#i have a lot of thoughts about that sots moment post dream

[lindalofbroome]

i think one of my favourite things about dq3 is how far they've come as companions? they know each other so well they dont need to speak, they can predict each other's actions

like now in dragons nest where lief plunges away to rescue a stranger, telling them not to come if they think it's so foolish, but knowing all the while they would not leave him alone to face this

another off the top of my head is in sister of the south after lief dreams about doom and josef, and he decides to wake his companions so they could leave for del without delay and that they would just assume and accept that he wanted to see his mother and they would not be left behind

how far they have come from the rebel boy, the grudging man, and the stone cold girl

[barbiegirldream]

did you delete your reblog? i liked reading it! u can keep it up if you want, i don’t mind

oh okay i was like reading it back and I was like hmm this is probably annoying ha I'll put it here though cause I did copy and paste it into a draft:

i think the reddit underestimates George so hard. One of George's... biggest traits in MCC is his bloodlust. It either works out well or poorly. You see it in Sands of Time, Survival Games, Battle Box, Skybattle. He sees someone or something and just keeps pushing no matter what.  It's the same thing that's gotten Sapnap and Dream killed many times. Dream Team really got that bloodlust but Dream can be distracted by it if he's in team leader mode.

George just gets so focused he performs well individually and like Dream knew that. It's why he told George to go do his own thing while giving Quackity and Sam advice. Or H told the team to follow George in Sky Battle because he was going off on his own and needed backup. Like in Battle Box Fuchsia fumbled the ball that was on all of them Dream was being too aggressive and splitting from his team, George wasn’t hitting crossbows like he usually does, Quackity and Sam should have been trying to play support instead of getting picked off etc. Dream thought he didn’t need to practice pvp and I think they could have benefited from team training. But in SG they did good the scoring change just is bad and actually discourages fights because kill points are worth nothing anymore. George popped off in TGTTOS and he did good in SOT he was excellent in Ace Race.

I saw there was a post on the reddit showing the biggest coin carries and George was up there with Dream where most teams had one player who was a big team carry. George more than pulled his weight. Fuchsia for some reason just thought they did way worse than they actually did. Like Dream was more pumped after his team finished in 7th last MCC than coming individual 3rd and having a 5th place team and he thought both teams were possible winners pov. Something about MCC18 just rattled Fuchsia and they weren’t as high spirits as their placement should have been (I think their confusion and disappointment at how they preformed in Battle Box did it ngl)

I do think Dream did have to work overtime on comms but that's not surprising. I think the tired dad jokes came from A Dream sounding very tired cause he was and was also repeating himself a lot and B he would swap between scolding, advice, and hype ups so fast he sounded like a parent at a little league game lol. But it’s to be expected Sam was new, Quackity was nervous, and George generally isn’t super responsive to comms because he’s a strong enough individual player to not need them and ignores them to focus. And Dream was even saying he made some bad plays and whatnot. Like Dream goes crazy with the strats and sometimes they work out sometimes they don’t. In TGTTOS was his most dad moment cause he kept saying don't punch and then every time he looked at them they were punching and then trying to justify it lol. But they play the game as a team so something was just off and putting that on Dream’s teammates isn’t fair. And Dream himself said he hates when that happens. But also I'm glad reddit isn't trying to blame it soley on Dream's leadership cause they have done so in the past which also isn't fair.

I just think people including Fuchsia think Fuchsia fell off way harder than they did. Quackity placed his avg, Sam is new. George had his best performance yet 8th place on a 5th place team and Dream had 3rd on a 5th place team. (Which also if SG hadn't been adjusted Dream would have come 2nd which is crazy good for his placement)

TL;DR:

Fuchsia did actually really well, they should be proud of themselves, George especially and no one was totally at fault for anything.

[acerace]

tumblr user buildmartenjoyer did you hear dream's latest build mart rant made it onto reddit

I did hear! I read the transcript earlier as well to see more than just the random screenshots people like to vague lmao

Obviously I, Tumblr user buildmartenjoyer, quite like Build Mart! I think it gets a somewhat underserved amount of hate that has little to do with the game itself. That does not mean I think it is a perfect game. If multiple people have multiple complaints over multiple events about a specific game, then yeah there's probably an issue somewhere! Doesn't mean the game is bad and irredeemable and awful and needs to be removed or even retired.

Also whoops I rambled! Below the cut for general musings on Dream's recent Build Mart comments. This is not cc!Dream critical or neg, btw, most of my rambling is me considering his points from the pov of someone who really loves Build Mart and enjoys watching it. 

Man I wanna pick the green man's brain on MCC so bad like!! I don't think Build Mart is a bad game- in fact I think it's like A Tier- and I disagree with a lot of what Dream says about mcc in general, but he also makes good points! Like he's right- if you play 100 games of Build Mart of, let's say, orange 17 and cyan 17, orange is going to win 100/100 games, whereas with games like Sky Battle or Parkour Tag, for example, there's going to be more of a split, because the games have "pop off" potential as he says. See Grian being #1 individual in Sky Battle in 17 with one (1) tnt and good survival points. Personally, I think this is a fair point because part of the fun and charm of MCC is that it isn't set in stone and you don't know who the winner's going to be half way through the event like with twitch rivals or mcm.

