#belos tries to make luz 'see the light' and tries to mold hunter to be like the original caleb (but 'better').

[roseverdict]

huh. if i had a nickel for every time a fandom hyperfixation had some old creep that has:

delusions of grandeur

an obsession with molding the only other(s) like him into mini-hims (and discarding them if they prove unmoldable)

cloning a guy he is convinced Should™ be on his side (but is not above murdering the OG) for a hobby

murdering the clones he made for a hobby

too much power at his disposal (most definitely acquired through unsavory means)

seriously who put these fruit loops in power over the masses

a portal to another dimension in their secret lab

shapeshifting abilities

canonically gotten smacked flat by something or someone unfathomably dangerous

dark twists to the story revealed regarding or during a time travel episode

Control Issues™

mad science

"Friend(s)" On The Other Side™

a holier-than-thou accent

manipulative tendencies up the wazoo

little to no regard for anyone but himself

a secondary form with inhuman speed, strength, etc

a Distinguished Gray Ponytail

then i would have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice, right?

in conclusion luz should dress up as danny phantom and hunter should be dani for their next hallowe-

[starsfic]

Of Thrones Inherited, Chapter 2: Talk To

Summary: Three plans are made.

-_-

“I can’t believe-”

“I can!”

The Owl House living room was awash with laughter. All of the pillows and blankets had been dragged down to create some kind of nest where Willow and Luz sat. Eda was out of the house with King and Hooty to visit her parents, so the girls were alone in their sleepover.

And it was the most fun Luz could ever imagine.

Even though she’d had several sleepovers since coming to the Boiling Isles, Luz still couldn’t get over it. She had never had been invited to sleepovers back on Earth. Any tries on her part had been ignored. But here… here she had friends. Actual friends.

Which only made it harder to determine which realm she wanted to stay in without speaking to her mother.

“Oh wow,” she said now, leaning back. “I mean, your poor dad but that must’ve been hilarious.” Willow had been recounting her fathers’ latest attempts to help with her plant magic. This time had involved one of them leaning too close to a flower that sprouted hallucination-inducing thorns and the other two had been forced to deal with his drunken shenanigans for the rest of the day.

“I mean, it was in hindsight, but then… wow.” Willow sighed contently, resting her hands in her lap. The two descended into an easy silence, Luz taking the break to take a sip of her tea. With that, Willow said something that made her freeze. “Amity’s supposed to come back next school day.”

Luz froze.

...Amity.

It had been a few weeks since their adventure in the library. Since Amity had kissed her on the cheek. Amity hadn’t returned to school in those weeks, not even after Luz’s first adventure with the Golden Guard.

She was probably avoiding her.

She couldn’t bring herself to be upset. Luz would avoid herself too.

“Oh,” she said awkwardly. “She is?”

Willow sighed and then gripped Luz’s shoulders. “Luz,” she said in that voice she couldn’t help but pay attention to. “You and Amity need to talk.” She opened her mouth. “No buts. I just…” She sighed. “You know Gus and I are getting kinda sick of watching you two but I hate to see you upset.”

“...I know.”

Willow gently cradled her chin, forcing her to meet her eyes. “Promise me you’ll sit down and talk with Amity?”

Luz nodded, unable to do anything else, even if she knew it would just end in heartbreak.

“I promise to talk to Amity.”

-_-

Unknown to many of the residents of the palace, the palace had secret passages.

They were carefully hidden from anyone outside the circle of trust. For these passages were much, much closer to any of the Titan’s organs, excluding the emperor’s throne. So far, the only ones who knew of their existence were Kikimora, the Emperor, and the Golden Guard.

The latter two descended down one of these passages.

Hunter was still gaping at the fact that, apparently, Luz was part of his uncle’s plans. “I thought you didn’t like the human.” he finally said, breaking the silence. He hadn’t been able to say the words when they were in the throne room, certainly not when Belos had beckoned him to follow. “Didn’t she defeat you?”

“And that was the result of my own arrogance.” his uncle said, voice calm and steady. “I looked down at her and saw an ant instead of a lioness. Her coming was the will of the Isles and I fear that, if I may harm her, the Titan will come down on my head.” They reached a door and Belos pushed it open. 

The door led to a simple room. It was dark with the only light coming from a cauldron. Belos and Hunter arranged themselves around it. “I know my health is failing.” his uncle said simply. He moved to shake his head and deny it, but he pressed on. “It is. I believe my curse will overtake me soon enough. But, if I pass before the Day of Unity, it is important to have plans set up in case.”

“But-”

“I have tried my best to mold you. To become the greatest version of yourself, but I know that there is potential there. Potential I have missed.” He swallowed back the lump in his throat and tried to not think about Rascal. “Potential that I will miss flourishing. But… you do not have the will.”

“I…” It was true. Of course, it was if his uncle stated it so calmly.

“But the human has it in spades.” Belos waved his hand over the cauldron and it began to bubble. “Her strength comes from kindness. So willing to sacrifice her own well-being to help others.” An image appeared in the cauldron- one of their run-ins, where Luz had shielded him from a creature’s claws, breaking her arm. Hunter had managed to finish the fight and had gotten her to a nearby Healer’s, where her arm was soon fixed. “But, compassion is her strength. She will pause, hesitate at taking the necessary steps.”

Hunter nodded.

“I trust in you that task, to make sure she has the strength to help lead.” The image disappeared to be replaced by a key. The key to the portal. “She will bring us the key eventually. And, when she does, I will explain her role in our plans. And when I pass…”

Another image.

This one, of them, older and dressed in similar white robes. Sitting on his uncle’s throne, staring down at the utopia Belos wanted so badly to create.

“I trust that our people will be in good hands.”

The image faded and the liquid bubbled.

Something floated up to the surface. The lump returned when Hunter was gestured to pick it up.

It was a mask. It looked to be a combination of his own mask and Lilith Clawthorne’s own. Golden patterns decorated the white mask, golden ribbons streaming from the ends. Hunter stared at it, gulping as he imagined Luz’s brown eyes staring coldly out of the silts.

“Thank you, Uncle.” he finally managed.

He needed to talk to Luz.

-_-

Outside the secret room, Kikimora fumed.

She had peeked inside the throne room when she failed to hear any sounds of punishment. She had been imagining such horrible things happening to the little brat… but there had been nobody there. Until she noticed the secret passage.

And now…

Unbelievable.

Hunter was a clear traitor. Luz Noceda was a clear threat to the system her emperor had worked so hard to create. And now both were being rewarded for it.

Well, she wouldn’t allow that.

Kikimora turned and stalked up the stairs.

She had people to talk to.