#gilgamesh makes a surprise appearance too

[softquietsteadylove]

Could you try and do one for the Maleficent AU where Maleficent herself shows up somehow. Maybe Gilgamesh is like hello there beautiful and Thena gets all jealous and protective and then they have a fluffy comfort at the end.

Stunning.

She was elder than Thena, not that one could tell a fae's age based upon appearance. But something about her...she was a faerie of old magic. Black horns coiled from her head, her wings were black in some light and brown in some. They were huge, long and silken, practically dragging on the ground behind her.

Her lips were red like a fresh pomegranate.

"Thank you for escorting me, captain," she thanked in a silken voice. She smiled, the colour of her lips making it clear when they tugged upward gently.

Gilgamesh blushed.

Thena pursed her lips to herself, observing from a respectful distance.

The fae was from the Moors, word had it. She belonged to another mothernest entirely, one more inland and to the north. She had a great control of magic that most fae didn't even possess anymore, much less know or teach. But her relationship with the humans was good, and thus she was acting as an ambassador of sorts.

"I will bring word back to the queen and to my own flock. I'm sure the mothernest will welcome any of yours who would like to see our ways."

"I'm sure some of us will take you up on your offer."

Thena tilted her head, trying to get a look at Gil's face as he said it, but his back was facing her. She didn't like how eager he sounded.

"You have done good work to associate with the humans here, it is admirable," she congratulated him, her eyes still catlike and intimidating.

A bird - a crow, or perhaps a raven - cawed on the head of her staff.

Thena tried to at least get a good look at the fae's familiar, but its head tilted too often.

"It hasn't been easy at all turns," Gil admitted freely. "But I think we're making real strides. Some of us here have good history with humans, so we're trying more, I guess."

Thena smiled; he was mentioning her, in not so many words.

"I value a fae who can see past a human's nature," the woman said with a hint of a laugh in her voice. "I have a...complicated history with them, myself."

Gil laughed. "I gotta admit, I wasn't all that fond of 'em. But I guess they're growing on me."

Thanks to her, Thena mused as she waited and waited and Gilgamesh to conclude his conversation. He usually wasn't one for idle chatter with his charges.

"They have 'grown on me' as well."

The fae had an interesting speech pattern, like she wasn't used to conversing with her own--or conversing in general, perhaps.

"You are welcome in the Moors as well, of course."

Thena's wings bristled, her feathers raising in their follicles. Just what kind of invitation was that? An invitation to the mothernest was one thing, but was this fae proposing Gilgamesh come and take a tour of her home?!

The bird cawed again (definitely a raven).

The woman's hand stroked its feathered head, and Thena saw that she even had long claws on the end of graceful fingers. Perhaps it was a trait of northern forest fae. They had trees to scale to make their nests.

Thena pursed her lips, raising her wings into proper posture as she decided that she had waited enough. "Excuse my intrusion."

"Thena?" Gil said aloud, surprised by her interruption.

"Of course," the female observed her with those same predatory eyes.

Thena did her best to keep her wings still behind her as she stopped behind Gil's shoulder. "I was rather fond of the humans who inhabited the Isles a number of decades ago. I understand you have a good rapport with the human kingdom close to your mothernest in the north."

She tilted her head, her bird mirroring the action. "Indeed, the queen of the coastal kingdom and I are quite close."

She said it like there was more to it than that. Thena tilted her head in return, "Gilgamesh does well with the humans. They're fond of him."

She smiled, "I'm sure they are."

Thena's feathers raised again, although she did her best not to seem too ruffled by the technically innocuous statement.

"Thena's the one who's built the best relationship with them," Gil shifted, even putting his hand on her shoulder. "It's thanks to her that we've made any progress."

Thena tried to look at Gil in thanks for his praise, but she had far too much trouble taking her eyes off the woman facing them. She seemed amused; was what Gil said humorous?

"Thank you for your hospitality," she smiled at Gilgamesh again. Then, she turned to Thena, "I hope we will cross paths again. You should meet the humans of Ulstead."

Thena nodded, not entirely sure what to make of the exchange.

"Until then," she nodded, her ruby lips upturning again. Her wings outstretched, and her familiar took to the sky ahead of her, "guard, Thena."

Thena and Gil nodded to the woman as she launched herself into the sky. Her wings were truly strong, letting her climb at an incredible rate. Beautiful too.

"She was nice."

Thena glanced over at him, with his hands on his hips and a dumb grin on his face. She sighed, letting her fangs breathe.

"I figured you'd like her."

Well, since he seemed to like her so much. "Hm."

"You should see the Moors, I bet you'd like them, based on how she described them."

"Would I?" Thena asked him, irked that he was suggesting so openly that she go visit this...stranger. "She told you about them at length, did she?"

"Well sure, she asked about the mothernest here, what the forests are like," he shrugged as they started walking back in the direction of the cliffs. "The Moors sound interesting--magical, she said."

"Did she?"

That came out a little too sharp. Thena felt it as soon as it was off her tongue, and obviously Gilgamesh received its sharpness. She avoided his eyes as he looked at her. "You okay?"

"Of course," she muttered down at the sandals on her feet. "I'm glad you enjoyed your time with her."

That came out even sharper, somehow. Gil tilted his head but Thena even moved somewhat away from him as they walked.

"Hey," he said more gently, pulling her back by the hand, "wait, just look at me."

She didn't want to. She felt flustered by how strongly she had reacted to a strange fae smiling at him. Well, it wasn't just that, it was how he had smiled at her, too. Thena squirmed (as did her wings).

"Thena," he prompted, "did she...bother you?"

She frowned, feeling heat creep up her neck. "You seemed rather impressed with her."

Gil stepped closer to her, his smile turning more gentle. This was more like the Gilgamesh she knew and...knew. "She was nice. She knows a lot about humans. And she's flying back to be with her family."

Thena peeked at him.

"I told her all about you," he said with a grin. "Told her about how you came up from the southern Isles and I've been enchanted by you ever since."

She rolled her eyes. He would not charm him way out of trouble this time.

He leaned closer, though, moving his hands to her cheeks to make her meet his eyes. "Don't believe me?"

Thena's eyes fluttered, his breath hitting her cheeks. "You seemed rather enchanted by her, as well."

He chuckled before leaning in, touching their lips together gently. "Did I?"

He damn well did. Thena kissed him again, rising up on her toes.

"How could I be?" he smiled, moving his lips to her cheek as he slid his hand up her back and between her wings. "When I've already found the most beautiful fae in all the realms."

Thena inhaled as her nose hit the robes over his chest. He smelled of sea air and of pine forests. She nuzzled into him, although she felt something in the folds of his tunic.

He had her feather slipped into his robes, over his heart.

"Am I forgiven?" he asked as she wrapped her arms around him as well. He massaged between her wings with one hand and held her waist with the other. Their heads hovered close, their horns even knocked together slightly in their proximity.

"Just," she offered minimally. She still wasn't happy with how taken he seemed with the beautiful fae, no matter how little she blamed him for it.

"What if we stop by the human farms on our way home, ask for some apples?" he suggested as he grasped her hand in his.

"Hm," Thena sighed, parting with him somewhat reluctantly. Her wings fluffed behind her. "I suppose that would be agreeable."

He could clearly tell her ire wasn't nearly what she made it seem to be. But he played along, bowing to her as he would when they had first met and were coming to know one another.

"Will you carry them home for me?" she asked needlessly. Of course he would, but she was savouring the idea of a feeling like a fae with a perspective mate wrapped around her finger.

"Anything for you," Gilgamesh promised her, bending his head to kiss her shoulder as she passed him to take off first.

[zafirosreverie]

The M word (Ajak x F!Reader) part 2

(part 1) (part 3)

____________________

fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

It was all you could think about as you ran as fast as your immortal legs would carry you. You didn't even bother to be careful with the relics that adorned the ship (priceless but dispensable), this was a life-or-death situation. You had to get to Ajak before Ikaris and avoid being hunted by Thena.

"Just wait for Makkari to come back!" you heard Kingo's voice behind you, probably having joined Thena in her hunt for you. "You can't escape this, Y/N!"

"Why can't you be a normal family?!" you yelled back, picking up your pace.

You knew the man was right, though. You were lucky to have discovered their plans while Makkari, Gilgamesh, Druig, and Sprite were away because any one of them could have easily stopped your escape.

Although, you had to admit that the whole situation was quite funny, at least you knew that you were accepted in this strange, large but beautiful family and that was something you were grateful for.

All the Eternals treated you with respect and affection, some as a child (Gilgamesh and Phastos), most as a sister, and Ajak...Ajak treated you as if you were the only important thing in the universe. It was a new feeling for you since you had spent too much time alone, but now you couldn't imagine a life without her, and you hoped you would be brave enough to tell her one day.

"Y/N!!"

But today would not be that day!

Thena yelled after you, snapping you out of your thoughts, and you managed to react just in time to dodge one of Kingo's energy balls. You smiled to yourself when you saw Ajak's door down the hall. Unless Makkari appeared out of nowhere, you were almost 100% safe.

"It's just a dress!"

"Over my dead body, Kingo!" you shouted back

"Don't tempt me, Y/N" Thena said and you could hear her smile grow on her beautiful face.

"Ajak!!!" you yelled "Come and control your sister, cousin, daughter, best friend, ex-girlfriend, or whatever the fuck Thena is to you!"

You could hear Kingo's laugh and the blonde's slightly amused grunt, but you didn't have time to think about it much when your girlfriend's door opened just in time to let you in, closing firmly behind you seconds later.

Because of the speed, you couldn't stop in time, so you ended up landing on the bed, rolling and crashing into the wall.

"Y/N! Are you okay?!"

You grunted and rubbed your nose as the woman knelt beside you, her hands ready to heal any scratch, however small, she might find on you.

"I'm fine" you said, letting her check your face "but this is getting out of hand"

"I know," she sighed, feeling a little better when your nose returned to its place "I thought they'd get over it after a while."

"It's been, what? Three months?"

"Five" she corrected you

"Five, and I think it's just given them more motivation" you said

Ajak sighed and leaned back against the bed, closing her eyes for a moment. She felt terribly guilty for dragging you into all this chaos. When the other Eternals started making jokes and teasing her about the M word, she believed that it would stay just an inside joke, something that, while it annoyed her a little, she could live with.

She hadn't expected Kingo and his (quite real, she might add) wedding plans to open a pandora's box in the family. You were surprised when you found out that the others wanted you to marry her, and it had been quite an uncomfortable conversation for her, trying to explain her feelings, and putting them into words, it wasn't her strong point.

But you had been kind, understanding, and joking, something light and not heavy enough to affect your relationship with her or the way you looked at her (something that terrified her), and for that, she was deeply grateful.

That's when things got intense. The others decided that they would not take no for an answer and that they had already been patient enough to wait for you to take that step yourself, so it was up to them to drag you down the aisle.

Ajak knew that none of them harbored bad feelings for you and that they really wanted to see you happy, she also knew that for the Eternals, this kind of thing lacked the weight that humans gave it, and that if it weren't for the long centuries that they had lived alongside humans, adopting customs they didn't fully understand, marriage would not even be considered at this point.

But the thing was, they didn't realize how awkward it could be for you. You were immortal, but not an Eternal, and you had lived among humans all your life, you understood their ways better than any of them could, and you knew what they were asking for. For you it wasn't just another title, it would really mean a change, and she was terrified to think that it could be for the worse.

"Are you ok?" you asked carefully when you noticed how quiet she was

"I just…I’m sorry" she whispered

"What?" you frowned "why?"

"It's my fault this is happening" she said, feeling the tears well up slowly in her eyes.

"Ajak, what are you talking about?"

"I'm the prime eternal, it's my duty to keep everyone in line, I should be able to order them to leave this matter alone...but I can't even make them respect me"

You gasped quietly and moved a little closer to her, putting an arm around her. It was not the first time that your girlfriend confessed to you that she felt powerless in front of the other Eternals, but you had never seen her cry about it.