In that specific post, Dream's main issue he describes is him struggling with memory and knowing what blocks he needs. Fair enough! The game stresses communication and memorization more than any other skill, and struggling with those is going to hurt your performance and how much fun you have. But imo there are in game strategies you could implement to help. And obviously I say all this as someone who has never Played BM/MCC in general so grain of salt lol.

If he's good at placing blocks but not collecting them, then have the team split into pairs- two builders taking a build each and two runners working with a builder each. Dream stays at the build and tells his runner what blocks to bring him, then Dream can build while the runner goes to work on the 3rd build, for example. Then maybe rush gold builds? Like if the issue is physically getting the blocks, then work with your team to get someone else to do it. For the first set of builds when no one has blocks, have one builder get wood and the other stone, while the runners work on the specific blocks for their pair's build, maybe, so no one's sitting around waiting. Like I feel like there's options, you know?

I also think that most of the problems with Build Mart comes from the fact it's the only "building" game. If you like pvp you can vote for Sky Battle or Battle Box or Survival Games, all of which are pvp games that test differing skills and have distinct strategies- you don't need to bridge in SG, for example. But if you want a building game you have BM and only BM, and it's barely a building game at that. Adding another option- I like the battle box inspired idea- would lessen BM's dominance, because non pvp teams almost always want BM and want it late, giving another option will shake up the meta here and expose the underlying issues with BM.

Also I feel like the thing people get most pressed about is when Dream brings up Grian? I think it's usually a fine comparison because they have very different preferred games and play styles while having similar amounts of experience, and Grian is the largest of the non dsmp streamers. Grian is one of the best Build Mart players and hates Parkour Warrior and says he won't play if it comes back; Dream was one of the best Parkour Warrior players and hates Build Mart and says he won't play if he knows it's going to be played. The difference comes up in specific contexts- when Dream said Grian could hate pkw but he can't say anything about bm because people get mad at him, for example, that was meh to me because yeah you have a point about how people attack you over everything but did you have to pick the one person who had an actual panic attack playing the game? In this specific post, Grian has indeed killed Dream in pvp before, but it's never been 1v1 when both are prepared for it and at full health lol. The closest you get to that is the original Dreamslayer moment in MCC9, but even then Dream was healing from a previous fight and Grian got the drop on him. Dream will kill Grian 99/100 times.

Dream was being pretty sarcastic with his comments on not needing to communicate in BM, and yeah Pete was being quiet but that's because he was listening to what Grian was saying lol. With Grian's BM strategy, the CEO is loud and in charge and constantly talking, the builders only speak up when they need something or have a gold build, and the floater is constantly talking to the CEO. Dream saying Pete wasn't talking much is true, because he was one of the silent roles! But he was still communicating- if he hadn't told Grian about the gold build or asked what was behind the duck build or told Grian to get more glass then they wouldn't have done as well. I also think it's interesting he chose Pete's pov to watch, because it seems to me he's looking at BM strategies and trying to find some that'll work for him? He can't be CEO or floater because those both rely on knowing what blocks everyone needs, so him watching one of the builders makes sense to me.

Most of my issues with how people (Dream included) talk about BM is when they're flat out wrong or subjective lol. Build Mart is not a slow game, you're just watching someone who doesn't know what they're doing. It's not a boring game, you're just watching a team that gives up before the game even starts. I feel the same intense excitement and stress about BM as I do about SG and SoT! Watching Grian play is intense and exciting and edge of the seat! People have a lot of misconceptions about BM, which I rambled about in the tags of this post here, which I still stand by. The tl;dr of my thoughts on what makes a good Build Mart player is that Grian is not good at BM because he's a good builder- he makes mistakes constantly in BM- but rather because he can communicate with his team so effectively it doesn't matter if he spends 30 seconds looking for a crafting recipe or collecting the wrong block.

So there are my thoughts anon! I’m not sure what you were expecting, because I like both Grian and Dream and think they both make very good points about MCC and game design in general (considering they both have experience running mc servers lol) and they tend to have very different opinions and experiences, so comparing them is interesting to me! I don’t necessarily agree with Dream’s points about MCC in general (the only people whose views I tend to wholesale support are H and Pete lmao) but Dream is allowed to dislike a game based on his personal opinions and feelings and he is allowed to rant about it in his own merch discord. Doesn’t mean he’s wrong or right, or that you have to agree or disagree. 

[bgn846]

Worthy Chapter 1: Bright Idea FFXV A/B/O Promnis

Summary:            

Being the thirteenth in line for the throne of Niflheim was bad enough. However, add the complication of being a rare omegan male to the mix and things were downright terrible.  Prompto had a small dream to sit on the throne one day if only to prove his worth.  He knew he couldn’t do it alone so he decides his best option is to hire a brilliant advisor to guide him to the top.

The issue being the advisor he really wants is already employed by the prince of Lucis, Noctis Lucis Caelum.   He also has to get over his innate fear of alphas since as it turns out the advisor is a rather intimidating one.

Will Prompto ever get the chance to rise in his position or will he be stuck at the bottom forever?

