#their friendship with gus is also so important to me

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

i love the voice acting for both hunter and willow in the willow park depression arc. she’s having a panic attack and hunter delivers his lines like “i feel the exact way, but i know what youre saying about yourself isn’t true, and im only now realizing how this kind of thinking hurts.” nice to see how hunter is getting more used to showing his emotions and crying after spending time in the human realm. and its nice to show him passing that to willow.

#toh #the owl house #for the future #hunter toh #hunter noceda #willow park #their friendship is so important to me #their friendship with gus is also so important to me #the shipping though is ick and i stand by it #at least now they gave willow a reason to like him back but it still needed more buildup #if they didnt have enough time to fit in a good huntlow romance subplot then they should have just cut it out #my point is idc if they get married in the finale i will write a fic where they get divorced if they do #just like how idc if odalador got divorced bc of odalias character assassination i will write a fic where they get couples therapy #oh also ppl were saying everyone in the hexsquad has witnessed a signature hunter mental breakdown except for willow #and that when willow witnesses one thats when the huntlow ship will happen #its good they did it like that willow already plays mother to all her friends #if youre gonna make these two date dont make willow the sole emotional support #hunter needs to witness a signature WILLOW mental breakdown #after all these mental breakdowns hunter is finally ready to handle someone else's mental breakdown for once #gus in labyrinth runners doesnt count #'i know how it feels to want to believe in something just like how you want to believe youre dumb or whatever' hunter sweetie wtf is that #here it's much more effective

[sophfandoms53]

PLS GIMME YOUR ATTENTION

Thank you, I just think the bros are neat :D

Also bonus of this frame I found LMAOO

#Gus’ face kills me in this last one #IDK WHY AKDKKDDK #Hunter rlly said “and scoop” #also BELIEVE ME this isn’t even a quarter of the photos i have of Gus and Hunter #they’re important to me okay #I don’t have favorite characters idk what you mean /j #ANYWAY SKKDKDKWKW #pls when they met in ASIAS I was so happy #and then LB they actually established a friendship #my two favorite boys became friends and the best duo #I love them sm #the owl house #toh #gus porter #hunter wittebane

[toh-tagteam-au]

Tag Team AU Synopsis – Really Small Problems + Understanding Willow

Synopsis Masterpost Link

Previous Part [Sense and Insensitivity + Adventures in the Elements + The First Day]

Next Part [Enchanting Grom Fright + Wing it Like Witches]

This is one of the big ones. The BIG ones. Big turning point episode here. All of these End Of Season 1 episodes are going to be like that. With a LOT of script screenshots.

Really Small Problems

I… didn’t have anything written for this episode, but I should mention that Tibbles hasn’t appeared in this AU because he’s actually profiting off of selling the Azura Books due to the Azura Incident and doesn’t need to do any more schemes. 

This episode wouldn’t have involved the carnival, but instead probably would have been a Willow-and-Amity-conflict centric episode and a Gus-and-Hunter friendship episode. Originally it was going to be a “Willow gets a crush on Hunter” episode that led into the pseudo-romance arc I’d been talking about for a while, but it never seemed right to me the more we saw canon Willow’s attitude towards canon Hunter in season 3. I still wanted elements of that though, since it’d be important for the Grom episode.

I’m also realizing now that I’m writing the whole synopsis that the Emerald Trio really doesn’t hang out very much in any of the episode descriptions, so I wanted to include a thing that was like “they hang out off-camera please believe me”.

Anyway, Hunter passes out at some point, which leads us into…

Understanding Willow

Which really should be called "Understanding Hunter" at this point.

The episode starts out with Hunter falling into a magical exhaustion, brought by him over-worrying about how to heal Belos. This would have assumedly been built up over the course of Really Small Problems, which I didn’t write, but somehow Amity, Willow, and Gus are there to bring him back to the Owl House. 

Amity and Willow volunteer to go into his mind and find out what is keeping him from waking up. When they’re sent in, they see that everything is extremely cluttered and all the trees are covered in notes. They hear muttering, and come across Inner Hunter, who is surrounded by paper and chalkboards. 

Hunter is surprised that they’re in there, especially when they say that he’s fallen into a magical exhaustion in the real world, and says that he feels completely fine and they can leave. Amity says that maybe the notes are what is messing with his head, and in the process of reaching out to touch them Hunter summons a wall of ice. He warns them not to touch anything – he’s almost at a breakthrough. 

Willow and Amity suggest that they help him out – the faster they figure out how to do the thing he’s researching, the sooner Hunter wakes up. Hunter agrees, and reveals he’s trying to heal someone’s curse. Not Eda’s – someone else’s.

They go through a research montage, failing multiple glyphs and exploding a few science flasks, etc, up until they start asking him questions about the curse.

Amity asks more pointed questions, making Hunter nervously ask what she’s getting at.

Hunter gets angry at the accusation, saying that this person isn’t doing it on purpose or faking it. Amity just says that it feels familiar. Hunter is generally pissed now, and tells them to get lost. Willow doesn’t stand for it, saying that he needs to wake up.

Amity figures this is enough, and burns all the notes and work. She says he’s stretching himself thin to do an impossible thing, and that sometimes things can’t be fixed. 

Hunter doesn’t like that. The mindscape warps slightly as he turns into a goopy version of Hunter, Belos eyes and all (something something turning into the thing that scares you the most as a defense mechanism), and he starts attacking them. They hide in one of his memories to escape. 

The memory they enter is in his room in the Emperor’s Castle. They hear a younger Hunter talking to someone on a bed.

Luz is revealed, as well as her humanity AND the fact that Hunter is the other Golden Guard. They hear the Inner Hunter coming (he warps the memories with mud as he goes through them), so they escape into a different memory, this time of the fight Hunter and Luz have before they start having a better relationship (it’s the same one in the Pre-Show events post)

They leave the memory when the coast is clear. Amity mentions that when Hunter told her to stop trying to protect the person she was hurting, back in Covention, he must have been speaking from experience. Willow asks if Amity was also speaking from her experience with their friendship when she told Inner Hunter that sometimes things can’t be fixed, and Amity says yes. 

They’re interrupted by Hunter, who shows up to kill them, when Amity tells him to stop because he’ll destroy his memories if he’s not careful. She burns the notes on another tree, revealing the memory there of Luz and him learning the light glyph.

Willow and Amity get out of the mindscape. Hunter wakes up, to the relief of King and Eda. 

He drags Willow, Amity, and Gus away to talk privately, and tells them the truth about being the Golden Guard. He assumes the worst, but Willow proves him wrong, saying that Hunter comes before his mask. Willow blushes here a bit.

Privately to Willow and Amity, he also expresses worry that he inadvertently outed his sister to them, and tells them not to tell anyone or her – it’s an important secret to her, and she might freak out if she finds out anyone knows. Amity doesn’t vibe with that, but agrees.

Previous Part [Sense and Insensitivity + Adventures in the Elements + The First Day]

Next Part [Enchanting Grom Fright + Wing it Like Witches]

Synopsis Masterpost Link

#tag team synopsis #toh tagteam au #toh #the owl house

[theprinceandthewitch]

TOH is so incredibly fanficy, despite being an original show.

I really won't get over how they made Huntlow a thing and wasted a full hourish episode to make it happen.

Frankly, it's nbd for Willow to date someone by the time the story ends. Her dating someone doesn't kneecap her story. But Hunter dating her definitely kneecaps his, because Willow is not relevant to the whole Caleb/Evelyn and Philip drama like Luz is.

It makes no sense, from a narrative standpoint, to have Hunter like Willow. It feels like they really wanted to give Willow a love interest and Hunter was the only option they had to work with.

With Hunter it's like... him getting a witch love interest is something that pretty much needs to happen from a narrative standpoint.... but Willow isn't that LI. The only character who fits Evelyn's themes is Luz. He and Luz are the "Caleb" and "Evelyn" in this story - no other character's fit these roles like they do.

"But TOH is a tragedy -"

"But TOH is a subversion of romantic-"

TBH I really don't want to hear how TOH is a romantic tragedy or a subversion of romantic expectations because... it isn't. I have read romantic tragedies and subversions and this isn't paced like either. They also put a whole ass Lunter kiss in a spoiler episode, so I really don't think they were planning on making TOH a subversion of romantic expectations or writing Luz's and Hunter's romance as a tragic one.

See, this pairing is extremely confusing to me, because if they actually were planning on Hunter and Willow being a thing from the beginning and not Hunter and Luz, then Willow would have been written into all of Luz's and Hunter's episodes - which just so happen to be his important character arc moments [ST, HP and HM].

But... they don't do that, like at all lmao. I'm also not a fan of Hunter's friendship with Willow and Gus, but that's a discussion for another time.

#toh critical #going to the human realm was a mistake but I ''forgave'' TTT because it brought the Caleb/Evelyn and Philip murder drama to the forefront #and had the set-up for Hunter and Luz [Caleb and Evelyn] to be the ones who kick Philip's ass in the Climax #but then it goes off of the fucking RAILS to make Hunter and Willow a thing and it's like #I want to put Dana and company in petri dishes bc what the hell is going on lmao. Why did you guys want Huntlow to be a thing #anyways. I will never watch another show where Dana is on the writing team bc she is a fanfic girlie #btw there's nothing wrong with fanfic. it's just that when I watch a cartoon from a world renowned studio #i expect the writing to not be fanficy. on an unrelated note... #i still think its funny how Hunter has made more of an effort to make amends with Willow and Gus for his screw up #than Amity has in two whole seasons.

[rogueddie]

Movie AU Steddie Fics

Important: READ THE TAGS! Also, leave a comment and kudos! These fics are amazing and I love them and I hope y'all do too 📼

Free Hawkins

CassieWater354, Dandyfello

It started as a simple passion project. A discovery of what was possible with simple code. Eddie had been the one to bring it up to Steve. "The AI could be like, ALIVE dude!" He explained excitedly. Steve looked on in confusion, "Like they simulate emotions and personalities and are like real people but they're code!!"

A few more hours of erratic explaining later and Steve agreed. Well, he agreed to begin with but it was nice to see Eddie so excited. Steve loved his computer science class and it didn't fail him as Eddie rang off ideas, Steve created them and Eddie made it all look good. A well-oiled machine. It was hardly near completion but with the complexity and beauty of it they realized it to test and build interest, and funds wouldn't be so bad either. It was a hit, a huge hit. They did interviews, got a lot of hype and attention and it was mostly positive feedback. Mostly.

Words : 12,015 Chapters : 10/10 Rating : Teen And Up Audiences

AO3 : x

Who's Sorry Now

BatCatMooney63

Hawkins is like any place in small town America, quaint, quiet, and full of secrets. Murders, disappearances, unsolved cases swept under the rug of normalcy for the sake of security.

But it all gets ripped away one night when Chrissy Cunningham answers the phone to find herself talking to a mysterious voice. Which sets off a chain of events that truly reveals the line between good and evil.

Words : 51,160 Chapters : 8/8 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

Asking You to Love Me

chattrekisses

Steve is a famous actor. Eddie runs a game store. After an incident involving orange juice, an unlucky romance blossoms between them. Notting Hill AU.

Words : 22,397 Chapters : 1/1 Rating : Explicit

AO3 : x

Fate's Fool

callcalliope

Sometimes true love is interrupting your own concert to chase the hot vampire watching in the audience.

Words : 1,285 Chapters : 1/1 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

Episode I - Something happens and I'm head over heels

vaderstheme

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Words : 6,773 Chapters : 1/1 Rating : General Audiences

AO3 : x

Saying goodbye is death by a thousand cuts.

Imnotcreativesotakethisname

After winning tickets for the R.M.S. Titanic in a very "lucky" game of poker, Edward "Eddie" Munson and his friend because third class passengers on Titanic.

