#puppet darius

[waywardsunlight]

Dadrius Week- Day One- Puppet Special thanks to @badgirlcoven-official for helping with Belos's dialogue!! For @sergeantsporks's dadrius week!!

Bonus…

[wishing-well-art]

Puppets!

These looks go so fucking hard

[the-cosmos-withinus]

Staff meetings

I can't seem to track down the original source, I got this far though (x)

[belleski]

bunch of sailor moon looking mfers

(based on that one bit from the trailer)

[Image description] A digital illustration of all the coven heads from the owl house except Terra. They are in their puppet forms from the ‘For the Future’ trailer - and are facing the viewer in an antagonistic manner. Raine is standing in the center and pointing forwards while glaring. To their left is Eberwolf, Mason , Adrian and Vitimir. On their right is Orsan, Hettie and Darius. All the coven heads except Raine have spell circles drawn. The background is a gradient of purples with light purple stars scattered across it.  [End ID]    

[sergeantsporks]

Dadrius Week 2024 Day 1: Puppet

“Goodbye. I’ll see you this evening. Might be late, there’s been trouble lurking around the new palistrom tree, and we’re supposed to be shoring up defenses in the Bat Queen’s forest.”

“Good luck. Do you need any help?”

“Maybe, but you are going to school, so don’t even offer.” Darius handed Hunter his backpack and lunch, stepped back, and disappeared in a puddle of abomination goop.

Hunter shrugged. He hadn’t said anything about not going after school. And if he finished his homework, then really, Darius couldn’t complain. For a brief, fleeting moment, he thought, that’s a terrible plan, you know what he meant, a thought that was quickly replaced with well, he should have been more specific, and he’ll be exasperatedly proud that I found a loophole.

Even after a year of living with him, some days he still wasn’t sure where he stood with Darius. He knew the ex-coven head appreciated a little rebellion and a little sneakery, but he could be an absolute stickler for the rules sometimes. At least when they were his rules. Not so much other people’s.

But it always surprised him how much less scared he felt about breaking the rules when it came to Darius.

Hexside’s warning bell rang, and Hunter shook himself, darting indoors and heading straight for his first class. Amity arched one eyebrow at him when he slid into his seat.

“Hungry there?”

“What?” Where had she gotten that idea? A snide comment about how he’d almost been late would have been way more understandable.

“You’ve got two lunches.” Amity tapped the back of his bag. “Or is one of those breakfast?”

Hunter twisted around. Sure enough, his lunchbox was clipped to a loop on the back of his backpack, completely separate from the bag he held in his hand. “Ah—Darius must have handed me his lunch by mistake.” He must have been distracted if he’d missed the lunchbox on Hunter’s bag and given him an extra. Then again, Hunter supposed he hadn’t noticed either. “You think I can sneak out to get it to him during lunch?”

Amity gasped in mock surprise. “Planning to sneak out and skip school? Who are you and what have you done with Hunter?”

“Stop it, I’ll be back before lunch is over. I won’t miss any class.”

I hope.

Xxx

It’s just a quick trip, I’m barely even leaving the school grounds. I’m not going far.

Hunter repeated the words over and over to himself as he climbed carefully out the window and quickly warped towards Bonesborough. Even though no one stopped him, his stomach churned at the blatant rule breaking. Darius probably wouldn’t like this. Bump definitely wouldn’t. Hunter sent a quick thank you to the dead titan that the detention pit had never been repaired. It sounded… well, it sounded like a great incentive not to break the rules, but in the worst possible way.

Hunter reached the palistrom tree in record time—he really would be back to class with time to spare. Now he just had to find a place to set Darius’ lunch where he’d see it and get out of here before—

“Hunter? What are you doing here?” Steve’s hand closed around his arm. “You shouldn’t—”

“I just brought Darius’ lunch,” Hunter said quickly, “Hey—please don’t tell him, I was…”

Steve’s mouth hardened into a firm, worried line, and he glanced at the trees.

“Is everything alright? Is Darius okay?”

“Uh—yeah, it’s—it’s fine, we’ve got everything—”

Belos had been a world-class liar, and Darius an expert in hiding his rebellion; Steve held nothing on them. Hunter warped out of his grip, darting towards the area Steve had been looking at.

“Hey!” Steve yelped, “Hunter, it’s dangerous, don’t—”

Hunter was already gone, sprinting into the trees. The worry that Darius would be upset he’d skipped school fled to the back of his mind, consumed by the terrible, sick feeling in his stomach that something had gone horribly wrong.

He heard Darius before he saw him. His abomination form slithered over the fallen leaves, whispering with each movement.

Hunter burst through the trees in a flash of gold. “Darius! Are you oka—”

A flood of abomination rushed towards Hunter’s head, and he warped out of the way, this time halting in front of Darius. “It’s me! Sorry, I didn’t mean to… startle…”

Darius’ face twisted up in a snarl, and his eyes glowed a sickly yellow instead of their usual green. Even his abomination matter looked... wrong, like the magic had been leeched out of it, somehow. Darius’ arm moved twitchily, almost like…

Hunter teleported again, this time to the top of a tree when Darius lurched towards him. Every movement he made was jerky, slow, like he was fighting himself—no, not like he was fighting himself, like he didn’t know how to move his own limbs.