Written for the 2019 Promnis Big Bang

This is a re-post of an older work.  Wanted to set it free in the world again. :)

CHAPTER ONE:

The sides of the container felt like they were pressing in on him, but Prompto knew that couldn’t be true.  Wooden crates don’t suddenly develop the ability to move; his mind was playing tricks on him. The fact that the crate also held a stone statue didn’t help either.  What space was available was cramped and lumpy.

 Prompto kept telling himself that he only needed to deal with the waves of claustrophobia for another hour tops.  The dizzying feeling he was experiencing was nearly unbearable. He knew he was sweating profusely and closing his eyes only seemed to make it worse.  Being able to touch all the sides of his makeshift prison at the same time was not comforting.

 The ride in the drop ship from Niflheim to Lucis didn’t take more than a couple hours.  He knew that he’d been stuck in there for an hour already, according to his phone. Sixty more minutes.  He could do this. So long as he didn’t focus on the stale air and lack of light.

 Gods he had to stay calm. The last thing he needed was to be prematurely discovered due to  his distressed scent. If his irritating step brothers had let him come, then he wouldn’t be in this predicament.  Prompto didn’t remember there being a rule anywhere about omegas not being able to do dignitary visits.

 Sadly, his step-father was no longer alive, or he would have defended the poor blond.  The king of Niflheim had passed peacefully in his sleep two years ago. This left the country to be ruled by his remaining thirteen children, all of whom were alpha’s except for one: Prompto, the rare omegan male.  

 Since he wasn’t technically related to any of his brothers by blood, it made court life difficult.  The king had married his mother after she’d been widowed for many years. Prompto had grown to love his new step-father, but his brothers were another story.  They at least treated his mother with respect even after the king’s death.

 She had the smarts to stay out of the way of their antics and appear where they needed her for this and that.  She was still queen, despite her lack of power, and his mother knew better than to rock the boat. So life had gone on and Prompto had watched as he was pushed further and further out of the picture.

 Not that being thirteenth in line meant anything.  He realistically knew he’d never make it near the throne, which was why he was currently hiding in a crate bound for Insomnia.  Noctis Lucis Caelum, the only son and heir to the throne of Lucis, was a lucky sot. He didn’t have brothers to fight with, and his rise to the throne was guaranteed.  Prompto also knew he wasn’t alone in his endeavors. He had a royal advisor.

 Ignis Stupeo Scientia of House Scientia.  The man was renowned for his mental prowess, among many other traits.  Scientia was the reason Prompto had subjected himself to this risky trip.  He wished to hire the advisor for his own advancement. Niflheim wasn’t a rich nation, but it at least had enough royal reserves to pay handsomely for someone in Scientia’s position.    

 Prompto’s issue, though, would be finding Scientia to make his offer without getting caught.  Actually, who was he kidding? He had a lot of issues to deal with. A rather long list was growing in his head as he sat in the dark.  How would he know when exactly to exit the crate without getting caught? Was finding food and shelter going to be a problem? Why didn’t he pack a freaking bag?  Astrals, he was doomed. Maybe he should just stay in the crate and hope they forgot to unload it and went back home.

 That wish was not granted.  As soon as the ship landed, the crate started moving.  It was being unloaded. Trying to control his breathing, Prompto waited until the crate stopped and the voices nearby drifted away.  Groping around in the dark, he felt for the gap that indicated the lose panel of wood. Once he located it, he pulled it away and squeezed out.

 He’d had enough sense to change before he’d smuggled himself onboard.  Nothing stands out more than a blond-haired man wandering around in white princely raiment.  It was strange to be wearing civilian clothes, but it was necessary to blend in. Now all he to do was figure out where he was and how to locate Scientia.

 Peering out from behind a large shipping container revealed that the city center was not close.  Damn, how was he going to get to the citadel? His step brothers that had made the journey were riding in a caravan of fancy cars.  Unless he wanted a beating, he would have to stay out of their sight. His presence alone would make them go full alpha at this point.

 He’d been strictly forbidden from journeying with them to Insomnia.  His eldest step-brother, Alban, had resorted to shouting when Prompto had requested to go with them.  He was an omega, and he was not fit to travel with the royal party. The visit was merely to mark the centennial anniversary of the peace treaty signed between the nations.   Hence the giving of gifts, such as the statue he’d been stuck traveling with.

 A terrible idea flitted through the blond’s mind when he saw the royal’s tall clothing case being loaded on a truck.  He needed to hide in their luggage. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to get past the gate at the citadel.

 Prompto copied moves from a spy movie he’d seen recently and tried his best to covertly run towards the truck before they closed the door.  He was nearly there when a group of airport workers appeared. They were coming his way, and they were looking for something.

 He watched in horror as the group of men, probably all alphas, began sniffing around.  Shit. They were sniffing for him! One issue with emitting scents was you could never smell your own.  A distressed omega was easy to smell, and these men were headed straight for him.

 He ducked down behind a box and tried his best to calm down.   This was spectacularly bad. They would catch him and would not believe his story.  He didn’t bring any documentation; he was simply an unclaimed omega. They would probably kidnap him or force themselves on him.  That thought made Prompto shudder.    