"Ajak-"

"Arishem should have chosen Thena, not me" she continued "Thena is a warrior, she has the respect of everyone on the ship, she knows how to take care of herself, she is brave, her voice sounds all over the place and the others hear it, even Ikaris, no matter how much he denies it. She should be the leader, not me"

"But she's not" you said "Thena is all of that, yes, but that doesn't mean that you aren't the same or better than her to lead. Arishem chose you for a reason."

"Or by mistake"

It wasn't the first time the older woman had allowed her mind to disagree with Arishem either. Ever since she met you, or perhaps a little before, hints of doubt had begun to flourish in her, making her wonder if her duty was really worth the price the earth had to pay, if she really was strong enough to continue taking that decision, or if she should simply give up, renounce everything and expect punishment for her disobedience. Maybe she was a factory bug and it had just taken her millennia to start bugging.

But you weren't having any of that. You carefully eased yourself into a better position, spreading your legs so that she could fit between them, and gently pushing her until her back rested against your chest. Your hands encircled her waist and you intertwined your fingers with hers.

"You know? Gilgamesh is strong, but I've seen you lift 25 tons without breaking a sweat, Ikaris flies, but I've seen you do it too. Kingo's energy balls? I remember once you decorated the room with them. Phastos is brilliant, but he would have kept himself in his workshop if you weren't listening so intently. Druig and Sprite would have gone crazy if you didn't remind them that they have a family. Makkari is great, and we all try hard to keep up with her, but at the end of the day, it's you who understands her best, who listens to her even if not a sound comes out of her, and don't get me started on Sersi, we both know you're everything she aspires to be, she admires you more than anyone "

Ajak smiled a little to herself as she remembered the sparkle in the girl's eyes every time she stopped to talk to her or urged her to continue exploring her abilities. Of all the Eternals, Sersi felt like a daughter the most, even more than Sprite, and so she did her best to remind her that she saw her, that she was important.

"And Thena" you continued, feeling the woman tense a little "Thena is a warrior, she is beautiful and strong...but she is broken. Her mind is divided, she is not always herself and she can be dangerous, although we all know that she would never hurt us of her own free will. Gilgamesh helps her, but it's always you who brings her back, she needs you, just like the rest of us. Arishem wasn't wrong, he chose you because he knew only you could keep them all together. They're a team, but you're the one who makes them a family."

The woman closed her eyes again, letting more tears roll down her cheeks as a familiar warmth pooled in her stomach, just below where your hands met. She didn't understand how you always managed to make her feel better.

"I don't deserve you" she whispered

"No" you agreed "you deserve more"

It was the woman's turn to frown and she slowly opened her eyes, turning her head slightly so she could look at you. You weren't crying like she was, but there was a deep sadness in your eyes. You chuckled a little at her confusion and squeezed her a little more before resting your chin on her shoulder and concentrating on your hands. You knew that she knew that you were avoiding her gaze, but you couldn't face her while you were having this conversation.

"I know you don't like to talk about how we met in front of others but...it's just us here right?"

She just nodded, squeezing your hand gently for support and to keep you going, whatever you were going to say to her had to be important because you were shaking. You took a deep breath and remembered in great detail the day your life changed, even though it seemed so far away. 

“I was broken, lost, I had just hit rock bottom and I wanted to give up" you said "I was cold, hungry, thirsty, and I was about to commit a horrible crime that I would have regretted for all eternity"

The woman closed her eyes, also remembering that moment. She had found you in terrible condition, your clothes were tattered, you were dirty, you had blood and bruises everywhere, and your gaze was empty. You seemed like a ghost more than a living being, and she still had nightmares thinking about what could have happened to you if she didn't arrive on time, despite the fact that she hadn't really been looking for you, nor did she know who you were.

"You stopped me, and I'll always be in your debt for that" you whispered "And I…I thought you'd leave after that, that you'd just walk away from me like the ones who had stopped me before had."

But she wouldn't have been able to. She knew from the moment you looked at her and your eyes sparkled with life again, that she could never leave you. But she didn't say it out loud.

"But you didn't" you continued "you...you saw through my cracks, you looked at me, not at the broken doll, but at the soul beneath all that chaos. And you found something...something worth loving. And I...I've tried to honor that all this time, I've tried to prove that I'm worthy of you, that I'm not going to let you down...I guess that's why it hurt so much when you were so firm and clear in rejecting the idea of marriage

Ajak gasped audibly and pulled away from you carefully but firmly. Her mind, which had been trying to catch up with everything, to assimilate the tender but powerful confession you had made to her, suddenly went completely blank.

"You…you wanted to get married?" she whispered, not sure if she really said it or she just thought it.

You just shrugged, staring at the ground. The woman's warm hands went directly to your cheeks, gently cupping your face, guiding you to force you to look at her. You didn't know how to feel under the intensity of her gaze.

“But you…you acted as if you didn’t”

“I tried to be supportive of your choice” you confessed “besides, it hurt less if I pretended it was a game”

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

"For what?" you asked "anyway, now I know your position in this and my place in your life"

"Y/N, I don't-"

"It's okay" you smiled sadly "I promise I'll keep trying to be better...maybe one day I'll be worthy of you"

"You are already more than I deserve" she said "forgive me, forgive me for not realizing this, how you felt, forgive me for-"

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Ajak" you interrupted her "you had no way of knowing...besides, at least I hope that when you're ready to take that step...it can be with me"

"It will be" she promised "there is no one else I would want to take that step with"

You smiled and pressed your forehead against hers, closing your eyes to enjoy the warmth and the familiar scent coming from the woman. You adored these intimate moments where your soul confirmed that you only belonged to her. Too bad it was in such gray circumstances, and with her tears still falling on you.

"Are you alright?" you asked

"Y-yes, I just..." she sighed "No, I'm not. I'm scared, Y/N"

"Of what?" You frowned at her, gently guiding her until she was straddling you, her hands never leaving your face.

"There's a reason why I rejected the idea" she said "And I promise you it has nothing to do with my love for you, or because I don't consider you worthy. It's me. I'm the one who isn't worthy of you"

"Ajak-"

"I'm afraid of not being enough" she interrupted "I'm afraid that your eyes will lose that sparkle, that one day your gaze will simply pass me by, that you won't look at me like I'm something you want in your life. I'm afraid that things change so much, that we can no longer recognize each other. I'm afraid of losing you because I would lose myself, and the universe would be a terrible and cold void."

"Ajak" you whispered, caressing her cheek "things would change, of course, but they could never change so much that I no longer think of you as the most beautiful star in the sky"

"How are you so sure?"

"Because you loved me when I was fading, and now I know, that not loving you as you deserve, would be failing the entire universe, and that is not a debt I want to accept."

Ajak looked at you for a moment, searching for some trace of doubt in you, but she was only received by the universe in your gaze that she already knew and had fallen in love with. She smiled at you and brought her hands closer to your face so that she could join her lips to yours.

She really hoped she could convey to you in that kiss everything she could never do with words. Eternals were used to changes happening around them, not in them, but now she knew she would do anything if you were by her side, no matter how scared she was.

"I love you" she whispered against your mouth

"I love you too" you smiled

Ajak looked at you for a moment, getting lost in your gaze for a few seconds while her hands played with your hair, before gently biting her lip. You knew she was thinking of something.

"What?" you asked softly

"Nothing"

"Ajak"

"It's just...we're not going to get rid of them" she said softly "so..."

"So?"

"...maybe not tomorrow but...would you consider the idea again?"

You couldn't help but smile before drawing her in for another kiss, a little shorter but more intense than the previous one. Your fingers moved up to her ribs, which earned you a couple of giggles and a gentle push as you pulled away from her.

"Are you sure you're ready to think about the M word?" you asked

"Yes, if it's with you"

[atdutiesend]

"Alright, 'Master,' are you done laughing at everyone?"

"Aren't you Hideki's Servant?"

. . .

"... Okay, yeah, fine, I'm done laughing. For now. I'm sorry it's just... hilarious... that there were three questions that only one person got right, and the same person didn't even get all of them! ... Wait, no, results just updated. It's only the one. There are four that only had two right responses each though!"

"How auspicious. Then let's begin with your tricky question, shall we?"

"Right... My favorite fruit is actually kiwifruit! This actually was mentioned before but it was a while ago. Unsurprisingly, everyone except one person went for the low-hanging fruit. I do love pomegranate, too, but I prefer the seeds frozen then dipped in chocolate. So good. I do like cherry juice and cherry wine too, so it's kind of surprising nobody went for that."

"I'll be sure to share that with Gilgamesh. Speaking of your favorite drinks, though..."

"Only three people got this right. Considering I'm known for being a chocolate fiend the number of people who got it wrong is astounding and a little worrying. My favorite drink is hot chocolate. I do like tea and coffee, of course, but even coffee I tend to add chocolate to. Rum's good in mixed drinks."

"Perhaps one day we'll share a drink. Regardless, the jewelry one seems to have stumped as many people as got it right."

"Can probably blame that on my fashion sense being on point. I'll wear jewelry that suits my outfit even if I wouldn't otherwise choose it. I do prefer silvery metals with green gems! I think gold usually makes me look a bit washed out, but I'll wear it when it suits the outfit. I do also like moonstones. The one person who went with platinum and diamonds... Well I certainly don't mind those at all."

"In other words, you don't mind being spoiled? Though I will point out those filigree ear decorations you like to wear do look like rose gold and opals."

"Oh! Those were a gift from Dove. They're rather fond of gold, and they said the opals suited my eyes."

"I see... This next one appears to have only two correct answers."

"Hm, that one was down to observational skills. To be fair, they are all principles I live by, but their true order is something more like... I don't make promises I don't intend to keep, forgive but never forget, I'm made of spite and vinegar, and I won't make the same mistake twice."

"You have to admit, your spite and refusal to give up is quite a bit more blatant than what you don't do."

"When have I broken a promise?"

"... Fair point. And this next one is why I'm here."

"Okay this one absolutely is on me. I forgot to specify it was specifically for this me. Though even accounting for the clocktower haters... you're still Hideki's Servant, not one of the other me's."

. . .

"What, did some other me summon you while we weren't paying attention?"

. . .

"... message received I guess?..."

"Now that that's cleared up..."

[lovelyfanatical]

I Get a Sugar Rush Whenever I'm With You - Chapter 10.3

Hello fellow Drukkari stans! Somehow, we've made it to the finale! If you've missed any chapters and need to catch up, you can find the rest of the story on my Table of Contents here or find me on AO3 if you have an account! Everyone has gathered for the final picnic, and all that's left is for a winner to be crowned! Well, and one more thing... So without further ado, here's the final installment of Drukkari in the Great British Bake Off!

Before too long, they noticed the camera crews moving closer. After a bit of set up, the three finalists came walking out of the tent, each carrying a basket full of treats. Gilgamesh was first, greeting Thena with a warm smile as he set his basket down. Then came Phastos, whose son ran up to him and went straight for the basket. Phastos gently chided him, telling Jack that they had to wait a little while before they could eat, much to Ben's amusement. And finally, Makkari, whose parents were waiting at the table to hug her hello. Druig stood back with the other bakers, applauding silently. After greeting her parents, Makkari's eyes fell on him, and a soft smile bloomed on her face. He beamed back at her.

They didn't have time to talk, as the judges were soon out of the tent, along with the hosts and Kingo. They emerged one by one, lining up in front of the waiting finalists. After a brief pause, Arishem gave a speech congratulating them for making it to the final challenge. Once he finished, the hosts took over, pausing dramatically a few times before announcing the winner: Gilgamesh.

