#Spark!Ardyn au

[a-world-in-grey]

You know, I always headcanoned that once Niflheim got their hands on some photos of the prince and his civilian friend, they absolutely knew that Prompto was an escaped clone. The resemblance to Besithia was obvious, after all. They just didn't bother to do anything with it, since it's not like they need that particular clone and it's not even like Prompto has a sleeper programming.

But in the Spark verse, well. Prompto is a child of an Oracle. And if Glauca is a thing, they might even know about her magic.

Either way, they really want to have her back.

I have been sitting on this ask for awhile, because I love it, but unfortunately the muses are not cooperating with me on it.

In most of my fics, Niflheim doesn’t really bother paying too much attention to Prompto - yeah, he’s the prince’s friend, but he’s civilian, and furthermore, not a member of his Retinue, so ergo, he can’t be that important to the prince. Not enough to be worth investing any resources into whatever aim they might want with Prompto anyway.

But in Spark au, Prompto is claimed as Noctis’ Heart far earlier than normal in an effort to protect her secret, and that makes Niflheim take a closer look at this civilian girl who’s gotten so close to the prince. And you’re right, the resemblance is uncanny if you know what to look for.

I feel like Titus wouldn’t know about Prompto’s magic. Noctis and the others are so very careful to keep her magic under wraps, and the cover of Prompto having Noctis’ magic so compelling, that Titus never realizes the truth.

Now, if they ever managed to get their hands on the Prince’s Heart long enough to somehow learn that carefully hidden truth… well.

That would change things, wouldn’t it?

[laqualassiel]

Trying to decide in the Spark!Ardyn au where Ardyn goes after getting Blessed by Ifrit, because there’s no way on the Pyre he’s sticking around in Niflheim now that he knows Besithia is insane enough to try daemonifying an Astral.

Now the only question is: where does he go?

There’s Tenebrae, the closest and easiest to reach when Ardyn has no identification or money and hardly any knowledge of the modern world. Get Tenebrae world building and politics, stuff on the Oracle family, and eventual interactions with a younger Sylva, who might not even be the Oracle yet depending how old Sylva’s mom is. The threat of Niflheim discovering Ardyn (again) is highest in Tenebrae, given Tenebrae’s proximity and vassalage. The people of Tenebrae would likely be more religious than other countries, so we can build on the established Cosmogony and how that ties into the official religious doctrine. Ardyn’s grief for Aera would be more raw here, with Aera’s family as constant reminders. There’s also the possible conflict of the Oracles potentially knowing about Ardyn’s new Blessing, and if Bahamut had made known to the Oracles of his mandate that no other Blessings are permitted, that could put the Oracles in a position of having to choose between Ardyn and the will of the gods (or at least the only one whose actually awake). Depending on how far the canon historical timeline gets yeeted, Ardyn would be present when Noctis is brought to Tenebrae for healing and would promptly derail Niflheim’s whole invasion.

Next closest location is Accordo. Harder to get to because of the necessity of traveling by boat, but it is part of the Empire so there’s less travel restrictions to worry about there. Here we’d get Altissia world building and politics, meeting young Claudia Claustra and her movement to free Accordo from Imperial rule. No daemons in Accordo, so Ardyn’s magic would stay under the radar longer, and therefore less risk of Niflheim and Besithia finding him. Ardyn would integrate more into city life here, rather than living as a hermit. Dunno what Ardyn would do to make a living, but he’d pick up some sort of quiet career. In addition to meeting young Claudia, we’d eventually meet Prince Regis and his Retinue when they come to Altissia and get tangled in the politics there. There’s also the chance of Leviathan waking up and being Not Pleased to find the former Accursed and now one of Ifrit’s Sparks living on her front lawn. In this location Ardyn would probably get involved with Claudia’s underground resistance movement, and would probably interact quite a bit with Weskham after he stays in Altissia.

There’s Galahd, which has less world building needed (bless @secret-engima) but I could play around with the Clan politics of the time and their oaths to the Crown. Galahd would fold Ardyn in no problem, and without havens and only a scattering of temples Ardyn would put his magic to use the quickest of all locations. He’d be safest from Niflheim here, and pretty safe from Mors sending assassins too. Dig deeper into the differences between Galahdian religion and the official doctrine. Meet some of the baby glaives. Meet Prince Regis when he comes to Galahd briefly. Help fight the Niflheim occupying forces after Mors pulls the wall, which adds the risk of discovery from Niflheim.

Lastly, we’ve got Lucis. Farthest from Niflheim and hardest to get to, but the easiest to disappear in the Lucian Outlands. Would probably set up shop as the og ‘Witch’ of Malmalam Thicket, and meet young Kimya when she shows up demanding to learn from him. Highest threat from Mors’ assassins. Would likely meet Regis and co at least once. Offers the chance for Ardyn to rescue Cor from the Tempering Grounds, including a long overdue meeting between Ardyn and Gilgamesh. After Mors pulls the Wall, would have the threat from Niflheim’s invading forces. Ardyn would be more involved with the Hunters in this, if only tangentially, and might have more interactions with Cid and Cor as time goes on. Of course, being in Lucis means he’s faced with reminders of his brother’s family, and could even make the pilgrimage to Somnus’ tomb if he’s feeling particularly self-destructive.

So, any thoughts or ideas on where Ardyn ends up after running from Niflheim?

[acronym-chaos]

Lumine (Genshin Impact) ID Pack

[PT: Lumine (Genshin Impact) ID Pack].

[ID: A purple thin line divider shaded at the bottom. End ID].

Names

[PT: Names].

Aeris, Althea, Amara, Ardyn, Astra, Astrael, Brielle, Caelum, Cassia, Celeste, Dawn, Dawn, Dorian, Elara, Elion, Elira, Eos, Estelle, Farren, Galen, Halcyra, Halo, Ilwen, Isolde, Liora, Lioren, Lucine, Lumen, Maelis, Mirael, Nera, Orielle, Orin, Phaedra, Quinlan, Rayne, Renna, Selene, Serene, Solara, Solis, Stella, Sylric, Taryn, Vailen, Xyra

Pronouns

[PT: Pronouns].

Ane / Anemo / Anemos, Au / Aur / Auras, Cry / Cryo / Cryos, De / Dend / Denros, El / Elect / Electros, Fla / Flame / Flames, Fro / Fros / Frosts, Geo / Geos / Geos, Guide / Guides / Guides, Hy / Hyd / Hydro, Li / Light / Lights, Path / Paths / Paths, Py / Pyr / Pyros, Que / Ques / Quests, Roo / Root / Roots, Se / Sea / Seas, Spa / Spar / Sparks, Star / Stars / Stars, Sto / Stone / Stones, Wa / Wave / Was, Wi / Win / Winds

Titles

[PT: Titles].

[Pronoun] Lost to Time, [Pronoun] Who Follows the Stars’ Call, The Elemental Conduit, The Everchanging Light, The Interstellar Nomad, The Light of Teyvat, The One Guided by the Winds of Fate, The One Who Crosses Realms, The Traveler from Afar, The Twin in Search of [Pronouns] Other Half, The Wandering Luminary

[ID: A purple thin line divider shaded at the bottom, End ID].

Requested by anon!

Also tagging: @id-pack-archive

[sparklecryptid]

Regarding that one Royal Bastard Au where Bahamut set the Prophecy to Regis' firstborn.

Maybe I am underestimating Ace's self-esteem issues but I got the impression that Ramuh is the only Astral who could get Ace to agree to go along with this. And maaaybe Leviathan, but I wouldn't bet in this.

If Gentiana/Shiva tried this, Ace's reaction would probably be a furious "Fuck No". Bahamut might actually Get Stabbed, because if the Prophecy requires a sacrifice then why not sacrifice the fucker who set it up in the first place a Deity? Much more power for the Magic this way.

This also led to my imagining a Reveal scenario where Regis finds out about his firstborn's existence (but not his identity) because Gentiana showed up in Insomnia to bitch about Ace refusing to follow her stupid plans Divine Command to kill his father Ardyn the Accursed.

Ace is like. The Dude Willing to Die for His Family. In Fact the only reason hes still alive at the end of his fic is because Mors yeeted him out of the afterlife. You are definitely underestimating his self esteem issues but you are spot on on how fucking stubborn he is!

So lets say that Ace decides that NOPE HES NOT PLAYING ALONG FUCK YALL which would likely end up in either 1) a showdown with Bahamut 2) the crystal breaking like it did in his canon or 3) a show down with Bahamut but this time its a ace-ardyn team up

Lets go with three for funnies.

