You know? Every time I try to start a post like this, I end up having to write the opening part 5 or 6 times before I end up settling on something. I never know whether I want to convey the sad tone whenever a series comes to an end; the joy that a story was allowed to reach it’s conclusion AT ALL instead of getting stopped mid way through and leaving us on a cliffhanger; or if I want to start with an anecdote from my current life- where I’m at mentally and all that stuff. And then I stop for a week while I collect my thoughts. 1 week becomes 2– 2 becomes a month– and then the post loses all relevance and I just have to scrap it. That’s how this post started. But after going to bed for the night, getting some breakfast, and taking a shower; I stopped stressing about what I want to say, and thought of something that I should say. Well; something I thought related to the subject of the post. Recently, I’ve gotten the chance to watching Storystreet’s video series on the Planet Of The Apes prequel trilogy. And watching it, I’ve come to appreaciate those movies more than I thought. 

I mean; I had always enjoyed Rise and ESPECIALLY Dawn, but when I finally got the chance to watch War…….. it was……. less than what I was expecting. I think I actually fell asleep during the course of the movie. But through watching Storystreet’s videos; I’ve gained a new appreciation for the movies- Particularly “Rise.” I like what he said about that movie and the symbolism of the window. I like videos that talk about symbolism and things like that. My brother, Ajay, on the other hand…… finds them pointless. He finds Prequels pointless- “You have to do them in a very specific way” he says. Like with most things with him that have to be done in a “very specific way.” I tell ya; one time when we were younger- I gave him his plate for dinner, and during the hand off; his fish or whatever touched the mashed-potatoes and he yelled at me for “F*cking Ruining it.” I’ll admit that I don’t like it when my food touches, but………. he’s INFINTESIMALLY worse. Like; I think he threw the whole fish in the trash over it. 

That is but one example of the many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many MANY things we differ on. Seriously; the list ranges from everything to our views on life to small things like shoes. And he TRIES to relate his very……… “particular” as my mother puts it- behavior to things that matter to me, but…………… it never comes through. Be it because his explanation ends up going over my head, or simply because I tune him out when he talks some times……… a few times. And THAT…….. is wrong. Or at least; it’s wrong that I’m tuning him out. With such a different interpretation on our upbringing; it’s pretty natural for us to not see eye-to-eye on………. ANYTHING. In fact, if he ever reads this post; he’ll probably chew me out for using the word “interpretation.” Not that I think he will. Another thing we differ on. But of all the things we disagree about, something that I’ve tried to do recently- instead of arguing and talking in circles over and over again; I’ve simply tried……… saying “Okay.” 

Rather than argue with him(mostly because I always lose because I just stop talking out of the desire to just go back to what I was doing); I’ve tried to just say “Okay” and move on. That itself also makes argue though. But what I mean is: I’ve been trying to admit that I’ll never understand him, and that he’ll never understand me- “Agree To Disagree.” Because at this point it just seems pointless. He’s gonna graduate from High School in June; I……….. We won’t have that “buffer” between seeing each other anymore. So if we’re gonna be stuck in the same house for a while, then I’d rather just not argue anymore. I step back. Because I understand that we’re just 2 different people with 2 different values in life; I’ll never understand why he makes paper throwing stars or that other sh!t, and he’ll never get why I want to watch Analysis Videos. And that’s Okay. We don’t need to. We simply need to understand……….. that the things that we value……….. matter………. That the things that he values are just as important as mine, and vice versa. So while I’ll never understand his disdain haircuts; I’ll understand that it matters to him. Because he’s him. And I’m Me. And that’s just “how it is.” 

Have you gotten what I’m laying down? In the final special of Season 3(if you can call it that), Luz learned what she wanted all along: “To Be Understood.” That didn’t always sit right with me; mostly because of Episode 1’s………… “Ham-fisted” message about “Being Yourself.” That sorta stopped being the message at some point- Luz was allowed to be herself in the Demon realm because that reality of that world matched her imagination……… in a twisted sense. She fit in after a certain point. So when she got what she wanted, she was left to question what it is she wanted going forward. I brought up the book in a recent Edens Zero post- chapter 234– KM Weiland’s Creating Character Arc’s; the book brought up the basic principles of the character arc- a 3 fold, linear story: “The End Of An Old Life;” “The Beginning Of A New One;” and a “Question.” Luz’s life in the Human world “Ended;” her training to be a Witch “Began;” and- through many adventures- many people came to accept her. So she was left questioning “What she wanted for her future.” And she would not get the answer until put in a situation where she needed to- it was something she would have to answer to get a Palisman. But she couldn’t answer, and thus got no Palisman. So she needed to keep asking the question. 

She knew that she wanted to learn how to be a Witch, and- whether or not she realized it- she did it. But she put no thought into what she would do after going back to the Human Realm; no thought about what she would use her magic for; no thought into ANYTHING but the immediate future of learning to use Magic to express herself better. Which she did. So it was time to think “Long Term.” And the answer she came to: A Good One. At least I think that she made the correct choice. Though I don’t think that I would do something so……….TAXING. I mean; the girl chose to take EVERY FRE@KIN’ COLLEGE TRACK. I was only in Community College, and to be quite honest- I did not fre@kin’ care about what I was doing there. Like, to be honest; I really didn’t enjoy anything I was doing- my heart was in nothing that I did. Was it because of the courses I was taking? Was it because I’m a Lazy f*ck and didn’t put the work in? Or did I simply not care enough to put that kind of work into my future? Man, I can kind of hear my family yelling at me right now over it. ‘Cause in all honesty: I don’t know what I want to do either. 

I know I don’t want to do College again; I don’t think I ever cared that much beyond the same old “College is the gateway to a better future that’ll let you do anything your heart desires” mentality that ALL parents throw at their kids. I would actually tell people that I joined the Football team because I was trying to get a Scholarship for whatever college would offer it to me. I had one close by, but in all honesty I didn’t care. And after going there for about a year and some change; I know that that’s not something that I’m built for. Or want to try at. But I also know that a Parttime job at Dollar General- isn’t cutting it after almost 3 years. Something that I talked about with my dad recently. A FULL TIME job at some other store- or at ALL- is similarly unappealing. But if I want to get away from brother; have my OWN house where I make the rules; to be the “King Of A Castle,” then……….. I gotta do something. 

I think that…….. my problem is…….. that I’ve had nothing that I’m super invested in. There isn’t anything that I’ve seen that I’m really………. Enthused to do. Nothing save for my blog. I love what I do up here. And everything that I’ve been doing has been structured around letting me do this blog the most efficient way possible. I even got a whole new site just because my dad had this job that allowed him to set up this website where we offer merchandise to people. Because I want to do this- AND make money to support myself so that I don’t have to get a job! But a year or 2 in; I’ve sold nothing. And I hate most other jobs. But if I want to make this THE thing, then……… I gotta do something. Maybe trade school to learn how Marketing works. Man, is that a thing that you go to trade school for? I hate the idea of going back to some college type facility, but if I want to not leave my house and be able to have as many days off as I d@mn well desire, then………. “Gotta Bite The Bullet.” 

But how does all of this relate to Luz and “The Owl House?” Well, I kind of only realized all of this because I was thinking of what to say about the series finale. But I also kind of relate to Luz, you know? Moreso than Anne, I’ll tell ya. The only thing I have in common with Anne is an experience; I kind of see more of Luz’ perspective on things- right down to her behavior. Though- if you ask my brother- I was just in the wrong. Then again, he says the same thing about Luz. Which is fair, considering what we did. 

