Huntlow Is Fantastic

GothicRainbow | She/her | Animation Lover, Gamer, Musician | 💚@twogoldenflowers💛

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An Essay on The Owl House’s Huntlow: A Blossoming, Golden Relationship

The Owl House is no stranger to relationships. Couples such as Lumity and Raeda are universally praised for their amazing writing and being a monumental step in LGBTQIA+ representation in the media. Fans loved seeing these relationships develop in such a natural way, and shipping has been a big part of the fandom as they wonder if another couple would become canon. Oddly enough, the show’s newest relationship, Huntlow, (Hunter and Willow Park), has been met with a mixed reaction. Many love it, some are indifferent, and others outright hate it. While the dynamics between them are brief and not very numerous, the ship gets a lot of things right and is quite believable.

Episode Analysis

Any Sport in a Storm

Hunter and Willow meet in Season 2, Episode 13, an episode titled Any Sport in a Storm. The title is a play on words of the expression “any port in a storm”, which is an expression that means you will use whatever means necessary in order to get help in a bad situation. This is exactly what happens with Hunter and Willow. The episode starts off with Hunter sewing his Golden Guard sigil, symbolizing how he wants to restore his title. His uncle, Emperor Belos, tells him he will be in charge of leading the coven heads in a meeting, and states that it will be a test. Hunter finds that the coven heads ignore him and have canceled their meeting. Darius sees Hunter and his half sewn Golden Guard sigil, and he says Hunter doesn’t deserve the sigil and is inferior to his predecessors. Hunter, wanting to prove himself, asks Darius what to do, and Darius replies sarcastically to find new and worthy recruits for the Emperor’s Coven. Hunter tells him he’ll do it, and Darius replies “Of course, you’re good at doing exactly what you’re told.” The introduction to this episode shows how Hunter feels the need to prove himself and defy the expectations of those around him due to the atmosphere he’s grown up in, which further illustrates his social ineptness when he doesn’t understand Darius’s sarcasm.

We cut to Willow and we see her trying to build her self confidence with her working out. She gives herself a pep talk in the mirror, saying she can do this, but then immediately says “right?” with a worried expression. This scene alone shows how she’s worried about failure, just like Hunter. Unlike Hunter, however, she’s able to boost herself up again by looking at a picture of her parents, reminding herself that she has people who love and support her. She gets to school, and we see her confident and excited to start finding recruits for her team at the club fair.

Hunter arrives at Hexside, looking to see if people are interested in joining the Emperor’s Coven. His interactions with some of the students, while quite comical, provide tragic insight for Hunter’s character. We see that he’s been sheltered from normalcy all his life and is unable to understand other teenagers. He talks as if sleeping in until 6:00 am is a privilege and leaving friends and family behind would be no big deal. Due to Hunter’s toxic relationship with Belos, he misunderstands how valuable a true family is, and thinks that other people are just as disattached and abused as he is. Hunter’s interaction with Jerbo showcases Hunter’s fear that Belos might be a bad guy, and this gets Hunter to bump into Puddles.

We cut back to Willow trying to hype up her team, only for the Abomination professor to come up to her and try to make her step down as Captain, or she won’t be able to start her club. Willow and Gus resist, and the Abomination professor states that if she wants to stay as Captain, she needs to get a team together and beat his team. Willow, like Hunter, is also given a test to prove her worth from a person who contributed to their horrible life. Right after this exchange happens, she spots Hunter getting chased by Puddles, who steals Hunter’s shoe. Hunter pulls off some maneuvers to get his shoe back, which results in Willow pulling Hunter down to the ground after escaping Puddles. She asks Hunter if he wants to join the team, introducing herself as a future Captain and complimenting his fly skills. Gus asks why he hasn’t seen Hunter before, which forces Hunter to give himself a fake name. Hunter initially turns down the offer, stating he has his own task to achieve. But upon taking a pamphlet, he sees the “best of the best” description and is convinced he will be able to find people who will want to join the coven. So he decides to try Flyer Derby. Wanting to help, he proposes ways to evaluate participants by listing out trials used in the Emperor’s Coven. Willow and Gus are shocked and disturbed, and Willow tells Hunter to show off his “sick” fly skills. Hunter doesn’t understand the slang, and remarks that he doesn’t feel sick, thinking she was talking about an illness. Again, it further shows how disturbing Hunter’s life is and how his perspective is not normal.

Willow promotes the team, using Hunter as a model, and interest quickly spreads. Willow remarks to herself that he’s great, and that she’ll be able to find good players now. While this is happening, Hunter remarks to himself that she’s a perfect Emperor’s Coven candidate and that he’ll be able to complete his mission if he finds more witches like her. Both of them at this moment are on quests to prove themselves and see each other as hope that they’ll be able to do so.

Willow recruits her team, which Hunter is not impressed by, calling them pathetic based on first impression alone. She states that he should give them a chance, to which Hunter replies that “where [he] comes from, even chances have to be earned, especially if you’re considered half a witch like him.” Upon hearing these words, Willow has a surprised expression. It is at this moment she learns that Hunter is not a bad person, but a kid in a bad situation who needs help. She relates to him because she was also considered to be “half a witch.” So Willow shows Hunter how capable Skara, Viney, and Gus are, and how they were also overlooked but then were able to prove themselves. Willow helps give Hunter a safe space of people that Hunter can relate with.

The team plays the game, and Hunter has a lot of fun, complimenting Gus with an excited smile and goofing around with the Abomination Professor by stealing his flag while he yells at his team. During the game, Willow falls off her Palisman and Hunter has a terrified look on his face. It is interesting because Hunter has dealt with several forms of pain, as seen by Belos and Kikimora’s treatment of him, the scars on his body, and the past painful memories stated earlier in the episode. Willow is the first person Hunter worries over her safety for, which implies a deeper connection compared to anyone else in Hunter’s life up to this point. Hunter is able to retrieve the flag from Willow and they accidentally interlock hands for a brief moment. We also see that Hunter was trying to grab Willow rather than her flag, as his left hand was over most of her hand. Willow creates a flower to get herself to the ground. Hunter is moving slowly, possibly worried about Willow, so Gus has to push him forward. Hunter ends up attaching the flags and wins the game for the team. Thanks to Hunter, Willow was able to achieve her dream of starting a Flyer Derby team. We see Hunter’s growth in defying expectations when he proposes the team name “Emerald Entrails”, since he says “there is more to us than you think.” The team likes the name and Willow takes a selfie with the team, and we see Hunter have a genuine smile.

Hunter talks about how grateful he is, that they gave him a chance too, and that he apologies for doubting them. This is when Hunter reveals his true name and how he’s with the Emperor. Suddenly, several coven guards show up to pick up the recruits. Hunter is shocked by the influx of guards, but then reassures himself that it’ll be ok. He states how the Emperor’s Coven is “the best coven there is”, that they’ll want this, that he’s their friend now, and that they can trust him. Hunter says these things in earnest, thinking that he’s helping his new friends. Gus tells him that “friends don’t stab each other in the back” to which Hunter replies “sure they do, the coven heads do it all the time at the castle.” This scene really highlights how Hunter doesn’t understand friendship and has a twisted perception on what a good relationship is. Hunter asks Willow if he’s on her side, to which Willow blames herself for this situation, saying “we’re here because I made a bad call. I’m just half a witch Willow.” Hunter has a look of shock in the background when she says this, highlighting how he is surprised and upset to see Willow feel bad about herself because of this situation. Willow feels that she failed to help Hunter, whom she knows is a good person in a bad situation, and made a “bad call” in the way she helped him. This scene plants the seed of doubt in Hunter’s mind: that Belos may not be the morally upstanding ruler he thought he was.

Darius takes the recruits, and gives Hunter his sigil back. Hunter looks at it, and with an unsure tone, he says “I can wear this proudly now, right?” Darius then replies “Can you?” This scene shows how Hunter is seeking validation and like Willow, has seemingly proved himself in this scene, but he doesn’t feel good about it. We see Hunter have another conversation with Steve, who recounts how the Emperor Coven trials were brutal and that Belos would take away their palismen. The minute Steve mentions the Palismen, Hunter has a look of horror on his face. From his connection with Flapjack to the fact that the team needs Palismen to play Flyer Derby, he realized what he had done. Hunter is filled with regret, and gets on Flapjack to fly towards Darius’s ship as fast as he can. He lands on the ship, yelling at Darius and pointing Flapjack at his face. Palismen are forbidden in the Emperor’s Coven, and yet Hunter shows Flapjack off to Darius, which could be dangerous for himself. For one of the first times in his life, Hunter is being completely selfless and only caring about his friends’ safety.

The team escapes and the ship crashes. Darius uses Abomination goo to surround them and summons an axe to potentially kill the team. Willow stands guard, ready to defend Viney, Skara, and Gus, but Hunter runs in front of Willow, telling Darius to stop. Darius tells Hunter to move out of the way with a scary face and tone, as well as the words “little Prince.” Hunter tells Darius “no” and that the team is not fit for the Coven, and that he doesn’t deserve the sigil, dropping it to the ground. Hunter could have gotten the title he so desperately wanted at the beginning of the episode, but decides to give it up. It’s a monumental moment in Hunter’s arc, because we see that he has other desires besides serving Belos: one of those things being doing the right thing. Hunter tells Willow she can go, and we see Willow hold back her tears. Despite having her life threatened mere moments ago, she is more upset and worried about what will happen to Hunter. He just stood up to a man who has an ax, and from her assumptions about Hunter’s life, it is very likely that Hunter will be killed. She’s left with a dilemma and is hesitant to leave Hunter, but Hunter begs her to, saying “Please Captain.” Upon hearing these words, Willow decides to leave with the team, stating that they need to find a new player because “it’ll be 52 weeks before Caleb’s next day off.” This line implies a sense of forgiveness, which is something that Hunter has not received from anyone, not even Luz or Amity, and it causes Hunter to blush and look at Willow with wide eyes. Willow forgave him because she sees that despite Hunter’s terrible life, he was able to stand up to his environment very quickly. Willow would appreciate that due to her experience with Amity, who took years to make amends for what she did to Willow. She also probably related to Hunter’s need to prove himself to someone he didn’t like, as she did something similar in Hootys Moving Hassle. In that episode, Willow peer pressured Luz into doing a conjuring in order to prove herself to Amity, who bullied her for her lack of magic. Similar to how Darius seemingly looked down on Hunter for his lack of magic, at least that’s how Hunter interprets it.

Hunter is touched by Willow’s forgiveness, because in a sense, he feels that he failed his friends because of his betrayal. But Willow forgave his failure and implies how she hopes to see him again, as “Caleb” rather than the Golden Guard. Willow is the only person at this moment who treats Hunter like a person first. Darius, seemingly angered by what Hunter did, winds up like he’s about to hit Hunter, to which Hunter braces for. Again, Hunter is willing to die in order to keep the team safe. Thankfully, Darius instead expresses how he’s impressed with what Hunter did, and fixes the sigil for Hunter, as Hunter proved himself by sticking to his own morals. Darius gives him a Penstagram account so Hunter can stay in contact with his new friends. The first person Hunter messages is Willow, and the team is lightheartedly watching him text, seemingly warming up to him.

Labyrinth Runners

The next episode Hunter and Willow interact in is Season 2, Episode 18, titled Labyrinth Runners. We find that Hunter is staying at Hexside after the events of Season 2, Episode 16, Hollow Mind. This fact highlights Any Sport in a Storm’s, and furthermore Willow’s, importance to the narrative. If Hunter had never made a connection with Willow, he would have never found a safe space for him to stay. Willow was the only meaningful connection he had at the time, and it’s enough to make Hunter feel a semblance of hope for his dire situation. It’s possible he resides in Hexside in the hopes of seeing her again, or to simply feel as happy as he did when he was playing Flyer Derby with her and the rest of the team. This is further highlighted by Hunter’s clothes, which is his Flyer Derby uniform.

