#want better for alador and the kids

[welcometogrouchland]

Darius 🤝 Willow

Beefing with the blights in complex, somewhat homoerotic ways

[sepublic]

So in Willow’s debut, it’s established that Abominations is considered as having better career opportunities than Plants. And in hindsight, it makes sense now; Abominations are valued by the coven regime in the way Blight Industries does them, as industrial Abomatons that can be controlled, as a means of military power and not magitech medicine as Alador shows in the epilogue. Belos buys them from Odalia, he practically assimilates Blight Industries.

This is because Abomatons don’t think for themselves, they’re servants that can replace covenscouts in areas that would challenge morality, and they lack the sapience to be targeted. They’re beings Belos can control without having to learn more of the magic he despises to do so; All of this is in contrast to how Darius or Amity use Abominations as a reflection of their own skill, the individual.

We see how the Abomatons aid the coven regime, and esp see through the Day of Unity; The Abomatons can be programmed, and do nothing without orders; They’re not going to become witches and demons in their own right, they’ll maintain those walls and then do so for the end of time.

They don’t need to be targeted for genocide as victims of the draining spell who would be incapacitated, so they can do their job while that happens. They keep witches corralled because the closer to the ritual, the faster the covenbound die. Of course, those who haven’t collapsed might try and stop the spell by removing the coven heads, which would place them within weakening proximity anyhow…

But that paranoia over covenbound who aren’t yet unconscious is justified; The Abomatons’ own creator rendered their role in the Day of Unity and the regime as a whole obsolete, because he had the strength away from the ritual to help the kids reach the skull, which allowed King to free the Collector and undo everything.

Plus, Belos is loathe to the isles; He depletes its natural resources, he wants all life to die and devastating the ecosystem is another way to do so. Hunter suggests growing Palistrom wood and he’s furious at the idea. So of course Plant magic is devalued, because it’s focused on life, on sustainability, with keeping others alive.

It’s the exact opposite of the cold industrialism that will make the Day of Unity happen and leave the land barren afterwards because the Abomatons themselves are barren in that sense, lacking magic and with little to contribute to the ecosystem, if anything. Plant magic is half of nature, the other being Beastkeeping, I wonder if that is also devalued by the regime?

Makes sense the Demon Hunters have to resort to menial city jobs instead of their traditional livelihood, forced to assimilate into an urban society if their environment has been depleted by colonialism. Adds to Darius and Eberwolf being rebels. And with Terra, it shows how much she’s willing to throw her fellow witches under the bus for utopia.

I remember speculating it since I was a Teenage Abomination; Abominations really is STEM, down to being used for military applications. Given TOH’s critique of the American education system, you can see how this metaphor extends when the work of creating a sustainable society and environment is secondary to destroying enemies and establishing supremacy and capital (As established with CEO Odalia’s motives).

Because it’s fun and easy to destroy, rather than do the banal yet meaningful work of actually building and healing and feeding people, thinking of how society can be sustainable. It’s easy to talk about how you can destroy witches zombies in an apocalypse, instead of how to keep a community of survivors alive; All that talk about how dudes bored with their lives dream about being an action hero at the expense of society’s collapse, without understanding what the world really needs is builders and not destroyers, and that they’d be nothing without the people who do this ‘boring’ work, is so very Belos.

[stanlunter]

What you favourite toh ship says about you

No judgement, just my opinion based on how shippers act and how I would feel if I were them. Pls let me know if I have forgotten something!

Lumity - you're glad you finaly got canon healthy wlw couple in a kid show and became obsessed with it. Also you like highschool romance trope and probably is taken.

Boschlow - you miss s1 Lumity potential and hate the way it was done in s2. Also you want Boscha to be your gf.

Boschamity - you miss s1 Amity and hate the way she was was done in s2. You believe deep inside Boscha is a good person, who has the same trauma as Amity and she could become better too if there was anyone for her. It's very likely that you're a bitch and used to have bitch friends who left you for some reason, but I can't judge you for it, cause I ship it too.

Willuz - you think Amity's arc was rushed. You feel bad for Willow, cause she was "separated" from Luz and Amity in s2 and think she became an ooc in s2 and miss Willow from s1.

Lunter - you think Lumity and Huntlow were written bad. "Highschool romance" is never your otp. You prefer classic (in any way). You're probably on aro spec or believe in soulmates. You and your crush always tease each other. You're good at keeping secrets.

Goldric - it started as a joke, but you don't think it's a joke anymore. When Huntlow appeared you realized you went too far to change anything. Also you just want to have more mlm couples in media.

Huntmira - it started as a respond to goldric shippers, but then you realized it actually has a great potential and their dynamic would be amazing.

Gunter - I haven't seen you, but I really hope you just want all good things for both of them and also think Gus is criminally overlooked.

Raeda - you're bigger than ship wars. Love between teens is overrated and love between adults is underrated. You love suffering and wanna be both Raine and Eda.

Gustholomule - you think it's extremely unfair that Gus doesn't have a partner.

Skasha - you love Boscha and want all the best for her, but you're fine with her being an antagonist and Amity being happy with Luz.

Skamity - for some reason you dislike Lumity, but want Amity to be a good guy and want her to be in healthy and equal relationship with someone who's like Luz. You probably don't really like Amity, but still want good things for her.

Odalador - you want Blight family to be actually good, happy and health family and I can't blame you for it. Also you wanna know more about Alador, Darius and Odalia's friendship in the past. You also think deep inside Odalia isn't as bad or at least want her to have at least some good traits.

Dalador - you really hate Odalia and want Alador and kids to be happy, but not with her. You also think Odalia was a third wheel in their friendship and, again, you hate her in all possible ways

Odarius - Im not sure if you're exist, but if you do, you just find them both hot and want them to fuck. If you also ship them with Alador as a poly ship, then you want them not only to fuck, but also to have some romantic stuff together. But if you're a straight girl, then you're probably just wanna Odalia in this ship.

Daraine - you think Darius as bi and you probably ship Daraeda too. Also you think Darius is underrated.

Amillow - Willow is your favourite character and you hate the way she doesn’t get enought screen time. You also think Amity's redemtion arc was rushed. You probably also had a close friend, who left you and you still miss them and wanna bring them back even tho they hurted you. You also probably still believe in aroace lesbian Willow.

Veenter - you don't exist, but you wanna rewrite toh cuz you see too much of wasted potential in it. Also you have a lot of headcanons about Vee and want her to have an actual role.

Huntlow - you enjoy Amity's redemtion arc and Willow's development. And Hunter is your favourite chatacter. You probably don't have a partner, but very want to.

