#gusthololoser

Full credits to @BrokenPhone771 on Twitter!

OMG

IM SO SORRY IDK THE ARTIST CAUSE PINTEREST SUCKS BUT

ITS PERFECT

MY SONS

and yes I totally bought the actual game..

The Owl House has characters made up of different retrospect of trauma and I don't think its explored enough as it should be, specific character or not.

Hunter and the whole story of Caleb and Philip is brought up so well in the show and the way they introduced everything made Hunter's character so much more interesting in my opinion. Being a 16-year-old clone with generations worth of trauma on your back, and yet you became this amazingly written, awkward teenage boy and yet when you get attention drawn to yourself people tend to be diveded on whether or not you deserve it. Sure his first introduction was a little rocky, but giving us a divided character and then slowly (as slow as they could with he shows cancellation) open him up to everyone is perfect.

Willow was the first main character introduced besides Luz and yet shes constantly ignored or never given the stage light. She's the literal foundation of the hexsquad! Hers and Gus's friendship starting from so young is one of the many perfect branches into her character, being able to help a peer she'd never met before at that young of an age, and then become such a powerful character to the show and on her own is the main point of Willow I wished people talked about more. She was able to calm and befriend Gus at a very vulnerable time, accepted Luz into her small friend group and never once tried to shun her out of it, her whole character development between her and Amity too?! that deserves its own whole paragraph. She's built this flooring and foundation for her life and relationships and yet she's got so many parts of her ignored by her own fandom.

Amity, oh Amity. The complexity between her family relationships and her relationship with Willow is never talked about enough, and I find that shes always dumbed down to "Luz's girlfriend" which is such an insult to her character and the shows creators. She was made and WRITTEN to be the character she is, the complexity of her personality and relationships is ON PURPOSE! Amity and her parents' relationships are not perfect, and no matter how much people like to praise every freaking pore on Alador's body, he was not a good dad to her! Or the twins! but nonetheless, her growing positive relationship with her dad is and was an amazing choice by the show's writers and I think it helps expand her character, kinda like a sourdough starter. Having Amity go from being her mother's puppet on a string to eventually rebelling and helping stop the end of the Boiling Isles - while I know that the show would've had to do this with someone for the plot to stay the same - was a perfect move for the show, and being able to animate and write a character that goes through not only a well-done rebellious phase, but also a collection of heavy trauma, and still be the character you wanted and not make everything about Amity about her trauma and bad relationships? Perfect.

Now to the meat of my sandwich, Luz, THE MAIN CHARACTER! I think I'm gonna split my thoughts out a bit more since there's just so much too them. (them? her? does Luz have canon pronouns?). Switching from a "cringe" teen girl who just simply felt like they didn't fit in anywhere and making her into a character that became so powerful, strong-headed and important is just, GORGEOUS! Skipping all the way to season 3, I feel like the writters truly took their time and care when writing Luz's trauma, thinking about the laptop scene specifically. The raw truth behind all of the hexsquad's emotional turmoil in this show, for me specifically, is done really well for what is supposed to be a children's show. Being understood is all Luz wanted from the beginning, and yet the show's writing doesn't make that obvious. Luz is able to be so much more than "that weird human girl" in a world unlike her own that is divided on whether she's important and cool or weird and disposable. She's the first human to has learnt how to perform magic on her own. They're living in a world that accepts her for her relationship with Amity (the fact that their a wlw relationship, while some may not like the fact Amity is dating Luz specifically.. *cough cough*). Just, the way they were written for the entire show is just perfect.

