ticks as it cools, and neither one of you makes a move to go inside.

"Why does it feel like I'm saying goodbye to you?" Steve asks, his expression hidden in the darkness. 

"Steve, that's…we live in the same house." But you feel the same way. He leans in closer to you. And although you know you shouldn't, you mirror his movements. Your pulse is racing, and your breath comes quicker through your parted lips. Moments pass before you feel his touch, but it isn't what you expected. His forehead rests against yours, noses brushing, his warm exhales fanning your chin. Your decision is made, and you lift your chin to find his lips. The second before your mouths fully meet, he changes direction after the barest brush of his silky lips. His nose glides down along your cheek, and a low noise escapes his throat. 

"Go inside, sweet girl." He leans back in his seat and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Please. I'll be in a few."

With the fog of your longing dispelled, you scramble out of the car with the sting of unshed tears behind your eyes. You don't look back as you close the front door behind you. Your limbs feel heavier with every stair you climb, weighted down with the reality of what almost happened. Again. As you plaster on a smile before entering the room where you know Eddie is waiting, you promise yourself this will be the last time.

Part 5

Tag List @onlyangel-444 @breehumbles @myobmaya @arsenicred @kiki17483 @stolen-in-moonlight @sometimesamysometimesjo @ladybug0095 @sammararaven @tlclick73 @totally-bogus-timelady @katelyndestini95 @munsonswhore86 @kelsietilley-blog @figmentofquinn @champagne-glamour @ilovecupcakesandtea @bimbobaggins69 @munsonsgirl71 @sidthedollface2 @miarosso @micheledawn1975 @eddiescorrodedcoffin86 @takeitsteddie @tiannamortis @munsonology @manda-panda-monium @prestinalove @sunfl0wern1kk1 @pbeckn26 @yogizzz @justmeandmymeanderingthoughts @sllooney

[blossom--of--snow]

Bathena and we could get arrested

11. "We could get arrested for this."

“Okay, Athena!”

In the kitchen, Bobby craned his head at the sound of Hen’s greeting, trying to appear casually interested in a friend stopping by the firehouse, not intensely focused on his secret girlfriend.

When Athena ascended the last few steps of the loft, however, Bobby’s jaw dropped.

Athena wore a black, scoop-necked top, black jeans, black high-heeled boots, and a huge smile. “You said we were going clubbing,” she told Hen. “Is this not what you wear?”

Hen, also dressed for girls night in a purple collared shirt and jeans, took both of Athena’s hands and held them out in an exaggerated attempt to examine her. “You understood the assignment.” To Bobby’s horror, Hen turned to him. “Wouldn’t you pick her up, cap?”

Bobby’s heart lodged in his throat when Athena winked at him.

“Oh, don’t tease him, Henrietta,” Athena said before the silence could become too awkward. “Clark Kent here doesn’t pick up women.”

A memory of last week overtook Bobby’s senses, and suddenly he was back in Athena’s kitchen, picking her up and setting her on the counter.

“And it doesn’t matter anyway, because this is girls night,” Athena emphasized. She tugged on Hen’s hand. “Come on, the Uber’s waiting.”

“G’night, Cap!” Hen called over her shoulder as Athena dragged her toward the staircase.

Bobby tried not to stare at Athena’s ass, which looked particularly spectacular in those jeans. “Have a good time.”

For the rest of his shift, Bobby couldn’t stop thinking about how perfect Athena looked, how he wanted nothing more than to watch her dance. He got caught daydreaming on more than one occasion throughout the quiet evening, but the boys chalked it up to fatigue.

When Bobby left the firehouse for the night, he knew he’d dream about her.

The last thing Bobby expected to find when he pulled into his parking space was Athena, standing in the grass just in front of his space. She stood with her back against the building and her arms crossed over her chest, one leg bent at the knee and a sly grin on her face.

“This is a pleasant surprise,” Bobby said as he hopped out of his truck. “I thought you and Hen were staying out all night.”

Pushing off the concrete at her back, Athena snickered. “I love Hen, but she can’t hang past 11, especially after she and Karen had Denny.” She pecked Bobby’s lips in greeting but stayed close to him, her hands resting on his chest, and Bobby shivered at her proximity and the heady smell of her perfume. “I thought I was all dolled up with nowhere to go, and then I remembered how my man was looking at me earlier tonight.”

