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[cardinalrule]

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Name: Pan
Age: 18+
Contact: diremuta@plurk, pan#2663@discord
Character(s) in game: None
Permissions: here

→ CHARACTER INFO

Character Name: Hunter
Age: 16
Canon: The Owl House
Canon point: Post-Eclipse Lake, shortly after Hunter's Palisman Observations occurs. This is a charity stream recording that in-universe happens a few weeks after Eclipse Lake and first aired on March 13th.
History: Wiki page here. Contains spoilers for the latest season, which is currently airing.
Personality:

!!!Spoilers for mentions of things from season 2B below, which is still in the process of airing!!!

CW: Child soldier, cult themes, child abuse (physical and emotional)

"You know, Luz told me about a trip to Latissa where she met someone very interesting. A beat-up blonde with no magical powers. She called him and these are her words: 'A bad but sad boy.'"

Hunter is first introduced as a villain to the protagonists, but in reality he is a complicated, morally grey character. He's the product of the environment he was raised in, and that environment happened to be a totalitarian, militaristic cult that denies freedom and individuality for order and supposed safety. Because of this, Hunter has two sides to him: the side that reflects the qualities found in the Emperor's Coven, and who he truly is as a person. These two sides often come into conflict, generally with the former winning out due to his brainwashing, and the deep familial attachment he has to his abuser.

Loyal (+/-)
Hunter's sense of loyalty runs deep, to the point of obedient self-destruction. This sense of loyalty applies to anyone he recognizes as an authority figure. For Hunter, authority figures are inherently trustworthy and above scrutiny. For him, loyalty is an extension of his respect and in more extreme cases, his love: if you love someone, then you'll go to the ends of the earth for them, no matter how much you get hurt in the process. This is exemplified in his relationship with his uncle, Emperor Belos. Hunter does whatever Belos wants without complaint or question, something that is commented on by the Head of the Abomination Coven. He goes out to kill a peaceful creature, the selkidomus, solely because Belos has tasked him to do it. He hunts and captures palismen for Belos to feed on to stabilize his condition without complaint, and after failing to acquire any, in a desperate bid to make up for this failure, he goes against Belos' orders to stay in the castle to retrieve an ingredient needed for the Emperor's interdimensional portal. His entire world revolves around Belos, and his desire to receive approval, validation, and above all, love from the man.

On a more positive note, this means that he's a very, very loyal friend. While his relationship with Belos is an example of the negative aspects of this quality, Hunter's relationship with Flapjack shows its positives. As Flapjack is a palisman, simply existing within the vicinity of Belos is an incredible danger (Belos enjoys snacking on palisman, it's very messed up). Hunter goes to great lengths to either keep Flapjack away from himself, or to hide him so the Emperor doesn't find out. When in the Emperor's presence Hunter deliberately hides Flapjack in his cloak rather than hand him over, despite knowing that sucking down palisman magic is the one thing that keeps Belos' mysterious, debilitating illness/curse/condition stable. His incredible loyalty and love towards the bird means he's constantly putting himself in potential danger to keep him safe, but in Hunter's mind he's worth it.

Socially Awkward (-)
Having grown up in the incredibly isolated castle of Emperor Belos, Hunter never had a normal childhood. His first true interaction with his peers wasn't until he was sixteen, after he snuck out to find new recruits for the Emperor's Coven in an attempt to please the Abomination Coven Head, Darius. His interactions with other teens include him being baffled that kids don't want to be removed from their friends and family forever to join the part of the regime that actively oppresses people. After making genuine friends, he kidnaps them to force them into the Emperor's Coven, thinking this is perfectly normal and doesn't affect their friendship. He is clueless as to what other teens are interested in (assuming they like authority and rules just like him), and has a tendency to miss social cues. He isn't particularly good at physical affection or compliments, becoming incredibly awkward and confused when he's hugged (for what is likely the first time).

Similarly, his ideas around friendship are completely skewed due to his isolation. The closest he ever had to examples of friendship were by watching the interactions of the other Coven Heads, people who are both adults and very much not friends. Because of this, Hunter has grown up assuming toxic ideas such as lying and backstabbing being perfectly normal parts of friendship. Thankfully, he's capable of learning and growing beyond this social awkwardness, though he has a long way to go.

Curious (+)
Hunter's sense of curiosity is intertwined very closely with his high intelligence. The kid is described as a genius teen prodigy, and for good reason. He's a giant bookworm, enjoying both fiction and nonfiction, and incredibly skilled in combat, both magical and nonmagical. His curiosity to learn is intense, to the point where he's willing to read materials on topics that Belos considers explicitly taboo (namely, wild magic). Even if the subject is something he's supposed to stay away from he can't help himself, and he shows honest enthusiasm at the chance to learn something new, particularly if he thinks it will help Belos in some way (such as reading up on wild magic to help Belos with his debilitating condition). When he isn't sure about something he's happy to hit the books and do some research or to experiment, such as running tests for several weeks on Flapjack in order to better understand the behaviour of the palisman.

This side of him can be obnoxious on occasion, as he has a tendency to interrupt people or explain some factoid related to the situation when no one has asked for it like a little know-it-all. Additionally, since this curiosity often leads to him researching something that would Belos wouldn't want him looking into, he harbours a large amount of guilt (just not enough to stop). On top of all of this he's a quick learner, and very good at applying new knowledge or adapting pre-existing knowledge in a practical way.

Low self worth (-)
Hunter's self-worth is almost entirely dependent on validation and approval from others, rather than his own sense of intrinsic value. He believes that he as a person doesn't matter - not to the Boiling Isles, not to any of the Coven Heads. It's his role as the Golden Guard that is of value, as it's through his role as a tool of Belos', as Belos' caretaker, as the Head of the Emperor's Coven where he can find himself of use to an authority figure. As long as an authority figure deems him useful then he thinks his life has meaning. He deserves to exist. And if he can't be useful? Then his very fragile mental state has the potential to shatter, and he may (and does, during the events of Eclipse Lake) willingly give up on existing.

