#Yes you can feel bad for Ardyn

[omegothic]

opinion on ffxv after 75 hours of playing (and one hour of running in circles to level gladio's skill up) (still haven't played any of the dlcs but i'm gonna take a break or something for a few days because i severely neglected my university stuff and spent most of the last week obsessively playing this game)

i love this game. am i tired? hell yeah. would i want all these hours back? hell no.

the game is a mystery to me.

the sidequests are genshin impact open world quests level (which means that if i hear anyone talking, i'm pressing the skip button because i don't give a fuck). you listen to someone yapping about unimportant stuff and they make you collect the same shit over and over again. peak game design.

the main quests are good but the ending made me age 10 years in a week. there's NO NEED for these tragedies. boy you literally have the power of gods on your side and they tell you the only way to get rid of the big bad villain is to kill yourself? sounds like bullshit to me. also why even bother if there's only a few thousands people left in the world. you already lost, all this stuff had to be done 10 years ago to have any meaning. and there's no way the world didn't just implode or something when the sun stopped rising. the true ending is noctis getting spat out of the crystal and realising everyone is long gone because there's no sunlight.

the mentally ill hobo could have been more cooperative too geez. i'll be honest i like him much more than the six. and everyone's like "oh gods are helping you" no they hate me and want me to die for no reason. i'd rather join forces with ardyn and try to take them down. even if he did a lot of questionable stuff (cough- killed my bride -cough-cough- and her brother -cough- also kidnapped my friend and tortured him-)

the hunts are kinda fun when it's a big monster but when it's a bunch of goblins i'm like,,, why did you call me here? ngl i thought all hunts would be like the first one, it was truly cool. there was some kind of plot, some interactions with my friends, some stealth, the monster seemed really tough (meanwhile me, fighting the lvl 99 adamantoise 65 hours later: the ring of lucii go brrr-)

the dungeons are ass. i thought nothing could be as disorienting as daggerfall's randomly generated dungeons but they really managed to do a miracle with ffxv. although the dungeons in ffxv are not scary at all, that's the difference.

the open world is okay. there're some interesting places (when you first see the big mysterious creature in the lake you're like do i have to fight it?? can i get closer to it?? what is this??) and the nature is beautiful. altissia looks majestic but sadly there's not much to do. i appreciate the hard work tho.

using regalia was a delight. when you want to take a break and just look at the landscape you can just sit still with a controller in your hands and enjoy the ride. really therapeutic. don't drive at night when you're low level though... listen to ignis. ignis is always right.

the camp life is by far the best out of all games i've had an experience with. there's so many little details everywhere that you cannot help but adore your companions. it's the way every time you make camp you get a bunch of photos prompto took since the last break. it's the way your companions talk to you almost all the time and you truly feel like you are on a road trip with your friends. it's the way gladio calls you out on your bullshit and afterwards you want to bite his head off each time you talk to him. it's the way ignis cooks for the entire party and makes you help him sometimes. i just love the way friendship is portrayed here.

what was not as good is luna and noct's relationship. there was not enough of luna. yes she loves noct but why? yes noct loves luna but why? luna literally appeared in the plot for two minutes and then tragically died. i think it's really bad. also imagine not seeing your bride for 12 years, when you finally meet her again she immediately dies, then you spend 10 years trapped in a crystal, fucking die and then get to marry your bride. honey it's been 22 years since i last talked to you in person. i'm NOT marrying a random woman in the afterlife (no hate for luna, just this love story didn't seem convincing enough). hopefully i'm gonna see what they wrote in the dawn of the future soon (please pray so that my amazon package doesn't get lost 🙏)

the music is incredible. the woman who wrote the soundtrack is my goddess and i am a devout worshipper 🙏🙏🙏

so, why is the game a mystery to me? because no other game could make me endure 75 hours of boring side quests. i managed to play hogwarts legacy for 44 hours and i despised that game when i finished it. i despised it long before i finished it. but not ffxv. they could make me do all this boring stuff again and i would do it (not for free tho because i've got better things to do with my time 🤣)

i enjoyed ffxv a lot. it also made me depressed for a week because ending a game like that should be a crime. i think i'm gonna do a few last quests after that but there's not much left (and i'm not looking for more because if i think i am done then i am done). not sure how long episodes gladiolus, prompto and ignis are gonna take, but they're also in my plans (no ardyn tho, gotta go watch some playthrough). there's also anime and a film so plenty of content for me. and i am waiting for the arrival of my book 🫡

(noticed that there's nothing about the combat. well it's because i don't care. i don't like combat. i don't like it in any game. i prefer to flee)

[savage-rhi]

*inhales deeply*

LET'S GET DANGEROUS....

I know I don't owe anyone anything, but I want to be transparent about why I've not been as active lately.

My recent job loss and the discrimination that contributed to said loss had me severely depressed. After coming down a little from survivor/PTSD mode, I needed to take space from everyone and everything. I am starting to feel better, thankfully.

I have been performing odd jobs in my neighborhood so that I am good on cash for bills and housing this month and part of next month. Beyond that, I don't know what to expect.

I am still working on my Ko-Fi shop. This is one of those things I jumped right into thanks to survivor mode, and I didn't account for everything as thoroughly so I'm taking my time with it.

I did speak to a few legal advocates and a couple of lawyers during these past few weeks. Here's the good, bad, and ugly:

Good: Yes, there was illegal discrimination at play. My place of employment didn't handle things the way they should've regarding my excused absences related to disability, and they contributed to emotional duress and screwed over my education prospects.

Bad: I didn't have a paper trail for everything, but I had enough to prove that I did what I was supposed to do on my end when it came to adhering to my place of employments processes. There is sadly nothing that can be done about the third party health insurance company that played a role in screwing me over.

Ugly: Even with the pro-bono stuff that was offered, I'm looking between 20,000-35,000k out of pocket if I wanted to take this to the highest.

Folks...I do not have 20-35k lying around nor the emotional bandwidth to go through a trial/suit. Yes, GoFundMe is an option if I was dead serious on dragging these fuckers dicks through the dirt, but guys, honest to god, I'd rather that 20k-35k go to the following:

Keeping a roof over my head and food on the table until I have stable employment

Ensuring I can afford medical care for my disability, and afford new tests that I'm going to need for long-covid issues

Help me stay in my graduate courses/obtain my therapy licensure

Use it to help out other disabled folks in similar situations

I have closure that I was indeed wronged, that I did everything on my end to the best of my ability, and these dehumanizing assholes aren't going to rob anymore of my energy or time than they already have.

