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lotusthewriter · 11 months

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For you, I'd wait till kingdom come

Fandom: The Owl House

Rating: G

Relationships: Luz/Hunter (romantic)

Characters: Luz Noceda, Hunter; MINOR - Amber (original antagonist)

Summary: Even after becoming what everyone wants her to be - quiet, passive, and obedient -, that isn't enough for her bullies.

Thankfully, Luz is not alone.

Word count: 1.989

AO3

TRIGGER WARNINGS - bullying, minor violence, and depression

Luz and Hunter are not canon siblings.

P/roship DNI.

Since returning home, school has been awfully quiet.

Maybe not school, but Luz Noceda herself, the famous troublemaker that could never fit in.

You’d think things would get better, now that she doesn’t drive everyone nuts anymore, now that Mamá doesn’t have to get called to the principal’s office to pointlessly help her daughter.

But Luz, at this point, should’ve learned to not keep her hopes up.

Admittedly, it’s different from the Demon Realm, but not better.

Luz is used to the gossiping behind her back. She’s more than used to people looking at her weird. Yet again, she did expect things to change now that she has become exactly what everyone wanted her to be.

Quiet. Passive.

Obedient.

The only “weird” thing Luz does nowadays is take her palisman to school, usually hiding it in a warm piece of cloth. As it’s still protected inside an egg, unsure about its purpose, what it’s going to be at all, Luz needs to be there for the palisman. She doesn’t want it to hatch while she’s absent. She doesn’t want anything bad to happen to it. It’s the only connection she has left of Eda, of the Demon Realm besides all her friends, who ended up stuck here with her.

If anything happened to her palisman… Luz can’t even imagine how much more of a failure she would feel.

At the very least, nobody seems to bother her with that. People leave her alone, despite the whispering and the multiple eyes watching and judging her every step.

Nothing seems to go beyond that.

…

Sometimes, small balls of paper are thrown at her head.

There is some annoying snickering behind her back.

Luz never turns around. Never looks back.

She just moves forward.

Even when the voices are talking to her.

“Hey, Luz! You didn’t bring snakes this time?”

She simply ignores them.

Even when they continue.

Even when they’re close to her.

Luz leaves.

It’s usually quick anyway.

It’s fine.

Her mother is not picking her up today, so Luz decides to walk all the way home on her own. She’s not banned from the school buses anymore, but Luz knows it’d be as lonely as her walking by herself, so she decides she won’t stay trapped with her peers this time, or ever.

The girl’s backpack is on her chest instead, so she gets to keep it in her sight, to hold it close. Luz is not focused on the world around her, because it doesn’t matter, none of it matters. She just wants the egg to feel safe to come out.

Luz hears the same voices behind her. The same laughter. She gives them no mind.

Nothing matters.

She wants to do one thing right.

But the world doesn’t want her to.

Suddenly, she’s pushed hard, so much that her things fall off the backpack.

Including the egg, completely unprotected.

Luz is not quick enough to take what’s hers before the bullies do.

The leader, Amber, is quite similar to Boscha. She’s the school’s football captain, and everyone else looks up to her rudeness, especially when it comes to the “weird girl” in question.

“Ooh, you’ve had a dinosaur egg this whole time?” She teases, holding the palisman like it’s a ball, not a living, fragile being.

Luz, though, tries to keep it cool.

“Give it back,” she says, voice low.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“Give it back, Amber.”

“How do you say it?”

Luz inhales deeply, trying not to get angry, because that’s what bullies always want. That’s what they’ve been expecting her to do this entire time.

“Please,” she rephrases, “give it back.”

“That’s more like it.”

Amber holds out a hand for Luz to get her palisman back…

“Think fast!”

… Only for the jock to throw the egg to her other peer, and when Luz realizes, Amber’s team plays around with the palisman like it’s a game of hot potato, while the bystanders laugh endlessly. Luz attempts to stop the unfunny little game, to no avail.

“Stop it, you guys!” She pleads.

“What, Luz? Afraid we might break it?”

“YES!” Luz loses her patience, making the other kids laugh harder. “Be careful!”

She’s nearing the point of tears. The girl hasn’t cried because of school in a long time, and she hates that she’s giving in. That she’s letting them get to her, after everything Luz has gone through.

“What’s so special about this dumb thing, anyway?” Amber has gotten the egg again, analyzing it with a judgmental look. “Did you make a lizard baby or whatever?”

Luz groans, “You guys don’t get it, just give it back to me!”

“Whoa, Luz, where’s your fun?” Amber snickers, dodging the other teen. “You used to be so entertaining, and now you’re so…” she even pauses for dramatic effect. “Pathetic.”

Something breaks inside Luz.

Especially as all the other kids agree with Amber.

Luz sees red.

“I'm NOT PATHETIC!” She yells and advances.

The moment she does so, she sees life flash right before her eyes.

“Whoops!” Amber drops it.

“NO!!”

Luz’s first instinct is to take a glyph to save her baby, even when she knows it won’t work.

She’s failed.

Again.

…

In the speed of light, a hand has saved the egg from its cursed fate, taking it very carefully.

