The Owl House

""Welcome to the Owl House, where I hide away from the pressures of modern life... also the cops... also ex-boyfriends.""

- Eda

Meet 14 year old Luz Noceda (Sarah Nicole Robles), She lives in an average house in an average town and goes to an average school; but she’s doing badly in school.

Not that she’s disobedient or doesn’t want to learn; oh no. She loves to read, especially her favorite series of books, The Good Witch Azura. Problem is, Luz is a little too “creative” in her approach to learning. She acts as the lead role in the school's production of Romeo and Juliet, using fake intestines for Juliet's death scene; her art project includes live spiders. Finally, after using live snakes as a visual aid for a book report, the principal decides her overactive imagination has become too disruptive, and Luz is sentenced to a summer at the Reality Check "reform camp".

But no sooner does her mother drop her off at the bus stop does a strange owl steal one of her books, causing Luz to chase it through a mystic portal and into a fantasy world where all of Luz's dreams are given life.

Or so it seems… The Boiling Isles may not be quite what she expected of a fantasy world.

She quickly meets the rebellious outlaw witch Eda (Wendie Malick), and her tiny and adorable demon roommate King (Alex Hirsch). Despite lacking any talent in actual magic whatsoever, Luz eagerly assumes the role of a witch’s apprentice, exploring the secrets - and braving the dire hazards - of this new world, making friends and trying, with difficulty, to find out where she belongs!

The Owl House is an animated fantasy/horror comedy series produced by Disney Television Animation and created by Dana Terrace, known as the creator of Duck Tales and Gravity Falls. It is often regarded as a Spiritual Successor to the latter show. The show premiered on January 10, 2020.

You can watch the first episode here. The show was renewed for a second season ahead of the series premiere, which debuted on July 11th, 2020. The second season is slated to debut June 12th, 2022 (the new intro seen here) with news that there will also be a third season, made up of three 45-minute specials.

The Owl House is a Spoilered Rotten series, so be warned, Spoilers may be unmarked.

"Luz: She followed us all day!"
 * Action Girl: Every regular female character - Eda, Luz, Lilith, and Amity, plus . Even Kikimora has some Dark Action Girl moments.
 * Action Mom: Eda is a surrogate one,
 * Adorable Evil Minion: Kikimora, Emperor Belos' messenger and herald. Seriously, isn't she just asking for a big hug? Unfortunately, season 2 episodes confirm this is very much "only skin deep".
 * Adorkable: Luz is cute as a button, and also an eccentric little goofball with a fascination for all things creepy and weird. Unfortunately for her, her teachers weren't amused by her antics and she was nearly forced to attend a reform camp until she stumbled upon the door to the Boiling Isles.
 * Adult Fear:
 * In season one, Luz was able to keep correspondence with her mother and maintain a facade of still being at summer school. However, as of the end of season one, that is no longer possible; in the season two opener Luz is even seen recording messages for her mother to ensure her she is safe, possibly hoping she can find some way to send them. For now, one can only imagine what her mother is going through.
 * The 4th episode of Season 2 reveals that  Dr. Noceda starts crying when Luz admits she chose to.
 * Luz gets a reminder on her phone about an important anniversary, causing her to freak out with guilt. She tells Eda and King that she needs a distraction, and her refusal to be alone with her thoughts gets her and Amity in trouble for an episode. When Amity finally corners her for answers, Luz reveals.
 * In "Edge of the World", when they're alone, Eda breaks down in front of She says that she wants to keep Luz and King safe, but they've all gotten in over their heads with  now gunning for them all. Belos was tolerating Eda because she was harmless, but with Luz.
 * Adults Are Useless:.
 * An Aesop: Many:
 * Be yourself, reject conformity.
 * Nobody is truly The Chosen One; everyone's destiny is his own to fulfill.
 * Regarding Luz and Amity: Hiding your true feelings for someone out of fear of rejection only makes rejection more likely; admitting the truth and you'll be far more happy.
 * Affably Evil:
 * The Golden Guard seems pretty approachable and cordial, despite being more than willing to use extortion and blackmail to get a job done.
 * Alador Blight is far more direct, concise, and formal than his fiery and overbearing wife.
 * Affectionate Nickname: Luz calls Amity "Cotton Candy Haired Goddess" and "Sweet Potato"; Amity's parents and siblings call her "Mittens", which inspires her to use the pseudonym "the Mighty Mittens" at the Bonesborough Brawl.
 * Alpha Bitch: Amity; she starts out as a typical one, but eventually evolves into Lovable Alpha Bitch.
 * However, Boscha remains both this Trope and a female version of a Jerk Jock; Skara and the rest of Amity's Girl Posse eventually softens, but Boscha seems firmly cemented as such. Despite being part of the Posse, Amity isn't all-too fond of them.
 * Bria, who first appears in the season 2 episode "Through the Looking Glass Ruins" a Glandus High student who may be even worse than Boscha, being a Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon type and Poisonous Friend to the other Glandus students who appear in the episode. It is implied in the episode that Glandus is far more competitive than Hexside, even among their own students. The fact that she sees nothing wrong with Grave Robbing to enhance her own powers puts nudges her to the dark side of the morality scale for Alpha Bitches.
 * All Myths Are True: Supposedly, all stories about mythical and fantastic creatures told by humans originated as a result of beings in the Demon Realm bleeding into Earth, including tales of vampires, gryphons, and giraffes.
 * Alternate Realm Boon: Averted when Luz finds the portal to the Demon Realm. Magic is abundant in this realm, but humans lack the sac of magic that Witches are born with to use this mystical art.
 * Ambiguous Situation:
 * In addition to, Eda seems to be "ambiguously alive", sort of. Being decapitated or dismembered is, at most, an annoyance to her and she can recover from both easily, suggesting she's at least partially undead.
 * Season 2 confirms that
 * Whether the Emperor's Coven was behind sending the Greater Basilisk to attack Hexside or whether the Basilisk was a "lone wolf". The Coven denies it, but that doesn't stop Bump from "writing a very stern letter".
 * Ambiguously Evil: Several characters:
 * King talks about being a demon king who once led armies of such beasts, but currently he hasn't been seen doing anything truly evil; annoying, possibly. Whether he's even telling the truth about his past is debatable.
