#and eber too lol

[thehecklingmouse]

HUNTER THINKING HE HAD NO ONE WAITING FOR HIM THEN CUT TO DARIUS IM GOING INSANE

[acaciapines]

IVE FIGURED OUT FIREFLYS NAME FOR THE COLLECTOR!!!

this is so huge for me lol ever since i decided for the name they adopt to be 'sraf' (in-universe the titan word for dust, it implies alive, thinking, wants-to-find-others, stuff along those lines), i needed to change what firefly calls them since the name they adopt is translating firefly's name for them. but firefly is a big owl she doesnt know wtf dust is so she doesnt literally call him sraf.

after a lot of messing around w/ various names and puzzling out why the old one wasnt working (the name in my notes was 'little stardust' which, while i still think is really cute, doesnt work when stardust is the archivist name for dust and like. what our sraf is trying to get away from) i settled on!!! drumroll please.

reaches out scared!!

i really like this one. i think it emphasizes why firefly decided to even try befriending the collector in the first place--they try to reach out to people, to make friends and connections but theyve been burned so many times they just cant do it. plus, it ties into some archivist dust-lore im holding close to my chest right now lol. it also matches nice with king--i go based on vibes if owl-names have hyphens or not (luz and mari are sea-and-light, apart either sea-and or and-light; king is puffs out chest) and since king's name has no hyphens it feels right that the collector's doesnt either.

AND i think it translates decently to sraf--sraf is the connection between people and the world, and so, it's a reaching out. and its ALIVE, and it feels, so, the emotional side of it--reaches out scared.

basically owl naming is so so fun okay. i love it.

[misccy27]

Since everyone is talking about Belos' past anyway with the Hollow Mind portraits, I thought I might as well share my ideas/receipts about how Belos concealed his past when presenting himself as Emperor.

Like he's been a public figure in the Boiling Isles for a long time. So I was wondering how much others knew or suspected about the truth. Here's what I've come up with:

1. There are traces of Philip still around.

S2E4 Gwendolyn tells Luz, “Humans are rare. My great-grandmother told me about a human who once lived here. But one day he just vanished. Rumor has it he left something in the library.” 

S2E5 Luz finds an article in the library that tells her: “Hundreds of years ago, there was a human named Philip Wittebane living in Bonesborough. And he donated his diary to this library.”

The diary is so old that it’s kept in the Forbidden Stacks, only accessible by library staff members. It seems unlikely that many people have read it. But even if they did, there doesn’t seem to be anything really connecting it to Belos. Because:

2. Others think Belos is a witch

S1E18 Willow says, “the Emperor is the most skilled witch that's ever lived.”

S1E19 King says, “a mysterious witch appeared who declared that he, and he alone, could speak to the island.”

S1E19 King also says, "He's the Emperor! He's the most powerful witch alive!"

S1E19 Lilith says, "Being in the Emperor's Coven was my dream. I wanted to work alongside the most powerful witch on the Isles and make the world a better place."

I don't remember anything contradicting this. There are demons on the BI that look pretty similar to witches, and demons (like Hooty) can be immortal ig, so it matters to me that Belos was specifically presenting himself as a witch.

That said, the lifespan of witches is never officially confirmed afaik (and I do hate that thanks). Bump gets that throwaway line about 300 years until retirement or whatever. But since we are shipping witches and humans, they have to have similar lifespans. You cannot convince me otherwise lol.

So that makes it even more implausible that the human that showed up and vanished centuries ago is at all related to Belos, the ~most powerful~ witch on the Boiling Isles.

The fact that the Emperor also has a 16 year old nephew lends further credence to the idea that he's a normal witch, aging normally, with normal (if mysterious) family ties.

3. Belos’ appearance

S1E19 The Unauthorized Boiling Isles History reads, “Before he ascended to the throne, Emperor Belos gained prominence as a crusader for unity during the Savage Ages.”

S2E16 We get to see Belos during this crusade period. He definitely already looks old:

We also know that Belos has been Emperor for ~50 years:

S1E17 a Hexside teacher says, “Over 50 years ago, Emperor Belos appointed a head witch to each coven.” [Bonus fun: this means Terra could be the first head of the plant coven]

S1E18 Kikimora says, “Up until 50 years ago, witches and demons practiced wild magic during what we called the Savage Ages [...] until our great Emperor ascended to the throne, and taught witches how to use magic properly.”