Like strings had wrapped around him, moving his body around in an imitation of Darius’ usual fighting style.

Hunter warped to another tree, his mind racing. The Collector was on their side—weren’t they? No, he was sure of it. But Darius’ movements were so similar, and the yellow eyes… it was almost the exact same. Had something happened to them? Had they failed to talk to their family, and another Archivist had come down to finish the job?

And how were they controlling Darius? Titan magic wouldn’t work to break him out of it, not without King.

Hunter warped again, the tree he’d left behind cracking in half from Darius’ blow. But as Darius twisted to face him, he spotted a glitter that didn’t belong. A glowing yellow gemstone in Darius’ chest—it was well hidden, masquerading as one of the many eyes that covered Darius’ abomination form, but it shone just a little too brightly, and moved too much like something solid and firm inside of the gooey abomination.

Get the gem.

Save Darius.

Hunter warped down to the ground, twisting fluidly to dodge another blow. Warp left. Right. Right again, to keep whatever was controlling Darius guessing. Left. Left.

Darius lashed out again, and Hunter seized his chance, warping in close while Darius was off balance. He plunged his hand into the false socket, shuddering at the slimy feel of the not-quite-right abomination. But despite every instinct screaming at him to yank his hand away, his hand closed around the gemstone, and he skipped backwards, ripping it out of Darius’ chest.

“Haha!” he crowed, holding it triumphantly to his chest. “I got it! You’re okay! Dariu—”

He caught it as a flicker of movement, a familiar rearing back, and he flinched to the side just as Darius lashed out, one hand turning to a sharp spike and hurtling towards him. His instinct saved him, but still, the attack slammed into his upper arm, cutting deep. Bright, aching, stinging pain erupted from his arm, and Hunter stumbled back, realizing too late, too dizzily, that Darius’ eyes hadn’t changed from yellow. The gemstone fell from his numb fingertips, and he scrambled for it with his uninjured hand even as Darius closed the gap between them.

A vise of abomination wrapped around Hunter’s throat, and Darius lifted him off the ground, squeezing. Tears ran down Hunter’s face, outmatched only by the blood dripping down his arm.

“Dari—” Hunter broke off in a squeak as Darius’ fingers jerkily tightened.

Steve

Amity

Anyone…

He would have loved to believe that Darius was fighting back, that the reason he wasn’t dead yet was because he was fighting with every ounce of his being to keep Hunter alive.

But Darius’ marionette-like movements denied that. Told him that the only reason Hunter could still gasp for a trickle of air was because the person controlling Darius hadn’t figured out how to make him crush Hunter’s windpipe.

Crush…

Hunter felt the gemstone in his hand, heavy and brittle. His hand tightened around the stone, and he took one last desperate look into Darius’ eyes, begging him to recognize him, begging him to fight back.

They stared back, blank and yellow.

Please… titan… whoever… let this work.

The gemstone shattered in Hunter’s grasp.

[7-ate-9]

I would give anything for puppet history to do an episode of a story they’d done in the first few seasons or in ruining history. Invite the same guest, tell neither of them that they’ve heard this before, and see what they remember (fully expecting it to be nothing). The professor just gets increasingly disappointed as neither of them even realize that they’ve sat through this exact lesson before.

[iloveundertaesooomuch]

The Fun Gang!!!

Empress Luzura AU by @talisman975

How can I say that I love this funky stupid teens without screeming my lungs out?? I cant-

Caleb is SUCH good protag for this AU! Like- I like how complex and imperfect he is, changing throughout the story, both for better and for worse in the same time! His agrst in the "s3" is SO GOOD!! I am ready to scream!!

He reminds me so much of myself and the mistakes I have made. It is great to see him grow and learn, finding the understanding and love, but also the strength to live in reality, not hiding into his escapism fanazies anymore.

Truly, an artist with good intentions, but with bad understanding of how world works.

Now, to adress da gays in the room. I LOVE Alador and Darius!! They are such a mood! They remind me of the real teens I see everyday. They do silly things, they want to have fun, be dorks! Catch some problems on their butt!

(Especially when Aladors status as a son of a Abomination coven head official helps them escame a lot of problems.)

Alador is an insecure soft bean. He needs help to open up and allow himself to be silly sometimes. Alador is just a kid, he doesnt need to act like a grown up just because he is a son of someone important. He also needs to overcome his insecurity about learning only two tracks, when it is "the more the better" mentality with a lot of expectations put on him.

Darius is someone Alador partially looks up to, because he is so awesome and cool and bold (totally not gay feelings to have)! A son of a nobody, that just appeared in the school and never left Aladors mind.

But at first - Alador and Darius are just friends. Shhh, it is a slowburn.

Darius has a problem with feeling clean. And I dont mean it only litteraly. Looking like he always knows what to say, what to do, confident, strong and unbreakable. Keep his image clean. Be perfect to be short.

