#old man vikus

[haveihitanerve]

Gregor: I’m fine.

Ripred: Lol, no you’re not. But lucky for you, I don’t care. Wanna go fight other rats?

—

Ares: I’m fine.

Luxa: Okay, I thought you were fine, but now I’m worried.

—

Gregor: I’m fine.

Howard: Is no one going to mention the fact that he’s bleeding from a stab wound?

—

Luxa: I’m fine.

Aurora: Going by historical precedent, I have the feeling I should’ve called Howard an hour ago.

—

Ripred: I’m fine.

Vikus: Perhaps I should invest in a dictionary. It seems that this entire family lacks an understanding of basic English vocabulary.

[fuckable-old-man-battle]

[quohotos]

Favorite underland chronicles character?

Shoot, that's a tough question.

The short answer is Ares. He's the best boy.

The long answer is that Hamnet does so much for the series. His introduction really marks this point of no return where both Gregor and the series as a whole has matured. He dispels all of the notions that have been built up by this point and reality checks everything that's happening. He confronts all the violence and war for the horrible crime that it is, he confronts the evil of the regalians that Vikus is sickened by but ultimately enables. He also is the only god damn person down here who treats Gregor like the child he is. He's the only one that acknowledges that Gregor shouldn't be here doing this, that he's just a little guy.

The fact that war finds him anyways, that he dies fighting is just so tragic. He's not vindicated by the narrative, war is terrible but even he couldn't escape it. Sometimes war just happens to you, and you never get a choice in it. War takes good people from us, and we so rarely get a say in that.

Ares is also a person who never got a say in it all, and it's so tragic they never got to meet. Ares was picked my a real piece of shit to be his bond simply because he was bigger and stronger than his peers. He never really felt at home in Luxa's friend group, he was really just being used, but he adapted and made the best of a bad situation. He wasn't really in a position to turn Henry down, and by being his bond he was lifted into proximity to royalty and wealth. All he had to do was grin and bare it, and learn to have some fun along the way.

But Henry was bad. He treated him like a subservient animal. Ares was *Henry's* bat. Something about that just resonates deeply with me on a personal level. It's so compelling. Being trapped in this scenario where someone close to you is a peice of shit but you can't do anything about it because you owe everything to this person. I mean, the fact that Henry didn't even tell Ares about their plans shows how little he thought their bond was mutual.

So Ares does the right thing, he saves Gregor instead... But it haunts him. Henry betrayed him first, but he still gets tired for treason because at the end of the day there's a hierarchy and a human matters more than a flyer. He's at peace with that, he doesn't want to live... And then Gregor saves him. God, all the confusing feelings that must have invoked.

Gregor really wasn't the best bond to him. He was gone so often, Ares was just alone and struggling and even though Gregor wouldn't always be there for Ares you bet your ass Ares would be there for Gregor.

I have a really soft spot for characters that just take a beating from the world and keep on going, keep on choosing to be better for everyone else's sake. Seeing him and Gregor come together and be a team makes me feel things, man. I know Mareth gets to have the official role of "I wish you could have been my older brother" but damn, Ares should have gotten that. He was Gregor's big bat brother and he learned to love that kid.

Except for curse of the warm bloods, Ares was there for all of it. He went on every quest with the warrior, and he had to confront all the same horrors. I think back to the whole sequence in the labyrinth, how he also struggled with what to do when they found the bane, how he also felt somber retracing their old steps to find Ripred.

I always feel drawn to the second fiddle characters in media (don't even get me started on Norm Spellman from Avatar). So Ares is my favorite, hands down... Him being an adorable yet deadly bat is also a factor let's be honest.

Hamnet is the most *interesting* character, but Ares is my favorite.

[rocksinmuffin]

I won't ask much! Just Fem!Reader proving to a Krogan crush of her than she is worthy warrior to pursue his heart.

“Can’t you just, I dunno, write him a love note like a normal person?” asks your dear friend Vikus, big eyes darting nervously and wringing his fingers.

You roll your eyes. “Like I’m going to take dating advice from a fourteen-year-old.”

“I’m a fully matured adult by salarian standards and mentally older than you and you know that!”

“Besides,” you continue, paying his offended squawking little mind, “You can’t just write a love note for a man like Thrux. Believe me, I tried, and he just laughed at me.”