So that's 50 years on top of his age when he was crusading. Hasn’t anybody noticed that Belos is unreasonably old for a witch yet? (And if so, what did they think he was?) 

I think Belos could have handled this discrepancy by carefully planning how he travels around the island and changing his name as he goes; standard secret immortality stuff. This would also serve the double benefit of making it seem like he has a broader base of support from the start, if there’s the appearance of several crusaders going around spreading the ~good word~. 

At some point, though, he did start covering his tracks. By present day (s1), Belos’ Emperor outfit makes his age much more ambiguous:

This is also how he appears in all the official, state-sanctioned portrayals of the Emperor that I remember seeing. Examples:

Which brings me to my main point:

4. History is written by Belos

Lilith is a historian and the former head of the Emperor's Coven. She didn't seem to know any truths about Belos' past. Hunter had access to and was actively reading restricted books about wild magic from the Savage Ages. We get no hint that he came across anything, either.

But they also weren't looking. So let's say you're highly suspicious of Belos and actively digging into his past. How much could you find out about him? We already have the official narrative: Belos ended the Savage Ages and united witchkind 50 years ago. So what about the unofficial narrative?

This brings us back to The Unauthorized Boiling Isles History from S1E19. This is a book owned by Eda, the most infamous wild witch on the Boiling Isles. Here's King's full narration from this scene:  

A mysterious witch appeared who declared that he, and he alone, could speak to the island. He said that we were using magic all wrong. His teachings took hold, his strength grew, and he became... Emperor Belos. Belos said that mixing magic was wrong, that only he had that right. So he created the coven system. And there, our knowledge was restricted, and our potential sealed away. Those who resist are called wild witches, and they face harsh punishment. Emperor Belos has since retreated into his castle. There are whispers that say he's planning something big. 

King's narration is different from the text on the page. Here's the page on Belos:

“He rules by fear and an iron fist, and his past remains largely unknown.” 

So it sounds like Belos has indeed done a very good job of establishing and maintaining information control. He has erased his past so thoroughly that even an unauthorized history book offers no real rumors or speculation. Both inside the castle and in pockets of dissent, we find no trace of the truth of Belos' past. It is believable to me that even highly-ranked coven officials who are suspicious of Belos and actively looking for information about his past from inside the castle still wouldn't be able to find anything at this point.

With that said: there are probably rumors. There probably are witches who remember Belos from his crusades and grew suspicious. They probably did try to spread the word and warn others.  

At the same time, I’m sure that there are plenty of witches saying plenty of things about Belos. Belos is the most influential and powerful witch on the Boiling Isles, after all. So looking at it from the perspective of someone trying to piece together the truth:

How plausible does it sound that the witch ruling the Boiling Isles is actually a human? How plausible does it sound that he’s actually 400+ years old? How do either or both of those rumors weigh up against all of the other scraps of information and official propaganda and baseless conspiracy theories that you’re also coming across?

How much are either of these rumors worth considering if your primary concern is to, say, try to figure out what’s actually going to happen on the Day of Unity?

(At what point do you decide to just go straight to the source?)

[numericalbridge]

it still upsets me that Eber's 'tail' is not a tail but his hair in a ponytail, lol. I only noticed it in the series finale, but on the rewatch you can see it during the Coven Heads' intro and in Eda's Requiem too. And I even used screenshots as drawing reference before that, and i remember thinking that his tail's placement was odd, but still i never figured it out until the end of season 3.

(and by 'upset' i mean it in a jocking way, it is actually an interesting design choice🤔)

[thousand-winters]

Do you headcanon Hunter as having any issues with food/ eating from the EC?? I’ve been projecting myself way to hard lol

It's likely he definitely has some issues with that, because frankly... his whole life there was SO bad.

Mostly I figure Belos didn't really withhold food from him or anything like that, not directly anyway, because Hunter was supposed to be an scout and then his Golden Guard, if he just doesn't give him food, Hunter is going to end up passing out and being unable to do his training and his missions. Which, you know, it's not like it was vital for Belos, but he did keep the appearances of Hunter being important to him to some degree.

Now, I say not directly because while I imagine Hunter had his meals in the mess hall or whatever the Emperor's Coven has for that, just like everyone else, he ended up not getting as many meals as he could have because he felt too committed to his duties. It's clear he didn't sleep properly already, and if he had too many responsibilities, he probably cut corners when it came to eating as well, very "oh, I think I'll be fine if I just have one meal today, this work is more important".

