#that means no magic aside from glyphs I Guess

[lenin-it-to-win-it]

the owl house finale was homophobic as hell, imagine going full titan magical girl and ur gf doesnt even get to see it #love loses

[thatoneguy031]

Real talk? Real?? Real?!

Why on EARTH was the cast of The Owl House so drippy?!

(A sort of breakdown from someone that's only kinda sorta kept up with the show... Me, Guy.)

Spoilers too, I guess...

Look at our favorite witch-in-training, Luz Noceda. As we can all see here, she's wearing Eda's varsity jacket when she attended Hexside. Level with me, the jacket alone was enough to be a super-dope outfit, but she took it one step further and even wore matching pants, too! Heck, she even tied up her hair in a bun, for crying out loud! She kept the aesthetic of "I'm able to stay calm, but I'm not afraid to kick your butt when the time comes."

And here's another frame of yet another scene...

Luz dancing with Amity during that one Grom episode...

She wanted to look fancy while she boogied with her soon-to-be girlfriend(At the time, anyway), so she decided to wear what exactly? A tutu, and a frickin' tuxedo! Wonderful! Fabulous! It's all so wild, but you can see that not only did Luz have a plan, it worked danged-near flawlessly! And of course, she decided to wear dance shoes, as well.

And you know what?!

I'm still not done.

I'm going to be real with you here. This is where the spoilers for the end of the show REALLY, REALLY begin! If you really want to watch the show without witnessing the beauty of Luz during [REDACTED], I HIGHLY suggest that you stay away from this post, and move on with your day! Please, leave!

...Are you still here?

Are you sure you wanna be here for [REDACTED]?

Alrightie, then...

3...

2...

1...

...

Okay, you asked for it.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Freaking. Bam. Meet Titan Luz.

This is near perfection in cartoon form. Luz looks like she told Amity's parents, "Your daughter calls me mommy, too." She looks deranged in the best way possible.

First and foremost, the cloak nearly perfectly displays everything she's done throughout the series. The glyph on her chest, the bones appearing along the tips and edges of it, referencing her "magic donor", Arin Hanson- I mean Papa Titan(...Is he just called Papa King by the TOH fandom, or am I being dumb? Since, y'know, he's King's dad? I don't know, but back to the comedic analysis).

For Hootie's sake, she even somehow has longer, puffier hair, giving Eda a wink-wink-nudge-nudge without saying a thing. Even further, her eyes turned a pitch-black with yellow irises, making sure that King himself is involved with references as well.

Y'know, this reminds me of a character that I've had written out for a while. Y'all won't see her for a long, long while, but just know that she's tied to this in a way. Backstory aside, she has this one... form, let's call it, where she kind of becomes a vampire. This aspect of her is derived from an art account I follow, I won't say who until the time comes, but she also likes using her legs as her main means of attack, not only calling back to Izuku from MHA, but to her friend who she loves dearly, like a family member.

Back to the main point, I love characters that reference multiple other characters they have a connection to without being overbearing, which is why I love Titan Luz's design. Above all else, this proves that Luz really cared for everyone that has helped carry her this far, and was willing to fight for them, even after her death. And Eda even teaches her magic the way she said she would as early as the second episode of the series, iirc. And, something even more wild, is that Luz sort of looks like Azura, as well, even using one of her quotes for the finishing blow on Belos...

"...NOW EAT THIS, SUCKAAA!"

Admittedly, I don't know much about Luz's palisman, but I do indeed see that they're a cute little snek dude! ...Like how Luz freaked out the school and her principal with those snakes in the first episode(At least, I recall it being the first episode)! Everything about Luz's design is just... It's all just. So. Good.

...Look. I originally wanted to make a fun little ha-ha post about how stylish the characters from The Owl House were, as I highly respect this show and loved it, from the moment I saw King, to the very end of the series where the Collector gave Luz and the Hexsquad the ability to travel between realms, but seeing this transformation and taking the time to dissect her Titan Form design... It really brought me to tears. Not just because the show's actually over, but because I loved it with everything I could give. The way the show handled its characters, even with the rushed development that Disney demanded(Those freaking warm toilet seats), was phenomenal, given the circumstances.

I'll make a post talking more about King and just... him, I guess, but this post is already long enough as it is. Maybe even Eda, Hunter, Gus and Willow as well, if this post really makes its rounds.

[mdhwrites]

I know you made the glyph post a bit ago, but I just read it and i was thinking about it. The one thing that's always bothered me about the glyphs is the extrapolation (or lack of) that can be done to them.

Like. (pardon for the cringe) homestucks 12 aspects cover (or have the potential to cover) literally any type of power/ability that could ever exist, by taking in account the aspects themes/shown active/passive abilities/ect

But the glyphs don't have that. the canon number is 4. Light, Ice, Plant, Fire. And arguably fire and light would end up very similar thematically. Since they would be, that leaves ice and plant to do all the heavy lifting, and I don't think that's very possible for those two glyphs to do. Which is very strange to me. Like how are you getting everything from four components, two of which are arguably very similar? I just. It confuses me so much dude.

So first: Never apologize for your passions. Like what you like. Though admittedly, I've never looked into Homestuck nor have interest in it myself. ^^; Something that inspires as much as it has cannot be literally all bad though.

Anyways, moving on. So to play Devil's Advocate briefly, the four spells can technically be pointed at as the four elements. Fire, water, earth and... air. The last one is the most dubious though as air isn't commonly associated with any specific element unless light in the setting itself is an element. Instead, it's commonly more towards the school of conjuration/energy magic. A lot of elemental magic in D&D falls into conjuration (if I'm remembering right) and it's effectively your offensive magic which TOH doesn't actually have a coven for.

Which is kind of the problem with their magic system in general and they don't have any interest in abiding by it. The magic is SEVERELY constricting on all levels. The glyphs do not make sense to able to even form all of the schools of magic in the coven system after all, not with SEVERELY complex combos how the fuck you go from making plant life to actual life with abominations or how you turn light into sound waves for bardic magic. And remember: This is a magic system where the light glyph, the closest to air it has, is ABSENT from a teleportation spell that creates a giant flash of light. We know this because not only can we see the glyphs but Philip straight up didn't know the light glyph.

Quick aside that brings up btw is that Luz keeps blaming herself for teaching Philip the light glyph but like... That didn't do anything. Like literally nothing. I guess it's still a way she 'helped' him but that's just like if Lilith blamed herself for him creating a religion because she let it slip that the skull is considered sacred ground. It's flimsy and by no means your fault.

Anyways, back on track: The coven system is very similar. Who casts a fireball? We know they do things like energy blasts and flamestrikes so... What coven has that authority? Or is it only the Emperor's Coven? Except the monster hunters have magical blasts and they're clearly not part of the EC? Not that the show cares when it has coven heads explicitly doing magic that they supposedly can't like most of their magic in Hollow Mind.

What it and most magic in the series ends up feeling like is that it was a cool idea they came up with but then grew bored of so they just... Stopped giving a shit so they could do what they wanted. Luz's magic is too simple in single glyph form though for the spells they wanted so they spent half an episode establishing "Hey, Luz doesn't need to get new spells from literally ANYWHERE. She just can produce a glyph combo and it can do whatever we want it too."

Even the combo spells function this way. The Invisibility glyph has a very classic, very good limitation. Stillness of breath equals stillness of being equals stillness of presence. However, at least in this state, it's an all or nothing deal because it matches your breathing. You can't hide only part of your presence because otherwise... Why would you breathing matter?

Until King's Tide where they had to come up with BS for Luz to get a win against Belos and she disguises a completely inanimate object that can't breathe. Why does her breathing matter for it? It's not like it's a concentration thing. Glyphs don't base their powers off of the caster, Gus proves that along with pretty much anyone who uses a glyph frankly.

This isn't new though. The portal door is the most fucked thing magically because of it. "We want the magic to do X, regardless of the Y we setup earlier." And some might claim this is because it's a soft magic system but that's not how a soft magic system works. It's too complicated to go in hard here but like... You can't make it so that Expelliarmus from Harry Potter suddenly also disrobes your opponent entirely and makes them cluck like a chicken. It's still established as a basic disarming spell. What makes the system soft is that outside of just knowing the word and gesture, you don't need anything else. There aren't a lot of rules in place for the magic so someone coming up with a new spell literally only needs a gesture and a name. D&D isn't much harder than this as so long as you have a spell slot, the components of it, you can cast most spells besides revival spells. But those spells can only be amplified, they don't function genuinely different everytime you cast them unless there is actually an outside force.

This isn't true with TOH. The magic is just purely a plot device, to do with what the writers need to do with them. And, well, in a fantasy story, that means one of the absolute most basic, core components to your genre, you're just throwing out. Just not giving a single fuck about when YOU chose to write a fantasy story.

And that's no good, to quote other cringe.

========

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

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

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[byoldervine]

Oh frick I’ve never been in a tag game before! Thank you @icarianauthor! I’ll be using my MC Persephone Foster from my Byoldervine WIP :)

Are you named after anyone?

“The Greek goddess, maybe? My mum said she didn’t know I would be immortal but if that’s the case it’s one hell of a coincidence…”

When was the last time you cried?

“Tears of laughter; Ellegaarde said orgasm instead of organism in front of the class. It was about two months ago and she’s still mortified.”

Do you have kids?

“Nope, and I’d like to keep it that way; I can’t even take care of myself, let alone a kid. Working with some is more than enough.”

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

“Quite a bit, yeah, but I gotta make sure I know my audience.”

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

“Hair, I guess? Also people’s eyes; it’s how I remind myself to make eye contact.”

What’s your eye colour?

“Brown. Clearly you need to work on your eye contact, too.”

Scary movies or happy endings?

“Scary movies don’t do much for me outside of the jumpscares. I guess actually dying on the regular kinda desensitises you to it. They’re fun when I can sit there bitching about it, but I do love a classic happy ending more.”

Any special talents?

“I mean, aside from coming back from the dead, nothing much. I’m good at parkour, I guess. Oh, and glyph magic, but that’s just what happens when you’re in a classroom for that sort of thing for most of your life.”

Where were you born?

“Terran, aka the human realm. England, if you wanna get specific.”

Do you have any pets?

“No, but the Acarons have a Barghest named Mauthe that I always get to cuddle.”

What sports do you play?

“Sports? Actually not many. I like running and parkour and stuff, but I haven’t really played many actual sports since I came to Tyrion. All the sports up here happen in the sky, so…”

How tall are you?

“I’m 5’3”. I’m an adult, I’m just short.”

What was your favourite subject in school?

“Glyph magic, easily. Or did you mean in human schools? Uh… PE, I guess?”

What is your dream job?

“Well at the moment I work with Ellegaarde as a teaching assistant, and I’m loving that. I’ve never put much thought into other jobs, I’ve always just wanted to be like her.”

Thanks again for bringing me into this game! My tags are gonna be: @taylortut and @the-ellia-west, as well as open tags of course. I need to interact with more writing blogs

OC questionnaire~

thank you @agirlandherquill for this tag!!! Since last time I did Azul from my wip "The Memories Of The Future", this time I'll go with Sophie, the other main character of this story.

Are you named after anyone?

"To be very honest with you, I don't know. Maybe, but maybe not. My aunt once mentioned something about a grandma named Sophie, but I doubt it since my aunty likes to mess with me a lot"

When was the last time you cried?

"The last time was probably when I stubbed my toe this morning. I am very clumsy and even though I've been living in the same house for sixteen years, I still didn't memorize the layout of it."

Do you have kids?

"Still sixteen so kids are out of the question."

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

"I try, but I'm very bad at it. My aunt is way better than me at being sarcastic"

What is the first thing you notice about people?

"How they walk. Sounds weird, but it always fascinates me how much you can learn from a person from something as simple as walking."

What's your eye colour?

"Grey. I'm very proud of them."

Scary movies or happy endings?

"Happy endings, always."

Any special talents?

"Not really. Unless having zero sense of direction and holding the record in getting lost in the shortest of times, then yes, I have a special talent."

Where were you born?

"I don't know. Every time I try to ask my aunt about it, she tells me there's no reason to tell me since I won't visit that place anytime soon."

Do you have any pets?

"I do. A one-year-old Border Collie named Pepper. She is my best friend and I won't go anywhere without her. I got her as a birthday gift from my aunt and we've been inseparable ever since."

What sports do you play?

"You won't get me to move unless it's for going on a walk with Pepper, but I did some gymnastic with my aunt when I was smaller, if that counts. I did quit really fast, but I still know how to do a split."

How tall are you?

"I'm 5,2 ft, but I'm still hoping to grow."

What was your favourite subject in school?

"I'm getting homeschooled by my aunt, or better yet, my aunt gives me the books and I have to study alone so I get to study whatever I like however I like and the subject I dive into the most is history"

What is your dream job?

"I want to become a history teacher and teach all about my favorite events that shaped the world into what it is now."

I'm still shaping her, so this questionnaire was really helpful!!! Tagging with no pressure @frostedlemonwriter , @icarianauthor , @mysteryofvampires and open tag~

[spinaroos-47]

Them’s the breaks, kid was great!

My prediction was way off, i basically put the ASIAS lumity stuff here dfsjsfdnjdfs. I’m glad I was wrong because this was amazing

First of all, I’m always happy for more glyphs and I got a lot this episode dgjdnfn

They’re really interesting! The little hurricane one (besides looking a lot like King’s like sigil thing on his collar) makes a lot of sense! Cold + Warm is what makes hurricanes! (though i’m still figuring out what the light glyph is for. Air maybe?)

