#but he's like I dunno Gil's...Gil

[softquietsteadylove]

I have this idea for the Parent/Teacher AU!

So Thena and Gilgamesh have been together for quite some while now and spent a lot of time at each others places with Druig. Gilgamesh takes care of Druig like a dad! So one day Druig calls him „mister dad“ on accident and you can decide how they react! Just a sweet, soft moment!

(*whispering* happy belated, Butterfly 🦋❤️)

"Okay, buddy, ready to go?" Gil asked as he packed up his bag, ready to leave with Druig in tow. Thena was getting off work a little early, but she had told Gil that if she wasn't there by pick up time, to simply come meet her at her ongoing shoot.

"Almost!"

Gil shook his head with a grin, fixing the strap of his satchel on his shoulder. He walked over to the reading corner, where Druig was procrastinating (like always). "Don't you wanna go see Mum, pal? We can pick her up from work, and then I'm making spaghetti for dinner."

Druig sighed, closing his book and getting up from his position of lying on the floor. "Okay, Mister Dad."

Gil looked at Druig, who stared right back at him. Gil made sure to keep his face neutral, though. He wanted to see what big feelings Druig might be having over what had just happened, and the last thing he wanted to do was make the kid feel like he'd done something wrong.

Druig hugged the book to his little body, doing his little stomping dance of anxiety. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Gil was quick to reassure the boy, dropping his bag and kneeling before him. "I'm not mad, Druig."

He looked at Gil, though, as if trying to see if it was a lie and by how much.

"Here," Gil sighed, sitting down completely and settling in for a good talk. "Can we talk about it?"

Druig, recognising the body language of when a calm, safe discussion was about to be had, automatically followed his lead.

"Now," Gil patted his knees, looking at the boy in front of him.

He and Thena had been together a few months already, and were playing things by ear on how to proceed with Druig. They had explained that they were 'special' friends, and that they would be spending some time together. Thena kept a close eye on how Druig was feeling at all times, but he had shown no resistance to any changes in their relationship from his perspective.

Gil was still his teacher, but also spent a lot of time at their house, just not specifically to play with Druig (to his occasional annoyance).

Gil didn't want any pressure to be put on Thena or Druig, though. Kro was technically still Druig's father, no matter how seldom he was in the picture. And Gil was happy with however they chose to include him things as they desired.

"It was an accident," Druig mumbled out, still looking embarrassed as he crossed his legs, poking the part of his sneakers that could light up in the dark. He was getting a little better with his 'a's and 'an's.

"I know, and that's okay," Gil nodded, watching the kid closely. "How did you feel when you said it?"

Druig squirmed a little.

"It's okay to feel embarrassed," Gil said gently, to which Druig nodded. Gil leaned his elbows on his knees, "can you name another feeling?--or something you thought?"

Druig exhaled, unfolding a little bit. Gil couldn't help but smile; he really was the spitting image of Thena, if not in looks then behaviour. "Will Mum be mad?"

Gil gave Druig a smile, "you can ask her. But I don't think she'll be mad. Are you worried she will be?"

Druig looks down at his feet again. "Dad'll be."

That made sense. Not that Druig was worried about what his father would think, but that he was anxious about the temper his father had. Thena had done her best to keep him protected from it, but clearly Druig wasn't ignorant to it.

Gil sighed. This was a delicate situation, and certainly there were going to have to be some discussions about it. But he always felt strongly that he didn't believe in lying to the kids unless it was for a greater good. "How about this?"

Druig perked up.

"We'll tell you mom, and we can talk about how we all feel about it," Gil suggested gently, to which Druig still seemed resistant, "but you don't have to tell your Dad if you don't want to. If we have to tell him, then you can let Mum and me worry about it, okay?"

Druig pursed his lips (also a Thena habit). "What if he yells at 'er?"

Gil drew in a breath, still trying to keep his face neutral. "I promise I won't let him, okay? We can talk about it nicely, like grownups."

"Okay."

Gil tilted his head at Druig's resignation. He didn't seem to feel any better about the situation. "Is there anything else you wanna talk about?"

Druig eyed Gil, coming off as much older than his mere six years. He picked at his shoelaces. "Would it hurt Dad's feelin's?--if I called you Mister Dad?"

Such a sensitive kid. Gil considered what to tell the little old soul. He was glad that he had reservations about hurting others' feelings, even if it was for a father who didn't necessarily deserve his consideration. "Well, I don't know, Druig. It's nice that you don't want to hurt his feelings, though."

Having it phrased back to him actually seemed to make him less inclined to be. He frowned, desperately trying to sort out his young feelings and put them into words. "Is...you're not mad?"

"I'm not mad," Gil smiled.

"Not at me?"

"I'm not mad at you."

"Or Mum?"

"I'm not mad at Mum."

Druig accepted the truths given, filing away the new information.

"Druig," Gil scooted a little closer.

He could have guessed this might arise. He and Thena had no way of spending their time together completely away from Druig's attention. Neither of them had any intention of lying to him, and it wasn't as if Gil was a stranger to Druig before their relationship began, anyway.

He was quickly becoming one of the most prominent presences in Druig's life, alongside Phastos and Ben. Ajak and Thena were already like a co-parenting dream team with how sewn together their kids were.

Kro was probably - understandably - far from Druig's mind when he thought about his family and who comprised it.

"When we're in school, everyone calls me Mister Gil, because those are the rules, right?" Gil proposed, to which Druig nodded. "You call Uncle Phastos Mister Stoss, don't you?"

He nodded again.

"But, when we're at home, or out spending time together," Gil offered a gentle smile, something in his chest aching, "it's okay with me if you want to call me Mister Dad."

Druig, no matter how much he had learned to be hard to read from his mother, was still a 6 year old. And the smile that came over him lit the whole classroom.

Gil felt his chest tighten. Past his degree in child psychology, and his teaching certifications, and his experience as an educator--even past his fondness for Druig as his student, he loved this kid. His attempts to intellectualise his way around the feeling always ended up with him just adoring the sweet little boy who seemed so much like his mother.

Gil blinked as Druig ran over to him, receiving the boy in a hug that was almost alarmingly out of character for him. Druig wasn't affectionate by nature, and only Thena and Makkari were ever on the receiving end of hugs from him.

But Gil ruffled Druig's hair, letting him bury his face in the arm of his sweater.

"Everything okay?"

Gil smiled as Thena knelt down next to them. Druig didn't even look up, immediately moving from Gil's embrace to his mother's. She curled around her son instinctively, cradling him against her and kissing his hair. Gil met her eyes, "we're okay. Talking about some big feelings."

Thena nodded; that meant that they would have plenty more to talk about later. She ruffled Druig's hair, "are you ready to go home, Darling?"

He nodded, rubbing his teary eyes and runny nose all over her nice blouse.

"Okay," she just smiled, letting him make as much of a mess of her as he wanted. She stood, holding Druig to her as Gil picked up his bag and collected Druig's backpack and jacket. "Mister Gil is going to make spaghetti, Darling. Does that sound good?"

"Yes."

At least it was something, and even just the one word was enough to comfort Thena. She looked up at Gil, who leaned in to kiss her cheek. "How was your day?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle," he assured her, his free hand naturally finding the small of her back as they made their way out of the building to his car.

"Mum?"

"Yes, Darling?" Thena looked at Druig, brushing away some tears from his eyes.

"Can Mister Dad read me a story tonight?"

Thena looked up at Gil with wide eyes, but he just nodded. This was what they were going to have to talk about more later. Later, because this was not the time nor the environment in which to try it. She ran her fingers through Druig's hair, "if you like, Darling, of course he can."

"M'kay."

Gil gave Thena a smile and a shrug. He really was fine with it, maybe even further endeared to them. Thena blushed faintly; not only did they have to talk about this as Druig's mother and teacher, but also what it meant in the context of their relationship.

"Mum?"

"Yes, Darling?"

"Is Mister Dad gonna sleepover again?"

Thena's blush doubled, although she buried it against the top of Druig's head. "Let's just get through dinner first, okay, Love?"

[cocotome]

Happy 3rd Anniversary to Cupid Parasite~

[brineffxiv]

...Have also been taking Aesthetic pictures of this boy I made specifically to play with illegal magics on.

[chryzure-archive]

i also don’t know why it would occur in any regard, given that chrysi’s pretty ride-or-die with her boyfriends, but au where she and gil are separated and wren goes between both their houses.. i think he’d call jacks his evil stepmom while at gil’s place, and when gil’s like, “oh, i don’t like jacks either. i don’t know why chrysi’s dating him.” wren will look at him very seriously and says, “i like jacks. he’s my evil stepmom, but he’s very, very bad at it. he tried to drop me off in the middle of the woods, but he ended up getting lost, so i had to lead him out.” gil is in shock.

[clavissionary-position]

The Secret Language of Tigers

A Mini-Analysis of how Chev and Gilbert Speak

I love how both Chev and Gil do the whole *speaking in vague terms* followed by a question like "you understand my meaning, don't you?" or a meaningful smile + "..............ね?"

Like, they both do it for different reasons. Chevalier uses double-speak and almost always has layers of meaning behind the things he says. Even though it would be so much easier if he'd just give critical information in a clear manner instead of being vague because the plot requires it :') Well that's not entirely true. It works for his tsundere character in a symbolic sense, and also functions as a way to test Emma. And he tests Emma a lot. Tests her and trains her, to be critical. In that sense, Chevalier is like the polar opposite of patronizing, often while using an ostensibly condescending comment as a vehicle for his hidden truths. Maybe I'm only impressed by this because I have only one brain cell, but whatevs. But sometimes I feel a vulnerability behind Chev's tests, as if yet another layer of truth underneath his double-speak is the unspoken question "can i trust you?", not just as a pawn or as Belle, but as one human to another? Something like that? I dunno. It's almost 3am and I'm speakin out me ass.

Gilbert likes to let others make (often incorrect) assumptions and come to their own conclusions by creating this illusion of veiled threats and malice. I'd liken Gilbert's little parlor trick as the narrative device horror writers use by never showing the monster on screen, because what the audience can imagine on their own is far more frightening. I think someone else made this point before, so credit to that person! But my beautiful magus strikes again 😌 Not that I'm saying he's incapable of making good on these perceived threats (we sure as hell know that's not true), but it's just such a clever way that he works smarter, not harder, as per the Official Gilbert Creed. Having a magician character be an illusionist on so many different levels is a feast for my lonely single brain cell. I'm sure there are other depths to explore with why Gilbert speaks as he does, but I'm still procrastinating on finishing his route (again, not out of lack of interest), so I'll tackle that prime cut later.

You are now leaving the unfiltered simp zone.

Other Ikepri suitors do this kind of (here's what i'm saying) (but here's what i'm meaning) thing too, of course, all for colorful reasons specific to them.