Guslow - you believe that friends are always more important than a partner. You truly believe in friends-to-lovers and probably don't really believe in m/f friendship.

Amiter - you really love Wittebane and Blight lores and hate how they were revealed. Also you love forbidden love trope.

Veesha - you want everyone to have a partner. You probably also used to ship Tom x Janna and just love "Mysterious demon x a Human who like mystery and demons" trope and want Masha to be inckuded in a Hexsquad. Also you wanna know more about Masha and adore Moringmark's comics.

Veelow - you don't like Huntlow and think Willow should get a gf instead. You also can see this fragile simality between Willow and Vee, but can't explain it.

Bris - you love Bria and wish she ever appeared again

Brisha - you love both Boscha and Bria and think antagonists are more interesting than protagonists

[nyx-the-reaper]

Ok so I’ve seen a lot of Darius not approving of Edric, but what about Edric’s parents? Alador is shown not to trust Hunter and Odalia would definitely not like her son dating a powerless witch.

I feel like Alador would want to be in his sons life more and would want Hunter to prove himself to be different because he’s trying to be a good parent

Odalia would probably try to force her way back into her kids lives and try to get Edric to date someone she deems “better”

Hunter would probably make a huge effort to prove himself to Alador and Edric would just be worried about Hunter trying too hard

Odalia would just end up making Edric mad for hurting Hunters feelings

This would probably end up with Edric going off on both of them like “I’m not that bright, big words confuse me, I have the attention span of a rodent, but Hunter loves me anyway, AND THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR YOU!”

(Fairly odparants reference)

[mdhwrites]

How do you feel about Alador (if you haven't already talked about him before)?

Opens mouth

Closes mouth

You know what? I don't think I really have. Not on his own at least. Admittedly, like many parent characters, it's hard to talk about him as just his own character. The other side of that coin though is that unlike other parental characters, it's much less about his kids than it is about his wife. You know, someone else who really isn't much of a character and doesn't work.

Add to this the flip flopping, wishy washy nature of his character and you have someone who is hard to judge as anything but a waste of time. He spends 80% of the series quite literally only backing everything Odalia says. The one time he disagrees is to point out that his wife's goals are being met despite them not being through her own agenda so maybe it's okay to let Amity have this win? That is still serving her interests though and instead just presenting a second view point.

As a character, he is just a feckless father. The most basic stereotype of a dad who works too much, mixed with VERY forced moments of being easily distractable which don't even feel accurate to the one episode they're a part of his character, Escaping Expulsion. Just as Odalia is boring in that she is what you think of for an evil capitalist, Alador is just as basic.

This is also why the only thing people bring up about him is his inconsistency. How the show never shows him as anything other than entirely loyal to Odalia before turning him around 180 degrees and expecting the audience to believe it. There just is little else to talk about. Any wasted potential you want to even claim is mostly within Odalia already, making it feel like Amity could have honestly had just one parent and nothing would have changed besides Amity's motivation for wanting to enter the Bonesborough Brawl. Yes, you could claim the Abomatons too but if you make Odalia the abominations user, that is immediately fixed. Because that is all, story wise, Alador actually contributes.

If there is a writing lesson to be taken from Alador, it's actually WHY parents seem to never be around in shows. It is the importance of understanding what elements are important to your show and necessary. The best example of this is Clouds on the Horizon. Let me explain in the best way I can:

The love interest for the story has just been told they must be without their love. Not only that but that to continue being a part of their family and society, she must stand by cruelty and evil. The one forcing this upon her is her own mother. Everything that has been the push and pull of the character comes down to this. To reject the past, the traditions that cause harm, and embrace an uncertain, beautiful, warm future.

"No but you were very close!"

And in one line, all that weight is lost. It is not Amity overcoming all of this. It is not Amity's morals winning out versus her mother's. It's not even love winning out over hate. No, now it's some asshole who hates his wife enough that he's decided to betray her and fight her. The narrative climax of one of your main characters, one of the ones with the most plot lines related to her and what could have been a powerful climax is instead given to a minor character who has barely had twenty minutes combined in the entire series up until now.

That to me is his greatest sin. How him never existing would have strictly made the show better. Because eventually you need to figure out what your story is about and what is actually needed to tell it instead of providing endless repetitions that only get weaker with each retelling.

And boy, by the time Alador is telling the tale of his redemption. that tape is well worn and never belonged to him in the first place.

======+++++======

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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.

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And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[yardsards]

if i could change one thing about the owl house, i'd change the main point of conflict in clouds on the horizon from "odalia's okay with genocide, alador isn't" to "alador is willing to listen to his children, odalia isn't"

first off, i'd make it so that odalia *didn't* know what the draining spell actually did. her knowingly participating in genocide just serves to overshadow her pre-established abusiveness, and feels like the writers didn't trust the audience to understand that she was Bad and deserved to be cut out of her family's lives on the basis of abuse alone.

(also it. kinda doesn't make sense why she'd be okay with it? like she is greedy and short-sighted. but the draining spell would negatively impact her personally, and while the idea of her being so distracted by greed that she acts against her own interests is extremely neat and an apt commentary on real billionaires, it's just,,, a big stretch.)

instead, i'd have her dismiss the truth with "i'm not going to put such a good business deal in jeopardy because of some unfounded suspicions" and "i trust the emperor far more than i trust a bunch of children"

next, i'd replace the scene where king talks to alador. while it was a really nice scene that revealed more about alador's situation and kinda laid the groundwork for king being helpful in the next episode, it's not the best way for alador to learn about the draining spell in my version of the episode. because in that scene, alador believes king is a coven scout -an authority figure- so trusting what he says about the day of unity is not any kind of challenge for alador.

instead, i'd make it so that *emira and edric* are the ones who tell him about the draining spell (maybe king helped the twins escape? that gives him a purpose within the episode and there's a fun parallel with him freeing the collector later).

i don't think the twins were deliberately looking for alador, but they saw him sitting out there as they broke out and they had two choices: sneak past him and continue trying to stop things themselves, or talk to him. and they don't quite trust alador to listen and do the right thing, but amity seemed so convinced when she told them he'd listen, and they trust *her*, so they decide to talk to him.