Bobby blushed. “How’s that?”

“Like he wanted to eat me right there on the kitchen table.”

Bobby took two steps forward, backing them against the building and eyeing Athena’s lips as they parted. “That’s…not far off what I was thinking, yeah.”

Athena’s hands snaked up his chest and neck and into his hair, pulling him down to her. “You look good enough to eat yourself, Captain.”

In answer, Bobby kissed her, relishing the immediate access her got to her tongue. He devoured her there against the building, like he’d wanted to when she sauntered into his station earlier that night, and the noises Athena made, undoubtedly on purpose, drove him mad. When he hiked her leg around his hip, however, Athena pulled away, whimpering.

“We could get arrested for this,” Athena panted.

Bobby ground himself against her, drawing a delectable moan from her. “I know a police sergeant who might go easy on us.”

“If you don’t take me upstairs and fuck me, I swear to god—”

Bobby nibbled on her bottom lip. “Say please.”

When Athena cocked an eyebrow, Bobby feared he may have gone too far, but then Athena pulled a pair of handcuffs out of her back pocket.

“Please?”

[roguelov]

Ok but what if reader is just an ordinary gal with soft spots and cellulite and average hobbies nothing extraordinary about her and dream is just enamored with her nonetheless but she doesn't understand why?

And she feels self conscious in comparison to literal goddesses and gods so dream makes sure to get her to understand that she.is.everything to him and loves everything about and on her?🥲

My cellulite, stretch marked ass and pudgy stomach can and will relate

You leaned on the railing on the balcony outside of your bedroom in the Dreaming. Your mind was restless tonight, or you supposed all day. You had recently met with Calliope. She was gorgeous, an obvious goddess by a single glance. She was kind, sweet, and perfect. And you simply hated the thoughts which plagued you soon after meeting her. It wasn’t her fault, it was your own insecurities. Yet, they stirred to life by one conversation with her, and one question you were left with.

Why did Dream chose you?

Dream was a god; no, he was beyond gods and goddesses. He could chose anyone, he could be with anyone. But, somehow he stayed with you.

A mortal.

A nobody.

“Hello, my love.”

An arms curled around your waist. Dream softly kissed your shoulder before resting his chin on you.

“… hi,” you whispered, somewhat solemnly.

Dream immediately clocked your bitter mood. Of course, he would. He was very perceptive when it came to you. He carefully twisted you around, scanning his eyes over you.

What was wrong? Was it so obvious?

“My sweet, what troubles you?” He asked.

You shook your head, dropping your head, “It’s nothing.”

He lifted your chin up. “It is something. Now, please, tell me. What troubles your mind?”

Your face twisted into frustration only to drop with a heavy frown. Just say it. “��� what … what do you see in me?”

“Pardon?”

You huffed, breaking free of his grasp. You marched a few paces from him. Crossing your arms, protecting yourself, you repeated, “What do you see in me? I’m not a god, I’m not some fae, I’m not … anything. I’m just a boring, plain mortal.”

Dream frowned.

“You could do so much better … you deserve better,” you mumbled the end part of your sentence.

Dream’s eyes flared. A guttural anger burst to life. He swiftly closed the gap, cupping your face. “My dear, I will not take such blatant disrespect for the one I cherish deeply.”

Your eyes widened.

“You are perfect just as you are, you needn’t be spectacular, you needn’t be a god, you only need to be yourself because that is who I fell in love with.”

Tears prickled in your eyes. You squirmed under his intensity. “But - but … why? Look at me, Dream. I’m not -“

“Not what?” He seethed slightly. “You think I don’t adore you and your body? Have I not ravished you for nights on end? Does that not prove my absolute adoration for you?”

You flushed. “I - I … well …”

Dream’s eyes softened. “My dear, my sweet beloved, I love you for you. I always will, and nothing will change that.” He took your hand, placing it over his heart. “This is yours, always.”

Tears slid down your face and mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

He wiped away the tears, “Don’t be.”

You wrapped your arms around him, drawing him into a crushing hug. You buried your face into him. You sighed heavily, letting him consume you as your tears dried. You were his heart, but he was your home. Everything was right with him around.