Water one, pretty simple. The petrification spell is very interesting, since it ties Philip to Belos even more, and also that it uses plant and ice glyphs. Which kinda makes sense, since ice is pretty rigid, the plants could give it a more sturdy aspect

And the hand...again, ties with Belos but also looks pretty similar to my guess at an abomination spell (well, i used all four glyphs on it but thats not the similarity), I did bet that the plant glyph would be a base for it, and since plant coven magic also involves elements like water and earth, it fits that the fire glyphs could kinda melt the plants to give it the gooey aspect to it

Okay, glyph nerding aside, let’s go to the rest of the episode

I’m really glad this also was a more chill episode, it was nice and Luz needed a break (,kid). Their history together was so cute! (and Raine was super cute as well)

LOOK AT THESE TWO

(I also appreciate the big voice difference, pretty likely caused by T)

It was pretty bittersweet to see Eda and Lilith before Eda got cursed. They were really close but all that happened. Them doing those checks to see if they know the stuff felt very familiar to me

And the parents of a lot of the characters!

Gus’ dad, Boscha’s parents, Odalia and Alador, Willow’s dads (that i forgot to take a print of), and DARIUS! Not a parent but still really glad to see him there. He and Alador were friends, so then what happened? Was it because of Darius being mentored by the previous Golden Guard? 

Anyways, Raine is so smart, just as smart as Eda, this really shows how they aren’t someone to be underestimated (which is what the EC and Terra are doing), they are really observative and creative! Like, the change of the chemistry of a drink? That’s amazing! And making that detail of Raine blowing the steam off the tea that way in FATCP actually mean something? I love this show (And bard magic being underestimated just like illusion magic does make a lot of sense, since even some fans didn’t think much of it before Raine appeared. Bard magic is great)

It feels pretty great to be right on Raine knowing something was up, and that they actually know way more than I thought. As I said, they’re very smart, they wouldn’t let themselves be brainwashed like that (kinda ruins a oneshot I’m writing but I think I can work with the new information). And they don’t want to hurt Eda again with this, which is sweet and also a painful paralel to what Eda did with them, hiding the truth to not hurt her and still hurting her in the process

(And they did the spell to destroy stuff Eda did in Eda’s requiem!) 

The Isles back then were different, less strict, I love seeing that. I say this quite frequently, but this makes me notice even more the similarities between Belos’ regime and the dictatorship that happened here in Brazil from 64 to 85. Probably also mirrors other dictatorships but I can only talk about this one since it’s the one I actually know about. Though on this case, here it got less restricted as the regime ended, There isn’t going to be that on toh, definetly. Terra always being like that, and one of Belos’ first supporters I’m pretty sure, is really creepy. She always had an eye out for Raine (TAKE YOU GRASS HANDS FAR FROM THEM)

ALSO, Darius being on the rebellion!!!!! Vindication! I can’t wait for next week to see what he, Raine and Eber do. (also his little abomination. adorable <3)

@bernardo-reblogs-shit​ was so right about the similarities between fmab, this feels very similar to it, but also it’s showing the weird thing on top of the castle, so it’s going to be on both places? And what about the skull? This answers a lot but also creates so many questions

AND BONESBOROUGH BEING A BIG COVEN SIGIL!!!!! HOLY FUCK! Which gives a lot of weight to what wrath says about it not being welcoming to magickind, ITS GOING TO TAKE AWAY ALL MAGIC 

The coven heads will be what powers the spell, which then makes me wonder about Hunter’s role in all this. He’s going to get all the magic drained (it has to go somewhere, if not to him, then it’s for the titan, which i think will happen) or he’s what will activate it? For sure he’ll be a sacrifice, but how exactly we don’t know yet.

And the portal is being moved! probably to the spell center, which also makes me wonder what exactly the door is for. Excited and scared

This makes me even more excited for Hollow mind, like, Hunter WILL get some truths dropped on him, the question is which? And the two coven heads that have been nice to him are two of the ones rebelling, which will be interesting no matter what direction HM will go (astrolavas pointed this out on twitter, and I am so down with the idea)

Other small things i noticed while watching the episode

- The doodles on Philip’s diary being incomplete glyphs was great 9and again, you can see early Belos ideas on two of them)

- “things abominations probably shouldn’t do”

- I actually thought the hands were Darius’ skdskfkds Eda has such a paper white skin i thought it was him 

- Eda is peak adhd 

- I liked seeing other uniforms besides hexside, glandus and st. epiderm!

- apparently there were scrolls on eda’s hexside times, which is interesting

- HECK

- THERE WAS THE MELODY OF RAINE’S RAPHSODY/EDA’S REQUIEM WHEN RAINE APPEARED

- st epiderm being expensive checks out. I’ve studied in a catholic school for 12 years and while it was one of the cheaper ones, it was still pretty pricy 

- the paralel of one of them being a wild witch and the other a coven one

- their handshake <3

- st epiderm is on the knee! which makes sense for a religious school to be there since its where the magic is strongest

- SHE STARTED DRINKING APPLE BLOOD BECAUSE THEY OFFERED IT TO HER

- changing the chemistry of liquids is such a coold idea

- “we’ll figure something else out” mmmmmmmm like ENTERING BELOS’ MIND?

- these shots

- and him

[lampmanliveblogs]

Seven is often considered a magical number, let’s see if it applies to this episode.

We start with on a rather laid-back scene as Eda looks over her To Do list. And apparently she feels the need to burn her old dress. Unless told otherwise, I’m gonna go ahead and assume that she never washed her old dress and just used magic to make it so it wouldn’t smell. But after she lost her magic, the spell eventually ran out of juice and that’s why she got the new one.

We can see here some notebooks with glyphs, showing that Eda is still learning off-screen. We can also see a photo of Eda, Luz & King from the Grom episode.

Hold up, King is planning on moving out?  Isn’t he like… I mean, I guess we don’t know how long he was in the tower on his own, but he can’t be much more than like ten or something. Unless his species ages really slowly. What is he even gonna do, get a job? Or maybe he’s planning on going on some kind of trip to search for his father.

Secondly, Eda is not too happy with it. ”Everyone’s leaving.” She is no substitute for the ”real thing.” King is going to look for his father. Luz is looking for a way back home to the Human Realm and her mother. Her real mother.

Oof, that’s depressing.

Heck, even Lilith left after crashing on Eda’s couch for two weeks to move back home to mom. Once/if Luz figures out a way back to the Human Realm, Eda will be alone with Hooty. Now, I wouldn’t mind that, as Hooty is Best Boy, but I can see how lesser beings couldn’t withstand his presence for very long.

My joking aside, it does make me think. We haven’t really seen any friends of Eda as far as I can recall. She’s mentioned a few times that she has several exes, but, well… they’re exes. They’re not exactly around. Her sister worked for the Emperor’s Coven and tried to arrest her. Her mother came around once a year to try another miracle cure that inevitably failed. Eda’s always been a bit of an outcast of society, due to her curse and her refusal to join a Coven making her a criminal. With all that in mind, Eda comes of as someone who would be very lonely without King and Luz.

Eda finds this lute (lying at an impossible angle) in the chest. She picks it up and starts plonking with it. A bright aura surrounds her and several objects start levitating. The gem on her chest begins to glow and she gasps, wondering if her magic has returned… only for everything to literally come crashing down and she puts down the lute in frustration.

So first off, was that Bard magic? I know the Bard Coven is a thing that exists, but I can’t recall seeing any Bard magic performed. As far as I know, when it comes to bards in roleplaying games and stuff they’re all about buffing and supporting their allies, or debuffing enemies.

Secondly, Eda’s gem did start to glow (either that or the aura from the lute was reflecting in the rock), so it might really be hinting that there is some magic left in her. Or maybe her curse was reacting in some way? We do know Eda’s emotional state can affect how the curse behaves. Stress makes it worse, so maybe the calming tunes soothed the beast within?

Thirdly. the reason I took this screenshot is because this is where we can best see the symbol on the lute. It’s a raincloud, divided in two halves by a sorta lighting bolt shaped line. There is one eye in each half, one open one close. The cloud has what might be a lightning bolt coming from it.

Something tells me that symbol will be important.

That… is probably not a good sign.

Eda’s Requiem.

Insert your own JoJoke here:_____________________________________.

A requiem is a mass held in repose of the souls of the dead, usually held in the context of a funeral. It’s a primarily catholic tradition.

So, uh… Eda’s gonna die. I’d think that’s the kind of plot twist the writers would save for the season finale, but I admire their guts.

There’s also a famous music piece by Mozart called requiem, so maybe it just means Eda’s gonna play some banger tunes.

[incorrectlumityquotes]

Why Amity fell for Luz: A Theory

Watching all the episodes of The Owl House and reviewing them brought back a lot of thoughts and feelings that I maybe forgot about. We all ship things and sometimes we do it for fun; sometimes for deeper reasons. I just started lumity because it reminded me of Diana & Akko from Little Witch Academia. I loved that show so much that I wanted more, and I thought it would be cool if Luz & Amity did something similar. I had no idea that it was going to go beyond that, so DAMN. To quote a talking science wolf, “For years we ask how, but we should ask why.” I mean, we saw how. But why? Well I can take a guess.

If we’re are going to start anywhere it’s going to be with the girl in question, Amity Blight.

As far as I know as of this typing, Amity Blight is a witchling from The Boiling Isles. She lives in Bonesboro at The Blight Manor estate with her parents and her siblings. She attends Hexside School of Magic and Demonics. Good for her.

Amity has an ambitious and competitive personality. She’s always striving to be better and be at the top of whatever she is doing. When she’s introduced in I Was a Teenage Abomination, she’s showing having great pride in being the top student in her abomination class. In Adventures in the Elements, she goes to The Knee in hopes of training to beat her siblings’ high score on the placement exam.

Amity also has a bit of a temper and gets annoyed easily. In I Was a Teenage Abomination, she sics her abominations on Willow and Luz just because she wasn’t named top student that day. In Enchanting Grom Fright, Amity snapped at the person she bumped into before realizing it was Luz. And later in the same episode, Amity beat up Hooty when he decided to get too close.

But she does have a soft sensitive side. She keeps a diary in her secret room in the library and even reads to kids in her free time. Amity also has a strong sense of integrity. She despises cheating (and cheaters) and feels guilt when she’s forced to break ties with Willow.

So why did someone like this fall for Luz of all people? (see above image)

Enter what I call my Shipping Theory of Compliments

The Shipping Theory of Compliments is that two characters would be shipped and sometimes canonically enter a romantic relationship based on their personalities complimenting each other and fulfilling elements they don’t have alone necessary to developing the character.

People like to use the image of a missing puzzle piece, but I don’t like that comparison because I think it’s a little inaccurate and I don’t like puzzles. Think of it more like the two pieces of the yin and yang coming together and then growing the circles of the opposite colors in them.

Something like that.

And it’s compliments, not opposites. When you think compliments, think more Star and Marco from Star vs the Forces of Evil. Star wants to go on a magical adventure. Marco also wants to go on a magic adventure. The difference is that Star goes in recklessly while Marco wants to plan it out a bit. They still have their adventure as oppose to Star’s opposite who wouldn’t want to go on a magical adventure. That sort of thing.

So how do Luz and Amity compliment each other?

Let’s start with that they have in common. Obvious stuff aside, they’re both training to become the best witches they can be. The difference comes that Luz is a human who has to learn magic via glyphs that she finds and Amity learns magic the “proper” way on The Boiling Isles. 

Luz and Amity are also both fans of The Good Witch Azura book series. Difference is that Luz is more open about her fandom while Amity tries to keep it a secret. Also petty thing but they’re both fan artists too, but I think Luz might be a better than Amity. But hey, her crosshatching is improving.

Luz and Amity are also (at the start of the series) both lonely people. Luz’s mom says that she doesn’t have any friends, and Amity doesn’t like her “friends.” The difference is that Luz reaches outward to ease her loneliness (being social and friendly, trying new things, etc.) while Amity reaches inward (keeping a diary, staying busy, having a secret spot, etc.). They both also use escapist fiction to ease their loneliness.

That’s all well and good, but now we get into the real speculative parts. 

...complimenting each other and fulfilling elements they don’t have alone necessary to developing the character.

When I was taking acting classes I was taught that the way you see people act is a persona based on their experiences on what it takes to survive and avoid physical, emotional and social death. So now we have to speculate based on what we were given on what emotional/social needs and wants has Amity not been getting before that she has with Luz.

First let me point you to another show called F is for Family. F is for Family is an adult animated sitcom on Netflix that follows a very dysfunctional family in the 1970s. These are legitimately bad characters, not in terms of being poorly written. What I’m saying is that these guys are assholes. But here’s where it gets interesting.

One of the characters is Kevin Murphy, the teenage son of the family. He’s a dim-witted wannabe rockstar who is always yelled at and put down by his parents throughout the entire series. However in season four Kevin meets Alice. Alice teaches Kevin that his favorite band is a big reference to Tolkien and gives him a copy of The Hobbit. They bond over their love of Lord of the Rings and get along really well. Alice calls him smart for being able to read all of Lord of the Rings over a few days and never puts him down. Even in the one time they did fight she never yelled at him or raised her voice which he found weird because he’s so used to being yelled at. Alice gave Kevin the emotional support he always wanted but never got from his family.