The first meaningful Huntlow interaction happens when Gus and Hunter first escape the illusion casted on the school. Both of them notice Willow on the other side of the corridor, and while Gus is running up to greet her, Hunter looks at her with wide eyes and blushes. Willow tells Gus that they need to find other people before the illusions get scary, which she implies by making a scared sound. Hunter sees this behavior and becomes suspicious of this Willow, and calls out the illusion for being an imposter. He suspects this because he states that Willow would not be afraid in this situation, asking Gus “have you ever seen her play Flyer Derby? There’s no way she’d be afraid of me.” What this scene shows is that Hunter has a fresh perspective on Willow. Like Willow sees Hunter as a normal kid first, Hunter sees Willow as a strong witch first. Hunter sees Willow as who she wants to be seen as, which is highlighted in the B plot with Willow, where Amity is struggling to accept the fact that Willow is a strong witch. Huntlow is a relationship built on respect for one another, which is a healthy trait for relationships to have.

Later in the episode, Hunter is being interrogated by Hexside, as people are suspicious about him being on the Emperor’s side. Hunter begs for them to believe him, stating that he was trying to get Gus to safety and that Gus showed him a breathing technique. This breathing technique was one taught by Willow, and the moment Hunter mentions it, we see Willow go from having a look of skepticism to a look of shock. It’s a facial expression that looks very similar to Hunter’s when he saw the Willow illusion. Willow stands up for Hunter, putting her hand on his shoulder and giving Hunter a warm smile. Hunter, flustered by Willow standing up for him, continues to talk about how to rescue Gus. What Willow sees in this scene is that Hunter, like her, is also determined to protect the people he cares about, even if doing so would pose great risk to their safety. Hunter saving Gus from Graye was dangerous because the Emperor’s Coven was looking for Hunter, and yet he chose to disregard that in order to help his friend.

The fight scene to rescue Gus further shows Willow and Hunter’s trust and care in one another. We see Hunter save Willow by knocking out a guard about to attack her, which makes Willow smile at him. In the next scene, we see Willow tell Hunter to save Gus while she and Amity take out the Abomatons, trusting Hunter to save him. Hunter, trusting Willow to handle the fight, goes in to save Gus. When he enters the illusion of painful memories, Hunter ends up recounting many, one of which being Willow in the cell in Any Sport in a Storm. Hunter has many horrors as a child soldier who recently found out his entire life is a lie, and yet making Willow feel bad about herself is one of the most painful things for him to remember. It conveys how highly he thinks of Willow and how he doesn’t want to see her hurt. Hunter is able to get through the memories to help Gus, as like Willow, he is able to persevere to help their friends despite the pain. Willow is grateful for the gesture, as she pulls Hunter into a group hug and whispers “thanks Hunter” in a very soft yet happy tone of voice, causing Hunter to blush.

Clouds on the Horizon

The next episode with Huntlow moments, that being Season 2, Episode 20, Clouds on the Horizon, is extremely light in terms of content, but there are still some moments worth mentioning. Hunter deeply cares about Willow and wants her by his side. So he avoids telling her, as well as Gus, the fact that he’s a Grimwalker, fearing that Willow would hate him. This choice shows how meaningful of a person Willow is to Hunter.

We also see a brief scene of Hunter shielding Willow when Kikimora lands an attack with an Abomaton. The way Hunter shields Willow implies a special romantic connection. When Hunter protected other characters, such as Gus, he would drag them to safety by taking their wrist and pulling them with him. With Willow, however, he hugs her and uses his body as a shield, ready and willing to take any damage for her. This is a behavior similar to Amity shielding Luz in a hug in Escaping Expulsion, which was also against an Abomaton.

Of course, Willow is unaware that Hunter shielded her, as Gus created an illusion that swapped Luz’s and Hunter’s appearances. When Kikimora grabs Luz, Willow thinks it’s Hunter and she attacks Kikimora ruthlessly, with her green eyes glowing. In most fight scenes, Willow’s eyes do not glow. They only glow in cases of extreme emotion when using her magic, as seen in I Was a Teenage Abomination where her eyes glow because she is angry and determined. So Willow’s eyes glowing in a scene where she thinks Hunter is simply in danger conveys how emotional Willow gets over Hunter’s safety. This is further seen when Kikimora uses Luz as a shield and Willow pulls her vines back in a fearful expression, worried that her vines will hurt Hunter.

We see Willow’s determination to get Hunter back at the very end of the fight scene, where she is the only person who looks angry after it ends and is the first to run to the airship. She exclaims “come on stupid thing, we have to follow them!” in a very anxious tone. Again, it’s extremely unusual for Willow to appear panicked in such a circumstance, as she is usually the calm and collected person in most fight scenes. It’s also another Escaping Expulsion parallel, as Amity ran away from the group to save Luz and Willow called out to her. This scene shows Amity calling out to Willow. The whole fight scene shows how desperately Willow and Hunter want to protect each other in a way that implies they see each other as more than friends.

King’s Tide

Season 2, Episode 21, King’s Tide also doesn’t have too many Huntlow moments, but there are some. One of which is actually shown right off the bat. In Clouds on the Horizon, we saw Willow in a panic when she thought Hunter was being taken, but here, we see that Willow is a lot more composed, especially compared to Amity or Hunter. This change in attitude further demonstrates how Willow was specifically afraid of Hunter’s safety rather than Luz’s, which implies a romantic connection.

Later in the episode, the team needs to take out some of the airships that have spotted them. Hunter flies over to take one out, only to fall off his Palisman in the process. He falls for a long distance before Willow ends up catching him, which causes him to blush as he looks at her. This scene implies that Hunter is attracted to Willow’s strength and heroism, as she was able to catch his entire body with one arm and save his life. It’s also a good callback to Any Sport in a Storm, where Willow fell off her Palisman and Hunter helped her.

The rest of the episode shows moments where they are constantly protecting each other. Hunter helps Willow stand up after the ship crashes, asking her if she’s ok with a very concerned look on his face. He holds her hand when she’s on the ground and she uses it in order to stand up. Willow looks up at him with a very sweet expression, most likely grateful for his help. There’s also a moment where Willow is trying to hold Monster Belos down with her vines, and Hunter protects a rock from falling on her head. This came right after a shot of Luz and Amity fighting Belos, which presents a parallel. It is worth noting that Hunter is doing all of this while the draining spell is still active, meaning that he was dying due to his Emperor’s Coven sigil. So the fact that Hunter still consistently goes out of his way to protect Willow despite dying from the spell shows that Hunter’s main priority is keeping Willow safe.

Later in the episode, when Belos is about to annihilate Luz, Amity, Willow, Hunter, and Gus, we see the group brace for impact. We see that Luz shields Amity by hugging her, and Willow does something similar for Hunter. She hugs his head and puts her arms in front of Hunter’s head, simultaneously shielding him and shielding herself. Willow wants to protect Hunter and also views him as a safe space, further implying a deeper bond. This is supported by the moment when the draining spell is unactivated, as we see Hunter leaning on Willow for support and once the draining spell is lifted, she is the only person of the group to smile. While the rest of the group is focusing on the Collector, Willow is only focused on the fact that Hunter is ok.

Thanks to Them

The first Season 3 special, Thanks to Them, has several Huntlow moments that really show why the relationship works so well. One of the first scenes of the episode is Hunter and Luz talking to each other about how they’re scared of their friends finding out their secrets. In one shot, we see Luz and Hunter look at a group of people in the kitchen, but the group only has two people: Amity and Willow. We know that Amity is the most important person in Luz’s life, so this scene shows that Willow is the most important person in Hunter’s life. He cares about her so much that he is worried about her knowing his secret on the same level as Luz is worried about her girlfriend knowing her secret.

In the montage introduction, we see Hunter look at himself in the mirror and he’s jumpscared by an image of Caleb and Belos. Hunter fears his connection to them and his grimwalker identity. This fear causes Hunter to try to cut his hair, which Willow notices once she sees hair outside the bathroom. Willow steps in to help Hunter cut his hair and Hunter lets her. He blushes, sweats, and fidgets, as well as moves the grimwalker book away, while she cuts his hair. Willow likely knows that Hunter is in a bad place mentally and she was willing to go out of her way to help him out, even if he isn’t ready to share about what is bothering him. She also probably has an idea of what Hunter is going through, as Willow also changed her hairstyle to match her identity in Follies at the Coven Day Parade. Hunter has had trust issues throughout his whole life in the Emperor’s Coven and only recently started learning how to trust people. So letting Willow touch and cut his hair shows how safe Hunter feels when he is with Willow. This scene shows how Huntlow is a relationship built on trust, support, care, and personal connection, which conveys how healthy the relationship is for both of them.

There is a small Huntlow moment that shows Hunter’s brightest blush in the show as of this special. The group has found a rebeus that may help them find a way back to the Boiling Isles, and Willow is trying to psych everyone up into figuring out the rebeus, saying that they’ll figure it out “using our buff brains.” The minute she says “buff brains”, Hunter blushes a bright red, seen in both his cheeks and ears. Also, his eyes are widened and his eyebrows are raised. He then nervously giggles and imitates her pose, while still looking at her while everyone else’s eyes are closed. This scene shows how Hunter is flustered by Willow’s confidence. Consultant Psychologist Dr. Neha Mehta states that “men want women who are confident and self-assured.” Both of these traits describe Willow very well, which further supports why Hunter would be so attracted to her.

The next scene starts off with everyone getting ready to head out to get answers on the rebeus and Hunter comes out in a costume. When Hunter emerges, the first person to react is Willow, saying she likes his look and takes a photo of it. After that, Hunter starts talking about why he’s cosplaying as O’Bailey, and Vee takes the book and mentions the year 2008 with a confused expression. Gus then talks to Hunter about Cosmic Frontier, the book that Hunter got into. Gus is at first very excited to see Hunter happy and fixated on something. But when Gus tries to correct Hunter on an interpretation of the story, Hunter covers his ears for spoilers, and Gus looks at Hunter with a less excited expression. Amity, like Vee, is also judgemental about Hunter’s outfit, and she asks him to change his outfit. Willow stands up for him, saying “don’t listen to her”, while covering Amity’s mouth and Amity looks at Willow with an “are you serious” look. Hunter agrees to change and says he’ll catch up, so most of the group leaves, with Willow staying behind. Willow tells Hunter she’s going to read the book after he finishes it, and gives him a wink and a point, which causes Hunter to blush and smile. Right after all of these events, we have Hunter staring at the mirror, stating that he likes who he is despite “not being who he’s supposed to be.” Out of all the characters in this scene, Willow is the only one who is completely unjudgemental. She likes seeing Hunter be who he is and didn’t want Hunter to listen to people who were weirded out by it. Perhaps Willow relates to being somewhat judged and wants to help Hunter feel accepted. She also takes interest in what he likes by saying she wants to borrow the book, which is likely proof that Willow is crushing on Hunter. Marcelina Hardy, MSEd, has a masters in counseling, and she states that when someone is interested in someone else, “he or she becomes overly interested in your hobbies.” Despite Hunter receiving unconditional support from only Willow, it’s enough to make Hunter love himself. Huntlow is monumental in Hunter’s arc, as it helps him heal from something so life shattering. This is supported by a subtle metaphor, where light is shown on Hunter when the door to the house is open, but the house gets dark when Willow leaves. Willow is the light in Hunter’s life.