Dream smiled, holding you tightly. “Never change, my heart. You are perfect.”

[koalaphoenix]

I was going through my art folder on my phone and realized how far I've come with how I draw Shay (and her different forms).

Way back in 2021 I drew her for the first time. She effectively came from a dream I had, where I lived her life in one night. But the struggle was I never actually really saw what Shay/I looked like in the dream. I knew what I was, who I was, but not what I looked like, beyond my hands. One of the most spectacular dreams I've ever had, by the way.

So early on when I was streaming, I decided to take a crack at drawing the dragon woman I'd been in the dream. I couldn't even really remember my/her name, although with help from my friends it came to me.

The first sketch was... Rough, at best. I had no clue how to draw an anthro creature, which Shay effectively was. I used multiple references to even sorta rough out what I wanted, and the result was not spectacular. But it was a start.

Then I was memeing with my friends about our D&D characters. I fully intended to RP as Shay when we began a campaign. It led to the version above - the first proper drawing where I was mostly happy with her overall design.

Late 2021 and I tried to push myself a little further, although I still didn't know what I was doing.

Art block hit me like a truck for a few months. When I finally managed to get drawing again, the results were initially really, really bad. But it wasn't too long and I drew what would end up being a far more finalized version of her design, the template for many future works. She was a more agile figure than her design sketch. I adjusted her horns to make more sense anatomically, and to fit better with her hair.

And also I drew abs on her.

Then there were several more drawings. I touched on alternate versions, put her in some fun situations as self indulgence, tried to experiment with difficult poses. There was a lot of struggle, as I still couldn't quite get her head shape consistent.

Then I found some new resources, and on a whim I drew what's becoming my favorite alternate version of her: Shayaa.

(Flat color iteration shown)

Shayaa was born out of two thoughts. I wanted a version of Shay that was a little thicc, and I wanted a version where she hadn't been abandoned. This ended up with her in armor, and was a leap forward in terms of quality and some design cues. The softer snout, more defined mouth, and thicker horns ended up really helping me draw her more consistently.

I was worried that it was one of those cases where I went beyond my actual ability and wouldn't be able to replicate it, but I was mostly wrong.

I decided I wanted to adjust "prime" Shay's design a bit, to improve her visibly aging and to widen the gap between her and Shayaa to emphasize their differences. I thinned her up a bit, made her muscles more lean, and rounded her features to make her appear more youthful - she's in her early 20s at the start of Godbreaker, but I saw her design as more in her late 20s or early 30s. She was always intended to be more lean than I'd drawn her, but skill issue. I also kinda hated parts of her default outfit, they seemed off and weren't the easiest to draw.

And now? I'm pretty satisfied with her design. She looks younger and more lean, and ideally a little less "civilized." Her hair got spikier to make it easier for me to draw - I suck at floofy hair. She's still pretty big, at 6'7" tall, but she doesn't look like a brick house anymore (nothing wrong with that, I love brick houses, she was just not intended to be that).

But yeah. Going through the old art, a lot of which I can't add to this post, it really hit home to me how much in such a relatively short time she's changed since the first real sketch, how much I've changed...

...And how much has stayed the same.

Aaaand to not end on any sort of deep moment, holy shit her old feet were HUGE.

[ordinaryschmuck]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tibbles: Yeah, really no contest here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Skara: SKARA IS THE BEST GIRL!

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

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

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

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

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

Because it's FUNNY!

"No, it isn't."

Yes, it is! Moving on!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hooty: Oh, Hooty. Sweet, dearest Hootcifer.

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

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

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

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

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

(He deserves it anyways)

Flapjack: *Sigh* Another loving bird...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Speaking of which...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“But Luz gave him the light glyph!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next part

[imbadatwrighting]

Hey, are your orders open? if so could you do headcanons of the yugioh characters reacting to s/o who has an obsession with the mystical elf card?

