#slitherbeast

[daystarvoyage]

LOOK EVERYONE ITS SHEEGOTH WITH ARMS

I mean the Owl House could’ve done a lot better with it’s monster and species encyclopedia, there were so many aspects from lore & worldbuilding, except taking inspiration from Pokemon (That's It.) that could've gone deeper into creating good monsters designs, smh

NOT To Mention BASILISK STORY SERVING NO PURPOSE.

Come on now 🤭

[cricketinthemud]

You guys wanna see something cool?

hehehehehehehhe

Everyone meet stonesleeper, selkidomus and slitherbeast! my new triplets based on the owl house!!

They are super dirty so I’ve decided to make this a fun little summer project, each furb will be cleaned and given little additions based on what critters they are named after

They also might become my new backpack buddies since folklore is taking a break due to me not introducing him to anyone in my new highschool yet… I just finished freshman year and I want to make a good impression, or maybe I’ll just be the weird kid idk

[battleoftheicyfreaks]

Losers Round 1, Match 16: Epic Ice Wubbox (My Singing Monsters) vs. Slitherbeast (The Owl House)

Epic Ice Wubbox Propaganda:

A freak? Icy? You bey your ass this fucker is both. In comparison to the other Wubboxes its movements are more rigid, like everything is frozen over (Gee wonder why.) It sounds awesome too!!

Slitherbeast Propaganda:

???

[vickysaurus]

"Aww, he's so cute. Can we keep him?"

"It's no bat, but we can try!"

[paskuda-lynx]

Meet the Beastkeeping Coven Head.

[rowdylupegang]

SLITHERBEAST LOOKING FLY

[enchantedchocolatebars]

I've seen a lot of people saying that Belos would have been better off being a character on another show and that Owl House didn't deserve him, but I've never seen people regret that Owl House doesn't belong to a channel with an older audience, like Adult Swim. Think about it. I love Disney for all the things that other people love and hate about it, but their main audience is children. Of course, everyone's favorite Alex Hirsch, was able to show a LOT of things not for children in Gravity Falls, but basically this show is about a town of humans, where the characters are mostly humans who do human things. Monsters, as part of the plot, appear in only twenty-five percent of the episodes and we know almost nothing about how they live. Boiling Isles is a place in another realm, a giant rotting corpse of an ancient powerful titan inhabited by witches and demons. Boiling rain is pouring from the sky, the oceans are boiling too, creatures like fire bees, spider-spewing griffins, slitherbeasts and hand dragons live all over the corpse. And despite this, witches and sentient demons behave like humans, react to things like humans. For fandom witches are just humans with different ears and magic and practical the same technologies and events and clothes that we have. They have only few things that makes them different from humans. We know that they make pies out of sentient fairies, we saw how Eda ate Adegast, we heard Lilith call Luz Eda's “human pet” and heard Eda say “Witches eating babies is so 1693”, but no one pays attention to it. People mostly discuss how cute Lumity is, or how bad Belos, Odalia, Tibbles and Kikimora are. People prefer to consider the Boiling Isles as some kind of utopia where everything is fine. But it’s boring. At first, the show showed one thing, and then abruptly began to show something completely different. Eda and King said that there is no weather on the Boiling Isles, but we never saw anything but boiling rain. We have never seen plagues, gorenados, shale hail, painbows and knife season.  

It's sad that people forget that Boiling Isles is a completely different world. It's very rare to see fanfiction or comics that take this into account. I have some Belos Redemption AU headcanons touching on this topic, but I have concerns that I won't get an answer. What do you think?

Hey, Anon!

I totally agree with you that the series should have had the witches act and appear more differently than the humans in the show, and about how the Isles isn't a perfect utopia.

Also, I think the Owl House works fine as a show for children / younger and older teens.

Not sure what you mean by when say that you won't get an answer (like I won't answer your ask?), BUT, AAA, WISHING YOU THE BEST ON YOUR BELOS HEADCANONS !!! 🫶

[catboymoments]

Question:i know you said it was against a normal human,but how would juno win in a fight?

She’s an electric guitar based bard that equally specializes in beastkeeping magic, imagine this trans girl playing highway to hell while riding a slitherbeast right at you

[jess-the-vampire]

RUNNNNN

Previous / Next

If it isn't the consequences of my actions

slitherbeast ancestor cameo

[owlhousetarot]

Knight of Wands: Luz in Adventures in the Elements

Upright: Energy, passion, free spirit, inspired action, adventure, impulsiveness, determination, courage

Reversed: Impatience, recklessness, haste, lack of direction/self discipline, delays, frustration

The Knight of Wands signifies passion and a desire to progress; perhaps to hone a skill to impress others, to work on a passion project, or to make a life-changing leap. However, the Knight can often be impulsive and hasty in the pursuit of their goals, and must temper their enthusiasm with patience and practicality. In this episode, Luz finds herself frustrated at the fact that despite having been on the Boiling Isles for a few weeks, she really only knows one spell, which isn't enough to pass the Hexside entrance exam. She's always dreamed of being a witch, and is ready and willing to work as hard as it takes to become one, but is impeded by her lack of a bile sack and by Eda's less-than-conventional teaching style. To top it all off, Luz desperately wants to impress Amity and her siblings with her magical prowess. So, she gives in to her impulses and uses Amity's training wand to cast a spell, unknowingly depleting the battery and angering a nearby Slitherbeast. Her friends' lives are in danger, and she is forced to slow down and take Eda's advice instead of rushing in and doing her own thing. This pause allows her to find the ice glyph, which helps her save Eda, Emira, and Edric, but also shows her the right path to pursue to achieve her dream.