-

Ace wishes he could blame his current situation on anyone other than himself. He can’t though, because the fact he and Ardyn are fighting a fucking god is solely because Ace is the King of Bad Life Choices and Ardyn found out about them.

He didn’t plan on Ardyn finding out that he was going to go and beat some sense into Bahamut but Ramuh is a fucking snitch and so are all of his Messengers.

(Ace is making sure Blueberry isn’t given any steak for a month. That’ll show the fucking cat.)

So here the two of them are, bloodied and cracking at the seams with light and darkness and Bahamut is bright bright bright so full of light it’s blinding. The god of war is hard to kill but even he makes mistakes.

Bahamut’s sword pierces through Ace’s gut and the light beneath his skin sparks like lightning. Ace didn’t expect to survive, it makes sense to get rid of the extra in than have to find a new antagonist after all, but the shock of pain the courses through him sends him to his knees.

The darkness that follows isn’t surprising, neither is they way the light around them shudders and fades and night coats the earth. Ace knew Ardyn cared, that the unspeakable thing between them was heavy and fraught with meaning but this-

It’s confirmation, it’s something Ace didn’t want but something he’s getting anyway.

There’s the screech of metal on metal and Ace pulls at the sword in his gut, pulls it out despite every warning in his head telling him its a bad idea and somehow he finds the strength to stand.

Ace peers through the darkness and finds his uncle in it, he finds Ardyn strangling the last vestige of light from Bahamut and Ace stumbles toward his uncle just as it dies. The world around them shatters as Ace falls into his uncles arms and they land somewhere with sun breaking through a large window.

This should mean something, it doesn’t.

Is he going to die? Maybe. But the light around him is breathtaking and his uncles arms are warm.

There’s a warmth coming from his wound and neither Ardyn or Ace realize what’s going on until Ace looks down and realizes his uncles hand is glowing and the hole in his stomach is no longer there.

“Useful,” Ace says and looks up at his uncle, “Thanks.”

He then passes out and wonders why the last thing he sees is ornate mouldings on the ceiling. Last he checked they weren’t outside.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

I was wrong :D I have further questions :D

What was Noctis' reaction to young Mors (Vito?) in that one au off-shot where he reincarnated? Like, the kid looks enough like Noct (like Regis) to quite possibly be his younger brother. He's going to have some thoughts about that for sure (mostly of the what the fuck dad variety, I bet).

Or Ardyn's opinion for that matter?

If Noctis had a yen for every time he found an unconscious child in an alleyway, he would have to yen, which wasn't much, but it was strange that it had heppened twice.

However, differently from Solaris, this one did not look like they would bleed out any second. No, this one looked like they were sleeping. In a pile of rubble that had come down not too long ago. Which was why Noctis was there in the first place.

"Hey kid, you okay?" he called.

No answer came. Of course not. The kid was out like a light.

He stepped closer, taking care not to stumble over the rubble spread everywhere. In the centre the laid the kid, curled up, face nearly between the knees. The position did not look comfortable.

Noctis reached out a hand, golden sparks dancing between his fingers. There was something strange going on, he could feel it. The atmosphere was thick and every breath made Noctis think about nearly forgotten dreams.

The kid's skin was cold to the touch and very pale, like it rarely if ever saw sunlight.

"Libra," Noctis murmured.

There... was nothing physically wrong. But something niggled at the back of Noctis's mind, if only he could...

As he carefully turned around the kid to get a better look, Noctis let out a startled breath, thoughts scattering to the wind.

"What the fuck?" His voice came out in a breathless whisper. He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry.

What were the chances of finding two Lucis Caelum kids unconscious in an alleyway?

None.

But here lay the second one right in front of him. It was a boy, with a long, thin face, dark hair and familiar bony limbs.

"What the fuck. Dad!"

Sadly - or luckily, depending on ones point of view - Regis Lucis Caelum was in the Citadel listening to a rather long winded petition, and so was no where near this alleyway.

The one person who had heard Noctis curse out his father was one Ardyn Lucis Caelum. When he saw the unconscious child, he laughed, before helping his nephew to bring the child back to the clinic.

[secret-engima]

From what I remember of Klee from the many game commercials, and my brain being locked onto FFXV; my brain is going “most heart attack inducing Ulric ever” given that she’s a prepubescent pyromaniac— or the friendliest Furia ever. Or that Ardyn up in Niff land decided to *really* piss off Besthia by giving his baby niece magic powers so she could really be a Spark Knight. And no, not trying to give you a new AU.

Klee, if she was in FFXV, is 100% a baby Ulric. She has no intention of stressing people out, she just happens to breathe Chaos and also her mom is also 100% an Ulric and Klee's chaos is clearly genetic.

That makes Albedo her Ostium btw. Clearly an Ostium adopted by his Ulrics and he is a bit of a Stress about it.

[garbria]

Title: Whispering among the tide's

Thank you for sending this in, sorry about the wait!

This makes me think of a Little Mermaid au. Lucis is an underwater kingdom of merpeople, and Galahd is the land above. Nyx is prince of Galahd, and during a storm at sea, his ship sinks and Cor saves him, sparking his interest in the land dwellers. Prince Noctis has been living under a curse, and Cor wonders if someone on land may have a cure, so he convinces Regis to let him try. He goes to the sea witch, Ardyn, who agrees to give him the ability to walk on land, at the cost of his voice. He has a week to go on land and try to find some hint of a cure for Noctis, without being able to talk, or he himself will be cursed as well.

Then he runs into Nyx again, and they work together to solve the problem, falling in love in the process.

[prcmptis]

I'm still doing this Klance Au! This is a just a all concept to the intro of the AU!

It's going to start off with Keith and Lance bonding over the light (Etro) they see. This will be the main thing that will tie them together for a while.

Some information about them:

° Lance's full name is Lance Nox Fluret, he is the Oracle to the Prince.

*His meeting with Keith sparks an interest the goddess Etro, who decides to use Keith and Lance as her pawns to release her from her slumber. Etro decides to take Lance's form to trick Keith later on.

°Keith's full name is Keith Lucis Caelum, prince of Lucis.

*Etro decides to use Keith as her main pawn after his meeting with Lance. Keith ends up going insane for a while, believing he's been in love with Lance, only to find out it was Etro impersonating him.

-This part of the storyline is a bit dark, as versus 13 was supposed to be. I might change it for the app but in the versus game, Noctis takes pills created by his families Pharmaceutical, which make him Hallucinate. For the reason that some may have triggers to that part of the storyline, I will respect that, and add warnings when any triggering aspect will occur. As for the pills, I will change that storyline a bit. Instead of him drinking the pills, it will be something that will just happen. Etro will appear and Keith's eyes will become red when she touches his shoulder to see her.

Keith and Lance have true moments. Their souls are bonded by the gods. They meet in dances, and events, and sometimes will sneak from their homes to see eachother.

When Tenebrae gets attacked by the Empire, Keith goes on a rampage to find Lance, this is when Etro takes complete control over Keith's emotions and mind.

Who is Etro?

Etro is the Goddess of Death and the underworld. Mother to the Demons. In this Au, she is Honerva. Honerva was a messenger to the Gods. Her realm was in the stars. She was the constellation's. Since she was a messenger, she would help the Oracle. One day, while helping her Oracle, she met a human named Zarkon. She fell in love and he with her, but a messenger of the gods will be loyal to only their God. In this case, her God was Bahamut. In this Au, that would Allura's father. At first he did not care, it wasn't until Honerva rejected her duty, resulting in the death of the Oracle she was sworn to protect, that he punished her and her lover. He transformed Zarkon into a monster, his human features becoming more daemon like. Zarkon essentially became Ardyn. Honerva was punished to become Goddess of the dead and underworld. She will forever drop her blood on the ground and create daemon spawns to bite at her from the waist down. Zarkon became bitter and cold from the loss of Honerva, and living forever caused him to become insane. He became emperor to Niflhiem and decided to finally strike back at the gods who wronged.

At that point the story has begun, the attack on tenebrae and the loss of both the prince and Oracle after Lucis was attacked as well.

That's as much information I am willing to give right now! I hope it catches your interest!

[sky-kiss]

Ghouldyn AU

A/N: Look. Just. Stick with me, okay? Or don’t. It doesn’t make a lot of sense. @morelemons and I were like. Hashing out the broad strokes of a Fallout 4 crossover AU. And like. Ghoul!Ardyn. And a whole story line. But then we needed setup to justify all that cuteness and Diamond City Adventure Boy!Noct and Vault Tech!Luna. So uh. This is that backstory. Just big old. Weird broad strokes. Of Ghoul!Ardyn’s life. I’m sorry.

