#this is like when i was making my toh au and couldnt think of a single character that was generally nice and likeable

[boygirlctommy]

trying to write a riptide thing and im struggling bcsu i keep making them talk like ctommy and cranboo ToT

[theprinceandthewitch]

@master-of-the-aus

Okay, I'm gonna try to articulate myself as best as I can even though I havent had a good nights sleep in three days AND I only slept for 4 hours last night. But this is just me ranting about the MID romances this show has:

Okay so like, i know you're asking about the most recent episode, but honestly no future episode of TOH can elevate it above MID tier. The things that will always keep it Mid in my eyes are:

Lumity

Huntlow

The weird ass tendency to fuck around and waste time like with that dumbass body swap episode and that budget eating asshole Mr. Tibbles.

A complete lack of forthrightness by NOT trying to condense this story into about two seasons worth of story. Animation is super expensive - not even a studio like Disney will let you suck away their money for something not on brand.

Under utilizing the disability themes when it comes to Luz - specifically how her position as a magicless being in a magical world would effect her negatively. Hunter said, in so many words, that if it wasn't for Belos he would not have had a future on TBI. There's clearly some discrimination against magicless beings that's never really explored, which would have been much more interesting than wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars on a plotless body swap episode and that Mr. Tibbles leech.

I've already talked to death about Lumity. And for Huntlow... well I think it's funny that people are NOW trying to parallel them with Caleb and Evelyn The Wild Witch.

Which doesn't work because it was LUZ who enticed him with magic he hadn't seen before, just like Evelyn did with Caleb. Not only that - it's pretty much confirmed at this point that the Witch Caleb ran away with was a Clawthorn.

You know, the family Luz is heavily associated with because one of the family members is her guardian and mentor. This specific family member also happens to be the most powerful wild witch on The Boiling Isles. So it doesn't make sense that Willow, a girl that is not under the guardianship of a Clawthorn and whose identity isnt heavily associated with wild magic/witches (like Luz is), to be the one who parallels Evelyn. Also it's heavily implied that Caleb ran away with an expecting witch... and that directly parallels to Hunter (aka the grimwalker that looks the most like Caleb) running away with Luz - who is expecting her Palisman to hatch.

LIKE... insanity. Absolute Insanity to even SAY Willow parallels Evelyn. ALSO - Flapjack was Evelyn's Palisman. And who was the first person to introduce Flapjack to Hunter? It sure wasn't Willow!

MOVING ON...

His first positive connection with someone was with LUZ and not Willow. He literally defies the man who gave him everything for Luz - do you know how crazy that is? That Hunter would take on punishment from a man he knows is merciless just for A WILD WITCH? And the majority of this fanbase think it doesn't mean anything. VIOLENCE. NOTHING BUT VIOLENCE IN MY HEART.

They made Luz OOC in Hollow Mind just so Hunter can hide out at the school for a whole week - a whole week without telling any of his friends he was there. I am not sure why this was necessary, no matter how much i ruminate on this point - it just doesn't make any sense to me. Anyways, they do that dumb thing where Hunter knows Willow - a girl he played one game with (and i guess talked to in between the timeframe of ASIAS and Hollow Mind) - better than Gus who has known Willow for years. I could be more forgiving of this if we were actually shown Hunter is good at seeing through illusions and if Gus was actually out of it - but Hunter is not good with illusions because he fell for the Belos illusion AND he couldnt tell if a staircase was real or not.

LIKE... MID... VERY MID. WHY? Why does this show have the most mid romance? Did they put him at the school just so they can have their Huntlow content? Instead of putting him with the Clawthorn sisters - adults who can keep him safe and teach him wild magic (ya know... the subject he's interested in), so he can better defend himself and not rely so heavily on a staff, they put him at the very VERY unsafe location at the school just... so they can have their Huntlow moment i guess?? MURDER AND VIOLENCE.

Literally if Lunter was the endgame pairing this show would have been S tier... I'm also gonna add that if AmWillow was tweaked a bit to where they were a rivals to lovers pairing then this show would have been a masterpiece. Hunter and Luz already have THE set-up for a great enemies to lovers romance.... you just show that same love to AmWillow and you would have got a money maker of a show.

But nOoOoOo we have to deal with the most MID romance options on the list even though Luz and Hunter parallel past lovers who are deeply tied with the main villain... it makes me want to rip apart my drywall with my teeth.