 * Principal Bump straddles the line between a Dean Bitterman who happens to be a wizard to an Evil Teacher. In his first appearance, he tried to dissect Luz to see if she was human; on the other hand, he was willing to admit Luz to the school later (after confirming Luz was human) so long as Eda undid all the damage she did when she was a student.
 * Amity's siblings Edric and Emira are definitely on the darker side of the morality scale, but just how much is debatable. Their fondness towards Luz may be genuine, or they may just be using her as a tool in their schemes. Season 2 enhances this, as they are willing to go against their parents by giving Amity, Willow, and Gus some disguises to help Luz, but can't resist pasting "Hex Me" signs to their backs while doing so.
 * Emperor Belos, at least for most of season one. While he seems to be an oppressive dictator, almost nothing is known about his motives or goals. Of course, given the small amount of info we do have on him, he doesn't look like someone you'd want to cross.
 * Amusement Park of Doom: The setting of "Really Small Problems". The rides include the Bumper Carcasses, Molar Coaster, and Scariss Wheel (sort of like a Ferris Wheel, but gives you lasting nightmares), games are living creatures that try to scam players (although Luz manage to get the skeetball game to relinquish its tickets by tickling it), and vendors sell Rotten Candy (it's like cotton candy) which the heroes actually use to their advantage more than once. All this the protagonists actually find enjoyable until recurring villain Tibbles shows up and tries to  feed them to his diminutive unicorns and manticores, in  front of an audience, no less. Worst of all, the place is run by Monster Clowns - who have their own "Fun Police" as security - who do not tolerate scammers like Eda. Unless, of course,  the scammers are working for them.
 * Animal Motif: Owls for Eda, obviously. Lilith and her henchmen have a raven-theme.
 * Author Avatar: Tinella Nosa (aka "Tiny Nose"), the Conspiracy Theorist imp-like creature with the big nose is based on a similar-looking caricature of showrunner Dana Terrace, who is also the character's VA.
 * Bat Out of Hell: The Bat Queen is nasty and scary enough; looking after her nestlings quickly turns Eda into a Badly-Battered Babysitter.
 * The Bet: Eda is such an avid gambler that this Trope directs the plots of three different episodes:
 * Episode Three:
 * The Terms: If King proves he can be a better teacher to a slug-like creature than Eda is to Luz, Eda has to wear a dunce cap and live in the tool shed. If he can't, his name is officially changed to Mr. Wiggles.
 * The Results: King initially wins, Eda begrudgingly accepting the punishment, but once he runs out of food to feed the now-giant slug, it turns on him. Seeing as Eda saves his life as a result, they agree to forget the whole thing.
 * Episode Five:
 * The Terms: This bet is made by Luz and her rival Amity after the former challenges the latter to a Wizard Duel. If Luz wins, Amity has to apologize to King for ruining his cupcake and admit - in public - that humans can become witches. Amity wins, Luz has to give up learning magic forever, and to make sure she complies, places a Magically-Binding Contract on both of them.
 * The results: Eda and Lilth both cheat to help their respective proteges win, so Luz and Amity are both disqualified. This leads to a real duel between Eda and Lilith, while Luz and Amity have a heart-to-heart talk for the first time.
 * Episode 8
 * The Terms: Eda does a three-person Freaky Friday Flip on herself, King, and Luz (Eda becomes King, King becomes Luz, Luz becomes Eda) and states that whoever has the easiest time living with the new body and identity doesn't have to help clean the house.
 * The Results: All three lose. Eda is nearly turned into a lobotomized living doll by some Evil Old Folks who think King's body is cute, King is nearly killed by a group of teenagers after trying to get revenge on them with Luz's body, and Luz uses Eda's magic far too blatantly, getting herself arrested and nearly conscripted into the Emperor's Coven by Lilith. It's only via a series of Contrived Coincidences that the trio manage to find each other and change back. And they all have to clean the house, which by now, is much messier than before.
 * "Wing it Like Witches" has two in one episode:
 * The Terms, Main Plot: Luz challenges Boscha to a game of Grudgby on Willow's behalf. If Luz and Willow win, Boscha has to stop picking on Willow. If Boscha's team wins, they get to use Willow for target practice.
 * The Terms, B-Plot: Eda challenges Lilith to cutthroat Grudgby, promising to turn herself in if she loses.
 * The Results, Main Plot: Borcha wins, but after losing her entire posse to Willow immediately afterwards, seems to forfeit the condition.
 * The Results, B-Plot: Eda wins, but gives Lilith her ring so she can prove to Belos she actually put up a fight.
 * Beware the Cute Ones: Willow is a sweet, adorable kid, but she can use her plant-magic to create some rather ferocious-looking flower-monsters...
 * Bi the Way:
 * Big Brother Bully: Both of Amity's older siblings are manipulative troublemakers who view Amity as a killjoy and take out their irritation by humiliating her in the nastiest ways. Even worse, they think being family gives them permission to do it.
 * Bizarre Alien Biology: Luz meets a lot of magical beings who fit this Trope. To give one example, one of the girls at the slumber party in "Hooty's Moving Hassle" has a large vertical jaw on the top of her skull, a lolling tongue from this jaw giving an illusion of a hairstyle. For some reason, the animation actually makes this work, and it doesn't seem horrific in the least.
 * Butt Monkey: Downplayed with Hooty. He does seem to bear the brunt of abuse and insults from Eda and King, but he does get even now and then; he's their house and they have to live inside him, after all.
 * Cain and Abel:
 * Describes Eda and Lilith's relationship pretty well in season 1, although which is Cain and which is Abel depends on who you ask. Lilith has at least shown a desire for reconciliation with her sister, so long as it's on her terms and Eda joins her side.
 * One truly unique example,
 * Cannot Spit It Out:
 * Season two is
 * Captive Date:
 * Cheaters Never Prosper: In the episode where Amity and Willow are introduced, Luz tries to help Willow pass her test by disguising herself (Luz) as an abomination. Unfortunately, her ruse is uncovered when Amity sees her eat a sandwich (actual abominations do not eat) and Luz is nearly dissected as a result, Willow ending up with detention. Downplayed slightly, as this does convince Willow's parents to let her switch classes, which was the intent.
 * Child Prodigy: The Golden Guardian has a reputation for this, although Lilith claims he's actually a Spoiled Brat. Given what is seen of him so far, there is valid arguments for both views.