Also, there was the guilt factor, with Belos constantly reminding him he took him in and gave him everything he has, so every time he failed a mission or simply didn't perform to the level that was expected of him, while I personally don't think Belos would straight up go "you're not eating today" or anything like that, Belos would very much make him feel like a waste of resources. He took him in, he gave him a place, a room, food, clothes, and Hunter can't even do what's asked of him? Ultimately the guilt would have made Hunter simply decide that he has NOT earned the right to go get some food because he has obviously disappointed his uncle. I feel like it fits Belos' methods of manipulation in which ultimately he made Hunter feel like he deserved everything bad that happened to him and at some level he didn't have to punish him himself for it to work.

The one instance he could be a little bit more carefree with that, I feel, is his missions. Because Eclipse Lake also showed that those were like privileges to him, and being withdrawn from them was horrible to him, which makes sense with the extra context in Thanks to them that it was the only times he was even allowed outside of the castle. I'm basing this solely on that one box of crackers in Separate Tides, sue me, but I think he would feel that he's worthy enough during those, because the emperor has entrusted him with them, to not have to feel like he hasn't earned food.

The problem would be that anything he got that wasn't assigned rations would have to come from his own pocket, and he probably had an assigned budget for each mission, so I don't think he could constantly afford snacks and fun things anyway, so even if it was the one moment he let himself have a little treat, it wouldn't happen often.

Once he's living with Darius and Eber, this is absolutely going to come up. Maybe not right away because he also would have gotten a positive and healthy example from his friends at the Human Realm, but I could see him getting a bad grade at school or something like that and then just... deciding he can't go eat because he failed and he can't just go and waste resources when he can't even do that, right?

... So the short answer for if I think he has food/eating issues is yes.

[polyhexian]

Wait, I thought Darius said that he thought he was the only one who thought the Day of Unity was suspicious until he realized that Raine was running around causing trouble with the BATTs? And that He and Eber were the ones trying to apprehend Raine because Dairus was trying to find out what Raine knew? Which means he had reasons for feeling suspicious?

Which I mean, depending on your interpretation could still mean that Darius could have been loyal or at least empire-aligned only up until the beginning of Hunting Palismen when Belos gives the coven heads that vision of what the day of unity was supposed to be. So, at the very least, Darius was having doubts about the DoU, saw Raine obviously causing trouble, and went "Hmm, Do they know something I don't about all this?"

Feel free to correct me if I'm remembering wrong though, I try to keep my headcanons from skewing things too much, one of the fun things about characters that didn't get as much on-screen information is having fun filling in the blanks.

No no you're fine lol

When he's talking about his own heel turn he says that when he captured Raine he knew that if they were going traitor there must be a reason because he trusts raines judgement. So before that point he couldn't have been involved with the rebellion. I don't think Darius was EVER like actively malicious or cruel other than being an ignorant slut, so like. Unlike some of the other covenheads if you said hey Darius, would you like massive wealth and power at the cost of hundreds or thousands of innocent lives? He would immediately be like what the fuck???? No???? But also he never saw that until it was go time. He didn't want to you know. He wanted to be the cool leader of the abominations coven. Status and power and proof of his skill. I don't think he ever questioned the SYSTEM or what it stood for or how it affected people. Man raised in fascist hellscape does not cognicize that fascism is bad and enjoys the benefits of that system as he participates in it. Raine played in that system and ALWAYS had the intent of ending it. The perks of that status were incidental.

Now eber???? I guess. Eber is just. Along for the ride

[secretly-of-course]

What gave you the idea / inspired you to create the Steve x Katya ship? 👀 Also, can people write headcanons about them?

It all started with me day dreaming about Raine and Eda getting married and I wanted to draw their wedding reception (a drawing which I never finished LOL) and I started thinking about where all the characters would go. The Clawthorne family, Darius and Eber, huntlow, gustholomule, Camila and Vee, lumity and the twins, etc. Then as I was thinking about where to put the CATs I thought teehee wouldn’t it be fun to draw Steve and Katya dancing together! They are technically coworkers now so they know each other!

Then the insanity set in.