and he listens and promises to put a stop to it. and he tells them to go find safety, and emira is like "but shouldn't we stay and help/make sure amity is safe" and alador tells her that it should have never been her responsibility to handle everything (i am starving for her whole parentified older sister thing to get addressed can you tell) and promises that he's going to do better for all of them, and apologizes for being so negligent -and Maybe explains a bit of why he was like that and what odalia did to him (if i could fit it in without it being clunky and keeping it clear that it's an explanation not a full excuse)

so the twins go to take shelter at hexside (no more "wtf did he just leave them in gay baby jail???" that we had in canon) and alador and king go confront odalia/save amity like in canon

and then in that confrontation, perhaps alador brings up the abuse and overwork (since it maybe wouldn't come up in my rewritten scene w him and the twins like it did in canon's scene w him and king). and the general vibe w him confronting her is less "this is the final straw" and more "i should have done this years ago"

and overall i'd want the episode to keep the "he is also a domestic abuse victim and, at times, messed up because he was acting out of fear and trying to protect them" that it introduced in the canon version of the episode (i know some people have criticized the show's choice to make him a victim too and while i can understand some of their reasons i overall liked the concept so it stays) while keeping in mind the "sometimes he messed up because he was trying to do what was 'best' for his kids whilst ignoring what the kids actually wanted/needed" that they established in reaching out

[luminoushane]

More Amity as Lilith's Child AU questions. (I think about this a normal amount) Sorry for bombarding with so many questions.

What last name is Amity using? I presume Clawthorne instead of Blight given her real parentage is meant to be a secret. If so I can imagine the Belos situation being even worse given who she has superficial similarities to.

Given Amity is over at The Owl House more as a kid what's her view on Hooty like? Does Lilith end up befriending him earlier as well?

At St Epiderm does Amity have any friends there? Does she still end up going there after moving into The Owl House (St Epiderm is expensive and money was pretty right after everything went down)and if not does she end up missing those friends?

You said Amity knew she was adopted, how much does she know about her birth family? How does the reunion with the twins go?

How does Amity react to finding out the truth about Lilith cursing Eda and then sharing the curse?

Of course a Lumity based question now. When does Amity begin to start catching feelings in this AU and how does that end up once she moves into The Owl House for season two? (Much blushing I presume)

Lilith (begrudgingly) tolerates Hooty up until S2. I mean, he DID beat her up multiple times (given it was out of self defense.) So ya know

As for her last name, she is indeed using Clawthorne! Which did piss off Belos quite a bit. He knows about Amity's real parents though, and looms that over Lilith's head whenever he wants something done.

And yes, she eventually does transfer to Hexside:).

Her St. Epiderm life is pretty boring, she has ONE friend. Hexside was much better for her social skills.

Her reunion with the twins happen in Labyrinth runners! She eventually introduces herself as their presumed dead sister and Edric and Emira smile and just go "We know. We we're waiting for you to tell us yourself." Bc, c'mon. They're not stupid enough to not notice how similar she looked to Odalia and Alador. As far as she's concerned, she isn't really sure if she actually wants to KNOW about Alador and Odalia, because she knows Lilith and Darius always talked bad about them.

There was moment, when she was 6, where she met up with Odalia (without Odalia knowing who she was.) And she came back running to Lilith and asking if she would take her back because she doesn't like her real family. Lilith's heart breaks for her.

As for the curse? Well, Lilith and Amity's relationship SEVERELY deteriorated after S1, which only made Amity feel worse bc she already had a fallout with Hunter.

And finally, she catches feelings early on while pretending to be rivals! Luz actually asked her to be her (totally platonic) partner for Grom since she was chosen as Grom Queen, and Amity ends up saving her, which ultimately led to her accepting her feelings. Luz starts to reciprocate soon afterwards, since they started sharing the same space.

[sergeantsporks]

Dadrius Week 2024 Day 4: Separated/Free Space

“Darius is hiding something.”

Luz dumped Hunter’s bag on the floor of Eda’s spare room. “You don’t waste any time, do ya?”

“I know he is,” Hunter insisted, “He has to be.”

“He has to be?”

“Well, if he isn’t then—then—” Hunter gulped. “Then he’s mad at me.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I know he said him sending me away had nothing to do with me, and he wasn’t upset, but… I don’t know, I feel like maybe…”

“So, Darius is hiding something,” Luz interrupted firmly, “You think we can weasel it out of Eda?”

Hunter gave her a grateful smile. He didn’t like the alternative—and he couldn’t believe that Darius would send him away just for his health, not like this, where it wouldn’t make any difference. Surely he didn’t think Hunter was going to get mopey about it? It wasn’t like Darius had wanted to hurt him. And sure, he knew that had been Belos’ excuse, too, but this time, it was true.

Hunter shook himself, clearing away the uneasy thoughts. “Would he have even told her?”

“I mean, I don’t think Eda would just accept a call from Darius saying ‘hey, I’m leaving an extra kid with you, don’t ask why.’ Not that she’s not okay with you being here, but she’d for sure want an explanation.” Luz peered out the window, and sighed. “Which is probably why she’s booking it for town before we can ask her.”

“What?!” Hunter jumped up. “We need to—ooogh—” He sat back down, blinking hard and waiting for the wave of dizziness to pass. “Stood up too fast.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking you don’t need to be chasing anyone down, Mr. Blood Loss. You’re good.”

Hunter glared at his duffel bag. This was hardly the first time he’d dealt with losing too much blood, but it had been so long, he’d forgotten all the little things it stopped him from doing. He’d forgotten the dizzy spells, and the weakness, and most of all, he just did not remember the loss ever making him quite so tired. “What do we do? Wait for her to come back?”

“Wait for who?” Amity thumped in from the door, Ghost winding around her ankles. “I didn’t think I was that late.”

“Amity, hey!” Luz gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “We were going to interrogate Eda. Hunter thinks Darius is hiding something from him, and she has a clue.”

“You think it has something to do with why he visited my dad earlier? He was really annoyed about Darius disrupting his work. Complained about it all through lunch.”

Hunter sat up ramrod straight. “He visited Alador? He said he had an appointment with Steve! Why would he visit Alador? And why would he hide that from me?”

Luz wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Maybe he wanted you out of the house for a few days so he could have a romantic rendezvous with Amity’s dad.”

Hunter threw a pillow at her. “Serious theories only.” He scratched absently at the outside of his sling—his forearm itched. Had something gotten into the sling? “Doesn’t Viney work with your dad sometimes? Maybe she knows something.”

“Better let me message,” Luz volunteered, “You’re a slow enough typer with both hands.”

Hunter crinkled his nose at her, but surrendered his Penstagram scroll. “It just doesn’t make sense. What would have him running scared?”

“He said it was ‘for your health’, right?” Amity asked, “Maybe someone threatened you—that would be for your health, wouldn’t it?”

