irongoldhowler

[irongoldhowler]

they began as two stars

in different skies,

one burning red with fury,

the other gold,

a sculpted sun,

each orbiting the gravity of ambition,

each dreaming of conquest.

at first, they clashed,

iron striking against iron,

a symphony of blades

and bitterness,

each man a mirror

of what the other despised,

of what they feared

to find in themselves.

cassius, the golden stallion,

proud and unyielding,

his honor forged in the crucible

of privilege and legacy.

darrow, the reaper of the mines,

carved from the raw earth,

his rage a flame that refused to die,

even when smothered in chains.

betrayal was their beginning,

blood staining hands that once clasped,

a brotherhood shattered.

cassius, righteous in his grief,

darrow, relentless in his cause,

both bound by a loyalty

to ghosts they could not save.

years stretched between them

like the battlefield,

filled with the rubble of alliances broken,

of forgiveness unspoken.

one wore the mask of duty,

the other bore the weight of rebellion,

both carrying wounds

that time could not heal.

and yet amid the ruins,

a bond endured.

through war and the ashes of empires,

through love lost and vengeance claimed,

they found each other again,

not as enemies,

but as men.

flawed, fractured,

still standing.

cassius, the sword raised to protect,

darrow, the flame that lights the way.

they fought not for each other,

but beside one another,

a quiet understanding growing

where words could not.

in the end,

they became more than what they began:

iron and flame,

honor and rebellion,

lighting and thunder,

fire and ice.

two men who learned

that brotherhood is not born of blood,

but of battles shared,

of forgiveness given

and wounds carried together.

their story,

etched in the stars,

is one of love found not in ease,

but in the struggle to endure.

[irongoldhowler]

re-reading the series for the 10th time because what if red god comes out tomorrow or in a month or in three

[irongoldhowler]

the energy between darrow and cassius is literally

“i hate you so much i think about you constantly.

“you’ve ruined my life but also i’d die for you.”

“we sword fight like it’s foreplay.”

“we stand two inches apart, breathing heavily, and yet nothing happens.”

they’re the blueprint for toxic soulmates. the betrayal? the longing? the dramatic speeches about honor and love cloaked in subtext? it’s giving shakespearean tragedy with a dash of repressed feelings.

cassius calling darrow “my friend” while looking at him like he’s the moon and stars? darrow sparing cassius over and over because “he deserves better”? their ENTIRE arc in morning star? please. these two are not straight. pierce brown, explain yourself

[irongoldhowler]

darrow and cassius stuck in an elevator together:

cassius: leans dramatically against the wall, flips hair “so… you really thought i wouldn’t notice you sabotaged the airlock?”

darrow: leans in closer, equally dramatic “and you thought i wouldn’t notice you using my razor to practice your twirling?”

elevator voice: “elevator maintenance estimated time: 45 minutes.”

cassius: sighs, rolls eyes “this is why i hate you.”

darrow: crosses arms “this is why everyone hates you.”

cassius: “not true! people adore me—”

darrow: “name one person.”

cassius: “…sevro likes me.”

darrow: “sevro called you ‘glamorous horse boy’ just last week.”

cassius: visibly hurt “it’s ‘golden stallion,’ thank you very much.”

[irongoldhowler]

sometimes i think about sevro trying to convince darrow to eat dirt and i just know that conversation definitely happened at least once.

darrow: “sevro, why are you eating dirt?”

sevro: “for the iron, duh. you wanna be strong, don’t you?”

darrow: “that’s… not how that works.”

sevro: “sounds like quitter talk to me. if it’s good enough for plants, it’s good enough for me.”

darrow: “you are not a plant, sevro.”

sevro: chewing “says you.”

sevro definitely pitched this as a team-building activity to the howlers too.

virginia, walking by: “why are they eating dirt?”

darrow: deep sigh “it’s a morale thing.”