The crowd whooped and clapped as Gil stepped forward to claim his prize. Darcy and Kingo were also there with bouquets for Makkari and Phastos, who were all smiles. As the rest of them applauded, Thena came over to give Gil a kiss on the cheek and a hug. This set off another round of whoops from the other bakers, not that they noticed. Makkari and Phastos soon joined in, and the rest of the bakers followed suit, squeezing into a tight group hug. As they broke apart, Druig was pleased to find himself standing next to Makkari.

Hi, he greeted.

Hi, she returned.

Did you miss me? he asked.

In response, Makkari smiled and jutted out her chin. Druig didn't even try to suppress his own grin as he mirrored her.

Soon, Gil was pulled away for one final interview, and the food was distributed. With everyone busy talking and eating, it seemed like the perfect time for Druig and Makkari to sneak away. Before they did, however, Hunter suddenly appeared at his elbow.

"Hi, I'm Hunter, Druig's friend from work," he said, signing along clumsily, much to Druig's surprise.

I'm Makkari, she replied, a grin spreading across her face. So, you're the one responsible for Druig becoming a baker?

Hunter looked at Druig expectantly. It seemed his vocabulary was still rather rudimentary. With a sigh, Druig interpreted for him, and Hunter lit up at Makkari's words.

"Yes, that was all my doing," he said with a mischievous grin of his own. He then turned to Druig, saying, "Well, she's definitely a keeper."

"Shove off," Druig retorted as they turned back to Makkari, who was laughing quietly at their interaction.

"Hunter was just going to talk to his new friends, right, Hunter?"

"Ah, yes, that's right," Hunter said. "It's nice to meet you."

Nice to meet you, too!

With that, Hunter turned to go, but not before whisper-shouting to Druig, "Get on with it!"

Druig's only response was to push him firmly toward another group of people. He turned back to Makkari, who was watching him with clear amusement in her eyes. He took a deep breath.

Walk with me? Druig asked, offering a hand.

Of course, Makkari answered, taking his hand and interlacing their fingers.

Druig led her away from the crowd and the cameras to a small clearing under some trees he'd spotted earlier. It was close enough that he could still see the picnic area but obscured enough to give them a little privacy. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Makkari. She was looking at him, eager but patient, a small smile on her lips, her hand still holding his. A part of him wanted to just stay in this moment, held forever in her warm hand and affectionate gaze, but he had things to say. Giving her hand a final reassuring squeeze, Druig let go so he could sign.

I've been thinking a lot this past week about you and me. I meant it when I said you're my best friend, but I've also been keeping something from you. I didn't want to tell you before because I was just scared that it would change things between us. You already know that the last thing I want is to lose you. But I also realized that I can't keep ignoring how I feel, especially after the bed incident… which I know I'm supposed to forget about and I will–

Druig, Makkari interrupted. She'd been listening to him carefully, but her eyebrows had shot up at the mention. I said we should forget about the bed incident because you seemed so freaked out afterward. If you're okay to talk about it, we can.

I thought you were the one freaking out about it, he responded.

I was, but only because I thought… she looked pensive for a moment. No, say what you were going to say.

Are you sure?

Yes, I'm sure–

Because you can go first if–

Druig, please–

Makkari grabbed his hands, cutting him off before he could interject again. She was looking at him intently, but the gentle smile hadn't left her face. Druig's heart was beating so hard, he was certain she would feel it reverberating through his hands, as it was throughout the rest of his body. She let go to tell him, Continue.

The look she gave him was so earnest and warm that the words just tumbled out of him.

I'm in love with you, Makkari. Would you go out with me?

For a moment, she looked stunned. Then, her smile returned as she answered, Absolutely.

Relief washed over Druig so quickly, he thought he might keel over. He was about to take her hand again when Makkari raised it to speak more.

I did think you were going to ask me something else, though.

Just like that, the floor dropped out from under him again.

What? he asked.

She considered him for a moment before continuing, her cheeks growing ever so slightly pink. I thought you were going to ask to kiss me.

Druig's eyebrows shot up.

Beautiful Makkari, I didn't think you'd want to move that fast.

I'm the fastest one in the tent, aren't I? Besides, we've kind of been on two dates already–

Does it really count as a date if at least one person doesn't know it's a date?

I thought I was being obvious! No wonder it took you this long to figure out that I'm in love with you, too.

Druig could've sworn his heart skipped a beat. Even Makkari seemed a bit surprised at her words, but as she looked at him smiling at her, her own smile returned brighter than ever. The sight gave him the courage to say his next words.

So, my beautiful, beautiful Makkari, can I kiss you?

Yes, she said quickly, taking a step toward him. He met her there, one hand coming up to cup her cheek as he leaned in. When their lips met, Druig felt heat spreading throughout him from head to toe. They began to move, lips sliding insistently against each other. His other arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her flush against him. One of her hands found its way up to his hair, pulling him down to her as she deepened the kiss. He took a few more steps forward as he reciprocated eagerly, walking her backwards, and she squeaked as her back made contact with a tree. They broke apart and erupted into quiet giggles as they both caught their breath, leaning their foreheads against each other. They stayed there for a minute, wrapped in each other's arms and gazing into each other's eyes with sheer adoration. As they both leaned in again, Druig knew he'd been wrong earlier. He'd much rather live in this moment forever.

-

Thank you to everyone who's been keeping up with this fic! I'm working on an epilogue that I'll hopefully post within the next week or two!

Epilogue

[kalitera-stin-erimia]

Short reviews of Lovecraft RPF

One of the subsets of my Lovecraft obsession is finding and exploring fiction about Lovecraft, and I finally wrote up my short impressions of most fiction works about Lovecraft that I read/watched. Some of these definitely need larger reviews, and maybe will get them in the future, but one has to start from somewhere and these writings can at least make a foundation for them.

So, let's start. Some mild spoilers may appear.

Shadows Bend by David Barbour and Richard Raleigh: Lovecraft and Robert Howard travel the West of the USA during the Dust Bowl, persued by monsters. I'm surprised that these two meet so rarely in fiction - I mean, they never did in real life, but it still sounds like an obvious idea. Clark Ashton Smith also makes an appearence. I enjoyed the "road movie" feel of the book, and it seemed like the author tried to weave in some lore from the Bishop collaborations, which is the thing I'd love to see more often; however, the book was too plotless and the characterizations too exaggerated, too reliant on the out of date scholarship.

Gilgamesh at the Outback by Robert Silverberg: Another one about HPL and REH meeting, this time in hell. I skimmed this one, reading only the parts about them. Lovecraft is rather bland here, while REH is just bizarre. He has an over-the-top crush on Gilgamesh. WTF was going on in the Robert Howard scholarship in the eighties???

The Planet of Tastless Pleasure by Harry Harrison: One scene parodies Gilgamesh at the Outback. I enjoyed this one more than the Silverberg's book. I like Harrison's humor, what else to say?

Marblehead by Richard Lupoff: I already wrote a large review of this one. Well-researched and I guess well-characterized, but so dry that I'm afraid it doesn't live to the fullest potential. Everything just ends up feeling strangely muted, which is especially jarring in combination with the sensationalist plot and very pulp culmination.

Pages Torn from a Travel Journal by Edward Lee: Ooooof. Lee is not a bad writer, and unlike many others writing about Lovecraft, he clearly knows a lot about him and likes him very much. The other things he likes are (1) rednecks, (2) gore, (3) rape porn. The book is full of all these things and you can make a guess about how well they mix with Lovecraft. In spite of how gleefully campy the book is, the treatment of redneck characters is more sympathetic than I usually see in redneck horror, which is a plus, I guess? On the other hand, Lovecraft getting into an adventure during one of his bus travels seems such an obvious idea for a story, I'm surprised it doesn't get used often.

Trolley 1852 by Edward Lee: I liked this one less than the previous one. It's more creative though, and closer to Lovecraft's kind of horror - which is not surprising, considering that the major part of the book is supposed to be "written" by him as a book within a book (while Pages was rather, ehhh, "historical fiction".)

Pulptime by Peter Cannon: New York period Lovecraft meets aged Sharlock Holmes. Hijinks predictably ensue. A cute calm story which is probably good for removing unpleasant aftertaste of Lee's books (that's how it worked for me, anyway.) What bugged me was that the plot felt too thin for a mystery, and the author seemingly treated the anti-immigrant sentiment of The Horror at Red Hook too uncritically. Lovecraft's characterization was okay, Cannon is better at it than most, but in this book it relied on quoting too much.

The Lovecraft Chronicles by Peter Cannon: Definitely a better book than Pulptime, and the best exploration of the question "What if Lovecraft lived longer?" so far. May get too farcical at places, but I think Cannon finds a good balance between crackfic and seriousness.

The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge: A Very Intellectual postmodernist book which is also a kinda shitposty Lovecraft/Barlow slashfic. Absolutely not worth the hype it had been met with in some mainstream big journals. As far as Lovecraft's characterization goes, I'd say the author tried, however, it's still weirdly superficial and subtly mean-spirited. The treatment of Barlow is even more dissappointing - he was meant to be the center of the book, but the author seems strangely dismissive of his literary and scholarly work and desinterested in his personality. Besides, the majority of the book is not even about them, but about the dull original characters and endless cameos of other historical characters.

Night Gaunts by Brett Rutherford: The play is written by a fan from the zine fandom, and it shows: both in solid characterizations and in bad poetry. I liked this one.

The Lamp of Alhazred by August Derleth: A sentimental story about Lovecraft's legacy. One of the better Lovecraftian works by Derleth, and certainly the one with most feeling.

Balsamo's Mirror by L. Sprague de Camp: Good old "but you probably wouldn't be priviledged in your favorite historical period, gotcha". I've seen better works that poked fun at Lovecraft.

When Death Wakes Me Up to Myself by John Shirley: I was so impressed with this one that I've already reviewed it. What I like the most about it is that it's catches the cosmic wonder aspect of Lovecraft's personality, which was just as important for his life and work as cosmic horror, yet gets written about so less often.

HPL by Gahan Wilson: A story by Gahan Wilson about Lovecraft being a brain in a jar could have been more entertaining.

The Lurker in the Shadows by Nathan Carson: It starts as a very indulgent story about correspondence between the elderly Lovecraft and Stephen King in the 1970s, and then takes an unexpected turn into dark comedy about body switching. Simultaneously one of the least racist portrayals of Lovecraft and one of the most villainous ones, though I'm afraid the author didn't think it through. On the other hand, it's not often that you read about Lovecraft marrying Beyonce.

Lovecraft in Heaven by Grant Morrison: Bad trip.

Night-Gaunts by Joyce Carol Oates: An examination of Lovecraft's life, or, rather, an alternative Lovecraft. Unfortunately, it's one of these tiring takes that talk about how Unhappy, Troubled and Neurotic Lovecraft was, and how Gothic and Gloomy his life was. As far as Oates stories go, this one is far from her best, very slow-going and hard to follow at times. More could have been done with the possibility of Lovecraft's father living longer than he did, though I agree he would probably leave less favorable impression on Lovecraft in such case.

The Premature Death of H.P. Lovecraft, Oldest Man in New England by Thomas Ligotti: Seems to be an another take on body hopping, but subtly so? Very short. Well-written, but I'd expect more from a Ligotti story about Lovecraft.

The Exiles by Ray Bradbury: Lovecraft appears in one version of the story, sitting near the fireplace and eating ice cream. Everyone in this story is benevolently caricatured, so I'm fine with it.

Letters from an Old Gent by W.H. Pugmire: The style reads nothing like Lovecraft (but I think it wasn't really the intention, anyway) yet it still works, somehow. Pugmire's case is similar to Lee's, that is, their fondness for Lovecraft is such that it actually improves the quality of their writing. His emotional intellect also appears to be more developed than in most other Lovecraftian writers.

Lovecraft by Hans Rodionoff and Enrique Breccia: A mix of Lovecraft's biography (in the out of date interpretation) and the usual "but what if what he wrote was real???" I heard there were plans to make a Hollywood adaptation of it, and it certainly felt like one at times. The art was great, but the story was way too visceral and hysterical for either Lovecraft's biography or Lovecraftian horror.