Using that as a backdrop, let’s go back to Amity.

Amity grew up with her parents making her do things she didn’t want to do, making choices for her. Amity wanted to be one way. Her parents wanted something else. Amity’s mother even dyes Amity’s hair green so it matches her siblings. Amity wanted to be friends with Willow. Amity’s parents wanted her to be friends with the mean kids. While Amity does work hard to be the best at what she’s doing, her parents also put pressure on her to make sure that she is at that level. 

Her siblings are another bag of awful. They constantly refer to her by an annoying nickname that I’m guessing has an embarrassing moment attached to it. They seem to live by a double standard that Amity despises. She has to work hard and follow the rules just to be accepted while they are naturally talented and break the rules with everyone still thinking that they’re perfect. 

Family is supposed to provide unconditional love except it looks like the love of the Blights is based on conditions. Nobody just likes Amity for who she is. She doesn’t have a friend.

Enter: the friendliest person she’s ever met

Amity has to struggle and work for the simplest things, even affection. Except when it comes to Luz. Luz is naturally friendly and positive. Amity doesn’t have to earn her kindness. Even when she’s bullied Luz before, Luz is always coming back with a smile. I suppose when you live life surrounded by jerks, you’ll want to hang out with the one person who’s always nice to you. Sort of.

Yes, Amity did think Luz was a bully for constantly getting her into trouble. But even at Covention and Lost in Language, Luz kept reaching out to her. This combined with Amity’s awareness of her own behavior is what convinced her to try to reach out in kind to Luz by the end of Lost in Language. “She’s trying to be nice to me, so I should try too,” I’m guessing is the mindset especially in Adventures in the Elements. And then...Luz continued to be nice to her which is kind of a big deal for Amity.

Let’s tally up what we have so far:

Luz and Amity have similar interests (The Good Witch Azura series, art, fiction, learning magic)

Luz and Amity have similar values (work ethic, disdain for cheating, protecting those closest to you, etc.)

Luz gives Amity the positivity and affection that Amity doesn’t normally get anywhere else

They still have differing personalities with Amity being more competitive and Luz having more of a live-and-let-live attitude.

Even with all these things in mind, why was Amity so scared to ask Luz to Grom?

Speculating again but my theory is that Amity wasn’t sure if Luz actually liked her or if Luz is just friendly because that’s how Luz is. Amity was scared of being rejected because she felt that maybe she was just reading the situation wrong. Luz is this ray of sunshine in her gray skies (if you’ll forgive the cliché). People like Amity always think of all the worst possibilities (I know because I do this too). Amity was probably thinking a bunch of what ifs. “What if Luz doesn’t actually like me? What if she’s just being friendly because she feels sorry for me? What if she has feelings for someone else? What if she never actually liked me? What if she’s straight?”

Luz is Amity’s first crush and it is scary as all hell to put yourself out there like that for the first time. She wasn’t expecting to get married at Grom night. She just wanted to dance with the girl she liked.

The dance at Grom was like confirmation for her that it could happen. Amity didn’t have to ask out Luz because Luz asked her. Being with Luz isn’t a pipedream. It’s a definite possibility. And we all know how she reacted to that idea.

Uh...she’ll be in her bunk.

While Luz and Amity aren’t together as of this typing, I believe it’s bound to happen. Until then, after The Lumity Trilogy, Amity knows that Luz is the girl she likes. 

tl;dr version

Amity fell for Luz because they have similar interests and values, their personalities differ in a compatible way and Luz provides Amity emotional needs and wants that she doesn’t get anywhere else.

Also, round eared girl pretty.

.

Thanks everyone for reading.

[drabbles-of-writing]

my head is pounding (I can't stop the pounding)

This is part of my Four Years AU

AO3

Masterpost

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“They say you travel dimensions,” Luz said, gazing up at the man, flickers of hope in her eyes. “Is it true?”

“My dear, of course it is!” The man chortled, a tall demon of sorts covered in fur, with a mane like a lion around his neck. “Interested in learning my ways, are you?”

“Very much, sir.” Luz nodded, a smile spreading across her face. “I’m looking to find a way to the human realm. I got separated from my mom, and she’s got to be worried sick about me by now.” 

“I see, I see.” The man hummed, digging around in his pockets. “Yes, I believe I can help you. Come with me,” He said, withdrawing a card with his name on it and handing it to her. “Are your friends interested, as well?” He asked, peering over her shoulder towards the witches poking around at the knickknacks and items around in his shop.

“They’re here to help me find a way to the human realm,” Luz explained, swelling, just a bit, with pleading in her eyes. “We’ll take as much as you can offer.”

“That,” The man said, eyes flickering to the wanted poster sporting a crude drawing of a figure dressed in a purple and white cloak, an owl mask covering her face. “My dear, depends on how much you are offering.”

The building rippled like water, the scene smearing like wet paint. In the blink of an eye, the scene changed to inside a tent, Luz holding a potion bottle in her hand and peering at the murky, brownish green contents within. The man spoke words that meshed together like gibberish, as though his words had been forgotten, as he gestured towards gadgets with springs sticking out of them.

Luz quietly watched, clearly not listening to a word he was saying. Her face was blank, the faint traces of weary hope gone, like they’d never existed at all. Her shoulders were slumped, and she glanced at the potion in her hands before shaking her head and sighing.

“You’re not real,” She muttered, eyes downcast.

“Come again?” The man startled.

“You’ve never been to a dimension outside your own, have you?” Luz said, raising her head. 

“What in the nine realms are you--”

“Nine realms?” Luz snorted bitterly, shaking the potion in her hand. “You really commit to the bit, don’t you?”

The scene rippled again. The two were still inside the tent, but the man had moved. There were tables covered with cloth now. He had a table between him and Luz, who was still holding the potion.

“I’m very busy,” He gruffed. “And I can’t afford to convince you of what's right before your eyes--”

“This isn’t even a potion,” Luz said, raising the ‘potion’ in the air before letting it drop, watching it dully as it cracked on the ground and the contents spilled out. Muddy swamp water, by the looks of it. “I would know. I’m practically surrounded by them.”

“Honestly,” The man scoffed, eyes darting around. “Do you want my help, or not? I assure you, it’s an arduous journey, but I could accomplish it, I believe you could, too.”

“I wanted your help when I thought you had the faintest idea of what you were doing,” Luz huffed, eyes half-lidded in annoyance as she kicked the fake potion aside. 

The tent flickered, like an old tape with a scratch on it. Luz was on the other side of the tent now. The man was closer, one hand in his pocket.

“--vious really.” Luz’s voice faded back in.

“Well,” The man said, rearing back, his mane puffing up. “If you're so insistent that I am a fake, why are you still here?” He said, nose turned up.

“Because I told Gus to find me if you took longer than ten minutes, because Eda was worried you might try to jump me.” Luz said simply. “And it’s been fifteen, and he’s never later than two minutes. Which I’m willing to guess means you either tipped off someone, or you set traps. It was the biggest among my many lists of clues that you don’t give a damn about this whole thing.”

The man growled, looking around wildly as his fur continued to puff up. It would’ve been pretty amusing if Luz was in any other situation.

“I have been searching,” Luz started slowly pressing a hand against her face. “For five days straight trying to find you. And the last two people I met before you tried to feed me to a pit or get me in on their murder clan when they found out who I was.” She moved her fingers aside to free an eye, sending a seething glare.

“And you knew why I was trying to find a portal out of here,” She continued. “You knew I was trying to find my mother, and you insisted you had the answer. Why? Honestly, dude, why?” She threw her arms out in a wide gesture. “What do you gain out of this? Do you get a kick out of leading on grieving people? Cause you need to see someone for that.”

“Everyones trying to make a living, and I’m just making mine.” The man hissed, withdrawing his hand from his pocket, fist clenched. “You know how it is.”

“I’m trying to go home,” Luz spat, the seething in her gaze bordering on barely restrained fury. “And yet I’m standing here, wasting my time on the excuses you're throwing at me. So, no, I don’t--”

A tear tore through the scene, sections of the tent smeared over and blurred, forgotten. Words combined and mumbled like they were talking under water. Luz had her hood up now, turning away with some inaudible, but clearly harsh, words spitting out.

The man unclenched his fist, revealing a retractable blade that he switched upright. He hissed and held it tightly in his grip, crouching for just a moment, enough for Luz to give a bored glare back, before charging her.

In that same moment, a small, furry demon leapt out from under the cloth-covered tables, latching his teeth and claws into the man's leg.

“King!” Luz exclaimed, jerking back as soon as the man charged her.

The man howled, a distorted sound, kicking out his leg as he stumbled and tried to shake off the demon clinging in like a burr, drawing blood as he growled and kicked. 

Eventually, the man just slammed his leg against the closest table, King squawking as he was hit straight on and falling to the ground with a wheeze, curling into a ball.

The man had barely turned to resume his attack before a pillar of ice hit him square in the face. He fell as vines wrapped around his limbs, pinning him to the ground as he struggled. Luz shoved the glyphs she didn’t use back into her pockets before rushing to King, scooping him up into her arms. He raised his head slightly, giving an affirmation he was fine, just winded, and Luz relaxed ever so slightly.

“Emperor’s Coven showed up,” King explained with a wheeze, waving off Luz when she tried to fret over him. “They’re fine, keeping ‘em at bay outside.” He said, tilting his head in the direction of the exit to the tent. “I just thought that, you know, you might be in trouble.”

“And what a brave demon you were,” Luz agreed, smiling down at him as King perked up under the praise.

Smoke flickered over the top of the tent for a moment, like a tape had skipped a scene, before returning to normal.

“You’d do best to stick to what you know!” The man snapped from where he writhed on the ground, managing not to wilt under Luz and King whirling to glare at him. 

“Spreading that wild magic of yours to the human realm won’t do any good.” The man continued, hatred spilling off him in waves. “The Emperor didn’t take kindly to an Owlet like you, why would the human realm be any different?”

“It’s not,” Luz agreed, withdrawing a fire glyph and holding King closer to her with her other arm. “But my mom is.”

With that, she tapped the glyph with her thumb and let it fall to the ground. It burned away at the plants, momentarily singeing the man's limbs tied down. He yelped and sprung free when he could, staring with wide eyes when the fire quickly spread to the cloth across the tables of fake items, catching ablaze near instantly, like frames had been passed over to allow a smooth transition.

King stared wide-eyed, looking between the growing flames and the cold, hardened fury on Luz’s face. He shrunk back in her arms, though she didn’t seem to notice. With that, she turned sharply on her heel and left, storming out through the tent flaps as it, too, caught ablaze the second she touched it, glitching as it did so.

The scene itself was wrapped up in the inferno the moment Luz left it, flames cackling as they grew and spread and consumed everything it touched. 

There was soon nothing but the roaring of the fire, the blinding smoke, the rippling of the world, and a golden eye blinking into existence behind the bonfire.

,

“Luz?”

She shot upright with a start, breathing heavily as she gasped and tugged at the sheets, staring at the far corner of her room. King jerked away from her old mattress she called a bed, head lowered and eyes wide, claws fiddling together.

“Sorry, sorry,” King said quickly, tucking his tail around his legs like a scolded cat. “I...is this a bad time? Should-should I get Eda…?”

“Huh?” Luz said dumbly, voice sounding hoarse as she turned to stare down at King, her body feeling weighted and numb.

“You, um…” King pointed to the side of his face, right under his eye.

Luz felt at her face, feeling instantly that she’d been crying. She quickly wiped at her eyes, breath raggedy as she tried to dry her face.

“Is...is it an episode?” King asked quietly. “Should I leave? I don’t want to--”

“No, no, it’s--” Luz sniffled, hating how her voice sounded and shaking her head, dropping her arm. “It's fine. Small one, mostly just...just a dream, really.” She said, cringing at how slow her movements felt as she leaned back against the wall her bed was pushed beside, attempting to shake off how it felt she was under an ocean.

“Oh...okay.” King said, staying right where he was, claws clinging to the edge of the bed as he looked away.

Luz closed her eyes in the ensuing silence, attempting to banish the memories from her head. It had been just a few days ago, and they’d finally made it back to the Owl House after all their walking and dodging the Coven only yesterday. Everything in between was a little hard for her to remember now that she thought about it. Probably for the best.

“I didn’t wake you up, did I?” Luz eventually asked when her head didn’t quite feel like it was going to roll off her shoulders.

“No, I just...wanted to visit.” King mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

Luz exhaled, forcing herself to bite back the desire to bury herself in her blankets and never see the light of day again, opening her arms slightly with a small, half crooked smile.

King noticed the invitation and took it instantly, scrambling up onto the bed and scurrying into her arms. He curled in her lap as she pulled him close, leaning her chin on the top of his head and exhaling heavily, only by force of will not slumping over and crushing him. 

They stayed like that for a bit, waiting in the silence as Luz calmed herself down, clutching King tightly. If King was uncomfortable or had trouble breathing, he gave no indication. He stayed perfectly still and loose as Luz’s raspy breathing slowly calmed to something more manageable. It was late, but only just past dusk. The soft sounds of others in the house moving and talking softly on the floor below them could be heard if you strained your hearing.

“What brings you in here?” Luz finally asked, straightening her back a bit and squinting an eye, realizing King left the door open a crack and a sliver of light was seeping into the dark room.

King shrugged, a little comical considering Luz had wrapped her arms around his midsection like he was a teddy bear, his arms forced up a bit.

