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myefflorescence18 · 19 days ago

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This series is INSANE. It really makes me appreciate even more how much care went into Nyx's character down to the level of detail in his combat style. There's so much storytelling in that alone — personality, experience, decisions made in the heat of the moment. The way he moves with them, switches grip, adapts mid-fight etc.

It's absolutely fascinating and the author's attention to detail is impressive! Nyx Week could not come soon enough!

Tracking Nyx's Kukris - Part 2

[[Cropped from the wiki]]

If you missed it, here's Part 1.

Okay, we’re back, this time looking at Nyx in the second half of the movie and how he uses his kukris. Since he has his kukris the whole time from here on out, the focus is more about his fighting style than worldbuilding of when and how he’s allowed to use them, but we still thought it might be interesting!

As before, descriptions are in the alt text, and sources should be below the image - likely the wiki, @capsource, or @starjunco. All gifs are courtesy of @starjunco.

As the glaives warp onto the airships, Nyx has the Galahdan kukri in hand and uses that single blade over and over during the warps rather than switching between the two.

[[You can see here why that's useful]]

When he reports in to Drautos, he doesn’t bother with the juggling act from the first scene, and just keeps hold of the kukri as he taps his earpiece with the same hand. Shortly thereafter, Luche uses the same gesture with his own weapon in hand.

[[From @starjunco]]

Nyx infiltrates the airship with weapons sheathed, keeping his focus on balance and stealth.

As he realizes the whole thing is a trap and starts running to Pelna and Luna, he reaches down and draws his Galahdan kukri from his leg sheath with his right hand and then flat out sprints with it in hand. By the time he reaches them, he’s switched the kukri to his left hand, which leaves his right hand free to pull Luna back after an octopus-like arm grabs Pelna (though Nyx does nothing to attack Ultros with either).

[[Just resign yourself to most things being blurry from here on out as Nyx is moving fast and often other things are in focus. This is the best I could get and required me to watch Pelna die several times which is cruel and unusual.]]

We next catch up with Nyx as the Wall falls, and Nyx and Luna stare out the airship window. Nyx has his weapons sheathed again, so when the first traitor approaches, Nyx takes him out by snapping his neck with his bare hands.

The glaive Sonitus stabbed sends a fireball down what appears to be the engine in the airship he's on, which slams the whole ship into the one Nyx is on and spins it vertical as it takes out what appears to be important equipment. Nyx scrambles for his balance, which makes his empty hands a stroke of good luck. It’s impressive how well the kukris stay sheathed even with all the jostling, climbing, and odd angles.

(NB: As the signing ceremony devolves into chaos, all the Lucian nobility pull swords out of nowhere, but only Clarus and Regis form (equally perfect) magical shields, and thus survive. I point this out as further proof that being able to summon a weapon appears to be an ability independent of Regis' magic, and thus gives interesting context to when people appear to be unarmed vs actually are, and the Glaives' use of sheathes)

Ultros Fight

But Nyx's luck is fickle, so even as they climb a traitor comes after them and tackles Nyx off the catwalk. As they grapple in midair and the traitor tries to stab Nyx, Ultros grabs the traitor and Luna both.

As Nyx continues to fall, he uses his left hand to draw his Insomnian Kukri (the first time we see him use it himself) and throws it to warp to “safety”. As a point of interest, he throws it using his left and catches it with his right. This could be because Nyx is right handed (we mainly see him use and especially catch a blade with his right hand) or just for the cinematography and continuity because the camera switches sides, and so the left hand that threw and the right hand that catch both end up on the “far side” from the camera’s perspective.

Sometime while we were paying attention to what was happening to other people, Nyx sheathed his blade again, which is once again a good thing because when the ship starts breaking apart further he has his hands free to dodge the debris coming down and to catch himself on the railing.

He doesn’t bother to draw either kukri as he studies Ultros and watches several glaives fall past him to their deaths and sees how the creature reacts.

