#IGNIS ;; ( VERSE - PRE FFXV )

[tenebriism]

Single to Multi Addition: IGNIS SCIENTIA.

Being tempted over with freshly made Ebony from @onuscientia . Guest muses include his older sister, Charlotte, and his little brother, Atlas, with a SPRINKLE of his parents, Alistair and Evelyn, verse depending.

[onuscientia]

@vespersilvanus​ has requested the Advisor :

       “  Vesper.  Hello,  how  are  you?  “  He  hopes  not  to  startle  the  Glaive,  even  despite  the  quiet,  calculated  way  he’d  waited  for  Vesper  to  be  done  with  their  training.  Ignis  had  a  habit  of  sneaking  up  on  even  the  most  observant  of  people,  albeit  unintentionally,  perhaps  as  a  result  of  the  ample  stealth  training  he’d  received  growing  up.  “  I  apologize  if  my  assumptions  are  in  error,  but . . .  I  noticed  someone  has  been  leaving  me  gifts  atop  my  desk,  every  now  and  again.  “  A  can  of  Ebony,  a  cinnamon  crumble  muffin---  tiny,  yet  greatly  appreciated  self  care  items  for  a  man  who  rarely  had  time  to  step  away  from  his  work.  

                        “   Was  it  you?  “

[juatsumi]

Ignis: Must you stare at me before you sleep? You’ve been doing that lately, not that I mind.

Noctis: I’d like you to be the last thing I see at night before I close my eyes.

[ravusnightblossom]

ooc;  Alright, the primary wave of tag redoing/replacing is done. The master list is below if anyone needs to retrack or reblacklist anything!  I’ll miss my aesthetics, but accessibility is more important.

⚔♛⚔ — Dirty Little Prince  to  (Dirty Little Prince)     Note: (unsafe for tumbles) is also the n. s. .f. w. tag on this blog. The above one is primarily for “intimate” things.

⚔♛⚔ — ooc; “Mun speaks!”  to   (ooc; “Mun speaks!”)

⚔♛⚔ — ooc; The Adventures of Murphy  to  (ooc; The Adventures of Murphy)

⚔♛⚔ — queue; “until we meet again.” to  (Queue; “Until we meet again.”)

⚔♛⚔ — Musings to  (Musings)

⚔♛⚔ — Memes  to  (Memes)

⚔♛⚔ — Self Imagery; Beautiful Disaster  to  (Self Imagery; Beautiful Disaster)

⚔♛⚔ — Aesthetic  to  (Aesthetic)

⚔♛⚔ — Asks; “That will be quite enough!”  to  (Asks; “That will be quite enough!”)

⚔♛⚔ — Meme Replies  to  (Meme Replies)

⚔♛⚔ — Headcanons to (Headcanons)

⚔♛⚔ — Romance aesthetic; Lead me to the light  to  (Romance aesthetic; Lead me to the light)

⚔♛⚔ — Dash Banter  to  (Dash Banter)

⚔♛⚔ — Error - 401 : Unauthorized {mobile messages}    to  Error - 401 : Unauthorized {mobile messages}

⚔♛⚔ — Crack; “You're slipping.”  to  Crack; “You're slipping.”

⚔♛⚔ —  Dash Commentary; “Spare me...”  to  Dash Commentary; “Spare me...”

⚔♛⚔ — The Oracle Sister ║ Lunafreya  to  The Oracle Sister | Lunafreya

⚔♛⚔ — The Chancellor ║ Ardyn  to  The Chancellor | Ardyn

⚔♛⚔ — The Prince's Shield ║ Lysander  to  The Prince's Shield | Lysander

⚔♛⚔ — The Chosen One ║ Noctis  to  The Chosen One | Noctis

⚔♛⚔ — The Champion ║ Hawke  to  The Champion | Hawke

⚔♛⚔ — The Seeker ║ Cassandra  to  The Seeker | Cassandra

⚔♛⚔ — The Priestess ║ Amari to  The Priestess | Amari

⚔♛⚔ — The Lioness ║ Cersei  to  The Lioness | Cersei

⚔♛⚔ — The Sea ║ Bluu  to  The Sea | Bluu

⚔♛⚔ — The Warden Queen ║ Avery  to  The Warden Queen | Avery

⚔♛⚔ — The Assassin ║ Zevran to  The Assassin | Zevran

⚔♛⚔ — The Advisor ║ Ignis  to  The Advisor | Ignis

⚔♛⚔ — The Dragoon ║ Aranea  to  The Dragoon | Aranea

⚔♛⚔ — The Flower ║ Aerith to  The Flower | Aerith

⚔♛⚔ — Mother Knows Best ║ Sylva  to  Mother Knows Best | Sylva

⚔♛⚔ — The Martyr ║ Nyx  to  The Martyr | Nyx

⚔♛⚔ — The Fighter ║ Tifa  to  The Fighter | Tifa

⚔♛⚔ — The Little Prince ║ Novus to  The Little Prince | Novus

⚔♛⚔ — The Lion Prince ║ Simba  to  The Lion Prince | Simba

⚔♛⚔ — Chasing truffles ║ Desmond  to  Chasing truffles | Desmond

⚔♛⚔ — Pspspspsps ║ Lexus  to  Pspspspsps | Lexus

⚔♛⚔ — The King of the North ║ Robb Stark  to  The King of the North | Robb Stark

⚔♛⚔ — The General ║ Loqi  to  The General | Loqi

⚔♛⚔ — First Pup Of Tenebrae ║ Nero to  First Pup Of Tenebrae | Nero

⚔♛⚔ — The Harbinger ║ Chaos  to  The Harbinger | Chaos

⚔♛⚔ — The Rose ║ Margaery  to  The Rose | Margaery

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; FFXV  to  Verse; FFXV

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; The Hidden Prince {ASoIaF}  to  Verse; The Hidden Prince {ASoIaF}

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; Into The Breach  to  Verse; Into The Breach

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; The Swordsman's Oath {ASoIaF}  to  Verse; The Swordsman's Oath {ASoIaF}

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; Sovereign of the Sound {ASoIaF}  to  Verse; Sovereign of the Sound {ASoIaF}

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; A Templar's Obligation  to  Verse; A Templar's Obligation

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; The Selkie King  to  Verse; The Selkie King

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; Tenebrae Reborn  to  Verse; Tenebrae Reborn

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; Tenebrae Rising  to  Verse; Tenebrae Rising

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; Modern Dance  to  Verse; Modern Dance

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; Daemonic Tendencies  to  Verse; Daemonic Tendencies

⚔♛⚔ — verse; Fenestala / Pre-Main Game to  Verse; Fenestala / Pre-Main Game

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; World of Ruin  to  Verse; World of Ruin

