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#the previous golden guard
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An old friend...
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ashanimus · 10 months
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"Jasper," Darius said carefully, his mouth dry as he swallowed, "What were you doing when I walked in?"
Jasper had his eyes on Hunter and he didn't move them, but he twitched. His hand tightened again around his own.
"What did it look like?" he asked vaguely.
"It looked like…" Darius said in a hoarse, quiet voice, as if it were too horrible to speak above a whisper, "It looked like you were going to kill yourself."
Sketchy for Chapter 2 of @polyhexian's Martlet Heart!
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numericalbridge · 2 months
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This is super cheesy, but i have to confess i really like the scenario where
Darius is in some kind of very serious danger, and the previous Golden Guard's ghost manifests in someone's dream to tell them to go and save Darius. Especially if it is someone who won't immediately recognise who the Golden Guard is (like a huntlow child for example) and only afterwards they tell Darius and he figures it out.
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emeraldart · 3 months
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Headcannon’s for Darius, The Previuos Golden Guard, Eberwolf, and How They All Met
Darius and Eberwolf met when Darius was training under the previous Golden guard… The former golden guard did a lot of bounty hunting for Belos, and would bring Darius with him. One day they were told to capture Dire-wolves and headed off into the forest
Inside the forest Darius took a wrong turn and got separated from his mentor. While looking for him Darius stepped on some lose dirt and slid down a hill into some mud. He wasn’t hurt, but his cloths and skin were really covered in mud, which for Darius was worse than being hurt, and that made him have a complete break down.
By chance a family of dire-wolves (an adult pair, their two bio cubs, and Eberwolf) lives near the hill, and heard Darius freaking. Eberwolf, being a demon, could understand enough of Darius’s language to get that he was upset about being dirty. So he came out of hiding, motions for Darius to follow him, and leads him to a riverbank. Eber’s wolf family followed out of concern for Eber.
The river bank is where the previous Golden guard found them all. Darius stood front of the wolves with his arms out (just like Hunter did for the EE’s), told his mentor how the had helped him, and begged him to not make them bring the wolves to Belos. The guard has never not brought back an assignment from Belos.
He looks from the dire-wolves, to Darius, back and forth, as a 100 different thought flash through his mind over the course of a few seconds. This ends with him dropping down into a bow in front of one of the adult wolves, thanking them for helping his protege, he is not yet able to take good care of himself in the wilderness (Darius shouts in offense at this).
Then he throws his cloak to Darius, to put over his still dirt stained cloths, and tells him that they are going back to base.
This is the Previous Golden Guards equivalent of when Hunter chose to battle Kikimora, and let Luz and the palisman go. The moment that he first started to chose to put his own wishes and feelings of right and wrong, above Belos’s commands.
He starts researching more on the witches and demons that Belos sends him after. Big surprise that a lot of them haven’t really done anything beyond existed and thrived outside of Beos’s rule.
After this he starts letting more assignments go, or trying to relocate people away from Belos. He never really tells Darius why they have changed their M.O. so much. He doesn’t want Darius sharing in any of his hits when things do not turn out exactly like how Belos wanted. He just stresses three new rules to Darius “Look into things”, “trust yourself”, and above all else to “Be careful”.
The Guard breaks the “be careful” rule himself when he starts openly refusing to go on missions to hunt down certain witches and demons. Telling Belos that according to his research these ones are not dangerous and it’s a waste of his time. Not long after that he is sent on a three day solo mission, during which time a “tragic accident” takes place and The Guard dies.
When Darius learns of his mentors death he goes back to that same river bank, to grieve away from the towns folks prying eyes. Eberwolf find Darius there, and once again is able to understand enough of Darius’s language to know that his “Pack Mate” is now gone.
Instead of trying to comfort or touch Darius, Eberwolf sits down a foot or so from Darius and howls his packs mourning song.
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sound-under-the-sea · 2 years
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Dark Emperor’s Coven Headcanons:
A/N: This was supposed to be a part in a different post, but this wouldn’t go away and it will be more detailed.
Trigger Warning for implied and mentioning of suicide, death, medical torture and torture. If you are uncomfortable, I suggest skipping over this. Please proceed with caution.
_________________________________
It is strictly against the rules to go to the Healing Coven for medical care after punishments or failures.
If a Scout is required to go, they better hope Coven Head Cutburn be there. For if she is, chances are it will be a long procedure.
Cutburn has the blessing of the Emperor to make the process an excruciating as possible, though she is not allowed to kill them. Like a second punishment of weakness.
Scouts attempt to learn first aid or Healing Magic to heal their injuries. It becomes a quick and necessary thing to learn.
Usually a few elderly members are experienced in Healing Magic to do the necessary work. The Scouts try not to go often as to not raise Belos’ suspicion.
Lilith understands and usually turns the other way while they solve the issue. Other times she would sigh and give a quick lesson to younger recruits. Some instincts are hard to give up.
There are some generous healer who offer leftover medical packs that they usually stock up.
Squadrons usually have three packs each. One initial one while the two are spares from long ago. They don’t have time to get more.
Some more rational members understand that they are less of a powerful Coven and more of a police military army for the Emperor.
The hardest job of the Coven Head in the Emperor’s Coven is to deal with reports.
Over the years, filling out casualty reports became daunting task. The Previous Golden Guard was utterly shocked by the logging of recruits lower than those who entered training.
“…Uncle, the young recruits are dead. They should be cataloged and their families be notified so they make the appropriate burials.” He said, as he held out the latest report from the training excursion to the Knee.
“No.” Belos replied, as his gaze fixated on the latest tapestry.
“No…?” He asked quietly.
“No, nephew, we won’t catalog the reports or notify their families.” He stated.
“Don’t…Don’t we have duty to the citizens of the Isles to tell them?”
“If we tell their families, we will lose the work we put into this system to begin with. That is simply a risk we cannot take.”