I have appointments to see if covid has fucked up or contributed to anything more serious that hasn't been addressed. I have a secondary PCP now cause of health concerns that have gotten worse. My fibromyalgia flares have been more chaotic since catching covid in January and I'm still figuring out what my new baseline is with that.

Spring Term of my graduate studies started last week, and I'm getting as much as I can done so I have more free time.

I am trying to find motivation to work my fanfics, drabbles, interacting, etc. It's been hard with everything.

My former employer is trying to get out of unemployment benefits and I've been battling that on top of the other stuff.

I need time to rest (like hibernate) and I haven't had the opportunity to do that.

Thank you again to everyone who has checked in on me, asked me how I've been, sent something positive, or donated. I'm sorry I haven't had the hit points to get to everyone individually, but I am trying and I am grateful for the compassion and appreciation.

If you still want to donate before my Ko-Fi shop is up, you can donate at these places:

PayPal: JayRex1463@yahoo.com

Kofi: KitchenRaptorJ

CashApp: $JayRex1463

If you don't have the means, that's a okay. Take care of yourself first.

If you want to send me comfort things (Ardyn Izunia, Higgs Monaghan, Karl Heisenberg, dinosaurs, dragons, etc.) like art, fanfic, etc. my way, that would be wonderful and I am open to that. I'm still open to a friendly hello or check in, just know I won't respond right away.

Now that all is said and done...

[sparklecryptid]

Time travel but it’s some members of the Glaive (Libertus, Nyx and probably Luche because Tredd took his eyes off of him for three seconds) and Ace has to get called but he’s in the middle of know where with Axis doing things their definitely not supposed too.

Ace is in the middle of a firefight. He shouldn't answer the phone. He really shouldn't.

He does anyway because it's Regis and Six know that his father will assume the worst if Ace doesn't answer.

"I'm busy," Ace says into the phone, "Can this wait?"

"Is that gunfire?" Comes the immediate response.

"No," Ace lies.

"...We are going to have words later young man," Regis says and Ace wonders how is it that Regis can make him feel as guilty as Ardyn does when Ace does something he's not supposed to. Is it a dad thing? Ace thinks it's a dad thing. "However I've some grave news: it appears that a spell misfired during practice today-"

"Is Nyx alright?" Because Nyx is the only person a misfired spell would hit because his luck is just that bad.

"That depends on your definition of alright. Physically he's unharmed but-"

"But what?"

"Nyx, Libertus and Luche are - well - they are children now."

Ace pauses.

He scans the battlefield. A storm forms overhead.

Axis gives him a dirty look for ruining their fun.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes."

-

Ace arrives at the Citadel and demands to be shown where his friends are.

He walks into the room and finds Tredd holding the hand of a small Luche who looks like he wants to stab something.

Nyx and Libertus are scowling up at Regis and it's adorable.

"You said Ace would be coming soon," Libertus demands, all of nine years old and stomping his foot, "Where is he?"

"Hello Libs," Ace says and gives into the urge to pick up Libertus while the child squawks, "It has been a long time since I've seen you like this."

"Put me down!" Libertus demands, when Ace obliges and sets him down Libertus squints up at Ace, "You're not Ace."

"I am."

Libertus squints at Ace harder while Nyx examines Ace with a curious eye.

"Prove it," Libertus says.

"He doesn't have to," Nyx says and nods like he's satisfied with the answer he's found, "He's Ace."

Libertus turns to his friend.

"And how would you know that?"

Nyx looks too satisfied and it makes Ace wary.

"I said I'd marry him," Nyx says and it sounds like gloating, "And he's wearing my beads."

Ace blinks and laughs.

He had forgotten about the moonstone in his hair.

Libertus spins to face Ace and eyes the beads in Ace's hair.

"Him? Really?" Libertus asks.

"Yes," Ace says, "Him."

"I know," Tredd says as Luche leads him over, "Ace has horrible taste in men."

Libertus kicks Tredd in the shin. Tredd stares at Libertus like he's the oddest thing in the room. The shinguards Tredd wears making Libertus attempt at an attack feel like nothing.

"Only I'm allowed to say that!" Libertus says.

"So you agree," Tredd prods, "That Ace does have horrible taste in men."

Ace looks to Regis for help.

"These aren't 'your' friends," Regis says, "At least not as you know them, they've swapped places with their younger selves."

"Well," Ace says, "Shit."

[izunias-meme-hole]

Top 10 Final Fantasy Villains

Number 1. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII) - Sephiroth is one of the most intimidating and difficult bosses in gaming, and a genuinely horrifying villain to boot. He is kinda tragic and is a huge mama’s boy, but he’s still scary as hell thanks to his god complex, unlimited strength, ethereal vibes, years of experience, his ability to live off of pure spite just so he can make the lives of his enemies (and Cloud) complete hell. However the most dangerous things about him are that he’s completely delusional, and just how far he’s willing to go to distort peoples sense reality, specifically Cloud’s sense of reality. So from what you can tell he’s an ethereal, creepy, and tragic antagonist with a nemesis factor thrown in to make him a VERY personal villain. In short, there’s a reason why he’s a fan favorite, alongside another amazing fiend.

Number 2. Kefka (Final Fantasy VI) - Were it not for Sephiroth’s existence, and the fact that this clown’s debut game being at the end of an era, Kefka would definitely be number 1 one here, and get more respect. Aside from that, Kefka is basically what Majora is to the Zelda series. A completely insane, and legitimately funny villain with a desire to destroy everything, however the difference is that Kefka is a mere jester with magic powers that BECAME GOD. Plus he actually did send the world into ruin, but because of a little group of heros with hope, he was utterly defeated. So while Sephiroth is indeed ethereal, delusional as hell, and a horrifying nemesis, Kefka is the better manifestation of the pure unadulterated evil a person can bring, with the right tools.

Number 3. Jenova (Final Fantasy VII) - Ah yes, Sephiroth’s eldrich alien mom, and one of the two catalysts for almost every bad thing in FFVII. Jenova is truly an alien in every sense of the word, and her presence is felt for a majority of the series. Despite not being as active as her son, it works to her advantage because every time she or her different forms are onscreen, she makes her horrifying alien nature known to everyone without saying a word. Let’s not forget that she can shapeshift, influence those with her DNA, create illusions, etc. So yeah, Jenova is a pretty amazing villain due to just how big of a role she is in the story of FFVII, despite not being as active as other key figures.