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; FF7  to  Verse; FF7

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; Meeting of Kings  to  Verse; Meeting of Kings

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; FFXIV  to  Verse; FFXIV

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; Party Prattle - FFXV to  Verse; Party Prattle - FFXV

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; Altered Fates  to  Verse; Altered Fates

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; History Rewritten to  Verse; History Rewritten

⚔♛⚔ — Verse; Versus XIII  to  Verse; Versus XIII

〘You Will Never Be Forgotten With Me By Your Side ❣ dragcnlxrd〙  to (You Will Never Be Forgotten With Me By Your Side :: dragcnlxrd)

〘I’ll Keep You Safe; You Keep Me Wild ❣ dragcnlxrd〙 to   (I’ll Keep You Safe; You Keep Me Wild :: dragcnlxrd)

〘Your Arms Feel Like Home ❣ kaaras-adaar〙 to  (Your Arms Feel Like Home :: kaaras-adaar)

〘Fractured Moonlight On The Sea ❣ intothewildsea〙 to  (Fractured Moonlight On The Sea :: intothewildsea)

〘I Lost My Halo To Your Renegade ❣ inimiicus〙  to  (I Lost My Halo To Your Renegade :: inimiicus)

〘You've Been The Only Thing That's Right ❣ topmechaniic〙  to  (You've Been The Only Thing That's Right :: topmechaniic)

〘That's The Beauty Of A Secret ❣ strictomiles〙  to  (That's The Beauty Of A Secret :: strictomiles)

〘You Make Me Smile; Please Stay For A While ❣ battleshot〙  to  (You Make Me Smile; Please Stay For A While :: battleshot)

〘The Fire In Your Soul Sets My Heart Ablaze ❣ lastxdragon〙 to (The Fire In Your Soul Sets My Heart Ablaze :: lastxdragon)

〘I Could Open Up The Sky ❣ Zack Fair / the-nexus〙  to  (I Could Open Up The Sky :: Zack Fair / the-nexus)

〘Right In Front Of Me ❣ origami-assassin〙 to (Right In Front Of Me :: origami-assassin)

〘Every Vow You Break ❣ deusdraconis〙 to  (Every Vow You Break :: deusdraconis)

〘Lightning before the thunder ❣ sanguinepeccatorum〙  to  (Lightning before the thunder :: sanguinepeccatorum)

〘She Is The Sunlight ❣ oflockharted〙  to  (She Is The Sunlight :: oflockharted)

[floweringeclipse]

FFXIII AU

Galahd Amicitia-Iris is a Retinue-in-training to the current monarch of the Pulsian city of Insomnia, Noctis. When an army from the Viper’s Nest raids and ruins their home city, Iris escapes along with her brother Gladiolus, the young prince, and the rest of his Retinues-- Ignis and Prompto-- and now traverses around Pulse with them to avoid being captured by Cocoon’s soldiers

———— 

Can be set in the canon FFXV main timeline (Iris at 15 years of age or pre-Altissia Boyband Adventures) and World of Ruin timeline (Post-Altissia Tragedy/Noct Trapped In Crystal or Just Popped Out of It eras asofjisoiedfj).  The plan is to have it all be a similar enough plot to canon FFXV, except it’s all set in the XIII world and follows their lore and mythos. And also a bit of a role upgrade with Iris being an active party member hehe. Her main goal in this verse is to train and become strong enough to become a great shield to Noctis and her friends.

More info under the cut.

Verse HCs:

✽ The Retinues are servants branded by their tribe’s fal’Cies in order to better protect and serve the royal Lucian family. Although they possess powerful abilities, the Lucian Retinues are still very human l’Cies, and are still at the mercy of fulfilling a Focus. Noctis and his Retinues seem to have a shared Focus, yet Iris’ is still rather unclear and her brand has not yet shown any progress. For now she casts aside any attempts to figure out her personal mission in order to aid her friends fulfill theirs.

✽ The Insomnian Hexatheon are Pulse Fal’Cies consisting of Bahamut, Ifrit, Shiva, Ramuh, Leviathan, and Titan; it is the latter who has granted power to every member of the Amicitia bloodline. Iris had already sought out the Archaean for his blessing at the age of twelve, training alongside her brother Gladiolus in hopes of spending more time with him and their late father. So in spite of only being an apprentice Retinue at this moment, she is already a capable warrior and magic-user who isn’t afraid to risk her life to protect what’s left of her dear family.

✽ In battle, Iris is a strong offensive warrior but acts as a support-oriented ally with Sentinel being her primary paradigm role and Commando her secondary. When fighting alongside Noctis and the Retinues, she will prioritize her team’s safety and health, taking on the role of Medic when necessary.

She favours delivering strong, physical attacks despite being proficient with Thunder and Aero magics; she will only switch into the Ravager role if it will help keep the paradigm balance (//but I imagine it being infrequent since most, if not all, of the bros have abilities that already make them Ravagers).

Iris’ weapons are strength-enhancing Gloves, and her main fighting styles involve using her fists and legs to deliver powerful blows and sometimes incapacitate enemies. Though like her brother, her main objective is to act as a shield to allies by using her body and enhanced defense against enemies.

✽ Iris’ eidolon is the Garuda, the emissary of the winds and skies; her eidolith is in the shape of an iris flower (just like Gladiolus’ crystal takes the form of his floral namesake).

In Gestalt Mode, Garuda turns into a sleek motorcycle-like vehicle capable of flight which resembles Fang’s Bahamut’s form.

✽ The l’Cie brand adorns Iris’ back, right between her shoulder blades. Even though she doesn’t think the brand is active, her Focus does involve Noctis’ and the Retinues’ fates– her mission only becomes clearer to her once Noctis enters crystal stasis and they ‘lose’ him for a decade.

✽ The Amicitia siblings in this verse still bear the eagle theme through Gladio’s tattoo, and Iris’ eidolon: In Hinduism, the constellation Aquila (the eagle) is identified with the half-eagle half-human deity Garuda.

✽ My personal HC of the siblings’ mother hailing from Galahd is also present in this verse. Iris insists on using Galahd instead of Insomnia in her name title to honour her late mother. Galahd, in this verse, is likely just a smaller village found just outside of the city of Insomnia.