Nah cuz I had to search up the card cuz I forgot what it was 💀💀 also I was using a different fanfic site and just saw it so I kinda rushed to get dis done lmao 😭

Yu-gi-oh boys reacting to their S/o having an obsession w/ the mystical elf card

Yugi Muto

He honestly didn’t notice-

I mean he picked up on how constant you used it and talked about it but at the same time he does that to a lot of cards in his deck so didn’t think anything of it

He’ll listen to what you’re saying always though

Doesn’t matter how many times you have been talking about this card, he’s gonna act like it���s his first time hearing about it from you

He got you a keychain that had the mystical elf on it because he knew you would like it but he didn’t know you would like it that much

You were basically jumping with joy on this

He was too-

As long as your happy he’s happy

He listens to you repeat the same story over and over and over again about using the Mystical elf card and doesn’t get tired of it ever

“Ok so like I was battling this one dude who was all about offense and guess what?!?”

“What?”

“You have to guess Yugi!”

“Uhh, let’s see here… you used a spell card?”

“No! I got the mystical elf; she protected me and she helped me not lose…”

“Oh wow.”

“She really is my guardian angel. She must have sent you down as a gift for me.”

“She really is spectacular… and you know who else is?”

“Who????”

“You.”

“Yugi!”

Yami Yugi

He’s always listening

He loves to hear you go on and on about her; it doesn’t matter if it’s 1am or 4pm, he’s always interested in what your saying

He got you a rare mystical elf card for your birthday and you burst out in tears

He’s definitely in love with you and while he doesn’t tell you he shows it in multiple ways

Lots of people get upset when you repeat a story but he’s the exact opposite

He gets happy knowing you’re so happy that you forgot that you already told him this

Yami always says that you only hot headed when it comes to the mystical elf

The amount of times he cleaned you up after getting in literal fights all because of that card

So when he gets hated on you just say their ‘insecure’ but when it’s about the mystical elf you’ll get in a fight?!

Starting to sound like you love the card over him

“Ok! So the other day I was heading to the grocery story and these imbeciles where talking about how ‘ThE mYsTiCaL eLf Is StUpId’ blah blah blah and I walked over to them and started a fight!”

“Well maybe next time don’t go up to them.”

“It’s their fault! They threw the first punch!”

“I know but I don’t want you to get hurt… sometimes you have to let things go.”

“Hypocrite.”

“No I just want you to be safe and not die from some weak kids that have nothing better to do then fight random people.”

“Whatever…”

“Tell me, how did you first ‘fall in love’ with the mystical elf card?”

“You should know better than anyone how you can fall in love with your cards pharaoh.”

“I know but I love hearing your stories.”

“Is it because you love me, Yami?”

“Maybe.”

Joey Wheeler

He understand completely because he’s the same way towards his Red-Eyes Black Dragon

If you are hot headed and get into lots of fights about it then you’re even more alike

You and him are constantly venting about the amount of people that don’t appreciate these cards

Neither one of you are talking about anything else except this stuff

That’s all of your conversations every single day

What’s his favorite color? Don’t know you never asked him that. You’re always talking to him yet you never asked him what his favorite color is? Correct.

My bro is poor af and so are you so both of you have little to no merch

Unless it’s Christmas or your birthday you ain’t getting shit

Sorry not sorry

He’ll try to draw you the mystical elf but it turns out looking like a blob with leaves on it

You guys are always talking about which one is better

Neither one of you win the argument though

If you are a little violent and use that as a way to make people like your favorite card then expect him to be cheering you on… from a safe distance

You might be able to fight but he sure as hell can’t

“Go baby! You can do this!”

“Why don’t you come over here and help me why don’t ya!?”

“Didn’t you say you were independent!? Why do you be needin’ me!”

“2 is better than 1!”

“So?? Since when did you care!”

“Since now! Your over there tryin’ to act slick by leaning against that wall like you’re the one that is beating up these people meanwhile I’m over here working my ass off!”

“I’m not just ‘lEaNiNg AgAiNsT tHe WaLl’ I’m cheering you on too!”

“Yeah from 30ft away! Joey get your ass over here and help!”

“They’ll win!”

“You know they said that they found the Red-eyes Black Dragon useless.”

“Count me in!”