 * Co-Dragons: Starting in Season Two, Hunter and Kikimora are this to Emperor Belos, and they do not like each other at all, being bitter rivals competing for the role of sole Dragon.
 * Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Each coven and class at Hexside can be identified by the color of their clothing or uniforms: Bard practitioners wear red, Plant magic members, green, Illusion, light blue, Oracles purple, Beast Keepers orange, Construction brown, Healing blue, Abominations lavender, Potions yellow, and Emperor's are gold. Oddly, Luz seems to be wearing several different colored versions of the Hexisde uniform in the preview to season 2, possibly showing her creative nature.
 * Cool Old Lady: Eda, definitely.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive: Amity's parents, mostly her mother, combine dark sorcery with the worst capitalism has to offer. Their company markets both abominations and a variety of magical security and weapons-based systems and devices that utilize abomination-slime. Their products and properties likely wouldn't pass FDA or OSHA requirements, and they barely care if a demonstration turns lethal for a test volunteer, so long as it pleases their investors. Assuming Amity isn't the volunteer, but even she gets a few cuts and bruises during these test runs.
 * Crossover: Kinda-sorta had one with Amphibia; the audial-only story was presented online during San Diego Comic-Con on July 24, 2021, with the VAs by both series; it is regarded as non-canon. Hasn't stopped some fans from adding fanmade illustrations, however.
 * Cursed With Awesome: Members of the Detention Tract are troublemakers who are not allowed to learn magic; however, at least three of them know that the classroom has a secret door to a room that allows access everywhere in the school, letting them learn whatever courses they desire when the Apathetic Teacher who watches them falls asleep. It is later revealed that Eda used to do so after magically building the room. Bump likely gets rid of it later, but after Luz and those students save the day, they're allowed to study multiple courses, possibly even starting a new policy at Hexside.
 * In season 2,
 * Cute Witch: Every female student at Hexside; even Amity has moments once her kinder side surfaces.
 * Dance Battler: In "Enchanting Grom Fight", Amity and Luz defeat the eponymous monster with a duet version.
 * Dark Fic: In-Universe example; in "Senses and Insensitivity', King rewrites Luz story into one of these. Of course, let's be honest here, if The Good Witch Azura was a real series, there'd be hundreds of fanfics of it like this.
 * Darker and Edgier: Compared to the typical Disney cartoon, definitely, especially starting in Season Two.
 * Death World: The Boiling Isles are not a nice place. Luz finds it hard to tell friendly or helpful occupants from ones that want to eat her (and the groups aren't mutually exclusive). The weather is hostile to pretty much everyone, the wildlife is dangerous... Not a place you'd want to live. Worse, it's A World Half Full where the folks in charge impose draconian laws that encourage conformity.
 * Deal with the Devil: According to Lilith, Belos can grant any favor or privilege desired to a member of the Emperor's Coven, and could easily cure Eda's curse if she consented to it. However, this also makes the beneficiary eternally indebted to Belos, the biggest reason Eda won't consider it.
 * Defrosting Ice Queen: Lilith starts to become friendly and more emotional in season 2, starting to show a sense of humor.
 * Disappeared Dad:
 * Luz's mother is a single mom, and Luz's father has never been mentioned. Luz later reveals to Amity that.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?:
 * Eda's mother in "Keeping Up A-fear-ances" has been chasing scam cures for her daughter for years, rather than stick with the standard treatments and pushing Eda away as a result. Seriously, Gwendolyn is every mother with a terminally ill child, bar none, something that makes her efforts so heartbreaking.
 * Dragon-in-Chief:
 * For a while, Lilith. Until Emperor Belos become directly involved in the plot, Lilith was the main antagonist by default.
 * Later, when
 * The Golden Guardian seems to be shaping up to be this in season 2..
 * Dumbass Has a Point: Hooty is great at defending Owl House residents, but not-so-much at problem solving paying attention. Heck, he spent a whole day talking to a fly when the Owl House family left without him to go to a carnival. In "Edge of the World," when they learn the Titan Trappers, Hooty aptly asks . Luz follows this line of thinking as well, showing how serious it is that Hooty was actually right about something.
 * Eaten Alive:
 * The way Eda disposes of a depowered Adagast is to simply pop him into her mouth and swallow him whole.
 * Her sister has no problem with this either. In one first season episode, Kiki calls Lilith to tell her that Belos wants a word with her, and a blue bird-like creature on her head mocks her with a "OOH, you're in trouble!" Cut to the next scene where Lilith arrives at the castle and spits out some blue feathers.
 * Eccentric Mentor: Eda, definitely. in fact, some would say she's a lousy teacher, as she seems unable to truly teach Luz magic, although she does (maybe inadvertently) point Luz in the direction she needs to make her own discoveries.
 * Elephant Graveyard: Downplayed. The inhabited areas of the Boiling Isles are built on one skeleton, but it's a huge one. Who or what this giant was, how it died, or even if it's truly dead, is a mystery.
 * Enemy Mine: The Golden Guard knows that Luz is on the side of lawlessness, and he's threatened to drop her in the Boiling Sea a few times for defying him. She's met him blow-for-blow, once knocking him off an airship and scoffing that he would be fine. Sometimes, however, she can convince him to team up if they have a common enemy going after both of their heads. It becomes Played for Drama in "A Hollow Mind" where Luz and Hunter try to survive an accidental trip into the Belos's mind together,.
 * Everyone Has Standards:
 * Luz likes a good prank, as shown in season one. Some have even proven a moral hazard if she adds spiders or snakes. There is one line, however, that she won't cross: violating someone else's privacy. She refuses to help Amity's twin siblings Edric and Emira when they plan to copy her diary and post it all over the school to "teach" Amity a lesson about being a tattletale.
 * The Golden Guard is contracted to serve the Emperor because the man is his uncle, and Belos claims he is acting for the greater good, to stop wild witches from running rampant. Hunter, however, is horrified when he learns that his uncle is.
 * Evil Counterpart: It eventually comes out that is this to Luz in "A Hollow Mind". Both were.
 * Evil Is Not a Toy: Much like the protagonists of Gravity Falls, Luz gets into a lot of trouble mishandling magic.