Providence by Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows: Well-researched and well-thought out. Moore definitely cleaned out his Lovecraft game after the dissappointing Neonomicon. The comic is more about Lovecraft's characters, Lovecraft himself appears only in one issue, but plays an important role in the entire story (well, duh). His characterization is satisfying both as realism and as metafiction, though the usual Moore bullshit is still present in small amounts. Not a huge fan of art, and Lovecraft gets black hair yet another time (and looks like in his forties at 1919).

The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft by Mac Carter: I don't remember this one well, but I remember that Lovecraft here doesn't have much in common with the real one neither in personality, nor in biography, nor in looks. Some things are done with the "underappreciated artist" part of his life, but without the context of his life, they don't amount to much.

H.P. Lovecraft: He who Wrote in the Darkness by Alex Nikolavitch and Gervasio-Aon-Lee: Well, this one is a straightforward biography of Lovecraft, or, rather, his life from 1925 on. As such, it was alright. I liked the way the artist used colors, and that some people from Lovecraft's life like Loveman got more attention than they usually do.

One Night with Lovecraft (Une nuit avec Lovecraft) by Philippe Marcele and Rodolphe: A fan from the future gets a chance to hang out with Lovecraft in the 1930s. Not bad, but had too much padding at times - do we really need shortened adaptations of some Lovecraft's (and one Poe's!) stories within such kind of comic? The artist was great at drawing urban landscapes, but much worse at drawing people.

R.H.B. by Andreas and Riviere: An old French comic about Barlow, his time with Lovecraft and later life. This one would have been better if the artist knew what Barlow looked like. His real appearence would go well with the artist's style.

Rough Riders: Ride or Die by Adam Glass: Lovecraft briefly joins the main team as someone who can see ghosts. I liked the main characters, who were also historical personalities, but Lovecraft himself was super bland. At least the art was decent (and he didn't look grotesque like he often does in the comics.)

Out of Mind: The Stories of HPL: This one is memorable, but mostly because of the actor's performance. The plot is a mess.

[sakuraswordly]

※ Punch Whalen and Derora belong to @PunchSakura

Derora is Jewish. Her original before being born as a human was similar to Fox Mulder in Tsubasa of Phantasia. Derora her will and her wish are the same as Tiné Chelc from Fate/ Strange Fake...

and Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Esmeralda is a Romani or Gypsy woman residing underneath Paris, in the hidden catacombs known as the Court of Miracles. Even when she is finally captured, and seconds away from death, she remains fiercely defiant, knowing her worth, and refusing to degrade herself by surrendering to Frollo.

If you notice Tiné Chelc from Fate/Strange Fake even though she had power in her grip, why she didn't use Gilgamesh to destroy this country?

Normal people thought because she was just a child but remember, Tiné is very a strong person. She made her decision and accepted everything in her life no matter how the consequences will come to her in the future. You did see her first appearance right? Tiné appears during the summoning of False Archer and cuts off his original Master's arm, and she becomes his Master afterward. It was not, at first, her intent to kill him, but the man, driven by wild rage, blasted an unbelievably immense amount of magic at her. It should have killed her immediately. But she spoke a silent chant, and an enormous fiery maw erupted between the two mages. The chant is described as ' a spell that had been compressed so far that it became soundless—a chant of overwhelming power.' But even so...

The same goes for Esmeralda as well. She was the sole individual in all of France to downright rebel against Frollo during his reign and was openly against the judge's accusations of claiming the Romani culture to be a gang of thieves who engage in unholy practices of witchcraft. You did see Esmeralda had unholy practices of witchcraft talent right? Then why did she not use her witchcraft talent to kill Minister Frollo like Jack the Ripper anyway?

Because Esmeralda and Tiné Chelc are ultimately a kind, loving selfless soul underneath. For someone who cares for everyone even if they are the people they don't know both of them love and care for them like their family. And this is the reason they cannot have absolute power or dictatorship. The same way goes for Albert Einstein as well, if he wanted to stop the war he could use his power and his brain, war was a disease and he called for resistance to war. But in the end, he said "I made one great mistake in my life because I made that atom bombs". He hates the war the same way as Esmeralda then why is he heartbroken because of the atom bombs?

 "Being a Jew myself, perhaps I can understand and empathize with how black people feel as victims of discrimination"

This sentence is also the same though as Derora as well. This is the reason behind Derora too. She is non human and she can use them to kill everyone but she chose not too because she's ultimately a kind, loving selfless soul underneath.

#I mean Tine reminds me of people who want demanding justice freedom and equality of skin colour. I'm not surprised that Gilgamesh tell that

This is the true weakness of humans that King Gilgamesh told about but that is what makes King Gilgamesh like humans because humans are weak but they have very strong hearts and are not oppressed.

What I had to create Derora was to focus on Jewish, Real-Life Judaizers and Muslims' feelings. (Even though I don't know much about them. ^^;)

[siriex]

I don't believe I have to say this, but you're not "misgendering" Enkidu by using "they/them" pronouns for them.

Yes, "boku" is used more by men than women in Japan, but it is absolutely used by both. It does not, in and of itself, indicate gender. I'm nonbinary. I use "boku." My pronouns are they/them. Are you gonna start telling me I'm misgendering myself? A lot of nonbinary characters in anime default to boku too! Think Najimi from Komi-san, Kino from Kino's journey, Crona from Soul Eater, pretty much all of the gems from Land of the Lustrous, Yuu from Stars align... I could go on. "Boku" is the most common first-person pronoun for nonbinary characters in anime that I'm aware of. It's harder for me to think of nonbinary characters in anime that don't use "boku." (They do exist, but they're rarer.)

Putting that aside, Enkidu at no point refers to themself as a man.

Kingu is consistently referred to as a man and with masculine pronouns in both Japanese and English, but Enkidu isn't.

You could make an argument that Enkidu should be "he/him" because Gilgamesh refers to them using masculine language on one or two occasions specifically in Babylonia (I don't believe this ever happens in Fate/Strange Fake), but no one else does- and Enkidu definitely never does. Enkidu consistently refers to themself as "not human" and a "tool" and a "weapon." Their general attitude towards themself is that they're not even a living being! (I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they thought "it" was most appropriate given how they talk about themself.) Gilgamesh is constantly fighting them on this, repeatedly insisting that they're human, and him using some masc terms to refer to Enkidu appears to be a part of this. He usually uses gendered terms when he's trying to affirm Enkidu's "humanity" and/or insist they're not just a weapon or a tool.

The thing is, Enkidu repeatedly pushes back against this narrative in their conversations with him in Babylonia, in their internal monologue in Gil's secret garden in CCC, in their My Room lines, and so-on.

In Fate/Strange Fake the narrative goes out of its way to have Faldeus use "he" and "she" for Enkidu before finally settling on neutral pronouns to refer to them. While Faldeus is a character in the story so this isn't exactly a "voice of god" thing, it's probably as close as we'll get- and this happens in both the original Japanese and the English translation.

I think you can make a good argument for using "he/him" for Enkidu.

But for Fate Enkidu specifically, you could also make a good argument for she/her. Enkidu can look however they want- they specifically chose a woman's face when creating their humanoid appearance. There's also a lot of symbolism contrasting them to Gil both in Fate and in the original Epic. Sun vs Moon, Sky vs Earth, man vs woman, etc.

I think you can make an argument for just about any pronouns for Enkidu. And yes! Nonbinary people can use any pronouns. We're not restricted to they/them. But for the love of everything good, it is not misgendering Enkidu to use they/them pronouns. In fact, that interpretation has the most explicit canon support given Enkidu's treatment in their source material (Fate/Strange Fake) and their treatment in official translations. (Which we know Type Moon and Nasu has to approve- see "Altria" instead of "Artoria.")

[demialwrites]

Bless Me Father, For We Have Sinned

Commission for Anonymous - 1400 words

You moved to Fuyuki with your family. They weren't terribly religious but enough that they wanted to try out the local church. The sermons were fine. Boring, as you expected. The priest's gently wavering voice washed over you and just about put you to sleep. After a few Masses, you met the man. Kirei Kotomine.

His energy was different up close and personal compared to during his sermons. Looking into his eyes while he spoke was like staring into a black hole that took everything in, then radiated a lulling heat. You really should have run the other way.

The first meeting was normal, uneventful. You decided to push your strange attraction by attending confession. You hung around until everyone else had their chance first. The box looked like it had been built when the church was, an ungodly amount of time ago. But it was clean, shiny, and didn't give you a horror movie vibe, so you went inside. You sat on the built-in wooden bench, hoping to God that Kirei recognized you. What you were hoping for beyond that, you didn't know.

"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned," you recited. "It has been...a long time since my last confession."

You heard a dry chuckle on the other side of the screen at that. "Go on."

You gave some run-of-the-mill sins. Nothing too sinful. But you leaned heavily on the impure thoughts portion of it.

The silence on the other side of the screen was worrying. Could he tell you lied? Did you displease him?

"Father? My penance?"

"Your penance? Oh, right."

You didn't expect the fumbling answer, like he hadn't been listening at all. Then a creak. And another, longer creak sounding like a door opening. Another door opened, the one leading to your side of the confessional.

He didn't tell you what your penance was but, rather, showed you. You were to satisfy that annoying itch his body had for sex. Aside from a few surprised noises, you let him have his way. He pulled your bottoms and panties down and bent your legs up. Some rustling and he gathered his robe up to take his cock out. Because he was blocking all the light, you didn't see anything. You just heard him breathing deeply.

Him entering you hurt without prep but he didn't stop. Kirei put his hand over your mouth to silence your pained cries and continued to thrust deeper. Then he fucked you against the back wall of the confessional. If anyone was left inside the church, they would hear rhythmic thumping against the wood that sped up over time. He panted down at your face, thrusting at the heart of you.

Your hands slapped against the wood to anchor yourself as he stifled your loud moans, too. Even if you wouldn't finish with him, you wouldn't be far behind. This was everything you hoped for, minus the pain. You couldn't help but think you deserved that, though.

Strangely, he kept going until you began to clamp down on his cock and whine into his palm. It seemed oddly considerate to wait until you finished, too. He pulled out, leaving behind soreness in your core and regret deeply etched into your face. He stood back from the open door to the confessional, already looking presentable. You lay there, dripping cunt on display, terrified of the idea that someone might walk by and see you, let alone hear what just happened. You wouldn't be able to look your parents in the eye tonight.

Kirei smiled.

He left your sight. You managed to put yourself back together and make it home without anyone else laying eyes on you. Still, what you did was stupid. You weren't going to do it again.

Thing was, you couldn't just skip out on Mass without your parents being suspicious. If you left with your family afterwards, you'd never be alone with the priest. So you thought.

During Mass, Kirei swept his arms and gaze over the people sitting in the pews. His gaze stopped on you, of course. How did someone with nothing in his eyes see so much in you? That's what it felt like. And so he had you, without even trying.

You stuck around after Mass for confession. Your body thrummed with anticipation and also that your conscience warred with the rest of you. A tiny voice of reason that you were deaf to. You gave your confession, leaning on impure thoughts again. This time, to your disappointment, he gave you a regular penance. Hail Marys, Our Fathers, etc. You felt a little rejected but you went to kneel in front of the alter to start. It was uncomfortable on the stone floor but you planned to race through it.

You heard footsteps on the stone floor, going around you.

"Good," praised Kirei.

His shoe scruffed the floor and a moment later, his hands were on you. Rather, on the hem of your shirt. Panic flared within he pulled your shirt up. Had everyone else left? You didn't check this time. He was pulling your bra up, now. Just as your skin was pimpling from the cold air, the priest started tugging down your pants. Next, your underwear, his fingers drawing lines down your thighs as he did so. Your heart pounded with fear, you were frozen, but you couldn't find it in yourself to resist him. You could have had an audience behind you in the church but your heart would have pounded from excitement as well as fear.