“Wanted to visit,” He repeated.

Luz didn’t seem convinced, but she didn’t push, slumping back against the wall and crossing her legs as she situated King in her lap. She knew King would break and tell her if she left it be for a moment. Sometimes he needed a moment to get his thoughts in order.

“Back when,” King paused again and Luz didn’t move, waiting patiently until he spoke again. “When you were talking with that demon guy…”

Luz looked down at him again, only able to see the back of his head and horns from this angle. He didn’t attempt to turn around and she didn’t do it herself.

“Your mom,” He tried a second time. “If we…” King stopped when Luz tensed, ever so slightly. He kept quiet for a moment before tilting his head back, still not enough for Luz to see his face. “When we find her,” He started again. “What’s...the plan after that?”

“What?” Luz blinked in confusion, loosening her hold on King to let him sit more comfortably in his lap.

“It’s just…” King said, turning halfway now that Luz could see his worried, contemplative face. “You always talk about how much you want to get back to your mom, because she must be worried sick about you, but...what are you gonna do after you find her?”

“...apologize for the next decade?” Luz tried, raising a brow in confusion. “Be grounded for the rest of my life?”

“I mean, just,” King struggled for another moment, leaning back against her leg and glaring up at the ceiling. “What...what are you gonna do when you're home again?” He asked quietly. “Is your mom coming to the Boiling Isles?”

“Oh, definitely not.” Luz snorted, shaking her head, not noticing his sudden reclusion. “My mom would freak out at this place. No, she’s a human realm type of human.”

“Then...are you staying with her?” King asked, drawing his limbs close to his body.

Luz watched him then, surprise evident on her face. King wasn’t looking at her, only the ceiling. He was already pretty small, but now he looked as though he was trying to make himself shrink even more.

“Course not,” Luz said softly, pulling King closer to her chest. “I love my mami, but the human realm isn’t for me. Never really has, if I’m being honest.”

“But you said your mom wouldn’t stay here,” King frowned, looking up at her now. “Are you going to stay separate again?”

“Well, no, that’s not,” Luz pursed her lips, frowning as she glanced to the side. “We...we’ll work something out. Maybe I could visit. Or...you know, it’ll depend on the portal, so we’ll have to see.” She decided on. “She’ll have to watch the tapes first.”

“So you don’t know, then?” King said simply, as if he was discussing common knowledge.

“I know I just...need to work out finer details.” Luz insisted. “Look, it’s fine, really. I’m not going anywhere.” She assured, drawing him up and giving a quick hug. “And I’m sure my mami would understand. I’m sure she remembers how crazy I was, this shouldn’t be that big of a surprise.”

She didn’t sound too convinced herself. King frowned, hooking his claws into her shirt and thus keeping her from pulling him away. He used his new leverage to give her a serious, no-nonsense expression that was honestly pretty cute on him. His nose almost touched hers.

“But don’t you miss it?” King asked, tilting his head. “I mean, you’re always talking about how different the human realm is from here and...how safer it is, really.” His eyes strayed, only for a moment, towards the edges of a scar that poked out of the collar of her shirt, one that he knew stretched far further along her arm and body like an angry, tangled thicket.

“I mean, nothings trying to kill you the moment you step outside, yeah, but the human realm isn’t perfect.” Luz said with a shrug. “If I’m being completely honest, if my mami wasn’t there, I don’t think I’d ever be trying to go back.” She said, sounding only slightly surprised at her revelation. 

“But it's your home, isn’t it?” King insisted. 

“My home,” Luz said, booping his nose as she sat him down on her crossed legs, taking a moment to pull his claws off her shirt. “Is where I decide it is. And it’s not there.” She said, giving him a small, soft smile. “But my mom is part of what I consider home, and I won’t be home until I find her. Does that make sense?” She asked, head turned.

“I...think so.” King said with a frown.

“Hey, at the end of the day,” Luz said, scratching at the fur just under his skull, the demon leaning into it. “Just know that, no matter how much the Emperor tries otherwise, you guys are stuck with me, okay? Getting back to my mom won’t change that.”

King curled closer to her hand, still appearing a little doubtful, but far more reassured than earlier. Luz giggled as she used her other hand to scratch at his side, the demon kicking out his back leg happily.

“And, who knows,” Luz continued. “Maybe we’ll find your dad, too. Ask him a few questions, figure things out with him.”

“He probably wouldn’t care,” King sighed, deflating a bit and going limp in Luz’s lap. “You’ve at least got memories of your mom. I don’t have any.”

“Then he’s missing out,” Luz said, swooping down to hug the demon and giggle at his squirming. “His loss, really. I’ll be sure to tell him that if we ever meet him.”

“Even if he looks as big and terrifying as his mural?” King asked, moving his head just slightly.

“Even if he looks scarier than his mural.” Luz said with a very serious nod.

“Alright,” King said with a tsk, shaking his head. “But I’m not responsible if you get stepped on.”

“That’s fair,” 

The two smiled at each other, chuckling quietly as Luz turned and flopped back on her bed, jolting King before he crawled up and curled into a ball on her stomach. Luz smiled up at the ceiling, stroking a hand down his back. King nuzzled her hand, yawning as he shut his eyes, wrapping his small claws around her fingers.

She turned her head to the side, off towards the bundle of items she stashed at the other end of her room. Her eyes locked on the box of tapes under a pile of clothes, the words FOR MOM written as large as possible on the side in sharpie. Her smile fell, and she looked away from the box, face pinched.

“I hope your mom likes us,” King mumbled sleepily. “It won’t change anything if she doesn't, right?” He cracked open an eye, the yellow and purple glow looking eerie as he gazed at Luz.

“She’ll like you,” Luz assured quickly, forgoing answering his second question as she stroked her other hand over his skull and down his back. King shut his eyes again and purred in response, tail wagging. “She’ll like you.” She repeated, quieter, gently squeezing her fingers around King’s claws.

She didn’t speak after that. She did, however, tighten her hold on his back with her other hand, like she was afraid he’d get ripped out of her hands from a simple gust of wind. If she was squeezing him too tightly, he didn’t say anything.

[sepublic]

Construction Relic Theory

           In the Relic Room, we see magical relics representing each of the nine covens, such as the Green Thumb Gauntlet for the Plant Coven, Oracle Sphere for Oracles, Healing Hat for the Healing Coven, etc. The only exception is, curiously, the Construction Relic; There is no artifact for the Construction Coven! Now, speaking from a meta animators’ perspective… Perhaps there is no Construction Relic, because this could imbalance the otherwise symmetrical layout of the relics, four on each side from one another… Or, maybe the crew forgot to include the Construction Relic, and decided it wasn’t necessary alongside most of the Relics anyway, as it’d just be another static background detail.

           But what if the Construction Relic is intentionally missing- What if it was Belos’ castle?

           I mean, think about it- What we know of Construction magic, and how we’re specifically introduced to it, is the creation of buildings. And Belos’ castle is obviously an incredibly important location for him, pragmatically and thematically, and I’ve speculated in the past that it might serve an additional function as well; Perhaps something to do with the Titan’s heart? It’s also chock-full of pipes and technology, the likes of which we’ve never seen before…

           So what if the Construction Relic was used to create Belos’ castle… Or even, it took the form of it? And that’s why it’s not present with the other artifacts; Either it’s in another location, serving as the core and foundation for the castle itself… Or it just straight-up turned into it, as the culmination of Construction magic, devising and transforming into a massive fortress!

           Alternatively- What if it was Belos’ staff, instead? We’ve all talked about how technological it looks… Perhaps Belos built and upgraded the Construction Relic into the staff we see today, in order to better enhance his magical abilities? Again, he’s associated with the creation of technology, machines, and automatons- Construction magic fits well with engineering, so it makes sense that this would be the artifact most important to Belos, and the only one he keeps on his person… And it’s potentially how he managed to create so many things such as the portal, and even the castle itself!

           Furthermore, we see how Belos can essentially ‘create’ fleshy monsters, like the Intro Worm, and those stone and meat constructs when fighting Luz. This could also fit into the speculation of Belos shaping people, such as members of the Emperor’s Coven and Guard, into uniform bodies… His power could be related to that of reconstruction, of transmutation; But he does so with living bodies, and not just buildings or technology! Maybe it could play into how Belos is able to reconstruct his body, how he’s able to create his own version of the portal…

           In fact, maybe that’s how Belos would’ve been able to heal Eda; Not with the Healing Hat, but by using his Construction Relic to literally reconstruct her body, back into its original, normal self! Maybe that’s even how the Curse works in the first place; Maybe it’s actually Construction Magic, and it reconstructs the victim’s body into an Owl Beast! Construction magic, but the building materials are the parts of a person’s body… And so all this time, Luz and Lilith were looking for the wrong artifact; The Healing Hat was not the solution, it was the Construction Relic- Because the Curse is Construction-based, and unlike Belos, they never realized this!

           In fact, whether or not it’s Belos’ staff, maybe that’s why the Construction Relic is unseen- It’s deliberately hidden so Lilith can’t just steal and use it for herself on Eda, and then be done! Maybe Belos even intentionally put away the Construction Relic, to manipulate Lilith for this reason! Getting into a meta perspective, Dana Terrace says that her choice of Magic track would be Construction, given how artsy it is… And Belos is possibly that favorited masked character of hers she alluded to, in the Reddit AMA; Although it could just as easily be Owl Mask. Additionally, Belos has a bit of brown in his color scheme himself, in the form of his cowl-mask… Maybe THAT’s the Construction Relic, even! And Construction magic fits Belos as someone with a machine motif, who wants to build an entire empire and Coven System.

           Construction Relic is unusually underrepresented, despite it being Dana’s choice- Aside from Mattholomule, we barely see any practitioners. Perhaps Belos could help to fill that role in the story, even if he’s also capable of other forms of magic; Coven Leaders notwithstanding, it’d be neat to see each form of magic get fleshed out with a witch tied to it, with Construction being Belos’ favored manner of magic. If the Curse is Construction Magic, maybe it was made by Belos, given the red coloration it gives off; Though whether Belos intended for Lilith to use it on Eda, or if he just lost it and it passed through hands on the black market, until Lily bought it… And then Belos was able to recognize his own work and thus reverse it- I can’t say.

          And once again, I’m going to bring up Fullmetal Alchemist; Because if I AM right and Belos and Father have parallels, and transmutation and alchemy from that series helped to inspire the Glyphs… Then given how Fullmetal Alchemist places emphasis on the terms construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction as a central part of alchemy; Perhaps this could factor into Belos, who’s essentially doing this show’s equivalent to Chimeras and Human Transmutation… Possibly on himself, even! 

          If we got by his ability to create living constructs AND buildings with this theory, then suddenly this could recontextualize all of those buildings in the Boiling Isles that have body parts in them… With Belos either having a hand in their creation, or Construction Magic being foreshadowed as including some meaty bits as well! This could even tie into Hooty, who himself is a meaty part of a building, and is even brown himself! Maybe House Demons are a variety of demon created by Construction Witches, who incorporate body parts into buildings (possibly supplied by Beastkeepers) and bring them to life- And Belos is using the same principle with the Construction Relic, just with more emphasis on flesh!

          Buildings probably require a lot of stone and other earthen materials, and Belos can create rock formations and even move statues, or make them out of people... Suddenly I’m wondering if the Petrification Machine is connected to this relic? And if we go by the idea of construction magic assembling and fusing parts together, perhaps House Demons are regular demons who have been disassembled, and put back together with building materials to create a living house! Beastkeepers could supply body parts and demons, and maybe even help tame/subdue the resulting House Demons for usage afterwards- Working with the Construction Coven to create things like living alarm bells, watches, etc.!

           And if you even want to get REALLY meta, Construction Magic being underrepresented could be as part of a twist to get the audience to not think about and notice it… Before it REALLY comes into play! I guess amidst the comparisons to Hooty and Construction magic, that’s another similarity, based on @fermented-writers-block and their speculation on Hooty being intentionally played off as a joke for distraction…

           Granted, part of the problem with this theory is that the Relics are revealed to actually be pretty weak; Or at the very least, not particularly legendary- Anything they can do, a decent Witch trained in that magic could also do as well, I imagine. It’s why Lilith has no qualms with destroying the Healing Hat… But then again, if the Healing Hat didn’t work because it had no effect on a Construction-based Curse, then maybe it WAS powerful, but Lilith dismissed it as weak, because it couldn’t fix the curse like she needed it to?

          Perhaps the Relics are indeed what they’re hyped up to be, but because Lilith misunderstood the Curse’s nature, she thought the Healing Hat was much weaker than it actually was for not being able to fix it… If so, RIP- Lilith DID destroy a powerful artifact, then! Maybe Belos drained the Relics of most of their power, but saved the Construction Relic because of how important it was. Or, the Relics aren’t normally powerful, as Lilith claimed- But Belos was able to perform modifications to the Construction Relic, turning it into the mechanical staff we see today! Maybe the Construction Relic even created machinery that could enhance the original relic’s own magic; Potentially making it the most dangerous Relic, for its powers of Creation that enable it to bypass its own limits, unlike the other Relics!