A chill ran down Hunter’s spine. He wasn’t ever helpless—and he could always teleport away from any danger if it came to that—but he was certainly more vulnerable right now than usual. If someone had threatened him… “No, that doesn’t add up, either. If someone threatened my life, wouldn’t Darius keep me closer than usual? Some things, I don’t think he’d trust to anyone, even to Eda.”

“Well—maybe the other way around, then. Someone threatened his life, and he wants to keep you safe and out of the way in case they try to carry out their threat.”

Okay, that Hunter could picture Darius doing. It was still a terrible idea—he’d be isolating himself, and negating the possibility of Hunter being able to actually help—but he could imagine it happening. In fact, he could imagine it happening so easily it made anger turn his gut. Darius wanted him to get the chance at a normal childhood, but that didn’t mean he needed to be treated like—well—someone who was actually a normal child.

“Maybe that’s where Eda went,” Luz suggested, “To help him defend himself.”

Hunter shook his head helplessly. “If he’s in danger, then he needs me!”

“I don’t want to be mean,” Amity started, “But… you’re not exactly very helpful right now. You’d just be someone else for him to worry about.”

“We need to figure out who’s threatening him,” Hunter continued, ignoring her, “Stop them at their base.”

“Uh-huh,” Luz agreed absently, “Uh… look at this and tell me it’s normal for Viney?”

She held the Penstagram scroll where Hunter could see the conversation.

Hey, Viney, you didn’t happen to see Darius today at your work-study, did you?

Viney’s reply was short, only four words: Don’t worry about it.

Claws of dread closed around Hunter’s throat. “That’s…”

“Suspicious,” Luz agreed, “Do you think someone’s threatening Viney, too? But why wouldn’t they threaten Amity’s dad?”

Hunter felt sick. “Because no one threatened Viney—Darius asked her to keep his secret. He didn’t think to ask Alador, because Alador doesn’t interact directly with me—or maybe he thought Alador would assume it applied to him as well—so Alador told Amity, and Amity told me.”

“Sounds like my dad,” Amity agreed, “So… do we think Viney’s a dead end, or do we think we can squeeze some information out of her?”

Hunter and Luz laughed at the same time. “Not Viney,” Luz told Amity, “We’d have better luck with a brick wall. Do you think your dad would catch on and clam up if you asked him more questions, or do you think he’d talk?”

Hunter stared out the window, Amity’s voice fading into a muted background. Darius was in trouble. He had to be. Hunter couldn’t accept that Darius wanted to be separated, that he wanted Hunter out of his life. Maybe a year ago, when they’d first started testing this arrangement out, he would have been insecure enough to immediately believe Darius was trying to get rid of him. Now? Sure, he’d thought about it. He’d entertained the idea that Darius might want a break from him. But he knew Darius wouldn’t leave him here forever. And now, Hunter was almost certain that Darius had to be in danger. He knew, deep down in his heart, in the space that used to believe Darius wanted him gone, that it was the truth.

“Hunter?”

Hunter’s head snapped up. “Mm?”

Luz crouched down next to him, her face pinched up in concern. “Are you feeling okay? You glazed over.”

Hunter rubbed his eyes. Maybe Darius was right to keep him out of the way. The worry and the occasional twinges of pain from his torn arm were the only things keeping him awake. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

Xxx

Darius pushed open the door to his house with a sigh. Even just knowing Hunter was gone made the whole place seem… empty. He hadn’t realized how much the kid filled the space until he kicked off his shoes and noted the empty space where Hunter’s perpetually muddy boots usually sat.

It’s not forever, he told himself, In a few days, he’ll be back. We won’t be separated for long.

His Penstagram notification pinged, and Darius picked it up. Alador. That hadn’t taken long. Darius snickered a little at the thought of Alador working at his problem tirelessly, even though he’d said it wasn’t his first priority.

Did a full analysis on that gem Steve brought. Viney’s correct: all three spells are still active. Including the mind-control spell. Find someone you trust to keep an eye on you, or come here where we can put you under observation until we figure out a way to reverse it. The spell’s definitely been weakened by the gem’s destruction, but it’s still there. Some other information we got out of it: it’s remarkably similar to the Collector’s puppetification spell, but definitely not their magic: it’s from this realm and this planet, but it’s not quite like the magic of our island, either. Finally, the draining spell activation is spread through direct contact with the gem. Anyone with a sigil who touches it will have their sigil activated in the same low-level way yours is. It’s siphoning the magic off somewhere, but we haven’t figured out the exact location just yet. If I had to guess, whoever slapped the gem on you was looking to infect as much of the isles as possible.

Darius frowned. That couldn’t be the only explanation for their motive. He wasn’t exactly a low-profile target; eyes were on him at all times. Sure, he saw a lot of people, and he could overpower most if necessary, but people would figure out something was wrong. Using an ordinary citizen, or someone who owned some kind of popular business would make more sense. And he’d been out in the middle of the woods—prime ambushing territory to be sure, but not exactly somewhere he’d have immediate access to other people. Maybe they’d wanted to get complete control over him while he was isolated in the woods?

But more importantly… had Hunter touched the gem with his bare hand? Darius tried to think back, tried to remember if Hunter had been wearing gloves or not, but all he could picture was the blood and Hunter’s pale face.

Would the draining spell even affect him? He didn’t have magic—would it just block his ability to teleport? Or would it be even worse for him, somehow? Darius growled to himself. He wished Hunter were here so that he could just ask about the gloves. Maybe he could go to Eda’s and make sure Hunter was alright—but if the mind-control spell was still active, then Hunter wasn’t safe from him.

No. No, he needed to check on Hunter. Keeping this conspiracy from hurting him was his top priority, and he couldn’t trust Hunter not to play off any symptoms he had as not a big deal. They never should have separated.

Check on Hunter, go to Alador, lock myself in a magic-proof cell until this is figured out.

Easy as fairy pie.

[numericalbridge]

Another thing that gets me about the fandom's reaction to Darius is that, ok, even if you think there should've been a scene of him directly apologizing to Hunter, considering the age of the target audience... why is Darius specifically singled out and condemed for the absence of such a scene when there is a pattern in the show of the characters displaying 'worse' behavior in the beginning and then switching to a milder characterization without the narrative focusing on the change?

Amity making her abomination draw on Willow's forehead when they are all alone, s1 Lilith looking down on others and her weird comments about humans, Bump's characterization switch before and after Hunting Palisman, Alador playing with Bump's palisman (that helps him see!!!) while his daughter's friends are getting expelled, Collector seemingly acting gleefuly over others suffering in s2? Even many of Eda's interactions with King who is meant to be 8 old. And some of these you can interpret as intentional absense of the full info at the beginning and some of the switches might be excused with character development happening off screen (i even began to understand Bump's characterization switch better on the rewatch)... still in my opinion there is a certain writing awkwardness in many of these cases, and i find this pattern to be one of the flaws of the show.