There was a warmth on your back as he approached you and guided you forward until your hands rested on the stone. You forgot how the prayers went when cloth rustled behind you. He put his hands on your hips and you tilted them up, offering yourself.

He plunged into you immediately and forcefully. Harder than the first time, thrusting, hammering, until your walls gave way to his cock. Pulling your hips back to meet his thrusts and using your body to scratch his itch. He had no need for lust. He saw getting off as a chore to be done. You just made it more enjoyable.

You tried to crawl forward and away. With surprising strength, he stopped you, dragging your hips back again, and continued like it was nothing.

"Please, Father, it hurts!"

"Good. That is your real penance."

He pushed you to your first peak in under a minute and again, he didn't stop. This time, you were privy to short, low moans from the priest. Not loud enough to drown out your own, which were shrill with pain. Your fingers curled against the stone like a kneading cat. It was disgusting, disgusting, that you were letting a priest use you as a cocksleeve in front of the altar.

Kirei was very happy with having you as a playtoy at the moment. Perhaps he would tire of you later and dispose of you. For now, you even made Mass more interesting. You had no idea the emotions that displayed openly on your face when he made sure to concentrate on you. Like in cartoons when a character squirms under a spotlight. He need only glance at you and you were suddenly engrossed in the sermon. Or wondering what his next move was and how you could get into his pants. So easy to read and take advantage of.

"Nice little arrangement you have here."

Kirei gasped as you tensed up all over your body and around his cock, then he smirked. Gilgamesh stood just to the side of Kirei's vision, one hand in his pocket and a maddening grin on his face. Kirei's Servant was very amused by this. Gilgamesh bent down at the waist to get a better look at your face. "Ahhh, your pet does not seem to be enjoying herself."

Kirei hummed thoughtfully, imagining the discomfort on your face. He had seen you like that before; he knew exactly what your expression was. Add in some absolute horror that you had been caught and your trembling, his body warmed with the joy that normally he was denied in his everyday life. Before you could try to get away again, he used the hardened muscles hidden under his cassock to lift you up and hold you in a way that put you on display for his Servant.  You couldn't move. He kept you locked against him with one arm across your chest. With the other hand, he pressed on your clit and rubbed hard. You bent back against his body from the sheer pleasure, your tongue bulging from your lips with each pant. Like you wanted to vomit from the situation but couldn't. Gilgamesh's grin widened.

[fanficimagery]

Sweet Child O’Mine

After helping your fellow Eternals stop the Emergence, it's time you let them in on a little secret you've been keeping for thousands of years.

Words: 1.9K Author’s Note: It’s been a while, yeah? Real life sucks and writer’s block is at an all time high. I probably won’t have a regular posting schedule for a while because I can’t seem to focus on one thing. I’m lucky this was able to be posted, even if I don’t like it much. Druig is my new love. 

BEFORE  Ikaris and Sersi had been the two to find you, the two of them ringing your doorbell in the middle of the day to explain what Sersi knew about Ajak, Eternals, Deviants, Celestials and the upcoming destruction of Earth. It was a rude awakening, for sure, and it changed everything you once believed in. They needed your help, they needed the help of every Eternal you had awakened with so long ago on the Domo, and they needed it now. You were terrified of what was to come, but you knew that you'd do anything to stop the destruction of this planet you've become so fond of.

"Give me a couple of hours to get some things in order. I'll meet you at your next stop."

"We're going after Phastos next," Ikaris had said.

"Great. Leave me an address and I'll be there in a couple of hours."

After getting your affairs in order and heading over to Phastos', you were surprised to find him with a husband and a child. He had the perfect life going on for him and you felt terrible for dragging him away from it all. And it was as he was in the middle of making plans to have his family moved to Ajak's farm house that you decided to let him in on the secret that only one other person had known.

You had a daughter of your own- a daughter who inherited powers, but had stopped aging when she hit her sixteenth year mark. To say Phastos was surprised would have been an understatement, but after assuring him that she could watch over his husband and son at Ajak's, he agreed to have his husband go pick her up from where you had left her and take her with him to the farm house.

"So who's the father?" He had asked when Sersi and Ikaris were too busy to pay attention to your conversation.

You had stared at him, expression void of any emotion and shook your head. "Not now, Phastos. Not now."

Being reunited with your fellow Eternals brought forward emotions you had thought you buried so long ago- happiness, anger, sadness and longing. You forgot how much they bickered and though you found amusement in it all, you wish everyone could just get along.

Losing Gilgamesh was truly heartbreaking, especially Thena's reaction to it all, and you knew you would do whatever it took to kill the Deviants responsible. But then secrets were unearthed and hidden agendas were brought forward into the light, and you'd never felt more betrayed than you had when it came out that Ikaris killed Ajak, Sprite was in love with Ikaris and would do whatever he asked, and Kingo walked away from you all.

In the end, Ikaris and Sprite gave themselves up to the Uni-Mind to give Sersi the power needed to kill the Celestial slowly emerging from Earth. Ikaris then flew off, heavy with guilt over all that he'd done, and Sprite allowed Sersi to make her human so she could grow up and live the life she'd always wanted.

AFTER  Phastos had fixed the Domo far more quickly than you anticipated and all too soon you found yourself flying back to Ajak's farm house. Everyone was exhausted and needed time to mourn, but you were on the verge of having an anxiety attack. And glancing at Druig across the Domo as he smiled at Makkari did you no favors.

"So is now the time to ask who the father is?" Phastos asks.

You startle at his sudden appearance, glancing at him briefly as you let out a soft sigh. "You'll know immediately when you see my daughter. There's no mistaking who her father is."

It takes him a minute, but his eyes widen and you know he knows. "No way." He glances across the Domo, gaze set on Druig. "When?"

"Before we all went our separate ways in Babylon."

"And no one's known this entire time?"

"I told Ajak. It took me months to realize something was off with my body. It was tricky getting her alone with Sprite sticking close to her, but Ajak made time for me and the so-called miracle baby I birthed."

"He's going to be angry, you know."

"Will he?" You ask, looking up at Phastos before letting your gaze travel back across the Domo. "I handed him my heart, Phastos. I was in love with him, but he's always had a thing for Makkari."

"YN, he's never-"

"But enough about the past," you say, cutting him off. "I need to mentally prepare myself for the chaos Carina will cause when everyone else realizes who she is."

You walk away from the conversation before Phastos can say anything else on the matter.

It isn't long before the Domo is hovering over the empty fields closest to Ajak's farm house and then landing. A door slides open and everyone exits, making their way towards the house. The screen door is thrown open, a man and a boy stepping out onto the porch. But it's the third individual who throws herself off the porch that catches everyone's attention.

"Mom!"

Every Eternal freezes and you mentally wince. Well it was now or never.

Your beautiful dark haired daughter runs towards you until her feet actually lift off the ground. She's flying, speeding right for you, and you stand your ground as you open your arms wide for the impending embrace. You let out an oomph at the impact, your arms wrapping tightly around your daughter as her feet touch ground once more.

"Mom, you scared me so much. That thing is all over the news and I-"

"Hey. Hey, shhh," you tell her. You lean back from her, your hands going up to cradle her face before smoothing down her hair. "It's okay. It's over."

Carina sniffles. "Ben said that I can call him Uncle Ben and Jack my cousin since he's married to Uncle Phastos."

You huff a laugh. "Did he now?"

"Yeah."

Someone clears their throat, startling you from your little bubble with your daughter. You glance over at the other Eternals, cringing when you see Druig clenching his jaw as he stares right at you. Sersi and Makkari can't stop smiling, Sprite and Thena are frowning in confusion, and Phastos looks like he has a million questions.

Sighing, you tuck your daughter under your right arm and face the other Eternals. "So, uh, this is Carina. My biological daughter."

"How?" Sersi asks in awe.

You shrug. "You tell me. I didn't think we could reproduce. When I told Ajak, she was just as dumbfounded as you guys are right now."

[And she has powers?] Makkari signs. She then looks at your daughter, smiling fondly. [You have powers?]

[I do.] Carina signs back, laughing softly when Makkari looks surprised to see her sign. She looks up at you quickly and you step aside, letting her show them what all she can do. Without much concentration, she lifts up into the air before hovering a few feet off the ground. Then when she lands, she lands in a crouched pose with long blades appearing in her hands made up of golden energy.

"She has Ikaris' flight and Thena's weapons," you say. "She a shit fighter though."

"Mom." Carina's exasperated tone makes the group, sans Druig, chuckle.

"Well I, for one, have many questions," Phastos muses, "but I think YN needs to speak privately with someone."

As one, everyone's gaze lands on Druig and you mentally sigh. Leave it to your daughter to come out looking like the feminine version of her father. Carina looks at you, but you smile reassuringly at her and gesture with your head for her to go back to the house. She listens, but not before hooking her arm with Phastos'.

When the others make it to the house and enter through the front door one right after the other, Druig finally asks, "Were you ever going to tell me?"

"No."

"Does she know who I am to her?"

"Yes." You finally look back at him to meet his gaze. "She knows all about you and the others, and I was leaving it up to her to decide whether or not she went searching for you."

Druig's gaze darts all over your face. "Why didn't you tell me when you found out?"

"Are you kidding me right now?" You scoff. He frowns at you. "Druig, that night we spent together meant everything to me. And then the following morning you were just gone."

"YN, I-"

"No. I get it, okay? We all had jobs to do. I understood that. But then the next day and the day after that, you couldn't even look at me." All the hurt and anger from thousands of years ago comes rushing back, and your eyes fill with tears. You angrily swipe at them before they can fall. "I put my heart on a fuckin' platter for you and you only had eyes for Makkari afterwards."

"Makkari and I were never anything."

"Well I didn't know that!" You sniffle, the anger draining out of you a moment later when you see Druig isn't angry at all. He just looks lost. "All I knew was that I let myself fall in love with you, but you only had smiles for Makkari. And I get that too. Makkari is a goddamn cinnamon roll. At least that's what Carina would say. I'm not sure," you mumble. "She's the only one who knows all the modern lingo."

Druig finally cracks a grin and your heart flutters. Even after all these years, you've missed him. You see his eyes flare gold for a moment and then he really grins. "Did you miss me?"

Your eyes roll. "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to."

A weight seems to lift from his shoulders then as if you just answered another question he had. Druig takes a step closer to you and you tense, but you force yourself to relax. Another step turns into three more until he closes the distance between the two of you and then he's hesitant when reaching for your hands. When you let him take them within his own, he leans in to touch his forehead to yours and offers you one of his rare smiles. "So her name is Carina?"

"Yes."

"And she's like us?"

"Yeah. For the first sixteen years of her life I was terrified," you admit. "She was growing every day and I didn't know if I could survive only eighty or ninety years with her. But as her seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth birthday came and went, we realized she wasn't aging anymore."

"I have a lot of catching up to do, no?"

Before you can answer, there's a shout from within the house and then your daughter and Sprite are rushing out the front door. You and Druig break apart, looking at the two girls who already look thick as thieves.

When you catch Carina's gaze, her eyes widen and she stammers, "I-I didn't do it! It was Aunt Thena."

Druig huffs a laugh as you shake your head at her. Then feeling bold at the moment, you glance at Druig and chance reaching for his hand. He looks down at your joined hands, tangling your fingers together and making you exhale in relief. "Come on. Let's officially introduce you to your daughter."

[genshinarchives]

𝐆𝐎𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐇. 𝟐

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐 : 𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 : You discover the true identity of the former ruler of Auruk, Enu, and decide to become king to honour his wish.

𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒 : Al-Haitham, Kaveh; hints of Cyno x reader

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄 : Romance, adventure, isekai

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 : N/A

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 : N/A

𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏

The late God of Heroes had built his fortress city near an oasis. When you first stepped foot in it, you weren't able to suppress the amazement the brilliance of Auruk conjured up inside you. It was more modern than you had initially thought, and you were surprised when Ushar revealed that the same god who built this city had introduced social hierarchies, specialised occupations, coercive political structures, writing, religion and literature, and monumental architecture to his people, which you noted were innovations characteristic of cities.