 * Evil Teacher: While Principal Bump downplays this (being incredibly strict but professional in his methods), the guy he replaced, Principal Faust, was Obviously Evil - and not very competent either. He gives detention to students for not being early enough, and expels them for trivial reasons. Expelling the head of the Grudgby team for wearing squeaky shoes and the school's valedictorian for chewing too loudly both have detrimental effects on the school for obvious reasons. The reason he keeps Eda around (despite her long record of being a discipline problem) is because he sincerely believes Hobbes Was Right and uses her as part of his project to study evil and depravity in children and prove his point. He even goes so far as to have Bump (his assistant at the time) take Eda to the IFWOT training seminar, hoping Eda's failure will give him an excuse to fire Bump, and by "fire", that might mean literally.
 * Evil Versus Evil: The Golden Guard and Kikimora do not like each other, and many episodes in season 2 involve them competing for Belos' favor.
 * Fictional Document: The Good Witch Azura, Luz's favorite book series, the title character being a sort of Magical Girl heroine. The series has at least five titles. Somehow, whoever publishes it is able to market it in the Boiling Isles. (Or maybe it is published in the Boiling Isles and can be marketed on Earth.) Whatever the case, Eda hates the series, claiming its "flowery prose" is an insult to witches.
 * It's hinted that Amity is a fan, and may have even cosplayed as the heroine when she was younger; in the episode "Adventures In The Elements", she also draws fan-art of herself with a handsome male character from the book. She also seems to compare Luz to Hecate (Azura's rival in the series); Luz seems to support this notion, as at the end of "Lost in Language", she gives Amity the fifth book in the series, where Amity and Hecate are shown to have a friendlier rivalry.
 * Fictional Sport: Grudgby, a popular sport at Hexside, formerly played by Bump, Eda, and Lilith, currently played by most of the younger main cast. It's very similar to rugby, but on a field with numerous magical hazards, and more of a contact sport. Spell-casting may or may not be allowed depending on consent of the players. Team Grudgby requires three players per team, but as Eda and Lilith demonstrate, it can be played one-on-one.
 * Fight Clubbing: The Bonesborough Brawl in "Reaching Out". The only rules of this annual event is that participants must be at least 14 years old and fights are one-on-one. Amity claims her dad was a Former Teen Rebel and that winning the Brawl was "the last cool thing he did", which inspires her to compete in the present day.
 * Fire-Forged Friends: Lilith and Hooty become this in Season 2, almost literally. It seems understandable that they got off on the wrong foot - Hooty is a living security system for a house that Lilith tries to attack numerous times - with Hooty often doing his best to humiliate her in the process. While Hooty seems to have an odd affection towards her from the start, despite Lilith finding him an annoying "house demon" and "weird bird worm" who gets on her nerves, it only gets worse in Season 2 when he seems a little too eager to help her find ingredients for alchemy. However, she warms up to him after he saves her from a swarm of angry fire-bees. Ironically, the first alchemical formula she has to brew afterwards is a salve to treat his burns.
 * Fluffy Tamer: At Hexside, students sent to detention are thrown to a huge plant-like beast that traps the disobedient students in pod-like pseudopods and then uses brainwashing gas to "convince" them to behave. However, when Luz and Guz make it angry, Bump simply snaps his fingers to convince the creature to heel.
 * Food Fight: One of many hints that Eda and Lilith used to be closer than they are now, Principal Bump's files show Eda started one of these in the cafeteria after another student stole Lilith's lunch money, the ensuing melee causing several abominations to turn rogue.
 * Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling:
 * Eda is usually depicted as the foolish one opposed to Lilith being the responsible one, although Eda does have her responsible moments and Lilith her foolish ones. The season finale reveals it's the other way around: as Lilith is forced to admit,.
 * Forgiveness: In season two, this is how the Owl House residents, except Hooty, eventually treat their newest guest, . It's a rocky start; Eda constantly guilt-trips her with a trollface about while King snickers that . Even Luz doesn't want to befriend the new person. It's understandable considering . With that said, thanks to Lilith's sincere apologies, the relationships progress to the point where Eda trusts  enough to let her go on a quest with Luz, albeit with a strict warning to not let anything happen to her apprentice.
 * Friendly Enemy: In season 1, Lilith honestly believes her quest to arrest and conscript her sister is For Her Own Good and would much rather Eda join the Emperor's Coven by choice rather than have to force her too. Eda, for her point, still cares deeply for Lilith, although exploiting Lilith's reluctance is not beneath her. In season 2, the "enemy" part is more like a sibling rivalry.
 * Fun With Acronyms: Raine leads a small group of rebels called the Bards Against the Trone, or B.A.T.s; appropriately, they wear bat-like masks.
 * The Gambler: Eda seems unwilling to turn down any wager, no matter how trivial or how dangerous, and has a notebook full of the times she's made them with King and won.
 * Genius Loci: The eponymous Owl House is a living creature named Hooty, who can talk through an owl-shaped bust on the front door. Eda and King tend to get annoyed with him a lot.
 * Gilligan Cut: In "Wing it Like Witches", Luz assures Willow that Boscha will eventually go away, saying she can't follow them all day. Cut to a scene with them sitting outside, covered with garbage and graffiti:
 * Forgiveness: In season two, this is how the Owl House residents, except Hooty, eventually treat their newest guest, . It's a rocky start; Eda constantly guilt-trips her with a trollface about while King snickers that . Even Luz doesn't want to befriend the new person. It's understandable considering . With that said, thanks to Lilith's sincere apologies, the relationships progress to the point where Eda trusts  enough to let her go on a quest with Luz, albeit with a strict warning to not let anything happen to her apprentice.
 * Friendly Enemy: In season 1, Lilith honestly believes her quest to arrest and conscript her sister is For Her Own Good and would much rather Eda join the Emperor's Coven by choice rather than have to force her too. Eda, for her point, still cares deeply for Lilith, although exploiting Lilith's reluctance is not beneath her. In season 2, the "enemy" part is more like a sibling rivalry.
 * Fun With Acronyms: Raine leads a small group of rebels called the Bards Against the Trone, or B.A.T.s; appropriately, they wear bat-like masks.
 * The Gambler: Eda seems unwilling to turn down any wager, no matter how trivial or how dangerous, and has a notebook full of the times she's made them with King and won.
 * Genius Loci: The eponymous Owl House is a living creature named Hooty, who can talk through an owl-shaped bust on the front door. Eda and King tend to get annoyed with him a lot.