Yet all these are often excused or even barely aknowledged by the fandom, and when not excused then are seen as flaws in the writing, but not the end of the world for those characters.

And, ok, i admit, i don't actually think Darius really falls into that pattern, i think his behavior is much more consistent than the examples above and more easily explained, if you think about his character for a moment and pay attention to his scenes instead of condeming him outright. I think his relationship with Hunter is a very straighforward case of the 'adult is mean to a child before getting attached' that is played out again and again in media, often with the adults being meaner and for a longer time towards even younger kids. And that trope should be examined critically too, sure, but why is the Black character condemed for it like this, but not all the white characters across all those other shows and books and games and comics? Although i do think there should've been a moment of Darius apologizing to Hunter or talking to someone else about his thought process, but i would want it more for Darius's own character, not because i think he did something so irredeemable.

So why is then Darius's case so different for the toh fandom specifically? If you (general you) also see all those other cases above as flawed writing, then why is only Darius so widely condemned as a person instead of looking at his writing from the same perspective? Especially since ASIAS had not even allowed Willow - a major character - to have a conclusion for her part of the story. Maybe a better point of discussion would be why toh's characters of color get less time dedicated to them and their development than white characters of the same narrative importance. Why did Alador get 2 episodes where he could verbalize his thoughts, why did Gwen get the resolution in one episode that still had some focus on her thought process and realization of her mistakes?

And if you don't see all those other cases as a writing flaw at all and think it is natural for all those other characters to have offscreen development or excuse everything - even the sidelining of Gus and Willow - with the shortening, then why is Darius viewed differently and why does he have to self-flagellate for his mistakes on screen or otherwise he is a considered a bad person in-universe and a bad character unworthy of positive attention?

Why was Camila also widely hated before s3 and had to 'prove' herself in the fandom's eyes by taking care of the white child and being a fellow pop-culture nerd all the while Eda had threatened an elementary schooler with physical violence over stealing her elixir and still was considered the best? How did the super fans manage to examine all those memory portraits and figure out the story for Caleb and Evelyn or invent a sob story for Graye after one episode, but the oddities with Darius's supposed villainy in ER or even his openly upset expressions during the Blimp scene in ASIAS didn't even register for them?

[the-owl-house-takes]

The way Camila and Odalia are treated in comparison to Alador makes it obvious that many people in this fandom have a problem with uplifting white men for doing literally nothing.

With Camila, people wanted so badly for her to be a bad mom so they can justify Luz staying in the Boiling Isles with Eda and then took her very justified reaction to Luz originally willingly staying in the Demon Realm out of proportion and tried to villainize Camila because of it. So many people act like Camila only became a good mom in season three, but will fight tooth and nail trying to “prove” that Alador has actually been a good parent this whole time despite actively seeing him abusing his children in his earlier episodes.

With Odalia, so many people acted like she was the sole abusive parent right out the gate, some even started saying this right after Understanding Willow! People need to recognize that there are different forms of abuse and Alador neglecting his kids is just as bad as Odalia being emotionally abusive to them. Some people will try to downplay Alador’s abuse by saying that he was “just” an enabler to Odalia but enabling someone’s behavior if it’s harming them or someone else is also bad. And people head canoning that Odalia was also abusive to Alador was done is such bad faith because they only did that to make Odalia seem worse and Alador better and having it become canon makes no sense because it literally came out of nowhere.

-

[prodigaldaughteralice]

Man, you know what hit me while watching For the Future, and I didn’t say anything about it at the time but it’s been circulating in my head since then?

Amity saying to Boscha “This is a bit much, even for you!”, in comparison to her father a few episodes back saying “this is too much— even for you.” The similarity in structure, the difference in delivery, you know.

And I keep thinking about the theory that Alador and Odalia were pushed to marry by their parents, and about how Amity was pushed to be friends with Boscha, and imagining a bad future where Luz didn’t show up and they ended up in a similar position.

It’s not going to be that bad, right? Sure, Amity never really *liked* Boscha, but you don’t have to like someone to be their friend, you just have to be around them, do things with them, listen when they talk. Having a wife will be like that, right? She’ll just… do the things she’s supposed to do, and live alongside her. It’ll be fine.

The wedding is just another formal event her parents throw, with the complication of Boscha’s parents being part of it too, and constantly trying to one-up hers. In her final act of rebellion, Amity sends Willow an invitation. She doesn’t come. Amity closes a door.

Odalia lightens up on urging Amity to join the Emperor’s Coven when she realizes that as the only one of their kids who follows in Alador’s footsteps magic-wise, it’d be better for her to train to take over the factory someday. She can’t say she exactly enjoys working under her father, since he only ever talks about work, and not even with the spark of interest in his eyes she remembers him having when she was little. Her mother spends most of her time sniping at her mothers-in-law and asking when grandkids are coming, though, and the twins are gadding about through high society and making fun of her whenever they can, so he’s kind of the family member she’s closest to by default.

Things don’t really go well. Boscha thinks the way their mothers constantly fight is hilarious, and she definitely enjoys the status that comes along with the Blight name, but she definitely doesn’t love the way her new in-laws expect her to wind potions skills into the family business or else just stay out of the way. She wants to win trophies, not be one. She’s also not stupid, and she knows Amity doesn’t love her— knew since long before the wedding, but she hoped that would change over time, and as it continues not to she’s building up an intense resentment. They were meant for each other, why can’t Amity see it? She’s being the queen of Bonesborough society, they’re on top together just like it was in high school only better, but Amity still doesn’t love her, and it’s not fair.

Some years on, they have a daughter. She’s the absolute light of Amity’s life, but by the time she’s toddling Boscha is already starting to take out some of her resentment on her. She pushes her too hard, she makes fun of the way she garbles words. The baby’s  just being a baby, and Amity tries to get Boscha to lighten up, but Boscha says she’s just having fun and being a mom, which Amity isn’t because she’s working all day, and she doesn’t have a comeback for that.  

Amity’s trying to calm Boscha down, taking her to matches when she has a rare night off and they can get a sitter, but it just prickles at her more— she wants to be on the field, not watching; she wants to be on a real date with her wife, not an awkward attempt at appeasement.

It’s all eating away at Amity. She looks into her daughter’s three beautiful gold eyes and she’s terrified her little girl will feel like this, someday.