And maybe that should have been the end of it. For most people, it would be. But most people haven’t seen Thrux or his pretty green eyes or his impressive orange crest or the pretty way he smiles when he comes into the bar with his armor covered in new scratches and vorcha blood.

“A man like Thrux deserves to be romanced like a real krogan,” you answer, tone thick with resolve.

“You realize you’re not a krogan, right? Like, it is very likely you won’t survive this. You realize that, yes?”

You nod your head, ready to do the absolute stupidest most batshit insane thing you will ever do in your life.

Vikus sighs, getting into position. “Your funeral.”

Or your wedding, you think optimistically. Either way, you ready yourself, waiting for Vikus’ signal to let you know that Thrux is approaching.

You take a deep breath, in, out. Listen for the heavy footfalls of Thrux’s gait, then, when he’s close enough, lunge for him with your combat knife drawn.

The blade pierces the back of his hump, sinking in several inches before he’s fully registered the attack. Once he does, he retaliates immediately, slamming you against the alley wall hard enough to bruise a rib and send your skull smacking hard enough you see stars. A hand circles around your throat and you’re slammed back into that wall a second time, then lifted up high enough your feet don’t touch the ground.

There’s a flash of rage in Thrux’s eye that is as beautiful as it is terrifying. Then it’s gone, replaced with recognition and maybe just a hint of curiosity as he simply says, “It’s you.”

“It’s me,” you try to say but with the fist wrapped around your throat all that comes out is a high-pitched wheeze.

“Listen up, whelp,” he says in that tone that leaves you breathless, though maybe that’s still just his fist preventing oxygen from entering your lungs, “I don’t know what could have possessed you to think you could ever take me in a fight, but you better have a damn good reason if you want to keep your head on your shoulders.”

Thrux releases his grip just enough to let you breathe, still holding you in place with one arm like you’re a rag doll, and you suck in a deep breath of air then answer, “I have a crush on you and wanted to impress you so will you go out with me????”

He snorts. “Impress me? This little scratch won’t even leave a scar. But it takes a set of quads to jump into a battle you can’t win.”

Thrux gets a thoughtful look in his eyes. It’s an expression you’ve never seen from him before. He finally lets go of you and it takes all your energy to stay standing when you land on your feet.

He starts walking away, turns back to you when he realizes you’re still standing there and gestures for you to follow him. “Come with me, whelp.”

You perk up. “Are we going on a date?”

“Combat training,” he answers.

Just as well. For krogans, the two might as well be one and the same. With a bounce in your step you follow after him, giving Vikus a subtle thumbs up towards his hiding place.

[yesthefandomfreakblr]

Ok y'all remember Ripred mentioning Luxa being pushy as a baby?? how tf did he meet her? was he just having a secret meeting with vikus in regalia and the old man just "oh btw this is my granddaughter you should play with her while i go talk to some people" wtf how long has Ripred been getting tricked into babysitting?? surely not after she was like two or she'd remember him but dang. Just big scary Ripred getting yelled at by a one year old princess and playing dolls to shut her up i just- H A A A A X"D

>>seeing Luxa now<< wait ohh darn if Ripred had wanted to permanently mind-frikk and unnerve the 11 year old queen he could just say "you look just like your mother" "yeah i get that a lot >:(" >>names super specific instances that they reacted similarly too or mannerisms they share<< W A I T this is BONDING MATERIAL- just talks to luxa about her parents and answers all the questions he can because it's painful for vikus and solavet is not the sentimental type- a w w w w Luxa and Ripred and Aurora in the jungle, Luxa curled up against his side while he tells her comforting yet bittersweet stories about them until she falls asleep I- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[oneunexpected]

Gregor+friendship headcanon, and Hamnet+sad headcanon 👀😭💕

This got REEEEEALLY long.

Gregor + friendship headcanon:

-He doesn’t know what to do about Larry and Angelina when he gets back to the surface.

-the lie his family settles on is Lyme disease: they say both Gregor and his dad contracted it while camping back when the “miscommunication” between his mom and dad occurred (read: the first time Gregor and Boots fell), and it’s had chronic implications for the both of them.

-it makes it easier to explain why they decide to move in with his uncle in Virginia, too.

-he wants so badly to tell the truth. SO badly. But he’s unwilling, because if they believed him... what then? What do you do when your 12-year-old friend disappears and comes back a war veteran? And even then, what if they got too curious and sought out to find the Underland? Gregor can’t risk it.

-even though he figures it’s for the best, he always regrets it a little.