Willow showcases her photo album in the episode and there are a few Huntlow details. One of which is a photo booth compilation of Hunter, Gus, and Willow. Next to it, Willow puts a yellow sticker and a green sticker, with a red heart in the middle. Considering how a cloud in between Hunter and Willow in Any Sport in a Storm was shaped as a heart, as well as the chalkboard drawing of a heart between the two in Labyrinth Runners, this is likely deliberate. Willow is crushing on Hunter and puts heart stickers in between them, similar to how teenagers will draw hearts in between themselves and their crush.

While all of this is happening, Hunter believes he saw Belos in the abandoned house and goes to tell Luz about it. They go back to the house to see if he’s in there, only for there to be nothing. Hunter then concludes that he was shaken up, and states how he just wants to make sure everyone is safe. Luz reminds him that they are going to keep Hunter safe too, because he’s family, and that causes Hunter to break down crying. This scene highlights a trait Willow and Hunter have in common: selflessness. Both of them desire to protect the ones they care about, and are easily flustered by kind words of care, as seen by Willow in Wing it Like Witches, where basic compliments cause her to blush.

There’s another implied connection between them when Willow’s Halloween costume is shown to have a W patch on it, which shows the audience that Hunter has sewn a patch on her costume for her. We also see that they spent time together with just the two of them in a photo where Hunter and Willow are in the garden alone. Thanks to Them demonstrates that Willow and Hunter have spent a lot of time together, which likely made them grow even closer.

The before and after of the fight scene against possessed Hunter also shows Willow’s overwhelming sense of care for Hunter, one that differs from everyone else. When Luz and Hunter go missing from the group, Willow is the only person to call for Hunter, while Camila and Amity call for Luz and Gus calls for both of them broadly (saying “guys”). The aftermath of the fight scene shows Willow being incredibly worried about Hunter’s safety. She tells Camila to be careful with Hunter when she and Camila were dragging him out of the water, and then she lets Hunter’s head rest on her lap. Throughout the scene, Willow continuously looks at Hunter with a sad and worried look, even when Belos leaves Hunter’s body and leaves to go to the Demon Realm. She shakes his body lightly and is the first person to notice that Hunter is unconscious (and likely dead). The minute Vee starts calling for the hospital, Willow starts to cry, doubting that human doctors would be able to treat possession. Willow is the only person in this scene to cry before Hunter is presumed dead. Once it is implied that Hunter is dead, Luz also starts to cry briefly, and then Flapjack revives Hunter back to life, sacrificing himself in the process. When Hunter wakes up, he’s aware that Flapjack is dead and starts crying. Seeing Hunter cry makes Willow really upset, as seen by the increase in tears on her face. She then proceeds to give Hunter a hug, to which Hunter closes his eyes and stops crying. Even after such a terrible event, Hunter finds some comfort in Willow’s embrace and it makes him feel slightly better. Willow also has a strong empathetic connection with Hunter, as seeing him upset makes her just as upset. Willow continues to provide more comfort to Hunter after he sits up when she holds his back and puts her hand on his shoulder, which is a common gesture Willow has done to Hunter in episodes such as Any Sport in a Storm and Labyrinth Runners.

Debunking Arguments Against Huntlow

Huntlow is a very polarizing ship among the Owl House fandom for a wide variety of reasons. Some of these reasons are as simple as preferring certain fandom ships, which is certainly justifiable, as long as these people are respectful of the canon and people’s opinions on it. Others also like to come up with their own sexuality headcanons for Hunter and Willow, common ones being the gay and ace respectively. While their sexualities were debatably implied in the show, with Hunter possibly being bisexual and Willow possibly being pansexual, it is not direct confirmation so unless their sexual orientations are stated by the show’s staff, particularly Dana Terrace, then anyone may headcanon Willow or Hunter as whatever they would like. But they need to realize that people may disagree and that once the Owl House crew states the canon sexualities, those headcanons are null and void. That being said, there are a wide variety of reasons that are, quite frankly, illogical and contradictory given the information we have about Huntlow.

Age Gap

One common voice of concern is the age gap between them. Hunter is canonically 16 years old in the show, and there is some debate about Willow’s age. Dana Terrace, the creator of the Owl House, has stated that Willow was 14 by the end of Season 1. Many, however, believe that she may be 15 due to a Birthday photo in Labyrinth Runners with Willow blowing out candles in her plant track uniform and Season 1 hair. This photo likely implies that Willow turned 15 sometime in between Season 1, Episode 19, Young Blood Old Souls and Season 2, Episode 11, Follies at the Coven Day Parade, the episode where we first see Willow with her Season 2 braided hair. So we can assume that her age is somewhere between 14 and 15 years of age. For the sake of argument, let’s assume that Willow is 14, which is the age that people who voice disdain for the age gap believe in.

With Hunter being 16, this would mean that Hunter and Willow have a 2 year age gap at most, similar to a freshman and junior in high school. Two year aged gaps are perfectly normal and healthy among couples, even if they’re teenagers. The Oarsman, a high school website, states that “teens in high school need to avoid getting into a relationship with someone who is over 18.” Since high school starts at around 14-15 years of age, it’s likely that a freshman dating a senior is the most questionable type of relationship. But anything with a smaller age gap in high school is ok. This is also assuming that Hunter and Willow have the same emotional intelligence, which is not true considering how Hunter’s traumatic life experiences have made him less emotionally intelligent and the fact that Willow, the female, is likely to be more emotionally intelligent than Hunter, the male. Research states that women tend to be more emotionally intelligent than men. Krystnell Storr, who has a masters degree in science, health, and environmental reporting, states that this is because “the female brain establishes connections and "prunes" itself faster than the male brain.” Since Willow is younger, it removes any semblance of a power dynamic that was unlikely to be there in the first place. Again, this is assuming that the age gap is 2 years. It could be even less depending on Willow’s age, and the same argument could apply, even though almost all would agree that a one year age gap in couples is perfectly fine.

Hunter Needing Therapy First

Speaking of which, some people who may have seen the previous comment about Hunter’s upbringing are probably thinking that Hunter shouldn’t be in a relationship at all because of it, or at the very least not until he receives proper mental health treatment. This argument implies that Huntlow is a toxic and unhealthy relationship that would only harm Hunter mentally. This statement is objectively incorrect. We’ve seen from previous episodes that Huntlow helped Hunter feel genuine happiness, find new friends he can start to trust, and break away from his toxic environment. It gave him a new sense of comfort.

Furthermore, a relationship can have a variety of different effects on someone’s mental health depending on the state of it. Someone’s psychology is more complicated than “this thing is good” and “this thing is bad.” A lot of factors come into play that can have different effects on people, and those effects could be good, bad, or neutral. In Hunter’s case, his whole arc is about loving himself and finding people who care about him. We see that he has trust issues, so a relationship would actually be helpful in this case, because it gives Hunter the opportunity to trust again, and even love himself. On top of that, Hunter has been dealing with a lot of concerns about his life, some of which may have been hidden or unresolved in some way. So a relationship with someone who can deeply relate to him would actually provide a safe space where Hunter can open up about problems he has. Therapist Wendy Wray, PHd, states that when you are in a safe space “you allow yourself space to be vulnerable.” This is a feeling Hunter desperately needs, as he’s been in a dangerous coven all his life. Having a relationship would help Hunter let his guard down and feel more at ease and at peace with his life.

While he also has his friendships with characters such as Luz and Gus, they don’t know Hunter deep enough for him to approach them about deeper psychological issues he may be having. They deeply care about him, but they aren’t as understanding about his thought process and how he takes things in. Willow is, because they have a much deeper connection and relate more on an identity and value level, rather than an experience level. The Encyclopedia of Adolescence states that “[r]omantic relationships have been found to impact physical and psychological wellbeing, as individuals in healthy relationships report heightened emotional support, self-esteem, and quality of life (Sedikides et al., 1994; Voss et al., 1999; Pateraki and Roussi, 2013).” Alas, an intimate connection can go beyond the platonic ones and can provide a different and monumental kind of support.

It’s also worth noting that many people who have gone through some type of family trauma or mental health problem state that being in a relationship is fine, and in some cases, extremely helpful. Bridges to Recover states that “love and positive social support increase feelings of happiness and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.” So the therapy argument can send the message that people with mental health problems don’t deserve love until they get their “issues” sorted out, and that is extremely damaging. Relationships can help heal someone and they don’t need to necessarily fix themselves before they end up in one. In fact, blocking them out completely could prevent someone from healing in some way. If people needed to be completely mentally sound before ending up in relationships, we would have significantly less relationships today. After the toxic relationships Hunter has been exposed to throughout his life, he needs to develop healthy ones. Finding a soulmate who unconditionally loves you for who you are, relates to you, and is willing to provide comfort would help many people, especially Hunter. Now of course, a relationship is no substitute for actual mental health treatment. But it’s ok for people to be in relationships while going through traumatic experiences. Both Lumity and Raeda are similar in this regard, so the same applies to Huntlow.

Bad Introduction

The age gap and therapy arguments that were previously stated are ones that try to paint Huntlow as a problematic ship, which is, of course, untrue. Another one that tries to portray Huntlow this way is that Hunter trying to get the Emerald Entrails into the Emperor’s Coven is such an immoral act that it means that a relationship with Willow would be abusive. Now of course, what Hunter did in that episode was terrible, but it says less about himself and more about his situation. Hunter is desperate to prove himself and genuinely believes that he was helping the Emerald Entrails when recruiting them for the Emperor’s Coven. He was deeply manipulated by Belos and thought he was doing something good. Eventually, Hunter empathizes with them, and is willing to stand up to an authority figure and sacrifice his life in order to save the team. It’s a daring sense of selflessness that is a milestone for Hunter, which makes up for the minor inconvenience he brought onto them that he didn’t think would make them upset in the long run. And even then, after Hunter breaks out of said manipulation, he has intense regret, as seen by the painful memories in Labyrinth Runners and his overall protective nature of everyone in the Hexsquad. All of these are not excuses for what he did, but they are things that make up for his poor choices. Frankly, it’s quite obvious Hunter is not an abusive person, so it’s baffling that this argument exists at all, especially when Lumity also started off on the wrong foot for similar reasons.

Rushed or Forced

On a more writing level, some people believe that Huntlow is rushed or forced. Cristen, an award winning ghostwriter, states that rushed means “going from one event or scene to another without showing the reader why.” So they are events that happen seemingly without a reason to connect them together. This is not what happens with Huntlow. What people need to realize is that Hunter and Willow are still in the crush like stage as of Thanks to Them, which is about 9 episodes after they first met. The progression of their relationship on screen makes sense. They meet in ASIAS and bond over their similarities and desire to prove themselves, then Hunter rights his wrong, which makes Willow hopeful that she’ll see him again. Hunter later comes back in Labyrinth Runners to help Gus, who he cares about and feels the need to protect. Willow, who’s main aspiration is to protect her friends, is extremely grateful for what Hunter did, especially since it was really dangerous for him to do so. This not only helps make up for what Hunter did in Any Sport in a Storm, but it also makes Willow appreciate Hunter more. It’s also heavily implied that they’ve interacted off screen. There's implied Penstagram messaging in episodes such as Reaching Out, where Luz says Willow gave her Hunter’s contact information and Hunter sends a photo to Luz he didn’t mean to send. The fact that Luz mentioned Willow implied that Hunter meant to send the photo to Willow. Plus, there are also two time skips where they likely spent time together: one in between Labyrinth Runners and Clouds on the Horizon and another in between Kings Tide and Thanks to Them. It’s clear they’ve spent a decent amount of time together, even if it wasn’t all shown, so it makes sense that they would develop a deeper bond. Even if we haven't seen a lot of the relationship, there are valid reasons behind why they got closer, so therefore the ship is not rushed.