 They were close enough now that he could hear them talking. Then suddenly a surge of alpha scent clogged his nostrils.  It was pure lust, they weren’t even hiding it.  

 “I know I smell a fucking omega,” one man piped up with a gruff voice.

 “It’s strong.  Must have been a stowaway.”

 “That’ll mean more fun for us, then.” Another chuckled sadistically.   “They’ll have no one to help them.”

 Prompto had to bite his hand to keep from whimpering.  He most definitely didn’t want to get caught by these thugs.  Suddenly, he heard another man yelling farther away. The group of men grunted in response and tried to yell back.

 “We can’t help you right now, man.  We’re hunting for something.”

 The response that came was still too far away to really hear.   Whatever they’d been told made them grumble louder, but they started to walk away.

 “This sucks.  There’s an unclaimed omega out there hiding, and we won’t be able to come back until later to search.”

 Okay.  That decided it.  Prompto absolutely needed to get his butt on the truck heading towards the citadel.  Using another silly spy movie move, Prompto threw a rock he’d picked up at a container to make a loud noise.   The two men loading the luggage turned and watched for a few minutes. It was just enough time for the prince to scurry on board and hide behind a large suitcase.

 The near encounter with the gross alphas had shaken him; he was trembling and had to sit down.  Thankfully, the men finished loading a few minutes later, and the door was closed right after. Great.  Stuck in another dark cramped space. Sighing heavily, Prompto tried to gather his thoughts.

 They might check the truck when they got to the gate; he needed to hide again.  The one benefit to technically being in the royal family was that he knew the combo to the luggage lock.  Using his phone flashlight, he was able to squish into the tall clothing case. Hopefully he didn’t pass out before they reached the guest quarters.

 If they found him stashed in their luggage, he’d most likely get locked back up in the box.  That would be extremely unpleasant. His step brothers weren’t exactly known for their kindness towards him.

 Unable to stop shaking, Prompto focused on breathing slowly.   The space he was currently occupied felt even tighter than the wooden crate. All the clothing was pressing up against his body and triggering his claustrophobia something fierce.

 Again waiting for the voices outside to fade, he cautiously exited the luggage case. Prompto all but collapsed on the floor when he felt the rush of fresh air hit his face.   Assuming he looked a right mess, he only took a moment to catch his breath and then scrambled to find another hiding spot.

 He’d moved just in time.  The door to the guest suite swung in, and Alban strode in with his brother Otho.  They were having a heated discussion.

 “I told you not to let Porcius come.  He’s a total bore,” Otho complained. “The Lucians will kick us out if he continues on in this manner.”

 “Relax.  It will be over soon enough, and then we’ll be home.   Captain Drautos and the Marshal know he’s harmless. They’ll escort him away from people, if need be.  So enjoy the food for now and the banquet tomorrow night. It’s the one time a year we get to have a taste of all the pretty Lucian girls they invite,” Alban commented.

 “Yeah, easy for you to say. They flock to you, since you’re first in line.  All those pretty girls want is to be queen.”

 Alban laughed.  “True, true. . . but you never know. I could actually meet someone worthy one of these visits.”

 “I doubt it, Alban.  You’re an absolute prick.” Otho snickered.

 It sounded like the two had resorted to shoving each other as the conversation died out.  The sound of the door opening and closing again indicated they’d left. Peering out from the drapery stack he’d been standing behind revealed an empty room.  He still had to get out and into the citadel to find Scientia. Staring at the door to the suite revealed an issue; he had no way of knowing who, if anyone, was in the hallway.

 There had to be an access corridor somewhere for the staff.  He simply needed to find that. After about twenty minutes and a few pinched fingers, Prompto found another door.  This one was expertly hidden in a wall of books. Shoving the secret door open, he stumbled out into a clinically lit concrete hallway.  The sound of the door latching and locking behind him caused Prompto to panic. Shit, how was he supposed to get back into the room now?

 He had no map and no idea where to go.  Opting to slowly wander the endless corridors, Prompto spent the next two hours hopelessly lost.  He was tired and thirsty and starting to wish he’d never hatched this hair-brained scheme.

 A small creaking sound would catch Prompto’s attention every so often, and he was starting to worry that this mind was playing tricks on him.  A moment later, he was being roughly tackled to the hard floor. He wasn’t sure whether to be grateful he wasn’t actually mad or just plain scared to death.

 Prompto had been trained to fight, but he had no one to spar with, so his skills were terrible.  The person who had attacked him was the total opposite. He even knew how to use magic – wait. That could only mean one thing.

 He’d been found by the last person he wanted to see: Noctis Lucis Caelum.  

 “What are you doing? What’s your mission?” Noctis growled in his ear as he pinned him to the cold ground.

 The Lucian prince had a knee in his back to keep him in place, and after a second, Prompto realized he was securing his wrists behind his back.  That act alone caused the blond to truly panic. “No, no! Please don’t do that. Don’t hurt me!” he wailed. His fear was taking over.

 “Well, tell me who you are, and maybe I’ll be nicer,” the prince retorted.