Deck Order:

< Previous:  Page of Wands | Next: Queen of Wands >

Show Chronology:

< Previous: Six of Wands (Alternate) | Next: Page of Wands >

[tohwitchesduels]

LOSERS BATTLES OF WITCHES DUELS - Battle 35: Emira Blight vs Edric Blight

Disclaimer: This is not a popularity contest or which character you prefer, in this tournament, you decide who is stronger/better/smarter/etc. opponent.

information for both opponents under the cut to those who don't know what they can do in their battle:

Emira Blight:

Emira naturally specializes in Healing and Illusion magic, hardly showing spells beyond those.

While it is confirmed that Emira possesses a palisman (either moth or butterfly, it was never specified) since we never saw it in the show. We have no idea how proficient Emira is with it, I shall not include this in the tournament, and anyone who fights her will also not have their palismen to even the chances.

One must remember that Emira can be smart, clever, and mischievous but also level-headed. She prefers to outsmart and outwit her opponents during the battle can be pretty sneaky and has good reflexes.

Emira knows her brother and she knows he has no shot against her, so she's not going to let him win.

Telekinesis - Emira can move objects with ease using it, granted the objects usually were small and not the size and weight of the person so she can use them directly on her opponent, but she can pick up random stuff from the arena to use them as projectiles and be decently quick with them (the only instance I recall of Emira using telekinesis is her swapping the books constantly in her debut)

Snow Magic - Emira showed capacity in snow magic, creating a snow hand to attack Amity. I can also imagine her creating simple blasts of snow during combat or as a distraction

Healing Magic - Emira knows a healing spell that allows her to heal wounds. For this tournament, I will enable Emira to be able to heal her own wounds even though she never demonstrated to be capable of using said magic on herself in the show. Emira's healing spells however take a lot of time and concentration for the time being so while she can heal herself, she would need a minute or two for that with no interruptions when it comes to serious injuries. However, she can quickly heal minor ones. She can also heal other people of course.

Restraining Magic - Emira is capable of creating a lasso made out of light that can be used to restrain her enemies. She attempted it with Slitherbeast granted at the time she also had Edric's help and Slitherbeast proved to be too strong for her, so it's hard to tell whether or not Emira's restraining spell is overall very effective, as it certainly isn't if her opponent is particularly large and strong.

Glamour - Emira is capable of altering her appearance with her illusion magic. She usually uses concealment stones for passive altering of her appearance which is usually used to enhance Emira's looks (like braiding her hair or removing zits) but Emira showcased in illusion class to be able to alter her appearance by herself, extending her legs ridiculously. Thus this power is upgraded for Emira to be capable of somewhat shape-shifting into extending her limbs however she likes.

Illusion Cancel - Emira is capable of temporarily canceling out illusions of other spell-casters. She demonstrated it in LR, granted she had the help of Edric and the Illusion teacher to properly do it, though justified since it was Gus's illusion. This means that while Emira can cast out illusions of other users, the better illusionists that outclass her may be resistant to this (like Gus for example who is a prodigy).

Illusion Casting - Emira naturally knows illusion magic and creates whatever illusion she likes. Her illusions can interact and affect the real world and be touched and she can create multiple at a time. Usually, it will extend to an object or imaginary living being. However, her illusions can be fragile and enough force can cast them out.

Illusion Clone - Emira is capable of creating a clone of anyone she desires, granted it's usually one clone at a time as proven in EGF when she created a clone of Eda. The clone could potentially mimic the abilities of the people they took shape from but it's more than often just an illusion. They could also take upon the personality of anyone they were cloned from.

Camouflage - Now I'm not sure whether or not Emira can cast it on her own or if it requires a team effort, but in LR once Bump made a stand against the EC, all the other students would appear after the illusion of camouflage was dispelled, so I'll allow all illusion casters that were part of this to be capable to at least hide out of sight temporarily, so Emira now can use this ability to stay hidden for short time during the battle.

Edric Blight:

While it is confirmed that Edric possesses a palisman (either moth or butterfly, it was never specified) since we never saw it in the show and we have no idea how proficient Edric is with it, I shall not include this in the tournament, and anyone who fights him will also not have their palismen to even the chances.

Edric Blight is pretty chaotic and airheaded but can also be clever and sneaky. He can both focus on offense and deception. Granted at times he tends to not think things through and can make rash decisions that can and will blow up in his face. He specializes in Potions, Illusion, and Beast-Keeping magic, making him a pretty strong and skilled all-rounder even if he can be pretty impulsive.

Edric doesn't like Emira underestimating him so he's going to take her down and prove his strength.

One of the tools Edric can use during his battles independently of whether or not his opponent also possesses any, is fireworks. That's right, Edric brings fireworks to the battlefield and can use them offensively. Due to how illegal and unstable they are and how Edric landed in the healing coven multiple times due to them, they're noted to be particularly destructive and unpredictable meaning any outcome can be achieved (either they hurt only Edric, they hurt his opponent or both or neither - the rule of random applies here so do whatever you want with it).

Restraining Magic - Edric is capable of creating a lasso made out of light that can be used to restrain his enemies. We saw it when he tried this with Slitherbeast. However, Edric can also enhance any lasso or tie to specifically bind a particular target he has in mind as of Reaching Out, meaning it can be very difficult even for stronger opponents to break away from his bonds.

Explosive Potions - Edric is capable of brewing potions that explode upon shattering, thus can be used offensively, but also as a distraction and defense (the best defense is offense and the best offense is defense after all). Edric can throw multiple potions at once or in a row. He will usually have multiple at hand.