Many claim that the ship is forced or unnatural. But Any Sport in a Storm shows that Willow and Hunter bond over the desire to prove themselves, evident in the half a witch dialogue and overall conflict parallels in that episode. They’re also similar in personality, as they’re both extremely selfless and protective of others, and they’ve been looked down upon by others for a lot of their life. They clearly have a good amount of chemistry that feels natural, so it makes sense that they would develop a romantic-like bond.

Not being LGBTQIA+

There’s one last reason that may be why Huntlow is criticized by many people. It’s actually quite simple and in the grand scheme of things, pretty insignificant: it’s a m/f relationship. These reasons are purely skepticism, but considering how the Owl House was famous for LGBTQIA+ relationships like Lumity and Raeda, and the fact that mainly fandom ships with Willow and Hunter were also LGBTQIA+, it’s likely people are disappointed that a seemingly straight relationship was added. Almost all can agree that LGBTQIA+ is needed in the media, and the Owl House was monumental in adding this type of relationship while the show was still airing. It really helps normalize these types of relationships, especially in shows that are shown to children. When a straight passing relationship is added to a show with LGBTQIA+ relationships, it’s very likely for it to be viewed with a more negative lens. This is because straight relationships aren’t in dire need, as there have been countless ever since media has been a thing. Plus, LGBTQIA+ themes receive a lot of hate and prejudice in day to day life, so adding those types of relationships is important.

But what people seem to fail to realize is that a straight relationship doesn’t take away the LGBTQIA+ representation. If anything, it enhances it more, because both LGBTQIA+ and straight relationships are treated equally, which is the main goal of LGBTQIA+ events and representation: to normalize LGBTQIA+ relationships and put them on the same level as straight relationships. On top of that, romances can be great representation in other ways. Huntlow is very good at deconstruction of gender roles and ideal body image. It’s a relationship where a scrawny boy falls for a plus sized girl who is incredibly strong and independent. It’s incredibly significant to show people that any body size can be seen as beautiful, as it’s rare to see a man genuinely fall for a plus sized woman. It’s also refreshing to see Willow not depend on Hunter for protection. It's more likely to be the other way around, as after Hunter’s trauma, it would be nice for him to have someone look after him. On top of that, neither are really conventionally beautiful. Hunter has eye bags, scars, and a tooth gap, and Willow wears glasses and has some less than flattering screenshots in Thanks to Them, such as Willow sleeping and Willow watching a movie. Huntlow is a relationship that has untraditional beauty and gender standards, and that can be just as monumental and important as LGBTQIA+ representation. Now of course, there’s also the idea that not every m/f is straight, as it’s possible for at least one of them to fall under the bisexual umbrella. So it could still be a form of LGBTQIA+ representation that shows that a straight passing relationship does not necessarily mean the people in it are not queer. It’s important to mention that because this type of biphobia is a problem that can lead to further discrimination.

Conclusion

Huntlow is a relationship built on the idea that they can prove people wrong. With Willow, she can be strong, help and protect others, and find people who appreciate her for her strength. With Hunter, he can become good, heal from his trauma, and also help and protect others. And in a fandom sense, it proves people wrong about how abuse victims can find happiness in romantic relationships and that despite unfortunate circumstances, both in the story and behind the scenes, that a romantic relationship can blossom in such a natural, interesting, and trail blazing way. Like Hunter said in Any Sport in a Storm, “there’s more to [Huntlow] than you think.”

Sources

Any port in a storm. ANY PORT IN A STORM definition | Cambridge English Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2022, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/any-port-in-a-storm

Ellis, M. E. (2021, March 2). The Positive Effects of Love on Mental Health: 5 Ways Your Relationship Can Aid in the Treatment Process. Bridges to Recovery. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.bridgestorecovery.com/blog/the-positive-effects-of-love-on-mental-health-5-ways-your-relationship-can-aid-in-the-treatment-process/amp/

Espinoza, S. (2016, October 16). Age Really Does Matter in Teen Relationships. The Oarsman. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://veniceoarsman.com/2328/opinion/age-really-does-matter-in-teen-relationships/

Iris, C. (2016). Don’t Rush the Plot. Don't rush the plot - Cristen Iris. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://cristeniris.com/dont-rush-the-plot/

Mehta, D. N. (2022, August 25). 10 Things That Attract a Man to a Woman. My Fit Brain Pvt Ltd. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://myfitbrain.in/blog/things-that-attract-a-man-to-a-woman

Marcelina Hardy, M. S. E. (2018, September 25). 12 Subtle Signs Someone Has a Crush on You. LoveToKnow. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://dating.lovetoknow.com/Does_Someone_Have_a_Crush_on_Me

McIsaac, C. J., Shulman, S., & Connolly, J. (2011, October 3). Romantic Relationship. Romantic Relationship - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/romantic-relationship

Storr, K. (2020, February 14). Science Explains Why Women Are Faster to Mature Than Men. Mic. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.mic.com/articles/111226/science-explains-why-women-are-faster-to-mature-than-men

Wendy Wray, P. D. (2019, July 10). 5 Reasons Why Feeling Safe is the Key to Healthy Relationships. LinkedIn. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-reasons-why-feeling-safe-key-healthy-relationships-wendy

[ibrokeeverything]

Thank you so much for the tag!!! @istillhaventpickedausername

Rules: Make a poll with seven of your all time favorite characters from seven different fandoms, and then tag seven people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favorite.

Who's your favorite?

Silver Vanrouge (Twst)

Tsukishima Kei (Haikyuu)

Kiriyama Rei (Sangatsu no Lion)

Cole (Ninjago)

Maul (Star Wars)

Verso Dessendre (Clair Obscur)

Ryland Grace (Project Hail Mary)

Voting ended onJun 12

NPT: @ninjaaa-go @darknessyournewfriend

I don't have seven people to tag 😅 so if anyone else thinks this sounds fun, go for it!

[neodith-reblogs]

fav

N (pokemon)

Silver (twst)

Ahsoka (star wars)

Runaan (tdp)

Alex (mcatga)

Patroclus (greek mytho)

Voting ended onJun 12

i cant think of another :/

@yeaveragenerd @wh4tthefreak75 @siriusthesleepy @blueorchid-95

[yeaveragenerd]

Yoooppee!!

The thing :3

Diego Brando (Jjba, Sbr)

Floyd Leech (Twst, I would have done Silver, but both prev already put him 😭)

Sebastian (Black Butler)

Hawks (Mha)

Willow (Toh)

Cassandra (Tangled the series)

Tango Tek (Mcyt)

Voting ended onJun 10

@catdisguisedasaduck @licoriceisback @domithekingoffools @picklefish27 @l0velyl4vender + open tags

(If I didn’t tag you, you were probably already tagged)

[catdisguisedasaduck]

Oh- okay!

Here we go!

Red Son (LMK)

Wakiya Murasaki (Beyblade)

Genya Shinazugawa (KNY)

AZUL ASHENGROTTO AAAAAAAAAAAH (TWST)

Zooble (TADC)

Amethyst (Steven Universe)

Hooty (TOH)

Voting ended onJun 10

@licoriceisback @sod-pop @rozejalee @fizzy-drinkzzz

Open tags!!!

[ships-storeroom]

ion actually have any all time fav since i switch a lot but

tittle

emil sinclair (limbus company)

yesod (library of ruina)

hokma (lobotomy corporation)

astro novalite (dandy's world)

tetcho suehiro (bugou stray dogs)

noritoshi kamo (jujutsu kaisen)

shinsou hitoshi (my hero academia)

Voting ended onJun 22

@red-bean-bread , @interluniium , @yutayutayuatayuat + open

[red-bean-bread]

Damn....

yayaya

qing su (project vimalion/vsynth)

rodion (limbus company)

E.H (Nikke SORRY BUT THIS IS A GUILT PLEASURE OF MINE)

justice (helltaker)

Maezawa (super no ura)

mejiro mcqueen (umamusume)

hod (library of ruina/lobotomy corp)

Voting ended onJun 16

Uhhh @gakupo-lost-his-katana , @z14-0019 , @minn-why-skye , @sp3ctral-hues and so on

[magicalecho]

Ty for tag oomf :)

.

Wifies (Unstable Universe)

ParrotX2 (Unstable Universe)

Faust (Limbus Company)

Chesed (Lobotomy Corporation/Library of Ruina)

Ticket Taker (The Freak Circus)

Kagamine Len (Vocaloid)

Hatsune Miku (Vocaloid)

Voting ended onJun 16

I think my current fave is obvious, but I'm curious to know who's everyone's fave out of the seven lmao

@cybxr-sirxn @unreachablestar +more oomfs cuz I'm lazy to tag more

[unreachablestar]

yay yay thank u for the tag !!

:3

don quixote (limbus company)

pearl (steven universe)

rubuska (reverse 1999)

gyokuyo (apothecary diaries)

lisette (pocket mirror)

agnes tachyon (uma musume)

mayu (vocaloid)

Voting ended onJun 16

uuhhhhhh @undaine , @evilweezer , @times33r ++ whoever else wants to do this

[times33r]

thankss!!

ye

Yi sang (limbus company)

Ithaqua (Idv)

Furina (Genshin impact)

Beaford (Silver thread + deux)

Maeno Aki (Zeno remake)

Eun Chae ni (Wonderfools)

Saparata (Statesmp)

Voting ended onJun 16

@nottheurliwanted @kizaragiraindrop042

@doll-drawz ++ anyone else

[nottheurliwanted]

Favs

Olruggio (Witch Hat Atelier)

Mary-Beth Gaskell (RDR2)

Baldroy (Black Butler)

Fenella Maxwell (Riders)

Maomao (The Apothecary Diaries)

Winter (The Lunar Chronicles)

TMWNN (Dollars Trilogy)

Voting ended onJun 20

@albicocca011 @moonlitsigil @bunni-v1 and anybody else who wants to do this - no pressure x

[bunni-v1]

Kisses you

Favs :3c

Venti (Genshin Impact)

Aventurine (HSR)

Jane Doe (ZZZ)

Atsumu Miya (Haikyu!!)

Qifrey (Witch Hat Atelier)

Azul Ashengrotto (Twst)

Noelle (Deltarune)

Voting ended onJun 20

I’ll tag @starguardianniom @cilomarc @amethystjewel01 and @springhassprvng <3 Feel free to do it if you want to!!

[starguardianniom]

Thanks for tagging me, I don't usually do it but since it's you I'll play. <3

Favs

Billy Kid (Zenless Zone Zero)

Sunday (Honkai Star Rail)

Lyney (Genshin Impact)

Vox (Hazbin Hotel)

Stolas Goetia (Helluva Boss)

Sailor Venus (Sailor Moon)

Ragatha (The Amazing Digital Circus)

Voting ended onJun 26

I'll tag @roodles03 @falling-star-cygnus and @schaychaym <3 Do not feel pressured to do it if you don't wanna. <3

[roodles03]

Aight let's do this

favs

Princess Luna (My Little Pony Generation 4)

Peridot (Steven Universe)

Hunter Deammone (The Owl House)

Vox | Vincent Whittman (Hazbin Hotel)

Shadow The Hedgehog (Sonic The Hedgehog)

Meta Knight (Kirby Series)

Jax (The Amazing Digital Circus)

Fizzoroli (Helluva Boss)

Voting ended onJun 27

@theoneandonlygothicrainbow @angelshizuka @voxs-itty-bitty-reblogs @alastors-totally-canon-deertail

(please don't feel pressured to do this if you don't want to!)

[theoneandonlygothicrainbow]

@azureroses1

Don’t know too many other folks on Tumblr whoops

My Favs

Willow Park (The Owl House)

Husk (Hazbin Hotel)

Fizz (Helluva Boss)

Peridot (Steven Universe)

Futaba Sakura (Persona 5)

Zooble (The Amazing Digital Circus)

Rosalina (Mario)

Voting ended onJun 21

[swallowed-teeth]

hey so Los Angeles is in crisis right now.