[descendantofthesparrow]

POYW Rewrite V2 - Harry Hook x reader - P2

=

Harry leaned back as Gil, Carlos, and Jay all jumped and wrestled for the candy that was decorated before them-shaking his head as Gil offered him a brown-covered ball of…something. Gil shrugged and popped the ball into his mouth, humming happily at the taste. Harry instead grabbed a sugar-covered rainbow tape from behind him, taking a bite he shivered-it was sour-and then very sweet. Like that bag of sour candy he ate too quickly which caused him to lose all feeling in his tongue for a week.

Harry looked back out the window-watching as the isle flew by, his eyes drifting over to the alleyway that led to the wharf tunnel. He was happy to leave-he supposed, leaving all the pain and strife of the isle, leaving his father behind and all his…clients(gods he hoped his dad wouldn’t turn to his sisters)- but, the isle had been his home for the last 16 years, it was so strange to be leaving.

He turned as Carlos hummed happily at something he ate, his eyes almost sparkling. “-It's salty like nuts but sweet like I dunno what?” Carlos tried to explain, chowing down on the fat brown-covered disc. Harry laughed as Jay wanted to try the new candy but Carlos just showed off the already chewed candy instead of giving Jay the half-eaten disc.

“Ew-“ Jay gagged, stealing the disc and popping it in his mouth, his brows raising as he realized it was damn good candy. Evie turned in her seat while Mal messed around with a remote-Evie alerting the others as the limo drove closer to the edge of the bridge. “look!” Evie screeched, grabbing onto Mal as Carlos screamed that it was a trap.

So this was their plan? Lure them into a false sense of security and then just drown them? Harry had to hand it to Auradon-that was an evil plan.

Jay quickly wrapped his arms around everyone, fingers barely reaching out to Harry’s jacket as everyone screamed and curled in on each other-Gil latching onto Carlos and Harry like there was no tomorrow.

They waited for the feeling of falling-only for it to never come. Instead, the ride smoothed out, no longer hitting potholes and garbage. Harry was the first to open his eyes-sitting up slowly as the driver looked back at them from his rearview mirror. “Oi-“ Harry snapped softly, smacking Gil’s shoulder to make him let go. “We didn’ fall-we’re….we’re outside the barrier.”

With that-everyone sat up, all peering out the window to watch as the limo drove away from the isle and towards Auradon-eyes wide as a magic golden brick road built beneath the car. “What just happened?” Carlos asked, almost climbing over Gil and Harry to get a better look while Evie grinned, her eyes alight with something new. “It must be magic~!” she gasped, holding Mal’s hand as the fae held her head for a moment, her eyes sparking between neon green and emerald.

Harry looked back at the isle, watching as it grew smaller as the limo drove away-Mal turned to the driver, tapping the remote on the seat to get his attention. “Hey!” He turned back, his expression blank behind his sunglasses “Did this little button thing just open the magic barrier?” Mal asked, and the driver shook his head, holding up a golden remote with one button on it.

Harry eyed it, a smirk coming to his lips as he realized just how trusting Auradon dupes were. This dude really just showed off the barrier button with such ease? This was going to be easy.

“No-this one opens the barrier, that one opens my garage. And this button.” He pressed a button on the ceiling of his end of the limo-the divider coming up and blocking the vks from him. Mal grinned, turning to her friends. “Okay~” Mal laughed, tapping the remote on her palm as she got comfortable in her seat. “Nasty~ I like that guy.”

-

“They’re almost here~” Ben sang as he paced the front yard of the Auradon dorm building, you and Audrey watching him as he practically danced in excitement. Audrey schooled her expression into one of calm excitement-though she hadn’t hidden her…distaste-for Ben’s whole idea in the weeks that past after Ben’s told her about it.

She was adamant that once a villain-always a villain. And she wasn’t happy about Maleficent’s daughter being in Auradon either(neither was the rest of her family.); which you didn’t blame her-but it was sorta rude to carry blame from the mother to the daughter-who hadn’t even done anything to Audrey…yet.

“Beasty boy, calm down,” You laughed, reaching out to grab his suit collar. “People will think you’re going nuts-and that ain’t a good thing.” Ben just stuck his tongue out at you, bouncing on his heels as he took his place beside Audrey, FG and the welcoming band walking out from the dorm building to get in their places as the limo got closer.

“Jim said he’s almost here, about two miles out.” FG said with a happy chirp to her voice, clapping her hands as she stepped between Ben and Audrey. You snorted at Audrey’s pout; no doubt upset about being separated from her ‘Benny boo’.

Fellow students of Auradon prep began to crowd the court yard-all eggar to meet the new students, the vks. You were particularly excited to see a particular vk, you wondered what he looked like during the D1 era? Your question would soon be answered as the band began to play loudly and proudly- FG putting on her best smile as Ben’s back straightened, beaming as the limo drove into the courtyard and came to a stop in front of the garden pathway-the school building clear on the other side of the limo.

You could barely hear some roughhousing over the loud music, watching as the driver opened the door and two boys spilled out-the music stopping dramatically as Harry Hook himself and Gil followed Jay and Carlos out of the limo, Harry brushing off his jacket as he and Gil stepped to the side-away from the two wrestling boys-who seemed to be fighting over a blue blanket.

“You got everything else! Why do you want whatever this is?!” Carlos cried-chocolate all over his mouth-desperate to keep the blanket.

“Because you want it! Give it to me!” Jay huffed, a grin on his face as he tried to take the blanket away from Carlos-simply because Carlos had grabbed it first and now Jay wanted it.

“No!” Carlos screeched, making Doug flinch a little, and step back as Harry caught his eye and grinned sharply-hook shining in his left hand.

Mal and Evie stepped out last-Evie doing a little spin with a look of awe on her face as Mal straightened herself up, rolling her eyes at the two boys as they continued to fight over the blanket. FG parted the band as she walked forward, her smile now a bit forced as you held back your laughter.

“Guys, guys!” Mal hissed, stepping in front of Jay and Carlos to hide them from FG’s sight. “We have an audience~” Mal sang quietly, getting them to stop fighting and Jay gave his best charming smile. “Just-cleaning up~” he laughed, pulling Carlos off and glaring as Carlos pried the blanket free from Jay’s grip.

Your eyes were on Harry, watching him as he rolled his eyes at the two boys, looking around and squinting as the sun blinded him-pushing Gil’s head down as Gil tried to follow Harry’s line of sight. They both looked very different from their D2 selves. Harry’s hair was a bit longer and shaggier, he had his D2 jacket on but along with that-was a faded red vest, a worn-down button-up shirt, black jeans, and some worn boots with his usual belts and red scarf hanging from his waist.

He looked good, younger, but good.

He still had a shit ton of eyeliner on as well, but you didn’t expect that to be a change.

Gil looked mostly the same, he still had that leather cap on his head-tying his hair back-a tan/brownish shirt, a thigh bag, faded dark jeans, and boots. Like Harry-he looked good, just younger.

FG’s voice brought you back to reality and you tore your eyes away from Harry, just as his eyes found you. He tilted his head, smirking a bit as he got a good look at you. “She’s cute,” Harry whispered to Gil, nodding at you. Gil looked over and nodded, shrugging a bit, admiring the dark hoodie you wore that was decorated with skulls and fire.

Harry liked your expression, amusement, at them or something else, he didn’t know-but he liked your grin. Your eyes were very pretty too, he blinked as Jay and Carlos tossed their stolen items back into the car, the driver slamming the door shut afterward and driving off.

Harry watched as the car drove off, and he realized their bags were still in the trunk-but it was Auradon so he guessed they were going to be put in their rooms or something. Harry sighed, turning back as Jay flirted with the brown-haired girl dressed in pink and blues(two guesses who this was), the girl looked uncomfortable as the pretty girl next to her, you, narrowed her eyes at Jay.

FG interrupted Jay with a bright smile, one that made Harry feel queasy. How in the hell was he going to survive with all this smiling? “welcome to Auradon prep~” she chirped, clapping her hands together as Jay stepped back next to Mal. “im fairy godmother, headmistress~” FG bowed and Mal’s eyes sparkled, and Harry had to hold his laughter back as Mal started to ramble about FG and her wand.

“The Fairy godmother? As in, Bibbidy-Bobbity-Boo?” Mal made a swishing motion with her hand, FG beaming and nodding. “Bibbidy-Bobbity-you know it.” She sang, her cheerfulness made Harry want to squint-something you noticed and laughed at, smirking as Harry caught your eye. He smirked back.

Mal continued on in her wand ramble, and Harry caught the roll of your eyes as you crossed your arms, watching Mal with a barely suppressed wince as she talked about ‘that sparkly wand’. “-and that sparkly wand~” Mal sang, as if her continuing to talk about the wand would magically make FG summon the wand for Mal to take.

“Careful girly,” you said, chuckling as Mal’s eyes snapped towards you. You leaned back on your heel, tipping your chin at the purple-haired fae. “Keep talkin’ about the wand like that, and people might think you’re…” you paused, a knowing smirk on your lips “up to something.”

Harry couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him, yours and Mal’s eyes snapping to him-one in anger, and the other with amusement. “well,” the boy in the suit that stood on the other side of FG started, a joking smile on his lips-leaning over to look at you. “if they really wanted the wand-they’d just have to ask you~!” The vks blinked-wondering what the boy meant when he continued on, chuckling as he spoke. “you’ve probably stolen the wand like-thirty times!”

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head at Ben’s exaggeration of your thievery. “Three times beasty, three! And I wouldn’t have stolen it if you just improved your security!” Harry stared you down, a plan growing in his mind.

You had stolen the wand before eh? Three times? If you had done it three times-and clearly could do it more-that meant the wand was easier to get than he thought.

This would be a walk in the park.

“You’ve-you’ve stolen the wand?” Mal asked, almost stuttering as you snorted and shrugged, rolling your eyes as you spoke. “What? like it’s hard? There’s one guard and a flimsy force field-its stupid easy to get it-“ you gestured to FG and Ben, the former of which was staring off with a strained smile. “-they trust too much.”

“You-“ Harry said, pointing at you with his hook, his usual grin on his lips as you smirked back. “I like you.” You gave him a once over, winked, and nodded back at him “Not too bad yourself pirate~”

The girl next to you gasped and pinched your arm, pouting as you yelped and pulled away from her. “(y/n)!” so your name was (y/n) eh? it was…nice. The girl seethed as she hissed out your name, glaring as you huffed and nodded at Harry. “What? All the dudes here are boring, or are Chad-let me have this!” you muttered and Harry snorted. He didn’t know who Chad was, but he must’ve set the bar so low this girl was already chasing his tail.