"The God of Heroes also created the laws of Auruk. He emphasised the importance of them by punishing the transgressors severely," Ushar said.

"He sounds like the incarnation of justice and wisdom," you remarked, "What was his name?"

"High King Enu. He also had a very loyal attendant called Elisha." Ushar then turned his head to you with a smile. "Now that I'm looking at you properly, you bear a strong resemblance to her. She was a beautiful woman, just like you."

You stared at him, wondering if this was a coincidence or not. You had an online friend called Enu in Camelot Chronicles, whose NPC you took the appearance of. The two of you met when he saved you from a group of player killers who were known for killing non-human characters; he was also the one who showed you the ropes of the game and he even helped you create Enki.

However, two years ago... He went missing without a trace. You weren't online when the server had crashed, temporarily locking the players in. It took five hours of maintenance for the server to be up and running again, and you didn't hear anything from him after that incident. In remembrance of your friendship, you had decided to take the form of Elisha and kept your appearance that way since then.

"High King Enu was our ruler when he was alive. Now that he had passed on, the Regency Council is the current governing body," Ushar added, "But with you here, Auruk will have a king again and Gilgamesh Palace will no longer feel empty!"

You could only give him a small smile in response. As Ushar led you up the steps to the palace to introduce you to the Regency Council, you passed by a young woman playing with a Rubik's cube.

"Rubik's Cube?" you exclaimed, making her drop said item in surprise. Before she had the chance to retrieve it, you picked it up from the ground and stared at the cube in bewilderment. Why does a toy from the modern world exist in Teyvat, especially during an ancient period?

"You know what it is too?" Ushar piped up, appearing next to you with twinkling eyes, "This is one of High King Enu's favourite toys. Solving one side is easy, but solving two sides is hard. However, he was able to overcome such an impossible challenge within four seconds, unlike us humans... Oh, he truly was the embodiment of otherworldly wisdom!" He then gave you a thumbs up that's accompanied with a wink. "I have no doubt that you can solve it too though!"

"Of course. My master has unparalleled intelligence, so it's a given that she's able to solve something as simple as a Rubik's Cube," Enki said vehemently.

You stared at Enki and Ushar blankly. Those delusional NPCs are glorifying you way too much, and you could only hope that the people of Auruk won't follow in their footsteps; you'd feel overwhelmed otherwise.

"Hey! Don't loiter in front of the palace!"

Everyone's attention quickly shifted to the owner of the new voice. A man with two-toned hair was seen approaching the group, the back of his hair bearing the colour of the lush green forest and the tips of his silver bangs dipped in the same green. His stern brown eyes regarded the four of you in annoyance, as if he was a father who had caught his children sneaking out of the house.

"General Kingu!" Ushar said, saluting him as the heels of his shoes clacked together. The young woman who was playing with the Rubik's Cube earlier mirrored his action whilst your eyes zeroed in on the long ears standing upright atop Kingu's head. Their shape and size in proportion to his head reminded you of a fennec fox's ears, and you had to resist the sudden urge to touch them.

Once Kingu was standing in front of you, he glared at the Rubik's Cube in your hand.

"Ereshkigal, you were playing with this toy again, weren't you?" he asked, eyes flickering over to her. The woman in question fidgeted but didn't answer him. "Stop fooling around during your shift and go guard the throne room with your brother."

"Yes sir," she said, turning on her heels to enter Gilgamesh Palace.

"So, who's this?" Kingu asked, finally giving you his attention. Before Ushar could introduce you to him as the new God of Heroes, you gave Kingu a polite bow, shocking Enki.

"I am (y/n). I was exiled to the desert not too long ago," you replied, shocking Ushar this time.

"Ah... So you're one of the God of Woods' followers. It's a good thing Ushar found you before Enkidu did. That god despises humans for some reason." Kingu let out a muted sigh. "Speaking of Enkidu, have you been keeping track of his activities in the desert, Ushar?"

"Yes sir! I witnessed Enkidu's death in the hands of an unidentified god!" Ushar said, making the other man's eyes widen.

"A new god? We've already got our hands full with Gugalanna... Just our luck," Kingu muttered, ruffling his bangs in frustration, "If only we have a way of powering the cannons High King Enu had built to defend this city-"

"Cannons?" you echoed, interrupting him mid-sentence.

"Yes. The cannons are powered by a certain type of magic that only our late king wielded, and they fire the weapons he had collected, created and reforged throughout his reign. Anyway Ushar, you better report that to the Regency Council. They've been losing their minds over our counterattack to Enkidu's future invasions."

❀

Kingu's reaction to being told your true identity was priceless, and it was worth lying to him when he had asked you who you were. As a member of the Regency Council, he attended the meeting when Ushar had gone to make his report about Enkidu, only to be shocked into silence by your introduction as the new God of Heroes. No wonder it felt as if your aura was similar to Enu's! Before the Sand Priestess, Semiramis could brief you on Auruk's state of affairs, Kingu had dropped himself on his knees in front of you with his head bowed low.

"Please forgive me for my ignorance, God of Heroes! I failed to realise who you are on our first meeting. Such transgression should not go unpunished!" he exclaimed, eyes squeezed shut.

"At ease," you said, subconsciously running a hand over his soft ear, "I won't punish you for something as trivial as that. So stand up."

He stiffened at your gesture. "Y-yes..."

As soon as Kingu had calmed down, Semiramis continued from where she was interrupted and explained the situation to you.

Auruk is a nation that was built by the previous God of Heroes, Enu. When he descended to Teyvat many years ago, he saved a group of desertfolk from Enkidu, the god that was prophesised to bring an end to humanity in the Tablet of Destinies. He then brought the desertfolk to a large oasis and summoned an entire fortress using a type of magic that remains unknown to this day (you noted that it's very similar to the high-tier spell the Enu you knew often used when going on long expeditions with you). A city was eventually built around that fortress, giving rise to the protective walls of Auruk and the dingir cannons. Some time after the Archon War began abruptly, Enu was slain by Enkidu when he tried to protect his people from the ravages of war and since then, Enkidu and Enu's long-time rival, Gugalanna have launched several attacks upon Auruk and Elisha tragically lost her life during one of Gugalanna's invasions. The fortress city was only able to make it this far without a god's protection thanks to the Eleven Generals of Tiamat and their Overseer.

When the meeting ended, Kingu was tasked with escorting you and Enki to Enu's chamber, and he then left you to your own devices to help the members of Regency Council prepare for the ceremony that will formally introduce you as Auruk's new god. You decided to look around the room in the meantime as Enki stood guard outside, and came across a large bookshelf that housed many books. You began to flip through the books you've randomly chosen to pass the time, and this activity continued until you found a journal that was written in English.

Your eyes widened.

The owner of this journal was Enu.

Your Enu.

Having studied architecture and social science, he built human civilisation from scratch in Sumeru's desert. He used and derived from the knowledge he had of the modern world to create Auruk for the desertfolk he had saved from Enkidu. With Elisha's help, he trained the Eleven Generals of Tiamat and their Overseer for the purpose of protecting his country from the divine beings in case he disappeared.

His last journal entry was a request for the next player to be transported to Teyvat to look after Auruk in his place. You didn't know how he knew that somebody from his world would eventually land in Teyvat, and assumed that it was simply his desperate, wishful thinking.

As you smiled, you raised your blurry gaze to the ceiling and chuckled.

"Enu... It really was you."

When night fell, you went outside for a stroll with Enki escorting you. You then climbed to the top of the wall and gazed at the seemingly perpetual Sumerian desert whilst absent-mindedly fiddling with Ereshkigal's Rubik's Cube. Enki cast his curious eyes at you when he heard you sigh quietly.

"Enki, do you think I can be a good king for the people my friend had saved?" you asked. You initially accepted Ushar's request for you to be the new God of Heroes for your own gain and survival, but after discovering that this was the country Enu had built, you wanted to protect Auruk to honour his wish.

"In your life, only your decisions are the correct answer," he said, "But are you sure you want to be king? Being 'king' means being a 'monster'."

You stared at the sky in deep thought. If this was a game, you would have no problems saying "yes" - but it wasn't. It's a new world that has become your reality, so every step you take must have some consideration behind it.

"If living this new life as a monster will bring smiles to people's faces, then perhaps it's worth it. They are part of the country Enu had created, and he was my dear friend." You lowered your gaze to your feet as your emotions drowned in the memories of your time with him. "I want power. Power to protect those who are more precious to me than my own life. I wish to become a king with such power."

Stepping forward, Enki gently took one of your hands in his, making you look at him. "A king cannot exercise their power as they wish. The throne in which they sit on is for an immoral beast, one that feasts on flesh and blood. To protect that throne, they must sacrifice all they have, even their own heart. That is their cruel destiny. You may have to stain your hands with blood over and over again. Will you still do it?"

You nodded slowly, your eyes shining with your new resolve which made him smile. He then knelt before you and pressed the back of your hand against his forehead.

"Then engrave this moment into your heart," he vehemently said, "and I promise you that from now on, come what may, I will remain by your side."

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑

The picrew below is Kingu.

[seina91]

I didn’t expect to finish reading this today, but work was a bit slow and I was really excited (but is it really “reading” if I didn’t really understand at least half of it? I really need to study Japanese again…). I was a bit of a perfectionist so I tried really hard to get good pictures, but they’re still not that good. It’s probably better to wait for the kindle version to come out…

Anyways, ramblings under the cut. I’m not very coherent in this. Sorry.

The story starts off some Ayaka flashbacks. I feel like Morii did really well showing how guilty Ayaka feels for what happened at the Semina apartments.

When original Fillia appeared in the flashback, I thought she really looked like Caren lol.

This was a bit surprising. In the novels, it is highly implied that the people Ayaka met at the church was Kotomine and Gilgamesh, but here it is basically stated outright. Reminds me how Vol 1 of the manga shows that it was Caubac talking to Zelretch, while it wasn’t clear in the novels.

Flashbacks ends around here.

Present time - Ayaka and Richard got out of jail and they meet with the drugstore employee and his bandmates.

I think Morii got really good at drawing comedic scenes.

Richard moved by the rock music lol.

Pierre Basile face reveal. Looks a bit older than what I imagined.

Nice scene. Sorry I didnt take pics of what came before. Basically Ayaka was saying - Why are you telling me this (info like who killed you)? That’s like revealing your true name. When you find a better master, you should tell them this stuff, not to me. And Richard reveals his identity just like that. So touching.

(Also put a close up of Richard when he was alive(?) cause I know a few people who like historically accurate designs)

Richard puts on the cool jacket he got from the band and gets ready to make some friends allies.

Next the scene switches to Orlando and Dumas talking about the sword Richard left behind.

Handsome pic of Dumas

Here’s Orlando too (this is their only scene in this volume)

While they’re talking, they discuss how Richard heard stories of King Arthur and the Round Table since he was a kid. We don’t totally see their faces but its probably kid Richard and Eleanor based on the context. cute.

First appearance of Enkidu this volume. Morii had said before that they found Enkidu very hard to draw. I guess their solution is to make Enkidu as pretty as possible lol.

Wolf because this panel is so damn cute. Fluff fluff.

This was supposed to be Richard vs Enkidu, but mostly took pics of Richard. Whoops. Anyways, the stickalibur scene was surprisingly very cool. When I was reading the novel it felt a bit ludicrous, but Morii makes it really cool.

(I thought I took a picture of the page before this, but its not on my phone... It was kind of funny cause Ayaka was pulling on his braid but it was a serious moment) Anyways this scene was really touching. Ayaka was upset that Richard was fighting for her sake. She really doesn’t think highly about herself because of what happened at the Semina apartments. But Richard said she worries too much about the small things. This is the scene where Richard says all he knows how to do is war.