He bowed his head. “I see…my apologies.”
“Those who weren’t strong enough, do not deserve to be remembered. To succeed, one must do everything.”
“Of course, Uncle.”
From that point forward it became mandatory rule to not care if there were any casualties during training on the Knee. Though it only grew worse from there.
By the time Lilith became Coven Head, she was already familiar with how the Coven operated, though as like most of her members, she tried to put it out of her mind.
When it came to reviewing training reports, Steve had insisted that she ask for the casualty reports. That it was the right thing to do and to notify the families.
Though she had asked training sergeants to give their reports, she did not feel comfortable over stepping rules of notifying families of the young deceased recruits. It wasn’t in her jurisdiction at first, but agreed to have a quiet burial for those that died.
Though writing letters of condolences was necessary for those who died in the field. She would spend whatever spare time between reports writing letters of condolences to the Scouts families. At time Steve would enter office as she wrote and he would calmly sit with her filling out letters. He had friends in the Plant Coven and would later attach flowers to the letters. This was never told to the Emperor as he said he was too preoccupied.
Though mission and training deaths weren’t the only death within the Coven. There were…the unspoken deaths… Ones that were added to a separate pile on her desk.
As spoken in this post, Coven Heads Snapdragon and Cutburn felt as though they had…liberties when it came to Coven Scouts. Coven Scouts quickly learned to never trust any of the other Coven Heads outside of their own. They noticed how they viewed them as expendable.
In order to prevent younger Scout from accidentally being swept up by Snapdragon, Cutburn or any other Coven Head, the older Scouts and Scout Captains would come along to make sure missions went more smoothly. If anything were any failures or mistakes, they would take responsibility for it.
It became a somewhat mandatory with the previous Golden Guard but even more so when by the time Lilith appointed. Other Coven Heads are required to put in a request forum and a Squadron would be appointed accordingly.
Though there were times when a poor young Scout or two were snatched up by the more aggressive Coven Heads.
Some Scout figured out Cutburn and Snapdragon were having competitions on how they’ve killed. It made them nervous while Lilith and Steve were furious.
Though on rare occasions, elder Scouts and Captain manage to away the Coven Heads to leave them be, but at times can be futile.
Coven Head Lilith has made attempts to remind them that if they require, she will organize a Squadron to assist them as seen in this post. Though, it usually ends with them looking down at her.
The senior members don’t respect her well enough as Snapdragon believes she wasn’t meant to be chosen unlike her sister who she knows has skills, but was disappointed again when she failed to duel. Like back in the Coven Witches vs Wild Witches.
It also makes it difficult when Coven Scouts don’t return from missions under them or mistakenly went to the Healing Coven when Cutburn was there.
Which is why it is a part of the third pile…the unspoken pile. In which deaths weren’t reported as it would cause unwanted attention. Such as a Coven Scout killed by either one of the sadistic Coven Heads. They weren’t allowed to arrest them as to not disturb the public. Much to the higher ups frustrations.
The other part of the pile consists of reported deaths by fellow Coven Scouts, but the cause of death could not be disclosed either.
Being in the Emperor’s Coven was both a high honor and respected position on the Boiling Isle’s, and one of great stress.
Should those feel as though they don’t measure up with the high expectations, they begin to feel doubtful and stressed as they try to meet those expectations.
Then there are those who are desensitized to the violence and death, as they slowly realize what they wanted wasn’t all it was meant to be. They feel hollow and empty as they don’t bother to do what is expected of them. They don’t bother leaving as they would be marked for death anyways.
Those who can’t or no longer can handle being in the Emperor’s Coven, don’t care anymore. There isn’t a point to it asides from death or failure. They don’t deserve to fit if they are unfit to live by the societal laws.
Steve is told about or finds the unfortunate discovery of a Coven Scout. It happens in either the barracks, the shower rooms, or unfortunately outside somewhere.
The next thing you know, Lilith has her office door flung open.
Bang!
Lilith glanced up sharply, grasping her pencil tightly as she gazed at Steve. He stood there, hands curled tight into fists with his head bowed slightly, as he tried to appear steady. Though it was fruitless as she noticed his shoulders shake slightly.
“Where?” She asked, as she set her pen down.
He didn’t respond, as he tightened his fist further. There was drops of water on the floor by his feet. He was crying.
She sighs. “Take me to the area, Steve.”
“…I should have made sure he was ok…” he whispered, breathing softly. “He said he was when he returned, but…but I should have checked on him after…I should have—”
“And he would have still denied it anyways.” She interrupted, as she stood.
“But they can talk if they want help.” He argues, meeting her gaze.
“Yet you still know why they feel as though they can’t.”
He blinks before returning his gaze to the floor.
“We can’t change what happened, but we can make sure his body is safely moved and can give him a proper resting place.” She reassured, as she walked over.
He side stepped quietly, not bothering to glance up as he saw her shoes in his peripheral. He knew she had a point and yet he couldn’t help but still feel upset. That Scouts and Captains still worry to be open with each other or amongst others. That they doomed to carry weight on the their souls until death.
“His family won’t be there…” he muttered. “They won’t know what actual happened to him and we’re not allowed to say. How is that fair?”
He didn’t hear a response but he felt her presence next to him, waiting.
“How is it fair to the children who work so hard to prove that they’re best and should be a part of our Coven, if they’re going to die after their first year? How is it fair when some of our own die by a different Coven Head’s hand on a mission or worse? How is it fair when we lack the facilities to help deal with the problems we face if we’re just expendable?” He ranted, brow furrowed fury as he glared at the floor.
“You know you can’t talk about it like that, Steve.” She said. “It will be viewed as—”
“Treason?” He finished, glaring at her with tears in his eyes. “Are we just meant to stone soldiers for him? That it won’t matter if we die on the field or behind close doors while our families can bury us and wish us condolences? Or the ones who will never be missed because they thought it was their last chance to be seen?”