_____

October 23, 2077

______

Centuries later, it will strike him as funny. Not in the traditional sense of the word. But a breed of humor purely unique to his life: macabre, grim. He’ll laugh as tears prick at his eyes.

The truth is Ardyn doesn’t remember the bombs dropping. He manages to miss the end of the world. He’s too piss drunk to make it home and too poor to call a taxi. It’s warm for October. Warm enough that he doesn’t think twice about slumping down in an alley. It was a nice neighborhood. He’d sleep off the whiskey and then stagger back to his apartment.

Yes, yes, dearies. The bombs fall and the radiation hits. Families are left clinging to one another, powerless as the fallout rolls towards them. And where is he? Alone. Slumped in a puddle of vomit, arm slung over his eyes. The curtain closes on a most ignominious scene.

When he finally awakens, the world is forever changed. Ash still drifts  lazily on the breeze. The blue sky is gone, replaced with a perpetual orange. Some days the light with filter through at a strange angle and treat him to a flash of green.  

There’s no bird song. No dogs barking. No ambient conversation to fill the emptiness. There’s only the silence and all the weight that comes with it. It’s the sound of death, he thinks. Death has come and stolen everything away.

Ardyn pulls his knees to his chest. His skin is badly burned; his body is bruised. The tears sting as they cut lazy rivulets through the dirt staining his cheeks. It’s deja vu. It’s Aera all over again, magnified to the nth power. Death sweeps into his life and steals everything away.

Only he is left behind.

____

The radiation does not kill him.

In some ways it is a far less mercyful fate. He manages to pick his way through the wreckage and find his back to what remains of the apartment complex. The silver lining of the whole situation is that he’s barely aware of his hangover. He’s too shell shocked to feel much of anything.

By some miracle, the building is still standing. Ardyn climbs those three familiar flights of stairs on instinct. He fishes inside his jacket for his keys. He locks the door behind him before stumbling over the liquor cabinet. The powers been out long enough for all the ice to have melted and so he takes four shots of whiskey neat. It helps take the edge off. Three more (simultaneously all that’s left in the bottle and the last bottle in the house) are just enough to chase him off to sleep. He never dreams when he drinks. For the first time in years, he dreads the silence.

____

His body begins to change. The radiation does not kill him, no. But it changes him.

His will not lie. He’s always taken a certain level of pride in his looks. People would stare as he passed. He was tall and strong and beautiful. And now, his skin seems to rot. His nose is gone. The bone structure remains the same but he is left an echo of his former self, monstrous.

It’s the hair he mourns the most. Strange and maroon and long enough to tickle at his shoulders. Aera had begged him never to cut it. Had delighted in running her fingers through the mass as they settled to sleep at night. The radiation takes that too. A pittance, in the grand scheme of things, but he mourns all the same.

____

Time passes.

His body continues to decay. He is...corpse-like and monstrous. The few humans he does stumble across scream at the sight of him. Some shoot.

It’s easier to lock himself away.

So he drinks. He sleeps. He forgets the world outside and it forgets him just the same.

_____

The first few decades are the most difficult. Later, he will learn the name for his condition. The people of the Commonwealth refer to him as a ghoul, an aftereffect of the freshly irradiated world. The body was capable enough of change. It’s the mind that’s more...tenuous.

Most ghouls went mad. There were a variety of causes: the radiation fried your brain. The self loathing. The suicidal thoughts. The dissociation. Truly, the mind boggled. He thinks it’s a hint of everything. He hates this new body. He hates this new world.

It’s easier to wrap himself in his memories. Aera is still there. They still live in their house outside of Salem. She’s still heavy with child and...the clouds have yet to settle over their life. He still wakes up every morning with her head pillowed on his chest and her leg hooked over his hips. He’ll listen to her soft snores (no one would believe her capable of it; he knows better) and they will chase him back to sleep. He’d rather languor in his past then resign to the present silence.

Years pass. Decades pass.

And then one century and then another.

_____

The earth...never recovers in the strictest sense of the word. It adapts. Life returns. Strange, mutated, creatures roam the streets of Boston. Some of them he recognizes. There are still humans. There are more ghouls.

He is far more comfortable with the latter.

A gentleman named John Hancock comes calling for him one evening. Despite the severity of his condition, John carries himself with all manner of aplomb. He sweeps a ridiculous tricorn hat from his head, drops into an exaggerated bow. Ardyn scoffs, inwardly delighted. It’s been decades since he was treated to such theatrics. He’s missed the levity.

“It ain’t much but it could be,” John fumbles with a tin of mentats. After a moment's consideration, he holds it out to his fellow ghoul. Ardyn waves him off. “Real uh...well, sanctuary sounds like some hippy shit. But a good place for freaks like us to get some much needed r&r.”

“You’re intending to build a town?”

“Naw. Naw. Buildings are already there. We throw up some walls. Get some people. Bingo. Got yourself a community.”

“I fail to see what I would contribute to such an endeavor.”

John shrugs. He knows the broad strokes of the ghouls life; by traditional standards, he’s not a good man. Here, in this new world, some leniencies can be made. He’s trying. He wants to help, junkie, killer, or otherwise. John fumbles around in his pockets until he finds a crumpled cigarette, “Eh, maybe ya don’t add anything. Lots of those types out there too. But c’mon, man, its gotta beat holin’ up in this dump waiting to go feral.” Which...is true.

He doesn’t give John an answer that night.

It’s another year before he finally makes the move to Goodneighbor.

_____

One of the other ghouls suggests he take up a hobby. Something to take his mind off his condition and keep him from wallowing in the past. He reclaims an old building on the outskirts of town, tucked away in one of the smaller alleys. Before the loss of his wife and the drink, he’d quite enjoyed his position at the university.

“I dunno.” It’s all John will say. Ardyn has little room to judge but the other ghoul is woefully expressive when he speaks. He swings his arms out wide, a healthy plume of smoke trailing behind his cigar. Ardyn winces. Aged papers are scattered across more than a dozen desks. It doesn’t take an active imagination to see the place going up in flames. “Library ain’t really what I had in mind. Little more...Diamond City if you catch my drift.”

“To the contrary. I dare say your goons might benefit with a little exposure to higher learning.”

“Hey. I don’t need clever trigger boys. Smart men get ideas. Ideas…”

“...get people killed. Yes, I’m aware.”

John shakes his head. Takes another drag and exhales a rasping chuckle. “Fuckin’ library. Shoulda figured.”

“Perhaps,” he says, dryly. A spark drifts on a nonexistent breeze and Ardyn lurches forward, snatching the cigar from the mayor’s hand. He snuffs it out. “But someone has to do it. Why not me?”

“Yeah. Why not you, buddy?” John grins. He tips his tricorn and saunters back out into the street, whistling to himself. It is an entirely unremarkable interaction and...somehow more thrilling for it. For the first time in too long, Ardyn feels...vaguely human.

_____

He collects books.

He helps John negotiate a few...profitable arrangements with the triggermen.

He finds bits and pieces of the old world and brings them back to his home.

Little by little, he feels more like himself.

______

The world ends on October 23, 2077. He is thirty three years old when the bombs fall. He’s barely thirty four when radiation ravages his body, transforming it forever. He drifts through the next two centuries. He begins to heal.

Life begins again two hundred and ten years later to the day. It’s a tedious cliche but he’ll commit to it regardless.  The bell above the library door chimes. He glances up from his reading and comes eye to eye with two humans. The young man is scowling, grumbling to himself as he struggles to balance an armful of books.

And the young woman is familiar enough that he might as well be staring at a ghost.

She smiles at him, soft, hesitant, clearly taken aback by his appearance but unwilling to relent.

October 23, 2287 marks the day Lunafreya Nox Fleuret and Noctis Lucius Caelum stumble into his life.

[tarotdeckshuffle]

Four Suns: Chapter One

Drum roll, please! Here it finally is! 

This story is based off of this request. 

Funny thing about this request is that I’ve never written a scifi story. I love the genre, or at least a lot of it, like Mass Effect, Doctor Who, Star Wars, etc. But some of the stories I’ve read cross from speculative and original science to corny really fast. I’m always worried my stories will do that.

I’ve really enjoyed writing this and it quickly got to over 8,000 words lol, so I’ve broken it into chapters for everyone! Here is the first of what I believe will be four chapters. 

But, here’s my first attempt at writing a scifi and poly story! Enjoy!❤ 

Taglist: @idiotflowerex, @laststory1013, @sayaoqueen, @jophinabean 

If you like what you read, please consider supporting me on Patreon or buying me a Ko-fi!