Words : 18,449 Chapters : 10/10 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner

beetlesandstars, witchjeons

“It’s a feeling, a heartbeat,” Eddie murmurs one night, pressing a hand over his own heart. “Like this. Gu-gung, gu-gung.”

Steve snorts, before copying Eddie.

Tapping away, Eddie steps closer. “Don’t try so hard,” he says softly, taking Steve’s hand, moving it to rest over his own chest.

Words : 27,880 Chapters : 6/7 Rating : Explicit

AO3 : x

A Shadow Is Cast Wherever They Stand

BritChick91

“You should think more about whether you’d survive a horror movie. You never know when you might find yourself… in one.”

When the phone rings for Chrissy Cunningham in October 1996, it starts a wave of murders in the sleepy town of Hawkins. Who is Ghostface? And who is their next target?

Words : 23,713 Chapters : 9/9 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

Sincerely Yours

WickedVixen

When a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal are forced to spend a whole Saturday in detention together, there's no telling how horribly wrong the day will go. Tensions are high, especially with the added stressor of power-hungry Principal Higgins breathing down their necks. Will the teens manage to make it through the full nine hours unscathed? Will they come to resent one another, even more so than some of them already do? Or will they become unlikely acquaintances? Will new friendships be forged? Perhaps a few...more-than-friendships?

Who's to say? After all, stranger things have happened.

Words : 41,252 Chapters : 10/10 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

#stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #fic rec #ficrec

[avatarmerida]

Chapter 4: A Bowl of Spiders

It’s the Emerald Entrails first game! And maybe some other firsts too…

Read on AO3 or under the cut

“…but what if there was a reason Willow never got the note?” Hunter said defeated as he finished catching up Luz with his latest attempt.

“The reason is Boscha who never wants Willow to be happy so her taking the note means it would make Willow happy!” Said Luz. “If anything Willow not getting the notes means she was definitely supposed to get the note!”

“What?” said Hunter, confused.

“You’re too much in your head, hermano,” said Luz simply, patting his back. “The only people who should have a say in whether or not you and Willow get together are you and Willow. And also me.”

Hunter playfully rolled his eyes as Stringbean slunk her way onto his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek as though to say it will all be okay, stop worrying, silly.

“I know it’s important to you but maybe you just need to take a break and stop overthinking it,” offered Luz as Hunter scratched the top of Stringbean’s head. “I know we said try something simple, but maybe just stop… trying?”

“You mean give up?”

“No! I would never tell someone to give up on love!” Luz said dramatically before shifting to a gentler tone. “I mean, just stop overthinking. I know you care about Willow and you’d do anything for her but you’re putting too much pressure on yourself.”

“You’re right, I need to focus on the game.”

“That’s not exactlywhat I meant but I do like being right,” decided Luz. “And if it makes you feel better, I can hand deliver the next note myself and make sure she reads it.”

Hunter smiled. “Thanks Luz,” he took a deep breath to calm himself as he spotted Willow and Gus ahead of him, happily chatting. Was it weird that the best way to get Willow off his mind was to spend time with Willow? He didn’t have time to agonize over his missed chances, he needed to help her rally the troops. He needed to be there for her, so the anxiety attacks he wanted to have at how stunning she looked with her hair pulled back would have to wait. “And uh thanks for lending me Stringbean.”

“Are you kidding? She’s been having the time of her life,” said Luz as she went to scratch her palisman beneath her chin. “Haven’t you Stringy? Are you gonna help uncle Hunter impress his girlfriend? Yes you are! Yes you are!”

“Shh! Not so loud! She might hear you!” Shushed Hunter, though Luz of course knew Willow would not object to being referred to as his girlfriend. Because that was how she referred to herself. “Now go find a seat, I have to go warm up.”

Willow’s face brightened at the sight of him. “Hunter! Perfect! Just in time!” She ran over and leapt into his arm and he quickly spun her around as the paliman flew happily around them. “Are you ready to kick some butt?”

“Affirmative captain,” said Hunter as Stringbean returned to sit atop his head. They both laughed as Clover flew over to join her new friend, snuggling in Hunter’s hair as though it was a grassy meadow.

”Hey now, don’t get too comfortable,” laughed Willow. “We have a game to win, there will be plenty of time to cuddle with Hunter afterwards.”

Hunter laughed nervously, not fully understanding why, as Willow reached up to retrieve her palisman and gave the him a little wink. He once again did not understand exactly why.

“Hey Willow! Guess what!” Viney's voice came from behind them. They turned around and saw Viney and Skara rising over on Puddles, each of them holding a large box in their laps. “They came! Just in time!”

“They’re so cute!” squealed Skara, kicking her legs in excitement as they landed.

“Oh my Titan! The uniforms are in!” exclaimed Willow, shaking Hunter’s arm as she jumped up and down in excitement as the girls began handing them out. The team murmured in joy and awe as they donned the garments, complementing each other as they were elated to look the way they felt.

“Hunter, here put yours on! I wanna get a group photo before the game so we can remember what they looked like before they get covered in mud and blood,” laughed Willow. She tossed the shirt to Hunter as she put on hers over her tank top, twirling like it was a ballgown so excited to have tangible proof that her team was real. “This is so amazing! Hunter, do you-?”

But when she looked up to see how Hunter looked in his uniform, she saw he was still holding it, examining it with wide, confused eyes like he couldn’t believe it was real.

“You… used my drawing?” Hunter said in a faint voice, running his fingers over the green letters.

“Of course,” laughed Willow. “It’s the perfect logo! Bump said we had to incorporate at least one of the school colors, but your design was the perfect way to display the team name. Oh, just wait until the jackets come in! Which reminds me we need to decide what we want the back to say so we should ask everyone what they-” She looked closer and saw unshed tears staining his eyes. “Hunter, what’s wrong?”

“It was just a silly doodle…” Hunter said faintly, holding his shirt tighter.

Willow’s eyes grew wide. “Oh no,” she said, stepping closer. “I’m so sorry! I-I should’ve asked you first. I just thought that was why you did it! I thought it looked really nice and I thought it was appropriate since you named the team and you’re one of the reasons the Entrails is even-.”

“You thought it was good enough to be the symbol for the team?” Hunter said in wonder and Willow saw his tears were not from disappointment but disbelief. She offered him a soft smile as she put her hands on his arms.

“Of course,” she said. “What could be more perfect than something you made?”

Hunter sniffled and gave the jersey one final look of adoration before slipping it over his head. It fit perfectly.

“Well?” asked Willow. “Does it feel as good as it looks?”

Hunter’s words were currently not with him so all he could do was nod. Willow beamed as she reached out to link her arm with his. “Well come on then lieutenant, let’s go get our games faces on.”

The pair ran over to where the rest of the team was doing each other's face paint. Hunter happily followed suit as Willow swung him around and sat him on the bleachers. She grabbed a container of face paint and went to work, having thought up the perfect design for Hunter to commemorate the season's first game.

She balanced her knee on the seat beside him to get closer and Hunter held his breath as he watched Willow focus on bringing her vision to life. She stuck her tongue to the side as she outlined the shape on his face, standing so close that Hunter could feel her breath on his face. Willow either didn’t seem to notice or mind the proximity but Hunter knew his face was a dead giveaway as to how he felt about it. He knew he was a display of green and red that Willow might mistake him for a Christmas ornament.

“Hmmm,” Willow muttered to herself as she sat back from a moment and looked at her progress so far.

“W-what’s wrong?” Hunter asked.

“Nothing’s wrong,” said Willow, stroking her chin. “Your hair is just getting long again so it keeps getting in the way. I need something to push it back… ah! Here!” Willow reached up and took out her signature hair clip and placed it in Hunter’s hair. Satisfied, she went back to finishing her design as Hunter sat in front of her paralyzed. He may not have known much about romance, but he knew the significance of wearing someone else’s jewelry on the Isles. Did a hairclip count? He knew it was one of Willow’s prized possessions and she had just allowed him to wear it without a second thought.

“H-how does it look?” he asked timidly as Willow placed one hand on his jaw to steady his head as the other finished the last detail just under his eye.

“It looks nice. Your hair looks really cute pushed back,” Willow said with a wink as she ran her finger along the edge of his hairline.

“R-really?” he squeaked.

“Mhm-hm,” she smiled, continuing to play with his hair. “Gus, will you please tell Hunter that his hair looks cute pushed back?”

“Don’t involve me in this,” Gus said bluntly as he went back to describing his Cosmic Frontier design to Skara who was doing her best to capture his detailed vision in only green.

Willow laughed as she finished ruffling Hunter’s hair and pulled out her scroll so he could take a look at her work. Hunter was blown away by what he saw as his hand hovered over the carefully curved lines that swept across his face. The silhouette was too familiar.

“Is… is it…?”

“Flapjack,” confirmed Willow. “Well, it’s supposed to be. I tried to base it off one of your doodles but you’re a much better artist than I am. I thought it would be a nice way to have him be a part of today. Do you… like it?”

For the second time that day he looked at her with wide, tearfilled eyes as he tried to comprehend how the girl before him managed to be the most wonderful person he had ever met. “I love it.” he said, careful to keep the tears in his eyes so as to not smudge the paint. “Thank you, Willow.”

“Yeah, of course,” said Willow, it was her turn now to be the timid one as Hunter's loving gaze surrounded her like a long, comfortable cape. She tucked her hair behind her ear and Hunter thought for a moment maybe he should return her hair clip to her but before he could offer she smiled and handed him the paint. “Think you can make mine match?”

----

The match was intense from the very beginning. All the drills and late night practices were really paying off as even the newest players were holding their own. But the other team were last year’s champions for a reason and soon it was down to their star player and Willow for the victory.

“She’s got it, she’s got it,” said Hunter, watching Willow dodge and weave the other team’s attempts to grab her flag. But she was focused and flew with a speed the Entrails had never seen before. The score was tied with one flag left on each side to deliver and everyone in the crowd was on the edge of their seat. But the Entrails had no doubt. “She’s got this. She’s got this.”Hunter repeated as he shook Gus’ shoulder, unable to take his eyes off his captain.

She twisted and floated, sending vine after vine as the other player as the two danced around each other until finally one vine made contact and delivered the flag to her hand. Willow wasted no time and bolted to place it. The crowd cheered as Willow’s competitor did not give up and attempted to knock her off her staff, sending a collection of abomination goo her way.

She quickly leaned back, turning to grab her staff as she turned and flew high up vertically before turning back suddenly to jump back to Clover, kneeling down to better her balance as she became untouchable. Clover delivered her to the pole and placed the flag on the final spike, securing the victory.

“She did it!” Exclaimed Gus as the stands burst into cheers. “Hunter, do you- Hunter?” When he turned to share his excitement with the older boy, he was surprised to see he was gone. It didn’t take much for Gus to figure out where he went, a golden streak of lighting leading to Willow provided his answer.

As Willow descended to the ground and hopped off Clover she looked around for her team but before she could look too far, she was swept up into the arms of a collection of gold that swiftly spun her around as it sung her praises.

“You did it! Willow, you did it! Captain, you were amazing!

She buried her face in the nape of his neck and hugged him back, laughing hysterically as he darted them around just above the ground. Hunter was unable to contain his joy as every compliment seemed to transport them. Eventually he brought them back to the ground as they both delivered words of excitement, overlapping and increasing and seemingly unaware of the crowd surrounding them.