Number 4. Ardyn (Final Fantasy XV) - Ardyn Lucis “Izunia” Caelum is the near perfect mixture between Sephiroth and Kefka in a way. He’s got the same “funny man wants to watch the world burn” vibes like Kefka, but he’s also creepy, vengeful, and a very personal villain, much like Sephiroth. Ardyn was once a messiah, a healer who was going to become a king, before he was betrayed by his brother, Somnus, and the gods, and cursed to be made immortal via daemons. So after centuries of imprisonment, he decides to take revenge upon his own kin, AND the gods. A simple motive, but in all honesty the amount of trolling he does in order to achieve  it, is truly gut wrenching sometimes, and it gives you the motivation to plunge your blade into his chest, but at the same time… you kinda feel bad while doing it too for some reason.

Number 5. Kuja (Final Fantasy IX) - Kuja is one of the more unique Final Fantasy villains because of his personality. He’s a narcissist that wants to destory, which isn’t new for most JRPG villains, but he’s also flamboyant as hell, and talks as if he’s in some kind of play where the world is his stage. He isn’t funny like Kefka, nor is he as intimidating as Sephiroth, but you can feel that wasn’t the route the writers were taking with his character. If anything he’s pitiable, destructive, and flamboyant narcissist, but the Dissida series expands upon his character a lot in a way that kinda gets you hooked. So yeah, Kuja is unique alright.

Number 6. Emet-Selch/Hades (Final Fantasy XIV) - He has gone by several names, led two empires, and lived thousands of lives, but this man will forever be known as Emet-Selch, a.k.a Hades. He does share some of Ardyn’s vibes, but compared to that glorious troll, Emet acts like a worn out and bitter old man, which is very fitting when you remember that he constantly reflects upon his great his old life was, and lived in a replica of his former home with the souls of his fallen comrades. Jesus Christ, no wonder his name is Hades, the man is constantly surrounded by the dead in both a literal and metaphorical sense.

Number 7. Caius Ballad (Final Fantasy XIII-2) - Another tragic villain, but this one is an immortal, time traveling guardian who abandoned his duties just to “save” the only person that mattered to him. Caius doesn’t get much simpler than that, but he’s surprisingly compelling for someone from the FFXIII games, so that in of itself is an achievement.

Number 8. Vayne Solidor (Final Fantasy XII) - A politician who wants to give the freedom of choice back to man, and preserve his family’s status and power. Those were Vayne’s end goals, and his personality is that of the ideal of a politician. He’s charismatic, ruthless, and levelheaded, so he’s surprisingly one of the more sane Final Fantasy villains too, but that doesn’t mean he’s the least evil.

Number 9. Ultimecia (Final Fantasy VIII) - This time manipulating witch is all style over substance, but god damn her style is really good.

Number 10. Seymour Guado (Final Fantasy X) - Given FFX’s setting, it’s no surprise that one of its major villains IS an anti-buddha, a religious figure that sees death as the path of peace. Sure he didn’t need to appear in some parts of the game, but aside from that, Seymour is another good Final Fantasy villain at his core.

[blossom-adventures]

WIP WEDNESDAY!! (Thursday Morning for me)

We’re back!!

Ok, ok… not quite back, but I was tagged by @thequeenofthewinter and @sylvienerevarine so I thought I’d share something, a little update if you will ☺️

So I haven’t took part in one of these for about 3 maybe 4 months now, but Im wanting to get back into posting them when I can, and I actually mentioned to a mutual earlier, that I have been feeling really good and I’ve found some clarity about what I want to do in each of my WIPs which is something I’ve not been able to say for a long time!

I’m getting excited to write again, which is making me very happy ☺️

However, at this moment at nearly 3am on a Thursday morning, I don’t have specific snippets to share, but what I wanted to do was share what I’m currently working on (this will also act as a to do list for me) 😆

🩷 Bad Things Happen Bingo - I still have one that has been requested from my mother which I haven’t got around to doing, and I’m still up for suggestions being sent my way if anyone wants to

❤️ A Tall Glass of Red Wine - Partial Hiatus on this while I try to work out where I want the story to go next, I still want to work on it but I think I need to dig myself out of a plot hole, maybe reworking the chapters I’ve already posted to have it make sense in the future 🤔

💙 Far Horizons & Ancient Stones - The chapter I’m currently working on is called “The Crown and The Dragonguard” but I’d been finding it hard to get though the Jagged Crown quest line, but I think I’ve recently had an idea of where to go with it, so this is definitely something that will be worked on soon!

🧡 The Blood Prophecy - The Prologue was shared a while ago so I’m hoping the next chapter “Dawnguard” will be happening soon too, I’ve fleshed out Kristof’s character quite a lot thanks to the Calling Of Kynareth Discord Server so I’m excited to get his story underway

💜 Guard & Glaive - I have a Whumptober story and the Kingsglaive Legends stories that I want to finish before I would feel comfortable sharing the Prologue of Guard and Glaive, it’s still in the works and I’m excited to see where it leads

💚 Legacy of the Herald - Yes, you read that right, my Dragon Age fic has a title! I wrote the Prologue the other day but I want to get a little further with the story before I start posting this

🩶 Cosplay! - I am currently starting my work for my Cloud cosplay ready for February as well as making the wing that goes with my Ardyn cosplay, I’d love to share more progress with people on here ☺️

[lunarlegend]

CHARACTER SHEET INFORMATION:

Date Sheet Was Completed: 08/12/2023

Verse In Which The Character Is In: Final Fantasy XV

BASIC INFORMATION:

Name: Stella Maris

Meaning of Name/Story Behind It: Latin for 'Star of the Sea'

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/her

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Age: 14 during FFXV Brotherhood, 18 during the main story, 28 during Chapter 14

Birthday: February 23

Zodiac Sign: Pisces Sun/Aries Moon/Sagittarius Rising

Birthplace: Lestallum, Lucis

Currently Lives: in Lestallum or Insomnia, depending on the time in the story

Nationality: Lucian

Relationship Status: Taken

Language Spoken and Native Language: Japanese

FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND FOES:

Immediate Family: Salvia Maris (her mother)

Distant Family: Noctis Lucis Caelum (cousin), Regis Lucis Caelum (uncle)

In Contact with Parents?: Yes, until her mother was killed

Upbringing: Happy childhood, loving and supportive mom

Siblings: None

Children: A daughter named Lucina (born when Stella is 28)

Best Friend(s): Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prompto Argentum

Other Friends: Iris Amicitia

Pets: A cat named Pluvia, and several opossums

Enemy(s): Ardyn Lucis Caelum

Why Are They Their Enemy(s)?: Bad blood, he killed her mom and wants to kill her cousin (etc., etc.)