Multiple concurrent wildfires are happening, two of which are extremely devastating. The Palisades Fire, which at this time is the deadliest wildfire in LA history, has burned 18 square miles worth of land and destroyed over 1,000 structures. The Eaton Fire has burned over 10,000 acres. And the Santa Ana winds are rapidly escalating the fires to where containment at this time is borderline nonexistent and firefighters are at a loss for what to do. People have died. The air is extremely hard to breathe from smoke. Elderly, disabled and transient populations are at great risk. Even 20 miles south and 30 miles west of the Palisades and Eaton Fires, the smoke is so bad that there are air quality alerts and the moon is red at night. These have been called “catastrophic urban firestorms” and the people affected need your compassion.

If you are directly affected by the Eaton or Palisades Fires, here is a list of safe evacuation centers:

photo credit: Adelettes2 on Twitter/X (retrieved from Google)

The DreamCenter is also taking evacuees.

I’ll reblog when I can with more information for shelters but in the meantime please signal boost and add your own information if and when possible.

[princesa-querida-archived]

Big shout out to Compton Cowboys.

Text SHELTER and your zip code to 43362 to find a local shelter near you.

Please make sure to bring your meds, extra clothes, hygiene supplies, diapers, and important documents. Some shelters are accepting small pets, but they’re going fast.

Thank you to the person who started this. I’ll keep posting stuff if I see it. Be safe! 💖

[swallowed-teeth]

I would like to add that resources are extremely limited, and with how populated the areas affected are, shelters are at risk of being stretched thin.

Here is a list of verified organizations accepting donations in the wake of the fires:

CALIFORNIA FIRE FOUNDATION

AMERICAN RED CROSS

LA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT FOUNDATION

TELADOC is offering free virtual 24/7 services for all non-emergency illnesses to first responders, residents affected by the wildfires, and Southern California residents. Call Teladoc at 855-225-5032 if you are in need of non-emergency medical assistance or for non-narcotic prescriptions.

UPDATED MUTUAL AID

MALAN Fire & Wind Storm Resources

MALAN Fire & Wind Storm Resources

google spreadsheet and infograph both provided by MALAN.org; spreadsheet provided by @ambiguouslady42 / infographs retrieved from Instagram.

HOTELS ACCEPTING DISPLACED EVACUEES

LA Fire Hotel Availability Jan. 2025

LA Fire Hotel Availability Jan. 2025

google doc provided by Hotel Association of Los Angeles (HALA); retrieved from Citizen app

[twilightown]

thanks @gojjosatoru this is fun!!

Rules : put your music library on shuffle, then list the first five songs that come up in a poll to let people vote for their favorite! ✧₊⁺

I think I can predict this...

Gun Song - Lumineers

Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan

Dear Maria, Count Me In - All Time Low

Combat Baby - Metric

Cupid's Chokehold / Breakfast in America - Gym Class Heroes Ft. Patrick Stump

Voting ended onOct 13, 2024

If you're interested in doing the same, say I tagged you!

[here-beside-me-never-slowing]

Which Song?

Idol by YOASOBI

Frustration by Ayane

Blindness by Metric

Shout Baby by Ryokuoushoku Shakai

Symphony by Clean Bandit

Voting ended onOct 9, 2024

[breezycatuwu-deactivated2024100]

Me too! Which song? :3

Hot to Go! (Chappell Roan)

We Get it Started- Party Crashers Anthem (Flint 4K)

Love is an Open Door (Frozen)

Mr. Brightside (The Killers)

Bully in the Alley (Nathan Evans)

Voting ended onOct 15, 2024

@demonicallyslaying

@prometheus2007

@luckystarluminary

@pennyroyald

@pamithebunterfly2007

@angelicallyresurrecting

@ayelen0o0o

@glitchychara

@0dividedby0haha

[pamiwerewolfybunterfly]

Pick Any Song.

Cruise Control by Lyn Lapid and Whethan

Birth of Venus by Banshee

Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance

Monstarr by Ennaria

Cheerleader by Ashnikko

Voting ended onOct 9, 2024

@nicky-toony27

@art1c-m0nk3ys

@softpawsxd

@manekimelikawaii

@prometheus2007

@gothstarz

@leftunknown

@lizzietherwbychibifan

@cookiecat-7388

[gothiestarzsuki]

alright here we go (my car playlist)

Punk Tactics (Sped Up)

Charlie's Inferno (That Handsome Devil)

ITS MUFFIN TIME! (ASFD movie)

Talkin Bout Bri (MegaGoneFree)

Polkamania! (Weird Al)

Voting ended onOct 15, 2024

@roodles03

@sunnybunnysposts

@deleonemily

:]🫵

[roodles03-rooblogs]

So I had to pick songs that'd people would actually know and not some random unused song from like Mario Galaxy 2 or some shit. I did shuffle until I found them.

#BrooklynBloodPop (Instrumental only) - Skyo

Happier - Olivia Rodrigo

More than Anything - Hazbin Hotel

Welcome to the Show - My Little Pony Equestria Girls Rainbow Rocks

Cruel Summer - Taylor Swift

Voting ended onOct 15, 2024

@theoneandonlygothicrainbow

[theoneandonlygothicrainbow]

Choose your favorite

Counting Stars - OneRepublic

Sailor Moon Theme Song - Sailor Moon

It’s Been So Long - The Living Tombstone

My Shot - Hamilton

Pompeii - Bastille

Voting ended onOct 15, 2024

@azureroses1

[theoneandonlygothicrainbow]

If you are at least a casual viewer of PhantomStrider, please continue reading.

Phantom Strider just released a video saying that he can’t afford to make videos anymore because he needs to get a full time job to pay his bills. It’s a tough situation because he seems to want to keep making content.

He stated in his video that he’s most likely going to have to leave unless enough Patreons sign up to possibly keep his channel alive.

I’m writing this post to spread the word in case people want to donate. This was my personal decision. If you can’t afford to donate, that’s ok. You can still help by spreading the word.

You can watch the video if you want to know more details.

[britts-galaxy-brain]

Nobody is mad at Lily Orchard because she's trans.

We're mad because she:

Has emotionally and/or sexually abused everyone she's gotten close to (unlike her claims against others, we all have evidence.)

Used a former friend's financial and mental desperation to get them to draw beastiality for her.

Has written multiple fanfictions depicting graphic CP.

Has used sockpuppet accounts to manipulate + abuse + harass her former friends and audience.

Has a porn account full of CP artwork as well as fetish content she regularly attacks others for.

Gives harmful + inaccurate advice to fans.

Posts sexual content online + flashes her livestreams and only age-gates when she gets called out by her "vultures" for not doing it.

[roodles03]

Also she SA'ed and r*ped her own sister there's that too so there's that.

Listen up. If you think people of a minority (including trans people) are either ALL bad or ALL good people, I'm sorry, but you're being discrimatory. That factor of them doesn't determine their morality, whether you think they're ALL good or ALL bad. It's the content of their character. The fact that they are any sort of minority DOES NOT matter reguarding them as a person or their morality. The fact that you're not willing to call her out just because you think she's trans and therefore can do no wrong is fucking transphobic in itself. Trans people can still be bad people, just as anyone of any gender, sexuality, neuroablity, or race. Again, the fact that someone is part of a minority group DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN THEY'RE A GOOD PERSON.

So stop hiding behind the transphobia card when people criticize Lily Orchard. I don't fucking give a shit she's trans. That's not the issue with her. Like her being trans isn't even an issue at all. It's the content of her character. That's why she's shitty.

- Sincerely, a fellow trans person.

[call-me-cd]

Do you really think you can get a channel taken down?

1 strike isn't going to kill a channel, calm down

[roodles03]

One hour after you said this, you went on to strike Sai again.

Care to explain that?

[theoneandonlygothicrainbow]

Lily Orchard is a horrible human being who belongs in jail. Spread the word on her awful behavior. It’s not just copyright strikes. She’s harmed so many people

[kasspergh]

Huntlow cuddling

That's it, that's the post

[gwydionmisha]

The Internet Is About to Get a Lot Worse

We've all watched in horror as red states have banned books in schools and libraries. We've seen teachers fired merely for reading a book ab

11/30/23: KOSA is an anti-LGBTQIA+ censorship bill. It is essential you call THIS week. Tell them you are specifically against KOSA and especially against hotlining the bill.

Call the Capitol Switchboard at [phone] and ask to be connected to the Senator of your choice.

Here is one that will send your reps a fax: https://resist.bot/

[theoneandonlygothicrainbow]

Take action against this bill. It doesn’t protect kids. It only allows the government to censor marginalized voices, and you know that they would take advantage of that.

Phone number and fax is provided to the original post.

[willowszplants]

WE GOT OUR HUNTLOW KISS BROTHERSSSS

[roodles03]

This is best moment in the entire show. Tbh the best moment in any cartoon I've ever watched.

I cannot explain what feeling I had the moment this happened. I never expected deaf representation in Helluva Boss of all things, but I am so glad it happened.

I immediately got extremely emotional, almost cried. I'm emotional writing this even. It typically takes a while for me to get super emotional in any scene, but this hit me immediately. No media has achieved that.

And I'm not even deaf, and no one I know personally is deaf, yet I still felt this way. I know how important this scene has to be for deaf people. It's... incredible.

[theoneandonlygothicrainbow]

This was a very sweet moment. This whole episode was great in almost every way. Easily the best episode of Helluva Boss so far.

[theoneandonlygothicrainbow]

Pixar Movie Reviews

I’ve watched, reviewed, rated, and ranked every Pixar film with the exception of Elemental, which I haven’t seen yet, and all of my reviews will be in this blog. The blog will go in chronological order, starting with Toy Story and ending with Lightyear.

I’m sure my interpretations will not be unanimously agreed upon, and that’s ok. These all just my opinions and I respect other opinions as long as they respect mine.

Key:

Pink: Transcendent with no significant issues

Purple: Has one main problem holding the film back, but still excellent

Blue: Great but not mind blowing

Green: Good but not great

Orange: Above average despite its problems

Red: Pretty average for the most part

Black: Below average or bad

Toy Story

A classic staple of animation, and it’s easy to see why. While a lot of the ideas in this film are pretty dated by today’s standards, the film still proves to be pretty engaging with a lot of the humor, character arcs, and heartwarming moments. Buzz and Woody have a very entertaining dynamic and it’s refreshing to have a protagonist that’s as morally flawed as Woody is. Many are bothered by Woody’s behavior and think he’s too harsh, but honestly, I have the opposite problem. I think the main flaw with this film is the other toys. They’re not infuriating, but a lot of their actions are pretty one note, inconsistent, and dare I say harsh considering what the movie shows us regarding Woody’s character. It’s not a major issue but it does hold this film back for me. There’s also a lot of cliches in this film but again, that’s expected because these ideas were fresh at the time. It’s by no means a perfect film, but it’s definitely a must see for the history.

A Bug’s Life

This film is considered pretty mediocre in the Pixar line up, and it’s definitely one of their weaker films. That being said, I still like this film ok. I think I really like the premise for how dark it kind of is, with the ants having to pay to a higher power and fighting back for it. I also really like Dot. Very cute and sweet, even when Flick, a pretty typical protagonist, fails. Hopper is also an AMAZING villain. He’s very intimidating and brutal in such an awesome way that still fits the story. So what holds this film back? Well, the story itself is kind of hard to buy. Flick believing the circus bugs are warrior bugs is really contrived and silly, and it’s such a forced liar revealed plot line. Liar revealed plot lines are among my least favorite plot lines and this film’s use of it is atrocious. It’s really unbelievable that the town would shame Flick for lying when the bugs were being so helpful toward the town. Also, I hate Princess Anna. She’s so rude and annoying and I hate that she ends up with Flick by the end. They have no chemistry and Flick deserves better than her. It’s not a must see at all, and I don’t know if I’d say I recommend it, but if you want to see it, I think there’s some good stuff to get out of it despite it’s major problems.