• Anne- I talked about it in the Amphibia Finale post(and later deleted when it didn’t come out the way that I wanted it to), but…….. I didn’t initially choose Football as an Afterschool activity. That was something my more……. serious and “vocal” family members said that I should go with. Though my parents talked me into ROTC my last year of middle school. That fell through, and Football…….. my family’s into it. Hard core. And I’ll admit that I watched it this year with my family and got into the “Heat” of things. But really, I don’t much care for sports. I liked the people I played with; likely never would have met them and formed the bonds that I did if I didn’t join the Football team. So it came out alright. But the further I get from those years- all those summers spent running up and down the field in the heat- I can’t help but think about “The Road Not Travelled.” Just as Anne let Sasha push her around most of her life; I let my family push me into Football, instead of choosing something that sounded a little more interesting: Anime Club. My cousin had told me about it, and it sounded interesting because those were my “All About Dragon ball” years. But I chose Football because that’s what I felt was expected. And while I miss the players- do NOT wish to do all that running again. Do not care for that kind of exercise. At least not at that intensity. So if I got the chance to do it all again- would I choose Anime club? Or Football? If I was asked this 2 years ago, I’d have said anime club. But in truth: I’m not sure. I don’t know what Anime Clubs effects would be on me in the Long term. I know Football instilled in me a sense of “commitment” that I still hold to this day, which is part of why I went in to work every time they asked; why I have trouble quitting now. Even though I’m not happy there. And I don’t really know what Anime club does. But……. maybe I would have found something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. But I can’t base a Life Decision off of a “What If…….” Right? I hear people say a lot that “You can’t worry about the What If’s,” but then I also hear having an “Imagination” is important. Which is it? 
• Luz- I was much like Luz in Elementary school- up until like that latter half of 8th grade when I…….. just kind of “let go,” I guess. Well; it was more because I wasn’t happy with my life at home than I simply “grew” out of the phase. Looking at my behavior, I still kind of act like that. For Luz- it was Witches. For ME- Villains. She made Taxidermy Griffins that breathe Spiders(no idea where that came from) and brought Snakes to school; I actively antagonized the class- to the point where I would vote against them, even if I agreed with them. I remember one story in which someone the whole class hated moved away and came back; they were upset- I cheered. They cheer for someone- I’d Boo. In that sense, you could say that I’m worse than Luz was; she wasn’t actively going against everyone- she was just “expressing herself.” Meanwhile; I was playing a game that…….. no one else was. And it was- beyond getting me in trouble and having my mom talking with my teacher and then me ending up forced into group assignments when I turned in work on time on my own– was isolating. And something that I’ve found in my household- between my brother’s who’ve always been close and agree on most things, and my parents who don’t fully get me at times- it’s that being around people can sometimes be more isolating than being alone. It sucked. I suppose I could have simply asked people to play with me, but………. I didn’t. And Luz didn’t ask people either. We just kind of………. played our own games without considering everyone else. Luz got an outlet for her imagination; I just make short stories where villains win. And I’ve found that no one likes that kind of story.  Then again, mine lean towards the “Edgey Cringelord” side of things. I didn’t have an outlet for a long time. Then I got a blog, where I found a lot more likeminded people than I had thought I would; people that I like speculating with, and talk about these series with. People that……… I like. And I’m glad read my posts. 

……………… I’m only now realizing that I haven’t gotten into the series. Most of what I’ve done so far is talk about my personal biz and how it sort of vaguely almost relates to Luz. I haven’t actually introduced the series yet, huh? Heh……. my mistake. For those of you who got turned away from my cringey relation to Luz; Thank You. This is the End of Series “Retrospective” for the Disney Channel Original Series: “The Owl House-” from the mind of Gravity Falls Alumni(Storyboard Artist/ Revisionist; In-House Animator) Dana Terrace. This is the second series from a Gravity Falls Alumni; the first being Amphibia from the mind of Matt Braly(Storyboard Artist; Director; Key Animator on 8 episodes of “Gravity Falls”). You could call them “Sister Series-” in the same way you would Naruto and One Piece; 2 series coming out around a similar time frame with a similar premise. In the case of Amphibia and “The Owl House;” both series follow a girl on her adventures through another world. 

“The Owl House” follows 14 year old Luz Noceda- an Afro-Latina American- as she ventures through the “Boiling Isles” in her quest to become a Witch. Which she does. She also has to fight this Centuries Old Witch Hunter who seeks to destroy her second home. But that’s for later. She strives for her goal with the help of the Wanted Criminal Edalyn Clawthorne/ “Eda The Owl Lady” and the self proclaimed “Demon King-” or “King.” An a door. Never got what the point of Hooty was, considering how he’s treated throughout the series. He’s treated like this Annoying Pest from the get go; he becomes closer with Lilith than he does with the people actually living in the Owl House! And King’s more of a mascot than anything! Don’t know what the point was, but………. Okay. 

Since I’ve written about all the emotional stuff that I’ve learned through thinking about this finale, I’m left with nothing to do but talk about the show………… and whatever else I can think up to add about it. From the upper parts, you’re probably thinking that we’re just gonna “Ramble” through the show until I come to the end. On any other day, you’d probably be right. But considering…….. EVERYTHING I just talked about; it’s clear this series means more to me than I had ever thought it did. From the end of “Amphibia,” I didn’t think I’d be as into this finale as I was into that one. ‘Cause that one was…….. Pretty Fre@kin’ COOL. But seeing THIS- what Luz became and what she went through- not to mention the Overwhelming potential that this series has in comparison; I can’t help but feel……… that this one……… needs a little more planning. So I’ll be talking in segments. And I think the first thing I should talk about is………..

Amphibia And The Owl House: The Descendants Of Gravity Falls

Cliche, but……… You can’t deny the influence that show had on this generation of animation. Hey, that rhymed! But yeah; Gravity Falls alumni have gone on to create some of the most talked about pieces of animation to date. Projects like Inside Job, The Mitchells vs The Machines, Big City Greens- and THESE 2 Juggernauts- All from the minds of people who worked on Gravity Falls. And with Big City Greens, Amphibia, and “The Owl House” in particular– It Shows. Mostly through the sense of humor all four shows seem to share. But the things that these 2 have more in common with the predecessors than the others(aside from “Inside Job”) is that they- like Alex Hirsch’s Magnum Opus- are primarily story driven, leading to a conclusion that determines the fate of everything. They also have the underlying theme of “Change” and “Growth;” through the Pines Twins, Anne, and Luz, we learn what it takes to become……… The Version of yourself you’d like to see in the mirror. But they all get it across in different ways: 

• The Pines’ learned that “growing up” doesn’t always mean “growing apart.” The Stan Twins may have drifted apart over their differences, but Dipper and Mabel lifted each other up when they needed to, ultimately saving the World from Bill Cipher. 
• Anne learned to stand up for what she believed in, even if other’s didn’t agree with her. And part of that change is learning when to “let go.” Because like she said: “Of the things you let go, you’d be surprised what makes it’s what back to you.” 
• Luz learned that it’s not always changing yourself that it’s important. She certainly can’t bring Snakes to school, but she also needs to be true to herself. And it’s just a matter of changing the way that people see you; helping them to understand the way you’re mind works when no one does. 

Oh man, where do I go after that? Um……. it’s also worth noting that Alex Hirsch has had a voice acting role in everything I’ve mentioned, and has even been a Story Consultant on some of them. Like……… Man’s legendary. Although……….. something that I WILL say is that both series finales- for Amphibia and “The Owl House-” aren’t as golden as Weirdmageddon. For “The Owl House-” SO not their fault; they got cut short and had to…….. pretty much write an ending on the spot. And for what it was; I liked “Thanks To Them” and “Watching And Dreaming.” “For The Future………..” had to wrap up a plot that they didn’t even want in the first place. Yeah, I had heard from the Roubdtable on Youtube that Hexside was something Disney forced Dana Terrace to put in the show. “Relatability” and all that stupid sh!t. So when it came to closing the door on Hexside; it only makes sense that that part would be the weakest. 