“I couldn’t have done it without that move you showed me!” she gushed, moving her head so she could absorb the sight of him, his face paint smudged and his hair a mess but her hair clip somehow still safe and secure. Her glasses were askew, a new bruise was forming on her cheek and her hair was a collection of flyaways but the utter joy in her voice made Hunter feel like she had never looked more beautiful. He brought up one hand to cup her cheek, totally mesmerized by everything she was. This was everything she wanted, everything she deserved, everything she worked for. Seeing her in her moment, she had never shined so bright and he couldn’t help but be drawn to her light.

“You are just so…” Before he knew what he was doing, Hunter lunged forward and collided his lips with hers.

Willow was surprised but not the least bit disappointed as she instinctively closed her eyes as she melted into the contact, moving her hands from his shoulders to around his neck pull him closer to her. His lips against hers sent a freezing bolt of lighting down her spine and the smile she felt them form sent a wave of lava over her chest, generating the perfect storm. She felt like they were back in the air. The stars were aligning. Their first official win. Their first official kiss. It was a celebration! It was fireworks! It was absolutely breathtaking.

It was all a blur to Hunter. His adrenaline caused him to dash too fast for his filter to catch him and just seemed to keep moving until suddenly the world was in slow motion as the elements likewise consumed him. Everything was soft, even the air was soft somehow. It was as though he was inside a dandelion basking in the sun. How could something so new be so familiar? But just as the warmth surrounded his body to the point where he was certain his heart was an ember rather than a galderstone, the reality of the moment caught up with him.

He pulled away, he saw Willow’s eyes open slowly as she tried to process it all. Hunter didn’t dare to imagine what must be going through her mind. He had kissed her with such intensity that her glasses were nearly off her head and she had been seized so quickly she was losing her balance and one foot was popped in the air. He could not believe the months of planning he had just undone in mere seconds. He tried to find an explanation and apology in one as he stumbled over his sentiments waiting for Willow to cut him off with words of disappointment.

But Willow just stared at him in stunned silence. He had to assume she was too disappointed to speak. Grom was one thing, but a sports match was hardly the time or place for such a display. She must've felt so disrespected! So undermined! So betrayed! He had taken her moment and made it about him and his feelings for her and how in awe he was of her. How had he let this happen?

And then there was the curse! The team was in jeopardy! What must she think? That he believed they were only capable and deserving of one victory? That one kiss was worth more than her efforts to bring the team together?

But Willow’s mind was blank. All she could focus on was how the setting sun shone behind his head and framed him in a sea of pink and gold like he was the center of a chrysanthemum. He was so bright and gentle and warm she forgot everything else, where she was, how to speak, how to exist outside this moment. The tiny chrysanthemums that collected in her hair and and by her feet tried to speak for her. But Hunter could only hear his own voice screaming in his head.

Hunter carefully removed her from his grasp, mumbling fragments of an apology as he disappeared into the approaching crowd as the rest of the team ran over to offer their own congratulations. Willow’s eyes followed him until there was nothing left, stuck in the trance as her soul rejoined her body back on the ground.

---

“She didn’t say she was upset but did she seem upset?” Hunter asked as he laid on Gus’ floor, his legs resting on the edge of Gus’ bed as he held Willow’s to his chest as though it was some kind of calming crystal. “Like that time those kids trampled her garden looking for their ball and they felt bad so she told them it was okay but you could tell she was hurt.”

“Dude, she just won the first match of the season against last year’s undefeated team. I don't think there’s anything that could bring her down,” said Gus, spinning in his chair. “I think the only thing she was maybe upset about was not seeing you at her house after. We all went over to celebrate and she kept asking where you were. Why didn’t you come?”

“What am I supposed to say to her?” asked Hunter. “I’m her lieutenant, she trusts me to do what’s best for the team and then I just betray her trust because I can’t control myself when she does something cool?”

“I think I can promise you that she did not view it as a betrayal,” said Gus with a smirk, but Hunter did not seem convinced. Gus thought about telling Hunter that Willow had changed into the green dress that Hunter once told her reminded him of O’Bailey’s love interest, Ivy. Gus knew that Hunter became an idiot when Willow wore that dress and so did she, which is precisely why she picked it for the party. The lip gloss she kept reapplying suggested she intended to repeat Hunter’s so-called ‘mistake’ the moment she was given the chance. But instead Gus watched her watch the front door all night, convincing herself that every time it opened he would be standing there.

But Hunter could not bring himself to face her.

“But what about the curse?” Hunter groaned sorrowfully.

“What are you talking about?”

“The curse? On teams at Hexside?” said Hunter as though it was so obvious. “When two players start dating the team is doomed to fail! My big mistake could get the Entrails suspended or disqualified or jeopardize her scholarship or-.”

“Okay, first of all; that curse isn’t real,” said Gus. “That’s about couples who have a bad breakup and let it affect the team and make them take sides so playing together is impossible, and you guys would never let that happen.”

“That’s true,” sighed Hunter as he fiddled with Willow’s hair clip, carefully tracing the flower’s outline. “You’re right, we’ve been through harder things. I don’t know why I’m so worried. I know she cares about me, I mean after Grom she said she still wanted to go out together so even if we were to-.”

“Wait,” said Gus, jumping up from the bed to look down at Hunter. “Wait wait wait. Hold the phone, now give the phone to me. Willow said you should what ?”

“Oh well after Grom she asked if I wanted us to go out together so I said-“

“Willow asked you out? At Grom?”

“Did I not tell you that?”

“No! You did not tell me that!” Said Gus harshly. “You spent 20 minutes telling me about how she took a sip from your glass of punch and how that was a ‘major milestone’ but you failed to mention that you two started going out!”

“We didn’t start ‘going out’,” corrected Hunter. “We’ve gone out plenty of times. You were there sometimes, like when we went to the grocery store and found out what bananas were, remember?”

Gus took a deep breath. “Hunter, dude, I’m pretty sure Willow was not talking about bananas.”

“Well, I guess there are plenty of other-.”

“She was asking you out like asking you to go out,” Gus specified. “With her. Together. Romantically.”

“What? No way,” said Hunter nervously. “She just meant ‘out’ like running errands together like we did in the human realm.”

“Did she say ‘out like running errands together’ or did she just say ‘go out together?’”

“She… she said…” Hunter’s eyes widened as Willow’s words replayed in his ears. The setting, her tone, as he looked at from the outside it didn’t make sense for her to be talking about errands then. But something inside him wouldn’t let him believe it. “I mean, it was probably like a ‘would you’ not a ‘will you’ type question.”

“Dude what are you talking about?”

“Well it’s like a hypothetical, right?” Hunter offered, starting to sweat. “Like if I asked you ‘would you eat a bowl of spiders?’ I’m asking you if a situation presented itself where you were able to, would you want to. It doesn’t mean I currently have a bowl of spiders for you. So, when Willow suggested we go out she was asking if that is something I’d do, not like she was offering or… ya know…” He looked to Gus for reassurance but all he found was a look of skepticism.

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Gus exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.“Why can’t you just accept the fact that Willow likes you and wants to go out with you?”

“Because that doesn’t make any sense!” Hunter exclaimed in a panic. He quickly covered his mouth, regretting what he said and how loud he said it as Gus moved to sit on the ground beside him. He took a deep breath and tried to explain himself. “It’s just… I mean I just started liking who I am and having Willow as a friend is one thing but the idea that she might like me the way I like her… I just don’t get it.”

Hunter stared at the ceiling, holding Willow’s hair clip even tighter and Gus couldn’t help but smile. “Ya know, you and Willow have a lot in common,” said Gus. “For a long time, you both let other people tell you what you were worth but you always went out of your way to help people. And you two are always lifting each other up, literally and metaphorically.” Hunter couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “I’ve never seen Willow look at someone the way she looks at you and she’s looked at you the same way practically since the day you met. She’s always known there’s something special about you, even if you didn’t. And I see you do the same thing for her. She’s my best friend, so believe me when I say I wouldn’t encourage you to go for it if I didn’t think you were good enough for her.”

Hunter knew Gus was right, Willow knew him well enough to know he would never purposely do anything to jeopardize her or the team. And an approval from Gus should put any doubts to rest. Even so, he still owed her an explanation.

“Now, so you wanna lay on my bedroom floor mopping or do you wanna answer one of Willow’s hundreds of messages?”

Hunter looked at his scroll at the messages Willow had sent him throughout the night. She started asking him if he was and if he was coming and then when he neglected to respond she sent him small updates and assurances that he could come whenever, no pressure. Even while playing hostess, she wanted to make sure he knew he was welcome. Even after what happened, she wouldn't stop including him.

“I think I need to answer her in person.”

---

When Hunter arrived at the Park residence, he realized he had arrived without a plan. He stood at the edge of the walkway, looking up at Willow’s window. The light was still on, that was probably a good sign. She had said he could come over whenever, though he was pretty sure she didn’t mean after the party had already ended. He had too much he wanted to say, he didn’t know where to start. He should’ve written it down, he should’ve rehearsed something. But when had that helped him before? He reached into his pocket and felt her hair clip, maybe if all else failed he could use returning it to her as a way to justify his presence.

He summoned his courage and the next thing he knew he was on Willow’s small balcony. He missed the mark by a few inches and had landed on the outside and clung to the railing. He was here. He was ready as he’d ever be. He just didn’t… know what was next.

Did he knock? Message her? Should he have thrown a rock?

“How did you come all the way here without a plan?” He whispered frantically to himself, beginning to sweat as he clung to the railing. He could feel Flapjack tugging and fluttering against his rib cage trying to bring him forward. “Shush! I have to think of what to say!”

Unbeknownst to Hunter, Willow was watching him through the window able to recognize his panicked whispering anywhere. She peaked at him from the side of the curtain, waiting for him to knock or call, finding the sight of him hyping himself up to be the cutest thing she had ever seen.

“Oh, I should’ve brought flowers,” Hunter cursed himself in a whisper. “Why didn’t I bring flowers? Who shows up without flowers? Maybe I should just-.”

Willow took that as a sign to make herself known as she quickly fluffed her hair and went to slowly open the curtain, hoping to make a graceful and romantic entrance. But she accidentally pulled too hard on the curtain’s string and instead sent it flying up, making a loud noise that startled Hunter and caused him to lose his balance and nearly fall.

“Oh my Titan! Sorry! Sorry!” She whispered, rushing forward to grab his hands to help pull him up and regain his footing.

“Oh no, it’s fine!” Hunter said as he managed to pull himself up. “I’m not even supposed to be-.” He brought his face up to look at her as he went to apologize and saw how close they were as she came to his rescue. “-here.”

He audibly gulped as Willow stood close enough to see subtle remains of green face paint below his eyebrow and on his cheek. She couldn’t help but smile at the flustered look on his face as his eyes shot to the ground, knowing this meeting hadn’t gone according to plan for either of them but she couldn’t argue with the results.

“Hi,” said Willow softly, an airy giggle swirling within her voice.

“Hi,” he said back equally as softly, struggling to summon his breath as he felt her hands steady his own, making sure he was secure on the ledge. His eyes focused on their hands as the words quickly poured out of him. “Uh, s-sorry, I should've messaged or called or used your front door. I just didn’t realize how late it was until I was already here and I didn’t know if your dads would mind but I needed to see you and then I thought you might be sleeping but I saw the light was on and luckily you look beautiful.”

Eventually, he managed to bring his eyes up to properly see her and when he did he saw she was still dressed up and looked absolutely radiant. She was wearing the green long sleeved dress that reminded Hunter of the botanist from Cosmic Frontier and made Willow’s eyes pop. She looked so effortlessly stunning and he was still in his derby uniform. He realized his thoughts about her had interrupted his sentence and he quickly tried to correct himself. “I mean, awake! Awake! Luckily you’re awake!”

“Hmm, lucky me,” she said in a warm, dreamy tone that Hunter couldn’t name but made him feel like a vine had coiled around his lungs. She brought one hand up to rest her cheek on as the other delicately brushed his knuckles. “We missed you tonight, by the way. All of us, after the game.”