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:

Species: Human

Facial Type: Youthful

Eye Color: Aquamarine

Hair Color: Burgundy

Hair Styles: Either in a messy ponytail/bun or tied back with a bow. Her hair sticks out in large jagged curls no matter how she styles it or how much gel she uses

Skin Tone: Peachy

Complexion: Fair

Makeup: She doesn't wear any

Body Type: Slim

Build: Petite

Height: 5'2"

Tattoos: None

Piercings: Three in each earlobe

Birthmarks and Scars: A scar across her nose and extending up her left cheek after her encounter with Ardyn; burn scars on her upper back from the same encounter

Distinguishing Features: A big forehead, eyes that curve downwards, and high eyebrows (she has a very innocent look)

HEALTH AND MENTAL:

Blood Type: B (based on Japanese blood type traits)

Health Level: High

Energy Level: Very high

Memory: Good but scattered

Physical Disabilities: Permanent residual pain/stiffness in her left shoulder from when it was dislocated in the aftermath of the event that caused her mom's death

Phobias: Fire

Mental Disorders: ADHD, PTSD

Smoker: No

Drinker: Occasionally

Drug Use: None

STYLE AND GROOMING:

Usual Style: Sporty

How They Style Their Clothes: Casually

Grooming: Takes good care of her skin and hair

Posture: She leans and slouches a lot

Habits and Mannerisms: The D: expression, standing too close to people, putting her hands on her hips when she's confused or trying to process information

Scent: Peppermint

MOOD:

What Mood Would You Catch Them In: Either angry, confused, or excited, and almost nothing in between

Attitude: Generally positive, but she can be a brat

Mood Stability: Like flipping a light switch

Expressiveness: She is expressive to the extreme; you can tell exactly how she's feeling just by looking at her face

How Are They When Happy: Ecstatic, will yell and jump around and make a lot of physical contact

How Are They When Sad: Will mope and shut herself away; she sees her sadness as a weakness

How Are They When Angry: Loud and destructive, but usually harmless (like a feral kitten)

ITEMS AND THINGS:

Wardrobe (Describe Their Closet): Lots of shorts, tank tops, and big baggy sweatshirts. Most of her clothes are black, navy blue, or gray

Equipment: Giant warhammer?

Accessories: A big black bow in her hair (when she's younger she wears a white bow with green stripes)

Funds: Technically endless, since she's related to royalty (she doesn't spend a lot of money though, and usually forgets she even has access to it)

Neighborhood: Either the laidback streets of Lestallum or the busy streets of Insomnia

Transportation: She travels on foot in Lestallum, and either by foot or on the subway in Insomnia (or Ignis drives her because Stella is a terrible driver)

Prized Possession: Her brooch that her mother gave her

SEX:

Lovers: Ignis Scientia, Gladiolus Amicitia

Marital Status: Married to Ignis at the age of 30

Sex Life: Very good

Their Type: People whose buttons she can easily push

Position (Dom/Sub): Sub

Virginity: Lost it to Ignis when she was 18

CAREER AND EDUCATION:

Occupation: Crownsguard member, Kingsglaive member, former barista

High School: The same public school that Noctis and Prompto attended in Insomnia

Work Ethic: Very high; she puts a lot of effort into her job and takes pride in what she does

Organizations/Affiliations: Kingdom of Lucis

IQ:

Grades: Barely passed her classes in school

Social Stereotypes: Known for her playful mischief and as a natural leader to the neighborhood kids during her childhood in Lestallum; known as a problem child with violent tendencies after coming to Insomnia (due to her trauma that resulted in the move)

Special Education (Held Back, Honor Role, etc.): Ignis tutored her through most of high school so she wouldn't flunk out

Intelligence: She is a dumbass

IDEOLOGIES:

Morals: Generally good; she is honest and hard-working and has a lot of compassion for most people

Motivation: Revenge at first; loyalty to her King in the end

Priorities: In the beginning: finding the person who killed her mom. By the end: keeping her friends safe from harm and protecting the people of Lucis from daemons

Crime Record: …So many. When she first came to Insomnia after her mom's death, Stella dealt with her grief in the form of anger and she was very violent--biting, throwing rocks, and even shoving someone down the stairs. She was never formally charged due to her ties to the Royal Family, but an ordinary kid would probably have been sent away. She also has a habit of inadvertently causing property damage when she's older

Etiquette: She is very polite in social situations, and especially when visiting other people's houses or spending time with other people's parents

Influences: Stella looked up to Nyx quite a bit and became determined to make it into the Kingsglaive one day so she could be like him (and it makes sense that his reckless heroism would appeal to her)

HOPES, DREAMS, AND FAILURES:

Main Goal: In the beginning: to avenge her mother. In the end: to support Noctis while he brings the Dawn

Minor Goals/Ambitions: To stand out amongst the Glaives as a top hunter, and to help reclaim Lucis so she can settle into a peaceful life with her loved ones

Dream Career: Kingsglaive (does that count as a career?)

Desires/Wants: To never lose anyone she cares about again, to make a difference in the world and fix what's been broken, to travel freely in the sunlight again

Shopping Wishlist: Whatever new hobby she picked up this week, and so much cereal

Accomplishments: Became a member of the Crownsguard against all odds, proved herself worthy enough to join the Kingsglaive, and survived the Ten Years of Darkness

Greatest Achievement: Helping to reclaim the Crown City and bring the Dawn without losing her cousin

Biggest Failure: (in her mind) Not being able to avenge her mother, not being able to protect Ignis, not being as physically strong as she wants to be

Secrets: She cries sometimes when she's alone

Regrets: So many things she wishes she'd told her mom

Worries: That the world will never return to normal

Best Dream (Non-Sleep): The Dawn has come, and everyone she loves is alive

Worst Nightmare (Non-Sleep): Losing the people closest to her, failing as a Glaive

Best Memories: Her childhood in Lestallum, the times her mother would bring her to the Crown City to visit Ignis and Noctis, the roadtrip she spent with her friends

Worst Memories: The day her mother died (she has PTSD from this)

STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, AND OTHERS:

Strengths: Kindness, tenacity, and the ability to survive

Mental Weakness: Her grief; she will not admit how much it affects her

Flaws: Impulsivity, anger, immaturity

Perception: The glass is half full, things can always get better

Conflicts: None so large that they would affect her friendships

Instincts: Fight, always

Lures: Stella will do anything for pancakes

Soft Spot: She will also do anything for Ignis

Cruel Streak: None, she can't stay angry for long

FANTASY ELEMENTS:

Powers: Water

Ability: Healing

Physical Weakness: Fire

FAVORITES:

Colors: All shades of blue

Animals: Opossums, cats, fish and other sea creatures

Mythological Creatures: Siren or Mermaid

Places: Anywhere her friends are

Flavors: Anything sweet (and lots of processed sugars)

Foods: Pancakes, cereal, breakfast items in general, and seafood dishes (especially crab and other shellfish)

Drinks: Soda, tea, and gas station slushies

Genre: Horror, action

Books: Her book of fairytales from when she was a kid

Games: Fighting games, racing games, anything competitive

Music: Pop, rock bands with female singers

Subjects: P.E.

