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Luz Noceda is extraordinary.
Of course, I already knew that. Every parent knows that about their child, but not every child proves their greatness quite the way mi hija did. In the span of one summer, she stumbled upon a parallel world of fantasy and fear, rediscovered ancient lost magic, fought in a revolution…did I mention she found a girlfriend? As we speak, she is preparing to rescue her found family from the cosmic equivalent of a child with a magnifying glass. How does an ordinary single mother keep up with that?
Well, I can tell you what not to do.
1. Don’t disregard religious differences
I heard the epithet “Titan” thrown around among the witch children throughout my time caring for them. Even Luz got in on the act! I didn’t pay it any mind, different cultures have different names for God, and I vaguely remembered the word from Greek mythology class. My problem, as would come to be the usual with this place, was not thinking strange enough. The Titan is not the central figure in a creation myth, a savior of souls, or a prophet. He(?) is an earthly, physical being.
A dead one.
That they live on.
The Boiling Isles is the carcass of an ancient giant that apparently lay down in the sea one day and died. All witches and demons in this realm are said to have formed from his decaying flesh, and his power caused them all to evolve magic. Luz has been living on a giant corpse for months, and somehow I am OK with that.
Luz doesn’t like to talk about how she knows, but apparently, the practice of worshipping the Titan didn’t start, or at least wasn’t universal, until ese bastardo Belos started his con game. Also, while Titans are powerful, they are not omnipotent. Luz says she knows this because her surrogate brother is one. What have I gotten myself into? (On the other hand, Luz adopted a baby demigod. Beat that Linda Carver!)
2. Don’t try to eat the food
Apple Blood, Rotten Candy, Not Dogs…can you blame me for thinking all foods in the demon realm were simply grotesque parodies of our own? That was apparently only the tip of the iceberg though: a dead rat I found in the cabinet is considered edible "once you remove the extra mouths." The title of this section isn't just my squeamishness talking either. Most demon realm cuisine is indigestible to humans, and Luz pretty much lived on eggs and milk while here. I'll have to get Eda some ingredients for proper chicken soup when this is over.
3. Don’t let Luz bring her homework to earth
Chains?! For homework? I'm trying to be supportive, I really am, but either abominations are treated inhumanely, or they are much more dangerous than Amity let on. And that's just one class! All the magic that I was freaking out about in the last entry, Luz will learn to do all of that and more. Our old house can't handle that! I'm surprised this Owl House can.
(Who is Hooty and how does he heal the damage?)
4. Don't talk to the lamp posts
In my defense, it (or something growing on it) had eyes. I reacted poorly, then overcorrected. As it turns out, bowing is not a normal greeting in this world, so why would….
Belos es su tío. Mi hijo fue criado por ese falso emperador hijo de puta. No me importa lo mal que soy con los glifos. ¡Dominaré cualquier magia que tenga que hacer para poder lanzar a ese colonizador contra otra pared!
5. Don’t assume that making it back fixed everything
The children may be home, but they are still refugees. The Isles are being terraformed into a child's playroom, and the only survivors we found are more children. We also saw what happens when someone gets on the Collector's bad side. I can only hope his captives aren't still conscious.
The kids are having individual problems as well. Hunter is still mourning his beloved Palisman, Willow has been repressing her emotions to the point of a mental and magical breakdown, and Luz…
Luz has continually insisted to me and herself that she is only staying long enough to stop the Collector. Once peace in the Isles has been restored, she plans to exile herself to earth, permanently. She blames herself for Belos gaining power (despite that whole situation clearly being a causal loop), but I can't help but feel that part of her decision is because she thinks it's what I want.
Once, I did want that. But I was wrong. I can't- won't keep this place from her, and I can't let her take it from herself either. I understand now that the Boiling Isles are exactly what she needs, and to show Luz that, I let a little of my weirdness out. I explained the Astral Oath, apologized once and for all for ever trying to make her something she wasn't, and promised that, even if I could never understand her second home, I would always do all I could to understand her.
It turns out that's all she ever wanted: to be understood.
She seems better now that her palisman has hatched (ay que lindo! I always knew it would be a snake!), but I won't let her get in her own head again. I know better than anyone that healing is a process, and she'll need her mother to help her through it.
Actually, she'll need both her mothers. Hang on, Owl Lady. The cavalry is coming, and our Good Witch is leading the charge.