“Beginning Of The End” could have been a Half hour special unto itself; Holy F*CK man I loved “All In” and “The Hardest Thing,” but they may have needed a few more episodes and more time to give the series a proper end. Because as far as finales go: That was a pretty Solid one. It didn’t betray any themes; every character’s arc was finished in the most satisfactory was possible; it was just……… Fine. It was getting there that seemed to be a problem. “The Core And The King” should have been a half hour special unto itself, and the character arc for Sasha was a little bit……. odd. Like I was talking about it one night with Ajay, and he brought up how her character was inconsistent a lot of the time. Going from the season 1 finale to “Barrel’s Hammer;” from “Anne…… I think you’re better off without me” to “NOT WHILE ANNE AND MARCY ARE GETTING BY WITHOUT ME!!!” COOL SCENES- what the h#ll changed? Did I miss something? As you can probably tell, I’m not the “sharpest knife in the drawer” or anything like that; maybe I missed something emotional in “Toad Catcher” that made her change like that? Kind of weird. 

For Amphibia, if I had any say in the matter; I would have given the Final season 3 more episodes to work with, giving “The Core And The King” and “The Beginning Of The End” more time to breathe, and giving “The Hardest Thing” a full 1 hour treatment. That’s just me. And “The Owl House” just needed to tell it’s story properly. I liked all the swipes they made at Disney’s expense, like that time Luz said “Maybe if we had TIME for 20 more adventures but we don’t.” Or in the finale “Watching And Dreaming” when she expressed interest in an Eda spin off about her time in Grudgby. And based on some of the reactions to the Finale, I’m sure Disney would give Dana Terrace a spin off. But after what happened to her series……….. I think she’s more than done with Disney. Didn’t she quit shortly before the Finale aired? Good luck getting her back, Mouse! 

In my mind; I think the show would have done better with 4 or 5 seasons and- while not  a full Spin off or TV Movie– an Eda Prequel 1 hour special that jumps around a little bit in the timeline, with more episodes that would be dedicated to some of Eda’s past. Also a Lumity date episode where nothing happens. No misunderstandings or interference from another party; no Emperor’s Coven problems or planning to attack them directly; no……… PLOT. Just Luz and Amity, and showing us why they work as a couple. Maybe like the one episode of Smiling Friends- that bottle episode in the airport. Season 1 at 20 episodes; seasons 2 and 3 at 23; and the last 2 at 26. Why would I up the episode count? More time for those 1 off adventures. And more time to build up to the idea of the Collector. OH!!! THAT’S something!! The Villains of both series take some sort of inspiration from Bill Cipher!! 

The Collector possesses Bill’s powers and “Flare;” Darcy had the same playful/chaotic/insane and manipulative nature Bill carried; but then you the outliers in the Core itself and Belos. If Darcy and the Collector are Bill’s insanity and power, then Belos and the Core proper would be his manipulative, plotting nature- right down to how they use everyone as part of their larger scheme. Bill tricked Dipper at an emotional moment; the Core used Andrias’ love for his father against him; Belos conditioned everyone in the Emperor’s Coven to crave his approval. They all have some aspect of Bill to them, which speaks volumes as to his influence on animation. For a villain who didn’t do much in the series, too. Like; I compare Gravity Falls to Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated a lot because of their length and how they choose to handle their storytelling. For Gravity Falls, there were only a handful of episodes building up to Weirdmageddon- and not all of them even used Bill in the episodes. He was always there in “presence” because his symbol was all over the Mystery shack, but he largely didn’t do much himself. 

Whereas Mystery Incorporated- a series that also only had 2 seasons- built up the main story in almost EVERY episode. I’m sure going back to it I’ll find 3 or so episodes that had NOTHING to do with the larger story, but……… from memory; most episodes. I think the reason Gravity Falls had so few episodes building up to Weirdmageddon comes down to Alex Hirsch and the age old “Expectations vs Reality” problem. He broke down in an interview leading into the Final season that he underestimated how difficult it was making an animated series. So he decided to wrap it up earlier than he expected. Which…….. may have had a hand in the quality of the show. The LONGER  show goes on- the worse and worse it gets. The Simpsons; Family Guy; Dragon Ball Super; etc. But because of Fall’s shorter length, it didn’t have time to………… suck. Rewatching it a few times reveals how awful Mabel was as a character- so much so that I don’t often watch the first episode or the episode with Mermando- but in all the series was pretty solid. He says like he doesn’t try to defend some of Post Time Skip “One Piece.” 

I also realize that by saying this, I should probably just accept the length of these 2 series and be happy they got to tell their stories at all. It’s only because of what Hirsch said and how Disney did them with leaking Episodes early and cutting “The Owl House” short that I don’t bash them as much as I probably could(or as much as Ajay would). Creating a show is DIFFICULT- between fitting Studio demands; adhering to censors and network regulations; Dana Terrace even said that the series might have come out way different if not at Disney because she probably wouldn’t have the same Team. You also have to account for budgets, resources, how fans react to certain subjects, and a whole bunch of other sh!t I can’t even BEGIN to imagine! It’s why I try to talk positively about these series; so that these creators don’t feel like their hard work and sacrifices don’t just get them yelled at. Though I will raise h#ll over problems I see in these stories, as recent events in My Hero will tell you. 

………… Man, there’s a lot to talk about with this topic, huh? I went from not knowing what to say about this series to having too godd@mn MUCH to say!! The anime influences in Amphibia are clear(“Dragon Ball” being the obvious one, but also “Saint Seiya” with their full Calamity Powers), but really it reads more like an RPG game; think Legend Of Zelda with some Sonic in there(if for nothing more than the Gems). While “The Owl House” is a long form Howl’s Moving Castle mixed with Fullmetal Alchemist, Sailor Moon, I get the hint of some Magical DoReMi(spell beads= Glyphs and Witches), and probably some other stuff I probably can’t put my finger on. But the thing that they share when all is said and done: Cool Transformations. That’s honestly the part the I was building up to with this section; Anne and Luz both got cool anime-esque transformations. You can clearly see where Anne got hers, but Luz………. stumped. But still cool. 

I think both forms are cool……. in different ways. With Anne- I’m a Dragon Ball fan through and through. Will be til the day I die. I know that a lot of my recent Super posts- as well as just my opinion on Super as a series- have gotten…………. well, “sour.“ But nothing that Super is doing or has done can ever ruin Toriyama’s original work. As such- Big fan of Calamity Mode. Wish we could have seen Sasha and Marcy use their Proto-Modes, too, before we reached their Armored look. Which is pretty cool unto itself, though I’ve admittedly not watched Saint Seiya myself. And then there’s Luz’ Titan Witch mode. At least that’s what I’m choosing to call it. That or just “Titan Mode.” And THAT………. Okay, I like that Motif with the Hat, and I like the look. The only reason I think that I like Calamity Mode more is because we had a lot more time with it, and that it wasn’t a “One Off.” Though I’ll admit I imagined that fit for Luz in the Final Battle. I don’t know which one I’d like more after a few more viewing of BOTH, though……..

I GUSHED about “Amphibia” in the review for that series, and- based on the length of this post and how much I still have left- I clearly like this series more than I had anticipated. That happens a lot with me; I never realize how much I enjoy a series until it ends. I was really surprised how long it took to make my Attack On Titan review. And now there’s this. Huh…….. I guess I’m just a “Sap” for endings. But in any case; Which one do I like More? Man, I can’t say. Is it right to compare the quality of a series that got cut short to one that got to tell their full story? I can’t really say. I suppose I would pick Amphibia still, if for nothing more than I’m a fan of Musicals and Holiday episodes- 2 things Dana Terrace was actively against during “The Owl House’s” run. Well, I know she was against Musicals because she was in School theater or whatever, and didn’t like it much. So I’m not gonna fault her on that. And I suppose any holiday episode they could have done would have been “Forced” just like Hexside, so……. I get it. Still “Amphibia.” But I guess we’ll see again as time passes. 