It isnt because Darius is egotistical, but just because he learned that weakness is easily spotted by people sorrounding him. So not displaying your imperfections is the best way to drift bad people away for the time being. "Freeze your brain" moment for me there.

[misccy27]

Okay, I'm committing to my interpretation of the puppet thing.

I'm going with the idea that the puppets were only conscious when being used in games and when activated by strong emotions.

First is this from For the Future:

Lilith: Hootsifer! Is he okay? Can he hear me? HOOTSIFER! CAN YOU HEAR ME? Hooty: Sequestered at a darkness like unto death, the dulcet tones of an angel wakes me. Be it you?? LULU??!!

Lilith was puppeted on the Day of Unity, so she should know how conscious Hooty might have been. This exchange suggests that it wasn't just an unending And I Must Scream paralysis nightmare the entire time, which is good for Darius (and everyone else ig). It's also notable that Hooty seems to have woken up specifically in response to hearing Lilith's voice here.

In Watching and Dreaming, the kids seem to regain control to stop themselves from attacking Luz.

They remember being collected and they're aware that this is a nightmare game that the Collector is playing with Luz.

Amity: We've all been collected, including Camila. The Collector came from the sky, and- Gus: He's playing games with you, Luz. He's trying to keep you away from King and Eda! Willow: But if you want to save anyone, you have to wake up!

This nightmare sequence was highly emotional, so they were probably conscious during all of it. Which is a trauma haha oh no.

Amity activates her light glyph shortly after this, so they were conscious to some degree in the immediate aftermath of the nightmare. But it still does take them a moment to orient themselves:

Amity: [rubbing her left eye] Miss Lilith? [Gus, Willow, and Hunter all awaken. Gus looks at more Collected figures and screams in terror.] Gus: Where the heck are we? Willow: These must be the Archives.

This suggests that they weren't fully aware of their surroundings while like this:

After this, Camila cries in puppet form when Luz dies. This seems to be more of a "mothers always know" trope; even if Camila was fully conscious during this, she'd have no way of knowing that Luz just died from her perspective in the Archives. When Camila is unpuppeted, she asks where Luz is and is worried but not actively grieving.

So I'm taking all of this to mean full consciousness during games and varying degrees of consciousness tied to emotion outside of games.

Which works for me when considering Darius' POV. If I'm taking the reunion scene literally, then the way Darius reacts suggests that he isn't seeing Hunter's new scars (and new everything else) for the first time.

This works if you interpret the Archive scenes as meaning that hearing Hunter's voice for the first time in months was enough of an emotional stimulus to wake Darius up:

(btw my eyes did in fact lock on to background Darius immediately during these scenes. Hunter just turn around and look up a little he's right there omg)

[wheretwofacesmeet]

[drabbles-of-writing]

I do find it immensely funny that the common public opinion on Darius’s mentor is Long Hair. Occasionally you’ll see “was a jokester” but the long hair is a STAPLE. If you see art of a blond Golden Guard with a borderline rat nest on his head then there’s a decent chance that’s the mentor. When did we decide this. When was this the norm. Who did this.

With all that said. This is all quite an interesting trait when we know Belos has a habit of giving mullets during possession. And the fact Hunter currently has longer hair. I’m just saying. We can use this

[drbtinglecannon]

The CATTs are today's countdown art!!!

[sithvampiremaster27]

Saw the trailer for the new episode of The Owl House (No, I’m still not gonna watch the leak!)...

So that’s what happened to the Coven Heads!

I still don’t know whether they’re alive or dead, though. They could all be just reanimated corpses, aka zombies. I mean, look at their eyes! Clearly they’re all being possessed or controlled by the Collector!

Also, where’s Terra?

On the plus side, at least the Collector fixed Vitimir’s hat.

[mushr00ms-are-nice]

Already love the puppet designs so much.

Man, I can’t wait for the 21st. However I will, I will wait; because toh deserves better. My god am I excited tho.

[grimhunts]

"Icons only" + seeing darius as a puppet for the first time in the collector's temple

SEND "ICONS ONLY" AND SOMETHING FOR MY MUSE TO REACT TO

[tcthinecwnself-a]

@thcsevoices​​ liked

“I’m - I’m alright.” One hand reaches out, holding tight to the wrist that lifts him up. His head is swimming, and he almost falls over the second he stands. It seems like no one wanted to play with a puppet with a broken leg and a busted arm. But this one had been broken to begin with. He made those Abomatrons too powerful for his own good. 

“What ... Darius?” He finally registers the man standing before him. Alive and well. “What happened?” The draining spell. “My kids!” It’s the only thing he can think of. “Darius, where are my children?”

[sergeantsporks]

Not sure if this was what you had in mind for Day 1, but here's some crack:

While experiencing with Archivist magic, Darius accidentally turns himself into a puppet like in that one episode of Angel, and when his coworkers notice what happened, he has this to say:

MUPPET DARIUS. PLEASE. I WOULD KILL.