And then Enkidu, Ayaka, Richard and No Name Assassin team up and decide to go back to the villa where No Name was summoned.

Sorry, skipping to Sigma now -picking off from where the previous volume left off on.

Even though I already knew what was going to happen next, reading these pages still made me really tense. You can feel how nervous Sigma is facing a heroic spirit, an enemy who can kill him very easily but not vice versa. That shaking of hands when handling the gun. I didn’t take pictures, but there are more pages that further convey this.

haha.

Context - This is the part when Sigma talks to watcher’s shadows out loud and No Name is like, who are you talking to? No ones there. Your servant? Not!Icarus explains how only sigma can see Watcher.

Sigma: I-I see... (I wish this was the first thing you told me)

No Name uses the hair Zabaniya

No Name Assassin is also called Beautiful Assassin, but I never found her to be super pretty. I thought she was very cute, but not someone I would call beautiful. But seeing these panels... I’m sorry, I take it back.

Sorry, I just found Sigma’s expression funny. He is a lot more emotive than I expected (do I need to revise my Sigma comic...?)

!!! A new Watcher’s shadow!

When sigma first sees them, he wonders if they are a kid shadow.

Based on their clothes and the cross, I thought maybe they were someone from the Crusades. Unless it is a situation like Wu Zetian, I thought maybe this kid was one of the leaders of the Children’s Crusades (you can look it up on wikipedia)

“Now! Chaplin!!“ Even though I knew this was coming it still made me laugh.

Stop, drop and roll. Sorry Sigma is just very funny, even if it is (probably) unintentional.

Anyways, Richard stops Assassin from killing Sigma. And they kind of become allies.

Sigma watching comedies when he was a kid. (tears)

Sorry, I barely took any pictures of this scene. This is when Jack and Flat infiltrate the hospital to find the source of “death“ surrounding the city. I know Jack is just copying the form of someone else, but they look very cute here. Also there werent that many panels with Flat so I just took my favorite one lol.

There was a cool scene here where Jack felt the pressure of Pale Rider from Tsubaki’s room, but I was too lazy to take it. Sorry.

Jester doing typical vampire things - watching people sleep.

Hansa is irritated that Jester managed to run away lol.

Quartet in action! They’re looking for Jester. Though they are only shown in these two pages.

Would be nice if they got to fight in the next novel volume.

Despite being the mediator for the Grail War, no one is coming... lol

In the next page he eats a jalapeno(?) pepper

Talking about the mana batteries.

I feel like I should have taken a picture, but at the end of their conversation It highlights Baz’s intense loyalty for his boss. Which segs to...

This scene is so damn cool. Whenever Faldeus and True Assassin interact the scene always feels intense.

Now to the Clock Tower.

Sorry. I only took one picture cause the rest was stuff already in the novels. We finally learn the name of Rhongall’s disciple. Terrible attempt to romanize his name: Christophel Beilman. Any other suggestions for クリストフェル・ ベイルマン are welcome.

Anyways, El-Melloi calls Ayaka and finds out she’s in Romania. Meanwhile Ayaka in Snowfield gets a text from Fillia who tells her she free to do whatever now. If Ayaka Sajyou is in Romania, then just who is that person in Snowfield?

Finally, we cut to Haruri dying. Above is just a closer look of her command spells.

Dun Dun. A full-ish body reveal of True Berserker. Very cool.

The only panel that Francesca appears in throughout the whole book. Just Haruri’s flashback saying she shouldn’t have agreed to let Francesca have the Caster slot.

As Haruri lays dying she wonders if her father was watching her, and how she wants to see her mother. “Now... Finally...“

However Fillia (Ishtar) has other plans. (Finally Ishtar’s debut!)

I like how Morii manages to distinguish who is in control. Fillia is shown as no nonsense and serious, but Ishtar has a very playful(? maybe condescending is a better description) demeanor. The slight change in hairstyle helps too.

Another panel showing a different angle of True Berserker.

This scene. When I was reading this... Man. You can feel how Ishtar basically overwhelms Haruri. A powerful being who shouldn’t be able to exist, a being who should not exist. So intense. Morii shows so well how terrifying Ishtar is.

(Ishtar was telling Haruhi she didn’t need to be so scared, but she just made it worst)

Ends with Fillia/Ishtar saying that she since she has arrived, she will make sure to properly rule over humanity.

Yay.

Also, omake picture with the girls. You cant see Francesca’s face well because it is in the gutter section. Better to wait for the kindle images.

Whew. I can barely remember what I was writing. I feel like even though Ayaka and Richard were the focus in the beginning of the manga, I posted much more pictures of Sigma. Oh well.

Anyways, as usual the manga is super good. I’m kind of glad that the manga is published sporadically in volumes, instead of being serialized. It allows Morii to adapt the story at their own pace instead of in monthly/weekly beats. I hope its also less pressure, but idk.

While the novels will always be more detailed and comprehensive, Morii is really good at conveying the scenes.

Ok, my brain is frazzled to talk more coherently. I think I need to sleep or something. Probably(?) won’t update with more thoughts. (This post has been barely proofread. Sorry. Too tired). EDIT: Now proofread, and hopefully more coherent.

[jbreenr]

⚠ ETERNALS SPOILERS ⚠

Though there's no need anymore but…

Alright…

So, the first thing we see in the movie is their powers, which I find awesome.

And the way they put on their suits? Yea!

Also, i love that Shang-Chi was in the M of MARVEL in the opening. Did you see him?

We also have a Dr. Strange mention when Dane asks Sersi if she's a wizard. I do wanna see him as a giraffe.

Dane, he's a baby and Sprite, she's so badass. Her powers, dude, how she multiplied herself AND Sersi? Woooow.

I mean, you can't tell Gemma was already in a MCU movie. Like, her characters are so freaking different and I live that.

And, imma tell you, my brother would yell “The King In The Noth!” every time Richard Madden was onscreen.

And i can't blame him, sorry.

I mean, Richard and Kit. Together. Again. We love them. We were both fangirling.

A mention of Thanos and the blip, people believing that the earthquake had something to do with that. Yeah, weird shit happens there wouldn't be surprised.

Well, Ikaris is, indeed, the most beautiful. And I don't accept other opinions.

Now, I don't know why everyone was so upset about that sex scene. There was nOTHING ONE COULD SEE! It wasn't explicit, it wasn't forced, and it wasn't even long!!!

Ajak choosing Sersi to replace her was something I should have seen coming. Why didn't I is a mystery.

Also, i already know she died. Except I did not think it would happen so early in the story.

Lemme just… MI ✨ TENOCHTITLAN ✨ HERMOSA, TE AMO. Though they didn't show you in your best of moments.

Sorry, I got distracted for a second.

For a sec I was like wtf is happening to Thena? But then we got the explanation of the Mahd' Wy'ry and it kind of made sense.

Knowing that somehow Druig was right but also knowing he couldn't interfere is like uuuuugh!!

But he did it anyway so… yeah.

Now, the DCEU is canon in the MCU. Batman and Alfred and freaking Clark Kent are more canon than Mephisto and Evan Peters' Quicksilver. I don't know how to feel about it.

Did anyone else feel bad about Gilgamesh's pie?):

Also, his friendship with Thena is beautiful. His way of bringing her back was, in my opinion, way better than Nat's lullaby to Hulk. Don't mind me, I don't like that pairing.

Wait, wait, wait. Gil fought with/alongside with Odin? Against Laufey? WTF? I need to know more.

So, there is no Olimpia, The World Forge is where the Eternals are MADE. *insert Scott Lang's voice* Their whole existence is a bunch of… bullshit?

Also, i was not expecting that deviant thing. Like, Arishem created them as well for the intelligent kind to appear. What - -?!

Sorry but Druig os asdfghjklñ, Kingo. He doesn't suck. 🤷🏻‍♀️

And Ikaris left Sersi because he died in the Red Wedding. Xd

No time for jokes? K, got it.

I love Karum, he's iconic.

And Thena is a baby. We must protect her at all cost.

Gil.): I can't believe he died too. Gotta admit that I sobbed. I didn't know you well but you'll always be remembered, my friend.

Abruptly changing the topic; I cAN'T BELIEVE PEOPLE GOT MAD ABOUT A GAY COUPLE IN THE MOVIE!

Like, hello!!! It wasn't forced, it was casual, natural and just fucking normal. And I love how it wasn't a big deal that had to be explained in the film because it is NORMAL.

Ikaris mentions the vibranium, and we saw this in the trailers but I just love how Wakanda and its open doors to the world are relevant.

I'm living for that reference of King Arthur being in love with Thena. Man, we all are and if you're not, you're lying yo yourself.

Okay, we know why Ikaris left Sersi now.

And the fact that thanks to Thanos the emergence was delayed? Was he a good guy?

Not a serious question but it makes you think though.

Now I understand why Ikaris was described as “loyal”.

Because, as I said, I knew Ajak died and I knew it was Ikaris who killed her, but I did not expect it that way!

Now, and I'll be as calmed as possible, WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU, SPRITE?!?! I, TOO, WOULD LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND FOR RICHARD MADDEN BUT HOW COULD YOU BETRAY YOUR FAMILY?

Thena, sweetheart, you're a goddess and I love you, I'm so proud of you for getting rid of that deviant.

I don't know how to feel about Ikaris not being able to kill Sersi. Like, it's not actually a redemption arc, but the fact that he loved her so much he couldn't do it makes me like him.

Yeah, I said that. I understand why all of you hate him but I can't bring myself to do it. And I'm ready to physically fight whoever dares to say anything about him.

Now, Spite got everything she wanted, she's a human ajd I'm happy she got her happy ending.

Or the happiest she can be without Ikaris around.

And, WHY, ARISHEM, DID YOU HAVE TO INTERRUPR DANE WHEN HE WAS ABOUT TO TELL SERSI ABOUT THE BLACK KNIGHT??!?

We all knew he'd be there, but I got excited when Eros made his entrance. My inner fangirl screamed.

DUUUUDE, I saw the leaks but I STILL GOT EXCITED WHEN DANE IS ABOUT TO TAKE THE EBONY BLADE AND HE HEARS, WELL, BLADES' VOICE! AKSÑDLSKÑS. can't wait for that movie.

[lovelyfanatical]

I Get a Sugar Rush Whenever I’m With You - Chapter 4.3

Happy weekend fellow Drukkari stans, or whatever day it is for you! Took longer than I hoped, but I am here with the end of Chapter 4! If you missed the last installment and need to catch up, you can find that here, or start over from the beginning here. We have reached the end of '70s week, and Detective Makkari has her eye on Thenamesh. What will they uncover this time? Find out now in the next mini-chapter of Drukkari in the Great British Bake Off!

The final challenge of the week went surprisingly well for Druig, considering how often he found himself distracted by Makkari. She remained determined to facilitate Thena and Gilgamesh’s budding relationship, even if she still had no idea how to go about it. The result of this was simply Makkari watching the two of them like a hawk and alerting Druig and Sersi whenever she witnessed something cute, regardless of whether the cameras were rolling. In the three hours they had to complete their bakes that week, Druig had spotted at least fourteen pointed looks from Makkari as she tried to alert him and Sersi to some new development without letting Thena or Gil catch on. While Gil hadn’t appeared to notice, Druig wasn’t so sure they had escaped Thena’s attention. His suspicions soon proven correct.

Following judgment time, he found himself waiting for his interview along with the stoic blonde. Despite being at the end of the fourth week, he still hadn’t really talked to her. He was almost certain he was being rude by not talking to her now, being the only two in the waiting area at present. That said, Thena’s judgment hadn’t gone very well at all, and he wasn’t sure if she was in the mood to make casual conversation with someone she barely knew. But just as Druig’s mind was jumping through hoops to justify his silence, Thena broke right through it with a surprising phrase: “You can just ask, you know.”