          So of course Belos would want to keep it… And we’ve seen him capable of adding technology to supplement magical artifacts, like with the portal in the Season Finale. And with how Construction Witches from the Emperor’s Coven are clearly vital to Belos’ creation… Then it’s possible that Construction magic will be the hidden, overlooked, but ultimately invaluable ace up Belos’ sleeve, that everyone has been dismissing and underestimating this entire time! Construction magic being overlooked yet so important would be an interesting theme- Especially since out of the Coven Leaders, the Construction Head is the first and only one we’ve seen, and yet HIS appearance was played off so normally, that the viewers wouldn’t have recognized his relevance until The First Day!

          Just a normal part of the background, just another witch… But like the magic of his that is underestimated, the Construction Head turns out to be far more important than we could’ve imagined; And initially, we dismissed him as just an extra, as part of some minor world-building and even a brief joke! Suddenly, the Construction Head empowering Tiny Nose, Dana’s self-insert, with a Power Glyph derived from her magic of choice, takes on a WHOLE new meaning…!

[lilyclawthorne]

Hunting Palismen Thoughts

y'all I absolutely loved this episode

oh we're JUMPING right in with day of unity stuff huh. we didn't go from 0 to 10 we started at 10.

anyways, starting off, this whole thing is fascinating to me. I mean this literally looks like a small human city. who are the worthy that get to live here according to belos. if its a unification of the realms, what happens to the humans? do they live here too? how does this affect society?? so many questions

kiki is pissed and im starting to predict that the reason Lilith, GG, and Kiki were all apart of the same slide in the title isn't because Lilith will slide backwards like some were worried about, but that all three of them are people who will have betrayed the emperor at some point

what the fuck is belos. the thumping/punching he made was in time with the beat of a heart. makes me think of the heart behind his throne and how are they connected.

UNCLE?? OUR FAMILY IS GONE BECAUSE OF WILD MAGIC??

TITLE CARD CHANGES AHHH

oh im so worried amity's not there because her mom's mad about her hair. that being said, some of the students here I assumed were a bit older (like jerbo and viney) and ed & em also aren't here. could potentially be that their parents didn't want any of them involved with this palismen adoption? or maybe im trying hard to be hopeful she's not in huge trouble over the hair

FREWIN!! this is the outcome for the little guy in Bump's head is better than anything I could've thought of. Aside from his legitimate use of helping Bump see, I am curious though if this is a bit of a "hidden in plain sight" kind of thing as well to protect the little guy.

PALISMAN ADOPTION DAY!! I WAS RIGHT!! I guessed the forest palismen would get adopted and I'm so glad about it.

I love Eda's blazer. She's trying to look professional. I love that this is what she planned on her favor from BQ being. Just to help out some young witches and some lost palismen. She cares so much 🥺

ok but if the unification of the realms does end up happening, I totally see Gus being an ambassador to the human realm.

There's a lot of attention of Luz here, and I'm just imagining how a similar situation might've gone down on the human realm. I don't blame her for getting anxious here, because I feel like in the past attention like this would've gone far worse at her school. I appreciate that most people here are just calm asking questions that are intended to help (except you Boscha) or Eda just checking in on her.

"I've read stories like this, the main character always has to return home" very interesting. seeing how this show has emphasized how life isn't like fiction.

Eda's just listening in like a mom concerned about her child

Tired Luz is adorable.

LMAO WHY IS GG WHISTLING THE THEME SONG

These two have such an insane amount of sibling energy I love it. This situation? Me and my brothers have done this way too many times.

uh so can a coven mark actually be removed?? since the EC one is also on the wrist but Lilith definitely hasn't been seen with anything there? that's kind of a relief since I was worried that since coven marks can help control magic that her still having one could be bad for her

It's not unsurprising that GG, as a powerless witch, would be interested in wild magic and Luz's glyphs. the kind of stuff you don't need a bile sac for. that kinda sucks he knows there's something out there he probably could use, but isn't allowed to do so

Hunter!! I don't need to do a name meaning here this one's obvious. Also, this boy's gonna crack and swap sides I can tell.

This is the most shit-eating grin I think I've ever seen on Eda. She's so proud of herself and she should be!

I also love this because we literally started this show with Luz helping Eda and King rob the conformatorium, and now we're at King and Eda robbing somewhere to do something special for Luz 🥺

Kiki and GG are so petty with each other, it's not just Kiki and Lilith. This is the whole workplace dynamic isn't it.

GG's room design definitely came from the Lilith bedroom design didn't it. Also I love the little Sprig plush!! I think that's a Big City Greens reference in there too but I've never watched that show.

I am very concerned about him and this palisman too. Not about him but just about Belos finding the palisman.

My one other thing I wanted to mention is I definitely feel like I'm seeing more and more disability metaphor in the show. If we see Eda's curse and her subsequent loss of a power as a disability, then GG/Hunter being born without magic could be considered a disability too. He's only been given access to one way of doing magic and it seems to limit him, he's being cut off from a different way of doing magic, the glyphs that Eda is learning, which clearly seem to be able to allow the user to do magic almost anywhere and could be more effective than Belos' artificial magic.

I'm also curious about Bump, he has the kind of palisman Belos wants to do away with, but it's not just a way to do magic for him. It's an aide for his vision. Belos' ideals would also be taking away something from him or other witches who may also be using their palismen as an aide.

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Escaping Expulsion" From The Owl House

Salutations random people on the internet who most likely won’t read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

Do you wanna know what I love the most about The Owl House? The writers waste no time getting to the good stuff.

Things like Willow working things out with Amity, Lumity, Lilith's redemption, and Luz's fight with Belos are stuff that most shows would drag out and wait upon using until several seasons down the line. Most of them for the final season. And yet, it all happens in the first! The writers somehow knew what the fans exactly wanted and gave them just that before they even had to ask.

Take "Escaping Expulsion," for example, as it has some great plot points and ideas I thought would happen later in the season and maybe even near the end. But it's only episode TWO of the new season, and I'm appreciative of it for that reason alone.

But explaining the good stuff this episode delivers requires spoilers, so if you haven't watched the episode yet (even though you definitely have at this point), I recommend that you do so. Now let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Blight Industries: Huh. I'll be the first to admit: I would have never expected that the main reason why the Blights are rich is because of their technological advancements. Large in part of how the Boiling Isles is a fantasy world, and rarely do you see technology taking place in a setting such as that. Still, points for total expectation subversion added with some pretty cool tech, I might add.

Odalia Blight: It's nice to put a face to the name I've grown to hate with a fiery passion. Now I can update my dartboard!

But to tell you the truth, it feels weird saying I like someone so vile. I mean, the woman is a manipulative, smarmy b-word who nearly killed Luz. Anybody who does that last part deserves to go on my s**t list! I despise her with the same fiery passion I've had since "Understanding Willow" premiered...and it's that reason why I like her.

Because here's the thing: Characters and people are two different things. If Odalia existed in real life, she better hope that I never meet her. But as a character whose purpose is to have the audience hate her, she succeeds with flying colors. It's the same reason why I consider it unfair to hate an episode like "Something Ventured and Someone Framed" because Mattholomule exists. I get it but understand that hating him is his purpose. It's the same with Odalia. I love her, but only because I love to hate her.

Alador Blight: Wow. I guess Alador really is the lesser of two evils.

By the way, keep in mind that I said "lesser of two evils" and not "the nice one." I don't care how adorable it is to see him get distracted by a butterfly. He's still an abusive figure who stood aside as Luz fought for her life against the Abomitron and still goes along with Odalia's plans despite how heinous they are. And whenever I remember how he treated Amity in "Understanding Willow" as well--

Also, don't make him neurodivergent so he can seem redeemable. It is painfully obvious that he is just exhausted after hours of toiling away in his lab working on his inventions to the point that his brain is beyond fried.

Now, seeing that I've dismissed the argument about how Alador is the nice one, let's actually talk about his character. Because I can see what Dana Terrace meant when she said that he's interesting. He's not explicitly as awful as Odalia, as he mostly seems to be in his own little world half the time. Despite that, Alador still shows signs of being just as dismissive of Amity in general. You see this as he focuses on how her strength shows signs of Amity being a potential coven leader instead of noticing how his daughter nearly died to his own invention. Alador doesn't manipulate, but he doesn't love his daughter in a way a father should either. I'm very intrigued by this route for his character, and I can't wait to see what is done next with him.

Amity’s Amulet: My heart sank when I realized the true purpose behind Amity's amulet. The thought that Odalia found a way to literally be in Amity's head at all times...I hate that. I mean, I love it because it's A+ storytelling and symbolism, BUT I F**KING HATE IT!

Amity in General: And seeing how we're already talking about Amity, let's dive into the fact that "Escaping Expulsion" is easily her best outing so far in the series. I say this because it really puts to the test Amity's dedication to being a part of the group. You can tell by her expressions and Mae Whitman's performance that Amity so desperately wants to help her friends, but she can't due to being afraid of her mother's wrath. Which doesn't surprise me, given what we know about Odalia so far. But what does surprise me is that Amity stands up to Odalia in this very same episode. I expected it for sure, but most likely at the end of the season, due to most shows dragging out a similar concept for drama's sake. However, as I said, the writers don't waste time giving the fans what they want. So, yeah, Amity defies her mother in the very same episode we're officially introduced to her. And it's totally believable, as Amity has been fighting her parent's control ever since Luz literally showed her the light after "Covention" (click here if you don't believe me). It's yet another impressive showcase of Amity's character development and how she's leagues ahead of other redeemable characters who would go through five more episodes like this before getting to the point.

Luz in General: But enough about Amity. For now, let's talk about the actual best character of the series!

Just like Amity, Luz is on top form in "Escaping Expulsion." She is quick to call 'applesauce' about Odalia and Alador expelling the Hex-Squad and is smart enough to figure out the deal Odalia is worming her way into making. Several people classify Luz as stupid, and while she definitely leaps before she looks at times, this episode proves that Luz isn't going to fall for the sweet talk that someone like Odalia offers. As reckless as she can be, Luz is still intelligent enough to know what someone like Odalia wants and cuts to the chase despite knowing the woman can't be trusted. Still, Luz going through with the deal anyways is fantastic character work for her as it shows her dedication to the people she cares about. It hurts my heart to see Luz get all beat up from Alador's inventions, but her willingness to put up with it for her friends is an act of service I wouldn't have expected from anyone else. "Escaping Expulsion" may be more centered around Amity, but it still proves why Luz earns her spot for one of my favorite characters.

Learning How Glyphs Work: Another solid aspect of The Owl House is that the writers find brilliant ways for world-building and explaining the rules of the Boiling Isles. Take this episode's b-plot, for instance. Eda and Lilith need to learn how to do Luz's version of magic, so having an entire section of the episode dedicated to them figuring it out is a perfect outlet to explain how glyphs work in the first place. Although, I have some tribulations with this subplot that I'll get into with the dislikes. But I still consider this a brilliant workaround to explain glyphs, even if specific executions could be handled better.

The Fairy Pie: Not only is this well-crafted dark humor, and not only is it adorable as hell, but it also shows how Amity has calmed down with her feelings toward Luz. She still blushes when handing over the fairy pie, but it is certainly more subdued in comparison to "Wing it Like Witches." I like to think the time off from her (and our) favorite weirdo helped cool down those emotions a bit, but that doesn't mean she won't get slightly flustered every now and again. Because as much as I adore seeing cool and collective, I'm still very much a fan of Disaster Amity due to how cute it is.

Principle Bump: "This character is underappreciated!"

"That character doesn't get enough love!"

YOU WANNA KNOW WHO'S UNDERAPPRECIATED AND DOESN'T GET ENOUGH LOVE?! PRINCIPAL GOSH DANG BUMP, THAT'S WHO!

So many kids' shows focus on how educators are the bad guy who treats students poorly because they love seeing children suffer. But that's not Bump! Sure, he made a misstep in "The First Day," but for the most part, he really cares for his students and hopes that they work hard to be their better selves. So when he's forced to send Luz, Gus, and Willow away, he's genuinely saddened by it to the point where he breaks down crying! On top of being wholesome, Bump missing his students is another example that a character shouldn't be written as evil just because they run a school. Sure, there are scumbag teachers and principals out there, but for others, they're a lot like Bump: People who show admiration and respect to their students rather than ridicule because a principle "just doesn't get it." And I appreciate Bump all the more for it.

Gus and Willow: It feels weird that these two basically got sidelined, especially since they have a stake in the plot as well, but it's understandable. "Escaping Expulsion" is clearly more Amity-centered, and with Luz being the main character, it would also be odd if she didn't get more of the focus than her friends. Having them do more would have been great, but what they've already accomplished is pretty decent anyway. They show how much they're on the same page as Luz when trying to figure out a way to sneak back into Hexide, Willow is still the best voice of reason when saying no one will be killed through their plans, and Gus wins the comedic highlights in the episode. While I would have loved that they did more, I'm perfectly fine with what we got. Besides, this is only episode two of Season Two. We got nineteen more episodes to go to focus on these two.

King: Ok, now, this is the version of King I like to see. A character that mocks Eda as if they're equals and acts as a reluctant voice of reason. This episode shows King more at his best and is a major step above what we've seen in "Separate Tides."

Lilith: ...Yeah, f**k it. I like Lilith.

Personally, I would have preferred seeing her dragged through the coals at least a few episodes, but that's judging the show for what I want. Not what it is. And as is...It's fine. Lilith has a great dynamic with the rest of the Owl House, it's honestly adorable seeing her refer to Luz as a teacher, and that scene where she makes presents out of ice for Hooty is all kinds of wholesome. I'd say your enjoyment of Lilith highly depends on how forgiving you are, and if you think her splitting the curse is enough of a gesture, you probably won't mind her as much. The execution of her redemption really could have used more time in the oven, but Lilith is still a decent character regardless, so what's to complain about.