There was silence as they stood there with the faint lights of the candles. He wanted to believe he was on the right team, that they would be remembered—that he would be remembered…that it was all worth it.
Lilith gently clasped his shoulder. “He won’t be forgotten by us because we will always be here. Even after they are gone.”
He blinks before chuckling softly. “…We always are, aren’t we?”
“Sadly, yes…”
Silence echoed once more between them.
“Now,” she said, straightening her posture. “Show me where he is, Steve.”
So they went.
It’s not a very known outside the palace walls or the barracks of what happens to Coven Scouts and Coven Scout Captains.
Some Scout Captains inform their squadrons of the recent lost of one of their own and they go into quiet mourning.
When it’s a Scout Captain, they usually gather along with Lilith and Steve to mourn quietly before returning to business as usual. Other times there isn’t a group gathering, and so they host quiet vigils. No outside the Emperor’s Coven knows.
The only time another outside their Coven knew was the Abomination Head.
After a few years or so, Darius would walk into Lilith’s office to talk and relax as she worked much to her slight annoyance, but never kicked him out.
After a while he noticed the different stacks around her desk. He also noticed her writing letters at times.
“Who are you writing to?”
“Hmm?” She asked, glancing up from the letter.
“The letters. Who are they for?” Darius asked from the couch. “Who’ve been writing them since I got here.”
“Oh, they are for family members.” She answered casually, as she went back to writing. “A Scout was killed in action, so I write condolence letters to the family of their loss.”
“Oh…Do you do that for all of them?” He asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Yes, it is important to give condolences to the family and praise them for their bravery.” She explains.
“I never knew that.”
She hums, as she writes. He glanced at the other desk next to her, stacked with more papers as well as one was more taller than the other. This office was smaller than his own and clearly lacked windows for any natural light to enter, but then again, Lilith may have found that to be a benefit where others may have found it suffocating.
“What’s that pile for?” He asked.
She blinked, as she glanced at her other desk full of reports. She slumped back in her chair, frowning at the pile.
“The…other reports…” she answered slowly, gazing at Darius. “Ones that I am not allowed to disclose with you or anyone else outside of the Coven.”
He frowned. “And their families?”
“That’s on a need to know basis. Those reports are confidential as it to protect the Coven and anyone else who may be involved.”
“…Coven Heads, then?”
“I am not under liberty to say.” The response was automatic.
“How many other things are you not under obligation to say?” He pressed.
She remained quiet as she went back to writing.
“Is this why they don’t like me or Eber?” He questioned, as he sat up. “Have they been—?”
“Yes.” She interrupted, as she remained focused. “…Yes a couple of Coven Heads have been…hurting them.”
She set her pen down, crossing her arms as she glared at Darius.
“Promise me, it won’t get out of this room, Darius.” She stated firmly.
“I promise,” he said softly, holding his gaze at her. “Just as I promise with your “team building” exercises. I won’t tell anyone and Eber probably already knows.”
She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “…Cutburn and Snapdragon refuse to obey proper protocol when it comes to Scouts.”
“Of course it’s them. Those two have no self control.” he grumbled.
“Cutburn tries, but we only rarely get a Scout who mistakenly walks to the infirmary. Those that don’t…”
He nods in understanding by the indication. Also understood why it couldn’t be openly disclosed as it would cause a mess in order to replace them.
“Is that everything that they did?” He asked.
Lilith shook her head. “Some are more…private…”
He frowned. “The Emperor kills his Scouts? I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Yes, but…” she intertwined her fingers, padding one thumb over the other. “…There are things aren’t meant to be released…”
“Like?”
“…To be in this Coven is very…competitive…He only accepts the very best and failure is prohibited.” She frowned in worry. “Sometimes some Scouts can’t handle the stress…Other times they feel as though they aren’t good enough to remain here…While worst of times, they don’t see the point.”
The silence hung between them like an anchor.
Lilith looked back at her stack in sadness and worry. ‘It’s not like it mattered, Belos doesn’t know their names much less care if their bodies are found in places where no one is.’
“Does he know?” Darius asked, breaking the silence.
“What do you think?” She asked in return.
He sighed, glancing at the pile, a knot twisting in his stomach, a familiar knot he felt when he never heard from his mentor all those years ago.
“He sweeps it like he sweeps all problems under the rug in order to maintain his goal.” She states.
“What can I do?” He asked, standing.
“Darius, no, you can’t tell—”
They can’t afford trouble.
She can’t afford trouble.
“What can I do to help them?” He repeated.
She blinks at him, as her shoulders slumped as she registered the question. ‘He wants to help…’
Because of their experience with the other Coven Heads, the Scouts and Scout Captains were hesitant about Coven Heads Deamonne and Huntsman. More so with Huntsman, as the Scout Captain were terrified of the previous Beast Keeping Coven Head.
Eber understood there was distrust and weariness amongst the Seniors of the Emperor’s Coven, and so they took it slow and mostly remained by Darius’ side.
Darius took the younger Scouts on missions with him and took them on relaxing watched. They slowly eased up with him and felt somewhat relaxed.
Eberwolf told a set of Scouts plus a Scout Captain to join their Coven in sleeping pile while they were looking for a threatened creature. They were very surprised and relieved. They were worried about their “training exercises” would be taken away.
Darius also took the liberty of reminding Snapdragon to fill out the request forms like everyone.
__________________________________
A/N: That is all I got. This has been sitting in my drafts for a long time and in my head longer. I hope you weren’t uncomfortable. Have a nice day/evening.