Transformation Potion - Edric improvised and created a potion that can alter the appearance of the drinker. Edric has the recipe and antidote (plenty of ice packs) at hand to either use this potion or on himself to transform into a stronger and "draconic" version of themselves (demonstrated on Warden Wrath though aside from his appearance and enhanced abilities, he didn't seem to display new ones). The potion allows the user to gain immense strength, sharp claws, spikes, and horns and is much bigger in size, however, it comes at the expense of rational thinking turning the user into a wild animal. So Edric either transforms and hopes and prays he can quiet down his instincts enough to apply ice packs on himself, or he uses it to confuse his enemies and hope they won't hurt him too much. After the potion's effects get canceled, the user of it gets nauseous and is incapable of further fighting. He will usually only have a few at hand though.

Truth Potion - Edric brewed those before battle with enough patience to not mess them up so he can use them safely. Their capacity on the battlefield usually extends to tricking the enemy into either drinking them or inhaling them and making them confess their weaknesses out loud. He will usually have a few at hand though.

Snow Magic - when training with Amity he did display he can use snow to his advantage, though he only used it to sink Amity into the ground, which would be only possible if the area's ground was always snow, but for that, I have a different spell in mind. Edric can create simple snow blasts with it or use it to immobilise his opponents by creating enough snow around them to burrow them in it.

What I imagine Edric doing with snow magic

Sinking Magic - Edric is capable of making the ground sink beneath the feet of his opponents if they're distracted enough. He demonstrated it when training with Amity and I'm making it a full-blown ability that can be hard to counter but not impossible if the opponent can dig through any surface. Be it snow or ground (though probably not metals considering how solid and refined they are).

Telekinesis - Edric displays an ability to move objects at ease. He can, in fact, lift his opponents and move them through great distances just fine, granted it works best on distracted opponents. He can also use this ability to throw projectiles of various sizes (though the biggest one probably won't be bigger than your average person who can be tall).

Glamour - Edric can alter his appearance through either concealment stone or even by himself as demonstrated in the illusion classes. The way Edric used glamour in the show however isn't exactly useful on the battlefield as he would usually just enhance his appearance like switching clothes or making himself look posh. So for the purposes of this tournament, I allow Edric to be able to completely alter his appearance to look like someone else. Since he's against another illusionist and both of them like to use clones and other tricks, Glamour should work for Edric normally. Edric also doesn't gain any new abilities from such a transformation, though it can't be easily dispelled.

Illusion Casting - Edric is capable of casting any illusion of any object or even a living being. Said illusions can interact with the real world just fine (so he can for example create ammo as Amity threw at him "Hex me" papers he created himself and knocked him out with it). His illusions normally are fragile but with his beast magic, he can strengthen to make it harder to dispell them.

Illusion Clone - Edric is capable of creating a clone of anyone he desires, granted it's usually one clone at a time as proven in EGF when he created a clone of Eda. The clone could potentially mimic the abilities of the people they took shape from but it's more than often just an illusion. They could also take upon the personality of anyone they were cloned from.

Illusion Cancel - Edric is capable of temporarily canceling out illusions of other spell-casters. He demonstrated it in LR, granted He had the help of Emira and the Illusion teacher to properly do it, though justified since it was Gus's illusion. This means that while Edric can cast out illusions of other users, the better illusionists that outclass him may be resistant to this (like Gus for example who is a prodigy).

Trap Illusions - Edric can create illusions that can transform into barriers upon contact with them. This can restrain his opponents while still allowing Edric to be able to touch and affect them (like Venetian mirror)

Camouflage - Now I'm not sure whether or not Edric can cast it on his own or if it requires a team effort, but in LR once Bump made a stand against the EC, all the other students would appear after the illusion of camouflage was dispelled, so I'll allow all illusion casters that were part of this to be capable to at least hide out of sight temporarily, so Edric now can use this ability to stay hidden for short time during the battle.

Bat Companion - now Edric may not possess a palisman, but he can use his pet bat during battles, sending him out of the attack to attack his opponents or distract them with it. To how much extent the bat will listen is however limited, though enough for the bat to not attack Edric.

Beast Luring - this was more or less proven in Reaching Ou how easier it was to lure out beasts Edric needed using his beast-keeping magic, so Edric could bring back any beast to the battlefield with his knowledge. However, said beasts will probably not listen to Edric at all.

Link to their character profile which they share to see more of the capabilities of both Edric and Emira

Return to Masterpost

[battleoftheicyfreaks]

Round 1, Match 31: Blizzaria (Yo-Kai Watch) vs. Slitherbeast (Owl House)

Blizzaria Propaganda:

Literally one of yo-kai watch's staple cute anime girls. She can turn things deathly cold just by being in the near vicinity. Her ykw blasters form, blizzie, was literally an icon. Her anime appearances are great and I adore her every time she shows up, and I'm pretty sure she might've been my gay awakening back in the year of our lord 2016 btw. just a thought. blizzie supremacy

Slitherbeast Propaganda:

???

[mdhwrites]

Luz makes a lot of mistakes in season 1 but fandom barely talks about it. I hate the mistake she makes in Adventures in the Elements the most. She literally steals Amity's training wand, uses it without permission, ignores Eda's advice and triggers the Slitherbeast. Eda, along with Amity's siblings get captured and almost killed. I remember Luz doesn't even apologize for what she did to any of them. Seeing Amity get mad at her is totally deserved, and she rightfully gets to feel angrier at Luz. It's like a backward in Lost in Language in which Luz apologizes Amity for trespassing her secret hideout and reading her diary.