-after Gregor moves, they play video games together online. It’s a good way to stay in touch. That way, they spend some time together virtually, and any discussion outside of game strategy is relegated to the simple catch-up stuff: what projects they’re up to in school, how their families are doing, wild rumors they’ve heard. It helps everything feel a little more normal for Gregor.

-when he met Larry and Angelina, it was back when he was young enough that kids just made friends with whoever. By the time he gets to Virginia, though, friendships are made a lot more through clubs and mutual interests. There are plenty of random people who reach out to him when he first moves, though, concerned about the new kid, wanting to make sure he felt welcome. They’re all nice. Some of the friendships stick, some don’t. He fits in well enough with the band kids, though band’s inherently clique-y format makes it hard to break in at first. By high school, the scars on his legs are flat enough that he joins the cross country and track teams. Sometimes people question why he always wears long sleeve t-shirts, even in the sweltering heat, but they never push him past his generic excuses. He also joins the school robotics team. Between the three, he has lots of friends across the school.

-he’s not particularly close with many, though. His closest friends are a clarinet player, one of his track relay teammates, and a kid who was always cracking jokes in biology when they were stressed about upcoming tests.

-everyone knows there’s something a little off, but none of his friends mind that much. He’s kind, he’s clever, he’s a great sax player, he’s fast, and once again, he’s really kind—so who cares if he’s mysterious as hell.

-that changes when he loses control of raging and breaks a guy’s nose in the hallway during his 8th grade year. His fairly large circle of somewhat shallow friendships shrinks significantly—but those he’s closest to stay loyal, and they do their part to make sure he’s not ostracized. “Honestly, man, he had it coming,” says his friend from bio.

-it all makes things a little easier for Gregor. There’s still so much he’s healing from. There’s still so much that limits him. There’s still so much he misses, both in New York and the Underland. And it can be so alienating. But when he’s playing in a jazz ensemble, or when he’s at someone’s birthday party, or when he’s crammed into a car with some cross country buddies headed to get some fast food after a particularly exhausting practice—it’s all a little easier.

-sometimes, though, even the good moments hurt when he remembers just how different their lives are from his.

-he visits Larry and Angelina the summer before his senior year, and even though their video game shenanigans are few and far between by then, he’s relieved by how easy it is to be around them. They cover lost ground fast, fueled by their excitement to see one another. Angelina’s working as a stagehand on Broadway for the summer. Larry’s mom just bought him a new drawing tablet and he shows Gregor what he’s been working on. They spend hours just catching up and laughing. They’ve grown apart, sure, but the affection remains.

Hamnet + sad headcanon

Nothing I could headcanon would be sadder than actual canon, so I hope it’s alright if I take an alternate approach here:

-When he disappears, nobody asks Susannah how she’s doing that much.

-Maybe they think she’s removed from it, sequestered away in the Fount. Maybe her physical distance just puts her out of sight, out of mind.

-Maybe they think she’s too immersed in Howard and Stellovet and the twins on their way to really feel it.

-Maybe it’s because Judith and Hamnet were just so close. For Judith, it’s like losing a part of herself. “He was a part of me, too,” she sobs to York one night.

-Maybe, just maybe, it’s because she’s the eldest: she’s supposed to be the strong one, the caretaker, the first to sacrifice.

-Judith knows she has to stay strong. She is a queen. Her weakness is her people’s weakness, and losing their best commander is a vulnerability enough in itself.

-but she’s so angry, angry at her husband and her mother for organizing the attack, angry at her father and herself for not doing anything about it, angry at Hamnet for leaving her, oh, she’s furious at him.

-it doesn’t take long to strip the anger back. When you do, there is only the grief.

-when the baby is sleeping, when her husband is sleeping, she slips down into the abandoned nursery where she and Hamnet and the others her age were once cared for and wails.

-after a few weeks, she visits Susannah. They cling to each other in Susannah’s drawing room until the early hours of the morning, at first in silence, until Judith finally says, “I think I was too passive.” Susannah wants to laugh—everyone always said she was the passive one of the three.

-after that, it’s like a dam has broken. (Ooh, poor choice of words.) Susannah tells stories of when the twins were really little. There’s the time when Susannah was trying to feed baby Judith mashed sweet potatoes and Judith bit her, which had their mother in stitches of laughter even as she tried to scold Judith, the time four-year-old Hamnet refused to leave Susannah’s side during a festival because he was afraid of the people in costumes roaming about... there are many stories. Judith chimes in with her own. They laugh and cry and laugh and cry.