 * Gilligan Cut: In "Wing it Like Witches", Luz assures Willow that Boscha will eventually go away, saying she can't follow them all day. Cut to a scene with them sitting outside, covered with garbage and graffiti:
 * Good All Along:
 * Good Costume Switch: In season 2, Lilith switches her tone grey wizard robes for a modest skirt (a hand-me-down from Eda) and a t-shirt (presumably stolen from the human world with the other stuff Eda peddles) of a "low computer battery". Possibly done as Gallows Humor, symbolizing the loss of her powers and her desire to "recharge".
 * Hate Sink:
 * Deconstructed with Amity. Her first appearance seems to be setting her up for this role, but she quickly gets Character Development with Hidden Depths as early as her second appearance, edging her into Lovable Alpha Bitch territory.
 * Played straight with Boscha, however, who quickly becomes much nastier than Amity ever was.
 * Amity's parents were getting this before they even appeared in person, with many fan theories assuming they'll have the same role as Pacifica Northwest's parents on Gravity Falls, possibly having a negative opinion of Luz (or even approve of her, seeing Luz as a tool they could use to get on Belos' good side and/or trying to force Amnity, Edric and Emira into joining the Emperor's Coven). When asked, Word of God stated, "Amity's parents appear one way... But there's a little more to them than you guys think, and that could either be good or bad for our protagonists. I especially have fun writing Mr. Blight. He's interesting."
 * Season 2, when they actually appeared in person, only made this worse, the parallels between them and the Northwests only becoming more pronounced. Odalia tries to outright murder Luz for the crime of being Amity's friend and a human to boot.
 * Hidden Agenda Villain: Many.
 * It's not known just why Belos is so intent on apprehending Eda. While having powerful servants is a benefit to any ruler, there has yet to be any clue as to what his actual goals are. At the end of Season 1, he claims to be working for the Titan and that his goals involve opening a door to the human world, although he tells Lutz it's not for something as "trivial" as an invasion; this unfortunately raises a lot more questions than it answers..
 * Originally, it was not known for what reason the shadowy figure cursed Eda, and the scene at the end of "The Intruder" suggests he isn't done tormenting her.
 * Also, if the Emperor's Coven is indeed behind the Greater Basilisk's attack on Hexside (as Bump suspects they are) their motives for the attack are as yet unknown.
 * Hidden Villain: For now, Emperor Belos seems the biggest candidate for the show's Big Bad, and he wasn't seen for most of Season 1, although the Season Finale brought him to the forefront in a big way. There's also the villain who cursed Eda in the first place, who has only been seen as a sinister shadow. Assuming the two aren't the same person, although most fans of Terrace's work would find it odd if she made the plot that predictable.
 * Her Codename Was Mary Sue: Luz writes stories with a protagonist named "Luzura"; obviously this is supposed to be Luz herself assuming the role of Good Witch Azura.
 * Hostile Weather: The Boiling Isles has plagues instead of weather, and it's hazardous to both humans and the natives. In the fourth episode, Luz witnesses a boiling rainstorm, prompting Eda and King to tell her that they have even worse conditions; like gore-nadoes, shale-hale, and painbows, which is sort of like a rainbow, but turns you inside out.
 * How the Mighty Have Fallen: Both Eda and Lilith go through this at the beginning of Season 2, having lost their powers and the respect civilians used to show them. Even worse, they have to take odd jobs and work as bounty hunters simply to get by, as Eda can no longer use the portal to steal things from Earth to sell as novelties. And Luz is now the one teaching both of them runic magic; no complaints from them, but having to learn from your apprentice isn't very dignified.
 * Hypocrite: Odalia Blight. A small trace of this is shown in the beginning of "Escaping Expulsion" when she tells Amity, “You should be in class right now, what are you thinking?" even though she is the one who pulled Amity out of class and made her come to the office. Far more seriously, her - stated - reasons for having Luz, Gus, and Willow expelled from Hexside is because of the dangerous incidents caused by the students. While she might have a small point there, she literally tries to kill Luz later in an incredibly dangerous demonstration of an equally unsafe abomination-powered robot, something even her husband Alador seems to object to.
 * Important Haircut: In this case, Important Dye Job. Amity's natural hair color is brown, and initially, it is dyed green to match her mother's, who claimed she wanted her children to be "color-coordinated". In "Through the Looking Glass Ruins", she dyes it purple and wears it without the ponytail, her way of rejecting such conformity and showing individuality.
 * Inspector Javert: Lilith. She's determined to bring Eda in, and is willing to forcibly conscript her into the Emperor's coven.
 * Amity too, towards Luz, at least at first, being something of the "Concerned Clair" type of The Stool Pigeon.
 * Irony:
 * The Jailer: Warden Wrath is one, who arrests and locks up anyone he deems "weird". Of course, exactly what you have to do to be considered "weird" in the Boiling Isles is hard to say, given that the whole place is a Dimension of Weirdos. Long story short, he starts off the whole, "conformity is good, individuality is bad" attitude the villains as a whole have.
 * Jerkass Has a Point: In I Was a Teenage Abomination, Amity isn't wrong to be upset about being cheated out of being Top Student, because Willow was cheating by having Luz pretend to be her Abomination.
 * Karma Houdini: Piniet, the villain in the episode "Sense and Insensitivity" is a publisher who punishes clients who fail to meet their deadline by turning them into small cubes (and even steps on one of them when he's angry). He's also willing to use extortion to get a client to comply, kidnapping Luz to "persuade" her and King to write a sequel to King's first book. He not only gets no comeuppance at the end of the episode, he gets a client who he believes writes better than King.
 * Magical Academy: The Hexside School of Magic and Demonics; both Eda and Lilith are former students (Lilith graduating with honors, Eda being a dropout) now attended by the kids Luz befriends, and as of season 2, Luz herself.
 * Malevolent Masked Man:
 * Belos, for starters. Whether there is even a human face behind his mask is debatable, as all that has been seen is one evil, glowing eye.
 * Members of the Emperor's Coven wear masks with raven-like faces.
 * The Golden Guard, Lilith's replacement in the Emperor's Coven, as of season 2. He covers his face with a golden full-face, beakless version of the mask the rest of the Coven wears; even Lilith does not know his identity. She knows who he is, though, and really doesn't like him.