But especially me, her eyes seemed to say. This was definitely not the vibe Hunter was expecting to be greeted with but he could hardly complain.

“Oh, yeah,” said Hunter. “I uh, was just kind of tired I guess.”

“I figured,” she said sweetly. “But is there something else going on? You left without saying goodbye so I wanted to make sure you weren’t-.”

“Willow, I’m so sorry!” Hunter just couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“‘Sorry?’” she repeated, genuinely perplexed. “Hunter, it's okay if you were tired. You played a great game and I know you were up late so-.”

“No, I mean…after the game when I… kissed you,” he whispered the last part as though it was taboo. Willow tried to hide her budding smile at the fresh and already frequently revisited memory of Hunter sweeping her up in his arms, looking at her with adoration, and pulling her close to him in the heat of the moment… what was there to apologize for?

“Hunter, you really don’t need to-.”

“Even if the curse isn’t real, it's still unprofessional and it could have embarrassed you and I guess I just…” Hunter struggled to find the words. “I mean, of course I was excited but it’s more than that. Willow, I…” He looked directly into her eyes, the light of the moon making them even bigger and pulling the rest of the words out of him. “I have certain feelings… for you. But I shouldn’t allow them to make me act in such a way.”

But Willow just smiled. Of course he would be concerned about balancing things. She had seen him act the same way when he felt guilty reading for pleasure when there was research to do or when he would stay up late messaging her when he should be preparing for patrol. Hunter still had a hard time letting himself enjoy things and categorizing them helped him ease into it. It made sense that he’d want to set a boundary for himself.

“Okay, so we don’t kiss on the flyer derby field anymore,” she said with a shrug, happy to compromise as a twinge of mischief twinkled in her eyes. “Buuut we’re not on the field right now so…”

She bit her lip, also grateful she had freshly applied her lip gloss when she spotted him standing on the balcony. She leaned forward a small bit and eagerly waited for him to fill in the blanks.

“Oh… oh!” Hunter hit his forehead like it was so obvious. “I’m sorry! I should’ve done this earlier. I know it’s late and I shouldn’t have just assumed you want to talk about flyer derby. I should’ve responded to your messages to make sure you were free, I can come back at a better time if you-.”

“No no, Hunter it’s fine,” she assured him. “I’m always happy to see you. If there’s something you wanna talk about, my dads saved you a plate from tonight. Maybe we could go up on the roof and…”

She tried one more time to let him figure out the rest, but there seemed to be something on his mind that prevented him from thinking about sharing a fairy pie with her as they gazed at the stars.

“No, no thank you but no I… need to say this before something else happens,” Hunter took a deep breath as he adjusted his grip on the railing, squeezing his eyes shut as he allowed the words to pour out of him once more. “Willow… the feelings I have for you… they’re r-romantic feelings. I’ve had them for awhile and I wanted to be sure of them before I told you but they just keep getting stronger and I felt you had a right to know because I don’t want there to be secrets between us because you’re important to me and I wanted to make sure that I didn’t make you uncomfortable because I think you’re really amazing.”

He took a deep inhale, forgetting how to breath as he finally managed to communicate everything that had been weighing him down.

“Awh Hunter, are you saying you have a crush on me?” Willow teased, but Hunter did not pick up on the playful nature of her tone.

“Yes,” he said sternly but softly. “I know this may come as a surprise but I’ve been trying to figure out the right time to tell you and I guess… this is it.”

She chuckled, waiting for one of his signature smirks to show he was joking or flirting but he didn’t say anything else. He didn’t wink or laugh or do anything he usually did when he was joking. He had a unique sense of humor but this seemed off brand for him. Why did he look so guilty about kissing his girlfriend after a month-

Her face dropped. This was the first time he was telling her. He had no idea how she felt about him and he genuinely thought that she had no clue how he felt about her. Had Grom been a misunderstanding? Something separate? And if they hadn’t confirmed their feelings at Grom then that meant….

“Oh. Oh.” Willow whispered, realizing what had been going on. Or rather, what hadn’t been going on? She had just thought Hunter was shy, that he was taking things slow. But she had been so lost in the lavender haze that she didn’t realize she had been so far ahead of him.

He was waiting for her to say something more, and under different circumstances she would pull him over the balcony and kiss him silly and let him know that of course she felt the same way.

But she thought she had already done that.

Her mind was spinning. Was he telling her just as an explanation for his actions or because he wanted something to come from them? She waited for him to finish, to say he wanted to be official, for there to be no misunderstanding about what they were to each other.

But they were both waiting.

“Um, Hunter I…” Willow started but a vine came and wrapped around her wrist and ventured over to his, hoping to keep him there. But Willow knew how it looked and she didn’t want Hunter to see it and assume it meant something else. Because she wasn’t entirely sure what this feeling was. She quickly shook it off and hid her hands behind her back. “… I should get back inside. I-it’s kinda late.”

“Oh, yeah of course,” he said. “I uh, yeah I’ll see you… tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” said softly, backing towards the window. She wasn’t upset. She wasn’t sure what she was. She wasn’t sure what they were.

“Soooo? How did it go? Did he like the dress?” said Amity, flipping through a magazine as she laid on Willow’s bed having promised to cover for her if her dads came upstairs. When she looked up to her friend, she was not wearing the starstruck smile Amity had been expecting. She looked perplexed. “What’s wrong?”

“Um, what do you do when your boyfriend, who you've been dating for almost a month, tells you that he has a crush on you? I'm asking for a friend.”

#huntlow #huntlow fanfiction #toh #the owl house #willow park #Hunter toh #winter toh

[averyfineboi]

Ok as i said i finished The Owl house and i loved it a lot so heres some random thoughts and opinions on the show i wanna share (spoilers)

-I love it

-i love what they did with Mattholomule in season 3 he's so good <3 they gave this guy an actual kinda character arc even though hes only relevant in like 3 episodes (also his name is actually Matt Tholomule which is so funny)

-ed and em are the best :3 i'm very bummed out they were barely in s3... they're a bunch of goofballs but can also be so thoughtful and sincere, especially to amity. one of my fav scenes ofcourse is in s2e5 when amity gives luz that adorable lil kiss (love them) and for some reason ed saying "bold move, sister" is just the cherry on top <3

-Lumity omg omg everything about them they're so cute <3 <3

-While i'm on the topic of the Blights uhh. Alador. I love that guy he's such a great guy i love him

-all of these so far are just me saying "i love them" but thats how it is so i dont care and i will keep going

-i love the Lulu-Hootsifer duo its so weird but they go so well together <3

-i like how Eberwolf, head of the beastkeeping coven, is just. a lil beastie guy. it's like "yeah this is our leading zoologist and veterinary expert, uhh he's a wolf or something idk"

-Darius is so good, love his dynamics with both Hunter and Eber

-Hunter <3

-Gus and Willow are soo great together <3 we don't see it that often but their friendship is so genuine and they're so supportive of eachother

-and yeah i love both of them so much, who woulda guessed

-speaking of gus s2e18 Labyrinth Runners omggg i love this episode its one of my faves <3 not only the backstories and the character developments are great, the illusions are soo damn cool i really want more of that (also Adrian Graye <3)

-why the heck is s2e8 so important to everyone's story but the episode is about and named after fucken hooty of all people?? i love this episode but why??

-do NOT get me started on s2e12: Elsewhere and Elsewhen i have a very complicated relationship with it

-Hunter had to come up with an alias when meeting Willow and Gus and on the spot he thought of Caleb?? Like, the guy he's like a clone of?? Which he didn't conciously know??? Like that's really fun and clever and i loved it when i realised that but it's just almost rude how they did that tbh (so cool tho)

-Raine Whispers <3 <3 <3 they're so cool and i love them and Eda and i love them in the finale and the bard magic is so cool omg

I should really sleep now but i'm most definitely gonna come up with many more things to say so get ready i guess

(i love toh)

#the owl house #toh #owl house #the owl house spoilers #toh spoilers #owl house spoilers #the owl house spoiler #toh spoiler #owl house spoiler #toh hunter #toh gus #toh willow #toh amity #lumity #toh lumity #raine whispers #dont feel like adding any more tags so byee

[quaranmine]

Hi, not sure if you remember me, but i sent an ask a while ago saying how i love the Incadescence of a dying light and that i talk about it with my friend and how we both really liked the story and are juts you know discussing it well update to now. we still do that lol. i cant stop thinking about it, i listen to the firewatch OST on the daily, resonating with each track at a time. I love it. I live it. I am enamored. Everytime Im studying Polish (my native language) and revising each epoch for my upcoming finals i cant help but connect themes and motives to that wonderful story of yours. If i land on a fitting topic in my oral final exam (like pop-culture, creativity and arts, certain themes in modern media) you BET Ill be talking about this fic (with all the credit I can give of course!) cause USARWSETDYRVUHUISC I cant get it out of my head. Its such an amazing example of how the media of fanfiction elevates the story to its maximum potential. How knowing the characters makes it so much easier to connect and resonate, even though Mumbo is absent from the majority of the fic, we still feel hurt after finding out whats happened to him. Like, its such an amazing creative medium I love fanfiction and TERSSXEFJNKVCRXSERARXSXERCDJNGIKKDc :thumbsup: oh gosh The Incadescence of a Dying Light. yeah so fun fact i actually had to look up what it means cause i didnt know the word before and oh. oh. oh its so much worse and more painful. really love it, i do, oh i do! I now have acquired (idk how to spell it lul) the never subsiding lust for nature and outdoors and hiking and being a part of it. I love it, you made me regain my love for it. I loved it before, yes, but i was caught up in my own head and had so much stuff i had to do, but now i love to look out my window even more, i love strolling in my garden. i love it. thank you, thank you, thak youuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbsup: So yeah, this fic is one of my faves of all time, i like it a lot, it has inspired me to live more and be alive basically and also. and for the end a fanart of an alternative ending where Mumbo somehow survives and just lives in the forest like a wild animal, living his best life, eating berries (i decided on drawing him eating berries [peace love and plants] instead of chowing down [is chowing a word??] on some rabbit lol) and then grian finds him and its super awkward

HI! Yes, of course I remember you! First of all, had a really wild day yesterday at work, but I read this at soooome point on my phone during the middle of the day and it made me smile :)

This ask is just so??? AAAAAAA???? I almost don't know how to respond, because it's just SO wonderful to hear this about something I created. Like I did that? I made a thing that is sticking deeply with people? I'm just soooo <333333

I like your point about how fanfiction can maximize story potential! I think it'd make a wonderful essay topic honestly. I have thought about this in connection with fanfic a lot--specifically, the divide between original fiction and fanfiction. In original works, you have to make the audience care. You have to introduce me to a character, setting, and story I will be interested in. I've read a lot of negative book reviews that start off with "the author didn't make me care about the characters" (i have also...said this myself about books I ended up not liking.) With fanfic, you skip that step! It lets you jump right in. I don't have to explain Mumbo and Grian's friendship or demonstrate it to you. You just Know. Someone reading it fandom blind would get the implication about how important they are to each other simply by seing the depth of Grian's grief, but for my intended audience, I can do whatever I want because I trust you to already have the background information you need.

The title is from a line I really like in a song (Post Humorous by Gus Dapperton). It just...painted such a nice word picture. Especially for a story about grief death and fire!

I just. Love that this fic helped you regain a desire for nature? That just makes me feel...warm, I guess, to know that I was able to spark that with something I created. I hope it goes well for you, and you get to take many walks. This spring I've been using the trails near my aunt's house (not.....hiking paths. too urban.) much more. I wanted to walk this week but I was too busy lol. I hope you have many wonderful experiences out in the Great Outdoors <3 one of these days, I swear I'll up and move to a place with "better" nature and "real" trails close by.