-the elephant in the room is the injustice of the attack itself. Neither one of them knows how to navigate it, but it fuels their confusion and it fuels their grief.

-Their father doesn’t know how to navigate it, either.

-Vikus knows he is culpable. It’s his job to make sure Regalians stay true to their word. It’s his job to balance out Solovet’s tendencies. It’s his job to look out for his children’s well-being. He’s failed. He’s complicit. And his son is gone.

-he knows, on some level, that the part of him that’s in Hamnet is what drove his son to leave. It’s what drove him insane in the first place, and it’s the reason he tried to save the drowning gnawers that day, too. Vikus doesn’t know how to sit with that knowledge. If his son was more like Solovet, maybe he would have lived.

-it wasn’t an easy birth. Solovet lost way too much blood and the twins were just so small when they were born. Even then, when her mind was clouded by hypovolemic shock, she couldn’t stand to see the doctors whisking them away. When she came to, someone had laid the twins in her arms, where they slept peacefully. Vikus beamed at her from a corner of the room. She was so, so proud.

-she never knew fear quite like she did when Mareth brought Hamnet home and he couldn’t recognize any of them. Couldn’t even speak. She never let on how scared she was, of course, but she felt it nonetheless. She was disappointed, too.

-when they received word Hamnet was missing, Solovet was immediately giving orders. “Check every route out from the city. Locate and interrogate every guard on duty last night. Send word to the Fount and Troy.” Find him.

-she knew they wouldn’t. He was too clever for that. As she goes to sleep that night, there’s a cold weight pressing in on her sternum. He could have been great, she thinks. He was so close.

Thanks for the ask! Headcanon meme found here.

[luxaofhesperides]

ghosts amongst us all

@tucweek DAY FOUR: AU DAY

also on ao3

Gregor used to think the apartment complex was haunted. He’d see faded, barely there people walking through walls or disappearing mid-step. He was so sure these were ghosts, until he mentioned them and found that no one else saw what he saw.

His dad carefully explained that while ghosts could be real, there were plenty of explanations of why their home wasn’t haunted. He spoke of old buildings and how weather affects them, how certain vibrations in the air made people anxious for no reason, how there were always people walking around that caused strange sounds.

Gregor never told his dad that it didn’t explain why he’d watch these see-through people, all pale and colorless, disappear before his eyes. He would think about it, but he’d never say it.

And so Gregor grew up, surrounded by ghosts-that-were-not-ghosts.

He never mentioned them again.

-

By the time he was eleven, Gregor knew better than to tell people about the things he’d see. It’s not like it mattered anyways; his dad had been missing for two years, and these ghosts-that-were-not-ghosts never bothered him.

(He had, once, tried to get a ghost-that-was-not-a-ghost’s attention, but it didn’t seem to see him. Didn’t notice him at all really. He stopped trying after that day.)

But he couldn’t ignore how it wasn’t just people he’d see disappearing around the apartment complex; sometimes he’d see giant bats vanish into the ceiling, or giant rats turn a corner and leave no trace behind. And sometimes, he’d see the ghosts-that-were-not-ghosts talk to each other. He could never hear what was being said, but they’d speak, gesturing wildly, with looks of distress clear on their faces.

Gregor would watch them interact, feeling like he was watching an old, soundless movie, and wonder what could make them so upset.

Not that it really mattered, in the end.

They’d disappear, and Gregor would go back to waiting for his dad to reappear.

-

Gregor dreams of falling, often. It’s one of his most common recurring nightmares. Falling, endlessly, into the void. He knows there are others around him but it’s too dark to see and it’s not like he can hear their screams above his own.

The other dreams he has tend to be less traumatizing. Some nights he’d dream of a young man in a flooded orchard, trying to save others. Or he’d dream of a young girl sitting silently in a large room, alone and silent, never moving.

Those dreams were harder to remember. All blurry around the edges and fading away quickly once he woke up.

What remained of the dreams, though, was the feeling of a noose tightening around his neck, a feeling that something horrible was going to happen/happening/already happened, and he’d be unable to fall asleep for the rest of the night.

So it takes a moment to remember that he’s not dreaming when he falls down the vent right behind Boots.

-

He laughs when Boots outsmarts the girl by poking her in the eye, but it dies in his throat the moment he gets close enough to see her eyes.