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neoncherryblossom · 1 year
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Title: Our Hands Together; Our Souls Intertwined
Chapters: 4/4
Word Count: 15,563
Relationships: Darius Deamonne & Eberwolf
Additional Tags: Canonical Character Death, Bad Person Philip Wittebane | Emperor Belos, Depression, Darius and Eberwolf were both the Golden's Guard's Apprentices, OC Parents - Freeform, They're not really here though, Angst with a Happy Ending, Platonic Relationships, Pre-Canon, Suicidal Thoughts, Platonic Cuddling, Literal Sleeping Together, Eberwolf is Multilingual, (not important but i'm putting it there) 
Summary: All his life, Death always hung above Darius like an illness that never seemed to leave.
Death was patient. It could wait years and years, but it would always come back and take something from him.
Darius doesn't know much more Death will take before his soul shatters.
He isn't sure if his soul is even whole anymore, or if it's as broken and scattered as he feels.
——
Hi! This has been done for awhile so I figured I’d put it all here. Might make this a series it was fun.
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"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
"Come on, D! This is important! You can put your petty rivalry aside for two seconds, right?"
The witch, known only as Darius, stood firm, his arms crossed hard with his back against the wall of a small closet as he glared off. He looked to be slightly younger than the Golden Guard but dressed as if he held a high position in the castle. At one point, Darius glanced at Eldritch and raised a brow.
"Who is she, anyway? Is she new? Is she the reason we had to meet in a broom closet? It's filthy in here and I just had my cape cleaned-"
"She is the reason we need to see your friend, Darius."
"Yeah, right. "Friend". Some friend. Married that two-faced harpy who squandered his talents... But seriously, what is the deal with her? Why are her ears round and not pointed?" he tilted his head before a flash of realization appeared on his face. He looked between her and GG. "Wait, you're the intruder everyone is after! And you're helping her!? Emperor Belos is going to be furious! This is treason-!"
The Golden Guard and Eldritch exchanged nervous glances as the guard stopped the witch from leaving.
"You need to tell him-"
"Not without the orb," he grumbled. Darius' head perked up. "We can't say anything without proof. It will make things worse if he's not willing to help. He's on the Coven Head track..."
"Tell me what? What orb? What is going on, Caleb*?!"
Eldritch snorted.
"PFT! Your name is Caleb?"
"I can't tell you much-" GG, or Caleb, sighed then scoffed, snapping his attention to Eldritch. "Hey, what's wrong with "Caleb"?"
"Normal name in a not-so-normal realm..." she snickered. "Sorry, it just came out of left field for me."
Caleb rolled his eyes before turning to Darius.
"ANYWAY. We need to get a piece of technology to your friend to see if he has the ability to charge it. He's been making those Abomination mechs, right?"
Darius narrowed his eyes at Caleb.
"We also need to charge this thing so our friend here can return home. She's... not from around here," Caleb reached back, took Eldritch's wrist, and waved it for Darius to see while pointing at the communicator. It was promptly pulled from his grip with a huff. Darius sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Why me though? Can't you take her to him? It's not like you don't know where he lives..."
"If I leave right now, it's going to look suspicious. An invader in the castle and the Golden Guard nowhere to be found? I'm risking my position just to be here right now."
"Okay, yeah, but-!"
"Besides, he's not going to talk to someone new, is he? You told me he avoids new people. He probably won't talk to her if you're not present, right?"
"Right... The harpy is out of town for business at the moment... so... Fine. I'll take her to him. But only if you tell me everything that's been going on!"
"Trust me, once this orb is charged enough and we're able to secure a safe passage home for her, I will be able to tell you everything going on. In fact, I'll be able to show you first hand. Just get her safely to Alador and make sure no one follows you. Okay?"
"... Okay..."
The younger witch turned his neon green gaze to Eldritch and without a word, he snapped his fingers. The floor under her started to melt away and she let out a hard gasp as her weight fell through.
"W-What-?!"
For a moment, it became dark and hard to breathe but the next, Eldritch found herself standing outside of a large mansion surrounded by pink trees. She didn't have a chance to look around when a hood was placed over her head and Darius walked passed her.
"Cover your ears. You're going to call more attention to yourself if this is supposed to be covert."
"O-Oh... right... Thank you-"
"Don't thank me. This better be worth risking my position over. If my own mentor didn't think this was dire, I wouldn't even bother, understand?"
"I do... Trust me, it's worth it."
Eldritch followed the man up to the door and watched him ring the bell.
"I take it you are not going to tell me anything either?"
"... I'm sorry... But Caleb's right. You're going to think we're crazy if you value your position in the castle."
"... It's that bad?"
"Yeah. It is."
"Damn..."
The door opened and instead of an abomination answering the door, a very tired-looking, disheveled man with brown hair and gold eyes appeared. He wore a dark gray lab coat covered in dark purple stains and a pair a goggles on his head. Upon seeing Darius, he narrowed his eyes.
"Darius."
Darius crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes back with an icy tone.
"Hack."
"I see we're still on that. If that's all you have to say, then bye."
Eldritch jumped when the door started to close and Darius scoffed, putting his foot in the way.
"Wait-!"
"Okay, fine. Alador. Look. We didn't come for petty squabbles and argue over who married a gold-digging, Jackel-faced scag and who didn't. We need your help."
"You know, that's still my wife."
"If it walks, sounds, and smells like a Slitherbeast, Alador..."
Alador, still clearly disgruntled, snapped at him.
"Ugh, what do you need help with?!"
"This."
Darius raised the orb up in front of Alador's face, causing Eldritch to furrow her brow and start checking her pockets.
"How did you get that-?!"
Alador's eyes widened and became sparkly at the sight of the ebony orb and he carefully took it while pulling his goggles down and walking into the mansion, muttering excitedly under his breath. Eldritch stared after him then side-eyed Darius.
"... You sure he can help us?"
Darius flashed Eldritch a smirk as they entered behind him, following Alador to the basement.
"Trust me, Alador may be a hack, but he's one of the best hacks I know."