Then again, he was Harry Hook-the finest pirate on the isle.

FG clapped her hands, regaining the attention she had lost. “Well, let's get back on track, shall we? This is Ben-“ she gestured to the boy dressed in navy, and Harry recognized him from those stupid bore-adon newscasts he saw on the chip shop's fuzzy tv. “Prince! Benjamin,” the girl in pink and blue interrupted, grinning at Ben as he sheepishly smiled, shrugging a bit. Clearly, he wanted to just stay Ben for a bit longer, but pinkie wanted his status to be clear. “Soon to be king~” Pinkie sighed dramatically, and that got Evie’s attention, going into flirt mode as she curtsied to Ben.

“You had me at prince~” Evie sighed and Harry shared a look of ‘oh my fucking gods let this end already’ with you, and you mimed hanging yourself, something that made Harry laugh, his nose scrunching slightly as Gil glanced between the two of you and Evie-watching the event unfold as Audrey ‘politely’ reminded Evie that she nor her mother held any royal status here.

You quickly interrupted, a shit-eating grin on your lips as the girl pouted at your intrusion. “Actually Audrey,” So that was pinkies name then. “Queen Grimhilde never gave up or was exempt from the throne, and Snow White never claimed it-so Evie here is a full-fledged princess who is in direct line for that kingdom's throne~!”

Evie and Audrey, along with the rest of the vks, stared at you in shock, not expecting you to stand up for Evie that way. “What?” you cooed, crossing your arms again and laughing “Just stating facts? Not my fault you didn’t know.” You stuck your tongue out at Audrey as she continued to pout at you.

“And that’s Audrey,” Ben chuckled, introducing her formally. Audrey quickly jumped back into her preppy/nice girl attitude, reaching out to grab Ben’s hand. “Princess! Audrey, his girlfriend~” Audrey sighed, as if the mere mention of being his girlfriend was a dream come true. “Right benny boo~?”

Harry fake gagged, sharing a smile with you as you fake snapped your neck-laughing as you then mimed something coming out your throat-most likely puke. He liked you; you were funny.

“Ben, Audrey, and (y/n)-” FG nodded over to you, and you waved, Gil waving back. “Are going to show you all around, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” The vks nodded, but they all knew they wouldn’t-as they were going to nab that wand by tonight and the isle would be free by tomorrow morning.

FG took Audrey and Ben’s intertwined hands and pushed them apart like they were a pair of doors, the two looking surprised at the action before settling back into their smiles. “The doors of wisdom are never shut! But the library hours are from eight to eleven and as you may have heard, I have a little thing about curfews~” Mal and the others nodded with strained smiles, FG smiling back before she walked off-the band in tow as Ben.

“Thank god that’s over-“ (y/n) muttered, reaching over and pushing Ben forward “Go on-do your lil speech, I need lunch.” Ben snorted, rolling his eyes fondly as he clapped his hands, facing the vks as they stared back at him-Harry and Gil separated from the other four vks.

Ben beamed, walking up to Jay with his hand out. “it is so, so, so good-to finally meet-“ Jay greeted Ben with a fist to Ben’s chest-not hard-just taking Ben by surprise. “-you all…” Ben quickly brushed it off, continuing down the line- shaking the rest of the vks hands, lingering on Mal for a moment. “This day is a momentous occasion! And one I hope will go down in history, as the day our two peoples began to heal.” Ben said dramatically, it sounded like he had rehearsed this speech multiple times just that day.

Ben shared a strong handshake with Gil, who didn’t seem to realize who Ben was yet, simply smiling as he took Ben’s hand. Ben beamed back.

“or the day you showed six peoples where the bathrooms are~” Mal sang, just as dramatically, swinging her leg in a small bathroom dance. She really did have to go-it was a long trip-nearly two hours long. Ben laughed going back over to Mal-Audrey’s hand sliding into his arm and keeping a tight grip. “a little over the top?” Ben asked, a warm smile on his face as Mal nodded, her nose scrunching as she agreed.

“A little more than a little bit” Mal chuckled, locking eyes with Ben and smiling. Harry shared a look with Gil-and for someone who couldn’t always catch sarcasm or read body language very well-even he could easily see what was going on between Mal and the prince.

Audrey jumped into a whole spiel about Mal and her mom, something Harry ignored-not caring about the new rivalry taking place-he had already been between Mal and Uma for the last seven years, he didn’t want to be involved in this one-even if it could be entertaining.

He watched amused as you mimicked shooting yourself as Audrey and Mal went on being petty as shit and fake laughing. You took out a small rectangular device, harry admiring the wooden case with a pirate ship on the back, whistling to gain Ben’s attention. “lunch is in like-ten minutes- can we hurry this up? I didn’t eat breakfast!” you yelled, and Gil pointed at you, looking very eager for lunch.

Ben just laughed, nodding. “Of course of course, you six must be hungry as well-let’s start with the tour then, shall we?” he gestured to the building behind them-the large stone castle decorated in blue and gold. “Auradon prep, originally built over three hundred years ago-and converted by my father-when he became king!”

Mal took the lead following Ben and Audrey, giving Evie a wide-eyed look as the vks followed Ben into the front yard gardens. “behind us there,” Ben quickly pointed behind the vks, and they looked to the large white concrete buildings with many windows. “is Auradon prep itself, this before us-is the dorm building, where you will all be staying during the school year.” Ben explained, walking up to a statue of his father and clapping his hands twice.

Gil and Carlos screamed as the statute turned into a giant metal beast, Carlos leaping into Jay’s arms as Gil clung to Harry, shaking as he hid his face in Harry’s shoulder. “it’s fake Gil, just metal-it can’t hurt ye” Harry whispered, patting Gil’s arm that ran across his stomach-feeling the air escape him as Gil squeezed him tightly. “Gilly-I can’t breathe-it’s not real, I swear.”

Ben looked heartbroken at the sight of Gil, being so afraid of the beast his father once was. He would have to make sure that fear no longer existed, in both Carlos and Gil. Ben spoke to Carlos, not wanting to bring attention to Gil who was slowly realizing the beast before him was fake-and not the monster that would kill him like his father said it would. “Carlos, it’s okay.” Ben said with a comforting smile, watching as Jay put Carlos back on his feet-looking annoyed yet concerned for the younger vk. “my father wanted his statue to convert from beast to man, to remind us that anything is possible.”

Mal hummed, wanting the ease the tension that had erupted thanks to Gil and Carlos. “Does he shed much?” she joked, not expecting Ben’s response. “Yeah, mom won’t let him on the couch,” Ben said with a sly grin, chuckling as she stared at him in thinly veiled amusement.

Ben caught your eyes, where you were just staring at him with the clear thought of ‘food’ in your eyes, Ben rolled his eyes fondly and continued on with the tour. “so this is the dorm building, as I said-where you will be staying, there's a cafeteria in the west wing that’s open from seven to midnight-though lunch during the school day is held at the school-otherwise all your meals will be here. there's also a library, a pool, a lounge, a study hall, a student kitchen, and a medical room for any emergencies.” Ben explained, entering the entrance hall of the building.

Jay attempted to steal a vase-admiring the pastel colors and gold painting on it-Carlos slapped his arm and shook his head. Jay just grinned, looking around as Ben and Audrey came to a stop at the end of the room-while you found your way up the staircase on the right.

Harry looked up at you, tilting his head slightly as you picked at your nails, no longer listening as Mal once again asked about magic and wands. “Yeah it exists of course,” Ben answered, Audrey still clinging to his arm as Harry stared up at you, smirking as you rose your brow at him after catching his stare. “but it’s pretty much retired. Most of us here are just, ordinary mortals.” Ben laughed, his smile growing as Mal joked around a little bit-something Audrey was not happy with.

Well, if Harry was dating someone-and saw them basically flirting with someone else right in front of them-he wouldn’t be happy either. So he couldn’t exactly blame Audrey for being possessive-Mal was as much of a thief as he and Jay were.

“who-happen to be kings and queens,” Mal said with a roll of her eyes, her smile dropping as Audrey interrupted her, looking all too happy to wrap Ben’s arm around her to claim him. “That’s true! Our royal blood goes back hundreds of years~” Harry shared a look with you, and you once again mimicked dying, making Harry laugh again.

Gil glanced between the two of you, hiding his smile as Harry went back to enjoying the stupidity of the new rivalry between Audrey and Mal. Ben looked all too happy to see one of those band kids making his way down the stairs, holding a clipboard and muttering to himself. Ben called out his name and quickly made his way to meet the band kid. “Doug! Come down!” Doug, a string bean of a kid with glasses-quickly jogged down the stairs to meet Ben, who tossed his arm over Doug’s shoulder and introduced him to the vks.

“This is Doug. He’s going to help you with your class schedules, and show you the rest of the dorms!” Ben gave a smile to Doug, who smiled back-happy to help his friend. Ben walked back over the vks, mostly looking at Mal-something Evie smiled at. “I’ll see you later, okay?” it was almost as if he was speaking directly to Mal, but his words were directed to all the vks. Mal nodded, and Ben stepped back, Audrey automatically clinging to his arm again. “and If there is anything you need, feel free to-“

Audrey quickly interrupted him, not wanting to lose her boyfriend to the vks. “Ask Doug or (y/n)~” Audrey sang, sharing another fake laugh with Mal that drew out into a sigh-Mal halfway glaring at the pastel-covered princess as she made Ben move along. He paused, looking back at Harry and Gil. “Harry, Gil?” they perked up, wondering what the prince wanted. “(y/n) will be your guide around the school, so if you need anything-just go to her!” With that, Ben was pulled away by Audrey-who didn’t want to be around the vks for a second longer.

The vks turned to Doug as he waved to get their attention, looking only the slightest bit nervous as the villain kids stared him down. “Hi, guys, I’m Dopey’s son? As in Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Happy-“ Doug went off to name almost all his uncles, the vks simply ignoring him and looking around the room-Jay finding what was worth stealing as Mal looked for ways they could sneak out later to get the wand. Doug caught Evie’s eye and he flushed, stuttering as she smirked at him-putting on her charm while Jay and Carlos rolled their eyes knowingly.

“heigh-ho,” Doug muttered, cheeks pink as Evie sauntered up to him, curling a lock of hair around her finger. “Evie,” she purred, giving the lanky boy a once over "Evil queen’s daughter~" Doug continued to stare, only snapping out of it when he realized he was staring.

“okay-so, about your classes. I put in the requirements already,” Mal perked up and went to look over Doug’s shoulder, looking at the classes she and the others would be attending. There were six sheets of paper-their names at the top of each sheet-Mal’s was in the front giving her full view of her schedule.

She had the classes Doug was mentioning currently, along with math, English, life without magic, and science. No matter, it’s not like she would need the schedule anyway-they were getting the wand tonight.