She’s sleepwalking through her days, she feels like one of her mother’s ghosts. She’s working, because it’s the only thing she really understands anymore. She’s elbow-deep in the beta design for the 3.6, and she nearly jumps out of her skin when her father puts a hand on her shoulder.

He has a bottle of hard apple blood. They go sit on the roof, and they talk.

She can’t say she sees a way through to happiness, but at least she’s not alone. That’s something, isn’t it?

[sepublic]

Thinking of the old Hexside group. Did they all know each other, or was it simply that Eda knew all of them? If the former…

How did Lilith think to teach her friends’ child, to have Alador and Odalia’s daughter look up to her? Was it a bit of triumph, esp knowing Odalia wanted to be in the Emperor’s Coven, or at least wished it for her children; Did she settle for Blight Industries because she wasn’t good enough, while Darius met the Golden Guard as he advanced in the Abomination Coven?

Lilith is petty, so I can see her enjoying it a little; And then afterwards, she betrays Amity’s trust but it doesn’t matter too much to her, not anymore. And that was brief compared to her sister being right there.

Darius was mentored by the Golden Guard, the previous head of the Emperor’s Coven; Now he sees his classmate become the same, and even mentor another Abomination witch. He feels strongly about his mentor’s legacy, so was he critical of Lilith failing that mentor-mentee bond, in someone he could’ve seen himself in?

Did he feel pity for Amity, make an exception for her despite how unpleasant Alador and Odalia became, or even because of that suspected parental abuse? Did he never notice any of it, did he think, Good for her when Amity developed a proper friendship with Lilith later on? And was Darius critical and slow to consider Alador because of his abuse towards his own kin?

Eda would’ve seen her friends’ daughter with Lilith, but to her that had also faded long ago, perhaps she didn’t think much of it as a result. But seeing Amity’s baggage through Luz and interacting with the twins, you have to wonder if she was surprised or not, that Alador and Odalia’s kids would turn out that way.

Similarly, Perry could’ve heard about Amity’s bullying of Gus’ first friend through his son. He saw Eda being executed and remained impartial and true to his job… Until his son took over, and he very conveniently stood by and nodded along, doing next to nothing to stop Gus and his friend’s call for a protest. Did he feel happiness when Eda and Lilith escaped together that night? Did he and Eda consider reconnecting through their kids, only to decide maybe that’s awkward, it’s been too long, it would look bad for Perry’s high-profile job if he did…

Did Raine and Darius, when they watched from afar? Agonizing that they couldn’t do anything at the moment, it’s not yet ready. They can’t jeopardize it now and maybe they couldn’t even do it even if they wanted to, they were too far away. I would not put it past Belos to suspect their sentimentality, and send those two far away when he called for Lilith to deliver Eda by the end of the day.

How much disappointment did Raine have in Lilith and Darius? They’ve only been coven head recently, and they figured it out the corruption well before them; Or at least Lilith. What relief was there when Darius turned out to be their side, and what disappointment did they and Darius have over Alador and Odalia selling dangerous weapons to the coven, making their plans more difficult and contributing to their failed sabotage?

For Eda, of course she lost Lilith. Then Darius. Then Raine. All three became coven heads, cop supreme. Alador and Odalia became arms manufacturers, only Perry was chill. The first time Eda talks to Gus, he proudly owns up to being from a long line of dweebuses, after she calls him that; Was she thinking, I know better than you about that kid, was exactly why I said it.

Did Odalia lowkey cope and seethe over her friends becoming coven heads while she didn’t, while Alador became apathetic to everything? Did she decide it didn’t matter, when she had strength and independence from the coven, and a family? Only for Belos to assimilate her work, and for her family to leave her because of Odalia’s obsession?

Was there any particular reason she chose Raine’s puppet to help her with the Collector’s task; Out of all of the coven heads, some of whom are stronger or have more/longer arms, she chose someone she grew up with. The only other one was Darius, but that bridge was clearly burnt in a personal, direct way, and not just them gradually drifting apart. Did Odalia find some comfort in having Raine around, and/or did she just feel good to lord over another classmate in Alador’s place?

Alador is tired to the point of apathy; He never expected his childhood friend turned wife to do this to him, but it was gradual enough he didn’t even realize what was going on until he talked to a child about it. If Darius made it as a Coven Head, did it matter to him when he was the architect behind Blight Industries, whose products phased out Darius’ own technique? If he agreed with Odalia on Willow not being good for Amity, maybe he too dismissed Eda as a delinquent; Even so, he didn’t feel personal about it, wasn’t bothered really by their kids hanging out with hers.

And to Bump? It may have been pride to see three coven heads be his former students, and for another two to start a successful corporation. Maybe he had some reservations about the coven system, being born before it… It felt good to repair relations with Eda, but being at the mercy of two of his students? Between this and Lilith being so dismissive of him, it must’ve been striking to realize how age inevitably means children who depended on you, now having power over you.

“Us weirdoes have to stick together” says Eda, and when we see Luz struggle to keep the family together when reciting this mantra in a season finale… Man did Eda relate, is it why she even came up with the saying? And when she did stick together with other weirdoes, it led to King and Luz, it led to a long chain of events that resulted in almost the whole Hexside gang, and her family, coming back together. Maybe they’d grown mostly apathetic, it was just “Goofing off” as Alador put it, but then they started interacting properly and they realized how much they’d missed it.

[oilith]

"#and yes it never got resolved until odalia quit being a bitch in the bad way lol"

So you see Odalia becoming a better person? Would it be like full redemption or like a "Hazy-Feel Turn"?

I'm seeing that odalia becomes a much better person eventually. But OH MY GOD, DOES IT TAKE A LONG ASS TIME. I've always thought that there was a reason alador fell in love. I know it could be an arranged thing, but to me it seemed like their love just fizzled out (on alador's part. I think odalia did love him but didn't realise she's pretty horrible). Alador wanted her to go to therapy when they divorced, but she initially refused, and only started it a long time later. She apologised to her kids and ex, and while not everything can be forgiven she does get to be a part of their families. When she can meet the lumity kids she'll spoil them absolutely rotten lol.

To sum it up, Odalia never fully quits being a bitch, thats part of her core personality lmao. But she does become a decent person

[cutesharkstudios]

Owl House Group Chat 2

(Hexsquad) 11:07 Willow has entered

Willow: I AM SO SORRY I'M LATE! THAT TOOK WAY LONGER THAN I THOUGHT!

Willow: Hello?

Amity has entered

Amity: Hey Willow. No worries

Willow: Yes worries! I promised I would be off at 10 and lost track of time

Amity: It's cool, this is suppossed to be a casual thing.