Eventually he reaches down into his leg sheath and draws the Galahdan kukri and lets go of the railing to fall down toward Ultros and Luna.

He throws the Galahdan kukri with his right hand into the arm holding Luna and catches it with his right hand. He’ll then dangle from that grip for about half a minute and through some very crazy gyrations, which is a very impressive feat of strength, especially since he's already been hanging one-handed from the railing for a decent chunk of time.

As he hangs, he uses his left hand to form fireballs, throwing one that misses Ultros and hits the engines again, and then another that hits true as Ultros flails.

Luna is released and Nyx follows, warping after her even though his kukri literally bounces off some debris that falls between them. Nyx catches it running (perhaps with his left hand, but only perhaps, because) then his hands are magically free to catch both Luna and the rail again. We know he didn’t just drop it because it’s in its sheath three seconds later, so perhaps he just sheathed it very quickly during the lens flare from the warp.

[[The first picture is horrible but it shows you the bouncing Galahdan kukri enough to identify it. The second picture of Nyx with his hands full is lovely and crisp because it's from @capsource]]

Then we check in with what else is going on in Insomnia, then back to our intrepid duo trying to escape the crashing ship. Ultros whales on Nyx for several blows, but his kukri-less hands allow him to keep up a fragile but adequate shield until the catwalk they're on shifts further away from Ultros and into the sunlight.

[[Thanks again, @capsource!]]

Luche conveniently arrives with a dropship and is immediately knocked aside by Ultros. Luna climbs to the now empty dropship, and Nyx draws the Galahdan kukri with his right hand to warp after her. The kukri again bounces off the floor of the dropship, but Nyx literally rolls with it and finds his feet immediately. His hands are again free as he yanks Luna out of the pilot’s chair, but then he presumably has to sit on the back sheath, which seems frankly uncomfortable. Minor in the grand scheme of things, but still not fun.

[[Interesting to see how the blade itself (clearly the Galahdan kukri from this shot) turns the blue of a warp before Nyx even arrives.]]

(Fun side note - Ultros literally steams every time it's in the sunlight. It happens when Nyx knocks it back with a fireball and here as it tries to drag the dropship back into the nice dark airship)

When it comes time to exit the airship (again by warping), Nyx again draws the Galahdan kukri with his right hand, then throws it with an awkward sort of backwards grip as he leaps out of the ship. He seems to materialize right as he makes contact with Luna, and his momentum pushes them forward. Nyx is definitely more on fire than usual as he lands - perhaps the result of coming out of the warp early or of carrying the momentum of two people? Oddly enough, though he threw with his right hand, his left hand seems to be burning a hotter blue.

Maybe it's foreshadowing for the ring.

Glauca Fight - Part 1

Luna and Nyx run into the signing room through the double doors rather than the balcony, which makes me wonder how long they had to run around the interior of the Citadel to get here.

Nyx warps in and fights Glauca with his Galahdan kukri in his right hand. He is tossed away, then roars angrily and continues to increase his multitasking ability as he sends off a burst of lightning from his right hand for once, casting around the kukri. The spell seems to have a recoil, perhaps as a result of his quick casting or of the kukri.

[[gif and still of angry Nyx both courtesy of @starjunco. I included the still because of how you can see the lightning as he casts.]]

He then draws the Insomnian kukri with his left hand, throwing it at Glauca even as the sparks from his lightning spell dissipate, but Glauca deflects the literally low attack despite the distraction and surprising angle.

Before the first kukri hits the ground, Nyx immediately follows it up with the Galahdan kukri, which he warps to, landing feet first on Glauca’s chest and then sort of kicking back into a handstand then a roll. He picks up the Insomnian kukri after comes out of the roll, then stands up with both in hand as he moves into the next combo.

[[watch carefully - the gif has both attacks. I could not get a clean shot of the roundoff, roll, and kukri recovery but it all happens clearly if you watch at .25 speed, I promise.]]