He remembers: a stone room with a large, empty bed in it. It looks unused.

He remembers: a young girl sitting in the corner of that room, never moving, never speaking.

He remembers: someone reaching out to her, and how she doesn’t respond.

“I know you,” Gregor says, “How are you real?”

“I beg your pardon?” she says — Luxa says, because, somehow, he knows her name.

“You’re the girl in the room, the one with the large bed and you’d always be in the corner and you’d never move. You’re her.”

Luxa’s eyes harden. The haughty persona she took on drops immediately as she tenses and stares him down.

“How do you know that, Overlander?” she all but growls out.

Gregor holds Boots closer to himself. “I don’t know. You’re not supposed to be real. There’s no way you’re real.”

“Explain yourself!”

“Calm yourself Luxa,” comes a voice from behind her. An old man with close-cropped silver hair walks forwards until he is between her and Gregor. “I am Vikus, Overlander. Tell me, are you from… New York City?”

Gregor’s seen this man before, but this is the first time he’s heard his name.

“I am. Who are you?”

“I am Vikus,” he repeats, but Gregor shakes his head. Before he can say anything else, Luxa cuts in.

“This Overlander knows things he should not, Vikus. Surely it is unwise to bring him in.”

Vikus looks over Gregor consideringly. “What do you mean?”

Gregor, desperate for answers and desperate for this dream to end, says, “I’ve seen you both in dreams. And I’ve seen you,” he gestures at Vikus, “Walking through the walls of my apartment. I didn’t think you were real.”

“Perhaps,” Vikus says, “We should discuss this more in a private space.”

And that’s that. That’s how Gregor enters Regalia: surrounded by the impossible, with two people he’s dreamed about on either side of him and Boots.

-

“That is impossible!” Luxa shouts with so much vehemence that Gregor moves Boots back a little. “He is an Overlander! There is no way he can know so much!”

“Calm yourself, Luxa,” Vikus says, “I have my suspicions, but I need Gregor to tell me more before I can be sure.”

“Um,” Gregor says, looking at the two argue; this is the first time he’s heard the ghosts-who-are-apparently-Underlands speak to each other. He’s so used to watching them mouth silent words that actually hearing their voices is jarring.

“Please, speak,” Vikus encourages as Luxa glares daggers into him.

“I’ve always thought they were ghosts.”

“Ghosts?”

“Dead people. Their spirits left behind because they had unfinished business. I’d see people like you, Underlanders, walking around or talking to each other, and they’d just disappear suddenly. Or I’d have dreams of people. I dreamt of you, Luxa, when you were little. I thought they were just dreams, though.”

Luxa’s stare loses it’s animosity. What’s left behind is shock.

“How can such a thing…” she mutters.

Vikus, on the other hand, looks less shocked and more resigned. “You are like our founder, Bartholomew of Sandwich. He, too, had these visions.”

“Excuse me?”

“Come, Gregor, there is much to explain to you.”

And that’s how Gregor finds out that not only is he some sort of psychic or prophet like Sandwich, but he’s their Warrior as well.

The invisible noose around his neck tightens.

-

“Overlander,” Luxa says once dinner is finished. Gregor stops and turns to face her. The hallway isn’t dark, but the torchlight casts shadows in strange ways that make deciphering the expression on her face difficult.

“You can just call me Gregor,” he says, hoisting Boots into his other arm, “Since Boots is an Overlander too.”

Luxa is silent for a moment before she says, “Very well.”

Gregor waits for her to continue, feeling more antsy as the silence stretches on. He wants to leave Regalia as soon as possible, look for a way out, and Luxa is keeping him from doing that. He worries that she might know his plans, but there’s no way. He’s been too careful, and he’s gotten good at lying since his father disappeared.

“I want to ask you,” she begins, then stops. “The prophecy. Vikus believe I will be a part of it. I want to know…”

“You can ask,” Gregor says, “I won’t get mad or anything.”

“Thank you. I am trying to find the words. Please give me a moment.”

Gregor goes to respond, but something moves in the corner of his eye and he settles for nodding before turning his attention to the side of the hallway.

It’s… another vision-ghost-thing. He’d thought they would stop now that he’s in the Underland and surrounded by the people he once thought were ghosts. But here is another see-through Underlander, pale and colorless. She stumbles into the light, away from the wall, and Gregor stops breathing.

She’s covered in blood. There are long slashes that cut into her side and her arms. Her left leg is useless, dragging on the stone behind her.