Tags: Alien AU, Angst, Poly, Fantasy Violence

Word Count: 2,000

Next Chapter==>

Chapter One: Sunrise

A world with four suns would burn under such heat, or so you had always believed.

The planet of Lucis had fallen long ago, eclipsed in eternal shadow. The only way to dispel the darkness were weapons called The Royal Arms, but they had been scattered throughout the galaxy by the ruler of the darkness, Ardyn.

The young prince Noctis and his royal retina had been off planet when Lucis fell. They watched the six sacred stars surrounding their planet disappear into darkness. Now, it was up to them to gather the royal arms and dispel the evil that swallowed their world.

After many long years away, they are after the last piece of their quest: The Sword of the Father. The newest and most powerful of the royal arms. Ardyn had taken pleasure in sending this treasure away, as it had belonged to the king, Noctis’s father. All information said that it was on a tiny planet in a long-forgotten galaxy.

You were raised on Earth, a planet that treated the thought of alien life as pure fiction. You lived a lonely life along the coast, having taken your grandparent’s home when they passed away. You stared out over the waves at night, imagining a life of adventure based on the stories your grandmother had told you.

It was one of these nights, as you watched the sun sink below the waves, that the stories found you.

As the sun sank, its orange glow became scared with black. You gasped, fearing a plane had crashed. But it had come from directly overhead. You hadn’t seen a plane pass from that direction. The object crashed into the water just off the beach. The waves surged up to your ankles as the water was displaced.

Doing the only thing you could rationally think to do, you waded out until the water was past your knees, calling out in hopes of finding survivors.

 Noctis pulled himself onto a rock, coughing up seawater. The Regalia had taken damage in their last adventure, causing the ship to malfunction upon entering this planet’s atmosphere. The prince smiled as his friends lifted themselves onto nearby rocks, as well.

“Specs, where are we,” he asked his soaked advisor, smiling at Ignis’s flat hair.

“Navigation said that the planet’s name is ‘Earth’,” Ignis responded, attempting to clean off his glasses.

“Rock? Who names their planet rock?” The Prince’s best friend, a living ray of sunshine named Prompto, responded. Somehow, his hair still stood.

“Seems as good a name as any,” a man covered with the wings of a foreign bird, added.

All four of them suddenly turned, hearing your calls.

“Translator! Now!” Noctis demanded.

“On it!” Prompto was clumsily handling a device in his pocket.

Gladio and Ignis nodded to each other, preparing for possible hostilities.

“Guys! Guys, its ok!” Prompto waved his hands about, trying to calm everyone as the translator took effect.

You came around a set of rocks at the far end of the beach, greeted by a sight you could never imagine. Four beautiful men, dressed in black raiment, soaked to the bone. The setting sun glinted on their hair, making the whole scene look like a crown set with various precious stones.  

Nearest to you was a black-haired man in the finest of clothes you had ever seen. His intense eyes stared back at you with shock and caution. Water dripped down his porcelain smooth face, falling off a set jaw.

The next man’s face was fair and dotted with feckless, like stars in the daylight. The look was completed by the sunshine blond hair that still pointed towards the sky. His blue eyes reflected the water just below him and threated to drown you in their gaze. His mouth was agape, as though taking in the air for the first time.

Water had flattened the third man’s hair to frame his face better than his glasses could ever hope to. Droplets meandered down his cheeks still, tracing smooth lines to his perfect jaw. Behind spotless glasses, his eyes stared into your soul with graceful meticulousness.

The great muscles of the final man were tense, ready to strike. His body was a marvel of human capabilities: defined muscles where you didn’t even know someone had muscles. But his face was just a handsome as the rest of him. Tense amber eyes spoke volumes that his soft lips only dared. Scars framed his face, whispering tales of battles to the droplets that ran their length. And his long, dark hair was already sea swept from the water.

The four of them were equally attractive in different ways. They gave you no reason to suspect they were anything but four divinely perfect humans who just happened to splash into the sea before you.

The five of you stood for a long moment, simply staring at the alien sight before you.

The black-haired leader spoke first. “We come in peace…” he stammered.

The other three mean groaned and looked like they wanted the sea to take them.

“Are you…ok,” you asked hesitantly. They must have hit their heads pretty hard to say something like that.

“We’re…fine. We’re here on vacation and seemed to have crashed our…plane.” The spectacled man spoke up. The four of them started making their way to the shore.

“…yeah, plane,” the blond added.

The large man made his way over to you first. He stood like a mountain against you, threatening without even trying.

“Do you need some help? I could call someone…” you squeaked, staring at the four gorgeous men surrounding you. “If you crashed a plane you should probably go to the hospital…”

“No, no, we’re fine…” The black-haired man added.

The sea itself reared up, frustrated with the mens’ lies. A great wave crashed on the rocks near you, before retreating out to sea, revealing a sleek black ship, nose deep in the sand. The ship was rectangular with flowing curves. Four doors on it made it vaguely resemble a car, but the windshield was a mirror.  Wings replaced wheels and great engines replaced the trunk.

“Is that your…plane,” you asked the object all five of you started at.

The great man before you wore an exasperated look. “Why does nothing ever go our way?”

“It’s about to go less our way! Guys…” the blond yelled, looking over your shoulder.

You turned to see skeletal shadow creatures approaching over the dunes. They looked as though a fever dream had given shadows bones and stretched them out before adding glowing yellow eyes.  They looked otherworldly and sick against the sea grass.

Before you had a chance to question what was before you, the great man pushed you behind him.

“Gladio!” The black-haired man called.

“On it,” he responded. Your protector, Gladio, raised his right arm, revealing a translucent orange bracelet with a soft glow to it. He clenched his fist and the orange spread into a great shield before him just as the first of the creatures threw itself at you.

Sparks flew as the nightmare hit the orange glow. Your great protector was pushed back in the sand. Pink light streaked past your eyes, colliding with the creature before you. It dissolved on contact.

You turned, shocked to see the blond man with a strange looking gun in his hand, blowing on the barrel.

“Nice one, Prompto, now do it a thousand more times…” Gladio called.

“On it!” Prompto responded smugly. “Pew, pew, pew pew pew,” he sang in time with his shots.

Monsters started tumbling and crawling onto the beach like waves of black. But the front lines were soon defended by the last two men.

“Ignis, with me!” The black-haired man called to the spectacled man.

From out of nowhere, Ignis had twin daggers in his hands, blue flames dancing on them. With a great leap, he was in the middle of the monsters, dashing between creatures to end their dark lives.

At one point, he placed a dagger just above the other, tip melding with handle. Then he ran a finger down the lower dagger. It seemed to liquify with his touch, transforming into the handle for what became a spear! His acrobatics with the weapon could rival any dancer you had seen! And when he had no more use for the weapon, he pushed on the bottom of the shaft, letting it liquify back into a dagger that fell into his hand.

But the last man was what truly made you think it was all a dream. A sword appeared in his hands from blue sparks. He wielded it with mastery and speed. But when he threw it, it would fly straight and true, perfectly balanced like an arrow. The man’s body would dissolve in a fury of black and blue swirls before reappearing, starting with his hand on the blade. He disappeared into particles in one spot, to materialize in another!

The four men provided order to the monsters’ chaos; destroying each with their own style but working together like a choregraphed dance. You thought this nightmare was going rather well as the monsters’ numbers were diminishing. But what they started to lack in quantity, they made up for in quality.

The most intelligent of the creatures brought up the rear. Yes, an end was in sight, but the remaining handful was conniving. They watched each man, learned their strengths, and attacked in new ways. You saw them dodge attacks before circling towards a new target.

Gladio had kept most of the monsters away from you, thus far. He bashed them with the shield, sometimes driving the bottom of the great weapon down onto a fallen shadow. One or two had gotten past him, but you drove them back with a hurried kick. Your protector had smiled at your ingenuity and courage.

But no amount of courage can save you from deception. 

One creature dove between Ignis and the black-haired man, straight at Gladio, before leaping upwards and over him. Prompto fired at it, but it’s body seemed to morph, allowing a hole the beam passed through harmlessly. You watched in a slowed world as its shadowy feet left Gladio’s shoulders, before it landed square on you.

Noctis’s warp couldn’t happen fast enough. You were overwhelmed by darkness as the creature seeped into your very being. Your body fell to the sand, but your consciousness continued to spiral into everlasting darkness.

You couldn’t hear it, but the men around you let out a cry in unison as your body met the sand. Gladio’s shield dropped as he lunged, trying to catch you. Noctis had overshot your form, having not met the daemon he was aiming for. He took off towards you with a runners’ start. Prompto looked on in horror, not realizing that the rest of the world was falling apart around him, as well. Ignis was devastated but had to come to his senses and pull the group together.