As soon as he gains his feet, Nyx throws what seems to be the Galahdan kukri high into the air and warps above Glauca, catching it with what might be his left hand, then uses both kukris to attack Glauca many times, each attack deflected by Glauca’s gauntlet or sword.

He continues to just blitz without much finesse, attacking left then right then left than right with a reverse grip on each kukri that keeps him close to Glauca. Perhaps he’s trying to be more of a distraction here than actually attack, to keep eyes off of where Luna is helping Regis to the elevator behind Glauca.

After several seconds of that, Nyx throws the Galahdan kukri high up in the air for a change of pace, but Glauca catches it (rude) by the blade, and as Nyx catches the other end Glauca uses it to throw him down. Nyx struggles to rise, but luckily Glauca doesn’t attack him immediately.

[[That's just rude.]]

Both of these beats - Glauca knowing Nyx's style enough to catch the blade and his hesitation to finish Nyx off - are, in retrospect, hints about Glauca's identity.

Before Glacua can actually commit to an attack, Regis sends a massive lightning blast at Glauca, pushing him clear of Nyx. Nyx takes full advantage, scrambling to his feet and heaving the Galahdan kukri with his right hand in an underarm pitch. Nyx lands standing and runs one more step to back of elevator, then crouches as the flames burn out.

[[This is a great indication of how Nyx often just chucks his kukris with more strength than finesse, which honestly makes sense for warping, especially here - you want to get as far as you can]]

After Nyx finishes steaming and panting a few more breaths, he sheathes both kukris to talk to Regis about what has happened and will happen next.

When they elevator reaches its destination, Nyx leads the way through the escape path with both kukris still sheathed, and he keeps them tucked away through Regis’ death and getting Luna to the car (where he once again has to sit on the blades. Ouch.)

As they try to escape, Nyx throws the Insomnia kukri at Tredd, in an insane throw through girders between them and as both the dropship and car are moving under other people’s control, still managing to embed it deep into the metal of the ship.

[[Dang, Nyx. That went like 10 cm/3" into solid metal.]]

Since he cannot warp to it, he then loses it until Libertus picks it up when he later stumbles upon the wreckage of the dropship and the bodies of the traitor glaives.

We might do a part III where we trace the kukris through the final battle after Nyx puts on the ring, but for now we’ll leave you with a quick summary of their journey, which is generally more familiar to us all: Libertus hangs on to the Insomnian kukri and then offers it back to Nyx when they reunite. Nyx tells him to keep it since Libertus is otherwise unarmed, and then Libertus stabs Glauca with it when Glauca comes after Luna in the car. It stays in Glauca’s shoulder, and then Nyx sees it and warps to it at the end of their fight.

But I think this post is long enough for now.

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myefflorescence18 · 20 days ago

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at first i didn't intend to publish this, but i like how it turned out ✨ noctis is just ksbsksn god, the prettiest character to draw and the hardest to do it right

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myefflorescence18 · 20 days ago

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Noctis 👑

Inst: AnaiAsane

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myefflorescence18 · 1 month ago

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Burdens

I`ve had this idea for quite a while now but always struggle finding the time to draw. Glad I finally got it done tho, although during the process I got stuck so many times I almost deleted it out of frustration lmao

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myefflorescence18 · 1 month ago

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Tracking Nyx's Kukris - Part 1

Welcome to our first deep dive for Nyx Week 2025!

We’re going to take a look at where Nyx’s kukris are during the film, with a special focus on at where weapons seem to be allowed and not allowed in Insomnia. There will be a part two that focuses a little more on *how* Nyx uses them during the battles in the middle of the movie.

Unless noted otherwise, the images are from the wonderful @starjunco. Thanks also to @capsource and the wiki. All images have descriptions in the alt text; let us know if there are any issues.

As a reminder, Nyx has two kukris, one made in Galahd that he keeps in the sheath on his right leg and one made in Insomnia that he keeps in the horizontal sheath at the small of his back. The wiki has a lovely image of them here (the Insomnian blade is the top, the Galahdan in the middle, and the bottom image shows the sheathed Galahdan kukri with the small blades used for sharpening it in attached sheathes):

Got those in mind? Good! Let’s dive in.