Luz Making the Abomination Have a Cat Face: ...Luz...I f**king missed you.

DON'T EVER LEAVE FOR THAT LONG AGAIN!

(Also, I just love that this is all Amity needed to know Luz was in trouble)

Hop Pop Cameo: He's on the cover of one of the books Willow's dad lifts up. Which is extra cute given how Dana Terrace and Matt Braley (creator of Amphibia) are close friends in real life.

Willow’s Dad Pretending Not to See Anything: One single action defines the type of man this guy is. He's the fun and understanding dad!

Gus, Willow, and Amity Arguing How to Break In: This little quarrel just shows how much these three need Luz. Without someone to keep the peace and bring up compromises, these idiots would have just kept arguing all night.

In addition to that, this clash over ideas acts as a showcase for who these characters are. Willow is careful and smart, so she's going for the option more unlikely to get them caught. Amity is brash and to the point, so she's going for the route that gets them inside as soon as possible. And then there's Gus, who's young and naive, so his plan sounds like something out of a cartoon. The odds of any of these plans working are highly debatable, but seeing these characters with clashing personalities and ideas is a ton of fun to watch regardless.

Edric and Emira Helping: There's not much to add here. It's just another sweet scene that makes me so glad that the writers decided to make Ed and Em more like supporting characters than minor antagonists like "Lost in Language" made fans think they would be.

(Amity throwing the "Hex me" signs back at Edric is just the cherry on top).

“Stay away from my Luz!”: ...What the f**k do you want me to say that? It's f**king perfect!

Luz Catching Feelings for Amity: ...Huh. Neat.

...

...Alright, let's move on.

Luz Wanting to Take a Nap After--Yeah, I can't do it. Not even for the joke.

WAH-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOO! MU! TU! AL! PINING! AH-HAHAHA!

THIS! This is more of that good s**t I'm talking about! Due to being so used to other shows going for the slow burn when writing the endgame romance, I was expecting Luz to catch feelings halfway through the season, even at the end of it. But near the beginning?! That is something I am more than ok with!

And much like Amity standing up to her parents in this episode, Luz catching feelings this early on is totally believable. Many fans have already analyzed how Luz's love language is "Acts of Service," which I'm somewhat sure is romantic gestures. Meaning that I f**king challenge you to find a grander gesture than holding back a literal killing machine while swooping down like a knight in shining armor! Oh, wait, you can't. BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ANY!

But by far, the best--the BEST--thing that can come from this is the dramatic irony! We, the audience, know that Luz and Amity like each other, but they don't. So the constant failings as these two fools try to work out their romantic feelings for one another is something I cannot wait to see in all its glory.

This is one of the best things that could have come out of the episode, and while it doesn't mean Lumity is canon, it is definitely closer than ever before. And I'm excited about all of it!

Luz Wanting to Take a Nap After Getting Home: I adore this because there's no one way that this can be interpreted. Either it's because Luz is exhausted after nearly getting killed for the fifteenth time that month, or it's because Luz is overwhelmed about having a crush on Amity...or both. Most likely both.

Belos Wanting The Abomatrons: Wow, what an ominous ending to the episode! I'm sure it won't come into play at all in the future...The season finale is going to hurt, isn't it?

WHAT I DISLIKED

Gus’ Growth Spurt: I mean...that's just weird. Gus suddenly being almost as tall as the others is a change so jarring that I feel like an explanation other than "witch puberty" is required. I get that they wanted to explain away why Issac Ryan Brown's voice got deep this season, 'cause puberty's a b**ch. But sometimes I feel like it's best to just ignore it, like with how Phineas and Ferb or Steven Universe just goes along with the fact that VAs tend to grow up when the characters themselves remain ageless.

Eda is Kinda Stupid in this One: It's not just me, right? Because I feel like Eda is more careful in the past than she is in this episode. She's been as reckless as Luz is at times, sure, but carelessly screwing around with magic when she has no idea how it works? I can maybe see King doing that, but not Eda. Just seeing her act dumber than usual is something that doesn't sit right with me.

Lilith Explaining Her Glyph Magic: I don't mind this. Glyph magic is pretty confusing, so having Lilith explain how it works to Eda and the audience is something I can understand. My issue, however, lies in how they did this.

Why, in the name of all that is holy, would Lilith explain her theory after the fact. It would be much more natural if she explained while saving King, but doing it after comes across as more forced than it should. Which is a shame because this series is usually on point when explaining how things work in the Boiling Isles.

And...That's about all the complaints I have with this episode. Which are nothing but nitpicks and possibly personal preferences.

IN CONCLUSION

If I'm willing to forgive and forget, I would give "Escaping Expulsion" a well-earned A+. But I'm not, so it's going to be another solid A. And, I mean, if you complain about that...there's something wrong with you.

"Escaping Expulsion" delivers on quite a bit of what fans want to see on top of giving these great character moments that show why we love these casts of oddballs and weirdos. I wouldn't say it reached perfection, but it still carries the winning streak that this new season has so far. Meaning there's no escaping the fact that Season Two is off to a better start than the first.

(Although, the fact that we got two solid As in a row means that we're in for a stinker real soon, doesn't it?)

[scrawnytreedemon]

Come, lovee, wait awhile, Aww, come on sugar, you're no fun, Smile a little! Yes, yes, that's more like it! See, you look much better like this, Am I right? 'Course I am, Always am,

The sun sets over these cobbled streets, And their lamps light, one by one, but None of it compares to the sheer shimmering Splendor of the golden-glyphed barrier consuming the Castle, embracing it in its thick-aired bowels, People keep calling it a pyramid, and it annoys me To shit, It's an octahedron! It's four syllables, I know, but it ain't That hard, Either way, there's no better night than this to be at a Bar, with the moon hanging high, the stars, too, I'm sure, If we could see them past the blinding glare of it all, The beer's good, boy, I'll pay for your drink, It's personally not to my taste, but then again, would it be Yours, growing up in a palace with dark red wine?

The night is young, crawling at a blissful pace, See? What lovely times we can have, if only we Set our differences aside, You're a goatherd from Ordon, orphaned, with a Suspicious birthmark on your left hand, and I'm a Covent-boy from a far-off land, reaching yet for higher Posts,

You're beautiful, you know? There's not alot of People around here I'd call such, but you... I like you. Like the way your mousy-brown hair shines Almost-gold in the firelight, I'm guessing it was blond, once, when you were young? Mine was, too-- Well, not blond blond, but a very, very Light strawberry blond, Much like yours, however, clearly, it didn't stay, Can I get you a roast? You look like you could do with Good food, and it's never a good idea to drink on an empty Stomach, Trust me, I'd know, Straight-laced as I was, I had a couple guilty pleasures, Here and there,

Mmn, you too? I know it's rich, coming from Me, but you really don't look the kind, Gods-- Let me rephrase that, You're the responsible type, right? Always Running to-and-fro, setting yourself to any task Brought to your doorstep, or thrown on you From some random windowsill with little warning, Yeah, you don't care much for rules, but I don't get The feeling it's... You know... selfish? I don't know how to put it. Alot of people seem to see you as reckless, lackadaisical, Perhaps even lazy-- Somehow-- I know how they talk about you-- I know, I know, It's not Honest of me to listen, but I can't help overhearing... And it's, well I get the feeling it's weighing on you-- Like you Believe that. I, I know it doesn't mean much, coming from me, but I Think you deserve the time to breathe a little, here and th--

Ahh... I'll stop. Apologies. Here, want a bite of this cheese? Real fancy stuff, they get it from Labrynna-- Pays a pretty penny, too. Here, you can eat it off my fork,

You see the barkeep, over there? Tall woman, dark skin, green eyes, thickly-braided Red hair? 'Course you have-- But I mention this, because, Well, someone I know, (Someone we agreed not to know,) Told me that way, way back in his day, there were More people like her around, You know the desert? Yeah, that desert, (The one with the shattered mirror,) Used to be home to a race of them, all tall Powerful women, driven out eons ago by the Cold, sharp spears of Hyrule after a scandal Involving the Royal Family-- (The King himself, no less,) Anyhow, so they lived there, Among the dust and the heavy winds bringing Only death, but one day a war broke out, A nasty one, civil, And all the peoples of the land dubbed Hyrule Rose up and made to take it back, Some went old fashioned, forging great armaments of Metal-- Goron steel, no less-- while others came to Magic, The Gerudo went both ways,

I can see you know how this ends.

I'll leave it there.

We sit here an age, yet the night has miles upon Miles to go on, and we're young, And you're beautiful, Why don't we go elsewhere?

Ah, you have duty to attend to, of course, Your shadow seems pretty restless, suppose It's best we leave it, tonight,

Do take these, though, Got them at a nice, upper-class jewellery place-- No, not the shitty shop that used to be in Hyrule Square, thank Gods, (Though the new place is... interesting,)

They're earrings-- I know what with you being all Out and about anything else would be more of A hinderance, So take these, they're studs, They look like little birds, mid-flight, isn't that Nice? I know you're more... canid, than anything, (...) But you flit around so much, I don't think these are too off-point, really, And besides, whenever you next reach into the Sky, you're bound to get nice looks, I'm sure.

Well, you take care! Have a lovely rest of Your evening, Will I see you next week? Ah, busy, the next after That, perhaps? Don't know? That's fine-- We'll figure Something out,

Uh huh,

You take care!

Buh-bye,

...

(I think I love you.)

(...)

(Shit.)

— (Secret) Bar-Trysts on Lamp-Filled Nights

[bleachanimefan1]

The Song of the Titan Chapter Eighteen

Five days have passed, and Azara's arm was fully healed with some help from the healing glyphs. There was a slight tingliness here and there every now and then. Apparently, Azara discovered that she was double jointed on her elbow as well. It pretty much disturbed and disgusted everyone, aside from Luz who thought it was cool. Her and Amity were sitting on the floor, going over some blueprints for the portal door.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Hunter asked. He cringed as Azara attempted to do it again. "Would you stop that?"

"No," Azara replied.

The front door opened and a woman with long black hair wearing a white t-shirt with a half dead battery and long black skirt and boots, walked in. She had one green eye and one silver eye, similar to Eda's. It was Eda's sister, Lilith. She stopped when she noticed Azara and John.

"You two must be the humans that Hootsifer told me about," Lilith said.

"Yep, I'm Azara and this is my brother, John," Azara replied as she introduced herself and her brother to her.

"Lilith," Eda greeted her. "What brings you here?"

"You'll never know what I've found out!" Lilith smiled. She was practically hopping up and down with excitement.

"Let me guess," Eda smirked. "A way to cure us?" Lilith's smile was wiped off from her face as she stared at Eda with a shocked look.

"Yes, how did you know?" she asked.

"Lilith, I was only joking-Wait, are you serious?" Eda asked her, surprised. Lilith nodded.

"I've been doing some digging around the Night Market and found out something interesting," she explained. "I've found the person who can help us. She's the one who gave me the scroll of the owl beast." She took Eda's hands, holding them. "Eda, don't you know what this means! We can finally be cured! You can finally be free from the owl beast!"

Eda stared at Lilith, still shock from the news, as did everyone else. She let go of Lilith's hands and stepped back, with an unsure look on her face.

"How do you know that this person is not a fraud?" she asked.

"They're not!" Lilith insisted. "They are the original creator of the magic scrolls. They are known as The Collector. If anyone can help us, it's them!" Amity had a troubled look on her face when Lilith mentioned the collector. Luz noticed.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked her. Amity's eyes widen and she shook her head, quickly.

"No!" she answered. "I'm just surprised." Luz frowned. She was lying...

Then Lilith noticed Eda look away. "Don't you want to be cured?" Eda snapped her head, looking back at her.

"No! Of course I do!" she told her. "It's still just a shock to me that's all."

"Then let's go to the night market and free you from your curse, Eda!" Luz smiled.

Later on that day, as night came, everyone arrived at the Night Market. Azara looked around, taking in the surroundings. There some shady people standing behind their stands. Criminal thieves and Scammers, selling illegal goods and items. One of the sellers noticed her looking at them. Their eyes looked her up and down before going lower, stopping at her necklace.

"That's a fine piece of jewelry you got there," They smirked. "I'll pay a heavy price for it, if you're willing to sale?"

Azara made a small squeak as Hunter pulled her away, suddenly, by her arm. "She isn't interested." He said, darkly, and walked away, pulling Azara behind him, catching up to the others.

"You didn't need to do that," she told him. "I could have taken that guy if I wanted to."

"You need to be more careful," Hunter hissed as he warned her. "There are people here that would love to take advantage of sweet, naive, girls like you." Azara smiled.

"Aw, you do care about me. That's sweet," she teased. Just to torture and embarrass Hunter even more, she linked her arm with his, pulling closer to him. Hunter blushed and looked away as the two continued to walk, following behind the others.

"Can it, you two love birds," Eda told them. They stopped in front of a tent that had constellations, stars and moon designs on it. "We're here."

They walked inside to see that it was dimly lit inside. There were a variety of scrolls sitting inside of crates and shelves.

"Why, hello there," They heard a woman's voice call out. Everyone saw a person walk in as they pulled open the curtains from the other room, closing it behind them. The woman looked over at Amity.

"Well if it isn't my adorable granddaughter," the collector remarked. Amity frowned. The collector began to pinch Amity's cheeks. "How's my Alador been doing?"