 * Meaningful Name: Luz's last name - Noceda - literally means "she doesn't back down" in Spanish, which is fitting for her.
 * Mama Bear: Eda is a surrogate one to Luz; Luz's own mother is a real one, and not just to Luz. Eda's own mother too; she spends years trying to cure her daughter, making bargains with Wartlop in exchange for remedies; when she finds out they're quack remedies, it does not end well for Wartlop.
 * Mugging the Monster: Taken Up To Eleven in "Senses and Insensitivity" where a scam artist tries to mug Eda and Lilith at the same time. They quickly mop the floor with him.
 * A Nazi By Any Other Name:
 * Never Live It Down: There are a few in-universe examples courtesy of season two:
 * "Separate Tides" has the Owl House residents roasting for her season one actions, understandably. She admits that she deserves this and spends the episode trying to prove she can be trusted by collecting scrying potion ingredients. Hooty is the exception, who follows . When she finally accepts his help, they have a talk at the end of the episode where she admits she feels she can never make up for her mistakes. Hooty has to tell her that redemption doesn't have to be solitary.
 * Then in "Reaching Out," Alador Blight and Edalyn Clawthorne recognize each other after helping stop a . He genuinely asks about her . "I'm watching you, Blight."
 * Never Mess With Granny: Eda may be a fun old gal, but she's a powerful witch that you don't want to trifle with. Just ask any of the monsters that meet their end at her hands.
 * Her mother is this too, plus Mama Bear on top of it.
 * Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Belos in "A Hollow Mind" casually reveals to.
 * Noble Fugitive: While not truly evil, Eda is a wanted criminal, both for peddling snake-oil and refusing to join any coven. She boldly operates her business in a town where her Wanted Posters are hanging in plain sight.
 * Non-Malicious Monster:
 * The Bat Queen; scary as she is, she's a decent sort who takes care of orphaned Palismans. Her paranoia is also justified, considering.
 * Noodle Incident:
 * It's bad enough that a Humanoid Abomination like Warden Wrath has a crush on Eda, but King claims her last boyfriend was even worse. "Not my boyfriend!" insists Eda in reply.
 * The Stinger of "Something Ventured, Someone Framed" shows that Eda's school records have lots of things like this.
 * The pixie infestation that causes Hexside to be closed during "Really Small Problems". Willow starts to explain what happened to Eda, but King's antics drown her out to the viewers.
 * Lots of them in "Understanding Willow" regarding Willow and Amity when they were younger. The one with the egg pit stands out, Amity telling Luz that, "that one is kind of hard to explain".
 * The Nose Knows: The hall monitors at Hexside (possibly meant to be parodies of the Dementors) can smell "trouble", using this ability to find misbehaving students.
 * The Not-So-Harmless Punishment: In "Something Ventured, Something Framed", Luz first assumes being sent to detention won't be all that bad. Unfortunately, in Hexside, detention means being thrown to a giant, tentacled beast who traps the students in pods, and then applies brainwashing gas to "convince" them to behave.
 * Ridiculously Cute Critter: Palismans; all of them start out as adorable baby animals.
 * Obviously Evil:
 * Warden Wrath, especially when he takes the mask off.
 * Piniet from "Sense and Insensitivity". Most viewers likely realized he was bad news long before King did.
 * The map-seller, also from "Sense and Insensitivity" was easy to identify as a con artist from the start; even Eda was onto him, only using the map he sold him on the off chance he was being truthful.
 * The Greater Basilisk in "The First Day" is even creepy when in disguised form.
 * Offscreen Moment of Awesome: In "Through the Looking Glass Ruins", Amity helps Luz search through the library's restricted archives, only to be caught by Malfus, who scolds Amity for breaking the rules and fires her. At the end of the episode, Luz - who justifiably feels responsible - shows up at Amity's house, ragged and disheveled, having convinced Malfus to change his mind, having to go through "trials" involving man-eating books and a paper dragon to do so. Unfortunately, this may be The Greatest Story Never Told for Luz.
 * The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Eda's attitude towards Lilith; she rescues Lilith from a Giant Spider in "Senses and Insensitivity", claiming that if anyone is going to whack Lilith, Eda is going to be the one who does it.
 * Our Centaurs Are Different: Bizarrely played for laughs when Luz meets one with no head, his face on his chest.
 * Our Demons Are Different: King claims to be a deposed demon lord who has lost his powers; whether he is or not is for now, subject to debate. Whatever the case, he's willing to give Luz a few pointers on how to fight them, like telling her that their two weaknesses are purified water and and passive-aggressive comments. "Even demons can have inner demons," he claims.
 * Our Elves Are Different: Eda, Lilith, and most students at Hexide are called witchlings, and seem to have most traits of fantasy elves, including pointy ears and magical ability.
 * Our Homunculi Are Different: Abominations are jars of magical slime that can assume vaguely humanoid forms to act as magical servants. Presumably a profitable and lucrative profession for wizards, as Willow's parents insisted she take the class, even though she had no talent in it. Amity also specializes in this school.
 * In season 2, Amity's parents are shown combining these creatures with Magitech technology to create half-machine-half-abomination soldiers. Amity herself starts showing creative ways to use the conjured-up slime, using it to create bindings, cages, a shield, and a sword,
 * Our Werebeasts Are Different:
 * Our Vampires Are Different: Dottie and Roselle, two sweet-looking old ladies who run the Kitty Cafe are in fact vampires who kidnap cute creatures and brainwash them with constant babying. Unlike typical vampires, they aren't bothered by sunlight; it's not known what other traditional traits of vampires do or do not apply to them.
 * The Owl-Knowing One: Eda claims this is why she's called "The Owl Lady", although King claims its because she coughs up rat bones and Hooty claims its because she's attracted to shiny objects. While all that is true - and as a wizard, she is likely rather wise, if eccentric - the actual reason is she suffers from a curse that causes her to turn into a demonic, owl-like beast at night, making her far more like the other sort of owl.
 * Poisonous Friend: King seems to be turning into this quickly, his hubris and pride nearly leading him and Luz to their doom more than once.
 * Politically Incorrect Villain:
 * It's revealed that.