Adventure in the Elements is one of the most fascinating episodes of TOH for me because you talk about all of her mistakes... And that episode is a culmination of a lot of them. Literally a minimum of three different lessons are retaught in that one but instead of Luz being punished for these things, she's rewarded with a new spell. It is a perfect encapsulation of why TOH sucks ass as a kid's show.

Because let's break down some of this:

"Steals Amity's training wand"

Episode 4, The Intruder, features Luz stealing from Eda to get a leg up in magic to terrifying consequences. One could also argue that Luz was reminded that one should respect other's boundaries and the damage betraying their trust can do in Lost in Language, episode 7, by how it devastates Amity to have Luz have invaded her space and seen her diary.

"Ignores Eda's advice and triggers the Slitherbeast."

In episode 3, Luz is taught to at least try and listen to Eda about magic because Eda, you know, might know what she's talking about. Episode 2 even reinforces the idea that Luz needs to listen to Eda because her mentor will help her grow up. Thrown out here.

"Along with Amity's siblings getting captured and almost killed"

Selfish bravado to impress others leading to people almost being murdered? It's not Luz's lesson, except that one could argue it's a part of Once Upon a Swap where she learns why Eda doesn't show off, but Willow's from Hooty's Moving Hassle where her need to prove she's better than Amity, that she's a strong witch, gets Luz, Willow and Gus captured and almost killed.

And Adventure in the Elements is episode 12. I just listed HALF of the episodes that come before this one. And yet instead of showing us how much Luz has grown midway through the season, she repeats as many of her past mistakes as she possibly can.

HOWEVER

She does apologize... Kind of. She apologizes in the same way she does for a lot of things in S1 by setting it right. She made up for things by trying to fix the damage they did, such as going to Amity after the witch's duel or saving Eda after causing her to transform or going after Amity in the library. It's part of why her deciding not to fix her mistake in S3 is so abhorrent to me because her saving grace was to try and fix things but apparently in the end she can't be bothered when fixing it is too hard.

No, the bigger problem to me than the lack of apology is that most of this stuff goes unaddressed. She fixes that the siblings were killed but the rest? Amity joins the Azura Book Club and she gets a new glyph. In fact, she is put in time out and the only one she admits to having been wrong about is that Eda was right about magic being everywhere because she gets her glyph because of that. The rest though? Just normal children's show protagonist things!

Which would scan a lot better if A: TOH didn't despise being a kid's show and B: if it were a better kid's show. If it were like Amphibia where it teaches constantly new and evolving morals about different parts of life instead of constantly going back against basic behavioral things like whether or not it's okay to lie. Instead, it ignores a lot of that to claim it's more complicated and more mature when in actuality it uses every last excuse of a kid's show when it's convenient for itself, such as people ignoring when the main character does awful things to them.

You can't have it both ways and you certainly can't have a hero who only knows how to make the same mistakes all the time while claiming they're doing nothing wrong. It's a shame the fandom learned to ignore Luz's mistakes because the show has no interest in thinking Luz did anything wrong.

======+++++======

Another problem to all of this btw is just that it's boring. Like S1 has a reputation for being boring because of all of this repetition and it deserves it for that reason.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[birchbow]

quite a few trolls have physical characteristics reminiscent of their lusii, like gamzee's pupils. how does that happen? do lusii pick grubs that look like them, or are grubs influenced physically by their lusus? is my mental image of tiny baby slitherbeast verato accurate?

This is one of those things that I'll often go back and forth on depending on what seems most fun for the things I'm writing lol.

I think I tend to settle on a combination! it makes sense to me that if part of your life cycle is having a huge semi-feral animal thing adopt you and raise you as its own, it would be good for your species, kind of cuckoo-like, to have a certain amount of mimicry for creatures of their color, to make them more appealing and familiar to potential lusii. 🤔

It's also very fun to me, as a slightly out there xeno aspect, if having a specific type of lusus around when you go through first pupation from grub to something more independent could influence some of the traits of your new body!

....the concept that despite all the societal and species differences between humans and trolls, you could still look at a troll and go "...you look like your dad, lol" is incredibly charming to me in a way I don't know that I can articulate. :D

[marcmarcmomarc]

If The Owl House had “RWBY”-style cast rolls: Season 2 (King’s Tide)

Starring the voices of

Luz Noceda: Sarah-Nicole Robles

Eda Clawthorne: Wendie Malick

King Clawthorne: Alex Hirsch

———————————————————————————-

Garlog: André Sogliuzzo

Hooty: Alex Hirsch

Lilith Clawthorne: Cissy Jones

Bounty Collector: Matt Chapman

Abominable Cutie Pie: Matt Chapman

Salty: Steve Blum

Fish Sailor: Matt Chapman

Hunter: Zeno Robinson

Coven Guards: Dee Bradley Baker, Matt Chapman, Zeno Robinson, & Roger Craig Smith