Psych! Actually, we’re going to briefly talk about other weapons first, to keep with our theme of where and when weapons are used.

The movie opens with a shot of the three courts - Lucis, Niflheim, and Tenebrae. Neither of the people (vs MTs) in the first two groups have weapons, but when we see the group collected in the grove of Tenebrae there is an armed set of guards (though none of the nobles appear to be armed, at least openly). Not just Regis, who has weapons stored in the ring, but neither Sylva nor Ravus have weapons on them, which of course does not go well for them.

Now back to the important part - Nyx.

Nyx makes his grand entrance literally one-shotting a behemoth, and it says a lot about him that this is not the pinnacle of his appearance in the movie. It’s impossible to see during the attack, but after he lands we do see that he used the Galahdan kukri for this.

[[image courtesy of @capsource. Technically from slightly later in the battle but it's much prettier than anything from this early.]]

In fact, throughout the opening battle, he will only use the Galahdan kukri, mainly keeping it in his right hand, leaving his left free for magic usage and catching his balance. If this is his normal fighting style, it might explain the differences between his gloves.

[[edited from stills from @capsource]]

Shortly after he appears onscreen, Nyx does do a little shuffle to switch the Galahdan kukri to his left hand so he can use his right to tap his earpiece, then tosses it back to his right hand before warping off. This is pretty minor, and mainly interesting because of a scene we’ll discuss later.

It also means that it is his Galahdan kukri (in his right hand) that he points at Pelna while he claims to be “worth the wait”.

[[image courtesy of @capsource]]

Nyx keeps it out through most of the fight - when Luche tries to stop him from charging back at the enemy as the Glaives retreat, he still has it drawn, and it’s what he throws to go after Libertus.

Throughout the fight with the Cerberus he keeps to that pattern - magic with his empty left hand, stabbing and throwing with the blade in his right (except when he seems to use the blade to magic himself invisible as Libertus did earlier).

[[potato quality cap courtesy of me]]

It does get slightly odd when he gives Libertus a blade so they can warp out of there, though, as he seems to have two Galahdan kukris here. This could be a byproduct of the opening battle being created by a slightly different group than did the rest of the movie, or a simple mistake. If you have a fun headcanon about why it happens from an in-universe perspective, feel free to share it; we’d love to hear it!

To further complicate the situation, when he helps carry Libertus out on the stretcher, Nyx’s leg sheath appears to be empty, but it’s filled by the time he talks to Drautos.

[[First potato quality image another cap by me, second lovely image by @capsource]]

The first appearance of the Insomnian kukri is actually here, when Tredd uses it to shave as they head back to Insomnia. Tredd never uses this weapon again, so presumably it’s the same one Nyx uses (or again, an error in communication from the different groups). Have fun with this information (and again, tag us about it!)

[[another low quality image from me]]

Side note: Here’s another interesting point about weapon etiquette - when Drautos reports to Regis, he has his blade by his side. Given that we never see him without it, it could just be easier on the animators, but it does raise some questions. Does Drautos have some special privilege that allows him to be armed here, or a dispensation for the fact that perhaps he can’t summon it as other nobles and characters can summon theirs? (remember, even Aranea can summon her lance, so it doesn’t appear to be a specifically Lucian magic).

[[It's low quality, it's from me!]]

A very interesting weapon in the throne room is whatever swords the Crownsguard are using here to (ineffectively) bar Ardyn from the room. They appear to possibly be able to fold at the round parts, though it’s hard to get a good picture of them given the lighting. Another interesting worldbuilding note that probably comes from saving money on extra models - the Crownsguard here are dressed the same as at the Gate, which is more like fatigues than anything as dressy as one might expect in a throne room. Make of it what you will.