King Clawthrone: The Chuunibyou That Got His Wish

Ya ever heard that term? The first time I heard it was back when my brother’s convinced me to watch the anime Love, Chuunibyou, And Other Delusions. And watching it felt………… familiar. Too much so, if I’m to be honest. Because after just the first episode, I realized: I was once a “Chuunibyou” myself. Or I guess a term that you’re probably familiar with: Weeb. I was one of those kid’s “waiting for their Hogwarts Acceptance Letter;” someone who liked to brag about being “the MOST Special!” and talk about how I would one day “Decide The Fate Of Humanity” or whatever. That was me. And it was King. For me, I believed that Aliens were going to choose me for some “Cosmic Destiny” or “I had Alien blood coursing though my veins;” for King, he believed himself the “King Of Demons- The Most Feared Being In The Demon Realm; Feared By All!!” We were the same. The only difference is that the Aliens never came to pick me up, and when no one wanted to play with me- that phase just kind of died out. King got HIS wish- more or less. 

It’s the irony of his situation: He had always believed he was some kind of “Despotic King,” but when that turned out to be false; he just wanted to learn who and what he was. Come to find out that he was the Single Most Important Creature in the Demon Realm- A Titan who would one day die and give rise to more life somewhere in the Demon Realm. In a Sense: Some sort of God. And when he finally figured out who he was, and it turned out to be a step above some Poultry King……… he realized………… that THAT………. that having that kind of………. Position in the Universe………wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. Almost the opposite of what he wanted when he realized it. He was living on his dad’s rotting carcass; he just wanted to meet his dad and play a game of Catch. That’s gotta be some kind of “Cosmic Torture” right there? And……. not so different from what I’ve gone through. 

It’s like, from some point in Elementary/Grade school to some point in 8th grade; I wanted to be some……… “Chosen One-” some “Special Being Born of The Stars Who Commands Respect and Fear from Everyone in his path.” And now– now that I’m out of High School and have nothing BUT the freedom to choose how I live(more or less; I’m coming to learn that “Adult Freedom” comes at some sort of price)- I find myself………. some times missing that structure. Like I said: I don’t want to go back to school like that anymore. But……. I miss…….. the “lack of thought” that I had to put into how my day went. A video I watched recently about Angroboda from God of War: Ragnarok talked about that “freedom” that comes after graduating High School; Fatbrett talked about……. how that’s sometimes scary for some people. I heard that and I was like “…….. So it’s NOT just me?” ‘Cause making these kinds of choices is EXHAUSTING sometimes. Choosing whether or not to go into work every time someone calls out with a papercut- weighing my temper, other priorities, and general Relaxing time over more money. That sounds like an easy choice for those who haven’t worked in Customer service- or to those who have kids. But for me- not always worth it. 

But it’s also choosing jobs that fit to where I can work on my blog the way that I have; planning the future for myself rather than a teacher telling me there’s gonna be a test Friday and planning around that; the Freedom of “Choice………” comes with these……… Problems that I don’t think I can ever properly explain because………. I’m just kind of a Lazy Guy. At some point in High school, I became one of those kids who does their homework before the bell rings to start class- I didn’t really do my homework at home like that anymore! Now I’m faced with all these choices and it’s like………… “I miss my day being planned out weeks in advance.” And for King; he probably wanted to trade this “Grandiose” origin for his dad when he found out the truth. If I had known what was waiting on the other side of graduation, then I probably wouldn’t have taken the “Day To Day” tedium of Public school for granted! 

But back to King: His story seems to be “Be Careful What You Wish For” with some “You Already Had What You Wanted” mixed in. Something to that effect. Because I think he may have also realized what would become of him someday, you know? Knowing one’s own fate can’t be good for anyone, even knowing that it’s potentially hundreds if not THOUSANDS of years away. And that’s the other thing; it can’t be happy knowing that you’re SO TOTALLY going to outlive your loved one’s by like……… CENTURIES. The story didn’t get the chance to delve into that side of things, but……. probably would have been some time dedicated to King’s full reaction to being a Titan. 

Alex Hirsch voices the character, using his Bill Cipher voice without the “Echo” filter thing. Picked up on him immediately though. Heh; I still remember this theory from The Roundtable I believe that speculated that King was Bill’s reincarnation- his “way of resolving his crimes.” And then that would end up tying this, Gravity Falls, and Amphibia into the same Universe so at some point we can get a giant crossover movie that would see………… oh wait; that last little bit’s just me. But I WAS a believer in the idea, based on all the references that these shows make to Gravity Falls AND to one another……….. King’s Voice. It- plus his behavior- made me like him off rip. And then seeing him grow and change through the influence of Luz- seeing his reaction to learning that he’s not the “Demon King” he thought he was; I have to say: Pretty Interesting Character. 

Edalyn Clawthorne: Leader Of The Bad Girl’s Coven!

…………… There’s a lot that’s already been said about Edalyn Clawthorne. The most that I’ve seen is theories that she was one the wife of Stanley Pines who stole all his money in Vegas. A lot of what I’m bringing up is just more “Gravity Falls” connections, but that’s just how “ingrained” that show is in its descendants “DNA.” But something that I’ll always remember about Eda the Owl Lady is what she told Luz in Episode 2: 

Look, kid, everyone wants to believe that they’re “chosen”. But if we all waited around for a prophecy to make us special, we’d die waiting. And that’s why you need to choose yourself.

– Eda The Owl Lady 

That line will stick with me for a while. Episode 1 was really ham-handed in his message, and Episode 2 was……. similar in that regard. But even so; I still watch them fondly. Episode 2 stuck with me because of Eda’s message to Luz; it told us 1)That this show is not “bound” to some “Grand Fate” and 2)Because I think it’s something that Dana Terrace felt about Destiny Stories. The one thing that I hear people say about those kinds of narratives is that it “undermines” everything the main character goes through; that they never really “earn” anything and everything it handed to them because its’s “bound by destiny.” And I guess Dana didn’t want her series to be like that. The only thing that I want to say about that is that not all chosen one plots are like that. Take for example one of my favorite manga currently: Edens Zero. 

That manga sets up in……… Chapter 2 of its story that Shiki has some kind of “Grand Destiny” that ties into the fate of the Universe. But the way that Mashima sets it up is different from you’re typical “Chosen One” plot in that Shiki’s “destiny” is not to “Save” or “Destroy” the Universe- but to change it altogether. The fate of everything depends on a choice that Shiki has to make, and that choice completely depends on the path that he walks. And it’s the people around him- the Universe around him- that’ll set him down one of those paths. It’s plots like that that make me wonder how valid those books Totally Not Mark talked about. It was either KM Weiland’s “Creating Character Arcs” or John Truby’s “The Anatomy Of Story” that said “The Protagonist should always be active- The world has to react to the Protagonists Actions. If you write a compelling active character, then you’ve already written a story” or something to that effect. And I’m like……… “No.” I mean; would you call Goku an “Active Character-” the type that’ll actively run the story through his actions? I don’t think that applies. 

Goku didn’t seek out the Dragon Balls and run into Bulma; Bulma came for the 4 Star ball. Goku didn’t set out to find and defeat King Piccolo; the Pilaf Gang released him and he went after the 4 star ball and killed Krillin, prompting Goku to spring into action. Goku didn’t look into his lineage; his brother came to Earth one day. And because of the Saiyan Invasion, they had to go to Namek. Goku reacts to The World. It’s his REACTION that the world Reacts to. He didn’t pick a fight with the Red Ribbon army; they tried to take the Dragon ball from him and he fought back. And that would snowball into him invading their base and crushing the army. Which is why Gero wanted Revenge in the first place. At least that’s how I see it. 