Seto Kaiba

Bro definitely acts like he doesn’t care

And it’s true-

Bro could not give a single f whether or no you like a card or not

I mean he definitely doesn’t constantly buy you things related to the Mystical elf

It doesn’t matter how expensive it is

If it looks nice then it’s yours

In Kaiba corp he has a whole room dedicated to the merch that he bought you and you couldn’t fit it in your house

He be buying so much it’s as if he’s the one in love with her

He’s not obsessed with her though, he’s obsessed with you

Not that he would ever tell you that

Not to mention the stuff that Mokuba gets for you

Dating Seto is like a two in one package

You get a boyfriend and a loving younger brother

Seto will subtly tell Mokuba what you would like and Mokuba will make/draw it for you

Sweetest boy alive oh my Lordy

Seto acts like he’s annoyed by your rants but honestly he doesn’t really care

He actually loves them

You usually sit in a spiny chair while he sits in his office chair, working, and you just talk about your day

And the mystical elf card of course

He will always tell you when you repeated a story

“Ok so the other day I was out, just walking around you know? Then all of a sudden I saw this guy in the alleyway and- ”

“You told me this already.”

“Oh right! Well there was also this time where I was at the mall and-”

“I was with you.”

“Oh. Well how about this one time where these two guys were trying to gang up on me because I ‘insulted their favorite cards’ by saying that mine was better-”

“You pressed the alert button on your watch that day and my guards took care of that.”

“Oh haha! I forgot!”

“I can tell. Why don’t you tell Mokuba about your day? He was asking how you were today. I’m sure he would enjoy seeing you.”

“Ok I will! I have a couple things to give him anyways! Bye Seto!”

“Be a little more quiet will you, please.”

“Oh sorry.”

[millenniumdueled]

The Day of Judgement: part 3

The wave of pain that accompanies the Seal's activation fades quickly, but the surge of power it brings does not. His skin seems alive with electricity as he drags himself back to his feet, staring down his opponent with a new, intense fire burning in his red violet eyes.

A smirk splits his face as he watches the crystal prison fall from around his Dragon Knight. But that expression quickly fades as the great dragon she rides disappears below her, leaving the Dark Magician Girl standing alone on the field. "What the hell--?!" the Other Yugi gasps in surprise.

Across the mesa, Raphael laughs.

"Didn't you know?" the Musketeer chides. "The Seal of Orichalcos and those Legendary Dragons are polar opposites. Light and dark, oil and water. They can't coexist. But don't you feel freer, Pharaoh?"

The Other Yugi's fierce eyes narrow.

"I can still play up to ten monsters now. You're going to regret giving me that card, Raphael," he growls, in a low, chilling voice that he hasn't used in so, so long. The same cold tone he spoke in before he found himself, when all he knew were Shadow Games.

He plays Hand Control, a card that allows him to bring back four monsters from his graveyard if he can just name a card in his opponent's hand. And of course he can-- he's the one who gave Raphael the Necromancy card he holds now.

This is it, the Other Yugi thinks, wild pride flashing in his eyes. He can win this. He can seal Raphael's soul instead. It'll be all over then, all of the plans of this so called Doma. He'll never have to use the Seal again, but he just has to win this first--

Their Duel resumes, and seems to do so in the Pharoah's favor. He attacks with Kuribabylon and Dark Magician. His second attack is negated, but he doesn't seem to waver. Though Raphael plays Swords of Revealing Light, Ither Yugi is undeterred. Using Catapult Turtle, he doesn't need to attack. He can sacrifice his other monsters to chip away at Raphael's lifepoints directly. One by one, turn after turn, his field is cleared. Monster after monster is hurtled at the enemy, bringing his lifepoints down to a measly 100.

But as his turn begins, Raphael laughs. The Other Yugi scowls.

"I told you that the Seal would reveal the truth," Raphael says. "So look at it! This is the truth of your soul, Nameless Pharaoh. Wicked, greedy, violent, and proud. You're trapped by your need to win, and your fear of losing."

"What did you say?" growls the Other Yugi. "From where I'm standing, you look like the one who's trapped, Raphael."

There's that annoying, condescending look of pity again.

"Look at your field, Pharaoh. Look at your precious monsters. Look at what you've done to your cute Kuribohs. To your Dark Magician Girl. Throwing their lives away for a reckless charge at victory?"

Suddenly, the Other Yugi's intense stare breaks. His stomach drops, and his chest burns.

This isn't right.

This isn't him.

"Your lust for power destroyed the one monster I truly feared. But you sealed your fate the second you chose the Seal over Timaeus."