Nyx appears next on gate duty, where he is in his basic uniform (plus chain, as always) but has both his kukris in their sheaths. Petra appears to be unarmed, but perhaps has the same sort of folding sword as his fellows in the throne room at his side.

Obviously, none of the glaives are armed at Yamachang’s, but we also don’t see where Nyx’s sheathes went. He has his jacket over his arm, but the belts and sheathes don’t seem to be there.

Then we switch to training, where – at least in his flashback – Nyx is fully suited up in his battle uniform, with both kukris. He tries to throw the Galahdan one but something fails, and so Nyx starts falling, dropping the Galahdan kukri as he falls.

When he snaps out of it, he’s in his basic uniform but with both kukris. There are a few other glaives armed as they listen to the broadcast of the peace treaty, and a few others in battle uniforms, too, likely for training.

But when they assemble in the briefing room as Drautos commands, Nyx appears to be the only one (other than Drautos) still armed, which is very odd.

[[Look, it's a bad quality still we know it's me, but it's not all my fault this time! Tredd is just out of focus in the shot; that's not on me!]]

Next we cut to seeing off Crowe, where neither Libertus nor Nyx are armed, though both are in the standard uniform. Nyx (out of standard uniform) is also unarmed as he watches the tv in his apartment. ^_^

As Nyx prepares to report for duty at the Citadel, he swings on his jacket while clearly unarmed (which is likely wise amid all those people). Drautos picks him up in Noctis’s car, and since Drautos doesn’t have his odd yoke around his shoulder (presumably for more freedom of movement in the car) I hope he also has taken off his sword, because that seems to be rather uncomfortable.

That said, when they actually pick up Luna, Drautos has the yoke and his sword on, and Nyx is suddenly armed. Either Nyx does keep his kukri and their sheathes in a sort of storage space, or Drautos had already picked them up and had them all shoved in the back seat or trunk (I imagine that was pretty funny to watch them wiggle into if so).

Nyx keeps his kukris as he escorts Luna into the throne room, perhaps because he is functioning as a guard for her, and perhaps because they just assume Regis (and presumably Clarus and any Crownsguard) should be able to handle himself as a Lucian king? Who knows.

Even once he leaves Luna’s side and checks in with Drautos, Nyx keeps his weapons, though he loses them sometime during the run to meet Libertus outside the morgue when he hears about Crowe being returned. Perhaps he ditched them for speed or to cause less panic from an armed Glaive running, or there is some sort of etiquette about being armed outdoors within the citadel district. Have fun with speculation!

An indeterminate about of time later, as Nyx is handed Crowe’s effects, he still is unarmed. T_T

While on guard duty at the signing party, Nyx is again unarmed (which might be wise considering the Emperor of Niflheim is there) but Drautos has his sword, which might indicate special privileges or again that the animators just didn’t bother to make a model without the sword.

The next day, while on guard duty at the Citadel steps, Nyx is once again unarmed – perhaps that is another reason he might not have bothered with carrying his kukris when he was originally reporting for duty earlier.

The Crownsguard members preparing for extra guard duty do appear, however, to be armed, either with the folding swords or some kind of taser.

Nyx doesn’t have his kukris while running back to his apartment or fastwalking in the Citadel to talk to Regis. He also is unarmed during his talk with the king.

Then we get a lovely arming scene as the Glaives gear up to rescue Luna, and Nyx is armed through the rest of the movie.

[[I tried]]

This seems a good place to stop, though, and continue with the major battles in another post soon.

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myefflorescence18 · 1 month ago

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So excited to share my piece for the Studio Ghibli/Final Fantasy Crossover challenge over on X! I instantly knew I wanted to draw Noctis and Luna in the meadow scene from Howl's Moving Castle, now re-imagined in Tenebrae among the sylleblossoms (every attempt to paint them accurately did not work out so I went with generic blue flowers, sorry). I also changed the composition of the original scene a little to include Noctis holding out his hand as I felt it added more to the piece. As was part of the challenge, this artwork features no AI elements and was hand drawn and painted entirely in Procreate with some touch ups in Photoshop mostly using the default brushes and Devin Elle Kurtz's flower pack. Hope you enjoy!