————

Plot kept vague-ish for this verse in case other FFXV muses have their own HCs and plot for FFXIII. I’d love to hear about your preferences for this verse, and won’t mind going along with/adding your personal takes on certain info in this AU, too, so let me know if you’d like to try out this verse with me! I’ll jump in your IMs to plot uvu/  

Also been mullin’ over this AU for YEARS now bc Im still Absolute FFXIII Trash. Still really fond of these AU doodles i made a long while back, and I’ll try and draw and write more for this verse aaaaaaa And many thanks to @pxlsian​ for loving kicking my ass and inspiring me to finally finish this verse!!! <3

[destinysthralls]

nature vs nurture

18+ indie ignis scienta of ffxv, pre-chapter 8 only. blog still under construction. verses to be made for: kingdom hearts, final fantasy 7, dragon age, persona 3/4/5, and MORE.

cooked up by sami/LUCKY.

[overoaks]

7. Is your muse difficult to ship with? 10. A ship in your fandom you love (that does not include your muse)?

shipping questions.  no longer accepting !    this one is under read more cuz it got LONG.    and let me preface the first question that as always , chemistry is a must between muses and muns / must be agreed / talked about. 

7 .   IS YOUR MUSE DIFFICULT TO SHIP WITH ?

JINJI . 

jinji gets his own rules so it depends entirely on your muse. if your muse is an asshole than yes , he will be difficult to ship with. because it’s a clash in personalities most likely. but if your muse is NOT an ass and a good person than it wouldn’t be too difficult. he just doesn’t like people who pick on others for no reason. 

SANJI .

surprisingly , yes. sanji may be a romantic but the sweeping gestures for girls , and the more subdued gestures for men are. in a sense a cover - up. he’s never expecting someone to return his affections most the time. or someone to take an active interest in him.  it’s. funky to think about but he may have an open heart but he’s still rather guarded.  plus you have to be strong and earn his respect. 

CROCODILE . 

oh god yes. he is a man with so many layers he’s an onion. like you literally have to almost die for him 3 times before he even trusts you or puts that much faith in you. so goooood luck if you’re after him romantically.  ( sexually he might not trust your muse but who cares if he’s just using your muse. ) 

LUFFY . 

like i said before i don’t have much interest shipping luffy romantically. since the oldest he is in canon is 19 and i’m 25 —  it’s too weird. though he may be older in modern verse i still think it’s weird and won’t ship him with others. i’m all for platonic things though and so as long as you’re not a bad guy than luffy will be fine with your muse.  

IKKAKU . 

yes but it’s because he’s.. idk.. picky?? that’s not really the word i wanna use but he definitely won’t like you if you’re weak so the stronger you are the more he’ll notice you and if you can kick his ass well… that’s when the swearing and sweating starts. 

GAI .

gai is not shippable. gai does NOT fuck. he likes pushups and training that’s IT. 

SAITAMA . 

yes , absolutely. saitama never really seeks out others , he doesn’t have the attention span to give someone any sort of attention like that. it’s hard for him to get interested in someone so again , you have to be really strong or gotten close enough for him to notice you.  even then any gestures would go over his head and most likely he’ll have to be told outright.  ( the only exception is mumen , who i believe everyone has a little bit of a crush on thank you ). 

GOKUDERA . 

yes. because gokudera gives a fuck about one thing and that’s doing his job and becoming the future right hand of vongola the tenth. 

RYOHEI . 

… another one that’s just. hmm… difficult because he’s more than likely to get a crush first but gets too lasdkfj about it and ignores it. 

NOCTIS . 

not so much but just remember that he’s going to die. also pre - game timeline he’s in love with video games and not eating veggies . 

GLADIO .

yes. while he may be available , his first priority is always noctis and the crew and pre - game it’s his training and crownsguard training. he’d need a partner that understands all this. 

SIDON . 

sidon is also difficult because most , if not all , of his time is spent on his duties or personal studies.  

GANON . 

about the same as crocodile. he’s harder to get to romantically. he has an agenda. 

10.  A SHIP IN YOUR FANDOM YOU LOVE ( THAT DOESN’T INCLUDE YOUR MUSE ) ? 

one piece:  KIDLAW.  they were a side paring in a fic i read and i. really enjoyed it. bleach: i’ll take the safe route and say ukitake / shunsui. naruto: uhh.. kakayama. khr: XS or w.e the shorthand for xanxas and squalo is.  also dino / squalo. opm: i don’t think about the ships in opm like ever laskdfj. tiger&bunny:  antonio and nathan ! ffxv:  ignis and prompto… cute… loz:  AHHH HA ZELINK. SHIT CUTE !!! very tragic too.. i love it. yakuza: kazumaji.  GOD DAMN DO I LOVE KAZUMAJI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[fragmenthearted]

SHIPPING INFO !! 

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSE SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

>> WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER?:

Oh geeze - I guess I’ll limit this to ffxv muses because to list them all would take a long time ... be prepared

Ardyn: Lunafreya, Older!Noctis, Verstael, Aera (depending on my mood)… 

Somnus: Aera, I guess? He's not a very shippy character.

Noctis: Lunafreya (?)

Regis: Aulea - I can't really imagine him finding anyone else

>> WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO WRITE WHEN IT COMES TO SHIPPING?:

Most stuff. I really like cute family and kids stuff? But also toxic/hateships, best friends, adoptive parents… I'll write soft n s f w occasionally when I feel like it, but more often than not, I'm also perfectly happy with skipping the details too. I'm not comfortable with non-consensual stuff though.

>> HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?:

Mnnn I get a bit iffy if it's more than 5-6ish years - but that being said, I've got a lot of older/immortal muses, so as long as both characters are of age, (and especially if the younger is pretty mentally mature) it's fine in the end. Usually it just means a little more development between them is required, because my characters won't immediately fall for a muse that's much younger.

>> ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?:

Yes, in that I think ships are great, but it's very difficult for me to write pre-established relationships, so our muses usually have to have interacted before so I have an idea how they get along - or don't, as the case may be.

>> HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NS/FW?:

If clothes come off - or there's intense touching/teasing going on….

>> WHO ARE OTHER THE CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?:

Ahhh, i’m pretty willing to try most pairings? Each character does have their preferences - though I could see Ardyn being comfortable with almost anyone... For example, I've always thought Regis and Ardyn would be great friends in an AU where they weren't fighting.

Ardyn is with @the-first-oracle​ (Aera), @starstrucx​ (Aranea, Ignis), @lucianprincess​ (Aurora), and @emily-lotus​

Somnus is with @driftingjazzbard (Erin), Aera, and @lunafreya-ncx-fleuret

Regis is with Aulea, and he adores his daughter Aurora

Noctis hasn't interacted much, so he doesn't really have any romantic ships, but he's pretty fond of his sister Aurora too

>> DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?:

 Ah yes because I'm very dense and will just be confused if you don’t XD 

>> HOW OFTEN DO YOU LIKE TO SHIP?:

I like building up ships a lot - but I tag all serious relationships, not just romantic ones, including siblings, etc, so pretty much any muse that spends enough time with us will get "ship" tags. The actual qualifications for getting a tag are usually, "I want to reblog something that reminds my muse of this relationship" or "I'd like to be able to refer to these two's posts" so it's pretty simple as long as we're interacting...

>> ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?:

More-or-less I suppose.

>> ARE YOU MULTISHIP?:

Yes, but in separate verses (except in certain very specific cases of shared verses - i.e. my Somnus, Noctis, and Regis all know Aurora is dating Ardyn - that have to be discussed with me)

>> WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?:

Ah Ardyn/Luna probably? Older!Noct/Ardyn - and I've been considering Ardyn/Noct/Luna xD I have a problem...

>> FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?:

Just bring your muse over and tell me about them, and I'll see if I think it'll work out! And/or we can try a few threads and see how it goes.

TAGGED BY: @musesbyarya thanks!

TAGGING: I'm tired, so just take it if you’d like!

[lunarbranded]

RESIDENT EVIL VERSE

VERSE TAG: ;;death doesn’t stop them from walking around: resident evil verse LOCATION: Varies AGE: Varies - 20-30

NOTE: This is a full AU. In this verse, Noctis does not have the power of the crystal unless otherwise specified. NOTE 2: Verse tag covers all games concerned with the RE franchise. If there is not enough information here, it can be discussed and gradually added in.

Basic Information

X. Noctis is the son of a state senator - Regis Lucis Caelum. Lost his mother and twin brother three days after birth. X. Was in a car accident at eight years old, lost the ability to walk and fell into a coma for nearly two weeks. X. Regis, having been a backer of the Umbrella Corporation for years, asked for help from old friends. An early strain of the G-Virus was given to Noctis to regenerate damaged tissue in his spine.  X. The only thing Noctis knows is that the injection worked and it was administered at a local hospital. He was given one of the test names but nothing he can recall into his adulthood. X. Works at the Standing Sushi Shop in Raccoon City at the time of the outbreak.

Facts

X. Unlike canon, Noctis is not weapons trained. He’s a normal civilian and takes most information from video games. X. He met Prompto as FFXV canon states - during high school. X. Noctis grew up being friends with Gladio, Ignis, and Iris. X. His father owns the apartment building he lives in, eliminating the need for Noctis to pay for rent. X. Owns a car [Audi R8] and has his driver’s license and private pilot license [paid for by Regis].

Verse Start

[Note] Brief description of Noctis’s day of the outbreak.

- Work the day before, well into the night. He worked closing until around 1am, returning home well past three after going to a bar.  - Stayed up until 5am to play video games and rolled into bed around 6am.  - Slept until the power went out around 2pm and woke up just long enough to use the bathroom and go right back to sleep until 3pm. - Noctis figured out that something was wrong upon seeing helicopters and explosions outside of his balcony - didn’t evacuate immediately, called his father and friends on his phone but had no service. 

Option 1: Noctis retreats to the Raccoon City Police Department, locks up in a safe room, and can be found there for an initial starter. Option 2: Getting out of his apartment is an ordeal. Lights are off, elevators aren’t working, stairwells are pitch black. Meet Noctis while he’s struggling to get out of his own home. Option 3: Plotting for earlier or later games. Pre-outbreak with light references toward missing people in the forest or later games where the outbreaks are known as government conspiracies. Option 4: Movie verse - requires a bit more plotting. Most of Noctis’s verse is centered around RE 2 and 3. 

[zackleefair]

Shipping Info Meme

Answer the following for your muse so people know how shipping works on your blog.

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER?:

I never really had a set OTP for Zack, but with interactions over the years, I’ve found that my OTP for him will always be with Axel ( @akuserru ). The pair have been through so much over the years, not to mention my husband runs that blog. We would often plot things out

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO WRITE WHEN IT COMES TO SHIPPING?:

I’m open to pretty much anything. Fluff, angst, smut, ect. I’m even open to muses going through a break up and getting back together, because it happens. I am a big fan of fluff and love to come up with different, cute fluff ideas.

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?:

As long as mun and muse are both of age, I don’t think I’ll really mind any age gap. I have multiple verses with Zack ranging in age between 18-28.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?:

Definitely. While I adore and love shipping, I am selective when it comes to it. I do have ships I would love to pursue, but I would like to see the muses interacting and see just how compatible they are before thinking about shipping. 

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NS/FW?:

I guess anything past heated kissing or the starting of stripping?

WHO ARE OTHER THE CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?:

Let’s see…The ones already set are @quiescentgale, @chaoskeeper, and @flamingkeyblade. Ones that have been discussed, but are still in the works are @ravusnightblossom, @gxnwrought, and @wieldersofcourage. There are many other ships I would love to explore, mainly FFXV muses. I would love to ship Zack with Ignis for sure. Ardyn, Sephiroth, and Nyx are also big interests of mine as well. 

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?:

I would enjoy it. I am very timid when it comes to approaching others about shipping. Honestly, I never know if someone has an interest in shipping unless they let me know. 

HOW OFTEN DO YOU LIKE TO SHIP?:

I avoid jumping right into shipping unless pre-plotted with the other. Yes, I deeply love romantic ships and the cuddling, kissing, ect, but I love the slow build up. Sometimes I don’t know I want to ship until the muses have had much more interaction.

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?:

I wouldn’t say obsessed. Kind of in the middle. I love ships very much, but I also very much love platonic ships. I love interaction of muses in general and seeing how they bond. A lot of the time, I’m not looking for a ship. I just want to see if our muses can be friends or if they will hate each other’s guts. If they fall for each other, then bring it on.

ARE YOU MULTISHIP?

Indeed I am, but I keep all relationships in their own separate verse. I have only had 2 poly-ships on this blog and this was after conversing with both muns. 

WHAT IS/ARE YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP(S) IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?:

I would say Cloud/Aerith, Cloud/Sephiroth, Genesis/Angeal, Vincent/Cid, Cloud/Tifa, and Tifa/Aerith.