LEAST FAVORITES:

Colors: Yellows, oranges, browns

Animals: N/A (she loves animals)

Mythological Creatures: N/A

Places: The Empire

Flavors: She dislikes bitter foods and drinks

Foods: Most vegetables (especially greens), tofu

Drinks: Coffee (she will drink it, but only if it's loaded with milk and sugar)

Genre: Dramas or non-fiction (they don't hold her attention)

Books: Textbooks

Games: Anything too text-heavy or that she can't play with her friends

Music: Slow songs or acoustics

Subjects: Everything besides P.E.

SOUND, VOICE, AND OTHERS:

Languages: Japanese

Voice: Young, a bit high-pitched, prone to yelling when she's excited

State of Mind: Carefree

Laughter: Loud and contagious

Tag Line: She's an idiot, your honor

Signature Quote: "Oh, whoa." D:

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

Overall Reputation: Dependable and sincere, but relentless when she fights

First Impressions: People tend to underestimate her or mistake her for a kid

Stranger Impressions: Cute but possibly dangerous

Friendly Impressions: Fun, reliable, and predictable

Enemy Impressions: Grating, annoying, gets in the way

Familiar Impressions: Loving, loyal, and trustworthy

ALIGNMENTS AND MISC.:

One Word: Chaos

(source for the questions can be found here. i left out any that didn't apply to her or that i wasn't comfortable answering for her.)

[ermora]

Ardyn with Sick SO

So here I am again with another Ardyn x Reader post, I haven’t been feeling well lately and my amazing older sibling has been nothing but caring towards me and so I thought about how Ardyn would care for his sick SO, especially since he was a healer at some point. Again, he will probably be OOC because I’m not super used to writing him. Anyways, please enjoy!

_______________________________________________

You let out a horrible wet cough again as you curled up deeper into your blankets, feeling miserable as you felt cold despite having a fever. You were fine just yesterday when you were at work and even in the evening wen you were out with your significant other, Ardyn. However, as you made your way back to your room at the condo you were living at, you began to feel quite cold so you did everything you could to fight off the incoming illness as you knew that you were one to get sick extremely fast. The cup of tea and extra sleep did little to help you though as you woke up this morning feeling quite sick, you called into work right away and let Ardyn know by text that you were unable to see him today. You snapped out of your thoughts as there was a shap knock against your door and you groaned as it made your head pound, you opened your mouth to speak but you went into another coughing fit. You sat up and as it began to calm down, you heard the lock to your room click and you knew that the only one who could’ve gotten in at this point would be Ardyn as you had given him a key, just in case he wanted to stop by and visit. You heard the door open and you waited patiently in bed as the there were footsteps coming towards the bedroom.

“(Y/N) are you in your bedroom?” came Ardyn’s deep, yet soothing voice.

“Yes, I’m here” you squeaked in a rough voice that was almost non-existent, Ardyn came into the bedroom a few moments later and his amber eyes met your (E/C) ones.

“Ah, there you are my sick little bird, how are you holding up?” Ardyn asked as he came over to the bed and sat down beside you.

“I’d be better if I wasn’t sick… I didn’t even get a chance to fight it off before it fully hit me” you replied in a squeaky voice, Ardyn put his right wrist against your forehead and you flinched as it felt cool to the touch.

“You’ve got a fever my dear so why don’t you let me go make some tea for you and take care of you?” he asked, you shook your head.

You’ve got work to do Ardyn, you can’t just drop everything to come take care of me” you pointed out, Ardyn chuckled as he pulled his wrist away from your forehead.

“My job requires me to be away for days at a time so believe me when I say that I won’t be missed for the few days I’ll be gone to take care of you” Ardyn noted in an unconcerned tone.

“You make it sound as if it’s normal for you to just disappear” you mumbled.

“That’s because it is normal for me to disappear at random points quite often” Ardyn said as he got up and went to leave, you grabbed at his right hand though and he paused to look at you.

“Just please promise me that you won’t get chewed out by your bosses, I’d feel bad” you noted, Ardyn smiled.

“I won’t get chewed out (Y/N), now you rest easy until I can get back with some tea for you” Ardyn said.

“It’s hard to relax when I feel this miserable though” you protested, Ardyn rose his right eyebrow at you and he sat back down onto the bed, you released his right hand and he gently pushed you back down onto your pillow.

“I never said it was easy but you will have to just put up with it for now when you’re in this condition” Ardyn shot back in a firm but gentle voice that reminded you of a doctor fussing over a patient who had just woken up in the hospital and was trying to move about.

“Fine… but be quick as having you here is aking my mind off of how miserable I’m feeling” you reluctantly noted, Ardyn chuckled as he leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on your forehead before getting up again.

“Do not worry my little bird, you won’t even know that I’ve been gone for that long” Ardyn stated and then left the room, you could hear him moving around in the kitchen and slowly you could feel tiredness creeping into your body. Perhaps a quick nap WOULD be helpful for you and with Ardyn here, you were certain that you’d be well taken care of until you recovered. You let out a content sigh and smiled ever so slightly as you closed your eyes and allowed yourself to be pulled into a deep, peaceful rest.

[heartlessfujoshi]

First Light - an IgNoct one shot

Title: First Light Fandom: FFXV Pairing: IgNoct (Noctis Lucis Caelum x Ignis Scientia) Rating: Mature (Established Relationship - NSFW - Making Love - Feels and Angst - Minor Angst with a happy ending - Ep Ignis V2) Word Count: ~2,425 Prompt: Their moments after daybreak in the alternate ending

Summary: Noctis returns from the Crystal, and sets out to finish the fight with his friends by his side.

A/N: Here is my gift to amula6812 over on twitter for the @ignoctgiftexchange. Please enjoy!