Philip Wittebane/Emperor Belos: Alex Lawther & Matthew Rhys

Odalia Blight: Rachael MacFarlane

Amity Blight: Mae Whitman

Investors: Eric Bauza, Matt Chapman, & Gary Anthony Williams

Willow Park: Tati Gabrielle

Gus Porter: Issac Ryan Brown

Bird Student: Matt Chapman

Principal Bump: Bumper Robinson

Alador Blight: Jim Pirri

Harvey Park: Matt Chapman

Perry Porter: Gary Anthony Williams

Gilbert Park: Eric Bauza

Edric Blight: Ryan O’Flanagan

Emira Blight: Erica Lindbeck

Young King: Dana Terrace

Young Eda: Natalie Palamides

Healer: Eric Bauza

Gwendolyn Clawthorne: Deb Doetzer

Gremlins: Eric Bauza

Master Wortlop: Gary Anthony Williams

Morton: Shannon McKain

Camila Noceda: Elizabeth Grullon

Vee: Michaela Dietz & Sarah-Nicole Robles

Slitherbeast: Fred Tatasciore

Braxas: Kevin Locarro

Bria: Felicia Day

Warden Wrath: Roger Craig Smith

Gavin: Nik Dodani

Angmar: Harvey Guillén

Mattholomule: Jorge Diaz

Hexside Girl: Erica Lindbeck

Hexside Kid: Kari Wahlgren

Malphas: Fred Tatasciore

Graveyard Keeper: Christopher Swindle

Butterfly Illusion: Eden Riegel

Gavin’s Dad: Dee Bradley Baker

Kikimora: Mela Lee

Bat Queen: Isabella Rossellini

Boscha: Eden Riegel

Viney: Ally Maki

Spiked Headed Student: Matt Chapman

Guard Captains: Dee Bradley Baker, Kimberly Brooks, & Fryda Wolff

Penstagram News Accouncer: Kimberly Brooks

Raine Whispers: Avi Roque

Darius Deamonne: Keston John

Kevin: Kevin Locarro

Wild Witch: Grey DeLisle

Katya: Grey DeLisle

Amber: Kari Wahlgren

Tinella Nosa: Dana Terrace

Derwin: Zeno Robinson

Cup of Ephemeral Glory: Matt Chapman

Ukla’s Mom: Grey DeLisle

Eberwolf: Kari Wahlgren

Ukla: Grey DeLisle

Young Lilith: Abigail Zoe Lewis

Dell Clawthorne: Peter Gallagher

The Collector: Fryda Wolff

Tarak: Kevin Michael Richardson

Abominations: Bumper Robinson

Opera Singer: Fryda Wolff

Barista: Kari Wahlgren

Rats: Eric Bauza

Teen Girl: Grey DeLisle

Teen Boy: Zeno Robinson

Jacob Hopkins: Roger Craig Smith

Terra Snapdragon: Debra Wilson

Belos Fan: Matt Chapman

Coven Scouts: Dee Bradley Baker, Matt Chapman, Jorge Diaz, Rachael MacFarlane, Dana Terrace, & Debra Wilson

Steve Tholomule: Matt Chapman

Flora D’splora: Eileen Galindo

Knight: Christopher Swindle

Savage Ages Women: Mela Lee & Kari Wahlgren

Savage Ages Men: Matt Chapman

Cyclops Woman: Kari Wahlgren

Three Headed Woman: Eileen Galindo

Red Fang: Gary Anthony Williams

Green Fang: Christopher Swindle

Oracle Student: Arin Hanson

Jerbo: Noah Galvin

Professor Hermonculus: J.B. Blanc

Skara: Kimberly Brooks

Tibbles: Parvesh Cheena

Demon Hunter: Grey DeLisle

Demon Hunter Leader: Kevin Michael Richardson

Principal Faust: Eric Bauza

Young Eye-Eating Monster: Bumper Robinson

Trust Instructor: Roger Craig Smith

Jelly Blob: Eric Bauza

Young Raine: Blu del Barrio

Cyclops Girl: Dana Terrace

Plant Track Student: Bumper Robinson

Teeth Salesman: Matt Chapman

Prim: Kimberly Brooks

Oracle Coven Witch: Mela Lee

Yellow Horned Man: Matt Chapman

Young Inner Belos: Fryda Wolff

Past Golden Guards: Zeno Robinson

King’s Dream Father: Alex Hirsch

King’s Dream Siblings: Matt Chapman

Titan Trapper: Steve Blum

Bill: Chris Houghton

Illusion Teacher: Rachael MacFarlane

Young Gus: Carter Jones

Gus’ Partner: Matt Chapman

Illusion Student: Matt Chapman

Adrian Graye Vernworth: Noshir Dalal

Severine: Dana Terrace

Additional Creature Vocalizations: Dee Bradley Baker

[sergeantsporks]

Warped Wood

Ch 3/6(?): Bow

(1)(2)

Next

Hunter has a target on his back for plenty of reasons-- being the ex-golden guard, and a grimwalker, for starters. But he never expected that palisman carving would be the thing to get him in hot water.

Ao3

Carve a bird

He didn’t specify what kind

I could carve any kind of bird, it doesn’t have to be…

Hunter turned the piece of palistrom wood over and over in his hands. It would be so easy to destroy. He could split it in half, or figure out a way to burn it… Feron had been lucky to get his hands on this piece. He wouldn’t find another, not any time soon. Not without funds from selling a palisman.

Hunter glanced at the crystal. Was it worth it? It was one thing to push Feron when his life was the only one on the line. Feron couldn’t hurt him too badly, or he’d be out of a carver. Destroying his knee had been unexpected, but still a far cry from killing him. But Dell? No reservations there. He couldn’t push Feron as hard as he had before—there was no telling how far would be enough to get Dell hurt.

How long could he pretend to be carving, then? How much did Feron know about the palisman-carving process? How long did he think it would take? More importantly, how long before either Hunter figured a way out, or his friends turned up to rescue him? All the stalling in the world wouldn’t mean a thing if he was still here at the end of it. And again, how badly would Feron retaliate against Dell for it?

Hunter set the wood down with a sigh. He could carve a bird easily. He knew every curve and line already. Why had the titan trapper picked something so familiar? Why couldn’t they pick a creature he knew nearly nothing about, like a slitherbeast, or a fairy?