“Phew! That was close!”

Luz knows only one person whose snarky voice sounds so completely dorky .

Here, the savior is wearing a plain gray hoodie that covers his head, an old black cloak, and his mouth and nose are hidden behind a black kitty face mask. He really doesn’t look intimidating, yet everyone has stepped back in fear of his sudden, magical appearance.

“Who the heck are you?” Amber asks, trying to sound tough, but she’s more shocked than anything.

Snickering, the masked boy returns the palisman to Luz, who hugs it close to her chest, mentally apologizing to it for being so careless.

“I… am the Hunter of Gravesfield,” he tells the other terrified teenagers. “I hunt nitwits who should learn a thing or two about being careful with other people’s babies.”

Despite the jokey tone, Hunter actually sounds… angry . So much that even Luz gulps.

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do, Hunter ?” A boy mocks his tone, and she almost feels sorry for him.

“Ah, you know,” Hunter makes a dismissing gesture with his hand, “teach you valuable life lessons. Here, why won’t I show our sports prodigy right here?”

A yellow light passes by, and one second later, Hunter disappears with Amber… until everyone suddenly hears screams from above.

Not too high up from there, Hunter is steady on his staff while he holds the bully by her leg as she shrieks helplessly.

“What are you DOING?!” Amber demands.

“Teaching you a valuable life lesson!” Hunter states rather joyfully.

“ABOUT WHAT?!”

“About how the egg must have felt when you dropped it!”

“The egg is not even real! Luz made it up!”

“But if Luz made it, then it’s real,” Hunter argues. “And guess what else is real? Your broken bones when I drop you.”

“You WOULDN’T!”

“Wanna find out?”

The moment Hunter releases a finger – his little finger even –, Amber is yelling louder in desperation, and the other kids gasp. Luz, admittedly, doesn’t share the same reaction, which might sound messed up.

“Wait! Wait, please, I’m-” Amber tries to say something… “I’m-!”

“Oh?” Hunter tilts his head. “Did anyone hear that? No? Ah well.” He shrugs.

He releases his ring finger…!

“WAIT! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!!” Amber screams immediately, at this point crying. “Please, I’ll do anything, JUST PUT ME DOWN!!!”

“Ooooh! Why didn’t you say so?”

Finally, the two are back on the ground in less than a second, with Amber falling on her face. Now, Hunter stands between Luz and the bullies, holding his staff like those heroes from old fairy tales, showing a sense of superiority and respect.

“I hope you all learned something today,” Hunter says, “because if I see anyone here messing with Luz or her egg again… I’ll know, and I’ll come back and make sure you get it through your heads”– he steps towards the crowd menacingly –“literally .”

For whatever reason, he has grabbed a random fruit and he crushes it with no mercy. Luz swears she sees everyone’s souls leaving their bodies as they all become pale.

A second later, Hunter resumes his silly Golden Guard persona.

“Alright, see you never, byeeeeeeee~!”

And immediately after, everyone else runs away the fastest they can, leaving only Luz, her palisman, and Hunter behind.

School is finally quiet.

Holding her palisman dearly, the brown girl can’t help the relieved laugh.

“You know you’re supposed to keep a low profile,” Luz scolds, yet not even sounding disappointed, really.

“Of course I’m keeping it low.” Hunter gestures at his clothes to prove his point.

“And traumatizing kids is your kind of low profile?”

“As if you don’t know me, Luz.”

Although she laughs quietly, her vision is blurring, after keeping it in for so long. In the end, her laughter grows into many, many sobs. Luz doesn’t hide it from Hunter, who is kneeling down to her level in support.

She doesn’t openly cry, not like she used to. She doesn’t think she will any time soon.

Hunter gets it.

Two arms pull her close, so Luz can cry on someone’s shoulder in the literal sense. She doesn’t have to hug back right now, and that’s more than alright. The hug doesn’t last too long, mostly because Luz starts shaking, and then Hunter is wrapping his cloak around her. He rubs her arms and shoulders gently both to soothe her and to warm her up. In the meantime, Flapjack is on Hunter’s shoulder, chirping as if trying to tell Luz that they’ve got her back, even if she can’t understand him.

“I can hold it for you,” Hunter offers, his hands going for hers, ready for her next command. “Do you trust me?”

Sniffing, Luz doesn’t hesitate to nod, allowing Hunter to tenderly and slowly take the egg off her hands, while Flapjack nestles himself in the empty space with his adorable noises. She laughs in comfort, bringing him to her face to snuggle him, as Hunter smiles from the corner of her eye.

Like that, after taking everything that was left from Luz’s backpack, the two teenagers make their way back home. Hunter is holding her things with her palisman protected inside the same way she did earlier, while the girl is not expected to be perfect or useful. Flapjack is half hidden inside her hat for further warmth.

Drying her still watery eyes, Luz has a million thoughts in her head. Many things she wants to say.

“Hunter?” She speaks up, her voice high and young.

“Hm?”

Luz sniffs. “Could we… get some coffee first? I didn’t really eat anything at school, and… I-I don’t want to go home just yet, if that’s okay.”