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Wood crackles as little sparks of fire leave the pit, the fire continuing to burn, their only source of light in the immediate area. Noctis can smell the fire, feel its heat, feel it providing warmth in this never-ending night that he’s awoken to. The smell of the fire is comforting - that smell can never change, no matter the circumstances. He may have been away for a long time, but smelling this fire - it takes him back to what brought them here in the first place. 

Turning his head, he sees the tent nearby, the runes glowing as they’d made camp just outside the gates back into Insomnia. Tomorrow is going to be tough. Tomorrow is going to be the day he’s been both looking forward to and dreading at the same time. 

Tomorrow, this all comes to an end. 

But not the way the Astrals have told him it has to end. No. He refuses to believe that the only way out of this is through his own sacrifice. While he isn’t afraid to die, he doesn’t feel that that’s a fair fight and the only outcome to this madness with the first Lucis Caelum - Ardyn. 

He grabs a stick and pokes at the fire, not yet ready to go to sleep. He has too much on his mind. Looking over at his old home, there isn’t much to see thanks to the everlasting night. But he knows that it’s there, and he knows that it’s time to go and reclaim their home. He should go to sleep, but it evades him, as he’s too anxious about what’s to come tomorrow. Plus, he’s been sleeping for ten years. If there’s anything he doesn’t want to do right now, it’s sleep. 

“You shouldn’t be out here.” Noctis turns his head, and sees Ignis has left the tent and is coming over to sit near him. “You’re supposed to be asleep, Your Majesty.” 

Noctis turns his head away, wanting to hide his smile as it seems like it’s in bad taste, considering what they’re about to go through. “You know why I’m not in there, Ignis.” 

“Yes, I do.” His longtime companion sits down next to him. It’s been go go go since he’s returned from the Crystal, and while he’s been hoping to have a moment alone with his Adviser, this isn’t how he pictured it would be. As if sensing his thoughts, Ignis stands up and offers him his hand. “Come with me.” 

Following him takes him to the area where they keep their chocobos. Ignis hops onto his, and Noctis decides that sure - a night run would be better than staring at the fire, going over each and every scenario on what may happen in the fight tomorrow. He clicks his heels against his chocobo, and they take off, heading back towards Longwythe. 

They come to a stop at the motel, Noctis looking at Ignis who isn’t meeting his eyes but he doesn’t have to. Noctis hops off of his chocobo, tying his riding companion to the post, and then follows Ignis to the motel, where he pays for a room and then leads Noctis to the end of the building, entering their favorite room at this particular Three Z’s. 

Ignis points to the single bed, to which Noctis gives a firm nod and heads to sit on the edge of it. Ignis kneels down in front of him, and painstakingly begins to undress him. First, his shoes are removed. Next, his socks. Noctis stays still, his breathing becoming a bit more labored as he feels the touch of Ignis’ fingers on the black button up shirt he’s wearing. It’s been so long since they’d done this part of their routine, it almost feels like the very first time.

Lips brush against his jaw, Noctis tilting his head back as Ignis helps to push his upper body down onto the bed. “Relax, Noctis.” Ignis’ voice sends a thrill through his body, his hands curling into loose fists as he struggles to do as he’s told. “It’s me. No one else is here to bother us.” 

“I know.” The words come out in a quiet whisper. But he knows that Ignis has heard. “Ignis, I…” 

A finger touches his lips. “No. Not right now. Later.” 

Noctis nods his head, and feels Ignis’ lips touch his chest, kissing a pathway down to where his pants are still on. Ignis soon takes care of that, leaving Noctis as naked as the day he was brought into this world. Noctis stares at his lover, who takes off his own clothes and then returns to where Noctis is laying on the bed. He wants to keep his eyes open, wants to stare at the man who’s made his days so much happier throughout his life - he’s afraid if he closes them, then this will be it. And he doesn’t want that. 

Ignis’ palm cups the side of his face, his fingers brushing his beard. Facial hair. Facial hair he never knew he could grow until he was out of the Crystal, and felt it on his face. The facial hair that now hides the fact he no longer looks the way he looked before going into the Crystal. How time has done its number on him in the only way it knows how. It feels strange at first, but then he slowly grows to like it as he feels Ignis’ breath against his lips, unaware of when he brought his face closer to his own. 

“No thoughts tonight, Noctis.” Ignis whispers. “Only you and me.” 

“You and me.” He returns, gazing into his eyes. “S-Show me how it was, Ignis.” 

“I will, Your Majesty.” 

Lips touch his with a soft kiss, but then the kiss becomes more as Ignis seals his lips over his own, and skillfully pushes his tongue into Noctis’ mouth. He moans into the kiss, as Ignis’ hand begins to work him open, well-oiled fingers doing their job of making him ready. And within moments, Ignis is pushing the tip of his cock into his body in one fluid motion, Noctis’ head tossing back with a loud, encouraging moan. They haven’t been intimate like this since the night before he was supposed to get the Hydraean’s blessing, and then, it had been rushed. Hurried. Frantic. As if they knew things were going to change after the blessing. 

Now, though - now Ignis takes his time, making sure that Noctis is taken care of. All Noctis can do is moan, pushing his hips down to meet each slow thrust of Ignis’ hips. The bed creaks, the sound of Red Iron Giants can be heard roaming the world outside. But that doesn’t matter. No, what matters in this moment is how good it feels to be connected to his lover once more. 

Noctis comes without any warning, but Ignis doesn’t relent. Ignis brings him right back into full hardness, Noctis’s arms now wrapped around Ignis’ neck as he clings to him. He moans his name, over and over, tears spilling from his eyes as everything feels right. Everything feels perfect. Ignis makes him come again, and then he listens to his sweet cries as his lover finds his own peace, Noctis groaning as the steady warmth of Ignis’ release flows against his inner walls. 

Ignis pulls out, the two of them groaning in unison at the lost connection, but within seconds Ignis is by his side, returning his lips to Noctis’, showering him with more kisses and touches. He feels at peace, and knows that no matter what happens tomorrow, at least he’s going into this final confrontation with the knowledge that he’s able to be with his lover one final time. 

“Tomorrow-” Noctis begins, but then stops as Ignis’ finger returns to his lips. 

“No, Noctis. I won’t allow it.” 

He gave him a watery smile, overcome with emotion as he stared at him. “Very well, Ignis.” They stare at each other for a few more minutes, and then Noctis closes his eyes and rests his head against Ignis’ chest. “Can I say I-” 

“I love you too.” Ignis replies, brushing a kiss against his forehead. “Now sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day.” 

“You won’t leave me, will you?” 