The Other Yugi, the Nameless Pharaoh, tries to call out inside his heart. To reach the Partner he'd pushed away, to open the door he'd locked to shut him out. But he can't reach him. Can't hear Yugi's voice. Can't feel his love inside their heart.

Raphael draws, then plays two cards.

Lightning cracks overhead as his ace monster, Guardian Eatos, appears on the field, their massive, white wings outstretched. The Guardian raises a hand, and a spectacular Celestial Sword appears.

There's nothing that the Other Yugi can do but watch in horror as every monster he had so recklessly sent to his graveyard emerges now, pulled into that Sword, that glows and grows with every added beast.

"No... No..." the Pharaoh repeats, over and over, as he watches in dread. The Guardian's attack rises with each unfortunate soul it absorbs, until the monster that faces him now stands with 10,000 attack points.

"You did this. You used your monsters and threw them away with no regard."

"I didn't want this-""

"You rushed every turn of this Duel for the sake of what, your pride?""

"Don't LOOK at me like that!!!!"

But Raphael still holds that same look of pity as he stares down at the smaller man.

Then, he attacks.

And it's more than enough to destroy both Other Yugi's Kuribabylon, along with his lifepoints.

------

------

Somewhere deep, deep inside their soul, Yugi screams. The real Yugi, locked out of his own body by the Other Self he's trusted for so long.

This can't happen!

He can't let this happen!!!!

He was supposed to protect the God Cards, and he'd failed.

He could hold his Other Self back from killing Kaiba, but he couldn't stop him this time.

All he could do was watch in horror from the void between their rooms. The little silent duelist, screaming now, over and over, to a locked and heavy vaulted door, sealed in glowing blue light.

His screams turn to choked sobs.

His sobs slow, as the sound of his Other Self echoes through the void.

He can't feel sorry for himself now. He can't let him down again.

Maybe this is another puzzle. Maybe there's some way to break the Seal.

He remembers the last Duel, when Joey faced their old friend Mai. When that other Musketeer interrupted, breaking through the Seal of Orichalcos with that tiny stone he wore. He reaches for his neck, but that stone that his body wears isn't here, inside his Heart.

Desperately, Yugi takes the Puzzle in both hands, and raises it over his head. He screams, summons all the strength in his little body to drive the bottom point into the Seal that keeps him from his Other Half. Over, and over, and over. Relentlessly, as if his heart and soul depend on it.

Even as the heavy, stone door begins to crack.

------

------

On the Mesa, the Hero falls to his knees. His lifepoints at zero, the Duel decided.

The King of Games, undefeated no longer.

[fruitcoops]

Resurrection

Fic O'Ween Day 13: Resurrection, for a continuation of last year's Season of the Witch. Endless love to @noots-fic-fests for another spectacular fest, and of course all the kudos to @lumosinlove for bringing this community together <3 Happy belated Halloween! Thanks for sticking through another year! This fic o'ween was simply a joy to be part of.

There is a house on Lacewing Drive.

This is not that house.

This house is located on Collins Street, a block east of Lacewing Drive. Passerby marvel at its vibrant colors and sturdy bones—friends of the inhabitants joke that it’s simply a gingerbread house, come to life. A street dead-ended by a house so fantastical, it couldn’t possibly be a place people live.

Collins Street is kind enough to divert attention from its (notably odder) neighbor in spite of the creeping vines that continuously attempt to tiptoe across backyard fences. Autumn stretches into being with a yawn and a lazy roll from sun to wind to biting cold, and with it, the earth below Lacewing Drive charges with anticipation. It is the duty of the house on Collins Street to take the brunt of tourist curiosity, and it does so with gusto: peaking eaves, rounded lintels, and statuesque windows draw all wandering eyes while the magic begins to seep forth.

That is not to say there is no real magic outside Lacewing Drive. An argument can (and has) been made that there is more magic on Collins Street, actually, and perhaps the tall dark-haired witch at 126 Lacewing should keep her mouth shut. These beloved arguments frequently go nowhere at all. That does not seem to stop them from happening.