 Prompto couldn’t think straight and lied.  “I’m a servant for the Argentum family. Please, I got lost, don’t hurt me!”

 “Pffft, like I’m gonna believe that. Come on, buttercup.  You’re coming with me until I get you properly I.D’d,” Noctis announced as he briskly pulled Prompto upright and forced him to walk down the hall.

 Time blurred in Prompto’s mind, and after what felt like an hour but was probably closer to a few minutes, he was being shoved in a fancy wing chair.  Before he was able to register what was happening, Noctis had tied his ankles together as well.

 “Sit still and keep quiet.  I’m calling for backup.”

 Prompto wanted the chair to swallow him whole; this was so, so bad.  He pulled at his bonds slightly to test them. Noctis had done a good job.  He was stuck. He was aware of the prince on a call with someone. He caught the tail end of the conversation.

 “I found him wandering the back private corridors.” He paused as the other person spoke.  “I don’t know, Specs. Just come and help me figure it out, please.”

 The call ended shortly after, and Prompto was forced to wait. He hoped he wouldn’t pass out.  The anxiety alone was going to stop his heart. It wasn’t true, though; his heart was going to explode.  He had only to wait on their next visitor to prove it. The door to the room gracefully swung open and in stepped Scientia.

 Prompto’s mind was awash with emotion.  His rehearsed speech for Scientia was leaking out of his brain as the seconds ticked by.  It was being swept away by fear. The blond hadn’t taken into account one major thing: Scientia was an alpha.  He’d gotten the wrong information on the advisor. Based off the look Noctis was giving the man, he knew what had happened.

 Foolish omega that he was, he’d assumed Noctis was an alpha and Scientia a beta.  As he sat trembling in the chair, he saw his mistake clear as day. It was the reverse.  Alpha’s were a problem for him - a very big problem. When Noctis had tackled him, he’d been so caught off guard that it didn’t register that Noctis didn’t smell like an alpha.

 Most interactions with alphas went terribly for Prompto - so much so that he tried to avoid them all together. Hiding in his quarters and rarely making public appearances helped, but he was on his own right now.      

 What transpired next was unexpected, as Ignis stood near the door and dumbly looked from Noctis and back to Prompto.  “Noct, may I ask why on Eos you have decided to assault the crown prince of Niflheim?”

 “Wha – no—I’ve met them all, and he isn’t one of them,” Noct spit out in disbelief.

 “I can assure you, Highness, that this is Prince Argentum the thirteenth in line for the throne of Niflheim.”

 Noct was speechless as he stared at Prompto.  “Nooo, I would have remembered that. He looks nothing like them!” The prince was scrambling, trying to save face.  “I do read the briefings you give me. I’m not that bad!”  

 Ignis turned back to face Prompto. “Highness, do forgive prince Noctis. He can be lacking in manners at times, but I can assure you he means well.”  The advisor started walking over to his side of the room.

 Prompto yelped and shook his head vehemently.  “Stay away from me! Don’t hurt me!”

 This stopped Ignis in his tracks as a look of pure confusion bloomed on his pale face. “Highness, you’re safe. I can assure you of that. I won’t hurt you.”  He edged a little closer, seeming to test for a reaction. This also allowed the advisor to clearly see Prompto’s feet.  

 Still reeling from the whole experience, Prompto tried to curl in on himself. He wanted to hide.   But in an instant, the mood changed. The air was thick with the smell of an angry alpha.

 Ignis’ voice rang out loudly. “Noctis Lucis Caelum, why have you restrained him?!  For six sake, I can’t handle this right now! Go fetch me a glass of water. Now!” He growled.

 Stealing a glance at the dark-haired prince, the blond could tell that this reaction from Scientia was extremely rare.  The prince of Lucis looked like a kicked puppy. His eyes were wide, and he backed away quickly to leave the room. Looking back to Scientia, Prompto was expecting the anger to merely be redirected to him.  However, the advisor simply closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The scent in the room changed again, and Prompto could feel himself calming down.

 He whined softly, since he didn’t really understand what was going on.  When Scientia opened his eyes again, he seemed more relaxed.

 “Highness.  If I may, I would like to release you.” Scientia stated as he waited for Prompto to agree.

 Prompto’s brain was mush. He couldn’t think straight anymore, but he did know he wanted to be untied.  He just had to risk letting this alpha touch him. “Promise you won’t hurt me?” he questioned again quietly.

 “I promise.” Scientia replied, still waiting for permission to approach.

 Nodding slowly, Prompto still couldn’t help but flinch when Ignis began walking over.  He closed his eyes and waited. The rope at his feet was loosened first, and he felt a strong but gentle touch squeeze his calf.  Daring to crack his eyes open, he was surprised to find Ignis kneeling on the floor beside him.

 The very idea of an alpha kneeling before an omega would have made his step brothers cringe.  Yet, here was one doing just that. Prompto allowed Ignis to coax him forward in the chair so he could reach his hands.    

 “Are you injured in any way?  I can secure a potion for you, if necessary,” the alpha asked from where he was still crouched on the floor.

 Shaking his head, Prompto leaned back in the chair and rubbed his wrists.  Noctis finally came back into the room with a glass of water. He stalled out a few steps from them as if waiting for permission.