“and-remedial goodness 101!” Doug finished with a smile and Mal smirked, taking candy from her pocket and popping it into her mouth. “Lemme guess, new class?” Mal guessed, and Doug nodded-looking sympathetic, and Mal saw that the class was taught by FG-so that was just-so much fun~

“Come on guys, let’s go find our dorms,” Mal said, gaining the attention of her crew, while Harry and Gil turned to look at you as you started to make your way up the stairs-Mal and the others going up the other stairwell. You let out a sharp whistle, gaining their attention while Doug stared at Evie. “Your dorms are this way guys,” you said with a smirk, pointing behind you. Mal pressed her lips together, quickly descending the stairs and following you to the dorms; the rest of the vks close behind.

-

Harry pushed open the door to his and Gil’s room, his brows raising as he stepped inside. It was huge-almost as big as the captain's quarters on his dads ship. “wow,” Gil muttered, speeding into the room and touching everything he could see “holy shit Harry! This place is huge!” Gil looked out the window as Harry trailed his fingers against the Auradon kingdom map on the wall, nodding as Gil continued to explore.

“Aye, and very…green,” Harry muttered, everything was either blue, green, gold, or brown. With books, athletic gear, and other nick-nacks decorating the room. their bags sat on the two beds in the room-both sitting by the windows. Harry jumped as Gil turned on a large flat screen tv-clicking through every channel available. He found one with cartoons-something about a red-haired spy and her dorky partner who had a naked rat-and sat down on his bed, staring at the TV with wide eyes.

"Harry-“ Gil said, jumping off the bed almost as soon as he sat down, turning to press his hands into the mattress. “Harry, this bed is so fucking soft-Harry come here-“ Harry grumbled, letting Gil tug him around and push him into the bed, pausing as he sunk into the mattress.

“Why the fuck is it so soft?” Harry cursed, standing up and peeling back the sheets-clenching his jaw as he and Gil pressed their hands into the mattress and it sprang back up in no time-their mattresses back on the isle were practically sheets of lumpy stone.

Harry almost wished he had time to get used to the cloud-like mattress-but they were going to get the wand tonight, they had no time to waste. “So you like it? I trust it meets your, high standards” you asked, almost teasing them, leaning against the doorframe of their room. Gil nodded excitedly as he found the mini-fridge as Harry crossed his arms and shrugged.

“I mean, I can live with this,” Harry said, gesturing around the room that was 2x bigger than his own on his dads ship. You laughed, biting your lips as you nodded, “yeah?” Harry nodded, pursing his lips. “yeah,” you laughed again, pushing off the doorframe with one hand and leaning forward, one of your hands hanging as you glanced around the room. “Are you sure?”

Harry laughed this time, nodding again. “yeah, I’m sure.” You smiled at him, and Harry couldn't help but smile back. “okay, well thank you for tolerating it,” you hummed, pushing off the doorframe and nodding toward the room on the opposite side of the hall. “Whenever you guys are ready for lunch, just come get me and I can walk you guys to the cafeteria. Or if you want you could order room service-that is a thing here.” you laughed at the way Harry’s brows rose and turned on your heel, stepping into your room and closing the door with your foot.

 Before Harry could take a step-you quickly opened the door back up with a sheepish grin. “Forgot to mention it, but curfew is at midnight! Dinner is at six, and ends at eight-but the kitchens are open until curfew along with the student kitchen-okay that’s it bye!”  And you closed your door again, leaving the hallway in silence.

Harry quickly closed the door to the dorm and locked it, taking a deep breath as he looked around the grand room. “fuck.” He cursed quietly, looking back at Gil who was hypnotized by the cartoon-the red-haired spy now fighting against a pale woman wearing black and green.

Harry sighed, sitting down next to Gil and taking the bag of popcorn he had made, leaning into his palm as the two watched the cartoon. “how are we gonna pull this off gil?” Harry asked quietly, for the last-however many years-Uma had been the planner-the captain, and while Harry was still a leader-he had gotten used to following.

How were they going to do this without Uma?

“I don’t know Harry,” Gil said, snapping out of his cartoon daze, looking down at the apple juice that had been in the mini-fridge. “I really don’t know.”

Harry sighed, messing with the golden seashell bracelet on his wrist. “We’re doomed without Uma, ain't we?”

“Yep. Totally doomed.”

Harry smacked Gil on the shoulder, Gil yelped at the action “Hey! What gives?!”

“It was a rhetorical question, Gil.”

“How was I supposed to know that?!”

-end of p2-

P2~!!!! again-very happy with how this version is turning out! much easier to read with hella more content~!

permtaglist~!

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POYW R!v2 taglist!

@reallysparklychaos

[themirokai]

Chapter 3 of Seven

After Dream gets stuck in a nightmare of the Fawney Rig basement, Hob and Matthew help him get back to himself.

The final chapter has been posted! You can read the whole thing on AO3.

Or you can start here with Chapter 1. And then go here for Chapter 2. Then check out below the cut for the final chapter.

My immense thanks to everyone who read and reacted to the first two chapters. I am beyond thrilled by the response and I hope you all like the finale.

Dream may not have wanted Hob and Matthew to follow him but the Dreaming was clearly in favor: mere moments after they left the palace they found themselves at Fiddler’s Green. 

Or at least it should have been Fiddler’s Green. The lush fields filled with wild flowers kept flashing to stone floors, menacing columns, and a dark ceiling. 

“Oh fuck,” Matthew said beside him. 

“Matthew! Hob!” Gilbert’s voice was garbled and strained, as if coming through an old telephone line instead of clear in the air as usual. “I don’t understand what’s happening! What is Lord Morpheus doing? This - this nightmare is trying to take me over! It’s awful! Please, you must help!” 

“Hang in there, Gilbert,” Hob said, reaching out to pat a tree trunk that kept becoming a column and changing back again. 

“Gil, do you know where he is?” Matthew asked. 

“There is a strange orb flickering in and out of existence beyond that hillock where my pond is supposed to be. Lord Morpheus is there. Oh hurry, please. This is most distressing!” 

Matthew’s and Hob’s eyes met and they shared a nod before Matthew leapt into the air and Hob took off running. 

Hob stumbled several times as the ground beneath his feet changed from grass to stone and back again, and Matthew kept having to swerve around walls and columns that disappeared seconds later. By the time they reached the pond, Hob’s head was pounding from the constantly changing light. 

The glass cage was flickering in and out around Dream and his clothes were disappearing and reappearing with it. Dream stood tall, but his fists were clenched at his sides and his eyes were squeezed shut, his face locked in a grimace of effort. 

“Dream!” Hob shouted as he came to a stop. 

A black shape whizzed past Hob’s head as Matthew accelerated, then landed on Dream’s shoulder just as the sphere flickered back into existence.

Dream startled and looked at Matthew in terror, but Hob noted that his clothes didn’t disappear this time. 

“Matthew, no!” Dream cried. 

Matthew nuzzled Dream’s hair with his beak. “It’s okay, Boss. I’m on this side of the glass. I’m with you. Totally safe.” 

Dream hesitantly reached up to touch Matthew’s feathers and Matthew bumped his head against Dream’s palm, then shifted his weight, gripping Dream’s shoulder more tightly with his talons. 

“Hey, so, Boss,” Matthew said casually, “Fiddler’s Green is worried that you want to replace him with a musty old cellar. I told him that wasn’t the case but he’s still a little freaked out. Ya wanna get rid of this basement nightmare so Gilbert can go back to - I dunno - blooming and whatnot?”

Dream’s mouth formed a perfect o as he looked around at the still-flashing landscape. 

“I don’t… I can’t…”

“It’s just part of you, Boss,” Matthew said quietly. “Take it back.” 

“Lord Morpheus, please!” Gilbert cried out. “If I have done something to earn your displeasure then I beg you to let me make amends another way, my lord!” 

“No,” Dream murmured, looking around at the landscape again. “No,” he repeated more loudly. 

“You’ve got this, Boss,” Matthew said in his ear. 

Hob watched Dream draw himself up straighter and square his shoulders. He closed his eyes again, but this time his face bore a determined frown. Dream reached out his right hand and made a twisting gesture with his wrist, then a pulling motion, and the glass sphere melted away. 

Hob moved quickly to his side and squeezed his hand. Dream did not look at him, but entwined their fingers together. 

Opening his eyes, Dream gave a slow exhale, then moved his arm in a wide arc from one side of his body to the other. From all across Fiddler’s Green, shadows moved and flowed like sentient rivulets of water, snaking their way towards Dream. Behind them, the foliage of the landscape shone in resplendent sunshine. Dream stood perfectly still, watching the shadows approach with his jaw clenched, but his hand trembled in Hob’s grip. Hob gave another squeeze. 

Dream raised his free hand quickly and there were suddenly seven people standing several yards in front of him. Hob felt sure they had been there all along, but simply not been visible. 

“Fuckers,” Matthew muttered.  

Dream surveyed the people through narrowed eyes, and opened his mouth as if to speak, but then closed it with a shake of his head. He looked at the ground for a moment before his fingers started moving through the air like he was playing a delicate instrument, and shadows began to trickle out of the dreamers’ ears. 

Hob felt his stomach turn, but all seven continued to gaze ahead with dazed expressions, oblivious to the darkness oozing out of them. 

The shadows from the dreamers joined the rivulets streaming towards Dream, finally pooling in a mass at his feet. Hob blinked at it, unable to tell if it was a pile or a hole. 

“Is that… uh…” Matthew shifted his weight on Dream’s shoulder, eyeing the darkness. 

“It is the stuff of the dream,” Dream said quietly, reaching his free hand out over the inky mass. 

There was a hissing sound and the dreamstuff writhed for a moment before going flat, suddenly inert. They all stared at it. 

“Is it dead?” Matthew asked eventually. 

“It was never alive,” Dream said. “But I have broken it down to its essence. It is… nothing more than sand now.” 

With that, Dream let go of Hob’s hand and knelt down, forcing Matthew to flap his wings to maintain his balance on Dream’s shoulder.  Hob bit his tongue as Dream reached out to the black sand and it began to flow upward and disappear into the palm of his hand. 

“You want that… in you?” Hob asked. 

“Matthew was correct when he said that it was a part of me.” Dream turned his hand over to watch the last of the sand disappear into his palm. “It always was. It is now. I have taken away its ability to hurt me.” 

“Oh my lord,” Gilbert said, his voice clear again, as Dream pressed his palms together and stood. “Thank you, my lord, thank you!” 

“You have nothing to thank me for, Fiddler’s Green,” Dream pronounced solemnly. “It was my error that caused your distress. I merely rectified it.” 

“Regardless, my lord, I am quite pleased to be restored.” 