Gregor knows with horrible certainty that she will die.

“Luxa?” he asks, “There’s no one else here with us right now, right?”

“No, there is not. We are the only people here. Do you see something?” Her voice sounds a little… off, but Gregor can’t tear his eyes away from the dying woman to look at her.

“She’s going to die. She’s losing to much blood.”

The moment the words leave his mouth, she vanishes. Gregor’s throat feels tight. His lungs aren’t getting enough air, his ribcage growing smaller and smaller and slowly suffocating him.

Luxa, when he finally looks at her, is grim. Her head is bowed and her shoulders are tense.

“What will become of us on this journey?” she asks.

Gregor thinks of the blood, of the warnings the other Underlanders have given him, of how ghost-like his visions are. He thinks of the ever-growing feeling of despair that haunts him, how the invisible noose around his neck has never been tighter, and knows, more than he’s ever know anything before, that whatever comes next will only be the beginning of the end.

“Nothing good,” Gregor says. “I don’t think much of us will survive what comes next.”

-

He’s right. He hates that he’s right.

That doesn’t bring back the dead.

[derpypig31]

Gregor The Overlander

Wanna know what I love most about this series?((other than the lit shit that happens and Ripred))

I love that the most badass and essential people there, are women.

A badass war leader by the name of Sollovet. Married to Vikus, the sweetest old man who hardly wishes to fight. She can be a very kind and soft person, but then BOOM BITCH! She’s a badass and strong warrior.

A strong and independent queen by the name of Luxa. With her beauty and grace, she’s talented with her fighting abilities and sassiness. She’s very independent and fights back when she needs to. At times she can be ignorant((the mice during Gregor And The Marks Of Secret)), be she can be reined in. She is also very loving and very troubled, she’s gone through a fuckton in her life and everyone is proud of her.

I’m only naming these two because they are in all of the books but there are other women in the series who are absolutely fantastic. Some of the others are: Boots, Grace((Gregor’s mom)), Dulcet, Lapblood, Twitchtip, etc

[haveihitanerve]

Vikus, about the Questers: if they all jumped off a cliff, would you? Gregor: with all due respect, Vikus, my mom raised a leader, an innovator, a dumbass, I’d be the first one to jump off that fucking cliff.

[haveihitanerve]

DAY THREE: CROWN

“We will now, and forever call you, Queen Luxa, of Regalia.” Luxa tried her best to smile as the heavy golden crown was placed atop her head. All her life she had worn that thin band. Been a Princess. She had even enjoyed sometimes, as a child. Being royalty. That was before her parents death. Before everyone she loved died and she had to struggle through queenship at the age of eight. The crown was a weight on her head, heavy with her responsibility and all that she had lost to gain it. Aurora, still faithful as ever, brushed her golden wing against her side in silent comfort. Luxa knew her bat knew what she was thinking. Luxa let her gaze sweep out across the many smiling faces looking up at her, and searched for one. She knew she would not find it. “Wrong direction Your Highness.” drawled a rather rough voice at her side. “Or should i say, Majesty.” luxa smiled, a real smile, and turned to look at her second bond, his nose so low in an extravagant bow that it was touching the floor. “Ripred.” she greeted. She cocked her head. “What mean you?” ripred nodded off to the corner of the room, standing again. “Wrong direction.” he merely repeated. Suddenly a hush fell onto the crowd and luxa turned. Her heart stopped dead. STanding in the corner, his head covered by a cloak as though not to reveal his presence, stood the warrior. He smiled at her, slipping the cloak off his shoulders. “Knew i couldn't escape it forever.” he said, and made his way towards her. The crowd obligingly parted for him. “How.” luxa whispered. Gregor smiled, reaching her. “Well, i promised id be here didn't i?” yes. Yes he had promised her. He had held her close one night and whispered, whispered it in her ear so she might never forget. ‘Ill be there luxa. I will stand at your side and we will be coronated together. I promise my benevolent queen’ he looked at the crown on her head a bit sheepishly. “Well, i guess i didn't really stick it through fully.” Vikus, her beloved grandfather, smiled. “Oh, but theres no harm in doing it again.” the room suddenly got deathly silent. All chatter, that had been quiet before, immediately stopped. Gregor swallowed. Ripred stepped aside and gregor slowly knelt, his eyes on luxas. Vikus made no long speech, said nothing more than, “will you now and forever keep to our Queens side and protect the Underland as long as you shall live?” Gregor swallowed but nodded. “With all the loyalty of my Beloved bond Ares.” he whispered. Vikus nodded, pleased. “Then i now crown you, Gregor, the Warrior, the Sun of the Son, King, of the Underland.” Then the old man placed a crown, matching luxa’s (where they had it from she had no idea it hadn't been there a second ago)onto gregors head and he stood. Cheers erupted. Gregor grinned, turning to smile at her. “That wasn't so bad was it?” he asked with his signature smirk. “And i kept my promise.” Luxa smiled back, a real smile, full of joy and hope and pressed herself against his side, feeling safe for the first time in a while as his arm wrapped around her waist. “Yes.” she said softly, smiling up at her King. It was then that luxa realized why Crowns had pairs. Perhaps, with him at her side, it was not such a heavy burden to bear.