(Please do not edit/steal/repost without permission)

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myefflorescence18 · 1 month ago

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"If only there was a street design shirt thingy of my fave chara" I think as I look at the same generic anime shirts sold everywhere.

And then I remembered I have free will.

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myefflorescence18 · 1 month ago

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Sylleblossoms in the late December I see signs now all the time I believe in anything that brings you back home to me

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myefflorescence18 · 1 month ago

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This is what haunts me about FFXV.

Not just that these characters died, but that they died without the comfort of knowing their sacrifices weren't in vain, without knowing the people they sacrificed for were making similar choices.

Regis sent Noctis away, knowing himself and his son would eventually die, but still he hang onto that desperate, purely paternal hope that Noctis might one day have a chance at life after fulfilling the prophecy. A father carrying that burden alone till the end because he wanted to preserve the last bit of innocence in his son, something untouched by fate's cruel hands no matter how fleeting that chance was. It's devastating rewatching their departure scene because we know what he knew — that he was saying a final goodbye without ever really verbalising it.

Luna dedicated her entire life to helping Noctis fulfil his destiny. Even at a young age every action she took was to further that cause — letting go of Regis' hand, staying behind in captivity that day in Tenebrae, refusing to go straight to Altissia once she'd arrived in Insomnia. She knew each healing, each covenant was cutting away at her own life and still did it without the guarantee that her efforts would eventually succeed. She died never learning if her sacrifices meant anything, just the faith that her role in the prophecy mattered the way she had been told her whole life. What makes it even worse is Ravus standing by, watching his sister deteriorate from a destiny no one could prevent.

Ravus to me is perhaps one of the most misunderstood characters — his antagonism toward Noctis & Lucis in general came from a place of raw helplessness, of seeing the prophecy slowly killing the only family he had left. One had to wonder if he'd learned about his sister's eventual fate when they were younger, too. And by the time he finally accepted Luna's choice and tried to help Noctis it was already too late for both of them. He also died never knowing if his sister's sacrifice meant anything, if the prince he once despised would fulfil the destiny Luna died for.

Then there's Nyx.

Nyx's sacrifice hits hard because it was immediate — no decade in a crystal, no slow deterioriation; just his entire future for a single night of borrowed power, a deal with the Old Kings he'd been so cynical against. And the brutal irony is that he saved Luna only for her to die in Altissia anyway, fulfilling a destiny he never fully understood. He died probably thinking he'd saved her, believing she'd go on to help Noctis save the world. There's this beautiful, terrible moment in the end of the movie where he's sitting there, watching the last dawn of his life, wishing Noctis to rule well. Never learned that his sacrifice only bought them a little more time. He died believing, after a long time of not doing so, in a future he'd never get to witness himself. In the ruins of a city that'd never been particularly kind to him, never knowing if his choice mattered in the grand scheme of things.

And Noctis. He'd been completely isolated in Crystal upon learning the truth from Bahamut, ten whole years of absorbing and reflecting on the knowledge that everything — his father's goodbye, Luna's death, Ravus' final plea, the ring that burned both Ignis & Nyx — was leading to his own demise. He carried that burden alone for a decade. When he returned, he couldn't even tell his friends the whole truth until that final campfire. He walked to his death carrying the weight of his friends and his people's hopes for a future he wouldn't share with them, carrying the accumulated sacrifices of the past that he's only partially aware of; and died having to trust in only that his own sacrifice would complete what everyone else started.

The fact that each sacrifice is isolated makes this story so beautifully tragic. Each person faced their final moments basically alone, without the real closure or comfort of knowing how their piece fits in this grand puzzle; despite the fact that they're all connected by this prophecy, this fate. In their moments of sacrifice they acted purely on faith, on duty, on love — on believing that their choice mattered.

Each light fading out one by one, this perfect, tragic constellation. Never getting to witness the dawn that their sacrifices would eventually bring.

