#marigale

i cannot post my giant wip yet, but i have written So Much of it that i thought it would be fun to draw the three ships and where they start in the first act (this is a big oc fic. there are more) as a cute little preview of coming attractions <3

u did GREAT 👍🏽👍🏽 reading you loud n clear commander

🌤️Share your favorite piece of dialogue from your WIP.

“Your condition,” Marigold realized aloud, then winced. “Oh, I’m sorry! I really did forget myself. Is it the sort of situation that responds poorly to verbal romantic overtures as well as physical intimacy? I do have a tendency to speak without thinking, or perhaps more accurately as I’m thinking, and given that there are a not insignificant number of thoughts in my mind when my eyes land on yours, there’s—that—yes, actually, as I’m speaking, I do see why you’re a bit concerned yourself. I will shut up now.” She pressed her sleeve to her mouth and stared expectantly at him.

VIBES LETS GO

Nasty things, gnolls. Marigold had never seen them in the wild before, and spent some time awkwardly taking notes as they walked, until Gale said, “Marigold, here, let me—” and took her notebook, scribbling a few things down in the margins himself.

“Manners!” said Marigold, snatching the notebook back and whacking Gale's shoulder. He winced. “Oh—sorry,” she said reflexively, then, “no, actually, not sorry! Write your own notes!”

“Only you didn't mention the discoloration on the first hyena,” Gale pointed out, “and I didn't wish to interrupt your train of thought with my own verbal interjection—”

“Your excuses are flimsy, saer,” said Marigold. She took the notebook back. Gale had underlined a few points of hers and added a little star by one of her observations. “Am I being graded?”

“Certainly not!” said Gale, but he'd gone a bit pink. “I only wished to—express my admiration vis-a-vis your academic instincts! Which is to say, well, perhaps—yes, actually, perhaps yes you're being graded a bit, but only to ensure that it's clear to all you're setting a high academic standard even within these most dire of circ—”

“Here,” said Marigold, shoving the notebook at Gale. “You're to take my dictation, if you insist upon adding your own colorful commentary.” Gale took the notebook and quill without hesitation; as Marigold began to speak, he began to write. “Unborn gnolls neutralized with a combination of force and lightning damage; safe to say that any and all damage would have been sufficient. Newborn gnolls neutralized less easily—”

hilariously the bakery is the one thing i made up. i am delighted to know i have talked about it enough to make it sound like it's part of the game though. set post-fic (that few have actually read yet lmao)

Marigold is sitting on the kitchen table, ink-splattered parchment covering every square inch of the room. Gale steps gingerly over what looks like a hybridized recipe-spell combination, nearly slips on what appears to be just a recipe, and places a tentative hand on her shoulder. She doesn't look up from her scribbling.

"She just gets like this about the seasonal pastry changes when we get all the different fruits in," Sofie says, hardly bothering to look up at him. She's sequestered herself in the corner with some of Marigold's papers, scanning them with the same unwavering focus as her mother. "O'si, Gale's here for..." She raises her head to squint at Gale. "Why are you here?"

Marigold is not paying attention. She's written ROTATING GLITTER KOLACHE???? in large letters at the top of the parchment she's holding, which sounds on par with her years-ago attempt to figure out a way to collect torchstalk mushrooms and see if they're edible. "No, that's not autumnal," she mutters, "glitter is all-seasons, and Norie put a ban on glitter in the bakery for Minthara's sake after The Incident. Not glitter." She scratches out ROTATING GLITTER KOLACHE, then writes RED ???????? as though this means anything.

"Red??" Gale echoes, curiously, playfully.

"Oh, hello, dearest," says Marigold. She doesn't bother to look up. "Would it be too much trouble to run down to the shops and buy everything on that list?"

Gale looks around the kitchen and takes in the sheer volume of scribbled-on parchment, all in Mari's hyperspecific shorthand that he's only recently begun to learn how to read--and this is after three years of marriage and four years of courtship before that. "Shopping list," he says. "Yes. I..."

"Got it!" says Sofie. Eyes still on her own recipes, she snaps her fingers. A crumpled-up sheet of paper just by Gale's foot unfurls itself and floats into his hands.

Astounded, Gale says, "How on earth did you know where that was?"

Marigold looks up at him with extremely affectionate bemusement. "Well, it wasn't hard to find, was it?" she says. "No offense meant, Sofie."

"None taken," says Sofie. "It was fairly obvious."

🏆 | their reaction to the other beating them at something

i think it's just like a bunch of heart emojis. like a very "wow look at my strong and capable partner!!!!!!" kind of moment. khalid is endlessly bowled over by jaheira's capacity to kick ass, and any moment where jaheira gets to see khalid's strength n confidence pay off is going to get her all kinds of proud and delighted. they're both outrageously and theatrically competitive for exactly that reason -- they know how much their partner likes seeing them win based on skill alone, and they love making each other happyyyyyy

💌 | a love note from one to the other

My dearest, rarest blossom--

Under most normal circumstances, as I know your preference is to hear my voice when I wish to deliver a message, I would have brought this particular missive to you as recited by one of my impeccably crafted magical projections, set to appear exactly before your meeting with the Grand Dukes. These, however, being circumstances where you will not be alone in the handful of minutes before the aforementioned meeting, and this being a particularly intimate and emotionally vulnerable sentiment, I decided to forego the usual verbal presentation in favor of a magically delivered letter. I hope you will forgive me if such a presentation is found lacking, though I like to think I know you well enough by now to know that you will simply be both surprised and delighted to hear from me. Here I will also take the time to remind you that I love you, and will love you for the rest of my natural life, and, as such, you will hear from me in every moment of anxiety, as I know I am both needed and welcome in such moments, though of course you will have to let me know if either of those variables ever change.

I digress. I write to tell you only this: as I am composing this message, your daughter is clattering about the kitchen, singing a song that I believe she learned from Roslin and working magics that I know for a fact she learned from you. I imagine that by the time this letter reaches you, she will have created a beautiful, whimsical, and uniquely magical dessert, one that I am sure she will be ever so excited to tell you about upon your return home. I wish to remind you of Sofie's existence to remind you in turn of your immense competence and compassion as a mother and a caretaker, which I believe is a quality that will serve you well in this meeting -- you are a thoughtful, capable, deeply passionate person, and the Grand Dukes would not have called upon you were this not the case.

There is no reason to worry that you are underqualified to advise them, my love. You are exorbitantly qualified in every way that matters.

Eagerly awaiting your return,