 Ignis sighed and motioned him over.  “I’m not cross with you, Noct. It’s merely a diplomacy nightmare when you accidentally attack a visiting prince.”

 “No one knows I’m here,” Prompto offered right away. “I wasn’t supposed to come on this trip.”

 The prince of lucis made an odd grunting noise and looked at Ignis with a ‘I told you so’ expression.

 Ignis rolled his eyes and pointed at the glass of water.  “I do believe our guest might be thirsty.”

 Once Prompto had secured the glass with both hands, he nearly gulped its whole contents down.  Then, in a flash, his insecurities came flooding back. What if they were drugging him? He must have looked distressed, or maybe he’d started emitting a scent, because in an instant the advisor was in his line of sight with a concerned look.

 Oddly enough, it was Prince Noctis who figured out the issue.   His solution was to snatch the glass back and take a sip. “It’s not been tampered with. It’s just water.” He finished, then set the glass down on the coffee table.  “I’m sorry I tackled you. I really didn’t recognize you.”

 Unable to respond due to his nerves, Prompto focused on breathing.  The calm feeling from earlier was still permeating his senses and helping.  Unfortunately, his journey was over almost before it had begun. Now that he’d been caught, there was no choice but to face his step-brothers’ wrath and hope the punishment wasn’t too severe.   Scientia being an alpha had wrecked his plan. Prompto wasn’t sure he could handle working with one.

 “So I suppose I’ll have to fess up for delaying you, huh?” The prince pondered from where he leaned against the sofa arm.

 “Um – you don’t have to say anything.  I can go back to the room by myself.” Prompto hoped they might let him walk out of there without issue.

 “What if you get lost again?  I can’t let that happen. Now that I know who you are, I really need to make sure you stay in good hands,” Prince Noctis announced.

 “Highness, may I inquire as to how you arrived here?” Scientia asked, looking at Prompto.

 The blond tried his best to not look at the floor when he answered, but it was so hard with Scientia’s green eyes staring right at him.  “I snuck aboard the drop ship in the cargo area.”

 Noct leaned forward at the comment and looked slightly shocked. “I thought when you said that no one knew you were here, you only meant you came on a different ship.  Not that you stowed away!”

 Shaking his head, Prompto lost the battle to continue looking at the advisor.  He averted his eyes, focusing on the floor instead. Scientia hadn’t moved from his position.  Prompto didn’t know why, but it was comforting to not be talked down to.

 Ignis seemed lost in thought and eventually repositioned himself to sit on the coffee table.  “Might it be more prudent for you to remain hidden while you’re here? I’m sure we can arrange a covert transport to take you back home.”    

 Hardly able to believe what he was hearing, Prompto nearly fell out of his chair.  “You mean it?” he asked, wide-eyed.

 “Why would that make a difference? His family is here - wouldn’t that be a better way to get home?” Prince Noctis asked, perplexed.

 Scientia pursed his lips and looked up at the prince.  “I trust that you have at least been able to deduce that Prince Argentum is an omega, correct?”

 “Well, yeah, of course, wha --.”

 “Then you should also be aware that the royal family of Niflheim is headed mostly by alphas.  Who happen to have a rather dated opinion of omegas. Which is rather upsetting considering that one of their own is of that dynamic.”

 The Lucian prince addressed Prompto directly for his next bevy of questions.  “So you would prefer that none of your brothers know you’re here?”

 “Step-brothers,” Prompto corrected.

 “Sorry, but won’t someone notice you’re missing back home if you are gone for more than a day?”

 “Not really.  I mostly stay in my room,” the blond mumbled.

 “The queen perhaps? Might you like to get a message to her?” Scientia asked kindly.

 Prompto sighed. “My mum already knows.  I knew she’d come looking for me, so I told her my plan.”

 “Yeah, that was my next question. What on Eos would you come here for?”  Noct blurted.

 The truth was easy to say, but Prompto knew he would be laughed at if he admitted his real reason for coming, so he lied again.  “Uh, I just really wanted to see the capital city. I’ve never been.”

 Prince Noctis scowled at the response.  “That sounds a little lame to me, but I guess everyone has their own dreams.”

 “Noctis!” Scientia exclaimed.  “Why are you being so crass today? What has gotten into you?”

 The prince of Lucis rolled his eyes and looked away.  Clearly he’d been around Ignis for a long time to treat him that way and not get reprimanded.

 The advisor frowned and made to stand up.  “I will work on securing transport for you to return home.  Would you be alright staying here with Noctis for now?”

 Prompto thought for a second and was working through his fears. Noctis didn’t seem that bad. He was a beta and had the chill demeanor of one to match.  If the prince didn’t mind him staying, then he did feel safe there. “I would like to stay, if it’s alright.” he responded meekly.

 Scientia looked to the dark-haired prince and waited for an answer.  Prince Noctis shrugged noncommittally. “I thought all visitors to my suite had to go through a background check first.”  It appeared to Prompto that the lucian prince was trying to point out a mistake to Scientia.  

 The royal advisor raised an eyebrow and turned to Noctis. “What makes you think I have not done this already?  Prince Prompto was on the list of possible guests so he has already undergone the background check.”    