Dream gave a slow nod.

Hob looked around at the dreamers, who all seemed a bit confused but largely unconcerned about no longer being in their memory of the Fawney Rig cellar. They looked … normal. Average. They looked like … like every other person he had known over his very long life who had been tangentially involved in something monstrously cruel. They had just been given a job to do, and they did it with the least amount of fuss possible. 

“Will they remember it?” Hob asked Dream. “When they’re awake, I mean.” 

“They will retain their memories when they are in the Waking. I have simply removed the possibility of that memory becoming a dream.” 

“Can they hear me?” Hob asked. 

Dream frowned but gave a small nod. 

“Will they remember what I say when they wake up?” 

Dream’s frown deepened. “They will remember if I permit them to remember after I have heard what you have to say.” 

Hob flashed him a small smile. “Fair enough.” He turned to the dreamers and took a breath. 

“You were all part of something horrific,” Hob said, speaking as clearly as he would to a lecture hall. “And no matter what lies you were told about the nature of the prisoner, you all knew deep in your souls that keeping any being in that cage was cruel. And I know you were not the ones who imprisoned him, and you had no say in whether he was freed or not, but you stayed and you helped to keep him there. 

“Leaving aside what you did to him-” Hob paused to meet Dream’s eyes “- because he is greater than you can imagine and in time he will be fine -” Hob turned back to the dreamers, “- his imprisonment caused immense damage to our world. Lives were ruined, people died in part because you helped to keep him imprisoned. Your actions made the world worse.” Hob looked at each one of them in turn. “And now you have to make amends.” 

He glanced back at Dream, whose mouth was a thin, straight line. Hob pressed on. “You helped to keep him caged in glass. So now you must touch the world in a way that heals. Whether you work to help people in need or find a way to make the world more beautiful, you have to use the rest of your lives to do good. That’s the price you’re going to pay.” 

Hob turned fully to Dream. “That’s it. Will you let them keep that?” 

Dream nodded slowly. “Not your exact words. But … the sentiment shall remain with them.” Dream waved his hand and though Hob didn’t turn to look he could see the dreamers in his peripheral vision fade away. 

Dream regarded Hob for a moment, lips parted, then quickly turned away. “Come,” he said, reaching forward to open a door that hadn’t been there the instant before.

_______

The rooms in Dream’s palace automatically furnished themselves to suit his mood, so Dream was mildly surprised that he did not walk directly into a soft bed when he passed through the door. Rarely had he been more weary. While disposing of the nightmare did not require an untoward amount of his power - a relatively small expenditure, really, now that what had been stored in the ruby was returned to him - he was unused to battling himself and his own weakness in the performance of his function. 

And though part of him yearned to fall into bed and feel Hob curl around him, he adamantly refused to repeat his two days of willfully shirking his duties while he sought comfort and reassurance. Shame curled in the pit of his stomach as he thought about it. To have behaved like a mewling babe, to have let his own dreamstuff hurt him, was humiliating in the extreme. Yes, the soft couch and blazing fire in the hearth were much more appropriate than a bed. 

Matthew left Dream’s shoulder for an intricately carved wooden table that Dream recognized from the sleeping mind of a master artisan, and Dream sat on the couch, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back. Hob remained standing beside Matthew, and Dream could feel both of them watching him. 

“Boss?” Matthew said quietly.  

And what was he to say to them? After attempting to dismiss both of them and then nearly getting caught - again! - in a mere nightmare, and being unable to ground himself without their aid. Dream rubbed his hand over his eyes. He could feel the concern and the … the love, emanating from both of them, vibrating towards him through the fabric of the dreaming. He craved it. From each of them in a different way. It was freely given, and yet- 

“There was a time,” Dream said, “not so long ago, when I would have punished both of you severely for defying me.”

A flicker of uncertainty rippled through each of them, and though he did not look, he knew that they glanced at each other. 

“However it seems unlikely that I shall do so.” Dream opened his eyes and turned to look at Hob. “Why did you say that? To the dreamers?” 

Hob blinked at him, uncertainty persisting for a moment, before deciding on a course of action and moving to kneel at Dream’s feet. 

Hm. A thing Dream loved about Hob was his endless capacity for the unexpected. 

“I suppose,” Hob said, looking up at Dream, “that I was trying to emulate the being I admire most.” 

Dream felt warmth play at his insides, but merely raised an eyebrow. Hob wet his lips before continuing. 

“It’s what you did for me in 1789. Showed me that I had turned a blind eye to the cruelty of my actions.” 

“Not in so many words,” Dream said. 

“No,” Hob acknowledged, looking down. “but your intent was clear, and I’ve spent the last two hundred plus years trying to live up to your expectation.” He turned his gaze back to Dream. “I thought I’d better spell it out a bit more clearly for that lot.”

The comparison was not at all apt. Dream frowned. “It is not the same. I knew that you were better than the… trade… you had become involved in.” 

Slowly, clearly telegraphing his intention, Hob reached up and took Dream’s hand. Dream allowed it, and Hob brought his fingers to his lips and kissed them. 

“I wanted to kill those people for what they did to you,” he said, eyes fixed on Dream’s hand still in his. “I would have killed them if they had posed a threat to you.” Hob looked up to meet Dream’s eyes. “What I said to them was not mercy. If what I said to them lodges in their minds the way your words did to me, they will feel guilt the rest of their lives, and nothing they do will ever be enough to assuage it, but they’ll have to keep trying.” 

“Is that what I did to you in 1789?” Dream murmured, trying and failing to not get lost in Hob’s eyes. “Tormented you with a life of infinite guilt?” 

Hob kissed his fingers again. “You know the answer to that. You gave me a purpose. You showed me that I was better than that. That I had to be better.” 

It was true, Dream could feel it. Or at least he could feel that Hob believed his words to be the truth in that moment. 

That Dream had inspired Hob was certainly not surprising: part of his function was, after all, to inspire. But the admiration that Hob spoke of, that Dream could feel rolling off of him in waves, well… Dream hardly felt worthy of that at present. 

Dream reclaimed his hand and stroked Hob’s cheek affectionately, hoping to convey his pleasure at Hob’s words, then leaned back again, staring into the fire.

Hob shifted to sit at Dream’s feet, and a moment later Matthew flapped over to the arm of the sofa at Dream’s side. 

The… care for his person emanating from each of them wrapped around Dream like a warm blanket, though neither of them was physically touching him. They were concerned about him. Of course they were. They knew how much he needed them. The warmth began to feel suffocating. 

“I suppose,” Dream said haltingly, “that I should be thanking you both for your assistance.” 

Hob glanced up at Dream, and while the feeling of care coming from him did not waver, it changed in tenor.  

“Well,” Hob said, shifting so that he could more easily see Dream’s face, “you could thank Matthew. He actually helped. I didn’t really do anything.”

Dream saw Matthew open his mouth to interject, but closed it again when Hob gave a minute shake of his head that Dream was likely not supposed to notice. 

“Neither of us really helped you eliminate the nightmare, though,” Hob said. 

Dream finally looked down at him, raising an eyebrow. “No?” 

“No,” Hob said firmly. “Fiddler’s Green did. You acted immediately as soon as you realized that one of your subjects was suffering.” 

Oh. That was… factually accurate. It was not the entire picture but-  

“Loverboy’s right, Boss,” Matthew put in. “All I really did was tell you that Fiddler’s Green was scared. The rest was you.” 

“Because in your duty, your function, you never wavered,” Hob said. “No matter what was done to you, they could never take that away.” 

It was, in part, a fiction. But they were in the heart of the dreaming, the place best suited to making fiction reality. 

“Yeah,” Matthew agreed. “No matter how tough the going gets, you’re still the King of Dreams. And a damn good one too.” He resettled his wings. “I was never much of a monarchist when I was alive, but I’m proud to serve you, Boss.” 

Hob looked down but a smile curled his lips. “In my younger days I was very much a monarchist, as you know,” he looked up at Dream through his lashes, “and I’ve known a lot of them. But never one better. I shouldn’t have doubted you. I won’t again.” 

Dream’s Raven. Dream’s lover. They had far more power in this place than they realized. And they spoke together, with conviction. Dream felt something inside himself shift. A piece that had been askew clicked back into place. It was small, but it was there. And he could feel that in time more pieces would follow suit.  

He considered telling them what they had done. But that power, wielded with intent, even by the most benign forces imaginable, could be incredibly dangerous. 

Instead, Dream passed his hand over his eyes and sighed. “It is… very difficult to remain angry at either of you,” he said. 

“So… no severe punishment then?” Matthew asked. 

Dream picked up Matthew and put him in his lap. “No, my raven,” he said, beginning to stroke Matthew’s feathers. “No punishment.” 

After a moment, Dream held his hand out to Hob. Hob smiled like sunlight breaking through clouds and joined him on the couch. Dream pulled Hob close to him and leaned his head against Hob’s shoulder. 

And Dream of the Endless allowed himself to rest. 

_______

Thank you so much for reading! My asks and DMs are always open for comments and questions.

[lovelyfanatical]

I Get a Sugar Rush Whenever I'm With You - Chapter 9.4

Hello, fellow Drukkari stans! We have reached the end of Week 9!!! Which means next week will kick off the FINAL CHAPTER!!!!! If you've missed any other installments up to this point, you can find them on my Table of Contents here. You can also find me on AO3, but you'll need an account to read it. Last time, Druig and Makkari cleared the air, but Druig's bad day could cost him a place in the final. Will this be his last week in the competition? FInd out now, in the next mini-chapter of Drukkari in the Great British Bake Off!

As morning came, Druig came into the final challenge with a clear head. There was a good chance that he was going home, but he wanted to go out on a high note if he could. Their final challenge that week was to create snow globes out of sugar glass. Druig had opted to use silicon molds for his, and while he'd broken quite a few of them at home, he had a feeling he'd do better today.

The other elements were easy enough to complete, which left him with plenty of time to extract his sugar glass domes. The first one broke almost immediately, but Druig wasn't discouraged. After all, he had an extra. He took his time with the next one, getting it all out in one piece. The rest followed quickly, and soon, all Druig had to do was fit them over his decorated cakes. He got the first two on quickly, but he dropped the third, leaving it cracked. Unfortunately, he'd already used his spare, so the cracked one would have to do.

Even with the crack, the judges were impressed. His wintry decorations were intricate and carefully constructed. The cake itself was perfectly baked, and the judges praised his flavors - apple with quite a few spices. It was simple, but extremely effective.

As the bakers headed into the waiting area, Gil fell into step next to him.

"Great job today, Druig," he said.

"Thanks, Gil."

Phastos fell into step on the other side as Gil went ahead.

"So?" he said quietly but expectantly.

"I talked to her. We're good," Druig responded.