Also, SKFJSLFJSKFLSJKF your fanart made me laugh so much. I have like. Entertained this idea. Not as an actual or serious part of the story but I was like man wouldn't it just be off-the-wall if he was just vibing Out There 😭😭😭 You've caught the vibe perfectly LOL

this was all around such a special message to hear, thank you SO much!

#fave #save #hc_firewatch_au #quara asks #again <3333333333 #i feel like this response doesnt really adequately express how much this ask means to me i'm just really tired sorry <3 #i lvoe how many people i've induced firewatch brainrot into slfjsklfj

[lollytea]

utterly obsessed with your fairytale hunlow AU. the way you give every dynamic a different balance is so so so interesting i'm fucking RIVETED. Willow and Hunter's dynamic and the uncomfortable, teeth-grinding tension between Hunter and Philip in the first chapter, and then Willow and her dads, and Willow and Amity in the second chapter .... i'm unwell you get them SO RIGHT. and the worldbuilding is so cool. i love all of it. i don't know if i'm articulating myself well i just. FIC GOOD

WAAAGGAGHH!!! Thank you so much, hearing this means everything to me!!!

I love this AU so much. I've got tons of notes on how this world functions and its many many secrets and idek if half of it will be explained in the fic. Just coming up with some semblance of logic to keep my own sanity.

I've had this AU for about a year so I've spent a lot of time messing around with this version of Willow and Hunter and how their dynamic works. Playing with them like barbies. But also saying this AU is a year old is not indictive of the fic's future quality. I was developing things but not necessarily the important stuff. It will probably be a mess of a fic. A fun mess hopefully.

The dynamics are my everything!! Since the fic centers on Willow and Hunter as individuals (as well as their relationship with each other) I also want to give a lot of attention to their bonds with others. Next chapter I get to focus on Willow's friendship with both Gus and Luz. Hunter doesn't really have a lot of close relationships. Just his Uncle and kiiiiiinda Willow. Very excited for him to branch out and form a few connections.

In conclusion, yippee!

[dannydanoninoo]

So side note it's 2 am and my fucking Huntlow brainrot doesn't let me sleep so here's a small fic /prompton Willow's POV about... certain things we saw at the NYCC teaser💛💚

OR... Basically me hyperfixating over this frame and writing something BECAUSE LOOK AT THOSE HEART EYES PEOPLE

(no beta read bc this literally came out of my sleep deprived brain right now so sorry for any mistakes)

"Have you ever seen the rain?"

If someone had told Willow Park six months ago that she was going to become best friends with a human, and that scenario would lead to a series of events where she'd end up fighting the Emperor of the Isles (who got turned into goop by a purple child) and being on stuck on said human's house for weeks... Willow would probably had laughed at that someone's face.

But oh well... life has indeed unexpected paths for all of us I guess...

And yet somehow, that is not the weirdest part of everything her life has come to be

She, once Half-a-Witch Willow who had no friends and was scared of mostly everything had come up to make her own Flyer Derby team (just like her dads but she doesn't want to get too deep into that train of thought), fixed her friendship with Amity, had now a group of friends who loved her and who she loved so much and also had fallen for BEFRIENDED the kid behind the Golden Guard mask, better known as Hunter (or by that cute false name Caleb Jasper Bloodwilliams she did liked so much).

Now how did the boy ended up becoming such an important addition of her duo with Gus? She has no idea.

But it feels like it was something destined to happened, it's... natural. Just seeing him protecting the youngest boy, following his excitable shenanigans over human artifacts, with how much love he talks to Flapjack (and Clover the back of her mind screams) and just seeing him right now, under the human rain soaked in mud but laughing alongside Gus and Vee gives her heart a jittery feeling over how bright and beautiful the boy in front of her is.

So, she doesn't think twice when Camilla gives her the human camera and she snaps as much pictures of this moment as she can.

Titan knows this is a rare view considering the last few weeks (and in the case of Hunter maybe years, if the other night when she caught him cutting his own hair is any indication)

And yet, despite not knowing what's is going on with him and why he was so desperate to look different, Willow can't help but admire the strength her blonde has to step up and continue growing into Hunter himself and out of the whole Golden Guard title.

Also okay, she's not dumb and knows Luz and Gus might know more about what Hunter deal is, but she also know how important is the boy to her, how in the Day of Unity she was ready to do anything to keep him standing despite the draining spell, bit also how she would do anything to keep that image from happening ever again and be there to make sure he had more days like this.

It was just what she'd promised the day she adopted Clover: she will do everything to be strong and wise to protect the people she loves, even if that means "kill" an alarm clock for Vee or being there for the boy she's infatuated BEFRIENED! to cut his own hair at 3 am, holding him in his sleep, or simply silently showing she'll support him with whatever he hasn't told them yet whenever he's ready to do so. 

And who knows? Based on that soft toothy smile he's giving her right now, she could get another shot at cutting his hair, under nicer and much more domestic circumstances... Heh, it sounds like a cute fantasy but at least right now, under the non-boiling rain, and running towards his arms (and Gus' and Vee's) everything seems a little less impossible.

#huntlow #YES THE BRAINROT IS BACK FULL FORCE BABY #not even covid will stop me from writing prompts at 2 am after THAT teaser today #again sorry if there's typos in there #but I needed to get THE FLUFF put of my system before going to sleep #huntlow brainrot #wintery junk #danny writes #danny rambles #hunter toh #willow park #toh willow #toh huntlow #huntlow toh #toh winter #the owl house #toh #toh spoilers

[toh-proship-positivity]

It’s nice to see people view Lumity (and also the other writing stuff and plot points) in a more critical light, and not acting like everything about the show is “flawless, 1000/10 🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥💯”.

This show can and it does have amazing writing, but it would be stupid to act as if it doesn’t have a few moments where it slightly trips or fumbles completely.

((Also another Lunter shipper, hi 🤧))

"But it's all Disney's fault they cancled the show!" I know and I also know it influenced things, I won't deny it didn't. But the main thing is the crew was well aware since early S2A that the show was going to get cut short, so they knew how much time they'd have to wrap things up! I can forgive things like the plotline of Luz helping BQ find who her previous owner was being dropped or the relationship between Matt and Steve being halfbrothers unexplored, those aren't important to the overal story. But they left out such big things, hate him or not there is no denying Belos had a big part in spearheadding some big plot events, hell his backstory is what kindled 99% of the plot to start with! The fact it was teased ever since Yesterday's lie, the fact we see Belos go dellusional and seeing ghosts of his past. Only for it to lead nowhere is infuriating to say the least. Dana didn't like writting Belos, cool. Then she could've just sucked it up or have someone else write him for her. I'm fully convinced that's why we got so much half assed nonesense in S3, Dana didn't want to write her villain properly so she just threw in whatever else she could to avoid writing him as much as possible. And as a writer that is bad practice, there were multiple ways for her to just write Belos off as being a one note villain from the get go but that didn't happen. His backstory was made WITH the cut in mind, people compliment Dana for subverting tropes but she's not that great at it in all honesty. Given this was her first time as show runner too I'll admit I'm not quite intrested what else she'll come up with. The crew isn't that great at writing romance if you ask me, they are great at writing friendships however, maybe that is why Willuz/Lunter feel more like a ship than any of the canon ships we've got. I loved seeing Gus and Hunter interact too as well as Willow and Gus, makes me think maybe TOH would've been better off if we had no romance in it maybe but it is what it is sorry for the long post nonnie!

#mod hopskotch hopping #now to prepare myself for the brainless clowns to defend Dana #Sorry she's not that great of a writer #i don't need to be a proffessional to see that #toh critical

[raayllum]

I feel like the owl house fandom takes things way too srsly esp with ships and preferences on characters. idk I love hunter and amity's backstory and I love luz but I'm more interested in hunter and amity's backstory that doesn't make me racist their storylines are more interesting

So this probably won't be what you expected or asked for but I'm grabbing the opportunity anyway to address some of the ways I think TOH falters from a Storytelling perspective and why I think those issues (as well as how young a lot of the fans are, although when I was 11-13 in fandom I was much more chill and "live and let live" so just shows what a decade can do in terms of fan community) unintentionally perpetuate some of what you mention.

Also don't think you're racist for preferring Amity and Hunter (Hunter, Gus, and Luz are my faves) but I do think TOH has some issues with how it handles its characters of colour, so I am going to touch on that. While I'm white. this is reflected on / verbatim from conversations I've had with Black and Asian friends / fans of the show and how racial stuff can tend to play out in fandom (circa 2013 onwards from personal experience of how people have treated fave characters, like Finn from Star Wars, in the past).

That said, I do still like the show. I love the strong found family, everything surrounding Eda and her allegories for mental health are super solid and important, I'm thrilled by the queer rep (I’m queer & watched Korrasami happen live), and I don't think a show has to be perfect or to check off my personal preference to be good. But I do think the show is... an interesting mixed bag for a few key reasons I haven't seen anyone talk about, so here they are.

Under a read more bc this gets long, like, real long, even though there’s only four things on this freaking list, LMAO. For whoever reads it, have fun!

1. The Owl House writes like first impressions don't matter.

This is one of the biggest things in the show that breaks elements of setup + payoff. After all, if your setup is misleading or unaddressed by payoff later, characters and plot lines may come across as stilted. This also ties into other areas (such as screentime) that I'll touch on later.

By far the character who has broken setup the most, though, is Amity. For example, Amity is introduced as someone who has bullied Willow for years, even when no one else is around (i.e. it's not a pure performance), and even though they used to be friends when they were young. Their friendship fall out / Amity distancing herself from Willow is explained by Amity being forced to by her parents, and understandably struggling with how to deal with and explain it as a child.

I haven't seen the last few episodes of S2 (aka I got up to "Hollow Mind") and I was disappointed in S2A when it seemed like this plot element would never be addressed again. So I was very pleased to learn that there is an episode in S2B that talks about their friendship. Except... it doesn't address the bullying. Because yes, Amity tried to protect Willow by distancing herself... but Amity also didn’t need to Bully Willow, like, at all. Not within the confines of the story and not within the landscape of the character; her parents didn’t tell her to be cruel to Willow. She chose to do that. Repeatedly. And that facet of their bond... has never been adequately addressed. It could be, in the future (but I personally doubt it). 

It’s particularly strange, because Luz was 1) canonically bullied in the human realm and 2) perpetually struggled at making friends. It makes sense that she’d be extra against bullies and protective over the friends she does have, and wanting to see real change before bonding with a practical stranger (even if Amity did show a slightly nicer side at the end of “Covention,” it wasn’t an even ratio whatsoever, either of her niceness or Luz’s meanness). But we’ll circle back to this. 

We see this issue of initially bad behaviour being overruled, sometimes retconned, or ignored to the point of being rewritten a few more times in the series. 

The one that ties into Amity’s character are her siblings. In their debut episode, they have plans to share private pages of their little sister’s diary. This is mentioned in another episode as something they’re trying to make up for, but they weren’t there when shit hit the fan at the library, anyway. So we never see 1) why they were going to be so cruel to Amity in the first place (and I have siblings myself, so no, it’s not a sibling thing, or just a sibling thing), 2) what exactly made them change their mind, and 3) this type of behaviour never reappears or is addressed in the show, either. While Luz gets called a bully for it, the twins get off basically scot free. Yes, they’re obviously affected by their mother, too, but there’s never even a whiff or a hint about why they felt the need to humiliate Amity on a public scale besides thinking she was uptight. 