FFXV: Fate, Hope & Sacrifice

After reading this post by @queenoffishingandcookies, I was inspired to write this impromptu meta to examine Regis' perspective on Noctis' fate more deeply which resulted in considering others as well, leading me to realize that, in a story defined by sacrifice, all the most notable deaths: Regis, Nyx, Luna and Noctis, operate without knowing all the details of the other's fates or what would ultimately happen to each other - which only adds to the inherent tragedy as they all possess hope for outcomes that cannot be.

Early on, Final Fantasy XV becomes a story punctuated by a series of sacrifices building off each other and being passed down like a baton in a relay race in an effort to aid Noctis and ultimately give the world a future, with every death before the young king paving the way to his own. It's not a coincidence, for example, that the illusions of Regis, Luna and Nyx's bodies are the main ones displayed by Ardyn in the throne room at the end to try and emotionally assault Noctis (and the audience) with the painful reminder of the lives who were sacrificed for him to reach that pivotal moment.

NYX

Nyx is a loyal man dedicated to serve his king and doesn't hesitate to sacrifice his life in service of a greater good. Put in a difficult situation, he puts on the Ring of the Lucii and agrees to his own demise for the chance to help safeguard the future by giving Luna the opportunity to help Noctis, who he was initially angered to learn Regis was protecting above all else. As he dies, he voices his desire for Noctis to rule well, assuming that he will eventually become king and Luna would naturally become his queen and rule by his side - a pretty nice future and one that Libertus confirms he's rooting for as well. Though his sacrifice wasn't in vain, Nyx had no idea that that wouldn't actually happen and that both would one day perish instead.

Sharing the same desire to secure a future for the world (and a name meaning as well), Nyx feels like a predecessor of sorts whose own death serves to parallel Noctis' eventual demise as they both must wield the Ring to succeed, which mars their flesh and leaves their bodies to disintegrate into nothing as/before dawn breaks.

LUNA

Luna is knowledgeable of and dedicated to her role as the Oracle and her fated task to help Noctis become the King of Light for most of her life, providing him more help and wisdom than any. Unfortunately, she secretly knew she was going to die as a result of the covenants she had to forge for him and had to accept the sad reality that she would never get to marry and live her life with him like she so desperately wanted, though she probably comforted herself with the hope that, at least, he would get to live a long life and help restore the world.

As further confirmed in the novel, Dawn of the Future, Luna had no idea that Noctis would have to die to complete his calling and was devastated upon seeing a vision of Noctis' impending sacrifice and that her actions in giving him the Ring would ultimately result in the death of the man she loves. Though she seeks to stop it from happening in that reality, in the canon story she'd be forced to watch helplessly as it all unfolds and continue to help him reach that tragic conclusion no matter how much it breaks her heart.

REGIS

Though a great king to his people, Regis is driven above all else to protect Noctis and grant him as much opportunity for happiness as possible before his unjust demise. Like Luna knew of her impending death, Regis seems to suspect that he's going to die in the attack and lets it happen without much of a fight, putting his final hope in Nyx to protect Luna and, in turn, aid his son. Right before his death, when Regis states that he wishes Noctis and Luna a happy life together, I always wondered if he knew it wasn't actually going to happen but, as a loving father would, still dreamed for it anyway and wanted to voice his heart's desire to Luna as his parting words to her or if he genuinely believed it was possible.

We know that Regis learned that Noctis would eventually have to be sacrificed when he's five years old, but I was unsure if he was simply told it would happen sometime in the future and therefore had no idea when or shown through a vision and could therefore estimate based on seeing Noctis' aged appearance as suggested by the OP. I don't know if that's confirmed but, even if not, I think it's likely that he could have seen it given the fact that - in the DLC/Dawn of the Future anyway - Ignis, Ardyn, Luna and Noctis himself all see a vision of his death on the throne, so if they got a chance to witness it beforehand, I imagine Regis probably could have as well as someone with direct access to the Crystal. Also, if the Omen trailer is meant to act as a depiction of a potential future Regis sees and seeks to avoid, then it seems like confirmation that he received other visions as well.