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?:

Just hit up my IMs or inbox me. Let me know you have an interest in shipping our muses and we can talk. I won’t know otherwise because I am a doofus. ;w;

Tagged by: @ravusnightblossom

Tagging:  Any and all who have yet to do this, steal it and tag me ♥

[xylianna]

Xy’s 100 Ways Challenge - Masterlist + Available Prompts

Since I love you and want to keep your dash clean, here’s a cut. <3

The guidelines:

I’m open to the following fandoms: FFXV, FFVI, Kushiel’s Legacy, Dragonriders of Pern, Wheel of Time, Stardew Valley

This doesn’t have to be romantic/sexual love

I don’t write reader inserts. I’d also prefer not to get 100 Gladnis prompts. They are one of my OTPs, but I want to stretch a bit with this. Pairings I’m interested in: FFXV - Ignyx, Gladignyx, Crownyx, Promdy, Promnea, Aracrowe, OT4/Polyship Roadtrip. My other OT4 - Gladnis + Crownyx.  FFVI - Daryl/Setzer, Daryl/Celes, Daryl/Setzer/Celes. My other fandoms, I don’t have specific pairs I enjoy. I mean, you are welcome to ask for any pairing! This section may change, so check back

Which brings us to: let me know if you want me to write in canon or an AU. It can be one of my established AU’s (Dragons, Sacred). It can be in a canon based setting I already play in (WWH).  You can suggest an entirely different AU premise.  I’ll write in Verse 2. I’ll write Everybody Lives.  I’ll write Fix It. Etc. Note - I’m very open to Gladnis prompts in all three of the listed worlds I already write within as well as other creative AU’s. <3

This will not be on a schedule. My intent with this list is to have a go-to source of prompts for when I need a break from my WIP.  Eventually I plan to publish it on AO3, but that is a long ways off.  I have been posting to Tumblr as I complete them, and completed drabbles are listed below. Those set in the worlds of Sacred, Dragons, or WWH will be cross-posted into those fics’ series listings on AO3 as well.

YOU MAY SEND MULTIPLE PROMPTS!

To make a request: send me an ask with the following. If there are more than one you’d like, you may send more than one.

Fandom(s)

Pairing (or character(s) if non-romantic)

Is NSFW ok?

Prompt from the list

Canon or AU (if AU you may specify or leave it to me)

Any additional notes

Now, on to the list of prompts! Links are included to all completed pieces.

   “Pull over.  Let me drive for awhile.” FFXV - Gen, post-canon

   “It reminded me of you.” FFXV, Ignyx or Crownyx, Coffee Shop AU

   “No, no, it’s my treat.”

  “Come here.  Let me fix it.” FFXV, Gladnis

  “I’ll walk you home.”

   “Have a good day at work.”

   “I dreamt about you last night.” FFXV/KL, <spoiler>, Sacred AU

   “Take my seat.” FFXV, Gladnis

  “I saved a piece for you.” FFXV, Crownyx, WWH

   “I’m sorry for your loss.”

   “You can have half.” KL, platonic Alais & Imriel

   “Take my jacket, it’s cold outside.” FFXV, Gladnis

   “Sorry I’m late.” FFXV - Ignis & Crowe (Platonic)

  “Can I have this dance?” FFXV, Ignyx

   “I made your favourite.” FFXV, IgNoct, pet play

   “It’s okay.  I couldn’t sleep anyway.” FFXV, Pairing TBD

   “Watch your step.” SDV, TBD

   “Here, drink this.  You’ll feel better.” SDV, platonic Harvey & Maru

   “Can I hold your hand?” FFXV, Gladnis

   “You can borrow mine.” FFXV, platonic Ignis & Regis

   “You might like this.” FFXV, Gladnis, Vampire AU

   “It’s not heavy.  I’m stronger than I look.” FFXV, Gladnyx, Artificial AU

   “I’ll wait.” FFXV, Aracrowe

   “Just because.” FFVI, TBD

   “Look both ways.”

   “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to.”

   “Try some.” KL, Imriel/Sidonie/Amarante

   “Drive safely.”

   “Well, what do you want to do?”

   “One more chapter.” SDV, platonic Shane & Jas or Sam & Vincent

   “Don’t worry about me.” FFXV, Crownyx, Everybody Lives AU

   “It looks good on you.” FFXV, Promptio, BDSM

  “Close your eyes and hold out your hands.” FFXV/KL, <spoiler>, Sacred AU

   “That’s okay, I bought two.”

   “After you.”

   “We’ll figure it out.” FFXV/DoP, Crownyx, Dragonscourge AU

   “Can I kiss you?” FFXV, Promptio

  “I like your laugh.” FFXV, Promptio

   “Don’t cry.” FFVI, Celes/TBD

   “I made this for you.”

  “Go back to sleep.”

   “Is this okay?” FFXV, Gladnisnyx

   “I picked these for you.”

   “I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

   “What do you want to watch?”

   “You can go first.” FFXV, platonic Ignis & Noctis, Verse 2

  “Did you get my letter?” FFXV, Gladnis, pre-game

   “I’ll do it for you.”

   “Call me when you get home.” FFXV, Nyxnoct

  “I think you’re beautiful.” FFXV/KL, Aracrowe, Sacred AU

   “Are you sure?” FFXV, OT4

   “Have fun.”

   “Sit down, I’ll get it.”

   “I made reservations.” SDV, SFW Angie/David, Star Burst

   “I don’t mind.”

  “It brings out your eyes.” FFXV, Promptio

   “There is enough room for both of us.” FFXV, Prompto/Cindy/Aranea

   “You don’t have to say anything.”

   “Wow.”

   “Happy birthday.”

   “I’ll pick it up after work.”

   “It can wait until tomorrow.”

   “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

   “It’s two sugars, right?” FFVI, Celes/Terra

   “I’ll help you study.” FFXV, platonic Ignis & TBD

   “Stay over.” FFVI, Daryl/Setzer

  “I did the dishes.” FFXV, Promptio

  “You didn’t have to ask.” FFXV, Gladnis or Ignyx

   “I bought you a ticket.”

   “You’re warm.” FFXV, OT4, Verse 2

   “No reason.”

   “I’ll meet you halfway.” FFXV, Ravnea

   “Take mine.” FFXV/KL, Lunafreya, Sacred AU

   “We can share.” FFXV, Gladignyx, WWH

   “I was just thinking about you.”

  “I want you to have this.” FFVI, Daryl/Maria, pre-canon

   “Call me if you need anything.”

   “Do you want to come too?” FFXV/SDV, <spoiler>, Crossover AU

   “I’ll still be here when you’re ready.” FFXV, Promptio, WoR

  “Is your seatbelt on?” FFXV, Gladnoct

  “Sweet dreams.”

   “I was in the neighbourhood.”

   “Stay there.  I’m coming to get you.” FFXV, Crownyx, pre-game/KG

   “The key is under the mat.” FFXV, Promptio

  “It doesn’t bother me.” FFXV, Ignyx

   “You’re important too.” FFXV, Gladnis

   “I saved you a seat.” WoT, Moiraine/Siuan

   “I’ll see you later.”

   “I noticed.” FFXV, Ignyx

   “You can tell me anything.” FFXV, Gladnis

   “I hope you like it.” FFXV, Gladignyx, Sacred AU

   “I want you to be happy.” FFXV, Gladnoct

   “I believe in you.”