We see this one more time with Darius, which was the most baffling and completely jarred me the first time I watched it. Darius was being cruel and dismissive to Hunter, but warms up when he realizes the kid does have a spine and will stand up for what he believes this. This is not the heart warming moment or message the show seems to think it is. All I heard and saw was an adult going “Oh, this kid is too indoctrinated and abused to be worthwhile until he proves otherwise, I’ll treat him like trash and ignore that I’m exacerbating his symptoms of abuse until then.” And no matter what comes latter, this is a downright weird set up, emotionally. 

I’m not saying that none of these characters can be set up this way, but the introduction and how different they are in all other preceding episodes — or even when information is given to re-contextualize certain things — feels like whiplash. So the setup is a little weird, making pay off either non existent or unnecessary. This stumbling block makes the emotional continuity feel disjointed too, in some aspects. The way this affects emotional continuity can best be seen in Gus, Willow, and Luz’s friendship — but again, more that later.

As for set up and pay off, it can lead to missed opportunities, namely: why the hell was Amity Lilith’s protege in Convention? Again, not saying the show is bad or this is a bad writing choice, but it’s a weird one. I remember watching that episode, seeing Amity be introduced as Lilith’s pseudo apprentice, and being excited. It meant Lilith-Eda, Luz-Amity, and possibly the two menor-mentee relationships could all be developed simultaneously! It’d be interesting to see the parallels and differences.

At the very least, it would give a personal stake to Amity and Luz’s possible developing bond, with Lilith at the very least going to disapprove, and give Amity and Luz a chance to compete against each other and to see that progression.

Then it was never addressed again. And it wasn’t set up as a “one day thing” either. It seems that Lilith possibly tutored Amity for months, maybe even years, for Amity to be considered her “strongest protege” (exact line). So we miss out on that possible, episodic but still connected plot line (especially because after Convention, we never see Amity caring a whole lot about actual school, even though that as her whole thing in her intro and second episode). Then, even when Amity and Lilith are back on the same side (imagine how interesting exploring that fracturing could’ve been!) they... never interact, never mention, and never act like they know each other.

They’re two characters with the same theme and similar arcs split down the middle, have an interesting setup, and it goes.... Nowhere.

Because first impressions don’t matter in the show, which is particularly weird, as typically 1) what you set up in the very beginning of the show is what you want the audience to be invested in, and 2) the audience is going to / has to pay more attention in the beginning of a show because they’re actively trying to learn the rules of the world and character dynamics / personalities. 

And it’s not the only time TOH does this, so let’s talk about

2. Screentime, Race, and Chosen Diaspora

Specifically that Gus and Willow barely get any, and how this ties into race. So I’ve touched on this before in an article I wrote on Vocal where I share meta-adjacent stuff that doesn’t fit my tumblr vibe, so if for some reason this is your thing, they may be other stuff you enjoy on there, whatever. I’m not gonna repeat myself too much here, but basically: 

The majority of the Owl House cast is white, particularly when it comes to who matters in the plot. Eda, Lilith, and their family are all white. Hooty and King exist in what we’re going to call an aracial space, as they don’t have race and aren’t coded as any particular thing, either; just tried and true demons. Hunter is white; Belos is white. Gus and Willow are regulated to background characters and most of the time when Willow is being developed as a character (“Understanding Willow,” “Any Sport in a Storm”) it’s typically also used to further a white character’s growth of... learning to treat her better? Gus fares a bit better, but gets less screentime. 

So not only is Luz the only primary character of colour, she’s largely cut off in forming meaningful relationships with other characters of colour, and having those bonds highlighted and given strong screen time (as thus far in S2, every time Gus and Willow have gotten significant screentime, it’s been largely removed from Luz, with her often doing something else with Amity). Remember when “Star Wars: Rogue One” came out, and there were discussions being had of “a lone woman only having meaningful relationships with men and no other women”? 

[ Side note: as for the first point, I’m not going to say things I love, like TDP, don’t fall into the “woman surrounded by men” trope for its two main female leads, as Rayla is friends with the boys and was raised by her dads, and Claudia’s primary relationships are also with other men. However, I believe this is mitigated with plot lines like Ellis and Lujanne in S1, as well as Janai-Amaya-Khessa in S2 and particularly in S3, and I think this will only continue to grow moving forward into S4 and beyond ] 

At the same time as Rogue One, there were conversations regarding the films status of “people of colour purely as the supporting cast but never as the primary lead”? TOH meets in as a weird hybrid in the middle, with a person of colour as the main lead, but largely surrounded by white people — and this is the case for most characters in the show.

Raine’s main relationship is with Eda. Darius is in the rebellion with them, but his only meaningful relationship on screen in any way is really with Hunter and the past golden guards. Gus and Willow are mostly side characters. We basically never see their families/parents (and know far more about the Blights / Edric and Emira in every way. Gus and Willow ultimately don’t get the time with Luz for me to call their relationship meaningful. This is especially strange, given that often times kids who are bullied (like all three of them are) cling harder to the friends they do have, and that while S1 was better about making Gus and Willow be extremely important to Luz as her First Friends Ever, S2 has dropped the ball even more so. 

Luz is like an island, ironically on the Isles and cut off from her cultural community and from other characters of colour even when they do exist in her new community.  So that’s talk about that in full. 

Now, there is Luz, who is the primary protagonist (honestly, you could argue Eda is her co-protagonist) and she’s lovely and I love her. However, more than once, Luz’s plot line for an episode is a B plot or less plot relevant compared to other characters (particularly Eda). I touched on this in my Vocal article, but Luz is living in diaspora in the Boiling Isles. Yes, the demon realm suits her much better than Earth largely did, but I would still love to see elements of her culture in ways other than her / her family’s name and her occasionally speaking Spanish. What about holidays, what about missing her mother’s cooking and the cultural connotations it holds? 

The show does engage with aspects of the Isekkai genre that are sometimes overlooked, namely Luz being torn between two worlds (and given that she’s mixed, it’s not like the allegory isn’t already there), but it only goes halfway. It only shows Luz wanting to be in the Boiling Isles with none of the possibilities about cultural shock, assimilation, and other aspects that can play into immigrating countries — or realms. I’m not saying the the show not engaging with Luz’s diaspora is a bad thing, but it does feel like a missed opportunity (as most of this is) particularly since they do try to engage with her on a cultural level with her speaking Spanish and writing her as purposefully Afro-Latina and from the Dominican Republic. 

But honestly, basically everything I’ve talked about already — occasionally misleading set up w/ a lack of follow through, screentime (both considering and not considering its racial elements) — are all compounded into my biggest issue with the show, however, which are its 

3. Disengaged stakes

So while I love Luz, I mostly love her for her personality and sweet hearted nature. I don’t actually love her that much for how she drives the plot forward — even though she does, and even though she’s the protagonist. And this is largely because Luz — and many of the characters — exist in a limbo of what I’m going to call Disengaged Stakes. Basically, they have stakes, but due to a lack of set up, or pay off in regards to emotional continuity (never mind a lack of consistency, i.e. sometimes Eda needs to hide, sometimes she can be flashy in public with zero consequences, sometimes getting caught by guards matters when the story decides it needs a conflict, and sometimes it doesn’t etc) it’s hard to actually be invested in those stakes. At least for me. 

For most of S2, this meant I wasn’t really invested in Luz’s efforts to get a portal to see her mom (although this improved when we actually got a singular episode with Camila). It’s clear Luz isn’t going to live full time, if at all, in going back to the human realm. I also wasn’t worried for Camila, as she hasn’t been fearing for Luz this whole time, instead believing things are perfectly fine if not better than they were before. 

Let me give you an example, and this was actually pointed out in a youtube review of the S2 finale that helped me put my finger on why it... felt weird as a finale (again, even though I haven’t fully watched it yet, but I have watched the bulk of it). 

The four kids are stranded in the human realm, but what does that actually mean, for most of them? For Luz, this carries a lot of weight. She’s spent all season trying to find a way home to see her mother, but is now there under awful circumstances with no way back to the place she actually wants to be. It will also offer Camilla the perfect opportunity to see why the Boiling Isles and her family there is so important to Luz.

But what does this mean for the other three kids? Shockingly little. Like I’ve touched on before, we know nothing about Gus and Willow’s families. Yes, I’m sad they’re separated from them, but I’m sad because generally, kids being separated from their parents is sad. I’m not invested in their specific relationship (same issue I had with Rogue One and Jyn’s relationship with her father, as well). All Luz actually wants, in her core, is to stay in the Boiling Isles. Amity’s relationship with her father is on the mend and her siblings are there for her, but Luz is still clearly the most important person in the world to her, and they’re not separated. Hunter has absolutely nothing back for him in the Boiling Isles, largely, and he’s actually as safe as he can be from Belos’ machinations in the human realm. 

So you have four kids tossed into the human realm, and it only really matters for one of them. 

This is amplified in their relationships. Willow and Gus rarely have anything beyond interpersonal stakes; Amity had her mother, but now her father has turned over a new leaf, there are no interpersonal stakes any longer for her family (and she radically stood up to her mother very early on in S2 as well). She and Luz have had no problems in their relationship besides very brief miscommunication and Amity’s mother. Amity has hardly any stakes outside of Luz. The characters who are dealing with very high stakes, such as Raine, are largely shuttered away outside of the story — or Hunter. 

Dear lord, Hunter. Which, now that we’ve gotten here, let’s talk about what I think could have aided in remedying a lot of these issues

4. Merging

Now I know TOH had to jump through a lot of executive hoops (including the existence and plot relevance of Hexside particularly in S1) so I don’t know what sort of orders came down, or mandates they have to follow but:

TOH has too many characters, and plenty of them could have been condensed as pairs into half as many characters.

I know this, because I went through a similar process of originally having a central group of thirteen characters, and cleaved that shit down to seven. So what are my proposed mergings?

The twins become one character. They more or less are now, fulfil the same purposes and character points as one another (flesh out Amity’s family, tease her and be a listening ear, show their mother’s control, operate as illusionists, etc). Whether it’s brother or sister doesn’t really matter.

Gus and Willow become one character. I would say keep more of Willow’s backstory (w/ Amity), dads, and plant magic alight, as the merged-twin character could substitute as the group illusionist whenever need be. It means that instead of only having splintered individual episodes with Luz or for their development, the small collection would be bolstered and improved marginally. It still wouldn’t fix where screentime or set up fails them, but it would be a significant start. I adore Gus, he’s one of my favourites in the whole show — but he’s less plot relevant than Willow, who is already largely not plot relevant (at least, not outside Hunter’s arc in S2) and we gotta be economical somewhere.

Economical storytelling is when a character, scene, or plot beat is doing at least three things at once, largely — and right now Gus is doing the least, as much as I love my boy, with Willow right next to him. Thus, there we go.

Now for the big, perhaps flat out unpopular one:

Hunter and Amity should’ve been one character. Like the twins, and even Amity and Lilith, they’re largely one theme split down the middle. The show draws intentional parallels between their world views, callousness, and need to be the best due to their abusive families, their strong relationships / connections to Luz, who works to friendship and who are changed by her kindness. There are also less thematic but still overt parallels, like their artificial wands, opposing palismans (bird vs cat), travelling into mindscapes where they uncover secrets. Hell, they both even have a reformed father figure who works with the Abominable coven with a shittier parent who believes in their own superiority at any cost. 

Say Golden Guard Amity is enrolled in Hexside — she has to be trained somewhere — and throughout the season we hear her refer to her uncle, who raised her. He just wants the best for her, and for her to be a worthy member of the Emperor’s coven! It’s only at the end of S1 we learn that Amity’s uncle is Belos, and that her growing bond with Luz may be tested in the future. Then, in S2, she has to make a choice between her familial loyalty, ideological defection, and Luz and her friends (who will have more time to be friends, because there are less characters running around). You can even keep the condensed twin as a surrogate sibling mentor — perhaps one of Belos’ more successful grimwalkers, or flat out not a clone at all.