As I wrote in my meta breaking down Noctis' appearance, he looks arguably a bit older than a 30-year-old after the time skip given the immense power he's been granted so, if Regis did see him in a vision, he may even assume he could be mid 30s or older and would get the chance to live all those years. With this hope in mind, Regis may believe that his son would at least get to enjoy some period of relative happiness with Luna (as he doesn't know she's actually going to die soon) and hoped they'd marry and even potentially have a child and continue the Lucis line (Regis had Noctis when he was 30 after all). He had no way of knowing that none of those things would happen and that Noctis would have to enter the Crystal, lose ten years of his life and die without experiencing the joy of marriage or children like he was able to.

NOCTIS

Noctis, of course, was largely left in the dark for most of his life and never could have imagined the tragic events that would unfold after leaving home to get married. He had no idea Insomnia would be attacked and his father would die. He had no idea that Luna would perish as a result of her duty to him. He had no idea of Ardyn's true identity or intentions. He had no idea that saving the world would require him to sacrifice his own life until entering the Crystal and having a decade stripped from him - an event that recontextualized his dubious regard of his father's previous choices and his feelings about his own demise in relation to other sacrifices, most notably Luna's, which gives him the determination to go through with it as well and ensure no one who died for him did so in vain. His experience wrestling with the reality of his fate and an untimely demise is one shared by those before him to some degree and one he must accept wholeheartedly as well. You can read this meta for more of my in-depth thoughts on Noctis' mentality toward his fate.

I think it's harder to know what Noctis originally expected to happen before learning what was meant to. Even if he succeeded in defeating Ardyn, he'd have to face a future without his father or Luna, whom he genuinely hoped to be with, though his friends would certainly continue to be great support and comfort, and we do get a taste of this potential reality at the end of Episode Ignis. Naturally, Noctis probably considered the potential repercussions should he fail, which would have left the entire world in perpetual darkness and despair ruled by Ardyn with no hope of change - a prospect that would no doubt further fuel his resolve to succeed no matter what. It all comes down to him now and he can't fail.

IGNIS

Though it doesn't cost him his life, I want to quickly touch on Ignis who sacrifices his eyesight upon using the Ring (and idea borne in remembrance of Nyx's actions) in an attempt to protect Noctis and even seeks to save him from his fate after seeing a vision of him on the throne in Episode Ignis. To try and keep him safe, Ignis suggests they end their journey, but Noctis refutes that he can't let any sacrifice at his expense be made in vain and Ignis has no choice but to accept Noctis' decision, knowing more than he does where this path truly leads - similar to Regis before he died.

CONCLUSION

Though the path of their lives was skewed by fates they could not control, all remained driven by their love for each other and others and ultimately succeeded in what they set out to do and achieved a semblance of what they had hoped for: Nyx succeeded in helping Luna and therefore Noctis, who was able to provide a future for the world even if he didn't get to rule it. Regis didn't get to see Noctis and Luna wed in life like he desperately hoped for, but he's comforted by their matrimonial union in death and that his son was able to experience some happiness in life - his success filling him with pride. Luna succeeded in aiding Noctis and, though she didn't get to spend her life with him like she dreamed, they're able to be together forever in the afterlife. Noctis didn't get to live the life he expected but succeeded in saving the world like everyone before him hoped and sacrificed for and gets to rest by his beloved's side forevermore. Even Ardyn himself is able to find peace after centuries of suffering - all fates resulting in a bittersweet conclusion to an inherently tragic tale.

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#noctis lucis caelum #lunafreya nox fleuret #regis lucis caelum #nyx ulric #ravus nox fleuret #final fantasy 15 #final fantasy xv #ffxv #ff15 #final fantasy #dawn of the future #kingsglaive #character analysis #game analysis #angst #annasmusing

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