As they entered, the two gasped at the sight of Alador raising a hammer made of abomination ooze over his head with it aimed at the orb. Both raced to try to stop him, Eldritch babbling like a lunatic over the thought of losing the device, let alone the information it held.
"ALADOR, NO!"
Eldritch dove for the orb, scooping it up across the table and landing on her stomach with a relieved sigh. Darius tried snatching the hammer but was a moment too late. The hammer came down, ending in a loud "THUNK" which caused Alador to pause and then lift his goggles, staring down at where the orb once was in shock. The orb ended up rolling across the rest of the table, only stopping against one of the many piles of goop that littered it. Darius slapped a hand over his eyes with a groan.
"... Oops..."
"Caleb is going to kill me."
*The previous Golden Guard wouldn't have been named Hunter or Darius would have mentioned it. For my own sanity, I took the easy way out.
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ispridestillasin · 2 years
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So here's a Hollow Mind snippet from my Luz & Hunter in the human world au:
"Are we- are we even real?" Hunter asks him, and isn't that the million snail question?
How much of them is real and how much of them is fiction? How much of them is a warped, loyal version of what Belos wants?
How much of them is human?
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somewhatgoodatart · 2 years
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How to get a platonic fake-date in six easy steps - Ch. 5
Ch. 1 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 6
Darius shows off his combat ability and gets a bit messed up.
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“Maybe we can talk to Bump? Do it together? The point of this is just to keep Grom locked up, why should he stop us?”, Eda threw in, eyes nervously following Raine as they drew their enchantment around the entire arena. Darius turned back from where he had been testing out one of the fighting staffs, “No. I’m doing this.” ‘I have to’ and ‘I can do it’ went unsaid but Lilith caught the determination in his eyes, blocking out the fear for as long as possible. She couldn’t say that it wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling. “Just…try to stay present”, she hesitantly rested a hand on his free shoulder and in a second his eyes locked onto her, “Eda and Raine will sit right by the border of the arena with me. If you have trouble grounding yourself…just look to us. We’ll be there for you, as much as we can.” Darius’ hand brushed over his ornament, hand traveling to cover Lilith’s. He didn’t say another word as more students trickled in to catch a good seat but Lilith could decipher the gratitude in his eyes easily enough. Should the need arise, there would be three volunteers always ready to take over for Darius. Not because they didn’t trust in his abilities but because he was their titan-damned friend and of course they would protect him. Darius finally seemed to understand that.
The cheers of the crowd were barely audible on the bottom of the pit. At least he wouldn’t be distracted, Darius thought while his grip around the staff tightened. His eyes slowly scanned the dark area, paying close attention to the rippling of the shadows. And then Grometheus burst out of the ground, writhing form towering over Darius, eyes glowing as it scanned his mind.
The mass slowly melted down to take the form of his mother. “Darius, what do you think you are doing? Do you honestly think that is a good fighting stance? And choosing a staff? I believe we taught you better than that.” The berating stung but it always did and if he could do this even once- Darius picked up speed, racing towards the caricature of his mother and using the momentum to swing his entire body through the chest area of the creature which promptly fell apart.
He sprang to his feet, all too aware that this was just an easy beginning. Grom seemed to work his way up, wearing his mind down before hitting him with the true horror. But this part he could at least expect. The monster took the form of relatives, teachers, old friends, attacking from all sides, all the while shouting insult after insult. Darius did his best to block their voices out and simply concentrate on fighting. From above he was barely discernible, just a blur of purple as he swung his staff without much thought, kicking, ducking and twisting of his body automatic from years of training.
He hesitated just a moment too long to destroy the image of Alador- his mistake. Fake-Odalia lost her head even faster in exchange but Grom must have sensed something regardless because the splattered remnants of his essence came together to form another group. Where Alador had previously stood were now Eda and Raine, crouching to hold up a collapsed Lilith bleeding- oh Titan there was so much blood, dripping down her suit, pooling around her and covering her torso where- Darius felt sick as his eyes fell on the deep gash stretching over her abdomen. “What is wrong with you?” Eda screamed but Darius barely registered the words, “…what? I- I didn’t do anything!” “Exactly. You didn’t even manage to stand your ground against Grom!”, Eda snarled in disgust. Darius gaze was still fixed on Lilith, hands shaking even as he tried to clear his head, “But I- why would she-“ “I knew you were pathetic”, he had never heard such venom in Raine’s voice, “but practically forcing Lilith to save you? Almost as if you didn’t just wait for a moment to drop her, like you did all your other friends.” Darius shook his head, eyes squeezed shut but the image of his injured friend seemed to be burned into his mind. But he was standing his ground right now, wasn’t he? Or had he passed out, had he failed and forced Lilith to carry the consequences?
“This is just embarrassing.”
No nono- his body started shaking even worse at the new voice. “Little prince, is this what I trained you to be?” Darius feet felt glued to the floor, unable to turn around to face his mentor. “Of course not. Sir, I know but I’ll do better, I didn’t want this-“ “No-one did”, there was a mocking tone to his mentor’s voice, pitying almost, as he circled Darius, “But this really is a shame.” A faceless head lifted, non-visible eyes burning into Darius. “You know how it looks when I fail a mission”, but he was more than a mission, right? The Golden Guard had taken Darius in as his student on his own wish, no-one had commanded him to… The guard lifted his hand, expressionless disappointment tangible before he even spoke, “If you had only tried a little harder, then this wouldn’t be happening, Darius.”
Darius could only watch in shock as the hand began to turn grey before crumbling to pieces that vanished into dust before they could hit the ground. He felt like his heart would give out as the same grey tone traveled up the guard’s legs and torso, slowly locking him in place. He didn’t know if he was still breathing, full concentration on his mentor who slowly tilted his head, mask cracking and starting to leak blood. This wasn’t happening he hadn’t killed his friend, he hadn’t killed Lilith but his neck seemed stiff, like he himself was being cast in stone and his eyes could only concentrate on the statue of his beloved mentor and the stiff lifeless form of his dear friend. He couldn’t have killed them, he couldn’t have but they were right in front of him and his racing thoughts didn’t make any sense, blocking out everything but terror and despair. Darius knew his entire body was shaking, how long had his eyes watered, was he still breathing?