“Oh, that’s totally okay. We can do that.”

“Okay.” She bites her lip. “And Hunter?”

“Yeah?”

She takes his free hand, her cheeks blushing shyly.

“... thanks,” Luz whispers.

Although she can’t see most of Hunter’s face, only his magenta eyes, she knows he’s an even bigger blushing mess thanks to his reddened ears. Even inside the mask, he’s smiling like a dork in love.

“Anything for you, Luz,” Hunter replies.

In the end, Luz and Hunter are allowed to hold hands, reassuring one another of their presences, their bond. They stand together in the cold and the falling leaves of Gravesfield, against the bullies that want them to stop being who they are.

But right now, Hunter looks after Luz, and he holds the palisman like it’s his own. Like he would kill for them both.

It’s moments like these where Luz realizes things are worth it.

That she’s worth it.

#the owl house #luz noceda #toh hunter #lunter #bullying tw #depression tw #vent fic #fanfiction

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drabbles-of-writing · 4 years

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All Powerful Coven vs. One Flirty Owlet

This is part of my Four Years AU

AO3

Masterpost

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amity Blight was quick to gain leadership in her Coven group.

Keene had been the previous leader, but happily gave the title over to the young girl. She was determined to climb as high as she could in the ranks, and even he would admit, he was impressed by her dedication.

And, well, Emperor Belos had commanded it. Nobody knew the true reason why, but Amity seemed very nervous that day.

In total, their group had eleven members. It used to be ten, but a young upstarter by the name Laris had recently joined and was learning the ropes.

From day one, the group had been tasked with one thing; to capture the residents of the Owl House. Specifically the most recent troublemaker, the Owlet.

Of course, there had been many challenges in doing so.

But you don’t get into the most powerful coven in the Boiling Isles without noticing a few things. Well, most people don’t at least.

Like Amity’s sudden drop in capability whenever the Owlet was around.

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,”

“No, listen,” Invada insisted, tapping repeatedly at a paper filled with barely-readable conspiracies. “Eda the Owl Lady has a secret network, and the Blight’s are in on it!”

“The Blight’s wouldn’t touch the Owl Lady if it would save their lives,” One of the Coven rolled her eyes.

“Eh, Amity might,” Another one shrugged, shuffling the cards in his hands. “If she needed to, that is. Or an excuse to see that Owlet,” He added with a smug look.

“I’ve said it once, and I will say it again,” The first one groaned, thunking her head on the table. “Amity would never date someone like that. The Owlet is only doing that flirting to throw her off.”

“And it works,” The second said, his smile unyielding.

“And that’s another thing!” Invada continued. “Amity is in a relationship with that thief, I know it!”

“A crush? Maybe,” The second member admitted. “But actively dating? Yeah, no, there’s no way she’d go that far, let alone without someone noticing.”

Invada groaned, letting their head hang in defeat.

“I’m surrounded by morons,”

“Whatever makes you feel better,” The first one mumbled, taking her dealt cards. “You didn’t put glyphs on these, did you?”

“Did I?” The second one grinned, looking down at his own cards.

“I feel very unsafe right now.”

“Hey, you three!”

Xena poked her head into the tent, disrupting the beginning of the card game.

“Laris caught the demon dog from the Owl House,” She said, pointing behind her. “We’re heading out to help him and see what we can do with it.”

“Aw, lame,” The second coven member grumbled, standing up.

“Grab a sword or net or something, just in case.” Xena added. “That Owl family gets pretty protective of him.”

“Hostage situation! Woo!” The first one cheered, standing up.

“Fine, fine. Let’s see how we’ll fail today.” Invada scoffed, rolling their eyes before setting their papers aside.

“That’s the spirit,” Xena teased. “Come on, Laris is bound to explode from excitement soon. Ms. Blight is gonna meet us there.”

“Ms. Blight! Ms. Blight, look! I got him!” Laris said excitedly, waving a struggling King over his head.

“I know, Laris. I see.” Amity sighed, pushing her mask up onto her head. “Very good job. Where did you even find him?”

Laris lit up at the compliment, and Amity could tell under the mask he was grinning from ear-to-ear.

“I found him in the trash,” He said happily.

Amity slowly looked back to King, her face portraying that of indescribable exhaustion from years of confusion.

“Someone threw awake a whole cupcake!” King defended, wiggling in the boys grasp. “Eda will come get me, you’ll see!”

“Pray that she doesn’t,” Amity mumbled. “Keene?”

“I doubt Emperor Belos will want much with this guy,” The man beside her shrugged. “Using him as bait seems like an obvious choice. Though we don’t know who will come after him.”

“Either Eda or Luz,” Amity said, gesturing for someone with a net to step forward. “I doubt Lilith will come looking for him.”

“Luz, huh?” Keene smirked down at her.

“Owlet, Luz, same thing!” Amity grumbled, crossing her arms.

“And it was such a quiet day, too.” Someone in the group complained.

“I don’t want to hear this today, Archie.” Amity called back to them. “Was that Archie?” She squinted.

“I’m right here,” A different coven member in the front raised his hand.