This merger gives Luz and Amity real stakes in their relationship, a higher sense of drama amid the sweet fluffiness, gives more characters more screentime... And amplifies everything that already exists in Amity’s arc. Yes, seeing a quieter form of child abuse from Odalia is worthwhile, particularly for abused children — but as of S2 she’s basically gone full bad guy and has already done so before in early S2, as her abomaton nearly kills Luz in “Escaping Expulsion” so... moot point? Sorta? Is what I’m saying. 

It would also, for the love of god, give Amity a solidified reason to dye her hair after she finds out she’s a grimwalker. She wants to reassert her own identity, she wants to be different than her successors while also honouring their good nature, etc etc. Imagine “Hollow Mind” but with Amity in Hunter’s place, and all the weight that would hold for each of them, and for Hunter’s character, now condensed into Amity’s. Also stronger parallels of Belos’ clones becoming less like his brother (because Amity is a girl) over time and with parallels of the implied plot line, of Belos killing his brother because Caleb fell in love with a witch, and it’s happening again, this time just with Luz and Amity, directly.

Basically the only things that would have to change would be a little of S1′s pacing, some of S2′s Blight parent related episodes (so largely two until the finale, which again, Darius or the condensed twin could easily substitute)oOr, to come full circle, you could have Lilith also play a factor, the way she did in Amity’s arc in the beginning. This would provide a greater sense that characters actually had lives and connections and little ship passing in the night moments before Luz showed up, and they would all feel more like!! REAL PEOPLE!!

The only thing that would possibly, likely have to go is Willow’s history with Amity.But given that the show has never really addressed the bullying, perhaps that backstory element would be better left dropped, in general. Amity can be a jerky bully without specifically bullying Luz’s friend for like, 4-6 years beforehand, y’know.

Anyway I will never not believe in the validity of what I call TOH Merger and how it would strengthen basically almost every single aspect of the show, take it or leave it. 

Conclusion / Nitpicks

Other notes before we wrap up.

I got bored with just how many episodes relied on the “Character A doesn’t want to fess up to something bc they’re insecure, scared, or trying to look Cool, but inevitably lie and make things ten times worse, and then learn it’s important to be honest” in S1 (hi King, Luz, Willow, and Gus eps respectively). 

Amity’s laser character focus on Luz stifles her relationships with both Willow and Gus (as it is more or less non existent outside of a few lines or group scenes); all of Amity’s character growth is largely because of her relationship with Luz, but the same cannot be said for Luz, leaving their relationship lopsided. This is particularly true for me (and is a total personal Aro-spec induced nitpick) and is all the more glaringly obvious considering they barely had one episode where the two were on friendly / friend-ish terms before crush feelings on Amity’s side came in. This makes me feel less invested in their relationship as a whole, as while it’s exceedingly cute, it feels like it’s based on nothing but Crush™ Feelings and that will also be less compelling to me than a strong Foundational Friendship that develops into a crush. I don’t mind that development happening fast, but this was a little too fast in my book. 

Final disclaimer: Still like the show, still think it’s good, these are just some of the reasons I don’t think it’s Great. The lack of a Merger will haunt me. Thank you goodnight

#toh #toh critical #toh salt #willow park #amity critical #MAYBE?? #gus porter #just covering my bases #toh criticism #no show is perfect if u disagree or don't wanna see criticism #both of which are totally fair! #just move along #non tdp #analysis series #mine #analysis #will be reblogging to main as well for good measure #i spent too long on this but it's DONE #this isn't even salt or criticism just #mostly me being Baffled by some of the character writing choices #from a structural standpoint

[mdhwrites]

Don't you think it's short selling Sasha and Marcy by saying they aren't major players?

Like it's kinda weird you'd sooner consider the Wartwood citizens to be more major than those two. I mean those guys (like Ivy, Maddie, Croaker, Wally, Toadie, and Felicia) only get like one or two focus episodes per season individually at best and it's not as though they have much of a story arc with them or have as much involvement in the overarching story the same way as Sasha and Marcy do.

Like if you count all the episodes that put Sasha or Marcy in a major role, I'd argue they may actually have more focus episodes than Polly (who appears more than them).

For crying out loud, Matt Braly has outright lumped Sasha and Marcy in as main cast in Tweets with one for season 3B even having him outright state Sasha and Grime are main cast in season 3. Voice director Eden Riegel also lumps Sasha and Marcy's voices as part of the main cast with Anne and the Plantars so they're clearly intended as major players, or at least higher on the prominence scale than the Wartwood citizens.

And it makes me wonder how you would classify characters in other shows that are too prominent to be lumped as simply supporting and nothing more, but also aren't 24/7 main cast.

Owl House has Amity, Willow, Gus, and Hunter (who are kinda similar in prominence with Sasha and Marcy) as not being 24/7 main players like Luz, Eda, King, and Hooty, but also too prominent to be lumped as just supporting and nothing more like the Hexside characters such as Boscha, Skara, Bump, and the Blight Twins.

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic has Starlight, Celestia, Discord, Luna, Trixie, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders as not being 24/7 main players like the Mane 6 + Spike, but too prominent to be lumped as just supporting and nothing more as well.

Star vs the Forces of Evil has Eclipsa, Tom, Moon, Ludo, River, Janna, and Pony Head in that same territory as not being 24/7 main players like Star and Marco, but too prominent to be lumped as just supporting and nothing more.

Steven Universe has Connie, Greg, Peridot, and Lapis in that same territory as not being 24/7 main players like the main 4 Crystal Gems (Steven, Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst), but too prominent to be lumped as just supporting and nothing more.

Sasha and Marcy certainly have way more prominence than the Wartwood citizens and I feel you're kinda underestimating them into being minor supporting and nothing more, ignoring their importance to the show's story.

Well, I deleted this after not wanting to deliberate on the definition before but if this is going to come back each time I say what is my opinion:

I have never called Sasha or Marcy minor supporting characters. I even admitted in my last blog to Sasha being the primary antagonist for 2 seasons, just that her presence isn't really felt. Honestly, I've been trying to be NICE to Marcy but she has seven episodes dedicated to her... If you REALLY stretch the definition because I'd argue half of those are actually about Anne while we're simply told things about Marcy for Anne to wallow about or Marcy is just there for moralizing at Maddie in what is actually a Maddie episode so that's closer 3-4 which puts her on par with TOADSTOOL. If not straight up behind him.

I'm not saying they're unimportant. I'm not saying they're bad. Just that the focus of the story is on change and on community. Singular characters struggle to fit those themes. Sasha exists for two entire seasons just to challenge them as she opposes Anne's willingness to change, is stubborn in her refusal to change and loses her community because she's not willing to show care to them. It's really good... But it's SEVEN episode segments out of almost EIGHTY. And in s3, she gets two more dedicated to her and then is more an ensemble member for the Oum stuff, especially mother Oum, and then helps in the final fights of the finale, with a bit of her being commander sprinkled in like any random Wartwood citizen before.

And why is that? Because she joins the main cast the same way ALL of Wartwood is a part of the main cast. In finding community, she finds a place amongst the main players but I do not consider HER, INDIVIDUALLY, to be a main character, just like I don't argue Hop Pop or Polly are INDIVIDUALLY main characters. Honestly, questionably even Sprig.

It's the idea that a supporting group of characters can come together enough to build a main pillar of the show better than any one of them. If you claim NONE of the Wartwood characters are main characters, you trivialize the ENTIRE SETTING. But those characters are interconnected enough, tied together so tightly as a joint unit of characters, even if only one or two may get focus per episode, that you can see their change happen gradually in their own, collective arc.

And that arc is more important and arguably even more powerful. After all, if Wartwood hadn't changed, Sasha would never have gotten her second chance. She'd have died in Turning Point. Or they wouldn't have ever gone back to them in the first place. Marcy might have been told to piss off simply because she was from Newtopia because they didn't want to be looked down on. The armies might not have come together if Wartwood and others weren't moved to start thinking of the bigger picture rather than petty squables.

These are all critical to payoffs in the show and the themes, just as much, if not more, than anything with Sasha. It's why I think Thai Temple is one of the most important S3A episodes because it reassures that you don't have to go to a fantasy realm for community. There are lots of them who wish to share who they are, welcome in people with open minds, etc. like that and who will support each other in dark times.

There's a reason why Anne's final words to the Core, her refusal of it absolutely, isn't about Marcy and Sasha. It's about the world. And of course she's the one standing there because she has had the biggest impact on, and impacted by, the various communities of Earth, Amphibia and Wartwood especially. She is fighting for them, for they are her greatest treasures.

SO. With my having hopefully made myself clear: Let's talk about some of the claims you make with other shows so I can dig myself a hole. If you just want the Amphibia stuff, you can leave now.

TOH is a fucking nightmare to classify. Main characters often are meant to be storytelling engines, help establish what is most important to the show and set the status quote for antagonists and side characters to disrupt. Again, it's why Sasha actually makes a great primary antagonist early on for the capstone episodes because she does challenge Anne on much of this, just isn't around 99% of the time.

TOH has the problem that a story can be poorly written enough to make you wonder "WHO THE FUCK IS THE MAIN CAST!?" There's ALL sorts of arguments I could make, not helped that just time wise, Amity takes up a literal third of the show and doesn't help themes, doesn't push the plot forward and mostly doesn't fit the show's GENRE even. But time wise, she actually gets close to as much, time especially Luz, as Eda does. Eda spends literally NO time with Luz in the second S1 after all because she's too busy spending time with her sister.

Gus and Willow are LAUGHABLE to be called main supporting characters because every single one of Willow's episodes is actually someone else's and Gus gets one every half season and they also had to break their magic for one of them with a retcon. Hell, Willow gets maybe a dozen lines in the entirety of S2A and then I'm not sure if she actually says more than two lines to Luz in the entirety of S2B.

The only other one I can comment on is MLP which I watched... A bit over five seasons if I'm remembering right (I despised Starlight's redemption as one of the worst redemptions I've ever seen, let alone how it felt like they were performing character assassination on others to make Starlight look good afterwards) so this is from that perspective.

And like... No. Just no. Not even the entirety of the Mane 6 are always there and Spike certainly isn't around 24/7 but the only characters you listed, besides Starlight because yes, she was made into a main character, who got more than MAYBE two episodes a season are the Cutie Mark Crusaders. A lot of the fandom WISHES Luna and Celestia did more instead of feeling like a stiff breeze can incapacitate them and getting mentioned does not make you a main character. Trixie was a reoccurring villain but not very often. Even with the CMC, Apple Bloom is a main supporting character of Applejack... But they themselves are more side characters. They're along the same vein as most of the Wartwood citizens honestly.

None of them are bad mind you, I have been inspired by all the characters you've listed (Michael Hudson on fimfiction and no, I do not condone everything there but I don't like denying my past and so I don't nuke the entire account) before and I like a lot of stories with them. It doesn't make them main characters. At best, I'd put them in a middle tier where they're just supporting characters and part of that's simply because SIX MAIN CHARACTERS IS A LOT OF MAIN CHARACTERS. It's kind of hard to get in a word edgewise when that's the case, something TOH also suffers from.

I keep main character status TIGHT because those are the characters the story genuinely revolves around. If your existence only revolves around a different character, you're probably not a main character. As an example of my own work: In Rich Witch, I'd argue Pythia, despite being a part of the main 5 girls, is not a main character. Arguably, neither is Blair as she takes on more of an antagonist role. The main characters of that series are Azu, Igni and Daina. If a plotline doesn't have any effect on those three, I'm not going to include it.