The one exception in his mind is Belos, sort of. As family he believes Belos loves him, but also because of Belos Hunter fully believes love in general is conditional, transactional, and entirely based on his perceived usefulness.

Caring (+)
Despite it all, Hunter is capable of caring for others very deeply. He's quick to try and bond with other people when he recognizes shared experiences. During the events of Hunting Palismen he and Luz briefly share an interest in wild magic, and while at Eclipse Lake Hunter makes an active effort to empathize with Amity over her desire to be useful to her girlfriend, Luz. Of course, the latter is a bit more unfortunate in that Hunter inadvertently projects his own issues onto her, stating that, "We can't fail, because there's nothing worse than disappointing someone who thinks you're special."

Hunter also harbours an intense amount of empathy towards palismen in particular thanks to his incredibly close bond with Flapjack. The fact that he allowed Luz to get away at the end of Hunting Palismen despite having the capability to go after her, instead choosing to accept Belos' punishment for failing instead, speaks volumes. There are also several scenes in the show where he's shown to be clearly traumatized by the role he played in hunting palismen down for Belos to consume.

Suitability: While Hunter currently isn't on the side of the good guys, he does have a vested interest in the human realm not undergoing an apocalypse. After all, how can the Day of Unity go off without a hitch if the human realm is destroyed? Belos would be extremely disappointed in him if he didn't stay to make sure things remained stable enough for the merging of the two realms to happen. He'll also be intent on returning home, and the ADI with its structure, authority and rules will easily convince him that they're his best bet in accomplishing that.

Powers/Abilities:

Combat: Hunter is skilled in combat without magic, both hand-to-hand and with a weapon. His preferred fighting style is evasive, using his opponent's weight and momentum against them to trip them up and get hits in when he sees an opening. He also prefers fighting with a staff or staff-like object. This is a mundane ability that would not require feeding from an Entity.

All abilities below have some aspect that puts them beyond that of a normal human, and will therefore require feeding an Entity to tap into:

Witch: As a witch, Hunter has slightly different biology than a human. For witches in general, the biggest difference is the presence of a bile sac attached to their heart that contains different spell biles, which allows them to cast magic. This doesn't apply to Hunter - he can't cast magic on his own, so he's either missing a bile sac or his is defective.

Other aspects of witch anatomy apply to him: he has the pointy ears of a witch, he's a bit less fragile than a human (he can still be injured/maimed by conventional weaponry and brawls), and he's able to digest foods that humans cannot (think raw food or things that come from monsters or supernatural/fantasy creatures rather than inorganic things like rocks).

Flapjack: Flapjack is a palisman, the series' equivalent of a witch's familiar. Palismen are carved from the wood of a palistrom tree, and when brought to life are capable of thought and emotion. When not in their wooden totem form they have the same requirements as regular animals, such as needing to eat and sleep. As palistrom trees are magical, palismen contain their own magic, and while attached to their staff individuals (not specifically witches) are able to harness this magic. Uniquely, palismen bond with their owners through the conviction the two have for a shared wish or dream. This bond allows the two to have a mental link so they can understand each other, even though palismen don't speak.

As per game mechanics, Hunter is the only one who will be able to cast magic using Flapjack. Hunter and Flapjack will share a fear reservoir, so in order for that magic to be used one or both of them will need to induce fear in people.

Flapjack has several abilities that will require feeding an Entity to use:

Telepathic bond: As the two have bonded, Hunter can understand Flapjack's chirps and birdsong.
Shapeshifting: Flapjack normally appears as a normal red cardinal. However, he is able to shift into a wooden totem, and generate his own wooden staff that he attaches to via an interlock on the bottom of one foot.
Magic: Hunter is able to cast magic using Flapjack when Flapjack is in his staff form. Spells that Hunter knows how to cast include:


• Teleportation: Short range, which is limited to within one's immediate vicinity, and long range, which looks like it covers dozens of kilometers. Per game mechanics, long range teleportation will be nerfed, and Flapjack will only be able to provide short range.
• Elemental manipulation: For example, forming earth into a giant fist, minor earthquakes, manipulating boiling water so he can travel through it safely.
• Magical bolts of energy
• Conjuring/creation: Creation of objects (e.g. rope). Happy to nerf this because it's OP.
• Blocking other spells using the staff.
• Telekinesis
• Flight: In his staff form, Hunter can use Flapjack to fly in a manner similar to a stereotypical witch's broom.
• Magical girl-esque clothing transformations: It's self-explanatory.

Entity Affinity: The Stranger. Hunter hinges his entire identity on his role as the Golden Guard, rather than himself as a person. His deepest fear is being seen as useless (particularly by Belos), and getting replaced by someone more capable, which is something Belos preys on regularly. In the Boiling Isles, skill, power and capability are measured by one's ability in using magic, which makes Hunter, as a magicless witch, even more scared and more desperate to prove himself useful. Enhancing this fear is the fact that he isn't even the first Golden Guard - he had predecessors, including at least one who was respected by the other Coven Heads and considered to be a powerful witch, the opposite of himself.

!!!!Spoilers for season 2B!!!!
There is also the fact that he happens to be a Grimwalker, a magical clone made of monster and human parts, and not a witch at all. He's the latest in a long line of them, with the original implied to be Belos' brother who died hundreds of years ago. As of his canon point he isn't aware of this so it would only come up via canon update mechanics or castmates, but it's something that factored into my decision.

Inventory:
• His Golden Guard uniform, including the mask
• His palisman, a red cardinal named Flapjack

Samples: TDM starters and thread