“I can never tell you guys apart with the masks,” Amity sighed, turning back to King and seeing he was struggling and fighting to be put in a net.

“Come on, little guy, just get in,” Laris said, trying to wrap up the demon.

“You’ll never take me alive!” King squeaked back before proceeding to bite his hand.

Laris shouted in surprise and jerked back, taking King with him. Laris started waving his hand around, screaming as he was trying to throw the demon off of him.

Amity and Keene watched with tired eyes, barely reacting as the rest of the group tried to help Laris get the stubborn dog off his hand.

“For once, I wish Lilith would show up.” Amity said after a moment. “Then maybe we could actually get something done.”

“Didn’t you capture her last week?” Keene raised a brow.

“For two minutes,” Amity shook her head. “Eda was there, too. That’s why we barely had her.”

“I always miss the best stuff when I go on break,” Keene scoffed.

“At least you can have breaks.” Amity muttered.

“Get him off!” Laris shouted as someone grabbed King and tried to yank him off the young Coven members hand.

“Try the horns,” Amity called. “And pull up.”

They did so, and King’s grip loosened before he popped off, leaving Laris weeping about his bitten and bleeding hand.

“You dirty double-crosser!” King growled.

“Someone please fix Laris’s hand.” Amity sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “He’ll be fine, but I don’t want him bleeding everywhere.”

“Alright, you little twerp, you’re gonna get it,” Xena growled, looking ready to throw a punch.

“Xena,” Keene and Amity warned at the same time.

“You’re no fun,” Xena grumbled, stepping back and letting the other coven member hold King a good distance away from them.

“Okay, everyone just relax,” Amity held out her hands. “We have to prepare for an inevitable rescue mission. Someone go get those weird taser things back at camp I wanna try those out--”

“Incoming!”

A sharp breeze rustled Amity’s hair as something shot right over her head, too close for comfort.

Amity sighed with a smile, pulling down her mask as everyone scattered, dodging the owl-masked figure on her staff.

“Right on time.”

An arrow was fired in the sky and whizzed right by the Owlet. She was standing on her staff, crouched as she skimmed the heads of the coven.

“Everyone, fall in!” Keene shouted, rushing to the crowd. “Who still has nets? Did anyone bring a sword?”

“I’ve got Laris!” Someone shouted, pulling up the boy under his arms and dragging him out of the main area, right outside of the marketplace.

The Owlet paused in the air, searching the group for a few beats.

Her mask's large eyes paused on a figure in the back.

“Luz! Luz!” King waved his paws around from where Archie was holding him in his net. “I’m down here!”

The Owlet swooped low over the crowd, crouching even lower with one of her hands gripping the staff.

A net was thrown, and the Owlet flipped her staff higher to dodge it. She gave a dive before suddenly screeching to a halt over the figure. She hovered just a few feet in the air, nearly laying on her staff now.

The Owlet broke into a wide grin.

“Hey, Amity,” She said slyly.

Amity stared up at the Owlet for a couple of seconds.

“Seriously?” She sighed.

Another arrow was fired, barely missing the Owlet’s shoulder. She finally looked back and rose higher into the air, her staff slanted upwards and hanging on by one hand, feet still placed firmly on the wood.

“Always love a good party,” The Owlet grinned. “Sorry to crash it.”

“Get the nets!” Archie commanded, stepping back and holding King closer. “Who brought those arrows?”

Invada hopped onto an abandoned stand and readied his bow. The Owlet threw a glyph from her capes pockets on the ground, and a massive tree sprung up instantly.

The arrows hit the tree and Owlet shot out from behind it, heading straight for Archie.

“Archie, move!” Amity shouted.

The man jumped to the side just in time, hitting the dirt and nearly crushing King underneath him.

The Owlet, who had very obviously not been prepared before arriving, tried to skid her staff to a sudden stop.

She crashed right into a closed stand, tearing off the cloth roof and falling behind the wooden counter in front of it.

Amity and Keene rushed to the stand as someone helped up Archie.

The two peered over the counter, spotting the Owlet laying in a tangle of limbs and random junk. She jerked her head up before crashing back into the pile.

They shared a look with each other, though it was impossible for either of them to determine the others expression underneath the mask.

“This just isn’t my day,” The Owlet grumbled.

“I got her!”

Amity and Keene were shoved out of the way as Xena came barreling through, wielding a sword she had taken with her, of course.

The Owlet yelped and rolled to the side, missing the sword clashing with a tangle of junk.

“Que demonios, are you trying to kill me?” She squawked, scampering to her feet and dodging another swipe.

“Xena!” Amity scolded, though Keene did quickly pull her back. “We want her alive!”

“Like she couldn’t take on a challenge,” Xena replied, swinging at the Owlet once more.

The Owlet withdrew multiple ice glyphs and tossed one on the ground, letting the sword hit it. She took the momentary distraction and ran around the coven member, throwing the other glyphs onto the ground and activating them, trapping Xena in a cage of ice spikes in mere moments.

“Unfair!” Xena growled, struggling in her cold prison.

“And that’s why you don’t challenge the most powerful human in the Isles,” The Owlet taunted, standing just out of reach of the trapped coven member.

