oh thank you! Let Me Tell You About Kept Boy Hunter

so honestly this is an idea i came up with like, before s2 had even finished airing. the main focus of the whole story was actually supposed to be RAINE and Hunter - it's specifically an examination of how much of a bastard i think Raine is capable of being if they're pushed into a corner where the only options are "do something absolutely awful" or "die and let everyone else die too." i wanted to explore the idea of a deeply moral person intentionally doing something they know is wrong because they've decided that NOT doing it would cause even more harm. which is to say: Raine Fucks That Kid.

but i'm getting ahead of myself. the initial concept, which needs re-developing badly in light of the current trajectory of the series, is this: Belos was frustrated by the way his last grimwalker not only betrayed him but subtly worked against him, and decides to take his frustrations out on the new one. he makes Hunter just to be a pet, essentially, and doesn't expect him to last long, but it turns out that teaching a boy that he exists only to be a toy and that's the only value he has results in a boy who is very eager to be a good toy.

from the start, he tells Hunter (and everyone else) that he's a construct. he doesn't let slip that he's a grimwalker specifically, but Hunter grows up knowing that Belos made him. he views himself as an object, a thing that exists for whatever purposes his creator says it does, and everyone else kind of sees him that way as well - essentially as a very clever, witch-shaped abomination. it's just easier to pretend he's not a person.

so this version of Hunter grows up knowing that he exists only to be a toy for the Emperor and viewing that as his purpose. he doesn't go on missions, no. he never leaves the castle and he often doesn't leave the Emperor's rooms - he technically has free run of the place, but he's very agoraphobic, and a lot of the bigger rooms and hallways freak him out.

he's mostly a toy but also kind of in charge of the Emperor's domestic life - in the very narrow sphere of the Emperor's chambers, Hunter is king. he tells the castle staff what to do and coordinates cleaning, meals, etc etc. he also has some limited knowledge of potion-making, at least the parts that don't require natural magic, because he's responsible for seeing to the Emperor's health. he spends a lot of time reading up on curses and healing magic to try to figure out a way to help Belos.

nobody really likes him... he and Kikimora have a huge rivalry, because in most other areas she's Belos's admin person, but that means she has to coordinate with Hunter as concerns the Emperor's personal schedule, and she just hates him so much. he's barely more than a living doll, what right does he have to act as arrogant as he does?? he thinks it's funny to wind her up and make her mad.

he's very lonely and desperate for attention, and most people just act like he doesn't exist, so mostly he only gets attention from Belos or from making staff or coven heads mad at him. everyone else just does their best to ignore him. he spends a lot of his time drifting around dissociating and losing time and he tends to feel like he doesn't exist if he isn't interacting with someone. this boy has problems!

he's a very soft and pampered grimwalker, like physically speaking he's a lot less fit than the version of Hunter who's a soldier... he still does regular workouts to keep himself in shape (and flexible for the Emperor's pleasure) but he's much softer and has basically no combat knowledge or anything. he's very aware that he's just an interactive decorative toy and he's helpless without Belos, that the only thing that keeps him safe or gives him any authority is the fact that he's so favored by the Emperor.

so basically he's just a prisoner in this castle kept here by carefully cultivated helplessness + brainwashed loyalty to his captor and abuser. and everybody else finds it very concerning and distasteful but nobody says anything because, well, who wants to get in the middle of THAT mess?