   “You can do it.”

   “Good luck.”

  “I brought you an umbrella.” SDV, Elliot/TBD

   “I’ll pick you up at the airport.”

   “Take a deep breath” FFVI, Setzer/TBD

“Be careful.” FFXV, platonic Gladio & Iris

“I love you.” <spoiler>

[onuscientia]

TAGS ( 1 / ??? )

[bladesandstars]

Masterlist - FFXV Fanfiction

Organized alphabetically, listed by ship or character for non-shippy stuff. Oneshots unless noted. Please see applicable ratings.

Find me on AO3!

Aracrowe

Lucis Military Academy: Multi-chapter. Pre-canon military academy canon divergent series; ratings range from G to E. 

Circulation:  Multi-chapter. SFW, witches/vampires Fantasy AU, 2 chapters, updated very occasionally.  Also includes Fleurentia, and Aranea & Ravus in an - uneasy alliance I guess? 

Magnificent: SFW, modern/artist AU

Ardyn

rivers only flow one way: SFW drabble

Cor/Clarus

Cold Open: Hospital AU, SFW, also slight Promptis

Hands, Eyes, Heart: Hospital AU, SFW

Crownyx

Roots: SFW, Dancer AU

Fleurentia

Conspire Against The Odds: Multi-chapter. Currently at M, soon to be E, collaboration with @tinyconfectionary - college AU slow burn, also featuring Crowluna and a bunch of other fun rarepairs. Chapter 1 is up.

Conspire’s moodboard is here and I love it.

Circulation: Multi- chapter, SFW, witches/vampires Fantasy AU, 2 chapters, updated very occasionally. See above under Aracrowe too.

Détente: NSFW pre-canon

Gladio

Contradictions: SFW, originally intended to be a multi-chapter, may be continued at some point.

Gladnis

until the last note fades: Multi-chapter. Modern rock band AU with very slow burn Gladnis and various other pairings to be established as it moves along. Chapter 1 posted, happily working on more.

still do: SFW drabble

Craving: NSFW

Read to You: SFW drabble

Rebirth: SFW drabble

A Moment: SFW drabble

Gladnyx

alibis, defenses, and distractions: SFW drabble set in @aliatori’s amazing Artificial!verse

Highspecs

The Dragon’s Dagger: Multi-chapter; ranges from T to E ratings. Vaguely canon-consistent story involving a chess game between Aranea and Ignis. COMPLETED.

Pure Morning: Aranea x Ignis x Kingsglaive boots, NSFW

Yield: Knifeplay, consensual kink, blood. NSFW

Escalation: NSFW

Gunmetal: SFW drabble

Ignis

Darkness, My Old Friend: SFW

Broken: SFW

Three Years: slight Promnis, SFW

Daybreak: SFW

Ignyx

Disarmed: Multi-chapter, pre-canon series - as predicted, I had no self-control and this now has three parts, No Strategy (NSFW), Here to Collect Your Heart (SFW), and Truth and Consequences (SFW). Working on part 4; also working on stuff for Ignyx week. The drabbles below are set in this continuity as well, though some at different points in time.

Late: SFW

Attentive: Very NSFW

Impossible Things: Post-canon; canon-divergent drabble, SFW

I want to kiss all your scars: SFW

Promnea

Flare: NSFW

If this is heaven, I don’t know what it’s for: SFW, rockband AU

Hairpin: SFW, F1 AU

Promnis

Respite: NSFW

Fumbling: SFW, panic attacks CW

Promptio

Hiccups: SFW

holding on: SFW

Promptis

and maybe sometimes they answer: SFW

Prompto

Getting By: SFW

Ravus

Useful: SFW, Ravus’ teen years

Ravnea

A Delicate Balance: NSFW, Kinktober 3-parter; COMPLETED.

Nyx

Fairy Lights: SFW

A Familar Type of Idiot: Nyx & Aranea, SFW

OC Stuff

Atramenta Palliozelli (FFXV OC)

Character Sheet   

Interview     

Aesthetic/Moodboard

Celeritas et Celatum: Multi-chapter. pre-canon fic about Atra’s move from foreign intelligence to domestic, her activities as an assassin/spy for the Crown, and the past that is continually trying to catch up with her. Currently on Chapter 2/? 

Drabble: Crowe offers to help Atra with magic (SFW)

Answered Ask about Regis (SFW)

Aranea Highwind’s parents? Yes, I have headcanons and a small drabble. (Laney and Naven were fun and awesome and I want to write a story about them someday)

Reader Inserts

Stamina (Nyx x Ignis x Fem!Reader) (NSFW, E) 

Consumed  (Ignis x Reader) (NSFW, E)

Ignis Birthday Fluff (SFW)

Unraveled (Lunafreya x Fem!Reader) (NSFW, E)

Kneel (Older!Noctis x Fem!Reader) (NSFW, E) 

Bae (Prompto x Reader) (SFW, T)

A Strategist’s Focus: multi-chapter (Ignis x Fem!Reader, all NSFW, E)

Headcanons

Guilty Pleasure Music (SFW, G)

Brotherhood Era Gladnis (SFW, T)

Hockey AU (SFW, G, possibly has swears)

[kheichou-blog]

Eeeeeeeey so I was tagged by @geekgoddess813 I can’t resist a tagging xD  So here we go!

1) Name/nickname: Name- Kelsey  Nicknames- Kujjles, K, Kheichou, Chou

2) Gender: Female

3) Star sign: Aquarius

4) Height: 5'4″

5) Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw

6) Favourite animal: THAT’S HARD... I love dragons and cobras and wolves ;v;

7) Hours of sleep:  I try to aim for 7.  Sometimes I get 2, sometimes I get 12, depends on the day~

8) Dogs or cats: JHKJDKDHASDHA I own a cat so cats???? I miss my dogs though ;v;

9) Number of blankets: 6.  2 big ones, 2 smaller ones, and another for guests/decoration/OMG IT’S SNOWING AND I’M FROZEN TO THE BONE

10) Dream trip: I really wanna see Italy or Morocco

11) Dream job: I would love to have my own little coffee shop/bakery thing... that or a sexologist!  Bakery/sexologist clearly!  Sex positivity is really important to me... as is coffee and pastry.

12) Time: 7:27, or 2:21am

13) Birthday: 01/31

14) Favorite Bands: I have so many, but a couple of my big ones are Tool, Fall Out Boy, Stone Temple Pilots, Beats Antique, Queens of the Stoneage, Beck, Galneryus (list goes on)

15) Favorite Solo Artists: Odesza, Daisuke Ishiwatari, Lily Allen

16) Song Stuck In My Head: Written by Wolves cover of “Elastic Heart”

17) Last Movie I Watched: I actually think it was Kingsglaive cause I was showing my buddy Cannon LOL

18) Last Show I Watched: I think it was Rick and Morty???