Also YES OF COURSE anybody can make or draw or write anything they want about them! I don’t have a copyright lmao you can go nuts! Feel free to tag me if you want to make sure I see it, I also check the stevatya hashtag most days so that works too :)

Here are the ancient texts that I screenshot a while ago for posterity btw. Shoutout to my lovely mutual @aydaines you were the first to witness this madness unfold 😁✌️

[oakwolves]

I know it was a while ago you talked about Raine interacting with other characters, but what do you think about Raine interacting with Gus? I can't quite put it to words, but i think there are certain similarities and contrasts with them, and how they present themselves, that it could be interesting. Something with Gus starting to use his illusion magic in more pragmatic way, like with showing Belos his past, too (and parallels to Darius&Willow more obvious parallels, huh)

On a more silly, fanfic-y note, i want to know what was the dynamic between Raine and Eber - did they see how each of them interacts with Darius, and did their braincells immediately combine to tease and troll him together? Or was Raine kinda "awww, Darius cares about you" towards Eber, while Eber was somewhat jealous Darius had an old friend in his life again?

But in the actual show i think just one short dialogue between Raine and Darius about the rebellion and their sacrifices and different approaches would have done so much for both characters. Maybe even make Raine's promise to Luz be more about Raine's approach to Luz as a teacher, rather than only about Eda. And i believe they could have found time for it if in the episode if they structured it differently and didnt waste it on woobifying Alad or. Even in the last episode, instead of Raine doing googly eyes at harpy Eda that does nothing for raeda except cheapest fanservice, they could have just shown Darius and Raine (and Eber) trying to help the civilians while the Collector starts chaos, so Darius's character isn't abandoned completely either.

(Sorry this took a while to respond! Here are my thoughts on it!)

That's an interesting perspective on Gus and Raine's potential dynamic. I think Raine was really gifted with bard magic in the same way Gus is really gifted with illusion magic, but people tend to underestimate them because their magic isn't considered as "useful" or powerful as other forms of magic. Thankfully Gus has a group of friends to help him understand his worth, but even then, he still has some insecurities, some guilt of hiding things from people they love and care about. I'm sure Luz has told Gus a lot about Raine and how talented they are with bard magic. Maybe once they defeat the Collector, after everything's settled down, Gus would go to them on his own when he gets the chance.

Since we didn't see Eberwolf at Hexside (and I'm not sure how exactly how people like them age), I assume Darius met him at young adulthood, I don't think he and Raine are particularly close honestly. Raine doesn't know of his history with Darius, but tbh Darius might have told Eber about an old friend he knew in Hexside. When Raine took their place as the Bard Coven head, I guess Eber started to put two and two together. And once Darius and Raine started to work together again, it's a bit of an adjustment for Eber. I definitely don't think they hate or even dislike each other, it's just really awkward and unfamiliar to them both. They've had to become used to each other as they worked with Darius to stop the complete extinction of witches and demons on the isles. They haven't really gotten the chance to get to know each other in the way that Raine knows Darius and Darius knows Eber (even then with Eber and Darius, their dynamic is most likely influenced by their experiences so close to the Emperor.) Again, post canon will be the opportunity for Raine to have connections with people that they weren't able to under Belos's rule. I can definitely see them having a more playful/teasing dynamic once they don't have to worry about people trying to suppress their magic and kill everyone

Also YESS I would've given anything to see Darius and Raine talk one on one about the rebellion on their own (maybe with Eber, maybe not lol) I really get that the crew was pressed for time but them just having Darius just say "oh yeah i was a turncoat the whole time lol" feels a bit... anticlimactic given it was kind of obvious when he appeared in Hollow Mind.

I also have quite a few questions about what happened in the beginning of For the Future. You'd think at least some of the coven heads would stand a chance against the collector's spies. Maybe Raine and Darius, maybe Hettie. Definitely not Adrian lmao. Maybe they couldn't straight up defeat them, but at least evade them enough to escape. How did Odalia (and Terra I guess) manage to temporarily win the favour of the collector to avoid getting puppetted? (Even with Odalia, her clothes seem "puppeted" but she retains her body autonomy) Maybe it'll be addressed in the final episode but I don't have particularly high hopes.

[mandareeboo]

Unfinished Work #50: "Untitled"

Now that this has been made utterly non-canon, I figured I'd post it! It was gonna be an Owl Beast story. The idea was that the beast would see King with the Collector and attack, King would talk the Collector down from taking it home and she would throw Darius, Raine, and Eber on her back and skedaddle.