Toy Story 2

This film is such a huge step up from Toy Story 1. In fact, I’d argue this was the film that really cemented the Toy Story franchise into fame. It’s honestly one of the most polished films I’ve ever seen, and probably the best sequel film I’ve ever seen as well. The humor in this film is honestly among Pixar’s best. There are a wide variety of jokes and I don’t think a single one misses. The heart behind this film is also very strong. It’s a really heartbreaking follow up about Woody’s realization and fear that he’ll eventually be replaced, and wanting to avoid that heartbreak for the interests of the other toys. Speaking of which, Jessie, Bullseye, and Pete are all very charming characters. Bullseye is adorable and I love how he acts like a dog. He often serves as someone who makes Woody truly doubt his actions. Jessie is also very interesting. Her whole story with Emily is very sad and all of her PTSD with abandonment is really sad. It’s really heartwarming to see her find family again with the rest of Andy’s toys. Pete is also a pretty good villain. I love how manipulative he is of Jessie and Woody and seeing him lash out is really intimidating. I also love Buzz and the other toys in this film. They all have a decent amount of highlight in the rescue mission and I love the role reversal they pull with Buzz trying to bring Woody to reality. The other Buzz character and Zurg are also pretty fun, even if it is a bit odd that toys didn’t suspect that he was off, but it’s not totally unbelievable. This film has so much heart and variety that I think everyone would find something they love about it.

Monsters Inc

This film is one of the most famous Pixar movies to date and it’s easy to see why. The worldbuilding is really creative and interesting. I like seeing a lot of different monsters that vary in style, personality, and ability. It’s also cool to see the film set in a factory like setting and have it be really interesting. The main characters in this film are very strong. Mike and Sully have a great dynamic and they share a lot of iconic and funny lines. This film honestly has amazing humor, definitely among Pixar’s best. Randall is a pretty menacing threat and a good representation of a coworker having a bitter rivalry for a promotion. And Waternoose is honestly the best twist villain in animation I’ve ever seen. You don’t expect it because you already have Randall as a villain, but at the same time, it makes sense that he would be so adamant about harming children with how fixated he is on keeping the company running. He’s an amazing representation of corrupt CEOs who do immoral things to keep profits coming (*cough cough* pretty relevant in this day and age *cough cough*). Boo is adorable and her bond with Sully is so charming and sweet. I also really love the romance between Mike and Celia. There are a couple of story contrivances that bother me and prevent me from calling it a perfect film (the scene where Boo escapes the door for the first time in particular has a lot of that), but this film is still a lot of fun and definitely worth quite a few watches.

Finding Nemo

This movie is considered a classic among Pixar films, and while I can’t say I love this one as much as others, I do think it’s pretty great. The underwater world is absolutely gorgeous, the overall theme about disabilities and being protective over them is really beautiful, and the adventure is really suspenseful and great character development for Marlin. I loved Dory’s character and how she helps Marlin see the fault in his actions. She has a lot of great inspirational lines that are still well used to this day. Nemo and Marlin have a pretty realistic child and parent dynamic that escalated well to the main conflict. Darla is pretty funny threat that’s realistic for the fish to be scared of. The comedic moments are hit or miss for me, but the ones that hit are very funny. Also, this is a film I blocked out from memory because a lot of the imagery scared me when I first saw it when I was younger, particularly Hank chasing Marlin and Dory and Nemo getting taken away by the divers. Even watching this now, I’m still shocked by the amount of scary imagery in this film. It’s kind of weird when coupled with some of the more juvenile (but not super obnoxious) humor. I’m also not a huge fan of the tank gang, even if they do have a lot of good jokes. I still definitely recommend this film, as I’m sure my issues with it are not very common because many rank this as one of Pixar’s best and I can see why.

The Incredibles

Wow this film is…incredible (haha funny pun). I love how it takes the concept of a family of superheroes and plays it realistically. The dialogue in this film is very natural. The interactions between each of the family members feel authentic, and it gets you invested in each of their personal hang ups. The whole idea of society banning superheroes is really interesting and it definitely helps capture the “midlife crisis” and “glory days” vibe the film is going for with Bob. I imagine a lot of older audience members will relate a lot to both Bob and Helen with their struggles about an unsatisfying job and trying to raise their kids the best they can. I also really like Violet and Dash. They aren’t as well fleshed out as the parents but they still feel like real kids who are struggling to adapt to the world around them, especially a world where superheroes are illegal and villains want to kill them. Syndrome is a really strong villain as well. I like that he’s so bitter about Mr. Incredible ignoring him and his technology and plan make him feel like a major threat. The action is well blended with the drama of the main story and is really engaging to look at. There’s also a lot of memorable side characters like Edna Mode, Frozone, Cari, Mirage, and many more. This film is just all around very sophisticated and I definitely recommend it.

Cars

This film is often considered to be mediocre in Pixar’s lineup, and yeah, that’s definitely true. The worldbuilding is easily this movie’s biggest flaw. A lot of this world just feels like “human world but everyone is a car”, and the world definitely has a couple contradictions. It leaves a lot of questions for people watching this film and it can distract from the main story. The story itself is alright though. Lightning learning to be less arrogant isn’t the most amazing arc in the world, but it’s fine for what it is. And I can appreciate some love being shown for Route 66. I don’t think the romance between him and Sally is that well developed though. The side characters are kind of a mixed bag as well. Mater is really annoying, and a lot of the other side characters are just kind of forgettable and occasionally annoying. I do like Doc and King though, as they were interesting and charming whenever they were a focus. Chick Hicks is a passable and funny villain, even if it’s odd that the physical sabotage wasn’t really prohibited mid race. The two best things in this film for me are Life is a Highway, an AMAZING song, and the ending where we see Lightning’s arc wrapped up in a pretty satisfying way. This film is definitely flawed in a lot of areas, but it does have some charming moments. Not a must see but not a must avoid either.

Ratatouille

Fun fact: before doing this Pixar marathon, I had never seen this film before. And GOD do I wish I saw this sooner because this film is beautiful. It’s among the most thematically rich films I’ve ever seen. I love how the film puts a twist on the theme of “anyone can cook.” The critic makes it known that not everyone has the capability to cook, and the film further shows this with Linguine, who was trying to be someone he wasn’t and felt the need to live up to his family member’s legacy. Instead, they make it known that a great cook can come from a wide variety of backgrounds. The ending is easily the highlight in this regard with how it brings these themes together. Easily the best ending to any Pixar film. On top of that, this film really helps you love cooking so much through the amount of passion the characters, particularly Remy, have for it. I kept feeling hungry throughout this film when I watched, which was enhanced by the beautiful animation. And the side characters in this film are also very funny along the way, with a lot of their jokes being very subtle yet still able to be picked up on. The intro definitely bored me a little bit, but considering the differences in lighting compared to the rat sewers and Paris, I’m guessing that was intentional to show how Remy hates being a rat. If so, I applaud this film for it’s very good visual storytelling, along with everything else about it. It’s a very mature film that not everyone would find engaging, but it’s definitely a very well written and thought provoking film that I urge EVERYONE to see.

WALL-E

I see so many people consider this film Pixar’s best, and after seeing it for the first time, I can definitely understand why. The first half is absolutely beautiful with the amount of wordless storytelling about WALL-E, EVE, and Earth in general. Seeing WALL-E and EVE bond is very touching and adorable, and it also provides a decent amount of slapstick humor. I love the overall environment of Earth and how desolate and ruined it is. The second half is often considered to be weaker, but I’d argue it’s just as strong as the first. While there certainly isn’t as much wordless storytelling, there is still a lot of it. We see how lazy and dependent humans have become after leaving Earth, especially in their body mass. There’s also that beautiful scene of WALL-E and EVE dancing in space, and we also see a lot of different robot characters that vary in personality and humanity, in which Otto, the villain robot, has no sense of humanity and is merely following his prior orders. And the captain’s line “I don’t want to survive, I want to live” is among my favorite lines of dialogue in anything. While this film can definitely be pretty slow at points, this film is an incredible cautionary tale about environmental issues and global problems in general. I think this film will always continue to be relevant no matter what situation humanity faces. Definitely watch this one if you haven’t already.

Up

Out of every Pixar film, this one is easily the most overrated to me. The theme about remembering the small moments with people rather than the grand ones is a great moral, but the film doesn’t have a great connective tissue to the message. All it has is the first 10 minutes (which is nice but pretty overhyped imo) and the callback to scrapbook before the climax. The whole bird adventure is technically fine but I found it pretty boring for most of it. I guess it’s meant to be a reflection of how the smaller moments (protecting the bird) are more meaningful than the larger moments (going to Paradise Falls), but I feel like there could have been a more engaging way to execute that idea. I also didn’t like most of the characters. The dogs are cute and funny, but Russell and Carl are kind of eh. They are relatable and have some good moments, but they also have a lot of irritating moments. The villain is definitely one of the better twist villains due to how early his reveal is, and I like that he’s an antithesis about desperation for adventure, but other than that he’s not very engaging or interesting. This film is pretty great in a lot of ways, but it’s definitely not top tier Pixar, nor is it a film I’m in a hurry to see again in general.

Toy Story 3

I don’t this film is quite as perfect as Toy Story 2, but it is still an absolutely fantastic entry to the Toy Story franchise. The progression about the toys moving on from Andy is a really natural and emotional progression to take. I’m sure this was an emotional film for people attached to the Toy Story characters and/or those who related to the big change that moving to college is. The denial over growing up is a very realistic feeling to have and it causes a lot of emotional weight for the toys, as they realize Andy does really care about them despite having outgrown them. The daycare setting is pretty fun and I love the variety of toys we meet this time. Barbie and Ken, Lotso, Big Baby, the monkey, the telephone, the toys at Bonnie’s house, and even some of the background toys are really memorable. And the rest of Andy’s toys get a decent amount of highlight as well. Lotso is a very effective villain who is a great foil to the other toys about moving on from their owners. The way he manipulates and takes control is especially scary. If I had any complaints, I do think it’s a bit odd the toys don’t believe Woody when he said Andy wasn’t abandoning them, and I wished Buzz had a bit more going on than being essentially mind controlled for half the time, but this film is still a lot of fun and deserves the love it gets.

Cars 2

I think it’s no surprise to say that this film is Pixar’s weakest. And it’s astonishingly bad considering their line up of films beforehand. The whole plot is very forced. The racing and spy elements don’t blend well at all and making Mater the main star is very annoying. The spies act unreasonably stupid for the plot to go anywhere and most of Mater’s jokes are very bad. The reveal behind the villain is also very confusing and makes no sense considering the context of the rest of the plot. There are also confusing world building elements that are mainly left over from the first film but they are still annoying. The whole friendship message is pretty cliche and is not a very good match with the spy plot. Lightning is also uncharacteristically sympathetic towards Mater for half of the film out of nowhere. This film does have some positives with a couple of very good jokes that land as well as some somewhat heartwarming moments from the side characters, but overall, this film feels like such a mess that didn’t need to be made at all. I recommend you skip it.