And then, one clear thought cut through the chaos: ‘Just look at me.’ Darius blinked in confusion- how long had he just been staring? – the image of his petrified teacher thinning just enough to make the arena walls behind him visible. Right, the arena. He was still in the arena, still fighting Grom, which meant Lilith shouldn’t be down here and it meant his mentor wasn’t disappointed, that he wouldn’t be punished for Darius’ failure. The same thought echoed in his head. ‘Just look at me’. At who…Darius’ head snapped up before he could register it, eyes locking onto Lilith, sitting by the slope leading into the pit, a reassuring smile on her face, eyes soft. He didn’t look back at his nightmare, gaze fixed on his lovely friend even as he felt the abomination in his ornament shift and his powers explode outwards. He stayed focused on her gentle smile and Eda’s enthusiastic cheering and Raine’s encouraging thumb-up when the miserable images of his friends dissolved in ear-piercing shrieks as his abominations made little show of cutting down the squirming masses of monster. His only indication of victory were the deafening cheers of his classmates and the particularly over-joyed expression on three specific faces.
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enigmajaython · 1 year
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I tried to hold out but I needed everyone to look at this
Og meme under cut
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Mmm more doodles
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violetvulpini · 2 years
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Something about mentors learning from their students just as much as they teach them.
(pls reblog if you can? I put so much work into these lol)
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numericalbridge · 4 months
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Title: Mallow (part 1/3)
Fandom: The Owl House
Rating: G
Word count: 2922 (Full fic - 9340)
Main characters: Darius, that one little abomination (Mallow)
Other characters: the previous Golden Guard (Virgil); in the full story - Eber, Raine, Luz, various palismen
Summary:
An AU where the little abomination was the previous Golden Guard's palisman
x - [part 2] - [part 3] - [full story]
----
Darkness and the deep connections of the old nerves. Whispers. All of them. Fewer of them. Hands, molding. Then – a shape. The desire: a childhood that never was, days on a beach under the sky that is blue; new places to explore, new magic blends – out of the box, out of the confines; new magic shaped to move; wild curiosity, but anchored by deep, sentimental connections.
Two bright mauve eyes opening, the form unfolding from the wood.
The voice, rendered childlike with wonder: “Wow, you are so unique! Our eyes are almost the same!”
Mallow. The name was Mallow.
----
1. Mallow.
“Aren’t they cute?” There was a hint of an amused smile in the corner of Virgil’s mouth.
Darius stared at the round abomination-shaped creature on his mentor’s palm. They stared back at him with curious eyes. Their colour resembled Virgil’s.
Darius sighed. He was no fool and could see the real pride hiding behind the nonchalant amusement on his mentor’s face. Still…
“Isn’t it forbidden?” Forbidden means dangerous. Surely Virgil understood how risky this was. Nothing is safe.
“Well,” Virgil’s face darkened, “I know you can keep a secret. What’s done is done.”
He shoved the creature at Darius, and Darius took them. They walked up his arm, balancing like an acrobat and murmuring softly. They did look kinda cute, but Darius felt a little bitter that this was an abomination – his domain. And he didn’t talk to you when he decided to create them. Are you already falling behind?
“An abomination but made of wood?” Darius wondered aloud. He sat the palisman down on the only table in Virgil’s Latissa apartment, then created a small abomination of his own – made to resemble Mallow, but with bright green eyes. Mallow gasped and toddled towards it, babbling. They seemed enthralled. Darius snickered.
“I knew you’d like them!” Virgil laughed and roughly shook Darius by the shoulders – an almost brotherly gesture that meant he was extremely happy with himself. Yet he didn’t tell you how he got the palistrom wood.
“Ugh, it’s interesting,” Darius freed himself and adjusted his clothing. Great, now his scarf was all askew. “But why an abomination?”
Virgil shrugged. “You know that I find the magic fascinating. And…” he stared at the two abominations – the palisman and the real one – circling each other on the table, “and it felt like it would mean… But you are evading! Admit that you like cute things!”
“Oh, please!” Now, who was evading? Darius shook his head. He understood that the palisman business was a very personal matter. And a lot of things about Virgil were a mystery. He loves experimenting with magic and discovering new, borderline forbidden uses for it, that’s true… Strange how he trusted Darius with the secret palisman, but not with his deeper concerns and troubles. Darius supposed they were similar in that regard... yet Darius had opened up to him, no matter how hard it had been. At least he will be less lonely back in that place…
“It should be nice to have company in the Castle?” Darius guessed.
“I suppose,” Virgil followed the palisman with his eyes. “Do you ever want to have a palisman of your own?”
Oh. Darius poked at the abomination he had created. That. “No.”
“No? Never?”
“Maybe when I was very young. But I had a rust-toothed cat when I was in school, and she was… she seemed better than any palisman.”
Darius remembered Raine showing off their newly carved Foxglove. That terrible rat Alador had. Nissa was smart too. Darius’s free hand played with his scarf. Perhaps palismen lasted longer than pets, than family even…
“Besides, what’s the point? The whole connection with you, the hidden desire, is sort of creepy. And they would probably outlive me.” He could still picture his great grandmother’s palisman, suffering so. “Figure out your desire, connect with something, leave it behind, alone forever… That is, if they aren’t…”
Confiscated.
The word hung between them, heavy. Virgil’s jaw tightened. Mallow stopped playing with the abomination and stared up at them, their perpetual frown frozen.
“It would just be a bother to make one, anyway,” Darius concluded with a sigh and a mildly annoyed pout.