“PROMPTO! Cover Gladio! We have to get them to safety,” he yelled, attempting to organize the chaos around them.

Prompto snapped back to reality. “Er, on it!”

Gladio scooped you into his arms as Noctis joined the two of you. He laid a royal hand on your forehead, feeling your temperature plummet. He grimaced; time was not on their side.

“Iggy! Get the medkit,” Gladio yelled over his shoulder. Ignis obliterated one of the remaining daemons before nodding and running on swift legs towards their ship.

“We have to find a safe space…that way,” Noctis pointed towards a nearby house, feeling forced to make a command decision.

Your cold form was cradled against Gladio’s chest as he and Noctis made for the nearest house, swiftly and carefully. Ignis and Prompto watched with worried eyes, staying behind to finish any stray daemons before following.

So much of the light the men had known had been corrupted by Ardyn. They wouldn’t let him take the first star they had seen in forever.

Next Chapter==>

[countingpaperstars]

Chapter: 14/38? Rating: Mature Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships:  Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia, One-Sided Prompto Argentum/Ardyn Izunia, Past Prompto Argentum/Original Character Additional Tags: Fix-It, I literally rewrote the entire fucking game everyone, Prince!Prompto, MT!Prompto, based on pigeon princess’ au!, Arranged Marriage, Eventual Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, Slow Burn, like really fucking slow burn, Guaranteed happy ending, OT4, Established OT3, Polyamory, polyship roadtrip, Canon-Typical Violence, so some blood and injuries but nothing graphic, Spoilers, Minor Character Death, Alternate Canon, in this house we love and appreciate strong and capable prompto, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Near Death Experiences, Anxiety, Self Confidence Issues, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, lore and worldbuilding are tweaked, everyone’s 2/3 years older than canon, prom’s a damsel-he’s in distress-he can handle it

Chapter Summary:

The weight of Noctis’ insignificance in the grand scheme of history tends to creep up on him when he’s most unsuspecting - reserved for the early morning hours where the line between reality and dream blur - but nothing compares to how small he feels staring into the raw face of Eos itself.

Visiting the meteor does not go as planned.

Notes:

This chapter fought me so much, but I'm pretty satisfied with how it came out!! I think it's because it's mostly action xD The plot's sticky fingers are cropping up more and more now! There's a lot of mixed lore in this one too, most of it comes straight from the ffxv timeline but a fair bit has been bent and mixed with things specific to this universe, too. I hope you like it! And that it keeps you on your toes ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Pigeon-princess!!! A sweet b!! Thanks to her for her wonderful au that sparked the flame for this and for her love and support, to Tera for always encouraging me in my passions ;;, to Juli who I'm eternally grateful for in her advice and friendship, and to everyone reading this story!! I truly treasure you all!

Chapter's title comes from St. Peter's Cathedral by Death Cab For Cutie which you can check out on the playlist.

Enjoy~ (Please support by reblogging <3)

[a-world-in-grey]

After Noctis and Prompto are friends for some time, if anyone ever sees her using elemancy or armiger, well. The obvious conclusion is that Noctis shared his magic with her.

Oh absolutely.

Even better is if by that point, Noctis has shared his magic with Ignis and Gladio, because sure, Noctis is the one born with magic like Prompto but he's never had to try to teach anyone. So he enlists Ignis and Gladio's help in teaching Prompto because Ignis is a genius and Gladio has prior teaching experience (with weapons, sure, but he does know how to teach).

Ignis is of course, a natural with Elemancy. Gladio on the other hand, takes to magical shields as easily as physical ones. Both of them are capable of Warping, but neither of them enjoy it and rarely use it.

So Prompto's preference for stealth spells and passing skill with Elemancy doesn't raise an eyebrow. (Her night-light does, at least until certain members in the Kingsglaive figure out how to recreate it and promptly put it to use in the field.)

Noctis does share access to his Armiger with Prompto after that assumption gets made, to reinforce Prompto's cover.

Ironically, people assuming Noctis shared his magic with Prompto allows Prompto to use her magic more openly instead of having to hide it, which only further mitigates her health issues. It also makes it a hell of a lot easier for the group to train Prompto, now that they don't have to worry about sneaking it past everyone's noses. (They all feel a bit Dumb for not having thought of that earlier, it would have saved them so much trouble.)

[hanalwayssolo]

Somewhere Between The Music and Lyrics: Ch. 1

A/N: I’m terribly off my own schedule, as usual! So. This Prompto one-shot became a monster I did not expect so I’m splitting it into two chapters. Honestly, among the chocobros, Prompto’s the first one that came to mind when I wanted to do a band AU of sorts—because I’ve heard Robbie Daymond sing on one of their LAVA streams and it is glorious. Anyway! Song featured for this first half is Gavin DeGraw’s We Belong Together. 

Tagging pals! @raspberryandechinacea @noboomoon@emmydots @bleucommelhiver @gowithme @hanatsuki89​ @valkyrieofardyn​ @animakupo​ @lazarustrashpit​ @blindedstarlight​ @mp938368 @boo-dangy

(Links in AO3) Alternate Universes in Which You and I Belong Together: Noctis | Gladio | Prompto | Ignis | Nyx | Cor | Ravus | Ardyn

Prompto had been busily sifting through The Lost Boys’ unanswered emails at the back of their tour bus when he hears his song.

Except, it’s not quite his song.

He recognizes the lyrics in an instant—and he of all people would know of course, since he had written those words as a cry for help for his hopelessly romantic soul. But the song that aches through the speakers holds none of Ignis’s electric riffs, the swell of Gladio’s drums, the steady hum of Noctis’s bass, let alone his own vocals. The one he hears is his music stripped to its rawest, the words made vulnerable by a melancholic leak of a lone acoustic guitar and an exquisitely soulful voice.

We belong together  Like the open seas and shores  Wedded by the planet force  We’ve all been spoken for

Prompto scrambles to the front lounge to find Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis huddling by the booth over a laptop set on the table, their eyes glued to the screen in wild wonder.

Curiously, Prompto eyes them—still grinning wide in awe—and asks, “Are you guys hearing what I’m hearing now? Am I dreaming? What is happening?”

Noctis snorts a laugh. He swivels the laptop to face Prompto. “You might want to check this out, my friend.”

Prompto excitedly moves closer. Immediately, he sees the video accompanying the song entitled “we belong together (cover) by my amazingly talented roommate!!!” posted by username MasterPelnaK. He barely even notices how this video has been raking almost five hundred thousand views and likes in the last twenty-four hours as his attention zeroes in on the stranger sitting on a bean bag, equipped with nothing but the guitar and that voice.

What good is a life  With no one to share  The light of the moon  The honour of a swear

Gods. The tone and vibrato is so on point it sends shivers down his spine. But then, Prompto begins to wonder why this person is not even looking directly at the camera. Were they even aware that they were being recorded? It seems all too candid given the angle, as if the camera had just been discreetly set up on a low-lying table. Not to mention the very personal space in the background, too: a well-lit room of white walls, a cozy looking sofa, an impressive shelf of books and vinyl records tucked between potted fiddle leaf figs. Somewhere out of sight, hushed whispers could still be heard. Was this only recorded from a mobile phone?

Anyway, not that any of these things mattered. Prompto has rarely come across other artists covering their songs, and when he does, each one he cherishes dearly. But this one—this one, for heaven’s sake—has moved him the way the winds bend the trees to its will, a tiny flint that sparks a flame. He didn’t realize that the words he had written could be afforded such lyrical heft, that the music he had created had been a delicate and honest confessional that could fit someone else’s voice so beautifully, like finding a piece of a puzzle he never knew he had been missing.

Where have you been all my life?

So Prompto watches it again. And then a couple times more. Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis gather to watch him curiously. Prompto briefly skims through the comments section and is thoroughly relieved to read overwhelmingly positive feedback. He didn’t even mind when he comes across a comment that says “this is even better than the original!” because fuck it, he shares the same sentiment.

And before Prompto could even scroll back up to replay the video, Gladio drags the laptop away from him.

Prompto sneers in protest. “Dude. Not cool at all—”

“What’s not cool is obsessing over a cover of your own fucking song,” Gladio says in jest.

“Hey, it’s a fucking cool cover, okay!” Prompto scoffs and flicks his eyes on the ceiling—almost rolls them, but not quite so. “And please, big guy. I’m not obsessing. I’m too chill to be obsessed, thank you very much.”

“I clearly remember you saying to the crowd earlier how you’re never the ‘chill’ person of sort, and my word. How quickly the tables have turned,” Ignis casually remarks as he takes a sip from his mug of coffee.