Wing broken during the fight, the owl beast would then struggle trying to make a splint. It'd seen Eda do glyphs so many times it knew it was possible. She'd assist with sticks and plant growth then go under again. The owl beast would get to the hideaway they'd been using pre-finale and take a LONG nap, waking up to three confused and spooked Coven Heads.

Basically it was gonna be one long "god why did I miss living again" followed by owl beast slurping down an elixir to take a break lol.

Title: None

Summary: None

Raine pulls her arm off with a crackling of bone, and Eda is in too much pain to comprehend what they're trying to do. Eda's limbs came off all the time- it was a party trick more than a hindrance, really. But this isn't the time for party tricks.

But then the arm turns to shreds, and the pain just... stops.

And Eda cries.

She holds Raine close and cries.

The feathers sprout immediately- another pain, one she's used to. Eda feels them pop out of her new stump and it hurts, like it's the first transformation all over again. Her chugged elixir meant jack shit against this much stress. She hadn't been stressed before- well, to some extent, but Eda's more or less been living on borrowed time for months. She was supposed to be gone by now, petrified and monstrous. Eda had known she was going to die today; and, sure, that sucked, but it meant freedom for the Isles. It meant safety for Luz and King and Lilith and Raine and so many others.

The sound of cicadas comes gurgling out of her throat. The owl beast is waking up, and fast.

"Alright, birdbrain," she whispered hoarsely, "let's make a deal."

Deal? The creature murmured somewhere deep down. No deals. Free.

"I know, I know. But how would you feel about an extended stay?"

There's a long pause, during which Eda's eyes grow murky and black.

Stay? It asks.

"Yeah. Y'know, free-free. Go wherever you want, hunt anytime you want. Total control. If you promise to get our friends out of here, I'll never fight you for control again. Ever. Even if they shove a metric ton of elixir down my throat."

Freeeeeeeee, it coos, eager.

"Is that a yes?"

Help! Hunt! Free!

Eda leans back and lets go.

[burade]

BESTIE I LOVE UR ART... will u eber make a comic or smthn or a gif so i can staple it into my brain. Oghn nom oghn nom ur art metaphysically. Blease. ??? Tilting my head like a puppy btw.

AWAAUUSGHHHH maybe im just emotional tonight but this is making me misty in a good way :’> this is the sweetest, thank you sosomuch!!!!!! i cant tell you how much it means for me to hear that.

in the past i wanted to but i was too daunted lol, but now id love to give either of those a try when i can!! i will do my best for ya 🩵

[rhpsdys]

president raine thoughts below — partial spoilers but also partial not because i've been talking about this for months now.

we saw a bunch of the coven heads quite literally attempt to seize the throne (lol) only to be stopped by darius && eber. we don't get a clear sense of what the power structure in the isles is now, but there are a few things we do:

no one jumped directly into the top leadership role

it's not eda, she's the new school headmaster

it's not lilith, she's focusing on the library, and being a historian (i'll make a post about that later, as it pertains to raine && the bard library)

there's no indication that darius, who is the other person i can see taking charge, actually is in that leadership role

raine's new outfit is extremely regal

raine was hanging out apparently overseeing the coven sigil removal, which feels to me like something they wouldn't have a reason to be there for (past their own) unless they were there as a leader. you know?

so, this is how i see it happening. honestly, it's not much different from what i've said before.

a week or so after the (main) events of the episode, the coven heads meet to discuss their plan moving forward. the question comes up of whether or not hunter has any "right" to the throne. raine && darius point out that they shouldn't be having this conversation without him, so he's called in to join them. opinions are pretty split. some think he shouldn't even be there, && certainly shouldn't have any proximity to leadership. others feel like he is technically the rightful successor. in the end, one thing is clear, however: he's far too young, && even if he wanted that role (he doesn't), he needs to focus on being a kid from now on, not to mention working through all the trauma.

so they're back to square one again. "should it even be one of us?" "do we have the right to make that decision for everyone?" "could we even get everyone to vote?" "it'll be chaos if we let anyone nominate themselves"

in the end, they decide that at least for now, in order to preserve some semblance of familiar structure, leadership of the boiling isles will remain among the nine of them. once things have settled, they'll re-evaluate, and leave it to the people to vote on a leader. but for now, it has to be one of them, with the other eight + hunter acting as counsel members, so no one has absolute power. they each pick one person to nominate, && it can't be themselves.