[irongoldhowler]

darrow, trying to inspire the howlers: “we fight for justice, for freedom, for a better future! we will rise like the tide and-"

sevro, in the back, covered in blood, holding a severed gold’s head "hell yeah! let’s eat their eyeballs and make necklaces outta their teeth!"

darrow, pauses mid-speech, sighs: “sevro, please. i’m trying to be inspiring."

sevro: "what’s more inspiring than wearing the teeth of your enemies, ya pixie?"

darrow: "this is why i don't let you talk at meetings."

[irongoldhowler]

cassius: “i hate you, darrow. truly, deeply, with every fiber of my being.”

darrow: “cool. then why are you standing so close to me?”

cassius: “because i need to glare at you properly.”

sevro, walking in: “are you two fighting or flirting? i genuinely can’t tell anymore.”

[irongoldhowler]

imagine trying to explain darrow and cassius’ relationship to someone who’s never read red rising:

“so, they’re rivals.”

“oh okay, like they hate each other?”

“well, yes, but also they’re kind of obsessed with each other.”

“oh, so like a bromance?”

“sure, except one of them kills the other’s brother, and they swordfight in a sweaty duel that’s 80% longing stares and 20% shirtless posturing.”

“…wait.”

“and then they’re forced to team up later, but the entire vibe is just ‘if we were the last two men on mars’ energy.”

“so… are they gay?”

“no, no, they’re just brothers. except for the part where they whisper about honor while bleeding out dramatically in each other’s arms… anyway, red rising is about revolution and space politics or something.”

[irongoldhowler]

darrow on twitter

someone asked me if i ever take a day off. i told them i did once. the moon fell. learned my lesson.

#reaperproblems #nodaysoff

[irongoldhowler]

cassius on twitter

someone called me ‘pretty boy’ today like it was an insult. i mean, they’re not wrong, but let’s not pretend it’s my only talent. i also look great while dramatically flipping my cape in battle. priorities.

#multifaceted #prettyanddeadly

[irongoldhowler]

lysander on twitter

the stars guide me, yet no one told me they’d also mock me. just tried to park my ship and accidentally activated the cloaking device instead. 20 minutes of existential dread later, i realized it was invisible but still there. truly, i am a beacon of brilliance.

#leadbyexample #notlikeothers

[irongoldhowler]

darrow: “pax, you need to stop calling me dadrow.”

pax: “sure thing… dadrow.”

darrow: sighs

pax, two minutes later: “can i have a razor, dadrow?”

darrow: “no.”

pax: turns to virginia “momrow said i could.”

virginia: “i did not.”

sevro, from the corner: “give him a razor, dadrow.”

darrow: mutters “i’m surrounded by children.”

pax: “you’re surrounded by your legacy, dadrow.”

[irongoldhowler]

darrow, battle-worn and exhausted, sitting on a rock

darrow: “sevro, do you ever stop to think before you act?”

sevro, holding a grenade with a manic grin

sevro: “yeah, i think, ‘what would piss them off the most?’ and then i do that.”

darrow: “that’s not—”

sevro: “and it’s working great so far, thanks for asking.”

[irongoldhowler]

darrow: kills julian

cassius: we’re fighting to the death now

darrow: okay, but like… can we talk about this?

cassius: betrays darrow to the jackal

darrow: kills the jackal

cassius: “… you’re insufferable”

cassius: i’ve retired to drink wine and brood in peace

darrow: accidentally starts another war

cassius: for the love of god, why are you like this?

[irongoldhowler]

cassius: i hate you

darrow: i hate you more

cassius: anyway, here’s my deepest fears and emotional wounds

somehow them forgiving each other after years is the most romantic arc in the entire series

[irongoldhowler]

cassius: i’m honorable. i’m noble. i’m a knight. i have a code.

also cassius, five minutes later: punches his best friend in the face, kidnaps a kid, swears a blood oath, and sets something on fire

[irongoldhowler]

my art, unfortunately