“Hmm...” Now Virgil looked… sad? Uncomfortable? Because of all the palismen he’d been confiscating while keeping a secret one for himself? Because of what Darius thought about palismen in general?
Darius patted Virgil's palisman on their round bald head. “I think you should’ve carved them some decorations. Their head looks empty,” he graciously suggested in an attempt to change the topic.
Virgil payed him no mind. “I think Mallow is worth it,” he muttered softly.
I hope you won’t get into trouble. Virgil was changing, and it perplexed and troubled Darius, even though he was glad that his mentor’s loyalty seemed to shift towards helping the common witches and demons rather than being just the Emperor’s loyal guard. But gone was the almost boyish, at times almost cruel recklessness. Virgil was now more thoughtful, more composed. Still ruthless. And he still never talked about his personal life, at least not directly. And part of Darius was afraid to prod, to push him towards wrong decisions. And the change... how would it affect their relationship? Wondering this was selfish, but Darius knew very well that friendships didn’t last.
“Have you thought about getting a new rust-toothed cat then?” Virgil asked.
Darius’s grip on the scarf tightened. “No.” He hated the look on Virgil’s face. “I don’t have time for pets.” He doubted that some random cat would be as smart as Nissa.
“Hmm…”
“Anyway, I have to go. I have a report to give at the Coven meeting this evening,” he very timely remembered.
“And you’ll be the best prepared, of course.”
“Obviously.”
“Just don’t get into trouble.”
Darius allowed himself a scoff. “With whom? All those old people?”
He readjusted his scarf one more time and headed towards the exit.
“I won’t let you get hurt, I promise,” a voice whispered, so softly that Darius thought he had imagined it. Yet he turned. Virgil was talking to the little abomination in his cupped hands, and it was cooing quietly back at him.
----
Hurt. Once safe and warm, now hurt, surrounded by cold stone walls. Hiding, hunted. The voices are beckoning – far away yet welcoming. But the secret passages are now as familiar as the old nerve-routes. He had used to send them into the passages – to help, to uncover. But now he is gone. And their head feels strange. Weak. There is a dent, an injury. He had send them away. Follow the voices or stay? What was his wish?
Mallow remembers.
They stay.
----
2. Secrets in the Castle.
Shuffling.
Darius paused and listened. He was on his way back to his rooms after yet another dreary, exhausting Coven Head meeting. He was tired and he needed a bath and his skincare routine to soothe the anxiety that was eating away at him.
Desperate shuffling behind the walls.
He could imagine all the dirt and mold behind the shiny new panels, golden and cold and always damp.
The kitchen staff had complained and complained about strange noises – can’t be just a usual hamsteroach infestation, they insisted – until Terra decided to get rid of the source herself. Not out of generosity, obviously. She just wanted to sic her freshly grown plant monstrosities on something small and defenseless.
The shuffling grew closer, more desperate now. Cornered.
“It’s something the old cook used to feed,” they’d theorized. “Now that she is gone, it is grown hungry.”
Darius hesitated for a brief moment. He could just picture Raine Whispers teasing him if they were there with him. But, of course, they weren’t there. Too damn pure and principled for the Castle. For him. Spoiling Terra’s game would be good, he thought. Only, nothing felt good anymore. These last years – just a hideous blur. The only thing he felt was being tired and being cold. Was it like this for Virgil too?
Sounds of movement farther away – Terra’s thorny snaps gaining on their prey. The thing in the wall thrashed and scratched. An abomination tendril shot towards the brass vent cover and pulled it open. Easy.
Something fell out, dirty and covered in webs. Dark purple like an abomination, but its eyes the colour of a delicate flower.
“Mallow?!” For a brief terrifying moment he almost felt relief… or hope… or... Because if the palisman is alive…
Almost.
He stared at the thing. They scrambled out into the corridor and tried to escape into the vent on the opposite side. Darius caught them with the abomination tendril, and they snarled at him almost like a real animal, like no abomination would have ever done.
“They don’t like you very much,” Virgil’s voice laughed, distorted by time. Never mind. With a snap of his fingers – so easy, so effortlessly perfect – he translocated the palisman to his rooms.
How many years have passed? Were they hiding the whole time? he wondered, horrified. And the thought that if the palisman was alive, then he could be… That thought would have destroyed Darius. What does Mallow know?
The plants, hungry for their prey, reached the vent, and he dispatched them – annoying eyesores – with another twist of his fingers. Perfect. And sometimes almost cruel. Perhaps it was a good thing that Raine wasn’t there with him.
Bile in his throat, he headed for his rooms. Act normal. Perfect, effortless. Practiced ad nauseum. Should be easy. Hand clutching at the cloak. Why now?
Couldn’t he be left alone? Just be left alone to – as his aunt had angrily spat – self-destruct in the cold indifference of the Castle.
Mallow was sitting on his bed, stuck in the abomination matter, once cute downturned squiggle of their mouth melted into an almost sinister grimace. The eyes were dimmer than he remembered… or was he misremembering?
How long had it been? Could they recognize him?
He almost laughed, imagining how he would introduce himself to this palisman. Or was all this part of some particularly cruel trap? Some of the other Coven Heads might know… He turned abruptly, checked the doors and the protection spells. One, two, three, four. And again. Again.
The mauve eyes followed his compulsive writhings until Darius practically fell to his knees in front of the bed, exhausted. He felt like his whole body was trembling, and he couldn’t stop it.
The abomination… the palisman stared and stared.
“Mallow?” There was a significantly sized dent on the side of their normally round head, under all the dirt. “What happened?” To you. To him.
No response.
He released them from the abomination trap. They sprang up and made several wobbly steps as if to escape. But they seemed sluggish, perhaps disoriented. Perhaps they were tired. Perhaps they have been hiding in the walls for too long…
Darius dimmed the lights in the room. The palisman sat down and blinked.