"Oh, good. Now I don't have to try to avoid you two in a tent with only one other person."

Druig chuckled as Phastos went ahead to sit with Gil anyway. As he did, Makkari appeared at Druig's side.

Hey, you did great today! she said, smiling softly.

Thanks, he replied as they sat down together.

Maybe you'll be joining me in the final next week after all.

I dunno about that.

Please, let me have this. While I still can, she pleaded. Druig looked up to find a mixture of emotions on Makkari's face. It seemed she had come to the same conclusion he had. Although he felt that he had redeemed himself today, he'd still had a pretty bad day yesterday while the rest of them had only heard praise. There was no denying he was at the bottom of the pile, as the judges would confirm shortly. But the blend of determination and desperation in Makkari's eyes called for an exception.

Okay, he said after he finished appraising her expression. She grinned at him gratefully before changing the subject.

-

Druig was surprised at how long they had to wait to be called back. He liked thinking that it wasn't an easy decision for the judges to make, even if he was the obvious choice. Still all too soon, they were seated together, Druig on the end next to Makkari. As they waited a bit longer, she reached over and squeezed his hand. When she didn't pull away, he turned his own hand over and interlaced their fingers.

As always, the hosts announced Star Baker first. Kingo could barely contain his excitement as he interpreted, his eyes going wide and face lighting up when he signed Makkari's name. Her mouth fell open in shock. Phastos and Gil raised their hands to applaud silently, their smiles nearly eclipsing their faces. Druig applauded with one hand, as Makkari was still holding the other. She turned to him and grinned brightly as she squeezed his hand again.

They settled down again as they awaited the moment of truth. The hosts only dragged it out a little, and when they announced Druig's name, he only nodded and smiled sadly. Despite the death grip she'd been using to hold his hand, Makkari's hand disappeared from his in an instant as she threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him off his stool. As he returned the hug, he felt a few more sets of arms wrapping around them as Gil, Phastos, and even Kingo joined in.

When they finally pulled away, Druig saw Makkari wiping her eyes and realized his shoulder was soaked in tears. Makkari was looking away, trying to hide her face, but his hand found hers again and offered her a reassuring squeeze, which she returned. Before either of them could say anything, Darcy was already rushing over with tissues.

"For you," she offered before turning to Kingo. "And what do you think you're doing? You almost knocked over a camera running in like that!"

"Sorry, boss. I know it wasn't professional, but I couldn't help myself," he replied sheepishly. "I promise it won't happen again."

"It better not!" she scolded. "Nearly ruined the shot."

"Does that mean they'll use it?"

"We'll see. It was a pretty good group hug."

-

On the train ride back together, they were sitting quietly when Druig noticed that Makkari had begun crying again. He tapped her on the arm before asking, Hey, what's wrong?

I just can't believe you won't be in the tent with me next week, she replied, doing her best to hold in her tears.

Maybe not, but I'll still be there cheering you on outside, he said with a soft smile.

Makkari smiled back through her tears, then asked, How are you so okay with this?

Druig thought carefully as he gave his answer. I may have screwed up yesterday, but I'm proud of what I did today. I'm also proud that I made it to the semi-final. I mean, out of twelve people, we were two of the four that made it this far. And I'm proud of you for getting Star Baker. You deserve it.

I still can't believe it! she said excitedly, trying to dry the tears.

Hey, if I were Arishem, I would've given it to you much sooner.

As Druig had hoped, this drew a chuckle from Makkari.

At the station, Makkari wrapped her arms around him once again. Druig's arms wound tightly around her, and they stayed like that for several moments. Eventually, and yet all too soon, they pulled away and went their separate ways. As he walked, Druig pulled out his phone to send a text:

I think I'll take that drink now.

-

Makkari's a star, but Druig is out. Where do we go from here? (The writer says when she's already written the next part 😉)

Part 34

[not-actually-human]

@alkalineleak thank you so much. ok here we go. im gonna be honest ive mostly thought about jay so this post will mainly be about her but ill list some stuff about gil and chip as well o7

Jay: shes the girl to cut her own bangs in the kitchen at three am during a breakdown. her hair is soooo choppy and uneven and its always pulled up in a ponytail thats falling apart. some sort of french braid would work better but she is too lazy to do that + she never really learned how + thats how ava wore her hair and so jay just sticks with the ponytail. she has goggles so she can do experiments and has a tool belt with a shit ton of tools and itty bitty pieces of scrap metal and chemicals and stuff that she always takes with her. idc what the official art says she wears a loose fitting grimy tank top and cargo pants. also shes the tallest of the albatrio and i will be on that hill till the day i die

Chip: he learned to braid hair when he was little and him and gil are teaching jay how to, so he often has messy braided hair since he lets jay practice on him. when ollie was on the ship he let ollie braid his hair too. also he has a prosthetic pinky and i think jay often will often give him new ones that she made while bored. like when shes tinkering without a real goal thats the number one thing she will make.

Gillion: he learned how to braid hair from edyn but he actually prefers making bracelets with that skill. so everyone on the ship has at least one or two bracelets made by gillion. he almost never braids his own hair. also he is just starting to learn to embroider from chip (i dunno i feel like chip knows the basics of a lot of craft stuff, like sewing and stuff like that) and he has embroidered a little itty bitty pretzel onto his shirt somewhere

[softquietsteadylove]

Gil takes care of Thena very secretly while she still has her bullet wound. Thena learns that he is the strongest guard here and yet the most kindest and gentlest of them all. Plus she can’t resist touching his feathers 🤭

"Thena?"

"Up here!" she called back to him. She could hear him climbing from the branches holding her nest up to the canopy where she was sitting (hiding). "Careful."

Gilgamesh had such large and magnificent wings. She had cleared a path for herself, of course, but she hated the idea of him snagging any of his beautifully dark feathers on his way up.

"Hey," he huffed, finally emerging in the canopy with her. His wings rustled behind him as he settled himself on the same branch. "How did you get up here?"

She smiled. He had been very vigilant about her injury since she had disclosed it to him. He even snuck her extra food in hopes the protein would help her heal faster. "Carefully, rest assured. I've started coming up here to watch the sunrise. And it assures that Druig and Ikaris will leave me be and seek their own food."

Gil chuckled, "did you find food for them when they were fledglings?"

Thena rolled her eyes at it. "I do not know of yourself, but my brothers knew I was the best hunter of us, so they would half-attempt to fish until I assuredly brought back the best yield for us to share."

Gil rolled his eyes as well, although they did share in their laughter. "I guess that shouldn't surprise me."

"Even when Ikaris started hunting in earnest, he's too impatient to skim the water at a reasonable pace, so everything slips from his grasp," she shrugged, picking at a few berries she had in a leaf cup. "But he can crack open shellfish better than I, I must admit."

"You like shellfish?"

"Scallops and shrimp are sweeter than oysters and muscles," she commented freely, barely even noticing as Gil angled himself, running his hands over her wings. She shifted in her position, turning her back to him so he could examine her side.

"Has it opened back up again?" he asked seriously, examining her white dress for signs of blood.

"No, the healing springs are working," she answered honestly. She was still soaking her wound morning and night. "The skin is a little tender, but I do believe it had closed, at least."

"Hm," he grunted, moving on to straightening some of her feathers while he was examining her. "Still soak it for a little longer, though. Until it no longer hurts to poke."

Thena sighed. She poked it regularly to test if she was healed yet. "Indeed."

"Makkari is rushing home after last perimeter checks a lot," Gil commented lightly as he idly combed through her feathers with his fingers. "Are they official now?"

"I do believe I could say they are courting," Thena smiled to herself, watching sun stream through the gaps and crags in the top of the mothernest, and even through some of the crystalline ice structures up there. "I look forward to the day he brings her home to me."

It was quite serious to have one's mate introduced to the family formally. Thena and Makkari had spoken of course, could even be considered to be friends. But if Druig brought Makkari to her nest to meet her, that would be more like bringing Makkari to meet his mother.

"You think he will?" Gil asked, plucking out an errant feather.

"It will take time," she sighed, her wings fluttering faintly at the thought, just for Gil to move them more for his angle. "But I do hope so. I would welcome her to the family."

"You wouldn't feel like you have a," Gil paused, and she heard his clothes rustle as he fidgeted, "I dunno--empty nest, or something?"

Thena looked down at her berries, almost eaten completely. "Perhaps I will mourn the days when Druig was a sweet little hatchling, even when Ikaris was not so...Ikaris."

Gil snorted.

"But they are long grown, and I want for them to stretch their wings," she concluded. She moved her leaf cup, offering up her last windberry. "I brought them all the way here for it, all told."

"Thanks," Gil whispered (awfully close to her ear). He reached for the berry, his thumb brushing against hers as he fished it out.

"I have never seen them so much as show an interest in courting, or preening, or," she shrugged, flapping her wings faintly as she felt Gil pull away.

"Well, preening is pretty, y'know," Gil postulated as she turned around to face him again.

"Oh?" she grinned, automatically moving forward to return the favour of his preening of her wings. She nearly gasped as he allowed her to do the same, brandishing his shimmering black wings in all their glory. They made her want to bury her face in the valley between them.

"W-Well," Gil squirmed, and she could just imagine the sweet, somewhat shy expression on his face. "Preening is pretty, uh, personal."

Intimate might be another word for it. Certainly no acquaintances or even casual friends were going around picking at each other's feathers. It simply required a level of trust and understanding of a fae's most vulnerable feature.

Thena was not ignorant to that. She simply acted like she was.

She moved her fingers over Gil's feathers delicately. They were so stunning, each and every one of them. She nudged a few back into place, examining the most misplaced ones. He had navigated his way up here with care.

"Should I not be...?" she asked quietly, even pausing in her actions. She pursed her lips while he was turned away from her, "if you have a potential mate who is going to come and tear my nest apart, I-"

Gil snorted again. He half turned to peek at her around his wing, "please."

She only felt more dissatisfied with that answer. She plucked a downy feather straight out roughly. "I do not see what is humorous about the question."

"Well, guard life doesn't exactly let you go out and court," he shrugged, not seeming all that bothered by it. "I've been the captain of our patrol for a long time, Thena. I've never so much as been approached."

Thena tilted her head beside/behind him. Her hair swayed around her shoulders faintly and the shadows of her horn and a half were cast over Gil's shoulder. She couldn't imagine Gilgamesh not being a prime candidate for a mate for anyone viable.

"Why?"

She looked up and suddenly he had a completely clear view of her. His eyes were sharp and warm, brown like the undertones of his rich black feathers. Her stomach leapt. "Hm?"

"You worried I have someone I'm preening with in another nest?"

Thena felt herself flush, although she did her best to look annoyed with the question. He wasn't in a teasing mood often. "I wouldn't take you for that kind of fae, Gilgamesh."