“Carver’s block?”

Hunter stiffened. Feron checked in on the hour now. Probably to make sure Hunter hadn’t hurt himself again. Hunter flexed his bandaged hand. One more healing attempt would close his self-inflicted wound up entirely. All that pain, and for what? It hadn’t even bought him a day.

“Being locked up in a tower doesn’t help.”

“Ah, the tower’s not so bad. It used to be my room, you know.”

Hunter eyed him. “Inspiring.”

“Of course, it hasn’t been since I was what, eighteen?” Feron glanced at Hunter’s face and chuckled. “What, surprised that you got my childhood bedroom?”

Hunter carefully schooled his face back into neutrality. “More surprised your family lived out here on purpose and you didn’t just decide to build your evil lair where no one could find you.”

“I prefer to call it my management and distribution center.” Feron sat on the bed. “Ah, well, that was my fault. I failed the coven scout tryouts, but still didn’t want to pick a coven. My father relocated us to the middle of nowhere to keep me from getting arrested before I could pick. Never did. Evidently. He never was too happy about that.”

“Because I’m sure he’s incredibly proud of your thriving kidnapping business now.” Hunter crossed his arms. “You said you’d be transparent with me, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then drop the act. Stop acting like you’re anything close to friendly. I’m carving for you because you threatened the people I care about. That’s it. I’m not going to develop a fond relationship with you because you come in and share a few stories about your childhood. I’m not your employee, I’m your prisoner. Don’t pretend there’s anything else.”

Feron’s smile wavered, only for a moment. “I’d prefer to better our relationship. I’d love to trust you enough to take that cuff off one day. Or if you want to talk wages, we can talk.” He walked towards the door. “I don’t like keeping you prisoner, you know.”

“Then don’t.”

Feron paused, as if considering. “Well. Unfortunately, I do like running a promising business a bit more than I don’t like taking prisoners. Keep at your work, please. I would like to have a finished product sometime soon.”

Hunter bit back a “they’re not products.” It wouldn’t mean anything. Feron wouldn’t change his mind about palisman, and if Hunter responded, it would just mean Feron was in the room longer. Once Feron was gone, he tapped his (new, and no longer capable of floating) chisel on the table thoughtfully. The carving called to him, the way books on wild magic had back in the emperor’s coven. He knew he shouldn’t give in to Feron. He knew caving for titan trappers was a bad idea, an idea that could get people hurt. Still. He hadn’t spent all those hours with Dell to NOT pick up a creative itch.

Hunter picked up the crystal. Colleen was practically glued to Dell. Every time Hunter looked, there he was, shoulders slumped. The crystal’s purple surface glinted up at him mockingly. Enough stalling, it seemed to say, You can’t put it off forever.

Hunter twirled the chisel around his fingers, examining the palistrom wood. A bird. When Dell had first started teaching him to carve, he’d known instinctively how each step and tip could contribute to the shape that still curled up in his chest. It had been the only thing he could think about.

Carve what you know, Dell had told him. But the advice only seemed to apply to other people’s palisman. On practice wood, he’d carved bees and lizards and snakes and cats until his hands were covered in blisters. If he even thought about attempting a bird, though?

Hunter set the chisel against the wood. He knew exactly where on the surface he needed to place the point. He knew the angle. He knew the precise amount of force he should strike the chisel with. He knew how this first strike would shape the rest of the bird. How, down the line, the shapes carved away would become the form he needed.

He couldn’t make the cut.

He picked up the mallet. Raised his arm. Put the mallet back down again. How had driving a spike through his own hand met less hesitation than this? It should be so easy. It wasn’t his palisman. Once it was carved, it would be sent away, and he would never see it again. There was no reason to hesitate—not when Dell could be in danger. Hunter picked up the mallet again.

It fell from trembling fingers.

“I can’t do it,” he whispered to the empty room. The crystal on the table seemed to glow slightly brighter at the words, as if reminding him what was at stake if he refused. Hunter buried his head in his arms.

I just can’t do it.

Xxx

Luz climbed the steps to the top of the palisman tree, her hand brushing empty nooks. Home-sewn cushions lined the bottom of each nook. Not all of them fit completely, but even those were lovingly arranged, blank homes for new palisman awaiting their partner.

Dell sat at the top of the stairs, surrounded by fugitive palisman. They flinched upright at her footsteps, but settled back down once they got a good look at her. Luz sat down next to Dell, letting palisman crawl into her lap and giving them head scratches. Dell turned a toolbelt over in his hands. “I’d gotten used to him livening up the space.”

“We’ll get him back,” Luz said, forcing confidence into her voice, “We’ll find him. And the people that took him are going to regret it.”

“I shouldn’t have left him alone here.”

“Dell, there wasn’t anything you could—”

“They were after palisman carvers.” Dell stretched, creaking his way to his feet. “Perhaps I couldn’t have stopped anything. But at least wherever he is, he might not have been alone.”

“Luz!” Colleens’ voice called up the stairs. Luz flinched at the sound, although she didn’t know why. “Gus thinks he might have figured out a route! Is Dell with you?”

“Coming,” Luz called back.

“Well, now. Isn’t that something.” Dell shuffled towards the stairs. Luz gave the palisman in her lap one last pat, and stood up to follow.

She barely saw it happen. One moment, Dell was steady on his feet. The next, he tumbled head-over-heels down the stairs. Luz leapt forward, Stringbean in hand almost immediately. She remembered her safety hover glyph, and summoned the magic, creating a cushion of air between Dell and the next step. He sank to a slow halt. Luz flew down next to him, Gus and Colleen sprinting up the stairs to join them. Dell blinked blearily at the tree, purple bruises already swelling on his face. He reached up towards Luz, gripping her wrist with shaky hands until she bent down to listen with one ear.