Prompto’s mouth falls open. He did say that onstage during their performance back at Leiden Fest. His immediate regret is letting Ignis triumphantly take it against him.

Meanwhile, Noctis lifts a suspicious eyebrow at Ignis. “Iggy, are you sure you’re not drinking tea? ‘Cause you just poured a scalding one right there.”

“I’m impressed—that’s a good one.” Gladio gives Noctis and Ignis a thundering high-five. They burst out in a gale of laughter.

“You guys are enjoying this, huh.” Prompto grabs a pillow and smashes it at Noctis, who only yelps in between fits of laughter. He hurls one at Gladio, too, but the big guy has reflexes of a jungle cat, so he only ends up catching the thing. Ignis, however, Prompto hesitates at the last second when he shoots him a menacing glance. “Okay, I’m not even going to bother attacking you, ‘cause I’m pretty sure you will kill me if you spill that coffee.”

Ignis gives him a smile and a nod, and returns to his drink.

“Also,” Noctis says, “now that I think about it, you’re giving off that same look and vibe the first time you were crushing on Cindy.”

“What? I do not—okay, okay—” Prompto groans, jabbing a finger at Noctis— “that is different. Cindy is our road manager, so I’m choosing not to cross the line. While this…” Prompto pauses and takes a deep breath. “This is also different. A very surreal and magical kind of different.”

“Now I’d say someone’s been bitten by a lovebug.” Ignis leans back on his seat, arms crossed, regarding Prompto with a pleasant smile.

Gladio laughs. “Tell me about it.”

“I can’t believe I’m friends with you guys,” Prompto says in a miserable groan.

But frankly, Prompto is far from miserable having Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis as friends. He considers himself quite fortunate to have found brothers in them, painfully annoying as they may be from time to time. Besides, it was through their music that helped them bond and weather the toughest of their adolescent years: they were no stranger to teenage angst, to riotous episodes of rebellion, to whirlwind romances and crazy ex-lovers, and to the turbulent journey that led them to be the band that they are today. Naming themselves The Lost Boys seemed to be a fitting tribute to the misadventures of their youth: Always lost and never found.

And yet, regardless of their highs and lows, the four of them have always had each other’s back. And that has not changed even now that they are in their thirties.

Perhaps Prompto is being overly sentimental at this point, but that’s just how it is.

Or maybe, he really has been bitten by a lovebug.

“In any case—“ Noctis firmly clasps Prompto’s shoulder— “this amazing cover of your song is breaking the Internet as we speak.”

“Well, yeah.” Prompto shrugs, though he cannot hide it in from his face how pleased he truly is. “Though I do wonder who this MasterPelnaK is.”

“Definitely not the person in the video, that’s for sure,” says Gladio.

“If I may?” Ignis reaches for the laptop from Gladio. “Let’s see here—“ the boys squeeze themselves into the seat so they could also get a look as Ignis hovers around the profile page— “this Pelna Khara happens to be a video game blogger—“

“It’s a vlogger, Iggy—get in with the times,” Prompto corrects cheerfully.

Ignis exhales an exasperated sigh. He returns his attention back on screen. “Apparently, this vlogger streams gameplays and commentaries—“

“Really?” Noctis interrupts out of a sudden rush of excitement. “Do you think he has one for Assassin's Creed—“

Prompto nudges Noctis by the arm. “Dude.”

“Right. Sorry,” Noctis says sheepishly. “Carry on.”

“Anyway.” Ignis is unfazed by the interruption as he goes on: “It appears that this is the first time this Pelna fellow uploaded this sort of material.”

“Oh and look, he’s very popular, too,” Noctis says. “Ten million subscribers? What the fuck—“

“Wouldn’t be surprised now that the video got so many hits overnight,” Gladio notes pensively. “And check it out—“ he points at the bio section— “he lives in the city. Says his hub is somewhere in Downtown Insomnia.”

As if struck by the same spectacular idea, Noctis and Gladio exchange knowing glances. Ignis, of course, is quick to catch on.

It takes a while for Prompto to understand what’s going on, and when he finally does, he shoots them all a dubious gaze. His friends are up to something, and the glint in their eyes could only spell mischief.

“Guys—” Prompto starts as calmly as he could, hands raised in an almost surrender— “whatever you guys are thinking, we don’t need to do this—”

“We don’t need to—but you do,” Gladio claps Prompto’s back. “We got ya, my guy.”

“And before you all intend to push through with this,” Ignis says, “would anyone be so kind as to ask Cindy if we can change our course and make a quick pitstop. And let Iris know, too, since… well. She’s our handler, after all.”

Gladio rises out of the booth. “On it,” he says as he makes his way to the driver’s seat.

“And allow me to send a message to this fella,” Noctis adds promptly, already typing away in front of the laptop.

Prompto sinks helplessly to the seat beside Noctis. “Why are we all friends again?” he says loudly, and the meaningful response he receives is the sound of their amused laughter.

 “I want that video deleted right now.”

Pelna winces at the sharpness of your words. Crowe, on the other hand, looks like she is ready to give you everything the world has to offer. In the years you have spent sharing a flat with them, this must be the first time you have ever seen them this apologetic. Which is only fair because this is the first time they have done something quite outrageous to upset you. Yes, sure—Crowe and Pelna might think you’re overreacting right now, but you’re no video blogger or Internet celebrity like the both of them are, so that’s entirely beside the point. As they sit side by side cowering on the couch and you standing over them—hands on waist, jaws clenched, eyes seething in fury—it’s as if they have committed a crime against all of humanity that cannot be forgiven.

Except the casualty of the said crime is you, and only you.

“Look, you have every right to be mad at me for my negligence—” Pelna nervously raises a hand, trying to look at you dead in the eye but flinches as if you are burning bright like the sun— “but I fucking swear, it wasn’t me who uploaded the thing! Okay, I admit—I’ve been tempted to record you for some time now ‘cause in case you don’t know this yet, you’re a really good singer. But trust me on this! I really have no idea how that video got out, I promise!”

“And it’s certainly not me who recorded you!” Crowe adds in their defense. “My alibi may not be perfect but I was already drunk that time! And even if I’m sober, I wouldn’t dare barge in Pelna’s room and tinker with his toys. Gods know what I’d find in there—”

“Only the good stuff, my dude,” Pelna says, suddenly pleased with himself. “Nothing but the good stuff—”

“How about we focus on the issue at hand, yes?” You pace back and forth, and in dire resignation, you finally flop on the armchair next to the couch. Fucking hell. It’s too early in the morning to have a head-splitting migraine. You wish this had been from a hangover or some other sickness, but it’s insane how this is all caused by seeing a video of yourself on the fucking Internet with no recollection of recording it at all. Sleuthing to find out the events that unfolded the night of Pelna’s birthday only seemed to make throbbing in your head even worse. As far as you could remember, most of the folks had been severely battered—which was why you had the guts to pull out your guitar and sing the blues away as everyone dozed off in their drunken stupor. But in your tight-knit circle of friends, if there’s anyone who could impressively hold their liquor the same way they could hold a knife, it could only be...

“Wait a fucking second.” Crowe narrow her eyes at Pelna, and then at you. She fishes out the phone in her pocket and hurriedly dials a number. With her phone on loudspeaker, the line rings once, twice, thrice. And then, a voice.

“What’s up, Crowe—”

“Nyx.” Crowe’s tone is already accusing that you didn’t even bother butting in. “You’re the one who uploaded the video on Pelna’s channel, weren’t you?”

A suspicious pause. Then, Nyx laughs. “Maybe.”

Pelna grabs the phone from Crowe. “I swear I will kill you when I see you, man! How dare you dishonour me—” as a knee-jerk reaction to his response, you kick Pelna in the shin that he yelps when he says— “and how dare you dishonour our friend!”

On the other line, Nyx is still laughing. “Wait, on a scale of one to ten, how angry is —”

“Not the fucking point!” Pelna snaps back. “How did you even manage to get into my account, you piece of beautiful shit?”

“Well, maybe next time you should make sure you always logout, alright?”

“Well, fuck you.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.” Nyx says breezily. Even in a phone call, his voice never fails to carry his air of arrogance. “But hey, kidding aside. You all said that we should help each other in living to the best of our potential, right? And our friend right there with you, Pelna—yes, you, I know you’re listening, too—do you even realize how fucking talented you are? You have been serenading us all our life, and this is the least I could do to share how proud I am to have a gifted friend like you. I’m sorry if it’s a jackass move, but I know if I asked for your permission, that thing would never see the light of day.”