He laughed fully, having had his fun. He turned again, crossing his arms around himself. His wings shook with his laughter as well. "Well, that's good. And listen, even if I had ever liked someone, I've never been able to approach anyone. I'm used to doing my own preening, really."

She could tell, by the general state of his back-most feathers. Clearly he took good care of them, but every fae had those spots they simply couldn't reach on their own. "Well, good you have me."

"Yeah, it is."

Thena lowered her hands from his wings. She had let herself enjoy their secrecy too much, perhaps. "You need not, of course. If you didn't wish it."

Gil, sensing that she had pulled away from him, turning back to her. He lifted his wings to they could sit close despite the appendages of theirs which naturally demanded distance. "Do you?--wish it?"

Thena sighed, looking at the wonderful border guard she had met a full turn around the sun past, now. She leaned forward carefully, giving him time to refuse if he wanted to. In which case she would take off and leave these seas, perhaps forever.

Gil leaned in as well, their lips meeting gently. It was not necessarily as intimate as preening - especially in secret - but a kiss was still a kiss. He raised his hand to her cheek, tilting her head to kiss her deeper.

Thena sighed, their fangs meeting somewhat as their mouths opened more. He tasted of the morning stew the guards ate before first takeoff. It mixed with the taste of her berries.

Gil pulled away, tucking her hair behind the point of her ear in the morning air currents.

Thena just stared at him, her breath coming in soft sighs. She had never thought of finding a mate for her own.

Gil looked up, seeing a few fae beginning to fly around the dome of the mothernest as a warmup. He sighed, "I have to go."

"Go," she sent him off with a smile, her whole body tingling with warmth. "You are needed."

Gilgamesh let his hand drift off her cheek and to her shoulder as he stood on the branch. He lifted his wings, shielding them from witnesses. "I'll come and check on you tonight."

"Very well," she smiled. She waited the entirety of the day for him to do so eagerly. Her heart sang for him. "I shall wait for you."

"Okay," he whispered, their hands leaving each other the most slowly. He slipped something into her hand, "see you later, then."

Thena waved as he took off, launching straight from the treetops into the air to join the day's first shift of patrol. She could hear his voice, already directing his team and guiding them with the largest and strongest wings of them all.

Her hand tightened around the feather of his he had left her. It was a step past preening, and she would have to make sure Ikaris and Druig didn't find it--this gesture of exclusivity between fae. It wasn't necessarily a courting trinket, bus she felt a certain lightheaded giddiness as she tucked it into the layers of her white dress, over her heart.

[voidsentprinces]

G'raha: It took Cid and his Ironworks, many generations to master portal travel and she just does it in a WEEK!? How is that possible? Thancred: The love and intrigue of a good man or woman can do wonders. I mean, look at Urianger. His tits are absolutely fantastic, I mean you can bounce a gil coin off those things! G'raha: I highly doubt Y'shtola or Urianger's chest has anything to do with this. Thancred: Well I got good news for you then, Exarch my buddy boy. Cause the love and intrigue don't stop there. Cause his ass? Perfection. You wouldn't know he's twenty-nine you'd think he was still studying in Sharlayan. Like, what does he even do? Squats with the Mandervilles? That cake has more form fitting than an archon loaf! G'raha: But...he never leaves the Rising STONES! How does he maintain such fitness? Thancred: I dunno, but someone should summon up Nael Darnus and Lahabrea's ghosts and make sure the Seventh Umbral Calamity hasn't happened cause his ass sure doesn't know it. Warrior of Light: Already did that, he's more concerned his wife was going to end the world by turning into an ancient eldritch butterfly witch. Thancred: I need her number. Warrior of Light: Well I killed her and you definitely wouldn't have stood a chance. Thancred: Not with that attitude, I wouldn't. Warrior of Light: If its any consolation, I also punched Elidibus...again. G'raha: Actually this does make my life better. Warrior of Light: Good, what were we talking about? G'raha: Y'shtola's rift travel. Thancred: Urianger's ass. Warrior of Light: Either way I don't know how any of them move the way they do without ripping their robes. G'raha: Mistress Tataru is more powerful than even you, my friend.

[jojo0303]

Some things to expect for Gilbert's route in no particular order and for no particular reason.

Eyepatch=Heterochromia=Yandere? Unless he doesn't have heterochromia and they consider Keith's "eye color change" between softKeith and darkKeith to be the yandere aspect of this game and Gilberts eye is normal, he just uses it for the villain baddie aesthetic. Yeah. I could see him do that.

Kidnapping attempts. Lot's of them.

Emotional damage.

CaneBert = GunBert confirmed?

Unconventional uses of a cane…? (take that as you will)

Lots of murder😊

Biting. Lots of biting. And hickeys probably too. Establishing dominance through marking. He's a wannabe vampire. (Is the concept of vampires even a thing in this time?🤔)

Tragic backstory. Hit me hard Cybrid.

Confused Mc. Like is this dude lying or does he hate lies? Does he really like me or just wants to get close to me to f me up (in both ways).

By chapter 15 things are gonna start to get real. Like, I know that this is Gil that we're talking about so shits gonna be real from the first chapter but at 15 it's gonna hit the messed up mark. I expecte this route to be darker than this mans color palette.

Stressed Mc.

Choking scene. Yay or nay. Really depends on the context for some. But it's always gonna be yay for me, cuz I love me some messed up shit.

Sariel complaining about headaches. Do I need to explain why?

Concerned baby boy Rio. Rightfully so, I would say.

Complicated diplomatic stuff.

Going to Obsidian, probably via kidnapping but still. Cybrid you better make those Obsidian backgrounds. I wanna see what's up. I wanna see the room of this Emo/Goth Twilight lover boy.

Going to Obsidian, at the end. And actually staying there.

Yves involvement in something? I dunno, maybe some kinda blackmail stuff like they did in his route but different obviously. I hope my boy gets his time to shine even if just slightly. He's not one of my favs but I think he is very unappreciated and seeing him play a bigger role in Gils route of all them would be awesome.

Tea party with the three new princes. darkKeith, not the soft one cuz he wouldn't be near Gilbert unless it was mandatory. Or maybe he would just to be polite. I dunno.

Many trips to the kitchen to make food cuz he is an hungry boy. Really sticking to the tiger aspect on that one given that a pet tiger needs to eat at least, 6 kilos of meat per day. (Don't quote me on this very quick research I did)

Angry Gilby go brrrrrr

People avoiding Mc like the plague. Mc knowing that it's his fault but not wanting to blame him and Gilbert knowing it's his fault but it's convenient for him cause more time with his girl.

A d*ck measurement contest between Gil and Cheva. Rivalry to the max. Alpha males in action. A whole ass national geographic documentary on these fighting tigers. I wanna see blood.

They usually do one ending with Leon as king and another one with Chev when the route in question involves someone that either refuses to be prince or just can't. Gilbert ain't gonna forgive us in the Cheva ending.

Sexy CG.

It has been mentioned several times that Gilbert hates Mcs type of woman. Why? Is it because they're more difficult to break? Has he had someone like this screw with him? Is this "hate" disguising a "like" and Chev has just been reading him wrong? Because if so then Gilbert is even more mysterious than we thought.

Baby boy just wants to be loved🥺. And he knows that in his position only someone with an unbreakable and strong spirit like Emma would be able to do this, so he is toying and testing her.

Maybe it's just me, but I wanna see him cry. Because Angst. Even tho Emma will be the one that cries.

They've mentioned poison far too many times for me to not think that one of us is going to get poisoned. It would also paralel that one Chev ending.

Trampling. Get those killer boots working king.

Mansplain, Manipulate, Manslaughter 💅

Some crazy stuff with the emperor or whatever I can't remember but Gil says he's not as ruthless as him(the emperor) so aparently he his the big daddy of evilness.

Some Luke involvement? Since they share a background, it would be interesting.

The Bloodstained Day from Gils perspective.

Sexy CG. Please.

Figuring out how he gets undressed with all that stuff on. Sir, is that for protection? A bulletproof vest in the making?

Undressing Gilbert.

G string gloves. I want them to be relevant somehow.

Gil eating Clavis deserts. He likes them. He is crazy.

Murder spree stopped bcs Emma does some hope speech or surprises him in some way.

Is this the route where Mc is gonna have to fight? I want this Mc to be such a baddie. Like she's scared but she still has the backbone to talk to him like she would to Silvio. Hopefully she slowly grows to be less and less scared of him until she reaches that point. But of course there's gonna be some big thing happening that will break her down. Cause angst.

Maybe war? I think it will probably happen but the time that's spent in that could be time spent with Gilbert so maybe not?

We're gonna need a lot of interactions to understand and be simping for this man (the MC will, we players already are), so expect every chapter packed with Gilbert interactions. Especially bcs he is needy af.

Jealousy. Towards Chev. Maybe they'll play it off like in that one event where Mc and Chev are already close so gil has one more reason to steal her away. Remember this act starts in the middle of our time as Belle.

Because of that I feel like a good amount of stuff will happen after she chooses the king. But the bigger ones will come before. They're either going to have a lot of stuff happening in one day that spreads out through multiple chapters or they're gonna do this. Maybe a little bit of both.

They danced in the prologue didn't they? I want that to happen again.

This man is gonna force you to go everywhere and mixing that with your studies as Belle and always having to pull a facade, she's gonna be tired. So maybe a repeat of Gilpillow. Pillowbert? Maybe some cuddles.

Sexy CG. I want it.

Are we going to see Gils guest room? Or maybe they'll just recolor it like they did with Emma's room in Bentoite.

Gilbert scolding Silvio for his lack of manners but he is also kinda gay for him. The man said it himself, gender doesn't matter to me.

Don't know what happened in that event where the g string gloves come off and Gilbert is a stray cat out in the rain, but if there is something that is relevant to the story pls tell me ( and tell me what happened in that event while you're at it👀)

Suprised pikabert. Gilbachu? This sounds coursed when said out loud.

He wears red eyeliner. Will we get to put it on for him?

Feeding Gilbert.

This route better make me cry.

MC and Gil reading together. Imagine him just giving her some random obscure Obsidian book and just staring at her as she gets excited.

You know he is gonna use it to blackmail her but who cares really?

MC librarian in Obsidian.

If MC is the one that convinces Gil or the emperor or whoever, to form ties with rhodolite so that they can benefited from the land than she's gonna be the nations sweetheart. She saved them all so they'll have no problem having her as queen ☺️

Gilbert and kids interactions.

Maybe he has siblings or something.

I just wanna see him do a magic trick for the kids. And they all go wahh!

Thank God he is a man cuz if he was a woman performing a magic trick in the streets in this time, the kids would go wahh for another reason...