Willow: Ok. Side note, what did y'all do when I was gone?

Amity: Scroll up.

Willow: Oh my

Amity: I AM GETTING HER OTTER PLUSHIES YOU SICK MINDED INDIVIDUAL!!!!!!

Willow: Ok, ok

Hunter has entered

Hunter: Hi Willow

Willow: Hi Honey

Hunter: 0//0

Amity: Cute

Willow: HUNTER I MEAN! SPELLCHECK! SORRY!

Hunter: I like that name.

Willow: Really?

Hunter: I think it's cute, like you

Willow: 0//0

Amity: oh my

Willow: Yeah I deserve that

Darius has entered

Darius: My Hunter senses were tingling

Amity: Uncle Darius?!?!

Willow: Uncle?

Amity: He babysat me a ton as a kid. He and dad claimed they hated each other, but they didn't, and he helped dad take care of me.

Darius: Speaking of him, I need some advice.

Amity: Sure

Darius: Could we do this in a seperate chat with you, me, and the twins? I'll hext you the link

Amity: sure, see ya guys

Hunter: have fun

Willow: bye

(DariusAndBlightKids)

Darius: Amity will check in soon

Amity: Hey

Ed: Hi Amity

Em: Hey Ams

Amity: So what's going on?

Ed: Darius needs our help with something wonder what

Darius: And this doesn't leave this chat, ok?

Amity: 100%

Ed: got it

Darius: Em?

Em: Sorry, had to turn off the oven for dinner. Your secret is our secret

Amity: What ya making?

Em: Centaur roast and carrots

Amity: Thanks

Darius: Okay here it goes

Darius: I want to propose to Alador

Amity: WHAT

Ed: Really?

Em: WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Darius: I've drawn up the plan and will send them soon.

Amity: OMG, Darius, this is awesome.

Darius: Thanks Amity, I hope it goes well. We've really grown over the 4 years of dating, and I hope I can be a good parental figure to you and the twins

Em: You really mean it?

Darius: Yeah, I've always wanted to be a dad, and now I have the opportunity. I hope I do well.

Amity: Well you can't do any worse than you-know-who

Darius: Thanks for the support, though she didn't set a high bar

Em: She set the bar at all?

Darius: Touche

Ed: And hopefully we will be good kids. I know we're adults, so it's probably not what you imagined being a dad would be like, but we promise to be good.

Em: And we'll continue to be good siblings as well. Side note, Amity?

Amity: Yes?

Em: Now that we are at a slower time in our lives, I want to ask, are we good?

Amity: Yes, why do ask?

Ed: Well, we teased you a lot in our youth. We never meant any harm, but we realise we may have been, as much as I hate to admit it, mean to you.

Em: That was never our intention, and we're sorry if we crossed any lines

Amity: Well, the only real line crossed was with the diary and Luz. But given how much of a jerk I was back then, I kind of had it coming.

Darius: I'm just as guilty. I crossed my share of lines in my past that Alador only told me about AFTER we started dating. Oof, not my finest moments

Em: Well what happened happened. We can't change the past, but we can make a better future.

Darius: Anyways, here's the plan…….

(MEANWHILE)

Room Created: OldWitches

11:13

Raine has entered Eda has entered Lilith has entered

Eda: Today's the day! Today's the day! Today's the day! Today's the day! Today's the day! Today's the day!

Lilith: Whoa, sister, calm down, what's the occasion?

Eda: After so long of trying to get an appointment, Raine's getting their sigil removing treatment!

Lilith: Awesome. I had mine yesterday, and I gave my sigil a certain gesture before it went away.

Eda: That's my sister. So, Rainestorm, what new magic do you want to try first?

Raine: You're not going to belive this but, of all types, illusions

Eda: I take it you saw that article I sent of Goops moping the floor with Adrian?

Raine: Yep, I had no idea you could tell when someone was hiding behind and illusion. We laughed at Adrian all dang afternoon post incedent.

Lilith: I would have paid SO many snails to see that

Raine: I got the whole thing on my scroll. And backed it up on three of my personal devices.

Eda: Whatever happened to him and the other defect coven leaders?

Lilith: Trying to find them, but so far no activity.

Raine: They should be dormant for now, but the hunt is still on.

Eda: Check out this news article I found. [link]

Raine: What is it?

Lilith: It better not be one of THOSE websites again.

Eda: You'll see

4:20

Raine: EDA!

Eda: Yes?

Raine: Why did you not tell me about this wonderful thing called fanfiction? I don't even know who wrote this but, God, they have excellent potential.

Lilith: I think I know who wrote it

Raine: Who is the author?

Lilith: If you scroll all the way up, you'll see the author is AzuraFanOtter, take a wild witch guess who that is

Raine: Well no wonder Luz is getting A's in her writing classes, this is wonderful

Eda: And fitting 20 characters in one scene while giving them all ample screen time is tricky, but she made it work.

Lilith: Maybe she should write her own book. The money made from that could benefit her greatly in the future.

Eda: Indeed, though she'll probably be fine when she marries Boots, cause all the Blights are LOADED.

Lilith: Now now, keep in mind, there is a change things don't work out for them. It's not like they were made with the other in mind.

Eda: …

Raine: …

Eda: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Raine: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lilith: What? I'm serious.

Raine: We know, but I'll eat griffon feathers if they don't work out.

Eda: OH SHOOT! RAINE! THE TIME!

RAINE: GAH! MY TREATMENT'S IN 10! THE NEXT TIME SLOT IS A WEEK FROM NOW SO I GOTTA GO!

Raine has left

Lilith: Well, I promised Darius I'd help with a "surprise" for Alador.

Eda: Cool, have fun.

Lilith: Thank you for not making an innappropriate joke for that.

Eda: Yeah, sorry about last week's prank, didn't think it go over as bad as it did.

Lilith: No no, I should have just taken the joke.

Eda has left

Lilith has left

[a-flaming-idiot]

TOH Grandparent Headcanons

I need more happy The Owl House stuff so here are some cute headcanons for the current adult characters as grandparents.

Camila: Has no idea what her grandkids are really doing but tries her best to learn. Still getting a grasp on the magic and demon stuff. And even if she can't figure it all out she's crazy supportive. Gets a little competitive about cooking for family events. Has thrown mild shade at Luz for her dry lasagna at one cookout. "Look at how big you've gotten!" every time she sees her grandkids. Will ask if they're being fed properly considering they're "Little bean poles". Called Abuela.