[oneunexpected]

I love Free Day because it means I can do Whatever I Want and I get to rb it to tucweek along with the incredible art pieces and insightful analysis other people have made and mine’s just, like, TUC as vines.

Anyway. Here’s the definitive power ranking of all minor characters* in the Underland Chronicles. It's quite long, because I tried to use every character.

Icarus -this DUUUUDE. This GUYYYYY. SUCKS! -“uh-oh looks like I’m infected with the plague better fly directly into a social gathering” -would be an anti-masker probably  0/10

Reekwell and Gushgore -Fangor and Shed part two, but unfunny this time. 1/10 y’all suck give me Fangor and Shed back

Purvox -Purvox is apparently a beautiful red spider who teaches Hazard how to “speak” Spinner. That’s cool. -that’s it. Why did Suzanne even feel the need to name her? I’m grateful for the extra details but 2/10

Ajax -mean. -nobody likes him -this is probably why he gets on so well with Solovet -some sort of flier general, it seems, which is pretty cool 2/10

Hero & Kent -twins, I guess that’s fun -they’re only like eight but they still Smirk Evilly. Good for them 2/10 just because there’s 2 of them

Anchel & Daphne -some randos Keeda mentions as dead. They probably had some sort of significance to be mentioned by name but We’ll Never Know. 2/10 RIP though. I’m sure you’re worth higher than this but I don’t even know who you are

Horatio -crony #1 -has a crush on Dulcet. Didn’t we all 3.5/10. Boosted solely by association with Dulcet

Marcus -crony #2 3/10

Wevox -thought her name was Weavox until I began writing this post -sort of “Was Margaret Thatcher a Girlboss?” vibes -“As it is, Vikus, we will not drink. Web them” is a RAW line and it bounces around my head sometimes -the spiders are clearly very crafty about their political relations but she was not going to hesitate for a MOMENT to consider the ramifications of killing the monarch of Regalia and we gotta respect that -docking points for the girlboss thing, though. 4/10

Stellovet -queen of insults you gotta be honest -had an INCREDIBLE amount of impact for only having like three lines. I remember being like 11 and reading so many fics on Fan Fiction Dot Net where she was a scheming villain -funny how Luxa thinks her endgame is just becoming a princess. She doesn’t care beyond that she just wants to be royalty 4/10

Chim -baby -ok she’s 5 -doesn’t do anything but look confused and help provide a gateway for Howard to look like a good person 5/10, for years of life. What’s even your name? Chimney?

Andromeda -she’s good. She is an Absolute Beast when she crosses the Waterway with Howard and Mareth, definitely saved Mareth’s life -loves Mareth very much :) -shuns Ares at first but comes around, we still gotta knock her for this though 5/10

Clawsin & Bloodlet & Ratriff -Some folks who go to Ripred’s side, Clawsin gets blinded from the Bane, Ratriff gets his arm ripped off by the Bane, it is what it is 5/10 collectively

Reflex -man’s got jokes -very helpful with the code -shoots streamers of silk around the room when they break it -came to Regalia secretly... secretly to whom? The spinners? The gnawers? Whatever, he’s a rebel either way -I had to look up his name though, so apparently not a lot of impact. Sorry Reflex 5/10

Treflex -announced he was joining the quest, then IMMEDIATELY died. Yes king give us nothing -made a good snack? Gross. 5/10

Cevian -the scene where they find her body is beautifully written and so heartbreaking. She’s the catalyst for the entire fourth book -gives Aurora the opportunity to make her first ever big impassioned speech. It’s what Aurora deserved -still, she doesn’t get any dialogue so I can’t vote her super high 5/10