19) When Did I Create My Blog: This one?  I have no idea, like a few months ago.  My first tumblr blog ever though was years and years ago xD

20) What Do I Post/Reblog: Lots of Ignis stuff, as well as ffxv shit in general.  Also do other random game things (like Mass Effect, or Legend of Zelda).  I love games, I have a healthy collection lol.  I also reblog pretty landscapes, my art, food stuffs.  It’s kind of an eclectic mess.  I also have a nsfw page that’s pretty much all ffxv porn and SHAMELESS SELF INDULGENT IGGY X ASHE THINGS... and my Quilldrake page that I’m finally getting RPs to reblog on :D

21) Last Thing I Googled: Remixes of Burmecia’s theme.

22) Other Blogs: adkheichou (NSFW), and quilldrake (RP Blog) are my active ones.  I also have like... Kujjles domain and I can’t actually remember my trashy tf2 blog’s name xD

23) Do I Get Asks: Sometimes!  AND I LOVE THEM! ALL OF THEM!

24) Why I Choose My URL: because it’s easy for one thing.  It’s my username, plain and simple.  The reason why specifically it’s kheichou is because in my 3rd level of Japanese, I was a big Attack on Titan fan... and I was quite the Levi whore.  Well... friends would call me K... and sometimes Senpai cause I had taken class longer than the others, but then they were like “Y’know what’s a cool title... Heichou!” and then they started calling me Kheichou, not k-heichou... but specifically kheichou!  I liked it, so it stuck~

25) Following: 129

26) Followers: 48

27) Lucky Number: 7 (or 77, or 777... or 27... usually things with a 7 in it!)

28) Favorite Instrument: I really like sitars lol  And of course piano.  Violin is up there (I play it!), and Cello <3  Also really like chinese flute.

29) What Am I Wearing: Jeans, way oversized earthy green cardigan, black thick tanktop.  I’m cozy <3

30) Favorite Food: I... like food xD  Cheese I guess?

31) Nationality: North American.  I’m a mut in terms of my bloodline, but my home is the US~  I’m not always proud of it, but I don’t hate it.

32) Favorite Song: It honestly changes Day to day, minute to minute even!  Right now I’m really feeling Jessica Lange’s cover of “Gods and Monsters”... and iBenji’s “Boom”.  I can guarantee you this time tomorrow it’ll be something else though.

33) Last Book Read: In it’s entirety?  Hahaha.... I can’t honestly tell you.  I’m not a great reader, it’s hard for me to keep focus and concentrate on books.  I love short stories though, and I’m working through a big old collection of H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe.  I really want to tackle Terry Pratchett’s stuff though, and I’m slowly working my way through “Colour of Magic”

34) Top Three Fictional Universes I’d Like To Join: Hmmmn... Zelda!  Like... pre Skyward Sword Zelda verse.  I think I’d especially love Twilight Princess verse, Majora’s Mask, or Wind Waker.  Mass Effect, because I really do love so many of those alien species.  The chance to meet Garrus??? UMM, YES PLEASE!  Then Final Fantasy IX verse I think.  I’d love to be a Burmecian or have the chance to explore Alexandria and the Black Mage Village and what not.

I’m not gonna tag people because I’m bad at it... so if you wanna answer this pile o’ questions, please feel free <3

[bespectacled-gentleman]

| Ignis | RP Rules? General things to know? | IDK it’s too early for this OTL |

Multiverse, mainly Pre-Altissia. Verses for other fandoms to come as needed, but am open to it. Currently am writing out FFVII-FFX2 AUs. I’ve played all of the game so spoilers for FFXV will be abundant. 

Multiship, with a main focus on unrequited Ignoct. (In other words Noct rpers, if Ignis shows interest you do not have to reciprocate. Although this goes for any rpers I rp with. But more on the unrequited Ignoct later....)

Twin/Duplicate friendly. I love interacting with other rpers of the same character. I don’t understand the rivalry some people have with each other. We all share a passion, let’s share it together. 

OC friendly. I love me some OCs. 

18+ mun (I’m 24), smut will only occur if you’re also 18+. I am however an awkward turtle when it comes to smut so that generally only happens with planning. I’m all for shippy stuff though.

I’ve been roleplaying I was 7, writing since I was 9. This is 15+ years of experience. I’ve been on and off tumblr for a total of 5 years now. I just returned from like a 1-2 year hiatus.

I’m slow as fuck. If it’s been a minute since I’ve replied I’m a-ok with you shooting me an ask about it. Tumblr sucks, as we all know, so I could’ve easily missed your reply. More than likely it’s sitting in my drafts OTL

Triggers/NSFW tagging. If I miss tagging something then please (gently) let me know. I usually remember to tag such things, but I’m human after all. So if I post something and you feel it needs to have a warning tag, I’ll add it. Simple as that.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten shit.

Oh yeah, I curse a lot. I blame my parents.

[tearasshouse]

Attack on Backlog 2017 - No. 9 

Final Fantasy XV

Breakdown: PS4 version at 80ish hrs for the Platinum. Plenty of post-game content left undone; plenty of pre-timeskip content left untouched; figure I’ll go back to the game someday (ha ha, not likely) and be like, oh wow, this single-player MMO still has a lot of questing left for me to do, cool (but that won’t happen).

Final Fantasy 15 is a big, beautiful, incomplete, incoherent but ultimately fulfilling and worthwhile experience that won’t disappoint if you have realistic expectations. So, it’s kind of like being in a relationship! Hah. Speaking of relationships, like the ones depicted in this game, and also like my own with the FF series...

TL;DR time! So far I’ve gotten as far as: 

Sephiroth’s fight in FF7 where I parked my characters outside of the crater and went, Nah, putting a stop to that glorious (ly pathetic) summer where I spent my 13th or 14th birthday leveling up Materia or something. Whew. Somehow I just lost the nerve to continue despite grinding for hours upon hours. I didn’t even have KotR, so naturally I skipped Ruby Weapon and that just made defeating Sephiroth kind of... pointless?

disc 3 in FF9, but because I’d neglected and refused to learn Tetra Master up to that point, I pretty much hit a roadblock and could not progress. Thanks a lot! Thanks a fucking lot. I really liked this FF. The soft limits on class specialization, with the way weapons conferred different skills to different party members, but everyone could use pretty much anything, the soundtrack, the characters; a lot of it was great. Ditto about the story tho, wasn’t paying attention ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

fhe first 5 minutes of FFIV on the NDS.

almost 50 hours into Bravely Default, but put it down because the storybeats were just too inconsistently delivered, the grinding, though greatly alleviated with some QoL features, was still a huge grind, and something about the game just... never clicked.

taking a glancing look at copy of FFX/X-2 HD and putting the thing down because I have commitment issues.  

the first 15 minutes of FF Type-0 HD.

and whoa, before I forget, Steam says I have 13.2 hours in FF13. So there’s that. Great music though! Paradigm Shifting is cool in theory too, I guess. But this game is just awful. And now I want to go back and play it. Why do I do this?