“You’re the only human in the Isles,” Invada grumbled, reloading another arrow.

“My point still stands.” The Owlet shrugged, carelessly stepping to the side as an arrow was shot and hit the ground behind her.

“I’m too tired for this,” Amity sighed. “Surround her! Archie, you stay back.”

“Course, ma’am!” Archie nodded, slinging the net over his back and causing King to flail.

“Oh, giving a bit more of a challenge today, I see.” Owlet smirked, turning casually as the remaining guards rushed to get in a circle around the human, including Keene.

“Shut up and let us just get you in a cage for five seconds,” Amity muttered. “I need to prove a point.”

“Is this about our conversation earlier?” Keene glanced back.

“What do you think, Keene?”

“Now I’m curious,” The Owlet said, leaning on her staff. “Would you mind sharing with the class, Ami?”

Amity stared at her for a moment, her expression, thankfully, hidden.

Keene, however, you could tell looked smug.

Amity raised her hand and summoned her staff. The moment she did, she slammed the end of it on the ground.

On the signal, the guards pounced on the Owlet.

The Owlet barely had a second to react before she was being crushed and trampled. She lost her staff in the chaos, as well as her palisman.

A net was thrown over her head and the human jerked, pulling out glyphs from behind her hood and darting up, jolting many of the guards trying to hold her down.

Her hand lit ablaze as she activated a fire glyph and burned a hole in the net. She swung the fire out in a circle, startling the guards back, singing their masks and capes to those who didn’t move fast enough.

She threw the fire aside, letting it die out as she withdrew smoke glyphs with both hands, both of them activating at the same time and giving the illusion her hands were made of the smoke itself.

The smoke grew in a second, and the guards were lost in it, coughing. A spike of ice shot up from the middle of the smoke, with the Owlet standing on top.

She jumped off the second she was high enough to avoid the smoke. Her palisman flew up to her, holding the staff in her talons.

The Owlet grabbed the staff as she fell, swinging onto it with a cheer.

“You’ll have to try harder than tha--”

An abomination rose before her, far bigger than their regular height. The Owlet gaped, caught off guard by the sight.

The abomination smacked her out of the sky, sending her right into the dirt. Her staff slipped from her fingers and lay a few inches away.

“That's a bruised rib cage,” The Owlet wheezed from where she lay on the ground, sitting up and rubbing at her head.

There was a sharp hiss and the Owlet jerked her head up, finding herself face-to-face with Amity’s angry palisman, Fang.

The palisman was still attached to his staff, a staff which Amity herself was holding, pointing directly at the thief's face.

The Owlet blinked up at her, surprised for a moment before breaking into a wide grin.

“Sup,” She greeted, leaning back on one hand. “You come here often?”

Amity faltered for a brief moment, her staff falling slightly before she shook her head and raised it up again.

“Do you have to do this every time?” She huffed.

“Yes,” The Owlet said simply. “Though I must admit, you’re a touch more aggressive today.”

“Don’t even start,” Amity growled, and her cobra's hood flared.

“That bad, huh?” The Owlet continued to tease. “Was it about me again?” She jived.

Amity tore back, speaking in quick, intelligible words, causing the Owlet’s smile to only grow.

“Ms. Blight,” Keene called, trying to pull Xena out of her ice prison as the rest of the guard were regaining their senses. “Please flirt in your own time, will you?”

“Keene we just talked about this!” Amity shouted, her staff completely lowered as she whirled to presumably glare at the man through her mask.

“My point still stands,”

The Owlet took the distraction and surged up, grasping her staff. She swung it like a golf club, knocking Amity’s own staff away and startling her.

In one fell swoop, the Owlet hopped onto her staff, standing once more, and flew right by Amity. She lifted her hand and grabbed her mask, tugging it off, knocking her hood down as well.

“Hey!” Amity exclaimed, whirling around as the Owlet flew high into the air, waving the beaked mask around.

“I’ll give it to you later,” The Owlet promised. “You seemed like you could use some excitement today.” She smiled, tucking the mask under her arm.

“Why do I put up with you?” Amity growled, her flushed face prominent as her ears flicked back.

“I can think of a few reasons,” The Owlet teased, relishing in the playful eye roll Amity gave her.

“I’m still here!” King shouted, struggling in his net. “Don’t forget about me!” “Oh, right,” The Owlet blinked, banking downwards.

The coven members ducked, avoiding a harsh whack to the head as the Owlet aimed straight for Archie.

The guard braced himself, setting down the net holding King behind him and preparing himself.

The Owlet instead swerved around him in a very sharp turn, snatching up the net with King inside and darting back into the sky.

“Wha--but--” Archie looked around, completely shocked.

“Better luck next time!” The Owlet called, hovering her staff high in the air and standing on it.

She let the net fall away, and King pulled himself onto her shoulders, tail lashing grumpily.

“The things I put up with,” Amity mumbled, standing with the rest of the coven as they looked up and watched the Owlet, with Invada still trying to fire another arrow.

“Well, this was fun, but I best be going.” The Owlet said, throwing out a wind glyph to send the arrow off in a different direction.

