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“To Be Understood”: A Lesson from The Owl House

November 27, 2023

You might remember a post on the concept of the pink Gothic I once wrote. You might also remember it was inspired by the animated series The Owl House. There are many lessons in this series – pertaining, among others, to identity, one’s place in the world, and ethics – and in this post I decided to focus on a pivotal moment, perhaps the key lesson The Owl House has to offer.

In the penultimate episode of The Owl House, called “For The Future”, Luz, the protagonist, has an epiphanic experience. After all her adventures, all the things she’s experienced, all the dreams, wishes, disappointments and mistakes, she finally realizes something: “The only thing I’ve ever really wanted,” she tells her mother teary-eyed, “was to be understood.”

Justice, then. A special kind of justice, one intertwined with empathy, humility, and our ability to see beyond our own confines. All these are extremely important elements in what we understand as community.

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Ember’s Disappearing Clothes: Unnecessary Diversions in Fiction

October 30, 2023

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

aesthetics, art, creativity, fiction, literature, writing

I’m sure this is one of those post titles I really need to explain. I mean, “unnecessary diversions in fiction” gives you at least some idea what the post will be about, but who the heck is Ember? And what do her disappearing clothes have to do with all this?

Ember is a character in the comic series Storm, drawn by Don Lawrence. In the non-English-speaking world she’s also known as Redhair, from the original Dutch “Roodhaar”. Storm was among my favorite childhood comics – together with Donald Duck. Don Lawrence was an incredible artist, and to me his work still is the reference point for realistic, affectively impactful art.

As a child, I only had the first ten or so Storm books – there have been something like thirty-plus in total, together with some spinoffs. I recently decided to search the net for the books I hadn’t read, and I did find them. It was a nostalgic trip – nostalgia is a trap – but I couldn’t help but notice something interesting: The more the stories progressed, the less… covered Ember became.

diversions in fiction, Ember's disappearing clothes — At first, Ember was dressed in rather ordinary clothes. But after a few books, her style became more and more revealing. By the end of the series (bottom left), there is very little left to imagination (scanned images from original drawings by Don Lawrence).

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Punning Walrus: a Wise-Ass Just Like His Creator

October 23, 2023

Home For Fiction, Writing

art, creativity, home for fiction, writing

Punning Walrus is a linguistically self-aware cartoon character I’ve created. You might have already seen him visiting the updated Home for Fiction main site – and here is a post describing that experience.

Punning Walrus began as an inside joke, the details of which probably don’t interest you. Suffice to say, however, that Mr Walrus shares a lot of qualities with his creator, yours truly: He is endlessly critical, linguistically self-aware, and intelligent – being modest though isn’t one of his strongest points.

Mr Walrus spends his time annoying others, being perennially grumpy yet ultimately good-hearted. But doublecross him and he’ll murder you – with words.

Punning Walrus cartoon — Punning Walrus, a wise-ass as critical, linguistically aware, intelligent and modest (cough, cough) as his creator

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