of the nine + hunter, one voted for darius, one voted for hettie... && eight voted for raine. raine protested very much, expression explicit disinterest in that sort of responsibility or power, but of course it's darius who says, "the only good leaders are the ones that hate being in charge", && well... that settles it. so raine agrees on the condition that they will not accept the title of 'emperor', so it has to be something else, && they will only stay in power until the isles have fully been rebuild && things are steady.

the people of the isles accept them warmly.

in the end, the job becomes 'president' rather than emperor, though most just refer to raine as 'head witch'... which is honestly more comfortable for them. && despite their dislike of public speaking, they make a fine leader — charismatic, involved, passionate, && deeply caring.

&& when the time comes, shortly after what we see in the timeskip, raine steps down a new leader is elected, && raine settles into their new life with eda.

[aquaaquila]

LoL felt like adding more:

Amity's relationship with her siblings is rather improved but they still like to mess with her as they actually want her to loosen up and let go of "I must be the best to be noticed" as they understand that their dads love them, they don't need to prove themselves and them not always being there is matter of circumstances and not because they don't want to be around

Amity attends Bonesborough Brawl without much of an issue, though Darius is skeptical as this place almost made him break up with Alador (not that they didn't break up and come back together at all, but this one felt like it was too serious)

Amity doesn't have aspirations to join the EC, especially since Darius is rather against it, but she does want to go in her dads' footsteps in abomination craft taking over both the title as the covenhead and the family business (even though at that point the business is an actual sham and just aiding the emperor, but Alador approves of Amity being a future engineer).

The kids at some point learn about the rebellion and want to join, but they come across the conflict of Darius not wanting to endanger and lose them (paralleling this conflict with Eda and Luz's fight). This prompts the kids to make a ✨brilliant✨decision to track Belos down as they think only he can stop the Draining Spell. The adults actually pull off the rebellion thanks to Aladarius but the kids make things worse by releasing the Collector, which adds to their guilt complex in season 3 as they still end up separated. I guess the twins join the rest of Hexsquad because of this, so now Camila has 8 kids.

Aladarius still has a banter, but it's way healthier and more openly homoerotic

The twins have no issue with Hunter becoming their brother (though they also didn't have a high opinion of him at first) but they also specifically push the "us against them" by picking collectively on both him and Hunter so Hunter and Amity can bond more often (so they either stop argue or argue even more which is hilarious and they win either way).

As I mentioned before, Eber lives with the family and is the fun, wild uncle/pet that adopted them instead of the other way around.

Emira is much more devoted to the healer and essentially falls more into the trap of a mom friend because of this, though Edric helps remind her that she's a kid too

Odalia is the covenhead of the oracle coven. Odalia always had high ambitions, but because she could not exploit either Alador or Darius, she had to took matters into her own hands and managed to get to the top through her loyalty to Belos, knowing very well he would kill lots of people but still being promised the "paradise" (so falling into the same trap Terra did). She also almost foiled Darius's plan by essentially outing out his betrayal to Belos, but since she failed to take control over Abomatons, the CATTs probably would've succeeded anyway (though it was a close call). Odalia also has personal vendetta against Amity

The blight kids but... It's MyAladarius AU I made these edits I while ago... so- I just wanted to share them now that my obsession for this ship has returned

[raisedbydirew0lves]

Lil' random drabble. Orginally I just wanted baby feral eber with the dire wolves but it just…became Eberwolf's thoughts about society??? idk that didn't go as planned lol

They always liked to be high up in a tree.

The forest had always been their home, that was the one thing that will never change. Just like sleeping in a tree instead of a bed. Outside was something they preferred, which they supposed was thanks to their upbringing.

The view from the highest tree was always a sight to behold and up here, they could at least be more aware of their surroundings, watch out for the beasts that are roaming around here and leap into action the moment one of them might be in danger. That’s what Eberwolf is doing during their rare free time.

Some people might find it odd when they aren’t seen near Darius, but for the feral witch it never seemed that odd. It’s true that the older witch was part of their pack and that ironically, Eberwolf wanted to spend more time around him compared to any other witch - but it wasn’t strange to find them separated at times.