“Till next time, Ami.” Luz winked, giving a dramatic twirl and taking her mask off during her bow, revealing a mischievous expression.

“See? See?” Invada shouted, pointing at the Owlet as they stared in the direction of the two guards they were bugging earlier.

“Can it, Vada,” One of them sighed.

With that, the Owlet placed her mask back on and shot off, nearly throwing King off with the whiplash.

The guards watched her vanish among the buildings of Bonesborugh, all silent for a few moments.

“You don’t get crushes, huh?” Keene finally said, looking back towards Amity.

“Keene I will end you.”

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ordinaryschmuck · 4 years

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What I Thought About “Enchanted Grom Fright”

Salutations random people of the internet who probably won't read this. I am an Ordinary Shmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

When I started doing reviews, I told myself to stay limited to specials, movies, seasons, and even entire T.V. shows. I didn't want to do reviews for regular episodes of a show, mostly because there wouldn't be enough to talk about in a single post. For me, an episode has to either be astounding enough or important enough to warrant a review. And low and behold, The Owl House did just that with the episode "Enchanting Grom Fright." Keep in mind that I am going to be spoiling everything that happens in this episode. So if you somehow haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend that you do so. And if you haven't seen The Owl House yet...what the hell is wrong with you?

With that out of the way, let's get started with-

WHAT I LIKE

Luz independently looking for new glyphs: This scene is excellent for two reasons. Reason number one: It shows how dedicated Luz is to learning magic. So far, we have yet to see Hexide teach Luz anything regarding her unique way of doing magic. This is why it's great to see Luz try to find glyphs on her own so she can at least attempt to catch up with everyone else. There's also the implication that it's not an easy task for her, given the multiple crumpled up pieces of paper, which must have been failed attempts to make the plant glyph. This scene adds continuity from "Adventures of the Elements" as well, proving that Luz had learned her lesson in said episode. As for reason number two for why this scene is excellent: It sets up how Luz and Amity defeat Grom. Luz could have used her other two glyphs to destroy Grom, but doing so would take away some neat symbolism with the tree that was grown (more on that later). Therefore, Luz finding the plant glyph was a great set up with a proper pay off. Which is what I love about The Owl House. It takes things you wouldn't think twice about and actually makes something beautiful. Case in point: A 'Grom Night' poster was shown in a previous episode, hinting to the glory that is this episode.

Luz barely texting her mom back: I like this because it finally addresses Luz's conflictions for lying to her mom (Something I may or may not have toyed around with https://archiveofourown.org/works/23321692/chapters/55864000). These scenes present moments of how Luz isn't always the happy go lucky teen that she is. And I like that because it adds layers to a character who is already engaging enough.

That Gromposal: I made a post of all the things Disney has approved of before approving Lumity. I guess you can add to the list a character presenting an anatomically correctly drawn heart with the word 'Grom' written in what I can only assume is blood!

(Jokes aside, I legitimately like the dark humor in this scene, as well as Skara saying yes to the poor boy. It was adorable, damn it!)

Amity’s hostility swapped with being friendly: Here's a nice bit of character development for ya! It's just a few seconds, but those seconds show how far Amity has come since episode FIVE! Which is why Amity is one of the best characters in the show. Her development is so impressive that it's legitimately jarring to compare the Amity who was angry to see Luz, to the Amity who immediately apologizes, to Luz. But she still has years of conditioning from her parents to deal with, so of course, Amity's first instinct is to bare her fangs. And I'm more than positive that that instinct is going to leave her pretty soon.

Eda: While we're on the topic of great characters, let's take a moment to talk about Eda in this episode, shall we? Eda, throughout "Enchanted Grom Fright," has fully embraced her role as a maternal figure for Luz. The way Eda attempts to warn Luz about the dangers of Grom is a testament to how much Eda truly cares about 'her human.' And it's not like Eda doesn't acknowledge Luz's efforts at survival. She knows Luz can take care of herself, but that won't stop Eda from drawing the line when she knows Luz is in over her head. The best part is that when Luz admits that she was wrong, Eda doesn't respond with anger or even with a smug "I told you so." Instead, Eda's reaction is calm and nurturing. A response that Luz needed at that moment. It's sweet and genuinely heartwarming to see.

(And I love how Eda constantly admires her own beauty throughout the episode. Which is something I'm sure most fans can relate to.)

Luz and Amity’s talk in the forest: There is a lot to love about this exchange, due to how adorable it is. So here's a quick list: The clearly romantic music playing in the background. The way Amity slipped in the mud and was inches away from accidentally kissing Luz when getting pulled up. The fact that Luz sits down into the mud so as not to make Amity feel self-conscious about being filthy. Luz's sweet, sincere, and instant "I would" when responding to Amity wondering who would take her place as Grom Queen. The fact that Amity was surprised that someone would be willing to take her place in the first place. The payoff to Luz learning that she really did have a spider on the back of her head (Alright, that one wasn’t adorable, but it was definitely hilarious!).

Amity “destroying” Hooty: While I do enjoy seeing Amity act all sweet and gushy, I will admit that feisty Amity is still best Amity. Plus, this scene was remarkably funny.