"Granddaughter?!" Luz exclaimed. "Wait a minute, she's your grandmother?!" Azara could have sworn that she heard low growling sounds on the other side. They sounded like they were in pain. Amity sighed. The woman pulled back her hood, revealing a woman that looked a little like Amity, only that her hair was brown and pulled up in a bun. Her eyes were a golden shade of color.

"Amity, don't be rude," she frowned. "Aren't you going to introduce your grandmother to everyone?"

"I was just getting to that," Amity growled. "Everyone, this is Eleanor Blight, she is my grandmother."

"So what brings you here, darling?" Eleanor asked Amity, ignoring everyone else. "How are Emira and Edric?"

"They are just fine," Amity replied, sharply. "'We' are here, because we need your help. You sold a scroll to her," she gestured over to Lilith. "And she cursed her sister." then gestured over to Eda. "They want their curse lifted. So, do it so we can leave."

"Oh my, what a curious case we have here," Eleanor said, examining Eda and Lilith closely. As she was doing so, Luz slid over to Amity, standing beside her.

"Hey, why are you being mean to her?" she whispered to her. "She seems harmless." Amity snorted.

"Yeah, that's what she usually does, before she wants something in return," Amity said. "I just want to get out of her as soon as possible."

"We will." Luz smiled. Amity blushed.

"So, you've been cursed with the owl beast," Eleanor said, stepping back from Eda and Lilith. "Okay, come with me into the other room and we can begin the separating process." She turned to the others. "You can come in as well if you want. But, I must warn you, it won't be pretty."

"They're not going to die are they?" Luz asked, concerned.

"No!" Eleanor exclaimed, appalled then she made an evil smirk. "It's just going to be a very painful process."

She gestured them to follow her behind the curtain, pulling it back. "This way."

As everyone stepped inside, Eleanor closed the drapes behind her. Azara saw that there were giant jugs in the far corner and on the shelves there were small bottles. In the center of the room, there were two spell circles drawn on the ground. Azara frowned, looking around some more. She could have sworn she heard growling noises. Maybe, it was her imagination. Eleanor walked over to a spell circle that was drawn on the ground. "You two step inside here and we'll begin." Eda and Lilith walked over and Lilith stepped inside. Eda stopped, with a hesitant look on her face.

"Eda?" Lilith asked, confused.

"Come my dear," Eleanor smiled. "Don't you want to be cured?"

"What are you going to do with the owl beast, once were free from it?" Eda asked.

"Well, that's entirely up to you now, isn't it?" Eleanor made a sickening sweet smile. Eda sighed and stepped inside of the circle, it began to glow as it did. Suddenly, Eda and Lilith let out a loud shriek in pain.

"Eda!" Luz shouted. She turned and glared at Eleanor. "What are you doing to them?!"

"Didn't you hear me? I said that it was going to be a painful process," she told Luz. "They will be fine. The spell is pulling the owl beast out from them." Suddenly, a dark shadow erupted from Eda's and Lilith's chests and began transforming turning into the shape of a bird then it landed on the other spell circle, the owl beast. The creature let out angry screech as soon as it saw Eleanor. It was about to lunge at her when it was suddenly bounced back as it smacked against an invisible barrier.

"It is done." Eleanor replied. Eda and Lilith groaned as they fell on the floor. Luz ran up to her along with everyone else.

"Eda, are you okay?" she asked worried. Eda blinked, opening her eyes. Her hair was still a grey shade and white streak, however she had two golden eyes, except one being silver. Lilith eyes were both blue green, but her hair still had a long grey streak. Both of their jewels on their chest had returned to their natural color, Eda's was gold, while Lilith's was blue. The effects from the curse were still there, but they were no longer cursed.

"Can you do magic?" Luz asked. Eda and Lilith both made a small spell circle with their finger and a made fireball and earth pillars. However, their spells were weaker than what they've normally cast.

"Yep," Eda smirked. "I'm back!" Lilith was making giddy noises as she was squealing happily. "My magic's back! Wait until I tell mother!" Eleanor walked past them inching closer towards the owl beast, who was shrieking at her. Eleanor smirked and placed her hand on the invisible barrier, looking down at it.

"Well, now, since you two are now cured," Eleanor smiled. "I will take the owl beast back as payment."

"And there's the catch," Amity sighed. Eda frowned looking at Eleanor.

"Your not going to set it free?" she questioned.

"No, why would I?" she smirked, turning to everyone. "Not after the trouble I went through, catching it."

"It deserves to be free," Eda glared at her, standing up. "I'm not going to let you seal it up again."

"Why do you care for some dumb beast?" Eleanor asked. "Aren't you angry for what it did to you and your life?"

"There has been times that I resented it, hated it. But, it was apart of me," Eda said. "I'm not going to let you hurt it anymore."

"You are making a grave mistake," Eleanor hissed.

"Maybe I am," Eda laughed. "But, I would duck if I were you." the Collector looked at her confused.

"What are you-" Eda whistled and Owlbert suddenly came flying in from the other room, heading straight at Eleanor from behind, fast, before she could react or defend herself. The staff smacked right on the back of her head, knocking her out. Eda walked over to the owl beast and released the spell circle that was holding inside. She bent down and petted it on it's head.

"Let's get you out of here."

Everyone was standing nearby not too far off, while Eda and the owl beast were standing near the cliffs.

"It's been a long ride," she told the beast. "But, it's time for you to go." The owl beast stared at Eda, but didn't move. Eda frowned.

"Get out of here!" she shouted. "Don't you understand? You're free! Go!"

The owl beast didn't budge.

"Eda, I think it doesn't want to go," Luz told her.

"Well, I don't know why, not after it tormented me all of these years," Suddenly the owl beast spread out it's wings and took off.

"Oh now, it takes off," Eda retorted. She watched as she saw the creature fly away as it headed over the horizon until it was out of sight. Eda felt her eyes burn as tears began to form, slowly dripping down. She should be happy...but she wasn't. It was apart of her was missing...severed.

But, they were finally free, the both of them.

She was going to miss that dumb bird.

[fancytrinkets]

Necromancy (The Western Approach)

Note: This is just me trying to reconcile the game mechanics of necromancy with how necromancy is written about in the codices... Not sure if I get it right, but it’s an attempt. Also, this scene is written as Dorian/Inquisitor, but honestly when you take this piece out of context, if you really want to read this as pre-relationship Adoribull — or else as the start of Dorian/Inquisitor/Bull — you totally could and I would support you.

Shit.

The thought flashes through Trevelyan's mind at the exact moment he feels the nerves prickle across the palm of his hand. From the noise behind him — a sudden whoosh like the rushing of wind or water — he knows that a rift has just opened. He doesn't need to look to confirm it, but he does anyway, hoping against hope that he won't see demons yet. But of course there are.

"Shit!" he says, counting four wisps and an arcane horror.

"Not good," Bull says through gritted teeth as he takes stock of the change in their situation.

He's been holding his own against two Venatori warriors. Neither opponent can match his strength and skill. But it's two against one and they're both relying on the unfaltering strength of their barriers. Three spellbinder mages are keeping them shielded. They're also carpeting the ground underfoot with fire and ice glyphs — very dangerous if stepped on.

Trevelyan and Dorian have been dispelling everything — barriers, glyphs, and ambient hostile magic — as quickly as they can. All the while, they're casting and recasting barriers with frantic speed to keep their own party shielded. But it means they can't launch aggressive attacks of their own.

If they could take out even one of those spellbinders, they'd gain an immediate advantage. And Sera's been trying. She's targeting the mages and hoping for a lucky hit. But the spellbinders are all reinforcing each other, and her arrows glance harmlessly off each renewed barrier.

As soon as the rift opens, she spins, aims, and starts picking off wisps one by one.

"Look out!" she says.

Trevelyan turns just in time to see the arcane horror cast its spell. Spurred on by a rush of nerves, he jumps aside as a green burst of deadly energy spirals past him. It hits one of the Venatori warriors to devastating effect. The remnants of a barrier spell burn away to nothing. Thick plate armor is sundered and the warrior staggers, struggles to remain standing, and then collapses.

"Maker," Trevelyan says, breathing the word with effort and relief.

That could easily have been him lying dead in the sand. No question about it, that arcane horror needs to be dealt with — and since its weakness is the spirit magic he wields with his spectral blade, he's their best chance at stopping it quickly.

Though I wouldn't mind if it takes down another couple of Venatori first.

It's a passing thought, nothing more than a flash of grim humor to ease the reality of death on the battlefield. But then, with sudden clarity, he knows exactly what they have to do. He snaps his fingers at Dorian, catching his attention, then points to the arcane horror.

"Spirit mark," he says.

A flash of recognition crosses Dorian's face, and without a word, he casts behind them. His magic hits the arcane horror, marking it to entice the lesser spirits when it falls.

"Yours now!" he calls out, because what's next is to kill this thing, and he, too, knows that Trevelyan can do it better than anyone.

And so Trevelyan takes a breath, casts his Fade cloak, and then charges towards it unseen. He reemerges into the world with a burst of damaging energy. It stuns his enemy for a second and allows him to follow up with four swift hits from his spectral blade. He's grown more powerful thanks to frequent practice, and the arcane horror doesn't stand a chance. The demon falls, destroyed, and immediately rises up again, lit by the purple glow of necromancy. Guided by Dorian's magic, it sets to work targeting one Venatori after another.

When it's all over — when their enemies lie dead and the rift is sealed — Dorian jogs over to talk to Trevelyan. He's grinning with pure delight.

"Excellent thinking! I'm impressed," he says. "Most people don't know it's possible."

"What do you mean?" Trevelyan asks, because he's not really sure what Dorian's on about.

"Ah," Dorian says, launching straight into explanatory mode, "yes, well, as everyone knows, a lesser spirit isn't typically strong enough take on the powers of an arcane horror once you've vanquished the original pride spirit possessing the mage's corpse. But, if you've got an extremely masterful necromancer like me around..."

His voice trails off, and his expression changes from jubilant to concerned.

"Oh, I see," he says. "You didn't even realize, did you?"

"Probably not?" Trevelyan's not still quite not sure what he's missing.

Dorian chuckles, though he doesn't seem amused.

"I turned an arcane horror for you. That's impressive magic. Not just anyone can do it. And you didn't even know enough about necromancy to realize that."

Trevelyan winces.

"No, I guess not."

The Circle didn't teach him about necromancy at all. As a topic, it wasn't banned; it was simply omitted. Everything he understands about it now is from Dorian having explained it to him. And for the first time, Trevelyan realizes how frustrating and lonesome that must be. Dorian is a researcher, a true intellectual with interests spanning several fields of advanced theoretical magic. He deserves to have a community of scholars around him. But all he has here is basic battlemagic and frequent treks through the wilderness.

"Well, never mind, it all worked out," Dorian says.

He looks around, spots a flat rock nearby, and sits down to unlace his boots and pour the sand out of them. It's obvious he's annoyed.

"What am I even saying?" he asks. "Of course it worked out. You're the luckiest bastard I've ever met. Everything works out for you."

Trevelyan sighs, still feeling sheepish in his ignorance, and digs in his pocket for the hair tie he borrowed from Varric earlier. The wind is picking up, and even with the relative protection of a hooded cloak, his hair keeps blowing across his face. It's been bothersome.

He's busy tying it back when the Iron Bull saunters over. The edge of his axe is still bloody — from striking down the last Venatori once Dorian's spell ended and the arcane horror fell.

"You should put that cowl back on or you'll get sunburned," he says.

Bull is strangely doting sometimes, like a giant mother hen. Trevelyan grins, glad to be distracted from his thoughts.

"I'll be fine for a while without it. I'm no Qunari, but I won't burn in two minutes like that one."

He points towards Sera, who's busy checking the corpses for coins and amulets. Her face is a painful-looking shade of bright pink despite the hood she's been wearing all morning.

"Hey," Bull says, "I'm just looking out for you. Humans are delicate."

"Delicate!?" Dorian stops relacing his boots to glare up at him.

Bull's immediate reply is gleeful laughter. Dorian's indignation was obviously the reaction he was hoping for.

"Not you, big guy," Bull says, reassuring him. "I meant all the others except for you."

"Oh, for Maker's sake!" Dorian rolls his eyes. "You don't need to patronize me."

Bull turns back towards Trevelyan. "I can see why you like this guy. It's fun getting him all riled up."

Dorian rolls his eyes again and sets to work tying and buckling his boots, now free from sand. But he seems more at ease somehow, and less annoyed.

Trevelyan tilts his head, curious and assessing. He's starting to suspect that Bull came over here with the explicit purpose of cutting through the tension. It happens from time to time: Dorian gets his feathers ruffled; Trevelyan falls quiet and serious for a while. They always work it out before long. Under normal circumstances, it's not a big a deal. But threats are everywhere out here and they can't afford to let even minor conflicts fester. As an extremely perceptive former spy, Bull would know this.

"You're in a better mood than I expected," Trevelyan says.

"Yeah," Bull says, "but not really, though. Demons, Vints, bunch of creepy magic shit. It's not my favorite. Hence all the joking around. A man's got to cheer himself up somehow."

"True enough," Trevelyan says, and then he looks up to scan the horizon.

From somewhere in the distance comes the blood-chilling roar of a dragon.