Gilbert pulling a sausage out of his clothes. Context is needed for this one but without the context it is also appreciated.

Please dont let him be the ninth lost brother of rhodolite.

Sariel should have given this man (king) a condom if he didn't want so many headaches.

He's gonna be the only child. He's deemed to be alone. It's why he likes kids. They're the little bros and sisters he never had.

A random kid just ask if they're in a relationship and Gilbert says yes. Of course he does.

And the they ask them to kiss.

Ah that's right, pecks on the cheeks. Apparently Gilbert likes to ask for those so...

Give me a sexy CG for god's sake.

And last but not least: Gifbert.

This was way longer than expected.

Feel free to add anything.

[maxikha-ffxiv]

A Story of Revenge

A small fic I wrote a few years ago, that still holds up. This would be around the events of late SB. Maxi just lost her grandmother to a bandit's poisoned arrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The small building was not a lot to look at. It was clearly set up and ran out of need more than anything. It was dirty, dimly lit, one could almost assume it wasn’t a bar, were it not for the people inside. A stereotypical grizzled man tended a shoddy bar, and a few splintered tables thrown about the floor housed patrons nursing local drinks. There were some hushed and quiet conversations, which stopped as a hooded figure walked in. From their size and the noticeable scaled tail poking out of their cloak, the few who cared to pay attention would be able to tell this was a Xaela female, and not much else.

She walked over to a table in the corner, where a pair of men sat. One was an older hyur, his partner much younger, both equally covered in scars and dirt. The only real distinguishable marking of any kind were identical tattoos on the left upper arm of each man. The woman said nothing, just sat down on the table, her hooded face turned toward the pair. As she did, the elder leaned forward, growling at her,

“This is a private table. You best be leaving before you get yourself in trouble.”

There was no response save an iron arrow dropped onto the table. 

“That there’s a metal arrow. Dunno why you are putting it there. We don’t-” “Your name is Egill Swiftaxe is it not?”

The voice under the hood was curt and cold, as she cut off his reply. The figure pulled her hood back, revealing a dark skinned Xaela under the cloak. Her electric blue eyes were piercing, black hair pulled back into a braided ponytail.

Her eyes darted between the two as she picked up on hands heading straight towards weapons.

“You better make quite sure you mean your next words lass, else you ain’t walking out of here.”

“Was told that’s your arrow. Found it on the Steppe. Asked around, told to come here. So I did.”

“What braindead idiot told you a sort of thing like that?” “Someone who isn’t stupid enough to tell their name to people they don’t know. I’m simply looking to get some made for my own use and was told your hand crafted them. Now if I have the wrong man I understand and will take my gil with-” “You got the right man lass. Aye I made it. In fact I can tell you right now my mate Steinarr here’s the one that shot it. You can see his initials I forged in it right there. What you going about shooting arrows fer in the Steppe mate? Told ya these things are expensive, and you only use ‘em for special occasion.”

Before Steinarr had a chance to respond, two things happened. The first, the small Xaela woman drew a green dagger from somewhere under her cloak and jammed it up to Egill’s neck. Second, an arrow flew from outside the doorway and straight into the side of Steinarr’s head, felling him in a single shot. The few others in the tavern all froze, and before anyone else reacted, four rather large male Xaela, one of them holding a longbow, stepped in. 

“Here’s the deal,” Maxi said, dagger pressed to her quarry’s throat, addressing the others in the building. “You all leave now, and make no fuss, you will never see us again nor be harmed. Anyone still here in the next twenty seconds we will consider an ally of this man and will be treated as such.”

Half a minute later, no one was in the building save for the Xaela, the dead body, and the poor man who they had tracked. Maxi nodded to her half-brother, “Well shot Jebei. I see she taught you as well as I. And as you can tell, unfortunately for you, I’m not here to buy. See your friend there made a grave error in judgement the other day. He decided to use that arrow right there and kill someone. Our,” and she guestured to herself and her half-brother “grandmother. This is now the second time your band of bandits have decided to harm me and those around me, and I’m now taking measures to make sure it won’t be happening again.”

While Maxi was talking, her free hand was removing the various weaponry her target had on him. Once satisfied he was now unarmed, the dagger flicked, leaving a small cut on his neck.

“You wouldn’t remember my first meeting with your lot, you’re far too new. So I’ll give you a chance to live. That venom you had coated your arrows with, hope you have the antidote on hand, else your life won’t exist much longer.” Maxi showed off her dagger, showing the light but potent coating of the same poison that was on the arrow. “Our herbalists figured out the mixture easily enough, and I can assure you, you have maybe an hour left to get that antidote in you. And just in case you do survive, you can tell your boss Altani of the Dazkar sends her regards.”

Maxi could see the terror in the man’s eyes, and let go of him. She walked back to her kin and headed out of the tavern.

“Altani was it wise leaving that man alive?” “Don’t worry Jebei. He’s a small fry compared to the main operation. They lose folk like that all the time to varying acts of stupidity. Their boss won’t care, all he will see is that a couple of his hired hands shot the wrong Xaela and paid the price for it. Not his problem. That guy will be lucky enough to live through reporting to his boss, it may actually be less painful than dying to that poison.”

“Then now what sister? What do we do?”

“We move on, go to the next step. I’ll see you all back at camp, I have a few things to do before then.”

[doberbutts]

Also I’m just gunna do a head count here real quick hold on.

Galadriel: white (Welsh)

Celebrimbor: white (English)

Elrond: white (English)

Gil-Galad: white (American)

Arondir: Afro-latino

Bronwyn: Iranian

Halbrand: white (simply says “British”)

Theo: simply says “Australian” but he doesn’t look particularly white to me tbh

Waldreg: white (Australian)

Nori: white (Australian)

Isildur: white (English/Russian)

Marigold: simply says “Australian” but she talks about being black so...

Miriel: black (US-white/Ghana)

Poppy: simply says “English” but, I dunno.

Elendil: white (Welsh/English)

Largo: white (Canadian)

The Stranger: white (English)

Sadoc: black (black British)

Valandil: simply says “New Zealand” but clearly not white lmao

Adar: white (English)

Malva: Sri Lankan

Vilma: Caribbean

Ontamo: white (New Zealand)

Tredwill: white (New Zealand)

Dilly: literally nothing except that she’s working in New Zealand between ROP productions, brand new actress

Vrath: white (New Zealand) (hilariously this is Jed Brophy so he has played multiple orcs in the series so far)

Durin 4: white (Welsh)

Bazur: white (New Zealand)

Pharazon: white (Welsh)

Earien: white (American)

Disa: African-Iranian

Durin 3: white (Scottish)

Rowan: white (New Zealand)

Kemen: white (New Zealand)

Medhor: white (English)

Revion: white (English)

Tar-Palantir: white (New Zealand)

Sail Master: Maori (lmao, of course)

Tamar: white (New Zealand)

The Nomad: white (New Zealand)

Malva’s Sister: First Nations/Black

The Ascetic: Maori

The Dweller: white (New Zealand)

Numenorian Smithy: white (New Zealand)

Finrod: white (American)

Thondir: white (Australian)

Rian: white (New Zealand)

Eamon: white (Australian)

Abigail: Aboriginal

Astrid: white, unsure country

Edda: white (New Zealand)

Mairen: white (New Zealand)

So out of 52 named characters, 14 are confirmed POC and 3 are ambiguous. That’s 17/52 or or 14/52, which is either 1/3 or 1/4 of the named characters. The rest are all white. So whenever these racist fanboys are mad that there’s “so many” nonwhite characters... there’s 14 of them.

Additionally, of the 14 confirmed characters of color there is:

1 elf

6 humans

5 harfoots

1 dwarf

1 cultist

When we further analyze it:

Arondir is the only named, speaking elf.

Bronwyn and Theo are living in “the Southlands” which technically speaking per Tolkien’s books is populated by nonwhite peoples prior to the return of Sauron. Too bad in Tolkien’s books these nonwhite peoples belong to a Bad Guys Only race where all but a few are Super Evil.

Miriel, Valandil, and the Sail Master belong to an island nation that has some form of contact with Middle Earth due to the knowledge they have of the area, so trade and travel are likely to be occurring frequently in Numenor. Island nations that have ready access to trade and travel with the nations around them are frequently ethnically diverse.

Marigold, Sadoc, Malva, Malva’s Sister, and Vilma belong to a nomadic tribe which moves locations frequently. Nomadic tribes are often incredibly ethnically diverse as they move from place to place, mix with the people who live around them, and then get up and move again.

Abigail is a shipwrecked human that instantly gets swallowed by a giant fish and we have no idea where her ship was from.

Disa is the only named, speaking dwarf.

The Ascetic hasn’t even spoken more than a single line yet or really done anything except stand in the background looking evil and mysterious and sometimes be a dick to the harfoots.

So when people are complaining about adding in “random ethnicities” to “English folklore” I think some perspective is in order.

Additionally I also think it’s really interesting that people keep saying “it’s European! No POC allowed” and “it’s based on England!” and yet not a single word about all the New Zealanders, Australians, Americans, and the like one Russian in the group. Oh, does “random ethnicity” only count if their skin is dark? If they’re white it doesn’t matter what ethnicity they are?

[nommedtail]

saying genshin is racist and copies other games when youre a fgo fan LMFAOOO explain to me quickly why quetzalcoatl looks like that in that gambling game. lets also talk how guilgamesh and enkidu are also pale as hell and also the 103919 historical figures turned into lolis

anon, your anime gambling game of choice is most definitely very heavily inspired by legend of zelda breath of the wild. me liking whatever media you deem unworthy doesn't magically make that an untruth.

people can like stuff and be critical about its flaws, y'know. nothing is perfect, especially games that monetize through pretty jpgs in a world that's y'know. generally pretty unkind to melanin!

quetz is prob bc they used that debunked story that the aztecs thought their gods were blond and blue eyed or whatever. people still believe that! just like how people thought the lady who sued mcdonalds over the hot coffee was in the wrong. propaganda is insidious

the genderbends and lolis suck, and i hate them, i'm not alone in hating them, especially on this hellsite, but they make boatloads of money. so they'll keep being made. that's it, that's the reason!

for gil, i think there's the whole, sumerian divinity had blond hair/red eyes (in the story's lore at least) and the pale skin is ...him being 2/3 god???? idk, it's still bad lmao but he was made by like, some dudes to be a villain for their indie dating sim game in like, the early 2000's lol

enkidu's design has to complement gil's silly saint seiya lookin ass bc they're boyfriends i guess?? i dunno, i'm not a wiki

[calmingpi]

I harp on gil about his job but yeah honestly the polar lords make him look amazing. Like he was definitely right on pax being better than the polar lords. Maybe he COULD be king i dunno