“I didn’t fall,” he wheezed, his good eye locked onto hers with fading determination, “It wasn’t an accident. I felt… felt something. Like a push against my back.”

The hairs on Luz’s arm stood straight up. She scanned the treeline, hoping for a glimmer of magic that would give away where the push had come from. She was met only with empty leaves rustling in the wind. But whoever had taken Hunter had shown their hand—they were still around.

All she had to do was figure out why.

Xxx

Short breaths wheezed in and out. The sharp edges of the crystal dug into Hunter’s hand, but he couldn’t let it go.

Your fault

Your fault

Your fault, your fault, your fault yourfaultyourfaultyourfault.

A spark of bright pain from his hand demanded his attention and he slowly wrenched his eyes away from the center of the crystal to see blood dripping around the cornders. He stared at the wounds blankly. Dell had gotten hurt. Had Feron decided he wasn’t working quickly enough? Had Colleen heard his declaration through the crystal?

Did it matter which?

Dell had gotten hurt.

Feron’s message was loud and clear.

Hunter picked up the chisel and mallet, his hands shaking so badly that he dropped them twice.

Deep breaths.

Hunter looked at the palistrom stump in front of him. He couldn’t quite see it. Every glance seemed to slide right off. He needed to carve. He needed to make the first cut. But the stump remained stubbornly imperceptible.

Enough.

Hunter set the chisel against the wood, and tapped the mallet gently. The flawless surface of the palistrom wood split, cracking down its surface exactly where he’d known it would.

The first crack broke the dam inside. Hunter fell easily into the patterns he’d drilled into his muscles every second he spent with Dell. Petals of wood curved away from the palistrom’s surface, littering the floor in bright splashes of blue against grey stone.

Hunter stretched, wincing as the movement tugged the edges of his injuries apart. He could see the shape, now. It was rough, unpolished, but undeniably familiar. His stomach churned, and he laid his head down on the table, gently tilting the half-finished palisman back and forth with one finger.

“I’m sorry,” he told it, “I’d love to tell you about your new witch. About their joys, and their hopes. I’d love to tell you how they look when they’re excited, and how happy they are you’re coming. I wish I could tell you more about the home you’ll be in when you’re awake. I wish I could tell you what to expect.”

He sighed, tucking his hand under his chin. “But I’ve never met your partner. All I know is that they want a bird palisman. I wanted to help people. I wanted to find the perfect partner for everyone. But this… this is all wrong. How am I supposed to carve a matching heart for one I’ve never seen?

I’m sorry. I don’t mean to scare you. Dell says palisman can hear you, but I don’t know how far along in the carving that happens. I’m sure your new witch will treat you well. I’m sure the two of you will click. I just…” he sighed again. “It’s not supposed to be like this. And I can’t figure out how to make things right.”

Xxx

“I’m sorry, Eda. I know you said to watch, and I was right there, but—”

“He’s going to be okay, kiddo.” Eda ruffled Luz’s hair. “A few bruised ribs and a mild concussion. Your spell saved him from worse.”

“Yeah, but you were busy investigating, and if I’d done my job right, then—”

“Dead end,” Eda announced before Luz could go any further, “We looked through all the records of loyalist groups and chatted with a few of Darius’ informants—he has a creepily large network, let me tell you that—but no one had any information on a group of ex-scouts with horns on their masks.”

“So, is this new, or…?”

Eda clicked her tongue. “Well, that’s the thing. We did turn up one interesting little factoid while we were looking. Our friend Colleen? She used to be a scout herself.”

“Huh.” Luz’s fingers tapped against her leg, as if playing an invisible piano. “I mean, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

“Right. Steve’s an ex scout. Half our friends are ex-coven heads.”

“Right. But still. She’s an ex-scout. And Hunter’s got the combat corner pretty well covered. But between the two of them, they couldn’t handle a few measly maybe-ex-scouts? Hang on, wait. Gus, you said you figured out how the logistics could have worked?

Gus shook his head. “I ran it really quickly when you all dashed off with Dell. Didn’t work out. Again. What’s our next move?”

Luz held out a hand for Stringbean. “I think we need to have another talk with Colleen.”

Xxx

Hunter ran one finger along a perfectly-carved wing. The sawdust made his eyes water—the sawdust.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured. The bird didn’t look like Flapjack—he hadn’t needed to worry so much about that. They shared similarities, sure, but he felt each difference in his cramping fingers. Hunter sighed, gently brushing away the last few blue wood scraps that stuck in the curves and corners. Pride welled up in his chest, but he shoved it back down. He had no right to be proud. It didn’t matter how good a job he’d done. It didn’t even matter that he’d saved Dell future harm. This palisman would go to a titan trapper. He might have to fight her one day.

That is if I ever get out of here.

Hunter rested his chin in his hand. “I’m sorry. I wish we could have met under better circumstances. I hope your new witch is peaceful. I hope they’re kind to you. I’d like a better way to protect my friends, but this is… this is all I have. I’m sorry you got caught in the crossfire. I wish we could both be free. And I just wish… I wish that I could find the perfect home for every palisman.”

Hunter’s ears twitched. Did he hear… humming? It started out faint, but slowly, steadily, the air pulsed with the sound. Hunter’s heart thudded in time with the rhythm. What was this? Some new trick of Feron’s? Did he have to add bard magic to the list?