 * Protagonist-Centered Morality: Luz is a Nice Girl on the surface and means well, but many times, she pursues her goals by cheating, lying, stealing, and other types of dishonesty. While Amity might call her out on it a few times, she's Easily Forgiven by most characters and never truly held responsible. This, of course, tended to be a problem for the protagonists of Gravity Falls as well.
 * Power Limiter: One of the biggest plot points in the series involves the covens, which are sort of like guilds. Each specialize in a specific school of magic, the most powerful ones being : Bard,  Plants,  Illusion,  Oracle,  Beast Keeping,  Construction,  Healing,  Abominations,  Potions, and  Emperor's. When a wizard joins a coven - which is required by law - they receive a magical branding that prevents them from using any magic other than the coven's specialty. Eda refuses to join a coven, meaning she is not limited to one school of magic and is potentially one of the most powerful of sorcerers. Unfortunately, members of the Emperor's coven - like her sister - are also allowed to use all schools. They do have their own brand, however,  one that presumably ensures obedience.
 * Pyrrhic Villainy: In "Wing it Like Witches", Boscha's team wins the Grudgby match, but Boscha's entire posse rejects her and joins Willow and Luz. Clearly, this is not the outcome Boscha had wanted.
 * Magical Academy: Hexside School of Magic and Demonics. Known classes include lessons on Potions, Plant magic, and Abominations. Somewhat Harmful to Minors given how they handle detention, but at least the principal lets Luz attend.
 * Malevolent Masked Man: The City Guards that are always after Eda wear bird-like masked, probably standard-issue for the Emperor's rank-and-file soldiers.
 * The Mole:
 * Seldom-Seen Species: The Greater Basilisk is believed to be extinct - the episode "The First Day" proves otherwise.
 * She Is Not My Girlfriend: Ultimately Subverted. After an entire season of being unable to tell Luz her feelings, she finally does, and after that, is more than willing to say she's her "girlfriend". It seems the truth really can set you free.
 * Reality Ensues:
 * Luz tries to compare her initial adventures in the Boiling Isles to those in her Azura books, that she's a chosen one who will find her destiny. Eda scoffs at the notion that the fiction would reflect the reality; in addition to the Azura pose being too flowery for her taste, Eda explains that witch magic and society don't work to serve one person's character development or powers. The Boiling Isles comprise the gross remains of a former giant, and the society mainly has witches competing against each other to earn a living or enter the best coven possible for job security. Heck, Eda doesn't even know what "summer camp" is.
 * Luz's initial attempts to get into Hexside get her banned. For Luz's sake, Eda goes to talk with Principal Bump and ask him to take Luz as a student on probation. After a whole episode, Bump agrees, on the provision that Eda cleans up her old pranks and magic waste...and fills out the paperwork. Eda finds the idea of paperwork worse than the cleaning, but Bump is right that they need a record of Luz on file at an academic institution.
 * "A Hollow Mind": Hunter learns that.
 * Really 700 Years Old:
 * It's not known how old Principal Bump is but he's obviously many centuries old, because in "The First Day", he's mumbling, "only 300 years to retirement". If he is indeed a Witchling, this Trope might apply to Eda and Lilith.
 * Word of God has since confirmed that what Bump said was intended as a joke.
 * is at least four hundred years old, and kept himself alive by.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Principal Bump may be strict and a bit dramatic in his first appearance when he asked Willow to dissect Luz disguised as an Abomination, to get proof that Willow was cheating, but he does care about his students. Part of the reason that he has to be strict is he has to balance the children's interests with the donation money that would rebuild the regular damage, and parents on the board like the Blights. When Eda petitions him accept Luz as a magic student on probation, he agrees on the condition that Eda cleans up her old pranks. Later, despite Luz and the Detention Kids breaking the rules to save the school from a Basilisk, Bump concedes about the one-track system and gives the students permission to study as many courses as they like. What's more, he reveals that he figured out who created the Detention Kids' secret passages: a younger Eda, and shows Luz to reveal that she's got a lot of inspiration from her predecessors. We also see that he had this relationship with Eda in the past; when assigned to help her get a ribbon so she avoids expulsion and he keeps his job, Vice-Principal Bump tells Eda that she's not a bad kid, just one that needs a healthier outlet than pulling pranks and he's willing to work with her to find that purpose. Later, when she and Raine forfeit a chance to get a ribbon so that Terra won't make them fight to the death, Bump isn't angry; he's proud of her, but apologizes because he knows it's the end of the line. He regrets that he can't protect her. When Terra steps in and says she'll talk to Bump's boss because she can also see Eda's potential, he faints in relief.
 * Remember the New Guy?: The Golden Guardian made his first appearance during the first episode of Season 2, although Lilith claims to have known him for a while, claiming (with a resentful tone) that he "always got special treatment because he was the "genius teen prodigy, he's really just a brat." Of course, we find out there's a reason for it:.
 * Rescue Romance: would never admit it, at least  not in season one but she fell for  when the latter attempted to rescue her from the Wailing Star hijinks that Edric and Emira started by corrupting Otabin. Keyword "attempted" but it was a pretty good effort. . It's notably the first episode where she laughs at.
 * The Rival:
 * Amity to Luz initially, although it has progressed from a hostile rivalry to a friendly one.
 * Eda and her sister Lilith have a love-hate relationship that goes back and forth.
 * Lilith seems to be (or have been) this to the Golden Guard, but as yet, there has been no on-screen confrontation between them. Kikimora is definitely this to him.
 * Hexside has a rival school called Glandus High.
 * Sacred Hospitality:
 * Even though she keeps Luz from escaping to Earth for help with retrieving King's crown, Eda also makes it clear she's a guest in the Owl House, especially when Luz asks to stay for the summer. This means that Luz is under her protection, so woe be to any rival that tries using her apprentice as a hostage.
 * Eda is safe from the law at Hexside because Principal Bump is, in his own words, not a "snitch". Even if she did cause him a lot of trouble when she was a student.
 * Silver Fox: While of Vague Age, Eda is clearly an old woman, but far from your typical old hag. Luz even says she's “surprisingly foxy for her age”.
 * Shadow Dictator: Emperor Belos was this for most of Season 1, and to a small degree, still is, story-wise.
 * She Is Not My Girlfriend: Amity Defies this Trope. After several false starts, once she is finally able to admit her feelings for Luz (coming to terms with the fact that she's gay in the process), she is happy to admit she's Luz's girlfriend. The Aesop, of course is, "admitting the truth will set you free".