Brave

Yeah this film kind of sucks. It doesn’t really piss me off that much but it just feels very cliche, boring, and predictable. It feels more like a low tier Disney movie rather than a Pixar film. The story is very uninspiring and the characters are the most unlikable and bland out of all the Pixar movies. Merida is such a brat, which is definitely the point of the film but the execution of her arc is very sloppy that it doesn’t feel satisfying when she learns by the end. Eleanor is also very obnoxious and Merida’s little brothers are useless and don’t fit the film’s darker tone very well. The animation is also pretty poor. The lighting is unusually dark to the point where I can’t see a lot of the time. It’s unfortunate because this film starts off well with a cool mystery in the forest, and it has great music and an interesting setting. Not to mention that the archery moments are really badass and cool. But those attributes sadly just make me notice the poor story and characters more. To me, this film had a lot of potential to be very mature and artistic but it’s cliche and forced story beats make it very bland. I don’t recommend this film.

Monsters University

Out of every single Pixar film, I think this one is the most underrated. This film really adds a lot to the world building about the science behind scaring works and how doors are made. It’s really cool. Mike and Sully also have a very entertaining dynamic between the hard worker who just wasn’t meant to be a scarer and the coaster who is relying on his raw skill and family name. I like these two separate character dynamics. They are pretty realistic to many people in college. The overall mature theme of dreams sometimes not coming true is also beautiful. It’s really refreshing to see things not work out perfectly for Mike, even though he really wanted to scare. Sometimes dreams aren’t meant to be, but it doesn’t mean you can’t find happiness in other ways, like Mike eventually realizes by the end of the film. The climax is also very epic. A lot of emotional moments between Mike and Sully and both of them feel like very flawed characters who learn a lot about life through college and their mistakes. This film is a lot more mature than you would expect! The scare games plot is definitely the weakest one, as it has a lot of cliche, forgettable, and sometimes annoying moments with Oozma Kappa, who aren’t awful but they’re definitely not super interesting. I like that they included an adult in college though, as that’s rare. But the scare game plot also proves to be pretty satisfying in the success and some pretty solid jokes. Honestly, I definitely recommend you check out this film. I feel like people are sleeping on how great this is.

Inside Out

God…words can’t describe how much I adore this film. The overall concept about exploring someone’s brain is so fascinating, and the way they portray a lot of these psychological concepts is so interesting and creative. It really helps people, even those not well versed in psychology or neuroscience, understand how the brain works. The dream world being a movie studio, the unconscious being a deep cavern, the imaginations being a row of exhibits, long term memory being an infinite route (like real life!), it’s all so cool! The characters in this film are also very strong. All of the emotions are flawed yet likable characters who have their own perspectives on certain issues that surprisingly don’t come off as one note. I also like the small amount of depth and character given to Riley and her parents. They feel like realistic people who would act the way they do when certain emotions are in control or out of control. The jokes are also very funny. I like how they match with the characters and emotions of the situation as well as fit with the setting. The themes, OH MY GOD THE THEMES. The themes are written so strongly, it’s among the best writing I’ve ever seen. The message about accepting sadness and bad emotions is written in subtle ways throughout the whole film, as well as ways that are very obvious for the characters to learn and understand. It’s a very human film that can resonate with everyone. Everyone feels sadness and everyone wants to push it away, but sometimes it’s incredible necessary. This film is the only Pixar film to have ever made me cry, and it made me cry 6 TIMES. The ending in particular gets me everytime with how heavy, satisfying, and authentic it feels. This film is just…absolutely flawless and incredible. It’s not just my favorite Pixar film. It’s not just my favorite animated film. It’s my favorite film of all time.

The Good Dinosaur

Ironic to me that Pixar released my least favorite film from them after they released my favorite film. While Cars 2 is objectively worse, I would rather watch that than this because this film is one of the most boring films I’ve ever seen. There is such a lack of story for me to get invested in, and half of the time I feel like the film is trying to cover that up by showing pretty scenery. What little plot there is is pretty typical: a dinosaur wants to prove that he’s courageous and then gets lost and has to find his way home, while learning to be courageous. It’s a fine enough story but a lot of it feels dragged out and uninteresting. The theme is just so dry and boring, as well as the characters. Arlo and Spot’s relationship is very mediocre. I like the scene where they explain what happened to them with sticks, but other than that, they feel like every other buddy duo in every other film. The other characters are pretty forgettable too. I also think a lot of the scenes are pretty gruesome compared to the very minimal and kiddy story and characters. It doesn’t really mend all together that well. There’s also a lot of story contrivances, such as Arlo surviving a wave his father was killed in (and the death has NO emotion because it happens in such a stupid way). Definitely don’t watch this one. It’s not entertainingly bad like Cars 2 COULD be. It’s just boring and not a good time.

Finding Dory

This is a hot take, but honestly I like this film more than the first one. I think it does a better job at showing how disabilities don’t limit us as people and that we can still accomplish things regardless of them. I also found the newer side characters to be a lot more fun and interesting this time around. Destiny, Bailey, and Hank are a lot of fun and I like that they are further representations of disabilities. There’s a lot of respect with the subject in how they don’t really bring too much attention to the disabilities. They’re simply there and a part of them, making the lesson feel natural. I also love how they explain a lot of Dory’s attributes from the first film, such as talking to whales and reading. The aquarium is a fun location for this film with a lot of cool hijinks as Dory finds her parents, which proves to be such an emotional journey. This film is definitely very similar to the first one and Marlin is a bit harsh, but overall I thought this film was a lot of fun and an improved version of the first.

Cars 3

This film blew my expectations out of the water. Granted, my expectations were not very high, as it’s a Cars film, but I’m genuinely shocked at how good this film is. The worldbuilding issues are nowhere near as prevalent as they are in the first film, as they try to draw their focus away from that, and the overall story is a lot more interesting than the story of the first two Cars films. I think a lot of older audiences can relate to Lightning’s struggle about falling behind with a newer generation of people in whatever field of work, and trying not to let other people tell you when you’re finished. The overall focus with Doc was really sweet, and it’s really moving to see Lightning try so hard to keep racing until he realizes mid race that he’s not cut out for it. I love the final act of this film because Lightning was able to accept that he’s not qualified to race anymore and give that opportunity to Cruise, a newer racer who has a chance to prove herself, and also take Doc’s legacy of mentoring Lightning. Cruise was a hit or miss character for me and the other side characters, while nowhere near as prevalent in this film as the other films, still have their annoying moments. But Lightning’s overall journey is immensely satisfying. It really feels like this film was an apology for the first two Cars movies, and if that’s the case, I accept their apology wholeheartedly. Nowhere near a perfect film, but it’s a triumph of quality for this franchise. I honestly recommend this, especially to people who have already seen Cars 1. I think they will underestimate the amount of emotion they’ll feel while watching this miracle.

Coco

Before my Pixar marathon, Coco was my second favorite Pixar film behind Inside Out. But after watching a lot of new films and rewatching this one, this film definitely moved down in the rankings for me. That being said, it’s still absolutely fantastic. I love how rich in Mexican culture this film is, as you could not really set this film in another place without dramatically changing the entire story. The whole story itself is really cool. I like how they take the “follow your dreams” lesson and apply it to the reality of corrupt celebrities desperate for fame to the point where they leave their family and morals behind. Miguel is a pretty relatable protagonist that acts like a real kid without being super annoying. And it definitely hurts to see the family be so judgmental of music. It makes you hate them, but at the same time, sympathize with them, because you understand where they’re coming from. The whole Land of the Dead world is absolutely gorgeous and I love the worldbuilding with the skeletons and the spirits. The colors are beautiful and it makes every frame stunning. There’s definitely a lot of emotion with the beautiful song “Remember Me”, which didn’t make me cry like it did for many others, but it was definitely pretty close to making me cry. I like how they foreshadow the song being stolen with the fast version with Cruz feeling kind of out of place and unnatural. So what brings this film down? Two things. One, Dante was useless. He was really gross and was mainly there to be a nuisance, apart from knowing over the photo, which could have been changed a little. Two, Cruz is a good villain with an interesting ideaology, but his actual plan and actions are kind of stupid. He shouldn’t have made a film resembling Hector’s death. He shouldn’t have kept Hector’s photo. And I don’t really understand why Hector didn’t really mention how he wrote Remember Me and Cruz stole it from him. Hector himself is a fun character though, and his love for Coco is so sweet. It’s still an absolutely wonderful film despite a somewhat weaker villain and comic relief animal, and I definitely recommend it.

Incredibles 2

This film gets a lot of hate, but I honestly enjoyed this film quite a bit. I like how this film puts more of a focus on the Superheroes being illegal law and trying to overturn that. It’s funny to see Bob try his best with parenting, as we didn’t see too much of that in the last film. His jealousy with Helen is a little inconsistent and weird at first, but I like how it develops into an inferiority complex. I also like how they focus on how being a superhero affects Violet and her love life with Toni. Dash was pretty annoying and one note in this film though, which is kind of disappointing. The story behind Helen’s plot is really interesting and the action is very good. I also like meeting more superheroes and seeing their powers. Winston and Evelyn were pretty cool characters for most of the film. I do like how they shared the same situation but had different perspectives, one wanting to legalize heroes and one wanting to ban them. Which does bring me to the biggest problem: Evelyn as a twist villain. Her actions and ideaology don’t make too much sense in universe, as she did a lot to raise heroes up, more than what was needed. And Winston didn’t really notice the goggles at that point either which is kind of annoying. Bottom line, the story itself is not as polished and cohesive as some other Pixar films, but there’s still a lot of good stuff from this film that makes it worth at least one watch.

Toy Story 4

Easily the weakest Toy Story film. I definitely would have preferred if this film never existed in the first place, as Toy Story 3 is a much better closer for the franchise. But I will acknowledge that this film does have a decent number of quality elements. The idea of having an antithesis to the first 3 films is interesting. I like how they make Woody’s loyalty unhealthy to the point where he needs to consider other life opportunities that are better for him in the long run. It definitely challenges the ideas of the first 3 films, particularly Toy Story 2, and that’s pretty daring all things considered. There are some solid jokes and moments with Bo Peep, Gabby Gabby, and Forky that support the main conflict well. The hijinks are alright with the van, old timey shop, and the carnival, though not as fun as the ones in the other Toy Story films. Bonnie is adorable and I can buy that she doesn’t really play with Woody as much, even if Woody meant a lot to Andy. It is kind of cruel and unusual to have the parents be so neglectful of Woody though. I’d expect them to know more about the importance behind the toys, particularly Woody. Even if Bo Peep says that “kids lose toys all the time” (a very good point that definitely supports what this film was going for, toys being able to find purpose without owners). The story itself is definitely not very tightly written, as the plot meanders a lot, Buzz’s B plot is awful and annoying, and there is so little relevance to the rest of the gang that they could have been cut entirely. I also can’t stand Duck and Bunny. They were so obnoxious everytime they came on screen. Out of all the Pixar films, this one is easily the one I’m the most mixed on. There are some interesting if not controversial ideas in this film that may be emotional to some and aggravating to others. If I could describe this film in one word, it would be “challenging.” I think whether or not you want to see it depends on how attached you feel towards the other films, but I do think there is some good stuff in this one.

Onward

A lot of people really don’t like this film, which I can somewhat get, but I still thought it was a good time. I think the fantasy like world about magical creatures abandoning magic in favor of technology is a really cool idea. While this film doesn’t really focus on that idea that much, I do like how it plays into the main plot about Ian trying to assert himself and grow, as well as him realizing that Barley helped him a lot through that. The ending is easily the highlight, as we see Ian make an adamant decision that puts Barley’s happiness first. Ian and Barley have a nice and realistic brother like bond that’s definitely a huge facet of them overcoming their personal struggles. The overall magic system is neat. I like that there are specific spells that Ian needs to use and it results in a lot of really cool fight scenes and character designs. There’s definitely a lot of creativity in this film. Sadly, I think this film could have really utilized said creativity a lot more and in a lot more interesting way. There are definitely a lot of contrivances and annoying moments in this film that prevent it from being great, not to mention a lot of missed potential, but I still think it has some charm and heart to it that make it worth a watch.