The four of you bask in a sudden uneasy silence. You should not have been touched by Nyx’s words, but here you are, almost moved into tears. Despite his occasional display of pride and vanity, Nyx is one of the kindest human beings you have ever had the pleasure to meet. He may not seem like it, but he’s the very definition of a jerk with a heart of gold. You just hope he could completely forego being the jerk and stick with his golden heart instead.

This time, you take the phone from Pelna and say, “Treat the three of us for dinner for the next two weeks, and I’ll decide if I should forgive you.”

“Consider it done. I’m a man of my word,” Nyx says, and the sound of his relief is evident in his voice. “Now... am I out of trouble?”

“Certainly not, you dickhead. Later.”

You drop from the call and hand the phone back to Crowe. The two of them gape at you as if you have finally turned out to be the monster they have always known you to be.

“Wow. You really did that,” Crowe says, looking very impressed. “You actually shut Nyx up and made him agree to pay for two weeks worth of dinner. Aren’t you a delight.”

You manage a small smile. Pelna heaves one loud sigh of relief. “Now that we’ve finally cleared things up, are you sure you want me to take the video down? You’re really getting a lot of hype from my channel, I mean we’re close to half a million views! And—“

The shrieking sound of the doorbell cuts your conversation in an abrupt halt.

“Wait, I’ll get that,” Crowe gets up and rushes toward the door.

“So? Whaddaya say?” Pelna urges fervently. He is still invested on persuading you, and you can see it in his kind eyes. “It’s one video, I know… but you gotta believe us, you really are a fucking talent—”

“Pel, it’s not that. It’s...” You get on your feet, circling around the coffee table, as if it would help you articulate all the reasons behind your sense of trepidation. Honestly, you appreciate having Pelna and Crowe as friends for their selfless outpour of love and support for your craft. But how can you explain to them that sometimes, your own music terrifies you? Is there any logical explanation behind being scared of your own voice? So here you are, standing in front of Pelna, falling extremely inadequate to gather the words out of your mouth. Instead, you say, “I’m… just worried. What if The Lost Boys had seen it? And what if they’d hate me for it?”

Pelna offers you a weird, strained look. “Well, about that—”

“I don’t think there should be anything to worry about. We love it!”

The bell-like bounce of the voice that spoke clearly does not belong to Pelna nor Crowe, nor does it fit in the ordinariness of the space of your shared apartment.

You turn—hesitantly, too carefully—to see three of The Lost Boys standing by the doorway with Crowe. And standing in front of you is their frontman, Prompto, smilingly extending his hand to reach yours.

  This horribly sunny day is getting stranger and stranger, and it’s not even noon yet.

Pleasantries have been made—and a little bit of internally slapping yourself in the face to make sure this is all happening—and now, it has all come to this. Leaning from the bar counter, you watch as the four infuriatingly beautiful men of The Lost Boys struggle to squeeze themselves in the poor thing you all call a sofa. Across from them is Crowe, sitting cross-legged on the coffee table, analyzing each of them from head to toe with the sole purpose of intimidating the shit out them. Which is no surprise, of course; Crowe rarely gets star-struck in the presence of famous people, and even if she does, she hides it effortlessly well. Meanwhile, Pelna is playing a staring game with the band’s drummer—and frighteningly the tallest and largest in the group—that you cannot help but wonder if Pelna has some sort of a death wish that he needs to get fulfilled right this instant.

“So, let me get this straight—” Crowe says, crossing her arms— “and I hope you don’t mind if we’re being cautious ‘cause, well, we don’t want our roommate to get dragged into something sketchy, but… you came all the way down here to this shabby neighbourhood after you saw the cover of your song, and now you want to collaborate on a song? Is that it?”

Prompto is the one who willingly answers with a vigorous nod. He seems unfazed with Crowe’s intention of scaring them off. He glances your way before he says, “And there’s no need to worry about the contract and all that legal stuff, ‘cause we’ll have that arranged. Right, Ignis?”

“Indeed,” says Ignis. “I know this arrangement seems completely out of sorts, seeing as we came here on such a short notice, but I can assure you that we offer nothing but the best of intentions.”

“Really?” you say as you move from behind the counter to sit together with Crowe. “But you’re all men. And you know what’s more dangerous than men? Celebrity men.” No one said a word. A moment’s silence lingers as you study each of their faces, and then: “So how do I make sure that I could trust you with… this? That this isn’t some publicity stunt you’re trying to pull—”

“It’s not like that at all,” Prompto says firmly. “And if you have any doubts with your safety, well, I’m sorry if our friend Gladio looks so menacing for our image—”

“Seriously?” Gladio scoffs, turning to Prompto. “You really hurt my feelings.”

You try to stifle your laughter. Somehow, now that you look closely at the four of them, they remind you of Nyx, Libertus, and Pelna.

And suddenly, you feel bad for putting them in a hot seat like this.

As The Lost Boys begin to discuss amongst themselves with what you assume to be a stream of their inside jokes, Pelna sidles up to you while Crowe loops her arm around yours. Whispering, she says, “I think you should do it.”

Pelna discreetly adds, “And if they ever get you into trouble, Nyx is a lawyer so he should have your back. I already texted him and he’s ready to keep an eye out for you.”

You let out a rueful sigh. You have to admit, it’s hard to stay mad at Crowe and Pelna and Nyx when this is the way they exhibit their unwavering friendship: with a flourish of genuine love and steadfast support.

Empowered by your friends’ confidence, you clear your throat and you turn your attention to the four men sitting in front of you. You fix your eyes at Prompto, and you ask, “So. When do we start this thing?” 

[aethercurrent]

placing it in my finished fanfics folder made me emotional

[sparklecryptid]

Hi! I left A Thing in your Ao3 inbox. Royal bastard au pt 1. Enjoy! ❤️ IgnisFelicis

Whenever she cannot stand to look at Titus anymore without doing him harm, she takes solo missions or holiday time to go wreck some of Niffs plans. Drautos tries to tag along whenever possible and follow after her like a kicked puppy despite the fact that she is likely to run him through with her spear.

The Marshal starts getting more and more suspicious at the data he is getting from an anonymous source and seeing wrecked bases all over Lucis without being personally responsible for said destruction.

And then comes that day in cleigne, on the arches across the river.

And she refuses, completely refuses to let it happen as it did in the previous life. The deaths they prevented won't matter, if Niffs crush them now. She saw the mages falter. The Glaives fall, injured or dead. Something in her blood boiled over. Ramuh's magic, his covenant unlocked something deep in her soul. The foreign magic's seared away as her body was filled with newoldstrange power to the brim.

"Titus, get them out of here. Now." She growled with that otherworldly tone that characterised those favoured by a god, Bahamut especially. Drautos could do no more but obey. He was beholden to her, the magic that brought them back tied around his soul.

She walked across the battlefield, calmly compressing her rage and using its cold edge to hone her instincts even as retreat was called. She saw Nyx flit around the battlefield saving anybody he came across, even moving towards her. He only fell back when Titus ordered him away under the threat of locking him in a box until the next deployment. And even then he only left after he cought a glance of her golden eyes and lightning flashing across her body. It spoke of fury about to be unleashed. "Ulric! Get back here this instant and leave. Wyrmwood to her insanity!"

She unleashes a lightning storm that only grows worse once Ramuh unswers her demand. Enemies fall under her hand by the dozen.

And when the Empire tries to deal away with the Storm Father like they did Shiva, Morgan unleashes the weapons that slumbered in her soul, blades much less ornate than those used by the Caelums but no less deadly. A rain of crimson ghostly weapons sent tearing through the Omega and the infected or demonic creatures left no survivors.

When she came back to the camp - dirty, drained almost dry and exhausted but oh so viciously satisfied she was met by wide eyes and pale faces.

It makes her snort.

"Titus. I'm not going anywhere before getting a decent night of sleep, taking a long shower and eating something that is not rations. You can drag me before the King after."

With Regis, after a gruelling series of questions.

"With all due respect, Majesty" her tone made it clear that there was not a lot of it. It made Cor bristle. "your magic always felt wrong but I had none of my own until Ramuh decided to meddle and toss me and Tito, here, back in time."

The accusations of trying to work against Insomnia, she just laughed derisively in the faces of the nobles.

"Why would I want to destroy Insomnia? I have already seen it razed to the ground. I've seen the shield fall under the blasts from a godkiller, full of demons prowling through the rubble, Glaives killed by traitors and King run through by a blade of a false ally. Yes, sure, I'll turn traitor to all of my values, let my family, my clan, my people suffer even more than they already had." She stares them down with her unearthly gaze, full of magic about to be unleashed. All the nobles avert their eyes, the cowards. When she reaches the King he holds her eyes even as it pains him.