 * Snake Oil Salesman:
 * Eda is the Lovable Rogue type; one of the things she sells is literally called snake oil. "For oiling snakes", she claims. She also pilfers objects - mostly junk - from the human world and sells it as "Human Collectibles" for a high price.
 * Eda's poor mother means well, but in her efforts to cure her daughter's curse, she has fallen for quack-remedies sold by scam artists for the past three decades.
 * So Proud of You: Eda has a weird idea of when she should be proud of her apprentice; the first time she has this reaction to Luz is when Luz does something that results in her face appearing on Wanted Posters. Later, she seems equally proud when Luz coerces her into teaching her a new spell by appealing to her pride.
 * Spanner in the Works: We find out in "Edge of the World" that was this to the Titan Trappers. . Turns out that their plans got disrupted when.
 * Starter Villain: The first villain in the show was Warden Wrath, a Jailer villain with an unhealthy crush on Eda.
 * Take That: The show has quite a few Affectionate Parody scenes derived from Harry Potter, but the scene in "Wing it Like Witches" where Boscha wins the Grudgby match by catching the Rusty Smidge (and Luz's angry reaction) is clearly meant as criticism towards such an unfair game mechanic, something even the most diehard of Harry Potter fans are hard-pressed to deny.
 * This Looks Like a Job For Aquaman: The Greater Basilisk is a malevolent beast that eats magic, and as a result, it is able to defeat the students and faculty with relative ease. However, it seems it cannot easily consume more than one type of magic at the same time, and finds trying to consume the mixed-magic assaults Luz and the members of the Detention Tract throw at it Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth.
 * Tomato in the Mirror:
 * As of "A Hollow Mind,"  doesn't react well on learning that.
 * King has long believed that he is the King of Demons, depowered to a tiny form. "Echoes of the Past" reveals . Then we get to "Edge of the World"; he meets with a tribe called the Titan Trappers that may comprise his family, and asks to play catch with the one that resembles who he thinks his father would look like. . Talk about Be Careful What You Wish For since the episode ends with King giving a sad, "Hi" to.
 * Tom the Dark Lord:
 * The Golden Guard, The Dragon to Emperor Belos; under the mask he's a normal-looking teenager named Hunter.
 * Also,
 * The Unchosen One: Luz would have liked to be a Chosen One. In fact, episode 2 is about her facing the reality check that the Boiling Isles hasn't a PG-rated fantasy world with prophecies and trustworthy wizards. Eda, however, tells Luz that it means she can choose her own destiny, without any limitations. Luz realizes that she has to become this in season two, where Luz finds out what exactly the Day of Unity involves.
 * Villain Forgot to Level Grind: Luz was pretty terrified of Warden Wrath in the pilot, and for good reason, he was pretty nasty. In the first Season Finale, however, he was all talk, and Luz - now proficient in magic - took him down with easy, exposing him as a Dirty Coward when faced with someone who could fight back.
 * Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: The show as a whole is pretty dark for a Disney cartoon, but Emperor Belos is pretty creepy even for "darker Disney". But then, this is the same creative team that created Bill Cipher, so...
 * Wanted Poster: Eda's are everywhere, and she displays one of them in her house with a sense of pride; she is very proud of Luz when she gets her first one.
 * Weaksauce Weakness: Demons have two weakness that King (a demon himself) relates to Luz, purified water and passive-aggressive comments. "Even demons have inner-demons," he claims.
 * Whole Plot Reference: "A Hollow Mind" is one for the Promised Day Arc in Fullmetal Alchemist. The heroes find out what exactly an upcoming event will be, that.
 * Why Did It Have To Be Snakes:
 * Luz's fears include are "jerks online who want to debate", "human souls trapped in cat bodies", and...milk ("I'm lactose intolerant!"). She also fears disapproval from both Eda and her mother.
 * Amity fears rejection, the biggest reason she Cannot Spit It Out to Luz.
 * Gus has coulrophobia, fear of clowns.
 * Willow is afraid of ladybugs, which is ironic, seeing as ladybugs protect plants from aphids. Of course, given how hostile the wildlife is on the Boiling Isles, it's very likely ladybugs can be very dangerous here.
 * Edric claims his greatest fear is being alone, indicating being codependent to his sister; in contrast, Emira seems to have a fear or dependence, claiming she is afraid of being saddled with her brother forever.
 * Wild Goose Chase: Or rather "Wild Luz Chase," as Lilith jokes. In "Edge of the World," she suggests that Luz and Hooty accompany King on his latest quest to find his identity, pragmatically pointing out that . Later, she tells Eda she knows.
 * Wild Magic: Eda practices this, claiming that using Wild Magic draws power from the natural magic of the Boiling Isles itself.
 * Would Hurt A Child: Seeing as Luz is a Kid Hero, every villain counts, but
 * Worthless Yellow Rocks: Eda has an odd perception of what is valuable among the stuff she steals from the human world. In the first scene she appears, she throws away a golden chalice, considering it "garbage", but perceives a pair of novelty goofy-glasses as priceless.
 * Younger Than She Looks: While Eda has been stated to be the older of the two siblings, she seems a little too much older, and
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Most witchlings have green hair, although Amity's brown roots suggest she dyes hers. The memory scenes in "Understanding Willow" show that her hair at least used to be completely brown.
 * Wild Goose Chase: Or rather "Wild Luz Chase," as Lilith jokes. In "Edge of the World," she suggests that Luz and Hooty accompany King on his latest quest to find his identity, pragmatically pointing out that . Later, she tells Eda she knows.
 * Wild Magic: Eda practices this, claiming that using Wild Magic draws power from the natural magic of the Boiling Isles itself.
 * Would Hurt A Child: Seeing as Luz is a Kid Hero, every villain counts, but
 * Worthless Yellow Rocks: Eda has an odd perception of what is valuable among the stuff she steals from the human world. In the first scene she appears, she throws away a golden chalice, considering it "garbage", but perceives a pair of novelty goofy-glasses as priceless.
 * Younger Than She Looks: While Eda has been stated to be the older of the two siblings, she seems a little too much older, and
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Most witchlings have green hair, although Amity's brown roots suggest she dyes hers. The memory scenes in "Understanding Willow" show that her hair at least used to be completely brown.