Soul

This film is amazing, and while I can point to many recent films to refute the claim that Pixar has lost their touch, this film would definitely be the first one I point to. The whole idea behind the purpose of life and finding what keeps us going is beautiful, and there’s so many smaller moments that capture that idea, from 22 eating food to 22 catching the leaf. Joe is a very relatable protagonist and his love for jazz is really touching and inspiring to people who have that passion that keeps them going. The great before world is gorgeous visually and I love the way they set up the souls obtaining their erth pass. 22 and Joe have a great dynamic that develops into something very meaningful for both of them, and I like how vague they leave things by the end. The start of the movie has Joe have an idea with what he wants to do, but as he keeps talking to people about life and as he remains unsatisfied with the gig, he realizes he still needs to figure things out. This is further reflected in the title card being shown only at the end, saying that Joe’s life truly begins now. Bottom line, this film is an absolute masterpiece that shows us that Pixar still has its magic touch.

Luca

I loved this film a lot more than I thought I would. I heard from other people that it was a really slow paced and simple film and I was worried that I was going to be really bored with it. But this film is unbelievably charming in its simplicit nature that I got pretty attached to the story. I even cried at a couple points. Luca, Alberto, and Giulia are all very charming characters that have pretty simple goals that you can’t help but get attached to due to their enthusiasm. It’s really cool to see Luca explode about the world he was restricted from for so long and seeing him fall in love with a lot of stuff from it. Alberto and Luca have a beautiful friendship and they play off each other very well. I also love Giulia’s father. He’s very sweet and I like how he has an arm missing just because he was born that way. Props to body diversity! This film also handles liar reveals very well, with Alberto exposing himself rather than Luca and Giulia being more concerned with their safety than the fact that they were lying. And I also love how Alberto reflects on his jealousy over Luca’s friendship and Luca reach an understanding with him. The whole outsider message is there, even though it’s not a big part of the film, and it’s a really realistic fear many children have growing up. Main reason I don’t think this film is a 10/10 is because I don’t like the bully villain nor do I like the parent subplot of them trying to find Luca, but at the end of the day these aren’t things that will ruin the film at all. It’s still a very sweet and cozy film that many people will love.

Turning Red

This film is epic and I HEAVILY disagree with the majority of the criticism against it. The whole film really plays into the idea of growing up and becoming a person separate from your family. I like how this is reflected in Mei’s culture as well, as Chinese culture tends to be very collectivist in nature. While I am not Chinese myself, and thus cannot comment on the accuracy of representation, I really appreciate the overall aesthetic and how it adds to the story. From Mei’s mother being overbearing and her dad not so much, to Mei embracing elements of individuality outside of her culture, this film has a lot of thought. And considering how this film was directed by a Chinese woman and the feedback I’ve heard from Chinese people is pretty positive, I’m inclined to believe this movie has very strong representation. I really buy the exaggerated style because it portrays family dynamics and growing up very realistically. Mei, along with her friends, feel like very real teenagers. They have a great dynamic and memorable personalities that surprisingly never got overbearing. Their bond is very sweet with how much they care for each other. The climax is also amazing with how Mei’s friends and family team up to save the day, further shown with the combination of the mantra music and 4Town’s music during the ritual. And WOW 4Town’s music is so good. Everytime they sang the song, I was having a really fun time. I love how the lyrics are all about individuality. And I also love how a lot of the things Mei embraces are often perceived as cringe by most people. Growing up is a messy experience and teenagers are often incredibly cringy when trying to figure out who they are. But the cringe never really gets that overbearing. If anything, it really helps add to the film’s comedy, which is very strong. I was so close to giving this film a 10/10, but sadly, one thing is preventing me from doing that: Tyler. Tyler is just a really annoying prick that kind of got off way too easily, especially when he was acting racist towards Mei in a later scene. The film didn’t really need him in all honesty, and anytime he was a focus, he was really obnoxious. They definitely show human sides to him, but if they wanted to redeem him, his arc needed a heck of a lot more polish. But this film is still absolutely amazing and I highly recommend EVERYONE to see it.

Lightyear

I was really nervous about this film, as I heard a lot of people consider it among the worst of Pixar, and I felt like the film was a huge executive push ever since I saw advertisements for it. Having seen it now, it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting and I don’t think it’s Pixar's worst film. But it’s still a pretty big mixed bag that is among the weakest they’ve ever made. I think this film had a lot of really cool stuff going for it with the overall space ranger aesthetic and music. It’s very cool and it definitely makes you curious about the world the film takes place in. But sadly, the world is not fleshed out well at all. If you can buy the whole time travel space plot point, which is a bit of a hard one to buy, it’s hard to get invested in Buzz’s struggle when we don’t see a lot of the world he’s living in changing, nor do we have time to get emotionally invested in his fear. All we really have is a nightmare that’s way too short for us to get invested in. Buzz’s overall character is kind of inconsistent and bland. A lot of conflicts he faces kind of come in and out and they don’t really help his arc become satisfying in any way. The side characters in this film, with the exception of Sox, are pretty mediocre and forgettable. Their dynamics feel unoriginal and it makes it hard to get emotionally invested. And of course, I’ll address the most infamous part of this film: the Zurg reveal. Zurg is a pretty poorly written villain whose actions, ideologies, and of course, overall existence, don’t make a lot of sense in the universe they’ve made. And the dynamic between Zurg and Buzz is so lifeless and rushed that it doesn’t feel suspenseful or emotional at all. Honestly, I feel like this film had potential to be a really interesting and good spinoff from the Toy Story universe. But as it is, it’s just a mash of mediocrity.

Elemental

There’s been a mix (I’m so punny) of reactions to this film, and I would definitely put myself in the category of people that really enjoyed it. I thought the overall story was really passionate. I like the immigration plotpoint in this film and how it connects so much with the family’s business and Ember’s internal conflict about her future. It definitely makes me more curious about the immigrant experience and I would love to learn more about that subject on my own time. I love a lot of the smaller details of their heritage that some into play, such as Ember’s father messing up English and the bow. Ember and Wade’s relationship was absolutely adorable. Their interactions feel very natural and heartfelt. Wade was a character I was a bit iffy on when he was first introduced but he definitely won me over pretty quickly with how sweet he is. I love the banter the two characters share and I won’t lie, I teared up at a lot of moments. The animation was also beautiful. It’s a given because it’s Pixar, but I feel like it’s more impressive here because of the fact that they had to animate subjects that were less solid in nature. A lot of people call this film basic and it definitely does tread a lot of familiar ground, but I didn’t mind that too much because when the cliches were used, they were used in a way that a) boosted the theme of the film and b) avoided a lot of the annoying moments the cliches tend to bring (particular Wade not holding a grudge in the third act breakup). I think the only cliche that kind of bothered me was the fake out death, but the moment where they bring back Wade is still very moving. This film is definitely not perfect. Clod thankfully had very little screen time but he was really annoying whenever he was a focus. The worldbuilding is cool but it definitely has a couple of contradictions and plot holes that aren’t enough for me to take my enjoyment out of the film, but they definitely make your head scratch a bit, particularly the fact that air and earth people were so sidelined. It kind of weakens the prejudice aspect a little. I still think this film is pretty good though. You can tell it comes from a place of passion and it dampers the blow on some problems. I recommend it!

Inside Out 2

I was one of the few people who didn’t need an Inside Out sequel, but this film was definitely a worthy addition to the Inside Out series. I really love the additions to the world building. The idea of beliefs is a very clever one in how they tie into the limitations of the emotions. It’s also great to see the way previous world building elements have evolved, such as the new areas in Imagination Land and the changes in size of the personality islands. The characters in this film are very strong, as always. Anxiety is a very good villain and I also love how Ennui, Envy, and Embarrassment also affect Riley’s personal experience. While Anxiety is the main player here, the other three definitely play a part in Riley’s breakdown and I appreciate that they weren’t useless. I especially love Embarrassment. They were adorable and I loved how their character changed. It makes perfect sense, as they were embarrassed about what Riley’s been doing. The old emotions are also a joy (hahahahaha please laugh at me) to watch. I love seeing Joy’s growth in the first film and how she’s questioning her ability to solve the problem when every solution she uses keeps failing. She’s an excellent foil to Anxiety and her growth showcases how she could have become Anxiety, and I love her helping Anxiety out because of that. This film also has a strong sense of comedy and tension. It was less predictable than the first film and I also found it a LOT funnier, from the sarcasm casm to some amazing one liners from the emotions. The secret vault scene in particular was amazing, with Lance, Bloofy, Dark Secret, and of course Pouchie. I also appreciated the film’s use of varying animation styles with these characters as well as in other scenes such as a Joy plan scene. They fit in well and are very nice to look at. I don’t think this film is as emotional as the first one, but the emotional core is definitely present in many moments such as Joy thinking you feel less happy as you get older, the panic attack, Joy confronting Anxiety, and the ending lines. The ending in general is very well done. The emotion repression is a great idea and I love how it comes back towards the climax. I also respect how they don’t call Anxiety bad all the time, and how they leave things on a vague note, showing how the world is unpredictable sometimes and that’s ok. I probably still prefer the first one overall, as I do have more minor nitpicks with this one, but it’s still an amazing film that I urge everyone to see. I was anxious about it, as many were, but it brought me so much joy.

Final Ranking

1. Inside Out

2. Toy Story 2

3. Ratatouille

4. The Incredibles

5. Inside Out 2

6. Soul

7. WALL-E

8. Turning Red

9. Toy Story 3

10. Coco

11. Luca

12. Monsters Inc

13. Finding Dory

14. Finding Nemo

15. Elemental

16. Monsters University

17. Incredibles 2

18. Toy Story

19. Up

20. Cars 3

21. Onward

22. A Bug’s Life

23. Toy Story 4

24. Cars

25. Lightyear

26. Brave

27. The Good Dinosaur

28. Cars 2

[roodles03]

Huntlow Tangled AU but Hunter just has a comically long hair noode

I thought of this and it came out dumber then I hoped boo.

Sorry about the misspelling in my writing it was 1 AM when I drew this.

[bbyinblu]

reblog if you think sign language should be taught as a language in schools.

[trappeds0ull-deactivated2020072]

🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣

[theoneandonlygothicrainbow]

One small moment from Watching and Dreaming that I think is really underrated is Hunter putting his arm around Willow at the very end.

In past situations, when it came to physical contact, the other person had to initiate it first, and when they did, it made Hunter blush.

This makes a lot of sense considering his traumatic home life and the fact that he wasn’t used to physical affection and was also likely scared of rejection.

Seeing Hunter not only initiate physical contact, but also not blush while doing so, is a really small detail that shows how Hunter has people he feels safe and loved with, and he‘s a lot more used to physical affection. It’s such a great, subtle way to show how much Hunter has healed.

[moringmark]

[theoneandonlygothicrainbow]

I might write a blog about this subject in the future, but yes. I’m so glad Hunter wasn’t there for Belos’ death for this specific reason.

[agrebel18]

girl bi is not attraction to all genders is attraction to guys&gals

The formal definition is “romantic and/or sexual attraction to more than one gender” so it depends on how the bisexual/romantic person sees it and applies it for themself, since I’m bi and attracted to non binary folks, as well as men and women!

[theoneandonlygothicrainbow]

It’s not anyone’s decision to say what someone is or what someone isn’t. People will find labels and terms that feel right to them. I’m bisexual myself and I’m attracted to men, women, and enby people. I personally define it as “liking two or more genders” or “liking all genders with preferences”, but some other people may define bisexuality differently. I can respect those alternate definitions as long as you respect mine.