Druig nearly jumped out of his skin at the interruption to his train of thought. “What?”

“About me and Gilgamesh,” she replied nonchalantly. At his stunned silence, she continued, “I know you and Makkari have been watching us. Possibly Sersi as well.”

“Sorry about that. We didn’t mean to make you or Gil… uncomfortable,” he said, treading carefully with his choice of words. To his astonishment, Thena actually cracked a smile at his response.

“Oh, we’re not uncomfortable. If anything, it’s amusing how subtle Makkari thinks she’s being,” she said, which made Druig smile at the memory of her barely contained smiles during the competition today. “You still haven’t asked.”

Makkari would be sad to have missed this, but Druig wasn’t sure he’d get the opportunity to speak one-on-one with Thena again, so he asked, “What’s the deal with you and Gilgamesh?”

“We’re old acquaintances. I trained with him briefly early in my career,” she explained. “He invited me out for coffee once, but I had an overseas gig. Then another. After the third, I ended up moving there for a few years. I moved back eventually, but before I knew it, years had passed, and between all the moving around, we’d lost touch.”

“So, you didn’t see each other again until now?”

“Yes. It seems we both took up the same hobby.”

Druig hummed in response and weighed his next question carefully. He wasn’t sure if it was too nosy to ask, but then again, Thena had prompted him to do so, and she was eyeing him knowingly now. So he continued, “And did you two go for that cup of coffee yet?”

While she didn’t seem at all surprised by the question, she still took some time to consider her answer. “I’m not sure if coffee from the hotel really counts. Beyond that, he hasn’t brought it up. I think he might be waiting.”

“For what?”

“For one of us to get eliminated. I’m not sure if they allow contestants to date.”

“Oh,” was all he could think to say.

“I suppose after today’s performance, he may not need to wait much longer,” she continued. Druig realized a beat too late that he should probably object to this statement, assure her that everything would be alright, as Thena asked, “Not even going to try to tell me it wasn’t that bad?”

“Sorry, thought it might sound patronizing,” he muttered.

“You’d be right,” she replied before falling silent again.

After a moment, he awkwardly asked, “Are you sad about it?”

“A little, but at least I got to be here and intimidate the judges,” she responded with a small smile. “Besides, Gilgamesh is worth the wait, but I’m not the most patient person.”

Just then, they both noticed Darcy nearing the waiting area, and Thena stood up to go. Before she did, she turned back to him to say, “Thanks for not patronizing me, Druig. And I hope you’re a more patient person than I am.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, feeling his face screw up in confusion. Thena raised an eyebrow at him.

“You think I haven’t noticed the way you look at Makkari?”

Druig felt all of the blood rush to his face as he fought the urge to look anywhere else. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Thena merely smiled wryly and gave a satisfied hum before she went out to meet Darcy. Druig was left feeling suddenly very warm. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how he felt; he’d known he was a goner the moment he saw Makkari. That said, if anyone else had noticed, they hadn’t brought it up – Makkari included. At the thought of Makkari knowing, Druig was filled with an entirely different level of anxiety, but he pushed it down as he saw Darcy coming back to fetch him.

-

As Makkari had predicted, Ajak won Star Baker that week. And as Thena herself had predicted, she was going home. Their group tried to contain their enthusiasm, but they all agreed it was well-deserved and fitting that their matriarch should be the first of them to win. Even with all the excitement, Makkari’s eyes were still glued to Thena and Gilgamesh, who she spotted appearing to say their goodbyes for now. Despite how happy she was for Ajak, Druig could see how torn she was with Thena leaving. Of course, that changed on the train ride home when he relayed his and Thena’s conversation to her. He nearly keeled over laughing at the number of times her jaw dropped.

I can’t believe it! she signed, practically jumping out of her seat with joy. You really were right on the money again!

Is that so surprising? he asked in mock offense, at which she rolled her eyes.

No, but you may be the true detective after all, Watson. Not that anyone else needs to know, she answered with a smirk.

As you wish, Sherlock, he replied, unable to hide his own smile. So, what will you do now without a case to keep you occupied?

Focus on the actual competition, I suppose, she responded.

Really? No other potential matches you want to make?

Phastos is married and Sprite is a child. I think I’ve exhausted all matches amongst competitors.  

All of them except us, Druig thought, though he didn’t dare sign it. While they continued to talk throughout the rest of the train ride, Druig couldn’t help but replay the end of his conversation with Thena in his head, a detail he had not shared with Makkari. Obviously, she’d seen right through him, but what had she actually meant when she told him to be patient? Did she simply mean to wait to ask Makkari out, or was there another meaning? He and Makkari had grown so close so quickly that he really wasn’t sure how to even go about asking her out, let alone whether he’d be breaking any rules in doing so. And although he hadn’t made much effort to hide his affection for her, he still wasn’t exactly sure of how she felt toward him. She certainly liked him as a friend, but beyond that, he couldn’t really say.

While he did feel there was something special about their friendship, he could say the same thing about all of Makkari’s friendships, at least the ones he’d seen. She seemed to have a unique bond with everyone in their group (apart from Dane, but he was still new). Who was to say if she had a romantic interest in any of them? She was quite invested in their love lives, but she’d never once said anything about her own except that she was single.

And all of that aside, Makkari really was a great friend. Druig’s circle of friends had always been small, which he didn’t mind. But now that Makkari was part of that circle, he was eager for her to stay there. Druig could definitely be patient, but he wouldn’t risk losing that for anything.

-

I'm sorry I wrote Thena out, she was fun to write while it lasted 😭😭😭 Anyway, I'm quite busy at the moment, so it may take a bit longer for the next installment to come out. In the meantime, likes, reblogs, and comments would be very appreciated!

Part 14

[steamed-cogs]

Okay. Tell us about Armilly.

Millyyyyyy

So first off, I thought she was a dude for as long as I've seen pics of her, something I'm sure I'm not alone in. I was delighted to find out it wasn't so! Usually with these designs, even for goddamn knights, the artists throw in something to make sure you KNOW they're female AND attractive (bc if she's not pretty why in game hurdur). But Armilly could just as easily be male without changing a thing about her design. Not that there's anything wrong with a female character appearing more "feminine", but y'all know what I mean. The Samus effect: just having a character who's femaleness and attractiveness isn't the focus is so nice. Little girls and women want to be cool action figures too!!! Knights without boob plates! Just let us slay dragons without heels on, y'know?

Now for her actual character. In that regard, Armilly is a breath of fresh air as well. Cheerfully obsessive about her main interest, dying to get into a guild of heroes, hyper focused to the point of obliviousness occasionally, her personality seems more common in male characters and she's just cute. So dang cute in her enthusiasm and optimism that the moments when it falters it's a huge bummer. TVTropes described her as "bifauxnen" and it's true, I would follow her into Hell, my wife.

And yeah yeah, people tend to project onto characters and I already have with Rusty, but... If the creators confirmed she was on the spectrum, I wouldn't be surprised. The single-minded focus, the hyper fixation, the black-and-white complete idolization of Gilgamesh... Have to wonder if it wasn't only her "lowly stature" that got her rejected from the Guild. I feel Copernica is attuned to this about her friend and keeps an eye on her.

[yamayuandadu]

Arahsamnum 2021: Gilgamesh

You might be justifiably surprised by the presence of Gilgamesh among the figures I’m covering - after all, he’s hardly minor, if anything an argument can be made that he’s one of the only Mesopotamian figures to actually have some presence in popular imagination today. While that’s true, I want to focus on a side of this figure which is very rarely discussed - Gilgamesh as a minor underworld god. Worry not, though, more “mainstream” topics will be covered too, including a text indicating the existence of a scenario in which Gilgamesh and Enkidu were eventually reunited. Read on to learn about Gilgamesh’s fate after the events of the epic.

Our story begins in the Ur III period, just like many other stories covered in this series of posts - it was a really good time for Mesopotamian religion and literature, evidently. One of the peculiarities of this era was the sheer enthusiasm the Sumerian rulers, especially Ur-Namma and Shulgi, had for Gilgamesh. While he’s already known from older sources, it is evident that his popularity skyrocketed thanks to these kings. Not only the stories about him which were eventually forged into the epic we know now were in wide circulation, the kings regarded him as their “friend” or even “brother” and regarded him as a god. The deified Gilgamesh evidently had some degree of popularity among commoners too, as he shows up in personal names such as Ur-Gilgamesh. The character of Gilgamesh the hero is well known, but what was Gilgamesh the god like? Rather surprisingly, he was an underworld deity, something which might seem odd to us considering the themes of grief, loss and joys of earthly life well known from the Epic. The standard view was seemingly that Gilgamesh after passing away became an underworld judge. At least one source states that he received this position from the sun god Shamash, one of the deities of justice par excellence. However, other traditions existed too - for example, one incantation lists Gilgamesh as the ferryman of the dead, in this context grouped with Namtar, Ereshkigal’s sukkal (vizier) and Bidu (the gatekeeper of the underworld). Death of Ur-Namma instead presents him as a king of the spirits of the dead, though as the gods normally envisioned as being in charge still appear in it, he presumably still had to answer to them. Yet another tradition associated Gilgamesh with Dumuzi and Ningishzida, two gods who were believed to spend part of the year in the underworld. Dumuzi is well known, but Ningishzida, as a more obscure figure requires a brief introduction: he was the son of Ninazu, himself a puzzling underworld god, and had a wide variety of functions, being a god of the underworld, of vegetation, and seemingly all around a reliable deity. To my knowledge there is no known explanation for his association with Gilgamesh, though. Curiously, a celebration associated with this trio apparently involved wrestling, possibly meant to evoke the fight between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Also, The Epic in it most famous form technically does hint at Gilgamesh’s underworld role and even brings up Ningishzida. The hero’s mother Ninsun makes cryptic references to her son being fated to dwell where Ningishzida and Irnina (personified victory, here presumably Ningishzida’s serpentine courtier and not epithet of Ishtar) do. Last but not least, apparently a belief that Gilgamesh was reunited with Enkidu in the underworld also existed; I will quote A. R. George (book linked below; p. 141-142) here instead of summarizing it myself:

Following this poem, it’s arguably possible to see Gilgamesh’s cultic role as an unexpected happy ending of the famous epic. Was that the intent of the ancient authors, though? Hard to tell.

Further reading:

The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts by A. R. George

Nin-ĝišzida (Reallexikon der Assyriologie entry) by F. A. M. Wiggermann

[martilyongabo]

some fate characters with dnd(ish) races! i’m not so familiar with dnd race specifics so the interpretations are very loose. explanations are under the cut!

diarmuid as a human that sort of became a faerie after being raised by aenghus! i noticed in my surface research that donn (or dunn) was referred to as an ancestor of the gaels. the way i understood it was that donn was a human that ascended to the position of underworld god, so di could have been human himself :0 i also sort of wanted to play with the concept of di being able to move between the three realms (human, dead, fae) hence his travelling getup.

artur (i kinda hc’d artoria as nb for a long while) is, quite predictably, part-dragonborn! i took more inspiration from the lion king outfit, mostly because i prefer the more mature look of it. i think these traits would extend to mordred, but i’m still on the fence whether morgan and oberon would have them as well, since it might make their designs too noisy :0 we’ll see though if ever i get around to drawing them!

as for gilgamesh, he’s an aasimar! being 2/3 divine, i thought he’d have a bit more uncanny appearance! the original descriptions of aasimar from base dnd left me wanting a bit more, so i added some traits from @filibusterfrog​‘s uncommon aasimar and teifling traits post! his outfit is a bit of modified version of his caster appearance, with his coat taken off because i thought he’d want to show his angelic attributes (there are actually supposed to be feathers on his shoulders but i realised that i never really cleaned up the sketch, woops--)

anyway i’d be really surprised if someone actually read through all these HAHAHA but ye! hope you enjoyed reading some of it and please stay safe and healthy.