………….. Right, Eda. Yeah, I like that line. But even more so: Her Curse. That…….. that’s probably one of the things that got shafted because of the abrupt shortening. We never really learn the origins of the Owl Beast, nor do we learn what the deal was with that version of The Collector. Or get a proper resolution for em; they never journey to the Owl Beast’s home and finds its family, or even find a proper cure for it. And that was an End Goal; I don’t think it was supposed to end up like Fullmetal Alchemist where Ed ended up keeping his automail leg. Like; THAT was meant to convey the nature of “Consequences-” Ed managed to get Al back and save the world from Dwarf in the Flask, but………. “That’s one of those things that never go away.” Eda’s curse was NOT that. If they wanted to convey “consequences,” then they could have kept a strained relationship with some people she pushed away because of her curse(not specifically Raine, but that’s not out of the question); the people she hurt by not trusting them and sharing with them her burden. THAT would have been something. 

That said; he losing her arm…….. getting a coven sigil that…….. would……. prevent her from doing multiple kinds of magic……. and even though they found a way to remove the sigils; her f*ckin’ arms gone……….. and remaining cursed……… Kind of feels like Eda came out of this with a raw deal. It seems like she’s the one who lost the most from this whole experience. And for like………. No Reason. She may have been a criminal but she wasn’t a Cat Murderer or something; why did she lose her arm, remained cursed, and prevent from practicing wild magic?! Heck, she helped Lilith get into the Emperor’s Coven; took her into her home after learning that it’s HER fault she had to live like this; took in a Human girl off of……….. she’ll say “Free Labor” but also because “Weirdo’s Have To Stick Together” and all that. What the Heck??!!

I think if the series had gotten to tell its full story, we would have seen a season where resolving Eda’s curse would be the Main Thing. Know what I mean? Like; I think Awestruck Vox was right in that the Blights would have been important Antagonists for the story- particularly Lumity. But I don’t think they could carry a whole season all by themselves; as big as Lumity was for Shippers and fan artists- it wasn’t the point of the show. Which is probably a good way to convey it. Like, a lot of the time; pieces of media will show off LGBTQ+ relationships and make them……. the “Primary Selling Point” or the story- they treat it like a something they have to “market” to get people to see it. And I’m just like………. “Shouldn’t the point be that these kinds of relationship are completely normal? They’re not something you’re supposed to stare at- just like you shouldn’t stare at ANY couple out in public.” You know what I mean? It’s good that they’re getting representation, but……… that shouldn’t be “the thing” that the show revolves around- not unless you pitch it like that and that’s what the movie/show is about. Lumity wasn’t the point. 

……………. EDA’S CURSE, D@MMIT!! I don’t think that the Blights could carry a whole season by themselves; Lumity may have been part of why the show got as big as it did(can’t tell ya how many times I’d hear my brothers scroll through the show’s sub reddit and see NOTHING but Lumity Fan art), but that’s not the purpose of the show……… right? Right. So they would need to balance out the Lumity vs Blights plot with something that would end up being story relevant. Like Eda’s curse, which ties into the reveal of the Collectors being a concept in the story, which ties into Belos’ rise to power. Something like that. From there, we discuss what to do about what we’ve learned about Belos, and how Eda and the Owl Beast are going to break free of each other- using Harpy mode until they can be free. Yeah; it would be something like that. Though that could probably be how the second season ends. Season 3 could deal with fighting Belos directly and learning about Philip Wittebane- really focusing on the origins of the Portal Door or something. 

There was also her relationship with Lilith. Could never tell which one was supposed to be the eldest; Eda’s hair color didn’t really help with that. Wait, was it ever explained why her curse made her limbs detachable? I can construe that grey hair to match the Owl beasts…….. Fur? Feathers? But the limbs falling off was……. an odd choice. Whatever. Back to Lilith…….. well; we’ll get to all that later. 

Emperor Belos: The Perfect Ending

I once made a post about my Favorite Villains in Western Animation. Mostly because I had wanted to talk about 3 in specific: Bill Cipher from “Gravity Falls;” Spinel From “Steven Universe: The Movie;” and Mal from “Total Drama All Stars.” But I realized the list was a little too short, so I threw in characters like Foop from The Fairly Odd Parents and the Brain Freezer from Johnny Test. It did not get likes. Which sucked because I liked every Villain on that list- at least a little. Looking at it, I can see that I did a little too much- adding in too many villains. If I end up doing it again, the it’ll only have around 5 of that original list. But I can promise you: Bill Will Still be Up There. Darcy might just make it, but then you have Belos. Let’s not split hairs: He is the weakest of the Antagonists from this era. Gideon and Bill run this sh!t; Darcy and Andrias were pretty entertaining, but we never got enough of the Core itself; Belos and the Collector. I wouldn’t even call Collector an “Antagonists-” he was simply a God with the mentality of child, used for his power. 

I watched a video once discussing the differences between when the Collector could only interact with the world as a Shadow vs when he was freed from his Beast Ball. Because that was a Beast Ball. Didn’t think anyone else enjoyed “Sun And Moon” like me. For me; that was……… the first Pokemon game I played. Like; the Christmas that I got my Nintendo 3dsXL- that was the game I told my parents I wanted. Well, I told them Sun, but they got me Moon instead. Wasn’t mad, though. Okay, I wanted Mareanie, which was a “Sun” exclusive, but other than that- Golden. Especially when me and my brother’s tapped into “Pokemon Bank.” Story for another time.……………… I keep getting side tracked. Eh, if you’re still reading this deep in, you must be curious how I ended up the way I am. 

In whatever case; the video talked about how the Collector was more like a……… like an “Impressionable Child” of sorts. Or more accurately: A child so desperate for friendship that he’s willing to change the way he acts around certain people. With Belos, he acted……. somewhat similarly; playing less like the “Child” we’ve come to know and more like a 12 year old Edgelord that finally got his wish and was playing into the role. Belos saw “Omnipotent God that has information he needs” and became…….. well, to Belos- “Excellent Pawn,” but to us- someone who actually seemed dangerous; like them getting out would be the end of it all. Come to find out, when he was finally freed; the first thing he did was “play a game” with Belos and make sure King kept his promise- even making “An Owl House” so they could play a game better. What DID he mean by “An Owl House,” by the way? I don’t think we ever got a proper answer. 

In the end, the Collector’s role in the ending was…….. well, a “Plot Device-” a tool that was used to set the Final Stage for the Final battle, cutting down the roster of characters we would have to focus on and altering the landscape to what was needed for the Finale to work. Trapped the kids in Hexside; kept Eda, King, and Lilith around; set up the opening scene of the Finale after getting his feelings hurt; protected Luz’ friends when his castle was coming down because of what Belos was doing- A Tool. Like I said earlier: He had all the power and “whimsy” of Bill, and Belos got all the manipulative, vile, single mindedness. Bill didn’t care what happened to the Universe so long as his dream was fulfilled, and Belos was willing to commit……… Dimensional Mass Genocide just to become Witch Hunter General. 

Speaking of Belos: He got Muzan’d. HARD. From this……… Terrifying, Omnipresent Threat always just off screen but has some sort of hand in everything going on- be it directly something he’s doing or through his subordinates- to a pile of goo that they needed to wipe off their shoes. Not the giant wailing infant I love to see, but just as appropriate. Because at the end of the day; Belos was nothing more than………… a parasite. He represented the mindset of the Salem Witch Trials- the prejudice that came with that era. Which stood in opposition to Luz and her “expressive” nature. Which is what Magic is: “The Freedom of Expression.” At least that’s what I’ve come to see in Magic based series like “Black Clover” and “Fairy Tail.” Though I’m also understand it was also a sexism problem. Not educated enough in the topic to talk about it more than that, though. 

But that’s what I mean: He represents the prejudice of that era- something he learned coming to the Americas. He was young and impressionable, and that prejudice got its hooks in him- DEEP. To the point where even his brother couldn’t bring him out of it. And through centuries of life, he just……….. it just “doubled down” over and over and over and over and over again, to the point where…………. He became the Living Embodiment of it. Like Luz said, he “wasn’t even Human anymore.” It’s like………… I don’t know if Belos was beyond redemption. Not that they had time to convey that that was ever a possibility, had they gone for it at all. But after centuries of being like this- all this planning and all the time that hatred of his had to fester- having betrayed and stabbed his brother and God KNOWS what to his brothers kid– Could they do it? If they had a hint that there was some good in him maybe, but…………. they didn’t. So they respond to Attempted GENOCIDE the way they did in the end. But if I’m having a hard time talking about why he’s such scum that he may have deserved the end he got; why am I calling it the “Perfect Ending?” Simply Put: Giving him some sort of “Grand Send Off,” or if they had- in the last 2 minutes before he died- tried to imply some sort of redemption– It just wouldn’t have felt right. 