Training Luz for Grom: This scene was a fantastic showcase for each of the Blight siblings. Now, because I've talked a lot about Amity (and will continue to do so), I want to start talking about Edric and Emira first. When first introduced to Ed and Em, my initial reaction was that they were meanspirited versions of the Weasley Twins from Harry Potter. Sure, Fred and George are known to cause mischief, but they do realize that there's a line you don't cross when it comes to family. That is something that Ed and Em ignored during their debut episode, where they tried to reveal Amity's diary to the world. Luckily, the writers picked up on this quick and made a subtle detour in terms of Ed and Em's personalities. They're actually decent supporting characters, and it's legitimately sweet with how they willingly help Luz. As for Amity, it's great to see that she still takes things seriously despite crushing on Luz. Most shows fall into the trap of making characters a nervous wreck when around their crushes. And while Amity does have those moments, there are still scenes like this that prove she isn't just some smitten kitten-and I hate myself for saying that. Amity is the voice of reason to her and Luz's relationship. And I'm glad that the writers mostly focus on that aspect of her personality rather than write her off as a flustered girl with a crush.

Those boys dancing together: While it's nice to see Luz and Amity's relationship blossom, that doesn't mean we should sleep on great representation such as this. While it's great to see so many romantic pairings between females in the last few years, it's rare to see two boys liking each other, especially in animation. Sure, male pairings exist, but I haven't seen them as celebrated as often as female ones. This is why it's nice to see that The Owl House crew sprinkled in these two boys dancing with each other. Representation matters for everyone, and this little acknowledgment is something worth mentioning, even if it isn't the main ship.

The hallway scene: But let's face it, this is what we came to see. Now when you think about it, there's nothing all that special with this scene. It's a typical romantic moment with a heart to heart discussion followed with witty banter, all while a romantic melody is playing in the background. You see this in multiple types of media, especially in Disney cartoons. The only difference is that this scene features a same-sex pairing and that what makes it amazing. It's essentially normalizing something that has been seen as inappropriate for years. And the fact that Disney of all companies is the one that greenlit a scene like this? That just makes this moment all the more impressive. Plus, I mean, c'mon. You have to have a will of iron not to think these dorks are adorable with this little exchange.

Splash zone: There's not much to talk about or analyze here. I just think the dark humor of a kid waiting in the 'splash zone' is funny. Because what does the splash zone get used for? Grom? The fighter? I don't know, but the fact that a splash zone exists for either of those reasons is what gets a chuckle out of me.

Skara and her date getting hyped for Grom fight: That's it. Skara is officially the best background character. I'm sorry, but a character earns that title when they immediately switch from wanting to kiss their date to "WHOO! BRING ON THE GORE!"

I don't make the rules. I just abide by them.

Luz’s greatest fear: This is something fans could have seen coming due to rewatching and reanalyzing the promo that dropped a little over a month ago. But for fans who ignored the promo, the episode did a great job of setting up this reveal. From the two times that Luz practically ignored her mother's texts, it can be pretty clear that Luz's fear would be something involving Camilia. However, before the episode premiered, everyone jumped on the idea that Luz's greatest fear would be Camilia forcing Luz to come back home. Instead, the scene portrays Luz's greatest fear as her mother's negative response to Luz lying for weeks. That idea is much more interesting to me because it reveals how much Luz cares so much about what her mother thinks of Luz. And unlike Amity with her parents, Luz's fears are much more justified due to Camilia actually being a good mother. A mother who planned to send her daughter away to summer camp, sure, but still a mother who would do that type of thing out of love rather than to protect an image. Which makes me hope to see more of Camilia in the future, just to witness the mother/daughter relationship she has with Luz. Because honestly, it feels like I've been working triple time with portraying that relationship myself.

Amity’s greatest fear: Ah yes, the one thing none of us could have predicted...ok, that's not true. Some of us did predict this, but most of us didn't take those predictions seriously. And BOY, were we wrong to do so. Because the idea that Amity's greatest fear is being rejected by Luz is both sad, yet kind of adorable. It proves just how much Amity has come to care for the same human she nearly got dissected, in episode THREE. It's a nice bit of character growth that I just can't help but gush over how sweet it is. But again, it's also depressing knowing that Amity is afraid by being rejected by Luz of all people. Luz! The girl who's sweeter than honey and would absolutely let Amity down gently if Luz didn't feel the same way (Which she does. She just doesn't realize it yet.). What's even more interesting is that it makes so much sense as to why Amity is more afraid of showing her fear to the school. Not only would Grom reveal that Amity has feelings for Luz, but it also has the problem of outing Amity as a lesbian, presumably long before she's ready. And seeing how her parents reacted to Amity's friendship with Willow, imagine what would happen if word got out that Amity had a crush on a human girl. Yeah, let's just say that Amity must be really grateful that Grom morphed into a vague, shadowy figure.