And I think that's just straight up better for storytelling, at least if you're going for a tighter, more focused narrative. After all, the six protagonist for MLP work BECAUSE that show isn't about having a tight narrative so having a wide breadth of perspectives to potentially invoke stories is useful for it.

Amphibia is not the same way which is why I argue if anyone is the main character than Anne... It's in units because the whole of those people being affected matters more than any singular one. And that isn't me calling them bad, or unimportant or disinteresting. It's just me classifying it as I believe and that will paint how I analyze the show.

Sorry if you don't like it.

======+++++======= Side note: Don't expect more blogs on this topic. I have now addressed it but I don't think it's actually that useful of a point to deliberate, not when I'd rather talk about how effective the characters are regardless of their specific titles. After all, for as much as I want to teach with this stuff, it's still MY opinion and this is how I view the show.

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!

#amphibia #sasha waybright #toh critical #MLP

[thethiefandtheairbender]

Since you think Owl House could have been better if they combined Amity and Hunter as the redemption teen with bad parent and Willow and Gus as Luz's first Hexside friend, do you think Amphibia also could be better off if they combined Sprig and Polly as Anne's frog sibling that's reckless (since Sprig's too static and Polly barely gets many focus episodes) and Sasha and Marcy as Anne's toxic and redeemed friend (since Marcy kinda got the short end of the stick in season 3)?

re: this meta of mine

'Static' characters aren't necessarily a bad thing so long as their interiority is explored (how they think and feel about a variety of things that are important to them). Because Anne's frog family is small, I know in depth what Polly and Sprig's personalities are like, how they behave, etc. They're part of the core cast and they always feel like it.

The main issue I have with TOH isn't that Gus and Willow aren't main characters, it's that they don't even feel like main side characters. I feel like I know more about Amity's twin siblings than I know about Luz's best friends. Which again, wouldn't be as Noticeable if they didn't put such an emphasis on Luz's main human world problem being that she had a hard time making friends.

Overall: TOH has a LOT of characters and, because it's always set in the same place, doesn't have a good justification for a lack of focus on them. Whereas in Amphibia, Anne and the Plantars travelling, and the girls are purposefully separated (narratively) and have to travel to reunite, so there's an in-universe reason they're not always having the opportunity to be around each other. For Luz, it's just because she didn't feel like shooting her best friends who live two streets over a text (for whatever reason).

Amphibia also can't combine Sasha and Marcy because those characters represent different themes and different complications in the girls' layered friendship. The main reason I posited combining Amity and Hunter is that they're basically the exact same character and character arc Theme Wise, just with differing personalities and stakes.

I also rarely post about Amphibia so idk why you thought I'd like... want to Improve it in this manner? Is it because they're 'sister shows'? But yeah Amphibia has the worldbuilding, pacing, and good distribution of its ensemble cast (Marcy was introduced later than both Anne and Sasha and ultimately was less effected by Amphibia, even if it was still really meaningful for her; she was never meant to have the same narrative weight) that TOH never quite managed for me, even in S1 and S2.

TLDR; if you're gonna 'merge' characters, you gotta make sure that would strengthen the themes they embody. TOH isn't a very thematic series in terms of like, Deeper meaning (what you see is what you get, and what you get is meaningful just not like, Drawing on much, if that makes any sense?) and that's okay. Amphibia just has significantly more to say theme wise, partially because it lets its main leads all be significantly more flawed as people.

#toh critical #i also exceedingly enjoyed amphibia more than TOH #i couldn't even finish the latter i got so bored #thanks for asking #anonymous

[orionauriga]

Hi! I wanted to say that I love how you write Katelyn in your fanfics, she’s so cool. Do you have any recommendations or favourite fanfics with Katelyn in them? I’ve finished all of your KateKevAaron fanfics and I think writers always have the best recommendations!

ahhh thank you!! that means a lot bc i always have so very much fun writing her :)

i do have some recs! putting them under a read more bc i don't want this post to be too long...

first are a few bangers in what i jokingly/privately call the "katelyn lim cinematic universe" (aka fics where writers who are not me use lim as her last name LMAO)

Long Story Short by gus_47

gus fortyseven i think has a direct line into my brain with katelyn interpretations and i need her to keep writing katelyn/katekevaaron forever. in the back of my mind i am always thinking about katelyn lim-minyard in this fic goading aaron into flirting with kevin over text on both of their behalf (behalfs? behalves? idk)

Sad Beautiful Tragic by gus_47

see above! gus strikes again, this time with a katelyn who is so lovely to my babygirl kevin as he deserves <3 (one example of this is her bringing him home six bags of celery, no questions asked. what for, you may ask? who's to say...)

ALSO!!! important: she has an arm/wrist tattoo in this which i think is now canon to me

all that looking down by @jaywalkers

you know when you manage to befriend a writer you've admired mostly from afar and then they dm you to ask if it's cool if they use your interpretation of katelyn, including the last name you chose for her, in their fic and you freak out a lil.....yeah

anyway! this one's kandreil and soo gorgeously written. kevin's friendship with katelyn (and aaron) is one of my favorite things about this fic i will never get enough of it

more recs with portrayals of katelyn that i love!

vanilla baby (how can I be?) by cloudberrysoda

kevaaron with katelyn and aaron as best friends and ohhhh. listen. LISTEN. aromantic katelyn. aromantic katelyn!!! for personal reasons i need more aro (and/or ace) katelyn in my life. i adore how she's written in this. her always calling aaron on his bullshit is sooo canon to me and her teasing him about kevin while kevin is in the room? PEAK

eight seconds left in overtime by ilgaksu

(locked, so you'll need to be logged into ao3 to read)

the writing in this fic is so fucking good i don't have words to describe it properly. i started skimming it to see if i wanted to rec it here and ended up rereading the whole thing, trying to soak in every line. incredible characterization of aaron, katelyn, and andrew, depiction of the twins' dynamic, and aaron being down bad for katelyn (as he should be)

Love Hurts by Fornavn, Moth2Flame

omg while browsing my bookmarks in search of katelyn fics i remembered that THIS is the fic that made korean katelyn canon to me!! this one is super well-written and a very realistic portrayal of the kateaaron development offscreen during the series

some boys don't know how to love by earthworms

really well done katelyn backstory and kateaaron development here, and i fucking love the peek into the vixens in this! i adore the concept of the vixens being a troubled team to mirror the foxes

Seven Minutes by NikNak22

katelyn teaches a slightly bashful/embarrassed aaron how to kiss and it's cute!!! katelyn's so confident in this no wonder aaron is basically starstruck by her

#i may have more saved in my bookmarks somewhere but these are the ones i could find in there that most heavily feature katelyn #i'm also writing more of her bc who would i be if 97% of my fics didn't include her in some fashion #i say 97 bc i realized two of my fics don't even mention her NAME....kate my love i'm sorry.. #aftg #all for the game #fic rec #katelyn aftg #katelyn lim #katekevaaron #answered

[kitkat5192]

So, after watching the Owl House finale at like midnight and then proceeding to freak out about it for the next few hours, I was too exhausted to really put together too many coherent thoughts. Anyways, here are some of my thoughts on the Owl House series finale:

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW

*First off, I was not okay throughout the entirety of this episode, and I was constantly switching between smiling like an idiot and fucking sobbing, so it was a rollercoaster (in the best possible way)

*That nightmare sequence based off of Luz, Eda and King’s trauma built up throughout the show was a hell of a way to start off the episode

*Tbh though, I loved that the episode took the time to really address Luz’s fears and insecurities about being too much like Belos

*Luz figuring out it was all fake because Amity is a nerd and wouldn’t have misquoted Azura? That’s so funny and I love her for that

*The light spell really came back full circle huh, being the first spell she learned and the one that saved her multiple times in this episode

*The Luz, Eda, and King reunion?? Screaming, crying, throwing up, too many feelings to comprehend

*The Collector comparing death to broken toys that can be easily fixed really puts into perspective how little he really understands about humans, what a great moment

*Raine fighting back against Belos like the BAMF they are, I love to see it!

*I see you King, being the only one to use they/them pronouns for the Collectoe

*Collector Backstory Collector Backstory Collector Backstory!!

*Luz seeing the hurt and loneliness in the Collector and giving them a chance to understand what friendship actually is was honestly so important to me. Plus, reliving all of those great moments through the show was amazing!

*I was wondering if the Titan’s heart was ever going to come into play

*I’m always here for shows that understand that kindness and forgiveness are important, but that not everyone deserves it (looking at you Belos)

*While Belos was not someone the Collector should have shown kindness to, it really goes to show how he wanted to change for the better and take Luz’s words to heart

*When Luz straight up fucking died, I was basically in denial until I knew she was okay. It still sucked though. I mean, the balls of light floating throughout the Boiling Isles, Camila crying, everyone not knowing what the lights mean, but also knowing that deep down, they understand, it was beautiful and heartbreaking

*The Collector trying to “fix” Luz and it not working and then being so confused and scared?? Absolutely not, excuse me while I sob again

*While I hate Eda and King being devastated about Luz, I wanted nothing more than to see them wreck Belos’s shit

*So many thoughts about King’s father! The reveal, the mini Hooty, conformation of the Titan being bigender, I loved all of it!

*Also, can we just talk about how the Titan didn’t give the powers to Luz because she was the chosen one or anything like that, but because she made the choice to be there and to keep fighting and the Titan recognized that? Because I love it!

*”So the question is, will you choose yourself?” I will never get over this line!

*The Camila and Amity hug?!

*Camilla and the others using the glyphs Luz had taught them was so cool!

*I really appreciate how the writers made sure that even though the Collector redeemed himself, he also recognized how his actions, no matter how naive or misguided they were, still hurt and traumatized people, and he apologized for it and put in the work to make amends and do better

*TITAN LUZ!!!

*Eda and King helping Luz with the magic made me smile so much!

*Small moment, but Hunter specifically being the one to save Gus’s palisman? Guess I don’t need my heart then, thanks 😭

*Eda and Raine reunion! And me tearing up for the 50th time during this episode

* “For I am the Good Witch Luz, child of the Human Realm, student of the Demon Realm, and warrior of peace! Now eat this sucker!” OH MY GID SHE SAID IT ASFFHGDGHJJBV IT’S DO COOL

*I’ve seen arguments over Belos’s death and ngl, I’m glad it was anticlimactic. He didn’t deserve anything more than melting away and having his head stomped in

*Luz not saying a single word as Belos made one more attempt to manipulate her? Absolutely incredible. Luz understanding that she isn’t like Belos and not letting his words get to her and drag her down with him? Everything I needed to see

*All if the family reunions at the end had me crying, especially when Hunter thought he was all alone and then Darius appeared and Hunter immediately brightened up and was showing off his shirt and god, this episode has wrecked me

*I can’t even begin to point out everything I loved about the time jump epilogue, so I’ll just share some of my favorites!

*The new character designs! I loved every one of them! I freaked out every time a different character was shown

*Hunter learning how to carve palismen!

*Eda being the headmaster of the School of Wild Magic!

*The matching flapjack tattoos!

*Luz going to college in the Demon Realm!

*The Darius and Alador moment we got!

*The quinceañera?! Dana was so real for making sure we got to see that!

*Everyone saying the iconic Byeeee at the end, making me cry (again)

If you made it through all of that, thanks for reading, and feel free to share any thoughts by commenting or dming me! All in all, I loved this episode so much, as I’m sure a lot of other people did, and I’m so happy that I got to watch this incredible show and go on this journey with Luz, Eda, King, and the rest of the Boiling Isles! ❤️

#the owl house #the owl house spoilers #toh #the owl house series finale #the owl house last episode #the owl house luz #luz noceda #eda clawthorne #king clawthorne #I’ll miss this show so much #watching and dreaming