Augustus Porter. The prodigy himself. Thrown into a show with a useless fandom, unless your making out with some teen boy all the time (warm take but shh hear me out here). Gus's character is done so well its actually shocking how many people dislike or just don't care about him. The youngest of the Hexsquad, being only 12-13 at the time of, y'know, his homeland's genocide? That's so funny and easy to ignore isn't it! (/sarcasm). Labrinth runners, in my opinion, was the best episode for Gus's character. Going back to Willow a bit here, the scene where he has a panic attack and we see just a slice of his illusionist potential is so tasty (in artist and writer terms lol). He grew up being used and pushed over constantly cause of his abilities and that bullying and trauma has led to him being a witchling that finds it a little more difficult to trust other people, requiring solid proof that they don't have ill intentions, and yet.. In S2E5, Through the Looking Glass Ruins, is where he slips up. He relaxes and puts his trust in someone he's never met before, from not only truly believing Bria is an honest and trustworthy witch, but also as if he wants to seem okay around Luz and (possibly) impress Mattholomule. From their first meeting, its clear the two aren't the fondest of each other, and I'll come back to this when addressing Matt's character. Gus has this tendency to always wanting to prove that he's more than a "tool to be disposed after use", while also wanting to truly help his close friends, pushing aside his own trauma and needs almost constantly. And of course, while its not entirely obvious, his own friends tend to do that for him. He doesn't get the time he needs or deserves to process things like the rest of the group, either from simply trying to fufill his2 need of helping others, or just not being given a chance to process and relax - and that goes for the entire hexsquad too. His eventual bond with Matt (romantic or not) was necessary and highlights a few pieces of Augustus that really makes him so likeable (him = Gus and Matt). Their rivalry was good for the both of them, as it gave time and an interesting delema that led to their eventual bond. Gus being shown the true side of Matt straight up, and then slowly seeing him bloom means something to him. It shows Gus that, while Matt disliked him, he was always going to be honest with him. Their relationship would still be this interesting if they stayed rivals, because Matt was the first witch in his exact age group to be openly honest with their opinion about him, rather than toying with his emotions and vulnerability. That's what Gus always needed from the start, someone who'd always be honest with their opinions to his face and behind his back. You could argue Willow or Luz were first, and I don't think you'd be wrong from saying that, but Matt was a witch his exact age, with the same (or similar) issues, and Matt's also another teenage boy. Those pointers alone gave Matt more leverage than the others.

Speaking of Mattholomule, I think its time we brought his character to light, huh? Matt introduction into the show is when him and Gus first meet in S1E9, Something Ventured Someone Framed. Matt is an asshole, there's no doubt about it, and despite future episodes he still is an asshole. But like I said before, Matt is openly an asshole to both Gus and Luz, being dead-set on becoming the president of the HAS (Human Appreciation Society). That alone is a nice silver key into the collection of locks hiding Matt's character. Matt is more than meets the eye, and we know that ever since his introduction. Matt has this interesting part of his character that not many people dwell on either, despite being an ass, he's openly honest and doesn't let many people see him being vulnerable, and weirdly enough that's what makes him such a perfect match to Gus. In S2E5, Through the Looking Glass Ruins, he does soften up, seeing Bria treat Gus so badly seeming to make a part of him open up. Cutting him free and letting him scare off his "friends" from Glandus and even eventually helping Gus repair the broken statues. Matt is an honest person, treating the people he cares about well and never switching it up, and that's exactly the type of person Gus needs (well, technically anyone needs a person like that, but Gus bagging him up first is perfect for them both romantically or not). Matt's backstory isn't obviously talked about throughout the show, but its pretty obvious he was bullied at his part school and - although I could be wrong - he still hung out with them because they were the only people he was familiar with. Him being so dead-set on taking over the HAS most likely comes from his past at Glandus, following the idea of: "kill or be killed"... okay not literally killing but yall get the damn point. Matt is an asshole on paper, and that's perfect for his character. He's still an asshole after his redemption and that's not an accident. He's supposed to be hated, but Gus forgives him so easily because he can truly tell Matt is being honest with him. Matt gives him honesty with a piece of vulnerability, and its this specific part of their story that sets the foundation for how far each of them are gonna go. You've probably noticed by now, but Guss' and Matt's characters are pretty interwined. Their traits and personalities blend together like watercolours, despite being almost opposites on their own. In S3E2, For the Future (or whatever its called), despite how little we actually see, its clear the two have bonded off-screen, whether you decide its romantically or not its your choice, but its something you cant really deny happened either way. Matt takes on a role of responsibility that we haven't really seen from him before, being responsible and choosing too being the shock parts. Sure it's being clear since season 1 that Matt is more than a one-off speaking side character, but seeing the writing team make him into "Man-Tholomule" and opening his character even further makes him feel even more special. Although, it was disappointing to not see him and Gus interact much in their final episodes.

but I think its costing some of my Gustholomule obsession

please.. I have a 6-7 (no pun intended) year streak on those awkward teenagers..