They probably wouldn’t have anywhere else to go without Darius, but Eberwolf comes and goes as they please during their free time. To be bound in one place all the time was something they couldn’t stand.

Close they might be, but the two of them were still a lot different. Darius would never sleep all the way out here for example.

Their legs dangling in the air, staring ahead at nothing in particular in the forest. It’s dusk and the woods were starting to become darker. It was nice to be out here, just surrounded by beasts and nature.

It wasn’t that the small creature minded the company of witches but it was always easier to communicate with beasts than them. Not to mention their ways were a lot different from what Eberwolf was used to. There were still so many things they didn’t understand or even found unnecessary.

And sometimes, there was only so much they could handle before retreating back into the forest or returning to someone familiar, preferably if it is someone they consider a member of their pack.

The city had too much going on sometimes.

They let out a long howl, followed by silence as they waited for a response, ears twitching. There was a sigh after waiting for a moment, leaning back against the tree with a pout. Still no answer. Maybe one day.

They miss them. It’s not like they appreciate their new pack, it’s that they were never able to say goodbye to their dire wolf family before some of the scouts discovered them. They tried to go back, but never with any kind of success. Nor did they want their family to be involved in that mess. Even when they had more freedom, the thought of bringing their old pack into this nightmare was not something the little beastkeeper wanted to do.

In a way, Eberwolf was a rebel from the beginning. Snarling and attacking everyone on sight, just wanting to be away from the strangers they had no idea what they wanted in the first place. It was that attitude that made Belos eventually lose patience with them, no longer giving them a choice and thus, the glove to give them their sigil was brought out. At least they got to keep their beast magic.

Frankly, the only other magic Eberwolf used was plant magic. It makes sense, if you are raised by nature. Beast and plant magic was mostly what they were aware of to begin with. If they had to decide and give one of them up, it would be plant magic and keep the beast magic, due to their connection with those creatures. It could have been worse.

By now, the forest was entirely dark. Not that it would make a difference for them. They are able to see in the dark and their senses, such as hearing and smelling was well developed. A small yawn came out from their mouth, casually switching to lying on their back.

They usually don’t think about the past much, only moving forwards, but it seems like today was different. If the former golden guard didn’t deal with them patiently, they probably wouldn’t be a coven head and probably death. Who knows.

It does make them feel a little bad that they were constantly attacking him, giving the former golden guard new scars or even ripping into his clothes. Back then, the feral witch wasn’t sure what he wanted and saw him as a threat. But he…allowed it. There was a lot of patience involved and eventually, Eberwolf warmed up to the old golden guard. He never hold their fear against them.

…Heh. They are pretty sure Darius still has some old bite marks too when the former golden guard wanted him to help out. Wasn’t it because of him that the two of them became friends in the first place?

Eberwolf shook their head, standing up on the tree branch again. They are feeling lonely, that’s why they think about the past; something they usually avoid. Once the whole day of unity and Belos is dealt with, they can travel again and find their dire wolf family.

For now?

Let’s just return to Darius. Even though they prefer to sleep out here, the lone wolf trope is certainly not their style. Not to mention that Darius has a tree right outside his window, so they could sleep there if they wanted.

And maybe get a blanket or two from Darius because the night is cold today.

[thousand-winters]

⏱ for the fic asks!

Hi, Daveyyyy 💖💖💖

⏱ What’s the fic you spent the most time on? (Was it worth it lol)

Probably 'The stars too, they tell of spring returning' because... well, it's a multi-chapter so that's very self-explanatory. With how I haven't updated in a couple months you would assume it's not worth it, but it is to me 😔 My baby whom I work on very slowly

If we're talking fics stuck in wips hell, I got a little one about Darius and Eber meeting and starting to trust each other that I've had on the works since... prooobably august of last year. It's dreadful. I have the vision but not the divine inspiration

[drbtinglecannon]

Oh, Darius does care about Hunter :( And he must've known what happened to the previous Golden Guard/Grimwalker which is why he was sad at the new ceremony, and shows concern here when Hooty mentions that he's trapped too

Also love how this happens right after he tells Raine not to involved, even tho he was asking Raine to get Eda involved last episode lol

[theoutcastedartist]

Alright-y since you guys all liked this so much (which I honestly was not expecting at all lol) here be some more of my headcannons for Viney and Hunter (and a couple other characters):

Viney is an orphan. Has been since she was 9 or 10, her "fuck authority and rules" personality (alongside just being an older kid) is not something most adults looking to adopt on the Boiling Isles see as ""desirable""

When she found out that Hunter has no family (or so he believes that is the case) and just IMMEDIATELY latched onto him right after the events of Labyrinth Runners. She called dibs on him as her little brother first. Though until Luz's comment in "Thanks to Them", Hunter had just thought she was joking about being her Little Bro (No you silly little boy, she sees you as fucking family the same way Luz and Camila do!!!)