 “Oh.” Noctis mumbled, “I don’t mind if he stays then.  It will be nice to have someone else around.” He finished.

 “Very well, then.  I will return once I have more information.   Noct, I believe you may need to order dinner soon.  I have a feeling our fair-haired friend here may be getting hungry.”

 As if on cue, Prompto’s stomach growled loudly, and he could feel his face flushing.  “So you won’t tell my step-brothers I’m here?” he confirmed again, still slightly scared of what would happen if they found out.  

 “Your safety is important.  I will endeavor to keep your presence hidden while you are visiting, Highness.” Ignis offered with a small bow.  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must get back to work.”  

 As quickly as the man had breezed into his life, he waltzed back out.  Scientia was gone, and Prompto wasn’t sure he’d see him again. He was a coward for not saying anything about his real reason for coming. Maybe he saw the bond that already existed between Noct and his advisor. They were close, and he knew Scientia wouldn’t leave his position.  No money on Eos would convince him otherwise. That much was obvious.

 Noct’s waving hand suddenly appeared in his vision.  “Hey, you okay there? Um – do you want to play some video games while we wait for dinner?”

 “Huh? Sorry, uh – yeah, sure, that sounds like fun.”

 “Don’t tell Iggy I had to ask, but what is your first name?”

 “Who’s Igg—y?” Prompto tried out the name on his lips.

 “Ignis, my advisor. The tall dude who invoked the power of the gods on my ass earlier when he asked for water.”  

 “Oh. My name is Prompto.”

 Prince Noctis sighed and seemed to relax a little.  “That’s a good name. You can call me Noct, by the way.  All my friends do.”

 Prompto was slightly stunned by that admission as he followed Noct into another room and watched the prince get his game system ready.  Maybe he was wrong to assume he wouldn’t get along with the other prince. Getting comfy on the couch, he accepted a gaming controller and proceeded to tune out the real world.

 For the first time he actually felt at ease.  Maybe he would survive his adventure yet.

> Next Chapter 2

[janiedean]

Honestly, I would like to hear you rant about Brienne's s5 storyline and her killing Stannis. It felt weird to me that in the book there's this whole thing with Lady Stoneheart wanting revenge and using Brienne as a tool to to try and get it tho she probably won't get it, and then in the show it's Brienne still seeking revenge for Renly and actually getting it. Like there's a "revenge isn't actually a good thing" theme that got lost along the way.

... lmao.

well okay this is not for renly fans so just so you know, you’re warned.

now.

I don’t have.... like, anything specific against renly nor I think he’s a Bad Person which is why in modern aus I just let him be his best version, but.. canon renly Is An Asshole when it concerns his brother, his niece and brienne and that’s A Thing because like sorry but skipping succession ‘because no one likes you but they like me’ is not a good reason to do anything, ‘my niece is so ugly ew grayscale’ is just bottom level of being... let’s just say vapid, and it’s canon that the reason he keeps brienne around is not that he cares about her, it’s because he knows she’s good at what she does and doesn’t want nothing in return and actually would die for him, which........

considering that brienne would have died for renly because he was nice to her once and danced with her which is like bare minimum for decent human being, sorry if I side-eye this narrative that renly believed in her etc because sorry guys renly in asoiaf canon didn’t give a single fuck about that;

specifically, when it comes to brienne renly is that one crush you get at some point that you’re in love with the idea of, not with the person they actually are, and as someone wise said on some post once, brienne thought she would die for him and didn’t and didn’t know she could die for jaime but she immediately knew when she had the choice, so I think that just seals it, but ahead with that...

affc is also about brienne getting over renly because she was in love with the idea of renly, not with renly himself, never mind that renly wasn’t in love with her anyway and could have never been. like, all of her affc povs are about that. she thinks about him less and less, she superimposes jaime on him like ffs when she’s naked in the bath she has to MAKE HERSELF THINK ABOUT RENLY, at some point she dreams of renly’s death except it’s jaime in his place, then jaime puts renly’s cloak on her shoulders and at the end of it when she has that dream which is sort of very similar to jaime’s in asos where he sees people he thinks he disappointed and she sees renly and cat.... well. it’s because she thinks she disappointed them, or that she failed them, but she’s plain not in love with him (or his idea of) anymore;

now, she also swore to cat she’d kill stannis in revenge for him... and she’s never so much as thought about it. ffs there is ONE single instance of brienne thinking about stannis in affc. THIS ONE:He shrugged. "Sometimes. At tourneys, from afar. Once at Baelor's Sept. The gold cloaks shoved us aside so he could pass. Another time I was playing near the Mud Gate when he come back from a hunt. He was so drunk he almost rode me down. A big fat sot, he was, but a better king than these sons of his."They are not his sons. Stannis told it true, that day he met with Renly. Joffrey and Tommen were never Robert's sons. This boy, though . . . "Listen to me," Brienne began. Then she heard Dog barking, loud and frantic. "Someone is coming."IT’S WHEN SHE RECOGNIZES THAT GENDRY IS ROBERT’S SON AND THAT STANNIS WAS RIGHT WHEN HE SAID TOMMEN AND MYRCELLA WEREN’T HIS. that’s it. that’s all brienne has to think about stannis in affc. she doesn’t think about killing him once.guess why? because meanwhile she’s found better things to think about and she doesn’t feel the need to avenge renly as much as she feels the need to fulfill her vow to catelyn and jaime and she’s fucking over renly and she has realizes at least subconsciously that guess what she didn’t want to die for him;