Regardless of presumed magical ratio, November is a quiet month for all. The magic is receding, changing, growing ready for the lumbering of winter and resurrection in the spring. Dormant? Never. Drowsy? Most certainly. The rainy days will start soon enough, then the snow. First frost nibbles the sills every other night. There’s still time for a last harvest before everything goes down, but not much.

November 6th dawns chilly and gray. Lily stretches, yawns, and lazily rolls onto her other side with a mumble of nothing in particular. The window dressings were left open the night before; goosebumps prick her arms, and she burrows down under the burgundy duvet with only a whisper of a shiver.

“Good morning, sunshine.”

“Hrngerfrng.”

“I never get hangovers. You know this.”

Lily’s grumble is lost in a silky pillowcase. Her hair spills in a loose auburn flood to the top of her shoulders before vanishing under cotton and satin thread. The sudden supercharge of magic takes a toll on her—perhaps not as severe as Remus when the seasons change and the moon hangs heavy, but enough to make her head throb and her mouth go dry with the drain of each ritual. A magical hangover, she had complained the first year they moved to Collins Street. That’s what this is. Someone get me hashbrowns, stat.

James flips to a new page and slides a few inches lower under the blanket. It’s a good morning. A quiet morning. Another Halloween, gone without a hitch. Sirius’ raging birthday party, lighting up the neighborhood long past midnight if not for the layers of diversion spells wrapped around the little cottage. The lull is sweet as fresh chai and warms the belly just as deep. Even the newspaper is quiet today, full of lovely, inconsequential things typed up by Eliot Johannes three doors down. The neighbors feel the roar toward Samhain just like the witches do, though they may not know the reason.

November is the exhale after a two-month gasp for air. James is more than happy to spend the morning in bed, enjoying each moment of it.

Harry will be up soon. Seven years old and likely still riding out the sugar rush bestowed upon him by his aunts, who just don’t know how to put candy bowls out of reach—he’s practically unstoppable like this. Like his mother. James loves them both so dearly.

Lily’s hand emerges from the sheets to flail around. “Jamie,” she rasps. “Baby?”

“He’s asleep.”

“Mm. Coffee?”

“Downstairs,” James laughs, squinting at the ‘Best Rated’ section. “Probably with my glasses.”

She’s quiet for a moment, then peeks out with one sleepy, hopeful green eye. “Get some for me?”

“Glasses? Sure.”

“Coffee.”

“You’re a real monster in the mornings, you know that?”

“November,” she offers by way of explanation. “Need coffee.”

“You have got to start listening to Remus.”

“The day I drink chamomile to make myself feel better is the day I go in the ground forever.”

She can’t see James’ eye roll from her faceplant in downy pillows, but rest assured, dark eyes are undoubtedly rolled. Fond, all the same. James is spellbound by her in every sense except the literal and everyone knows it; neither would change a thing about it. It’s mornings like this that make it count. Sore from dancing on Sirius’ dining room table, buzzed from the tingly residue of Samhain magic, both so pleased to wake up beside one another for the thousandth consecutive day.

They built the house on Collins Street together, the four of them, back when love was muddled and confusing with its deep, deep roots. There’s a touch of them in every paint chip and floorboard. Remus’ rich earth tones, Sirius’ stained glass. James and Lily kept the place once they were all sorted, and as such there isn’t a speck of house left without their signatures. Scorch marks from Lily’s cauldrons and scuff marks from James’ boots. Crayon scars on silk wallpaper and vivid paint alike. Candle wax left so long that it may as well be part of the desk, now, because spirits know the actual holder is too far buried to be found again.

“Jamie.”

“Mhm.”

“Coffee.”

James smiles into ceramic molded by Lily’s own hands. “Yes, my love.”

“Mrs. Gibson tried to gimme some of that pumpkin spice creamer.” Lily manages to sound indignant even boneless and half-asleep. “Can you believe? Out of season?”

“No pumpkin spice,” James promises.

“I know you wouldn’t. Love me too much.”

“Sure do.”

Lily is silent for another handful of seconds. James watches them pass on Sirius’ handmade cuckoo clock. “Don’t want coffee.”

“No?”

She sighs and reaches out with both arms, giving a noise of pure contentment when James sets the mug aside and joins her under the covers. “This,” Lily says on a misty November day where nothing bad can touch them. “This is what I want.”