He’s………… A Relic from an era we long outgrew. Trying to change the mind of someone so set in their ways like Phillip was would have been a task that takes……………. more time than the show would ever have. And they just plain didn’t have time to send him off the same way they did for Bill or the Core or Darcy or Gideon- just not enough time for that. In the end, treating him like a Parasite they they just needed to get rid of- was probably the best course of action. Especially with how he tried to save his own skin in his final moments. That’s the OTHER part of it: Seeing Luz not even bothering to speak to Phillip- as if he was so unworth her time that speaking to him would be a waste. That wasting any of that power on him at that point would have been less that worth it. But she also knew that if they just let him keep going, then he would have tried something else in his last moments. But even THEN it seemed like he was on his last legs. The only thing that would have been better is letting him slink off to die somewhere else. Or maybe put up a barrier and let him die in there. Something like that might have also have been a fitting end, considering how crazy he became towards the end of it. 

Yeah, that’s the other thing: He kind of went NUTS at some point. Over the course of watching some of the last batch of “Owl House” related videos from The Roundtable, Awestruck Vox had said that Phillip was hallucinating his brother Caleb and seeing Evelyn in Luz. Caleb, maybe, but the scene he was talking about when he thinks Belos saw Evelyn in Luz- he was destroying Flapjack, who……. was either Evelyn’s palisman or a Palisman that was made by Caleb and Evelyn. And the way my brothers and I always interpreted that scene was him destroying Flapjack being his “symbolic goodbye” to Evelyn. Vox saw it has him talking to Luz while crushing Flapjack. Do you agree with us or with Vox? Let me know. 

The Other Stuff That’s Not Quite Important Enough To Get Its Own Section

For one reason or another- be it the change in my life that’s about to go down or because I doubt I can make a whole segment out of them like how I did for the 4 most important characters- I’m gonna start moving through things a little bit quicker. I’m gonna trying to give everything its time, but we’re gonna have to start moving kind of fast. Honestly speaking, I’m surprised that I was able to get this far; usually something happens to where I have to delete everything and start all over, or maybe it gets deleted because for WHATEVER reason- my computer shuts off, I lose my “mojo,” and scrap it disheartened. But I got a PLAN this time: I’m backing up everything on a separate docx, so I can just copy and paste everything if I lose it. I’m even saving TWICE because……. this is personally one of the best posts that I have ever written. I seriously don’t know how I’m going to top this one; I’m up to Page 14 at the time of this section(Saturday, April 15th, 2023, 8:01 pm EST). Oh man. Let’s just get to Amity Blight. 

Amity Blight: Shipping- Now With Character! 

I talked a little bit about it in my Attack On Titan retrospective- and even somewhere in this post- about how corporations tend to use LGBTQ+ relationships as a “Marketing Tactic-” like it’s a something to be leered at and not like it’s a normal part of life. ‘Cause it IS. And in that post; I talked about how Historia and Ymir had a few conflicting statements on the nature of their relationship- sometimes they were dating; sometimes a one sided attraction from Ymir; sometimes just close friends. It would change a lot. THAT’S the kind of sh!t I’m talking about; they’re gay when it helps them sell volumes, and straight when the LGBTQ+ community gets up in arms about how they’re represented. Which is why I think Isayama kept it a little vague; he has an out when they don’t need a gay couple. Which isn’t the worse way to do it. One thing I sort of liked is how there wasn’t any Homophobia allegory when Oldalia found out that Amity and Luz were a thing. Though they didn’t have time for there to be any sub plot like that.

I think they would have done a “You Can’t Date A Human” type of thing, which is part of why I don’t think the Blights were going to be as important as Vox did. Aladore was too………… High to really do anything to stop Odalia(though Odalia might be why he needed cush in the FIRST place), so he probably would have just been some kind of side-supporter of Lumity on the sly. Odalia would really be the one driving that story, and it probably would have ended up just how it did: Her basically out of their lives. Redemption Arc? Yeah, maybe. When it came time to stop Belos after seeing what he would be doing to her kids, she probably would have stood up. From there, though, I’m not sure. Could have had her just “step back” til the kids were ready and the little flash forward at the end shows them getting close to her again; could just forgive her right there and everything ends nicely. One of those is the “lesser” ending based on how people treat endings where everything gets a “Nice Big Bow” on it, but either one would be alright I guess. 

Amity in the beginning was such a Pacifica Northwest that I could see the change in her character coming a mile away. Though not the romance twist. I’ll tell you right now: Dipifica 4 Lyfe. And Lumity was pretty good, too. Though it got more time and focus than Dipifica, which debuted before the mid season finale of the Final Season. But yeah; pretty cute couple and all that. And she went through a pretty good arc of breaking away from her oppressive………. Mother. Aladore didn’t do anything, but that was also the problem. But considering how Odalia threatened to indoctrinate them into the family business, it almost feels like Aladore’s been trying to keep them out of it. I just feel bad for Aladore when I look at his wife. 

What else, what else, what else………. I liked her fight with Hunter. She was a bit annoying at the beginning, but then I think “Oh wait; she’s used to conditional love. And Hunter’s reflecting wasn’t helping any.” I think the theme of their fight was Amity fighting for someone who loves her success or fail vs Hunter’s determination for approval. Amity would have won- Hunter admits as much- but Hunter came out of it with the portal key. Which they were both after- Titan’s Blood. And the one who succeeds in the end is the one who gets the “Spoils.” But then they both got what they wanted. So……….. who thematically won the fight? Or does that even MATTER? Probably not……..

Willow Parks: The Prodigy In The Wrong Class

In Totally Not Mark’s full series review for Attack On Titan, Mark said something that stuck with me(more than it probably SHOULD have). He talked about Eren and Reiner’s placement in the story; Eren was the Sword that was meant to attack but was put on the defensive, while Reiner was the shield being used as a weapon- an Active character that’s put in a reactive position, and a Reactive character forced into an Active position, represented even in their Titan powers. How this applies to Willow, though- it doesn’t, admittedly; I was just using that as an example of “A Character In The Wrong Position.” I think that’s another example of a “Framing device,” but I’m not sure. The definition according to this article is “a narrative technique wherein a writer surrounds their primary story with a secondary one.” That sounds about right. But yeah; Willow was a Plant Magic Prodigy in the Abomination Track because it “had better job opportunities.” 

Growing up, I always felt like- if I was ever to be revealed to have some kind of advanced natural talent that would be monetizable- I would abuse it. Maliciously. But 1)I’ve never been put in a situation where I would know that I did and 2)I’m starting to realize why people who do have those kinds of abilities…….. don’t use them like that. Like; I don’t think everyone gifted with the ability to play the piano is a pianist. And that comes down to……….. the “Heart.” If you’re heart isn’t in it- if you’re only doing it because it makes money, then……… it would really be no different from customer service, would it? No One Wants To Work In Customer Service- I assure you. That guy getting yelled at by an old lady for being unable to scan a coupon properly doesn’t want to be there any more than the people in that line. Probably even less. But he’s got a family to feed, so he pulls up his “Big Boy” pants in the morning and goes in to get yelled at by the same old lady every Saturday for the same thing because she forgot to bring the right fre@kin coupon. I’m not even speaking from Personal experience; that’s something a customer told me about one day. 