[chipster-321]

The Meaning and Motive Behind “The Day of Unity”

It just clicked for me guys. I was chatting with a friend about the finale and bam. All the pieces just fell into place for me. I think I know what the “Day of Unity” is and why Bellos wants it so bad. 

This is basically a mix of multiple existing theories the fandom has speculated on. (Including but not limited to; Merging the Worlds, Emperor Bellos is actually Human, Bellos wants to get home to Earth)

Let’s review what we know about the Day of Unity so far. Bellos is looking forward to it, and for some reason, he really wants all “Wild Witches” gone by then and he also needs Eda’s door to the human realm. He now has that door, (but it’s a bit broken) and is reassembling it and seems to be building an even bigger portal around it. And that’s...pretty much it. (Man if it wasn’t obvious enough that there are former Gravity Fall’s crew members working on this show, just look at that portal XD)

So lets speculate. If all he wanted was the door in order to get to the human realm, why build another portal around the door? Just fix it and walk through. You want your army to follow, they can just walk through too. Wouldn’t take that much more time. So I think he wants to MERGE the two worlds. Or “Unify” them, hence “The Day of Unity”. That’s what the big portal around it is for. Many people are already theorizing this, I’m not taking credit for that. But why merge them?

To answer that, lets assume the theory about Emperor Bellos actually being human (Or was once human) is true. More evidence for this theory was presented in the new episode. He didn’t need to draw a circle for magic, and his staff seemed pretty technologically advanced. Luz herself didn’t need any glyphs when using Eda’s staff at points either. Also he just suddenly “appeared” 50 years ago and took power. No one know where he came from. 

What does that have to do with merging the worlds? So glad you asked. In “Young Blood Old Souls” Luz and Lilith (And king) both accidentally tumbled into the human world. Lilith was able to use her magic just fine, but not Luz. What’s the difference between their magic? Lilith has a bile sack, Luz doesn’t. Luz was only able to use magic because of the titan back at the boiling isles.

So if Bellos was indeed a human, it stands to reason that he wouldn’t be able to use his magic either once he got back to the human realm. And that itself is pretty solid reason as to why he doesn’t just want to go to the human realm, who’d want to give up such awesome powers? But there could be more. 

So to review. He wants to get back to the human realm, but he also wants his magic, which for humans, is limited to the boiling isles. So what’s the solution? How can he use magic on Earth. Quite simple. Bring the source of his magic right along with him. The titan. How? By merging the two worlds.

Now that itself is a pretty solid theory if I do say so myself, but what if I could bring it a bit further? I think I can, but since it would be purely speculation, take all below this point here with an open mind. I could be wrong, but it wouldn’t debunk the above theory. EVERYTHING BELOW THIS POINT IS PURE SPECULATION.

Bellos is also pretty old at this point (At LEAST 50) and seems to be having health issues that only magic can heal. But aside from magic that comes from witches bile sacks, all magic is thanks to the titan. So if Bellos wants to get back home to the human realm (Assuming he really is human) and not die immediately, he’ll need magic.

Why does he want to get rid of all wild witches before the Day of Unity? Well, assuming he really is merging the worlds, I’d imagine he’d want everything as under control and orderly as possible. So, by making sure all witches are bound to his “Neat and respectful” system, he doesn’t have to worry about any lone witches screwing up his plans. 

He told Luz he wasn’t planning on invading the human realm. Honestly, I take that with a grain of salt. He’s already lied about his motives to Lilith, a loyal follower, in order to make her do what he wanted, why wouldn’t he do the same for Luz, who actually HAS what he wants. But it might be half-true. He wants to merge the two worlds, not “invade”. Granted, that’s pushing it, but Bellos seems to be a pretty manipulative and scheming person. Doesn’t really give off a “Warlord that is okay with getting his hand dirty” vibe. Bellos would be more likely to slowly and systematically gain control and take over the human world, just like he did the boiling Isles. And, if he really was human, the other humans would be more likely to trust him over the rest of the witches. Think, “Oh, that guy is also human, and he’s able to suppress and keep those weird witches under control. That’s good.” mentality.

And that’s my theory. I have no idea how to end this post...I just had to write it all down as fast as I could. XD Well...I guess we can end it with a cute screencap from the show. We need some warm-and-fuzzy feelings right about now.

[kitkatopinions]

The baby boy himself, Whitley!

(for the ask meme)

Whitley is so my baby, I love my child so much. I’m realizing I say ‘I’m really excited for this one’ for like every character I get for this ask game, but it’s because I’m having so much fun! These take a bit to write, but they are honestly so interesting to me, so as an fyi, if anyone does have any character they want to ask my about, but thinks they might be too late, or I might be uninterested, I’m still totally interested! It just might take me a bit to answer. :)

My top three ships for the character

Whitley/Oscar is my top ship for this in canon currently. It works best if Ozpin could somehow be separated from Oscar (which is theoretically possible I guess,) but yeah. Farm boy vs rich boy, they look cute together, their personalities could vibe, and they’re both snarky, but at heart caring and compassionate. Whitley/Mercury. I mentioned this in my Mercury ask, but I was writing a fic with @why-i-hate-rwby-now where Whitley and Mercury were thrown together and had to work together to escape their abusers, and I just kind of started shipping them while writing it. O.O Also Whitley/Penny is cute as heck and I could totally see her grounding him and also making him loosen up, while Penny thinks he’s funny and interesting.

My three least favorite ships for the character

Whitley/Blake. I don’t understand this ship, Blake just feels like more of an adult atm compared to Whitley - a literal child. (Yes, I realize I ship Whit with Merc, but A. I thought Merc was sixteen while I was writing that fanfiction and he acts kind of on the young side, while Blake has been acting ‘as an adult’ and being treated ‘as an adult’ for two seasons at least while directly talking to Whitley, and has always been more of a mature character for her age anyway.) But on top of that, Blake seems to treat Whitley like an in the way child and is kinda judgey to him, while Whitley barely seems to notice her. Whitley/Henry Marigold just feels bad. And Whitley/Yang. Again, Yang has been written as a nineteen year old demanding to be treated as an adult (though I wanna say she’s less mature than Blake) but also Yang is a hotheaded character and has been acting pushy lately, and that’s fine as a character flaw, but I feel like it just puts me off her for Whitley especially.

My biggest criticism for the character

He’s treated like he’s not a victim??? Like, his abuse and neglect and even his struggles are just... Not really gone into or acknowledged very much, Weiss acts like he has to prove himself before she can show him the slightest bit of sympathy or affection when she’s his big sister, his relationship with Jacques is glossed over and he isn’t given closure there, Willow’s neglect isn’t really acknowledged seriously, Winter seeming totally disinterested in him doesn’t feel like it even matters, Weiss is treated as blameless in her and Whitley’s problems. And the writing kind of frames Whitley as having gotten a redemption, when the worst things he did was be a bit of an asshole while in an abusive situation as like a fourteen-fifteen year old with no aura or glyphs or fighting ability. Emerald and Whitley’s volume 8 arcs should not be comparable! Emerald is a full on murderer and was still willingly working with Cinder to attack people as a nineteen year old woman, and yet she and Whitley are treated very similarly by the narrative (helping one person and then that ‘making up for’ their ‘past mistakes’ and then them just being on the good side and carrying the team’s actions until the pathways arrive and they both go to Vacuo. To be clear, I think this framing was too much for Whitley since he never even needed a redemption at all imo, and not enough for Emerald, the literal murderer of Penny who was just recently willingly helping Cinder try and murder Penny once again.) Whitley should’ve been treated as the child he is, he should’ve been treated as the victim he is.

My favorite thing about the character

His potential dynamics, but specifically with Weiss. He and Weiss both had almost the exact same upbringing, only Weiss actually had more support, but guys... The way the two of them coped had similarities, but were also very different. Weiss hid behind anger and sternness, Whitley hid behind peppiness and smiles. Weiss copied Winter, Whitley copied Jacques. Weiss was always afraid of people putting on acts around her, Whitley was constantly putting on acts as a means of survival. Each of them are plagued by jealousy, pettiness, judgmental behavior, and they both have good qualities that are similar, but they both are too prejudice against each other to see those good qualities and need to learn to understand where the other is coming from. Weiss is a fighter, but a follower, while Whitley seems to have a bit of a ‘fawn’ tendency, but plans and enacts schemes under the table (even if it doesn’t have to be, like with Nora! Whitley’s instincts were to just figure out how to help Nora and then go off and do it alone without telling any of the obviously antsy people with guns what he was doing - after he was spying on them lol.) I just love the possibilities that exist with two characters that are so similar, but so fundamentally different. Also I’d love to see him resentful of Winter and snarky and passive aggressive with her, and Winter not really getting the problem, and Weiss having to mediate between them. Idk, there are so many possibilities of amazing interactions and connections Whitley could have with the others, and he could be a really new, good viewpoint if he was allowed to flourish. And maybe became kind of a ‘guy in the chair’ more permanent part of the team. Like, I know we don’t need more character bloat, but let me dream!

A headcanon I have about them

Before Weiss lost her inheritance, Whitley was sort of tasked with learning everything but being head of the company, like he was learning the financial side of things, the technological side of things, ordering, inventory, scheduling, all about Dust and mine operations... And Whitley’s naturally academic and a fast learner, so he absorbed a lot of it. But yeah, I think Jacques was trying to train Whitley up to be a sort of always available PA of Weiss’s that could handle anything she didn’t want to do / was too busy to do, and that was something Whitley really resented too. His skillset was essentially being crafted around helping Weiss, but never learning how to actually manage the company itself and severely lacking in the social side of things, like he’d never be able to make a proper speech. Also, like pretty much everyone I think he plays piano and writes his own music compositions (which in my headcanons he subconsciously writes to include vocals only for him to then get bothered that even his music seems influenced by Weiss. XD) Also I know this is three headcanons, but if he had been trained to fight, he would’ve used duel pistols and would’ve eventually developed a ‘born out of trauma’ semblance.

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write

I’d just allow his status as a victim to be recognized and for him to have the sympathy I feel his character deserves. I’d have him and Weiss both framed as having contributed to their bad relationship, but Weiss - as the sister four to five years older than him - would be the one who makes the first moves towards repairing it, proving she has changed enough to put aside her pettiness and be there for the brother she does truly love. I’d also get Willow away from him, or at least let Whitley be angry and distant and not have their relationship fixed over the course of an in-universe day. This is why I say there should’ve been another Atlas season, which I think is what I’d do when it boils down to it. With every plot point coming fast and then being pushed on the back burner for the next plot point, there’s no time to focus on any of it or to give the character’s sufficient growth from it. So then things like Willow having her hand glued to Whitley’s shoulder feels very ingenuine, because their ‘growth’ was so rushed. So yeah, I’d really just add an extra season and let Weiss recognize that Whitley is also an abuse victim, make her be the one to start making steps to be there for him, and let things like his relationship with his mother come slower and not be an easy fix. Also I’d have Winter acknowledge that she has a brother more regularly and have her actually care about him, even if she hasn’t shown it well at all.

What I I think of their character allusion and what (if anything) I would change about it

Whitley has no assigned character allusion and his name doesn’t offer very many hints, since it literally just means white meadow/field snow, but it’s easy enough to assume that like Weiss and Jacques - Snow White and Jack Frost - Whitley’s character allusion has something to do with the cold. I agree with the general opinion that he’s connected to ‘the Snow Queen,’ and is likely meant to be Kai, a once kind hearted boy who gets a piece of a magic mirror in his eye that only lets him see the bad in people and gets kidnapped by the snow queen. His best friend Gerda goes on a quest to save him - encountering a land of eternal summer and a talking crow amongst other things - and temporarily forgets him due to an enchantment, but then finds him almost frozen over and saves him by crying on him and through the power of her love that literally makes people and nature bend to her will, Gerda rescues Kai and dislodges the mirror piece from his eye so that he can be cheerful again. Pretty in tune with how the writers wrote things. I don’t mind this, but if Whitley is meant to be Kai and Weiss is meant to be his Gerda, there were two missed opportunities here that could’ve been great. One, Gerda is reminded of her love for Kai whenever she sees red roses, and Ruby and Whitley have a few similar mannerisms and kind of similar coping through their ‘cheery exterior’s’ even f Ruby’s lost all her sass and Whitley’s never had her spazzy, dorky, rough around the edges traits. I think it would’ve been cute and make for a more interesting dynamic if Weiss had mentioned to Ruby in volumes 1-3 that Ruby reminds her of her brother, and if it had made Weiss both harder on Ruby (since she and Whitley are estranged and he does drive her crazy a lot lol) but it also made Ruby all the more endearing to her and is one of the reasons they could be friends fairly fast despite Weiss’s early animosity (since she loves her brother and the traits he shares with Ruby compliment hers.) The next missed opportunity I can think of is that everyone thinks Kai is dead in the Snow Queen for a bit, but Gerda doesn’t believe it and goes looking for him instead. You could easily fit this into a narrative where everyone else has given up Whitley as a lost cause, but Weiss won’t believe that and is determined to help and to get close to Whitley again, which is what I think I’d want to go with. But also, a Whitley death fake out? That could be very good and very emotional. And it’d be easy omg. Weiss could think the Hound has killed him sometime during the fight (even if just for a moment,) but also if Whitley had been the first one to fall in the void instead of going through to Vacuo O.O 

Idk if we’ll ever get his character allusion confirmed, but if it isn’t someone from the Snow Queen, I feel like the whole fandom will say “What?!” at the exact same time. XD