Euripides -seems nice -always described as “Vikus’ big grey bat,” never just big bat, never just grey bat -tells Luxa to teach Gregor how to ride a bat because his neck is getting bruised lol -nice of him not to embarrass Gregor though 6/10 speak up for yourself, king

Pend -takes Boots back to Regalia after the moth brings her to the crawlers’ land -Vikus recognizes him by name which is really impressive since crawlers look pretty homogenous, although we are told Vikus is better than most at picking them out. Still, Pend is probably a high rolling crawler. 6/10

The scorpions -I know I’m supposed to be doing named characters but they’re pretty cool. The passage they’re in is a really fun read. Mad respect 6/10 I’ll see y’all in Scorpio szn, baby

Razor -showed SHAME and GUILT in the first book when he got called out by Ripred -raised Pearlpelt as if he was his own. In payment, Pearlpelt knocked him off a cliff and then tried to eat him to hide the evidence 6/10

Fangor and Shed -funny dudes. -apparently constantly drunk 6/10

Gox -Gox got shit DONE, okay? Gox got shit DONE. -would eat your carcass without a moment of hesitation. It’s fine. 6/10

Hermes -this guy is great! -brings Luxa her crown -gets seriously injured while protecting Lizzie on their way to Regalia -might be dead tbh no one ever says 7/10

Keeda -okay listen. Keeda’s great. Keeda is that warrior at the Battle of Marathon who ran all the way back to Athens to report their victory and immediately die, except Keeda was reporting that the gnawers were about to invade -listen I know she was dealing with some other stuff, but Vikus asks, “how many rats?” And she says “many. Many rats” ??? No estimate? “An army?” Whatever. We give her a pass. 7/10 RIP

Pandora -FUCK -her death was possibly the MOST disturbing passage I’ve ever read. I could see it so, so vividly in my head. Man I remember the horror -she just wanted to explore 7/10 but also 2/10 for emotional trauma

Queen Athena -ICONIC one-liner in Curse of the Warmbloods, absolutely demolishes the gnawers over their treatment of the nibblers -I’m really biased towards her because Athena is my favorite goddess -probably could’ve done more for Ares, especially as seeing she’s supposed to be perceptive and a really good judge of character and whatnot 7/10

Daedalus -flinches in fear when Boots says she’s gonna sing a for him, specifically -basically pledges his life to Lizzie in the event the Code Room is attacked so that’s very nice 7/10

Heronian -she’s in a full body cast, but that will not stop her. 8/10

Susannah -can we talk about how she lost both of her siblings and she just keeps trucking along? -REALLY wish we knew more about her -clearly Very Kind. Can you please ask your daughter to be nicer -takes really good care of everyone she comes across :) 8/10

Min -creaky old cockroach dance 9/10

Frill -was cool -taught everyone the marks of secret -taught Hamnet about pacifism and stuff too -I get the feeling she was wayyyyy more important to Hazard and Hamnet and their survival than Gregor’s narrative really dives into 9/10

Mr. Cormaci -nice man. Gave Gregor quarters. 10/10

Gregor’s grandma -cool lady, you can’t deny! -tells Gregor he can’t outrun his issues -has a super cool quilt -who IS Simon??? 10/10

Scalene, Euclidian, Root, Cube, and Newton -felt obligated to include all these kiddos because they are, in fact, named, even though none of them get any dialogue or anything else for that matter, really -Scalene was a little nibbler pup that found her mom in the Arena, Euclidian and Root are two more that the mom was looking for, Newton was one that no one claimed but some other guy was like “any of us will take him” which is :’) but also, so, so sad. -Cube was the pup Luxa named that ended up in the pit in the Firelands -Scalene and Newton survived a genocide and Euclidian which is baller any way you swing it 10/10

Tick -:( :( :( -the selflessness. -I shipped her with Temp when I was 8? I can’t answer for that 10/10

York -LMAOOOO this guy’s a LEGEND -7 ft tall. -fights with a zweihander. -says fuck, canonically. -hosts hundreds of nibbler refugees -very loving uncle to Luxa, helps her learn how to rule - his exasperated affection towards Howard when he finds out Howard stayed in the Firelands even after he got sick was very cute 10/10

Honorable mentions: Perdita and Dulcet Their roles are too big in the last book to be included in this list, but these ladies both get a 10/10.