So if you’re just doing it for money and don’t have your heart in it, then………. What’s really the difference? You’re just “collecting a check.” Willow is one of the cases where naturally talent and affinity line up, but they’re not something that’s guaranteed a lot of money. So she does something that she………….. isn’t good at, and doesn’t really seem to care for. She was placed in the Exact OPPOSITE course. And clearly that had an effect on her self esteem. She went from this………. Wall Flower that couldn’t make an Abomination to………… look at her relationship with Hunter for the “Glow Up.“ It was pretty impressive. Though- now that she has experience in Abomination making- she now might have a fall back plan. Like how Mayim Bialik has a degree in Neuroscience. It’s always good to have a Fall Back plan.

SPEAKING OF HER RELATIONSHIP WITH HUNTER: I did NOT see that coming. Then again, I also didn’t go in expecting them to actually say the word “Bi” and have and LGBTQ+ relationship at the forefront. Nor did I expect for THIS to be where I actually learn about the term “Non Binary.” Yeah, I didn’t know that was thing until this show. True Story. But her relationship with Hunter was……….. Nice. I actually like it more than Lumity. She’s so supportive and protective of him- so much so that he’s just kind of been able to explore “himself” on Earth without judgement. Like when Amity tried to tell him not to go out in cosplay; Willow stepped in and was like “Don’t Listen To Her.” Nice to see. And then the end credits of “Watching And Dreaming” with her being the one catching him when they fall. She, uh…….. Hunter did not initiate the relationship. At least not the “Facebook Official” part of it.

 Hunter: Discovering Who You’re Meant To Be

Since we’re on the topic of Hunter(and I’ve lost that “momentum” that got me to this point); Hunter. If Luz’ story is helping people to understand you, then Hunter’s story is how a strong support network helps you understand yourself. Because of Belos and the nature of his creation; Hunter never got the chance to……… “find himself;” he was always told what to do and how to act and who to be- never really allowed to see the kind of person he wanted to be. It’s been some days since I last worked on this post- this next little bit probably won’t “mesh well” with the rest of the post. But yeah; he never got the chance to figure himself out. And that was probably because Belos wanted to avoid killing Caleb all over again. Then again, as the Collector said: “It seemed like he made them just to break them.” I don’t think that’s the case, but it was probably after the 15th/16th time that he cared progressively less and less. Yeah, we’re already off to a great re-start. 

Hm…………. I don’t think this one applies to me at all. I mean; my family tells me all the time how I’m not “Doing What I want to do” because I’m taking care of my brothers. It feels like that sometimes, but what they’re thinking is that I’m gonna go out and “have fun” with people. I just want to work on my blog and not have to be the one to worry about dinner! If I can have a day where people don’t bug me, I don’t have to think about dinner plan, and just work on my blog, then……… I’m good. I’d like to go to the movies a little more often, but that sh!ts getting expensive. I’m perfectly fine just walking around on sunny, warm days  then coming home and doing nothing. That sounds f*cked up for a 23-year-old, huh? But if they ask me “What I want to do,” then I’ll tell them Nothing. But Hunter WANTS to do sh!t like that; to go out with big groups of people and have fun doing what big groups of people do. I get exhausted just talking to people. I’m an introvert by nature; I’m not built for that kind of social situation. 

Growing up I never felt like there was anything I was missing aside from slang, and I couldn’t even use that. Didn’t like a lot of the music of my peers; didn’t understand “style-” so much so that even at 23 I’m still getting the same haircut I’ve BEEN getting since……. sh!t, since I was old enough for my dad to cut my hair; I simply………. Don’t care, I guess. In that way, I guess I’m something of the opposite of Hunter; he wants all that………. Social stuff, while I just want to have a fun night in working on posts or something. It’s been a while since I’ve actually been able to sit and watch an anime uninterrupted by day-to-day life. One of my favorite things to watch just for fun was Pokemon- particularly from Johto League Champions onward. Actually managed to finish that season and EVERYTHING. Then again, I was watching it concurrently with Advanced and the original Digimon anime. Finished Advanced and moved on to Advanced Challenge, while I stopped Digimon around the introduction of Skullgreymon. 

But even with our differences; I enjoyed seeing Hunter experience life for himself on Earth- developing his own sense of “style” and learning what it is he likes to do as a hobby. Particularly his chose in clothing. I like how Willow supported him. It reminded me of this meme I saw talking about how anime kids were bullied a lot; “Let’s Be Real: You didn’t get bullied for watching anime- you got bullied for doing a Naruto run in the middle of the cafeteria.” I remember this one time picking up my brother from middle school- my old middle school- we saw a lunch lady outside smoking. But yeah; we probably shouldn’t be doing that kind of sh!t out in public. Though i’m also not like my brother in the mindset that we’ve all done something to bring that on ourselves. I have, but……. not all of it. I was the quiet kid in class in 2nd grade when a boy started kicking me under the desk. Then a girl joined in. I had never spoken to them; I just sat there. 3rd grade I did 2 things; 4th something; and by 5th, everyone knew what I was about, anyway. 

Hunter. I think………. that people should be allowed to express themselves in public, you know? Why censor yourself if everyone wants you to be yourself and speak up? I HATE sh!t like that; everyone wanting to get to know you, then when they find out they just leave? WHAT THE F*CK WAS THE POINT, THEN? Waste of my F*cking time is what THAT was. But I still think that people should be allowed to show the world who they are. So when Willow supported Hunter’s choice in going out in a Not-Star Trek get up; I was like “Yeah- be Free, Hunter.” 

There’s also his relationship with Flapjack which was really special. It takes that one very special friend to really bring out the best in you. Which is what Flapjack did for Hunter- both in terms of who he is, and in giving him the ability to use Magic. I think a lot of the reason Hunter was able to grow and change the way he did was due to Flapjack- someone he could actually talk to about his problems that he knew wouldn’t judge him, or give him the whole script about how “He Should do XYZ-” just someone who’s there who’ll listen. Shown how- even in moments where Hunter is wrong- Flapjack stands by him all the way, helping him achieve whatever goal he has at that moment. Even knowing what Belos does to Palismans(almost typed “Paladins”), he still helped Hunter in his fight with Amity; even knowing something was wrong with him, he still stole the Rebus for him; stood by him the whole way. So when Belos had him gravely injure Flapjack after all of that- he found the Will To Fight. 

Speaking of “Fight;” I’d be remissed to not mention Amity vs Hunter. You know, I liked the Titan Luz vs Below Fight; I liked “Agony Of A Witch’s” duel between Eda and Lilith; but I’d still say that I like this fight more- if for nothing more than the novelty of how strong Amity was with just……. goo. That and I liked their designs during that fight. It also helped Hunter learn to use Natural Magic on the fly- he learned through experience. And the End, when Hunter admitted that- after EVERYTHING that happened that day- Amity would have won. Don’t know what would happened with a fully rested Hunter that had a Technological staff, but it goes to show how strong Amity really is. It makes me wonder what she could have done if the series had been allowed to tell its full story; what kind of power up was awaiting her………….

Miscellaneous Stuff 

Okay, this post is getting a little long in the tooth- I think I’m starting to lose that initial “motivation” I had when I started. That, and you guys probably don’t want to be reading this all day. So now that we’re down into the stuff that really wasn’t that important, I think I’m just gonna start riffing. There really aren’t that many more things that I wanted to talk about with this post, anyway; mostly Gus, Lilith, and what went down with Alador and Darius. Seriously, WHAT HAPPENED? Whenever we saw them in Eda’s flashback episode, they looked to be the best of friends. But then Odalia was there with them. How the h#ll did they end up together, by the way? There’s no way she was like this when they first met, right? Otherwise I’m thinking she caught Alador mid-smoke and tricked him into marrying her. That or Odalia was an actual Person before all of this. My head canon is that she had something to do with their falling out. 