The fear is evident in his voice. Noctis can’t hide it. He doesn’t want to hide it, as if there is one person that will always know his true emotions, it will be Ignis. Ignis Scientia, who became his best friend at the age of four, who has been by his side through many milestones in his short life. Ignis, who held him as he cried about his first crush in school, and who kissed away the sadness of when Noctis couldn’t go to the first dance in high school because no one had asked him. Ignis, who had held him close after the death of his father, making love to him to remind him that he will be there for him. 

“Never, Your Majesty. I will be with you, no matter what.” Ignis holds his gaze, Noctis feeling the truth coming through loud and clear. “Now, sleep. We’ll head back to camp early in the morning.” 

Noctis closes his eyes and does fall asleep for a few short, blissful hours. The warmth of Ignis’ body next to his has always made it easier for him to sleep, and tonight is no different. When they wake, they head to the shower and take one together, finding the time to share a few more intimate moments together before their long day has to begin. 

Back at the campsite, both Gladio and Prompto are awake, drinking coffee around the fire. “Everything okay, Your Majesty?” Prompto asks, as Noctis sits down with them. 

“Everything is perfect, Prompto. Are you ready to head into Insomnia?” 

“Let’s go kick Ardyn’s ass!” His best friend declared, making Noctis smile. Yes, today would be the day that they kick Ardyn’s ass, and make him pay for what he has done to their lives. 

Insomnia is bleak. Noctis wants to cry as he sees the state that his former home is in. But knowing that if he puts an end to Ardyn’s life, then this will take away the daemons is a comforting thought. The day is long, as they come under attack over and over. But his friends hold him up as they make their way to the Citadel, where Ifrit is waiting for them, waiting to show them the true power of Ardyn Izunia. 

The fight is difficult. But with his friends to help him, Noctis finds the strength to go on the offense attack. They make quick work of Ifrit as a team, and rather than go alone to face Ardyn, he turns to his friends and stares at each of them. “I know you may not think you’re ready for this fight, but you are. Come with me, and let’s end this together.” 

“Yes, Your Majesty!” All three of his friends reply. 

Ardyn isn’t easy to defeat. They wind up taking the fight from the Citadel out to the streets down below, his friends one step ahead. Ignis is constantly healing him, shouting at him that he can do this. Gladio is blocking each blow from Ardyn with his Shield, yelling at Noctis to finish the job. Prompto is shooting his guns, making Ardyn dance as Noctis swoops in from behind and unleashes his Armiger attack at the best moment possible. As his Armiger attack hits Ardyn, he watches as the first Lucis Caelum meets his end, the black ichor coming from his eyes now disappearing as his body is lowered back to the ground, the final fight over. 

They won. 

Together. 

He approaches the former first King of Lucis, and sees Ardyn has a smile on his face. “Thank you, Noctis.” Ardyn continues to smile as his body disappears in the wind, the magic that had been keeping him alive for two millennia now gone. 

“Noctis.” He turns to look at Ignis, who is pointing towards the east. “Look.” 

The first rays of dawn can be seen cresting over the horizon, the first time in ten years. Noctis steps closer to Ignis, and then feels his knees begin to weaken. Ignis catches him before he can fall, his arms around his body as they both kneel on the ground. He can hear both Prompto and Gladio sobbing, and while he can feel his own cheeks damp with tears, he can’t hear himself crying. 

“We did this.” Ignis speaks softly into his ear, as they continue to watch the sunrise together for the first time. It reminds him of the first time they’d stayed up all night, sitting on the roof of the Citadel to watch the sunrise together. But this - this is a defining moment in both of their lives. “You did this, Noctis.” 

“You guys were a big part.” He hiccups a sob, his tears now flowing freely. “They told him I had to die. They said that to bring the sun back, I would need to die with him. They were wrong, Ignis.” 

“They were.” Noctis turns towards him and falls into his arms, crying hard as Ignis hugs him close. “You did what needed to be done, Your Majesty. Now the world can heal, and we can live our lives.” 

He clings to Ignis, the very essence of his own love pouring out through each sob that wracked his body. The world is getting brighter by the second, and by the time the sun is fully shining down on them, he is surrounded by his close friends. His friends who had set out on one journey, and wound up on a very different path than what they’d set out on. 

“You guys are the best.” He stares at each of his friends, smiling as complete happiness consumes him. He reaches for Ignis, who comes without a second thought, and the two share a kiss as the sun kisses their skin, bathing them in its warmth for the first time in a very, very long time. 

It would take a long time to get the world back to how it used to be, but Noctis doesn’t care. What matters most is that he’s still here; the Astrals were wrong. With the strength of his friends, they had returned the light to the world of Eos. Reaching for Ignis’ hand, they all stand together, his fingers clasped with Ignis’ as they stare at the rising sun; together, as it is meant to be. 

xXx

Cross-posted to AO3

[itsgeecheebitch]

Until Darkness Descends

RATING: Teen (will change in the near future)

PAIRING: Ardyn Izunia x Aera, Ardyn x Reader (you are Aera and Ardyn x Aera/you content will be explored in later chapters when she/you is of age)

SERIES: The Fall Part 1 of 4

CHAPTER: 4

        “Uncle Ardyn?” You lifted your head up from your knees to find the older man sitting beside you. 

          “In the flesh,” He said, a smile playing on his lips. “Now, tell dear uncle Ardyn what ails you. I’m sure whatever it is I can help.”

         You turned away from him then and rested your chin against your folded arms. “Mama and papa hate me”. You said, voice cracking as the words left your lips. “I-I threw up when mama told me not to and now they’re mad at me and they won’t stop fighting. I just wanna go home! I wanna see uncle Renji and auntie Maggie and grandpa Louis. I want my dollies and my old room. And I don’t wanna see mama and papa ever again!” You buried your face in your knees and allowed your tears to fall freely.

         If only you could go back to the circus. Or go anywhere else for that matter, anywhere but here with your parents. You were tired of their endless cruelty, of the weariness that never left your bones, and the nausea that soured your stomach from constant over training. “Uncle Ardyn, you’re a magician, right?”

        “Yes I am”.

         You gasped, your slouched back snapping up straight. You gave Ardyn a curious look, full of hope and endless possibilities. Why didn’t you think of this sooner? “Could you take me to your circus?”

        He gave you a sympathetic look. “That would be impossible, my dear. I do not have an affiliation to any circus. I prefer to work alone.”

       “O-oh”. You immediately deflated like a balloon. “But don’t you get lonely?”

       “I suppose I do but I’ve grown used to it.” Ardyn said. 

        “If you take me with you I can keep you company, then you won't be lonely anymore.”