"It's true, I hold no love for the Caelum line. The traitor Kings of Insomnia have failed me and mine more than enough. The Galahd has been betrayed by You and left for your enemies to destroy. Just like most of Lucis - only we would never roll over and present our bellies to the Niffs." She smiled maliciously at the King, her gaze accusing him of things that had yet to happen. Who looked pained and guilty rather than indignant like most of his council.

"I am here and work for Lucis, because my people were allowed to come here. And despite the insulting conditions they gave I'll keep doing that as it keeps my family safe."

Eventually, the two of them were allowed to leave.

"Your Majesty, may I ask a question?"

"Yes, Glaive Wyrmwood."

"Haven't you ever wondered why holding the Wall up is so hard, even with a focus? Why it drains you, your life, vitality and magic so much that you aged fourty years in a third of that time? Were the chains on the Crystal there to make it easier to control or to hinder the dragon that dwells within?"

She walks away leaving him with that to ponder.

A few days later, Morgan sneaks in to Cor's office while he is there. He almost skewers her for it. She parries his attack and dumps a pile of papers, freshly taken out of the Armiger on his desk. He dismisses his katana with a glower and starts looking through it when the woman vanishes. Monica, concerned by the noises opens the door just as he starts swearing.

"Marshal? What happened?"

"It appears" - he answers without taking his eyes off the documents - "that the ghost decided to stop hiding."

Monica almost chokes on her saliva. What?

"Find Wyrmwood and tell her to get back here ASAP!"

The news about a red Armiger wielding Glaive gets to the Empire as well. Ardyn cannot help but investigate.

He finds Morgan.

And ends up summoning the Infernian.

Her eyes turn golden as her magic gets free of restraints and starts sparking gold and red as she focuses on fighting the demonified Astral. And cussing them both out.

Her dual magic and the fact that Ramuh appears at her request end up breaking the forced bond between Ardyn and Ifrit. It clears the infection and makes even Ardyn stagger as some of the hatred that completely overwhelmed him gets simply taken away.

Ifrit gives her the mark of his covenant.

Oooooooooo thats an interesting idea! I do like the idea of Ifrit giving her the mark of his covenant actually! It’s really interesting! And while this doesn’t exactly fit into the lore i have planned it was a delight to read! Thank you for sharing it with me!!!!

Morgan: I am not a troll, i do not take joy in frustrating others.

Also Morgan: ;)

I love the bit about Titus wanting to follow her but respecting her boundaries all the same.

Also! For future reference, I do have my submit open and it should allow you to send stuff like this in? Even if you are on anon.

If its not on rn then I’ll activate it when I’m on an actual computer.

[secret-engima]

So in Nox AU how does Regis try to bond with Ardyn after it becomes clear that they're 'half-brothers', cause I think that'd be sweet to talk about.

Hmmm good question! Buckle up Imma ramble and I’m sure angst will show up somewhere in here but hey.

-After the shock factor wears off, he probably tries the direct route of talking about their Brother status.

-This, for reasons Very Obvious to say, Nox and the audience, does not go over well.

-Ardyn continues to insist they are NOT brothers, that their blood connection means nothing, and grows prickly when Regis pushes. So Regis stops pushing for fear of making things worse. But … that doesn’t mean he is giving up on getting to know his half-brother. Ohhh no. He just … has to figure out a sneakier way.

-I feel like he ends up spending even more time with Nox, because Nox is a sure gateway to Ardyn, with the bonus of Nox being his son and he always loves hanging out with his son. Ardyn, who adores his nephew, has no issues with including Regis in bonding activities because Regis is Nox’s dad.

-Nox knows exactly what Regis is trying to do and what Ardyn is pointedly ignoring and just- sighs. His life. Why is his life so weird.

-I feel like Regis also ends up accidentally bonding with Ardyn over history, because Regis adores history and loves to nerd about it and Ardyn has lived THROUGH a decent chunk of history and doesn’t mind either talking about bits of it (as long as you don’t bring up the royal family of the era) or sitting back and laughing at the idiot theories poor modern historians have come up with (or utterly confounding Regis with his ability to fluently SPEAK in old languages, Regis is so jealous TEACH HIM PLS).

-Regis introduces Ardyn to fishing. Ardyn finally understands where Nox’s obsession with fishing comes from. It comes from THIS guy. Ardyn doesn’t … really get the appeal until he figures out that for Regis it’s not about the FISH, it’s about getting to spend a few serene hours outside in the sunshine, enjoying the fresh air and light and quiet. No politics, no drama, no hard hikes that will hurt his knee (save maybe to get to the fishing spot). Just … calm. Sunshine. Relaxation. Pretty water. And if he lands a fish or three for supper, that’s great! If not, oh well.

-When he looks at it like that Ardyn … still doesn’t REALLY enjoy fishing, but he can see the appeal now. Regis and Nox team up to invite Ardyn on their fishing trips and so while the fishing nerds do their thing, Ardyn can usually be found stretched out under a tree either napping or reading a book.

-Somehow (Nox’s careful manipulation on behalf of his dad and uncle because he wants his family to get along kthanks) this evolves into just Regis and Ardyn going on fishing trips that they then spend lazily watching the water or with Regis listening to Ardyn read aloud from whatever novel he’s chosen at random this time (he does not have any clue on modern literature, he literally wanders through the library and picks something that looks unknown and interesting) or arguing over historical factoids that Regis thinks are true because Research and Ardyn knows are false because He’s Been There (but can’t say that). If Ardyn’s book of choice is poetry, they might discuss that (Regis discovers that Ardyn is very perceptive with words, very good at putting them together for twisty rhymes and meanings, but his on the spot poetry tends to be either dark or have gallows humor).

-If his book is fiction, it usually ends up being either shamelessly racy, a tooth-rotting romance, a horror, or a cop drama because Ardyn never reads the back, just picks based on how many question marks the book cover sparks in his head. This leads to more than a few afternoons spent with Ardyn reading the book aloud to Regis and both groaning at the stupidity of the author, or Ardyn laughing at Regis when Regis’s inner romantic rears its head (or his inner wuss. For a man who braved daemon-filled dungeons and war, this man CANNOT handle the suspense of a murder mystery or a slow burn horror novel, Ardyn, with the patience of a 2k former eldritch abomination himself, just gets GLEEFUL the more the suspense rises).

-Somehow, Ardyn is STILL utterly flabbergasted when next Christmas, Regis gives him presents. One, because presents??? Him??? Why??? Two, because they are all … things he likes??? They’re books with strange covers and even a few movies because Regis has discovered (to his horror and guilt and anger toward Mors) that Ardyn knows exactly 0 pop culture references beyond ones he’s absorbed from Nox (so … mostly King’s Knight or chocobo ones) and has seen 0 famous movies of the decades. Regis makes him a collection of famous hits according to era, they end up watching them together because if Ardyn is going to watch these strange things, Regis is going to suffer through his peanut gallery commentary.

-Someday Ardyn is going to look up in the middle of snarking with Regis over a movie and just- freeze. Because he knows this feeling. This warm, more-fond-than-annoyed feeling. This is what he felt teasing and being teased by Somnus. This is … this is brotherly affection. For REGIS.

-Ardyn abruptly leaves, runs away from his feelings and Regis because Of Course He Does. Surprisingly, it is not Nox that tracks him down and smacks sense into him, it’s Titus. Titus who has watched this odd brotherly relationship form where Ardyn and Regis take turns being the little brother without noticing, Titus who has seen how HAPPY it makes Ardyn.

-Titus who is not going to let his idiot Izunia Caelum ruin everything for himself just because of past traumas and guilt complexes.

-No one but the two knows what Titus told him that day, but hours after Regis has well and truly panicked and started guilt tripping himself, Ardyn creeps back into the room and shakily sits down, quietly asks if the movie is over or if it was paused.

-Regis, wary but grateful, says he paused it. Ardyn nods and they resume watching in a more subdued, skittish manner. But … but Ardyn is still here, and after thirty minutes of unnerving silence Ardyn begins to peanut gallery again and Regis feels something unwind in his chest. Nothing is ruined. Ardyn is here. Ardyn is … okay with this.

-Nox slinks away in the shadows, for once unnoticed by both Regis AND Ardyn. The part of his head that is occupied by memories of a certain little brother 2k years ago (not a kinslayer king, but a little brother, who once loved and then hated and then regretted all the way to his deathbed) murmurs softly in regret for wounds unhealed and relief for brotherhood once again found.