Puddles warms up and grows attached to Hunter as well, kinda acts like a guard dog to both him and Viney. In her mind, those two are her chicks and she'll be damned if anything happens to them gjsjsfjash

Darius adopts not only Hunter, but Viney too! He very much agrees with Viney's "Teenage Rebellion, stick it to those Old People(tm)" thing she has going on. Also I just like the sound of "Viney Deamonne" a lot ghdjfjaja

Hunter 100% rambles about wolves to Viney.

Viney and Edric have had a funny rivalry going on for a couple years now. No one knows when or where this started. Edric absolutely finds joy in being a nuisance to her, moreso now that they are both in the beast keeping track haha. Emira finds it all very amusing lol

Hunter is friends (or boyfriends, take your pick) with Edric, but has no idea about said rivalry. He doesn't understand why those two seems to dislike each other so much.

Viney has absolutely sicked Puddles on Edric before roflmao

Hunter has made a couple different scarves and bandanas for Viney.

Viney makes some Bomb Ass Tea, as Hunter learns. She usually makes some to help him fall asleep.

Jerbo and Barkus are Viney's best friends

Puddles and Darius have #Beef with each other, Eber Wolf always takes Puddles's side to annoy Darius (and Raine does not know what to make of any of it lmao)

Sibling Cuddle Pile! Especially if Hunter has a nightmare and can't go back to sleep.

Viney decided to take up sewing to surprise Hunter with a Flapjack plush to help him cope with his Palisman's death (with lessons from Dadrius)

They are both touch starved, but Hunter is very much worse (and is still trying to get used to the idea that touch can be gentle and not anxiety inducing)

Viney struggles with Intrusive Thoughts because I am fucking p r o j e c t i n g ~

Hunter is naive about how a lot of things outside the Emperor's Coven work. Much like Principal Bump's initial suspicions (and his growing horror of the implications of such) after the events of Labyrinth Runners.

The one thing Viney and Edric can agree on: be Gay, do Crime (fellow begrudging Arsonists, the two of them)

Viney in my hc is sapphic 💕 but currently not in a relationship with anyone.

Hunter in my hc now is Bi-Romantic, in a relationship with either Willow or Edric or both (whatever floats your boat, personally I'm more of of fan of Huntric lol) and once again I am p r o j e c t i n g ~

Willow and Viney often arm wrestle. The victor always changes lol

Principal Bump is now their Grampa because I say so.

Viney and Camila get along really well (accidentally called her "Mom" one time OOP-)

Viney taught herself archery during the timeskip somehow (she's just that cool, get on her level)

Darius is ever so grateful for Viney and her skills on the occasion Hunter manages to trying to do some massive gesture of gratitude to his own detriment

Viney and Darius have VASTLY different fashion standards (AKA Viney actively choosing to wear the most disastrous of outfits to annoy Darius for The Funny)

Hunter's comfort clothes are usually soft sweaters with patterned pajama pants. Also his wolf shirt :P

Hunter & Viney: ☆ Sibling Duo ☆

I am simply fufilling my own need to see Protective Big Sister Viney and Sweet Little Brother Hunter content (feat. Puddles & Edric Blight)

I know the fandom absolutely LOVES Hunter being the "Protective Big Brother" to DEATH, especially when it comes to Luz and Gus (and hey so do I), but I think he deserves an older sibling to look out for him too. Plus, Viney just r a d i a t e s "Older Sibling Energy" (as an older sibling myself lmao). My headcannon is that Viney is a couple months older than Hunter.

Plus it'd be nice to have another trait to distinguish him from Caleb, who was Phillip's older brother. Will they ever be Big Sis & Little Bro ever in cannon? Lmao absolutely not, and the chances are that cannonically, Hunter is older than Viney, but the sibling headcannon is one I hold very dearly to my heart ❤