#gilgglemesh

ohhhh this is a doozy

dantes keeps to himself bc of the trauma he experienced in his life. he won’t let others in unless it’s on his terms bc it’s a matter of keeping that sense of agency he lost when he was imprisoned in chateau d’if

ultimately, his reaction depends on which part of his past his master saw

if his master saw his past before he was arrested, he’d call it a dream long gone and that what they saw was no longer a part of him. what guda thinks doesn’t matter, bc it’s not “his story” anymore

it’d be apparent, though, that he wants to linger in the dream and there’s a touch of sadness in his expression, esp if he sees his father or mercedes

if his master saw his time in chateau d’if... dantes would probably put on a show. he’d be grandstanding and declare that this is how a man died in hell: piece by piece, with his spirit broken beyond repair. he’d act the part of the demon bc it’s what he knows best to do as an avenger - bc when he sees his own suffering, it’s far easier to be furious than it is to acknowledge how they broke him to the point of wanting to die

he’d do much the same if his master saw how he exacted his vengeance. dantes would say this is all proof that he is a divine avenger

i think the only events that’d fuck him up to show would be 1) mercedes begging him not to kill her son, 2) haydee begging him not to die, 3) the scene where he tries to save edward villefort and fails, 4) his duel with albert, and 5) when he sails off with haydee at the book’s end

these five events are highlights of when the persona of the count begins to break down and when “edmond dantes” begins to resurface. they’re painful to dantes bc he’s aware his current incarnation denies him his redemption - that he’ll never find peace bc it’s the avenger the world wants, not the dantes that sailed off with a chance to finally start anew

which is to say: he’d lash out at the master for seeing that part of his past, he’d absolutely lose it and deny that he’s still capable of holding those memories bc it’s not him, and he’d vanish into the shadows

if your bond with him is high enough, he’ll allow you to find him. he wouldn’t want to talk about them, but he’d admit to the master that his existence rests on his suffering... and that he thinks he’s only permitted to remember the good parts of his life so he could be driven into further despair. he doesn’t think a beast like him is worth saving

“No one is allowed to lay even a breath on what is mine, mongrel.”

Gil just snorted… you actually got a snort out of Gil.

//jk punish cause he’s not giving Gilgamesh any attention

“Get her…. toys………………” It was all Gilgamesh could say on the matter.

Between Iluvi and Merlin, Gil now has 40,000 rubber ducks in his treasury. They all increase in size from tiny to a giant inflatable one with a crown made out of tiny rubber ducks.

The giant one is named King Donald Duck appropriately.

All of them squeak.

Gil can’t move when he next visits the treasury because of the 40,000 rubber ducks.

Gil also gives this to Ishtar as her percentage of his treasury.

Iluvi is very disappointed and misses her rubber ducks, but also brought up the idea to give them to Ishtar. It was so amusing that he couldn’t let that opportunity pass him by. Gil was so satisfied seeing Ishtar’s horrified expression upon realising what just happened.

It was worth seeing her face when she discovered the ducks. Almost as good as Gil’s reaction when he looked so confused about it.

This is why rubber ducks got banned from Chaldea and why Iluvi is only allowed nice things in Chaldea if it is within moderation.

This makes Iluvi sad so Gil allows her to keep one duck. He realises the flaw when she keeps the giant inflatable one and puts it on his throne sometimes to remind him he needs a break.

The lesson in specification has been learnt and he regrets not doing that.

Bonus:

Enkidu would casually wander Chaldea’s halls not knowing why people are staring at him and laughing... until he spots the rubber duck on his head that Merlin glued to his head using magic.

Enkidu loves the duck and once he gets the duck off of his head, he keeps it and has it in the bath with him.