(Speaking of, can we PLEASE calling Luz oblivious for not knowing that Grom morphed into her? Yes, to us, it's painfully apparent who Grom was supposed to be. But it also looks vague enough to the point where it isn't unbelievable for Luz to not know it was her. Because from where Luz is standing, the only similarity is the height and body shape. If the crew stuck to using Luz's more apparent traits, then I'd say it's fine to say Luz is oblivious. But as is, it's not too far of a stretch for Luz not to know it was her.)

That dance scene!: Remember how some fans have been hoping for a slow dance between Luz and Amity? This is better.

From the choreography to the smooth animation, to their expressions, to even pure epicness of this scene. Everything about this dance is just so astonishing that I am convinced that several fans have watched it over and over and over again since the episode's release. And you want to know the best part? This scene has so many problems that I don't care about due to how great it is. Why does Eda just stand there and do nothing? I don't know, and I don't care. Why does Grom stand there and do nothing? I don't know, and I don't care. How did Luz and Amity come up with this perfect plan without communicating? I don't know, and I don't care. How did Luz catch Amity, even though it looked like they jumped off of the abomination at the same height, and would've landed at the same time? I don't-Ok, you get the point by now.

Don't get me wrong, these are all valid criticisms. But that's the testament of good writing to me. Because if a scene can make me forget/ignore the problems within it, then it's ok in my book!

The cherry blossom: And now we get to that symbolism that I've mentioned before. Because according to a five-second Google search: The Chinese describe the cherry blossom as a symbol for feminine dominance and, of course, a symbol for love. Now the feminine dominance part is clear, but I'm confident that The Owl House staff concentrated more on the whole "symbol of love" thing. Because how else are they supposed to hint that Amity and Luz are meant to be the endgame relationship? Reveal that Amity's gromposal was meant for Luz? C'mon. That would be-

It’s revealed that Amity’s gromposal was meant for Luz: ...You know those moments that are so awesome, iconic, and downright perfect that you just can't help but give a grand old cheer to it? That's this moment right here. Speaking of which: WAH-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOO!

Seriously, some of you have no idea how big this scene is. It would have been so easy to cut the scene short at Amity throwing her half of the note, and leaving it up to interpretation for who the whole thing was for. But the fact that we get to see that it was meant for Luz, thus confirming that Amity has a crush on her, is absolute perfection. Not only is it because this is a big step for Disney in terms of representation, but to me, it seems like a normalization of gay culture. This type of reveal is something that would be done for several heterosexual relationships. So to confirm that Amity has a crush on Luz as if it was nothing...that's...that's just awesome. It's awesome, and I am so happy that Disney even greenlit this decision. And I'm not even gay! So I can not comprehend how some of you are feeling about this moment!

(Also, this does not mean that Lumity is canon. But it does at least mean that Lumity is going to be canon. Only now it's a question of when rather than if.)

Luz’s Text to Home: This was just a sweet moment. You get a better understanding of the love Luz has for her mother within these few seconds, then you did throughout the entire series so far. I also like that this implies that Luz is going to try being more honest with her mom about being in a whole new dimension. Which is again, is something I've been playing with.

Speaking of my aforementioned fanfic, during this entire scene, I was thinking to myself: "Man. Maybe I don't have to write a chapter based on this episode, after all. It pretty much did the job for me. I'm just glad that show didn't do anything that would make what I wrote completely worthless. Because that would just-"

Camilia is getting LETTERS?!: “...Well shit.”

Ok, gags and goofs aside, I honestly love this reveal. Because this presents a whole lot of questions. Like, how is Camilia getting these letters? When did she start getting them? And more importantly: Who the hell is sending them?! This is another thing that I enjoy about The Owl House. Just when you think you're satisfied with the episode you're given, the writers throw in something you could have never expected in a million years. This is why lately, it's a toss-up between The Owl House and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts for the best show of 2020 for me.

(BTW, WATCH KIPO AND THE AGE OF WONDERBEASTS! It's SO GOOD!)

Those Grom pictures: These were just cute. Especially the last one.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

...Uh...Oh! I know!

King’s B-plot: A small complaint that I have for The Owl House is that most of the b-plots in several episodes just feel unnecessary. Episodes like "The First Day," and "Adventures in the Elements" had b-plots that were pointless and not as engaging as the a-plot. What's worse is that they seem like padding for time, when most of that time could be used for significant moments in the main plot. And honestly, King's story in this episode is the worst one yet. It's filler that is poorly paced and wasn't really all that funny (aside from the other b-plots which at least offered a few good jokes in them). I don't know. Maybe it's because I have Lumity brain rot and wanted more moments between those two, but I just could not get engaged in King's story.

And...yeah, that’s about it.

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This episode deserves a well earned A+! Sure it has its fair share of problems, but the many, MANY, things it does right outweighs what it does wrong. On top of that, its one of the few episodes of any show I've seen that kept me up at night. Why? Because I couldn't stop thinking about how amazing it was. "Enchanted Grom Fright" is a worthy contender for the best episode of the season, and probably the entire series. It was heartwarming, engaging, and quite possibly the most important thing Disney has made in years. What else could you call it other than Enchanting.

(And no, this doesn’t mean I’m reviewing episodes of The Owl House from now on. Just the ones that are worth talking about.)

#the owl house #lumity #what i thought about

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