the entire point was that she is over her crush on a guy who might have been decent to her though it was the bare minimum anyone should have shown her but who didn’t give two shits about her personally and that she thought she could and would die for, and sorry if being willing to die for someone because he danced with you isn’t healthy as much as people don’t want to accept the fact that brienne has Issues with the capital I;

therefore, the moment the show dragged her north FOR RENLY and OMG I HAVE TO KILL STANNIS FOR RENLY before getting her stuck watching a tower for a season for that crap joke of a winterfell storyline and don’t get me started on how they made brienne’s sl secondary to sansa for three seasons when surely her point in her narrative is not that ita) ignored that brienne had a character arc that included getting over renlyb) elevated renly to sainthood (forget saint tyrion) because it implied that yes he was that nice dancing with her so yes he deserves her avenging his death when sorry but what the fucking fuck he just paid her the bare minimum it didn’t mean she should have joined his army for it or that she should avenge him for having being a decent person oncec) made it look like renly actually gave a shit about her for real when lmao nod) trashed lady stoneheart when as you said they lost the REVENGE IS A BAD IDEA theme and all that she brought with bc stoneheart is fundamental for both jaime and brienne as characters but hey let’s just stick brienne serving other people without a personal storyline and let’s not let jaime have his arc because what the fuck amritee) missed all of the themes in her affc arc because where was meribald? where was the anti-war message? where was the fact that brienne is a vulnerable person with doubts? we saw none of that shit except oMG SHE KILLED STANNIS BADASSSSS. yeah, no. character assassination my old friend here we are;

now, specifically re stannis: what angers me on a molecular level in that choice, not counting the fact that never in my life I ever want to see character #1 I relate to in a series (and period) kill character #2 I relate to in that same series without any goddamned reason to do that but that’s personal is that....... since brienne doesn’t give a fuck about avenging renly anymore in the book it’s very likely that if she and stannis meet again they might actually like talk about things and now I’mma give you the other hot take of the year....

... which is that I would like it if people saw that actually if brienne were to get along with one baratheon brother, she and stannis would have a lot more chances to hit off than she and renly ever could have because sorry but:a) they’re both introverts with huge issues communicating with others who also have been treated like shit for their entire lives based on people judging them before they opened their mouthb) as much as brienne isn’t THAT hard on it she has a sense of justice that he’d definitely appreciatec) if we assume that a guy with a daughter with grayscale whom renly also referred to as ‘that ugly daughter of his’ who is considered disfigured by everyone who still treats her like his only heir and doesn’t gaf about her looks would give two shits about brienne’s looks and not about her skills instead then we assume wrong nvm that stannis has a hand who used to be an illiterate commoner and melisandre used to be a slave like.... come on he’d definitely treat her with respect and not just because he needs herd) reverse, if she saw how he is with his daughter thaaat might remind her of her father not having forced her to marry eventually and agreeing to let her join renly/learn swordfighting instead I mean... come one) never mind that as stated before both of them are way more similar when it comes to take your vows seriously than notlike........... okay but with these premises if they meet when they need all the men they can spare to fight the white walkers I’d presume they will actually talk about renly’s death and get an understanding, not that she’ll take out a sword and impale him there especially if it’s post lady stoneheart which is the point in her sl where she 100% understands you can’t follow all of your vows and you will have to choose at some point (btw she chose jaime already over stoneheart and we all know it bye)...

which means that having her kill him in the show after a thing they made happen from 0 to 180 just to make him look irredeemable, for renly when brienne doesn’t gaf in the books anymore and reinforcing this - excuse me - bullshit narrative of saint renly who was the ideal king and never did anything wrong except trying to pass over stannis who was ahead of him in the line and further creating drama in that damned war because his brother didn’t happen to be immediately likable (nvm that I have issues with the fact that renly doesn’t even seem to remember having been at storm’s end during the siege which means that stannis made sure he actually had to eat while everyone else was starting to consider cannibalism but hey who cares that my brother almost died and never let me starve with the entirety of the castle I’ll now go and stab him in the back because NAAAH WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT HIM? sorry but what the fucking fuck) while stannis was an asshole who eventually got what he deserved because he wasn’t fun amrite will never not irk me to a molecular level because that wasn’t brienne’s storyline anymore and it hasn’t been since asos, the renly vs stannis situation is way more complicated than renly was nice and stannis was an asshole, stannis is nowhere near the piece of cardboard dnd think he is and the fact that both characters didn’t move on from their renly-related trauma but that it went down in the cheapest most ooc way ever should have woken people up about how dnd couldn’t be trusted for shit with these books if the WF adaptation of the adwd storyline hadn’t showed that already.

tldr: it was ooc and an insult to both characters and also can we stop with the saint renly narrative, thanks.