All in all a very poor showing from me. FFXV was, comparatively speaking, way easier to dig in. “A Final Fantasy for fans and first-timers” they say. Well, I’m not sure if I fall into either of those camps. I guess I am a fan? Sorta? I couldn’t tell you about the lore, plot or characters of many of the games, but I do own one of these. And I used to listen non-stop to shitty low-bitrate .mp3s of Nobuo Uematsu’s soundtracks on my Walkman. And I had wallpapers of Rinoa and Yuna, and still own a really embarrassing FF8 wallscroll that was gifted to me?

So! As a casual fan then, I found this one... pretty good. I mean, there’s elements of every past Final Fantasy in its DNA. It feels like a Final Fantasy game, which is to say it feels like the ones which came after 12, which did the most to change up the ATB/turn based combat, and perhaps the composition/interaction of the characters, outside of maybe Tactics or 11. 

There’s so much to like here that I’m willing to forgive its shortcomings and missed potential, even if, by the end, the things it gets right is in equal measure to the things it misses the mark on or flat out lacks. It has so much charm and warmth that I’m willing to forgive Square’s misguided reach for critical mass market appeal what with its numerous marketing tie-ins and cross-promotions, or its divvying up of exposition to tie-in films and DLC. At least it gave us that ridiculous Cup Noodle quest line. At least it gave us that. I’m even willing to forgive Chapter 13, and I didn’t even play Verse 2.

I’ve not followed the game at all, so its understandable the ones who clamoured for something like Versus XIII would be a bit irked. All those amazing tech demos and trailers they’ve released over the years? I understand the pain, but ya’ll only have yourself to blame for buying into the pre-release footage. 

Yes, the Insomnia chapter was wholly underwhelming. Yes the pacing is weirdly rushed after you’ve hit Altissia onwards and becomes hyper linear. Yes Lestallum and Altissia are in general hilariously undercooked, non-interactive, tiny and I haven’t encountered something this disappointing since maybe hitting Markarth in Skyrim, where the magic of Skyrim’s first 50 hours really started to wear thin. We’ve truly hit a point where graphics tech has outpaced the ability and feasibility to render more organic, more reactive and believable AI simulation in towns and cities. Maybe all this increased fidelity strikes a dissonance with how we think worlds should be populated and behave? I don’t know. Witcher 3 looks incredible though, and perhaps that’s the game that shows you can have your cake and eat it too. Meaty, meaningful content that isn’t just throwaway Hunt quests, or helping some asshole with his car troubles for the umpteenth time. I’m of the opinion that all sidequests in RPGs devolve into kill or fetch quests, and the rare exception requires you to talk your way to success or solve some kind of puzzle and mechanically speaking there isn’t a whole lot you can do. So, that’s where good writing comes in. Fallout New Vegas, if I recall had fantastic writing in this regard. More recently NieR Automata had really rudimentary sidequests that were carried along with quirky written snippets that expanded upon the world. Then there’s the Witcher games and to a lesser extent the Yakuza series that construct entire stories around side content. Yes FFXV’s sidequests are... uniformly underwhelming. They’re all more or less MMO-like filler content for the sake of inflating the completion time and giving you some kind of incentive for exploring the world. And yes, Luna and Noct’s relationship is hilariously undercooked; she does her Aerith moment and it’s tits up from that point on. It’s a shame you can’t be with Iris though the game teases this; Aranea only shows up to do her thing and disappears; Cor straight up disappears; Gentiana does her thing and disappears, etc. People just disappear, for no apparent reason other than selling you DLC, or they didn’t know what to do with these characters because they are plot movers, nothing more. Sigh.

But you know what? It’s been awhile since I’ve played something like the first half of the game so yeah, sure, whatever. Throw on a podcast and go about overleveling past the main campaign. Go ahead and throw on that FF13 soundtrack and go pick up nutmeg (such a great soundtrack). 

Speaking of which, I loved the music. I might even call it majestic. I loved oddball world design of mashing what seems to be not-Southwestern & not-Pacific Northwestern USA with not-Venice, briefly not-Rivendell (Tenebrae?) & not-Tokyo. I loved playing grab ass with my boys after camping out in the mornings. I loved Ignis being the mom friend and the my headcanon where the guys store all their cooking and crafting ingredients in the same astral plane where Noctis keeps his weapons. I loved the photography feature and Prompto’s arc. I fucking loved fishing more than I thought would. I loved that there’d always be some kind of incidental dialogue when you’d go exploring or take up a quest. I loved that Bahamut had a creepy human face. I loved how dangerous and crappy the Reglia Type-F is to handle. I loved that Gladio would give Noct shit, even undeservedly at times. I loved that Regis and his crew went on a similar journey all those years ago. I loved that there’d be super high level mobs just chilling in the overworld and that level scaling isn’t a thing, but there would still be things that could one-shot you. I can appreciate a game that helps me with completing its campaign, even if it does so kind of forcibly, since open worlds tend to induce some kind of completion anxiety in me. Will you please go and fucking fight Ardyn already? 

About that fighting: I like it? I briefly tried Kingdom Hearts on 3DS and it was... It was not great. But I like the automation in this that allows for just enough player input where positioning and timing is more important than anything else. It’s not very strategic, and you don’t have much in the way of tactical forethought, but it looks cool! Props to Square’s animation team for blending all of it together into a somewhat coherent whole. It’s mostly flash, with just enough engagement to not be a entirely mindless affair. 

I think at the end of the day we all have some kind of preconception of what we wanted FFXV to be, and we were all left somewhat disappointed that it didn’t turn out to be that figment of our fancy. But it exists, its more than playable, there’s a lot to do and soak in and those post-credits scenes with Noct and the lads, and Noct and Luna with the photo you chose were enough to wash away the cynicism and disappointment. 

It feels like, with the completion of the Episode Ignis campaign and the successful rebirth of A Realm Reborn, Square might finally close the chapter on 13/Versus 13/15 and do things a bit better and more efficiently. Or maybe we’ll be subjected to a mobile hell and more games in 15′s mould, the latter of which wouldn’t be the worst thing? I keep saying it but I never follow through with going back to play the older mainline FF games. Now’s the time! Maybe.