It might be that she was just hanging around them because they were the 2 top students in the Abomination track, and she saw the Business Potential of Abomination magic in conjunction with her Oracle Magic. She sat with them, assessing which one was the better Abomination bender- probably pit them against each other somehow- and Alador won, ending up as the one she chose to be with. Which made him the Loser in the end; he didn’t seem to be smoking anything when they were young. But Alador was actually in to her(for some reason), so they ended up falling out over a Girl- as most men do. That or he saw the way Odalia was changing him and tried to save him before it was too late, and Alador truly loved her in the beginning. It kind of feels like she was………. Maybe just a Regular Business Woman; not overly greedy or down right EVIL, but plausibly very “Up Front” with her behavior. And somewhere down the line, I guess she changed a bit by bit until…………. well, you saw what she became. 

I don’t know; there’s a story there, I know that much. More of a reason for that Eda Prequel Series, but……… something tells me Dana Terrace is over Disney’s sh!t. They tell her to add in a setting she didn’t want in the first place; censor her series and the themes she wanted to convey; and then cancel her and give her only 3 hour Long Specials to wrap up a story. They dare not ask her to make another series for them- her or Matt Braly, considering they don’t have enough respect to wait for the episode to come out and just leak it on Itunes. I WOULD watch that Prequel, though- if for nothing more than I think the concept would be funny. It could go from………. let’s say around where meets reign and go to when she meets with King. Flashback’s imply she had already met with Hooty and was already living in the Owl House by then. Oh, right, Hooty. Hooty…….. What was the point of Hooty? Like……… he’s that character that everyone in the show finds annoying, so he doesn’t get a lot of screentime outside of getting dumped on. But he facilitated the most important episode of the series: “Knock, Knock, Knockin’ On Hooty’s Door.” That was a fre@kin’ episode right there, man. 

He singlehandedly moved the plot along so that the 3 central characters had what they needed going into the final stretch of the series. If there was ever a sign that a series just got shortened, then it would be that episode. But it took it on the chin and made a pretty decent “We Gotta Rush The Plot A Little Bit” episode. It brings to mind that “Cheap Show” episode of Big City Greens. Man, what a way to save money and still deliver good content; that episode is seriously a fun one to watch. All the cute little references to the fourth wall without ever actually breaking it; venting about their schedule without being overly mean; a creative way to save money in general. Wonderful show, as well; I recommend it if you haven’t watched it already. 

Then there’s his best friend in the whole wide world, Lilith. Her curse storyline is one of the things that got shafted, as well as seeing how her relationship with her mom changed from what we saw in Gwen’s introductory episode. I’m not saying that she should have gotten Harpy Mode right after Eda, but I think seeing how she develops it would have been cool- especially where the Collector and the whole ending were concerned. It’s like; I think that if they got a full 20+ episode Final Season, we would have seen how the curse affected her when it came to dealing with the Collector. One thing we didn’t see is how her curse f*cks with magic, or if she actually had a “Biju” in her. You know what I mean? We never really see if she had her own Owl Beast after she split the effects of the curse; I don’t think that Pain Sharing spell she used CREATED a whole new life, right? We REALLY didn’t have time for that! So I think she might have had an easier time tapping into Harpy mode when it came to the Collector vs Eda and the Owl Beast’s beef with the boy. It would have been cool to see 2 differing perspectives on the end. 

Like; the first part of the Final season focuses a little bit on the Lilith and everyone else vs the Collector, and then we see the Earth team trying to find a way back, culminating in the Mid Season Finale when they come back. Then we see them preparing, and then maybe give the finale the 1 Hour treatment. Maybe THEN we’d have had time for Kikimora’s story. Yeah, that kind of took my brothers out of the episode. For me, I think she just needed SOME kind of conclusion; if anyone who isn’t MAIN Main character- I mean like Clawthorne family, Noceda’s, Blights, and the rest who’ve had significant…….. wait, she would probably deserve a proper conclusion the least. I’d rather have seen Darius and Eberwolf doing things that Kiki. Um……… ah, she could have been a puppet and we would have Bosha as the Antagonist for that special. Might’ve made the Finale land better, too; taking that time from Kikimora and giving it to the plot. Eh, can’t all be winners. 

And then you have Gus. Didn’t care for him that much; at least not as much as the other Hexside crew. Him getting that illusion power up was……….. exceedingly last minute; it was kind of just a way for him to learn that Hunter was a Grimwalker. Like……… like with everything in this post; I think the vast majority of the problem is the time the series had to give all its characters their screentime. When they found out they were getting shortened, they probably decided to just do everything they wanted to do- time constraints be d@mned. I can’t fault them for that, though; if you have an idea that you wanted to use and know you’re probably not gonna get the chance to flesh it out completely, then…….. just do it, I guess. Might as well! ‘Cause it’s not like seeing it took me out of the series. But then I’m not in love with Gus like I am the other characters.

What else, what else………. um……. F*ck Odalia……… The Coven heads? Meh; Darius and Eber were cool. Terra was a menace, though; I think she could have been the problem for a whole season- especially where Willow is concerned. I think seeing 2 powerful plant magic users would have been cool visually- it makes the terrain a double-edged sword for the both of them. Terra also facilitated Raine and Eda’s relationship, so that was important. Um……… trying to figure something out so that this post doesn’t just fizzle out………… I guess I could say one more thing before I end this.

To Dana Terrace and The Crew Behind The Show; to Matt Braly and his team behind Amphibia; to Alex Hirsch and the cast behind Gravity Falls; even to Disney for giving these people the chance to make their imaginations a reality; and to everyone who supports these series and helped them reach a conclusion; From the Very Bottom of My Heart:

Thank You.

Closing Thoughts 

There’s…….. A Lot that I want to say; a lot that I COULD say; that I probably should say. But…….. we don’t have time for all of that. Be it because I don’t want this to take like 4 more months to work on, or because I just don’t think I can write much more about this show. I should specify that- for everything I and my brother differ on; he’s still my brother. Just read one of the recent chapter of “Mashle: Magic And Muscles” for reference. I don’t know if he threw away that food or not; I just remember handing him his plate and him telling me I “f*cking ruined it.” He will never know how close I came to flipping that plate up in his face. But I love em. 

The reason I didn’t close the post with that image of the cast saying Goodbye is because I want that to be the last image of the post. But finding an image to put up there was difficult. I was originally going to use the last Hirluk panel from chapter 145– that panel of him saying “What A Life It Was!,” but………… it didn’t mesh as well as I wanted it to. It was the first part of One Piece that ever actually made me cry, so I thought it would be appropriate here. ‘Cause I’m like tearing up as we come to the end of this post, man. But then I’m like this with most series that come to an end. It always sucks when a story finishes- especially ones that conclude prematurely. I………… As much as I’ve connected with these characters, I’m not sure how much I actually “love” the series. 

I see all the time on social media talking about their love and adoration for Fairy Tail- as if it’s something that “Changed Their Lives For The Better.” I see posts like that and “Mashima Wrote Peak Fiction” or “Lucy Clears Your Top 1,” and I’m like “……….. I’m glad you have something that matters that much to you guys.” Because it’s always nice to see people saying such kind words about a series that I personally don’t think is all that great. Fine, but I’m more an Edens Zero type myself. But even then; I don’t know if I have something that matters as much to me as Fairy Tail does to them. I have Dragon Ball, but Super’s been letting me down recently, and I haven’t gotten that same “experience” of binging the whole franchise in YEARS. It’s a complicated story. 

That being said, I have a few ideas for Dragon Ball related posts- ones that might be a little on the short side. Though one of them might be a good choice for Goku Day this year. Okay, kind of cr@pped out there. If there’s anything that I could say right now, I would say………. that I was going through something when I started this. Kind of still goin’ through it. Which might be why this post feels so much more “intimate” than other posts of its nature. I’ll get through it. Might even come out better for it. So…….. let me know what you guys think of this series. And…….. maybe just tell me how you’re doing. You never know what someone’s going through in their lives; sometimes you just need someone who’ll sit and listen every now and then. So tell me how you guys feel right now. Until the next we meet, my friends-