#and considering belos isn’t above using Lilith to get to Eda I have a hunch he could be doing the same thing with Raine but differently | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sepublic · 4 years

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It’s telling that out very first introduction to Belos is him doubled over (presumably) in pain

There are a lot of potential reasons why our first introduction is like this;

One would be to establish quickly the body horror vibes of Belos, and how horrible he is by draining palismans and WHY he does it, before segwaying into his threat against Lilith; Having this AFTER threatening Lilith might ruin the flow of the scene a little, and it’s always important to balance the screentime of different story-beats within an episode.

Similarly, it could establish to us that appearances aren’t always as they seem; That this seemingly-dignified, godly emperor who is seen standing tall and erect above all within artistic depictions… Is seen, in-person, as hunched over, slumping, with haggard breathing and asking for a moment to heal himself before he can talk to his own subordinate. This is not an invincible god, this is a VERY vulnerable witch who is dependent on the lifeforce of a Palisman just so he can see…

So there’s the idea of revealing Belos not as some dignified, noble being, but as the parasitic monster he really is, potentially secretly insecure in his power, hence the Coven System. Not to mention, establishing some hope that our protagonists could beat Belos.

On the OTHER hand...

As I’ve speculated and based on what I THINK you’re trying to get at here… it does lend itself to some potential sympathy towards Belos. That again, he isn’t some indomitable villain who always wins and succeeds, he’s a person with struggles. He’s a HORRIBLE person, but a person nonetheless. That his physical pain is also mental and emotional as well, because people tend not to commit genocide and establish oppressive regimes because they’re in a good mood!

The First Day highlights a major question this show considers; Namely, WHY would a person do this sort of thing, and has anyone else considered their motives behind it? What could’ve driven them? What made someone feel the need to do this? Could it apply not just to the Detention Kids and Eda, but maybe even Lilith cursing her own sister… It’s applied to why Amity started off as so cold and harsh, after all! Maybe it could also extend to Belos as well…

Additionally, given the show’s previous handling of disability metaphors with Luz and Eda, our indisputable and beloved protagonists… It does lend itself further to the idea that Belos is potentially going to be a complex character that can be understood, even if not supported! That like Luz, he was set up against harsh circumstances, naturally set-back compared to the rest because of a ‘disability’…

But instead of learning to properly live with it like Luz did and accept this fact, Belos tried to do things the ‘conventional’ way by relying on Bile, by absorbing that of other beings’ and it’s only hurt himself in the end... Maybe instead of accepting himself and thus others as different, Belos became so obsessed with conformity that he’s continued to apply it to himself despite the obvious consequences! It could be a callback to Adventures in the Elements, how ultimately Luz needs to accommodate her own unique needs and not try to be like others! And that episode ALSO linked Luz and Belos as people who can talk to the Titan, so…

(I should note that I am autistic, and thus have experience with what one would call ‘unique needs’, though I’m not THE definitive expert on it either; And that one should take into account the experiences of others as well in such speculation and discussion.)

#the owl house #owl house #the owl house belos #emperor belos #the owl house luz #luz noceda #speculation #ask #actuallyautistic

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