“Better? Now, come here. No need for this attitude, just let me clean you.”
Did they remember how they used to play? Darius’s hands were shaking, and there was an uncomfortable heaviness inside his head, so the little abomination he summoned turned out all wonky. Mallow didn’t react, just stared, but they allowed him to clean them up, and when Darius finally collapsed on the bed, they didn’t run away.
Perhaps they knew what happened to Virgil? He couldn’t bring himself to ask. And how would they even communicate? If only he had paid more attention to Virgil’s talk about the palismen… Was this why Virgil has been so insistent on introducing them?
What did Virgil want? Someone to keep his secret? A co-conspirator in a rebellion?
Mallow shook their head and tried to pat the dent with their stubby hands. Why an abomination?
Perhaps there could be a use for them...
Before Darius fell into an uneasy sleep or a half-dazed stupor, full of echoes of the familiar voices, Nissa’s purring, and Mallow’s eerie staring eyes, he thought: This can be a start of a working partnership.
----
3. The Change.
The new arrangement was strange, but he had wanted Mallow’s help – spying, sneaking, seeing what he couldn’t see. And so they would do it again, even if every memory was painful.
Everything was so different now. Distant. “Run,” the voices whispered. “You can be with us, safe.”
Something compelled Mallow to stay. Maybe the curiosity and readiness for novelty – that desire that had awoken them and gave them their form. But that special love, that longing for a family – that’s what was missing ever since he was gone.
Empty.
“No,” the strongest of the voices insisted, “I’ll give you a home if you come to my Forest. You can’t have that in the Castle anymore.”
Fear and pain and memories, again and again in circles.
Mallow stayed.
Darius said they had an arrangement. That Mallow could still help. At first Mallow didn’t believe him, but then they began to understand what Darius wanted to do. Darius – hollow and cold, frozen by the same moment that had taken him from Mallow. This wasn’t a true bond, oh no. But even Mallow could see that their goal was the same…
-
Fear, pain. Again. Just wanted to help. Almost caught. Almost…
Blindly running. Blindly falling, down and down... then a crack. Hurt. Blinded. Knew the hidden Castle passages so well, yet now down here, can’t see.
Something essential seeping away.
Mallow ran and ran. Hurt, more than before. Why? In the past: his voice ordering them to hide. In the present they ran, and then they stumbled along. No way to escape the blinding hurt…
“Mallow? What happened? Did you deliver my…” Darius rose from the table, eyes round.
Mallow keened in pain. Save me, help me!
What would he think? He’d never begged.
Now Mallow was being undone, and he wasn’t there with them.
Mallow, cracked and seeping green like all their broken brethren who screamed in terror in the Beating Heart Room.
Darius, stooping to pick them up.
Darius, frowning.
“Head hurts,” Mallow moaned, but Darius couldn’t understand them.
Darius, pacing, voice strange, “I can’t trust anyone… Eda, perhaps? No, no. No time.”
Then Darius’s face was set. “Can you… go to your staff form or whatever it’s called?” Impatient.
Mallow raised what remained of their head to look at him… It was so long ago… the old routes called… They could do it. The shell hardened, the consciousness dimmed, but the voices grew louder, soothing them.
Voices, far away and nearby. Even the stooped motionless one from the Castle.
“Just as I thought, that dent was a weak spot…” Then there was scraping, and cursing under the breath, and angry muttering.
Mallow, surrounded by the voices, dreamed of the moment they were given their form. But this was different, artificial – no connection, no calling… Their head hurt less.
“Now, I’ll try something.” Something cool and alien, covering their head, almost soothing, slipping through the wood, merging with it.
“Mallow? Can you hear me? You can, ugh, transform back?”
They sprang back, animated. The pain was almost gone, and Mallow blinked at the suddenly bright room with their one remaining eye. The fracture – where the dent used to be – it felt covered and mended. Artificial… They reached up with their hands, but their arms were too short…
“What are you doing? Ah, fine, look here.” Darius, holding up a mirror.
Mallow squeaked. The abomination cap blended perfectly, reinforcing the wood.
“I did what I could to close the wound. I tried working with the wood, as much as I dared, but there just wasn’t enough, so I reinforced it with abomination.” Darius sighed. “This was too close to a forbidden magic blend,” he muttered. He looked tired and weak, and there was a cruelly sharp vertical crease between his eyebrows.
“Yes, yes, I’m sorry. I didn’t have any spare palistrom wood, so I had to improvise. It should be flexible enough, and it won’t decay – a special formula used for… What?”
Something didn’t look right.
Mallow gestured and gestured. Darius pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed dramatically and shook his head. “I don’t understand… and don’t run around just yet!”
They climbed onto his drawing table and pointed at one of his sketches.
“What? Oh. Oh, really?” Darius looked surprised. Like he couldn’t believe them. “Well, I suppose it could help you to blend in, in a pinch... hide in plain sight and all that, yes? Hmm, and it might help you see.”
He scratched his chin, then drew a spell circle, expanding the abomination on the top of Mallow’s head. An eye opened, and the eye was green.
Changing, changing... shouldn’t be like this. What would he think?
“You all right?” Darius asked. Mallow crooned, admiring their new hair in the mirror. Their own eye – now also green. “Is it a yes?” Darius sighed again. “You surprise me, palisman.”
Mallow had discovered that they liked surprising Darius – he was different then, less cold. Almost like before, with him. They liked the little pals Darius made for them too. They weren’t like Mallow and their brethren, but instead gooey and hollow, yet the way Darius treated them was almost like they were special and dear to him.
“You know,” Darius muttered, setting them down on the sofa beside the table, “my old vice-principal back at school had a palisman that helped him see…”
Mallow settled down, listening.
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nerves-nebula · 1 year
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hes telling them a story
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sheerakk · 7 months
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Cementary visit gets disrupted by a wild witch
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