Eda: Slightly crazy and unhinged grandma. Ain't got too much time left so she drinks like it's going out of style and marches around like she owns the place. Will tell her grandkids about the many war crimes and regular crimes she committed back in the day. Luz has to keep telling her off to not tell the seven-year-old about when she popped a coven scout's head like a watermelon between her harpy woman thighs. Just called Grandma.

Raine: Very stereotypical old person. Glasses string, shawl, and all. Very sweet on their grandkids. Hides treats in the house and their bag to sneak to their grandkids at every opportunity. Will rarely but casually drop tidbits about the war. Sasses Eda about being the same crazy old show-off she was forty years ago. Called Gran or Gran-Gran

Darius: Looks great for his age. Rocking the grey hair and wrinkles. Refuses to accept that he's old and ended up having a crisis when he tried to lift something and seriously injured his back. Goes on big vacations to the wildest places just for the fun of it. Occasionally takes his grandkids with him so you just have an old man sipping wine in France with a five-year-old slurping up juice boxes and eating chocolate croissants. Brings his family wild souvenirs from the places he goes. Ended up getting called Grunkle and is a little grumpy about it.

Eberwolf: Basically the same as Darius but more thrill-seeking. Does have a better grasp on their age and is starting to make a shift for younger people to take over for them. Has absolutely no problem playing with their grandkids and being dumb with them. Takes the little ones into the woods to play and they all come back drenched in mud, covered in thorns, with a few minor injuries, and a couple ticks. Grandtiti.

Alador: No idea what's going on. Wants to be involved in his grandkids' lives but doesn't know them as well as he wishes he did. Gets them all confused regularly and ends up trying to talk to a grandkid about a hobby their cousin has. Grandpa.

Gilbert & Harvey Park: I don't really know. They don't have much of a personality in the show. They do love being grandads though. Will spoil their grandkids if given the chance. Papa and Gramps.

Odalia: Has no relationship with her grandkids. Hasn't actually even been told they exist. Amity, Emira, and Edric refuse to let her within a mile of their kids or spouses.

[marinetteocean]

Part 12

"And this is basically how a portal can be made." said Alador.

"Oh titan, how l love engineering!" said Amity excitedly.

Just then a voice was heard from outside.

"Dad, are you there?" shouted Emira, opening the factory door.

"Yes, daughter! There is something l want to show you and your brother a surprise."

"A surprise! You are becoming a better father every day." said Edric sarcastically as they walk in.

"lt's still weird seeing you as a father." muttered Darius.

Alador rolled his eyes and said, "We'll see you too."

Hunter felt his cheeks burning, hearing that shows him that Amity was right.

'There are people out there who won't make you feel worthless.'

Edric and Emira's gaze fell on Darius first. As they said "Hello-" they saw Amity and then Hunter.

"Mittens!"

They ran and hugged tightly to their little precious sibling.

"We missed you so much Amity." said Emira in tears

"Yes, Soo much!" added Edric.

They ended up their moment and Edric asked the main question.

"Did you miss us?"

If someone else had asked, Amity might have thought they were kidding, but when it was her brother, she knew he was seriously asking. "You idiot."

"Aww, come on mittens!" insisted Edric.

"Yeah give us what we want!" said Emira while laughing.

"Okay...l missed you guys like l never did before."

"Before that, did you ever miss us?" asked Emira.

"Nope."

While Hunter laughing that answer, Emira and Edric gave Amity judgmental glances.

"Being in the human realm didn't make you a better person, did it?" asked Edric.

"Nope, again." said Amity with a sarcastic smile.

"But we made some changes here." said Emira.

"Oh! Did you know who is reading kids now?" asked Edric.

"Let me guess...You two genius." answered Amity.

"Us- what! How do you know that?" said Eric sadly because he couldn't make her surprised.

"We did it for you and you have to live with that burden as a debt." said Emira.

"l don't feel any debt but l really want to say that l appreciate what you did and of course l missed you so much."

"Kids l understand you missed talking with each others but what about going to the mansion and continue in there." said Alador.

"l doubt that l've ever heard you talk that much about something other than work in my life." said Amity. lt was still so new to her.

Hearing that Darius laughed for minutes. They all looked awkwardly to him until he stopped.

"What? This was so funny! l loved her so much already."

"Thanks, l guess..."

"You will get used to it mittens, your old dad is dead and we have a new one now." said Edric.

"l feel like I'm in the wrong family right now."

"Oo, or were you waiting to see mother?" asked Edric sarcastically. Emira tapped Edric on the shoulder as a warning.

Amity gave the 'I'd talk, but I won't' look and then turned to Hunter. "Let's go far away from them, Hunter. I fulfilled my longing already."

"Yes, you all go. Before dinner, we have things to do with your uncle Darius." said Alador.

"Uncle Darius?" Darius looked at him in a judgmental way.

"Say uncle Darius to him, kids."

"Okay, uncle Darius then." said the twins just to make Darius uncomfortable.

"Before leaving, what's your relationship now?" Hunter asked an unexpected and sudden question to the adults.

"What's relationship?" asked Darius nervously.

"You know what l mean."

"We are friends l guess, right?" said Darius and turned to Alador to see his reaction.

Alador nodded. "We are."

Amity approached Hunter and whispered into his ear. "Let's ask the questions while the twins are not around, we will never get proper answers now."

"Okay."

~

As Hunter and Amity entered Amity's room, Amity shouted into the hallway "I'll see you two later, now don't cause any trouble!"

"You wish!" shouted Edric.

"Emira please stop your brother. Sorry Hunter, they are... indescribable."

"l think they are funny."

"Maybe sometimes."

She looked back at Hunter and saw him standing in the middle of the room. "Please sit wherever you want."

"You have a nice room." said Hunter and sat on the edge of the bad.

"Thank you. l hope you are not uncomfortable being with my family."

"No no, it's great to be here."

"I'm glad to hear it." said Amity.

"Don't get me wrong but since your brother's sentence, l'm curious about something." said Hunter nervously.

Amity sat on the edge of the bad too "I'm listening."

"Do you think you will ever see Odalia again? l can't even imagine having to see Belos again."

Amity stared at the wall for a while.

"Sorry, l shouldn't have asked. Just forget-"

"No, it's okay. You were there when l said something like never talking with her again, right?"

"Yes."

"Do you think she's kind of a person who just let me prove myself that l can keep a promise l made to myself?"

"Well that's deep and tragic."

"l don't know whether she cares about me that much to not giving up on me and do obsessive things nor just doesn't want to remember l exist."

"Which option do you want to happen?"

"l don't miss her and have reasons to not want her in my life, so the second one." said Amity,

"Good choice."