Too late, Hunter realized that the palisman was glowing.

“No. No. No, no, no, no, no.” He clasped his hands over it, as if he could shove the magic back inside. “Go back to sleep. I’m not your witch. I can’t be your witch, you have to go back.”

But the palisman didn’t listen. Shadows of carving tools flickered on the walls, and his treacherous heart sang along with the palisman’s hum. Hunter’s trembling hands loosened, and the palisman floated out of his grip, a slender blue rod stretching out and nudging his now-closed fists.

“I can’t,” Hunter whispered. But he still reached for the staff. It fit comfortably in his hands. “I can’t, I can’t…”

The palisman—not his palisman, it couldn’t be his palisman—changed pitch in her hum. She wanted to fly. She wanted to stretch her wings and take him far away from this place that he hated so much.

“I can’t,” Hunter whispered again, hopelessness turning to despair. He’d been handed a way out—a way over the boiling sea. But he couldn’t take it. He couldn’t. He might not make it back in time to save Dell. “I’m sorry. I want to. But it would be...” he shook his head. “Never mind. You have to go. You have to get out of here.”

He couldn’t give her up now. Before giving a palisman to these people had been theoretical. It had been a lifeless piece of wood, full of potential, but no personality. But now? Now that she was awake, now that she was alive, to give her to someone she would never belong with would be nothing short of torture. For her and for him.

Hunter didn’t realize that he’d been chewing on his nails until he felt a sharp twinge and looked down to see he’d bitten them to stubs, wandering around in circles. “We have to hide you,” he declared. How long he could do that, he had no idea. Feron expected a palisman. He couldn’t just pretend he hadn’t used up the palistrom wood. Could he pretend he’d made a mistake and had to scrap the palisman? Would that get Dell hurt? Would Feron demand the draft anyway, thinking it better than having nothing? Would he even believe the lie in the first place?

The lock in the door clicked, and Hunter shoved the staff under the bed, to the palisman’s irritated chirp. The distance dulled, but didn’t destroy, the buzz that had spread from his chest to his whole body. He shook himself, trying to droop back into a defeated, tired façade. His knee didn’t even hurt anymore—although he knew once the burst of magic from his new palisman had faded, he’d regret pacing around.

Feron picked up a petal of palistrom. “Ah, you’ve seen sense.”

“It’s a long way from finished.” Hunter’s voice came out in a croak. When was the last time he’d drunk any water? He’d been so focused on his carving that he’d forgotten.

“Hm. May I see the progress?”

Hunter’s heart stuck in his throat. There it was—what could he do to keep her secret? He’d thought hiding a forbidden palisman was hard, but hiding one that was SUPPOSED to be here looked like it might be more challenging. At least no one had been actively looking for Flapjack.

“No,” he said simply, while his mind raced for an excuse.

Feron’s brow crinkled ever-so-slightly. “No?”

“No.”

“And why not?”

Keep it simple. Keep it close to the truth. Those are the best lies.

“Because I don’t want you to hurt Dell. And at this stage, I don’t think you’ll much like the progress I’ve made. Past experience has taught me people usually don’t.” That part wasn’t even a little bit of a lie. Having a secret palisman hadn’t been well-received in the past.

“Whatever growing-pains stage the carving is in, you have my word that I won’t harm Dell. You can trust me.”

“No. I can’t. You can tell that I’ve been carving. You trust me.”

Hunter held his breath, watching Feron closely, even as Feron watched him with similarly analytical eyes. Had he gone too far?

Finally, Feron waved a hand. “Fine. But next time—I want to see.”

He shut the door with a quiet snap of locks clicking back into place. Hunter’s legs wobbled, and he collapsed with a whump. How long until next time? Next time he looked at Hunter at all? Next time he wanted a status update? How long could he keep his palisman a secret?

Hunter spun towards the bed, snatching up a hand-saw as he went. A hiss echoed from his throat as he knelt and his knee trembled with pain.

“A fake,” he told the palisman, who hopped out from under the bed to watch him, “I’ll make a fake. That will buy us some more time. Palisman can take time to awaken—hopefully his client will think that’s the problem.”

Hunter crawled on his belly under the bed, dragging himself to the furthest bed leg. Hopefully Feron wouldn’t notice the list of the bed. Hopefully he’d be too focused on the fake palisman. Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully. The word echoed over and over again in Hunter’s head as he sawed through the bed leg.

Hunter picked his chisel back up, forcing himself to take a deep breath. He couldn’t dip in quality just because this was a fake. He couldn’t let Dell pay the price for hastiness.

His palisman hopped up onto the table with a questioning chirp. Why bother making a fake?

“Buying time,” he explained, “He can’t find out about you.”

The palisman chirped again. Why couldn’t they just fly out of here? Why did he have to keep pretending? He hadn’t answered her before, not properly, and she was curious. Why did they have to stay in this stuffy room, listening to someone he clearly hated.

“My friends. They might get hurt.” Hunter told her about Dell. He told her about Colleen, and how close she was. How he’d escape if he could, but he didn’t know what direction they needed to fly, or how long he had before Dell would be killed for his rebellion. He told her about Gus, and Willow, and Luz and Amity and Eda, about how he knew they’d come for him, and he just needed to hold out and keep her a secret until they did.

As he spoke, a seed of hope blossomed in his chest. His friends would come for him. Even if he couldn’t find his own way off this island, even if the only thing he could do right now was survive and keep Dell safe, it wouldn’t be that way forever. No matter how long it took, they wouldn’t forget about him. They wouldn’t stop looking until they found him. And he would keep surviving and keep buying time until they did.