      Ardyn chuckled. “That won’t be necessary, my dear. Our brief encounters do more than enough to ease my solitude.” He said while ruffling your hair.

        You tried not to but you couldn’t help but feel sad from his constant rejections. Could it be that he just didn’t want you to go with him, just like auntie Maggie and uncle Renji?. Were you truly bad company? What have you done to cause the people you love to not want to keep you around when given the option? Was it your powers? Or because you talk a lot? Have you offended them in some way? When given the option, people would rather push you aside than suffer your presence for more than necessary.

       You were about to ask Ardyn a question when a sudden sharp pain stabbed straight through your skull. You winced at the pounding pressure. It felt like a groundhog was burrowing through your head and peeling the back of your eyes with a knife all at once. You heard Ardyn say something to you, but his voice was distorted as though your head was submerged under water. 

       A warm reassuring weight settled upon your shoulder and just like that the headache was over. It took you a moment to realize it was his hand. “Are you alright?” He asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

        You nodded. “It's my head, I get them alot.”

         “These headaches, do you know why they occur?”

         “Not really.” You answered. “Papa thought I was sick at first but the doctor says I'm fine. Sometimes I see things when my head hurts but not all the time. Sometimes I see things in my dreams too.”

         “Things like what?” Ardyn asked. 

           “Um….” You drummed your finger against your chin and looked up towards the darkening sky. “Sometimes I see this really big shiny rock thingy.”

            “Do you recall its color?”

            You hummed and crossed your arms over your chest as though the action would resurrect the image in your mind. “I think electric blue?  It glows in the middle and the rest of it is dark. Do you know what it is, uncle Ardyn?”

            “The crystal.” Ardyn said more so to himself than to you. How could you possibly know about the crystal? Why were you receiving visions about it? Ardyn knew this was all the gods’ doing. Visions such as these were alway messages from the Astrals and he wondered what those uncaring gods could possibly be trying to tell you. “What else do you normally see?”

            “Sometimes I see a boy with red hair and he’s really tall like you. But his face is always blurry. A-and sometimes a really pretty girl is with him. Papa and mama gets mad when I talk about it. They say I shouldn’t lie but I’m not. Do you think I’m lying uncle Ardyn?” You looked up at him expectantly. These visions you speak of, Ardyn isn’t foolish enough to discard the possibility that they are of him. He narrowed his eyes. 

        He could feel the scourge moving through him, demanding your blood. Demanding your demise. Every fiber of his being itched for him to end you, to destroy any obstacles the gods place in his path. But he needed to understand why you were here first. Why would the gods create a doppelganger of his late wife and give you fragmented memories from her? What were they planning?

        Ardyn closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before opening them and plastering on a saccharine sweet smile for you. “It's getting rather late. You should hurry back before your parents begin to miss you. I’m sure they’ve already noted your absence”. Your shoulders drooped like teardrops then, crestfallen eyes showing your displeasure. 

      “But I don’t want to. I wanna stay with uncle Ardyn”. You said, looking up at him with wide innocent eyes brimming with tears.

      The older man sighed before standing from his seat and extending his hand towards you. “How about I walk you back instead, will that suffice?”

      “Okay…” You acquiesced defeatedly before taking his hand.

       The sound of the grand double doors opening echoed throughout the cavernous space. You and your parents entered the enormous throne room. The clap of your footsteps against the gray tile floors seemed to only increase the nauseating dread gnawing at your insides. You nibbled on your bottom lip as your eyes fell upon the king sitting upon his throne. 

        His eyes were kind yet firm but not even the sight of them could ease your trepidation. Once you and your parents were a few feet away from the stairs leading to the throne, you stopped. The three of you bowed in perfect unison, just as your mother directed over and over again since receiving the royal invitation to visit the king. 

        “I welcome you all to the crown city of Insomnia. I hope you have found your journey to be accommodating” The king said.

        “It has been your majesty.” Your mother replied.

         Your father smiled. “It is truly an honor to be here.” He said, repeating the words he rehearsed during the five hour drive to the crown city. 

        “I’ve heard plenty about your daughter’s miraculous exploits across the continent. Raising the dead, healing the sick, and curing the blind.” The king listed. Your mother beamed as though the accolades were for her.  “Not even the Oracle herself could accomplish such feats, yet your daughter is said to perform wonders. A curious thing indeed. I would like to see for myself if the tales I’ve heard are true.”

         With the snap of his fingers, a door to his right opened, revealing a servant. The svelte young man entered the grand room with measured graceful steps. He was holding a large plush red pillow, on top of it was a small brown dog. The dog wasn’t moving. You watched his belly for any sign of life but it was obvious he wasn’t breathing. 

         “This is the crown prince’s beloved pup. After falling ill, he had since drawn his last breath a fortnight ago. My son has become quite recluse from the absence of his companion. If it is truly within your capabilities, I ask that you resurrect this pup.” The king said.

         “Okay.” You said with a nod before catching yourself. “I mean- yes your majesty.”

         You approached the dog. Your hands were clampy with sweat which made you have to wipe them on your dress repeatedly, an action that earned you a glare from your mother. Placing your hands upon the pup, you summoned your mint green energy to your fingertips. Wave after wave of your energy pulsed through its tiny furry body. A trickle of sweat slid down the side of your face and a familiar ball of nausea settled heavily in your gut. 

           Just then the dog’s tiny body became warm underneath your hands. Its little belly rose and fell as air entered its lungs. With a quiet gasp, the dog’s eyes snapped open and its high pitched barks ricochet off the walls.

         The room filled with claps, from the servants, to the kingsglaive guards protecting the doors, to the king upon his throne. “Outstanding.” He said with a glimmer in his eye. “I now see why the people herald you as the child of light. Your capabilities are worthy of the moniker. It is why I must ask you to join the royal court as my son’s personal healer. The life destined for the crown prince will be perilous and unkind. He will need someone with your abilities by his side. If you accept, your family will be rewarded handsomely for your service. And you will be afforded all the luxuries befitting a member of the prince’s royal retinue.” 

        “Uh…” You took a step back without realizing it. Suddenly the cavernous space felt too small. You could feel the weight of everyone’s eyes on you. You didn’t want to accept it. Accepting his proposal would mean saying goodbye to the circus for good and being forced to live this life forever. But how could you say no to the king? How could you say no with your mother’s hot piercing glare stabbing holes into the side of your face?

        Your mother spoke up then. “She would be honored, your majesty.” She said. The king had a moment of pause, looking between you and your mother with concern etched between his brows. He frowned but it was soon replaced with a smile far too clinical and professional to be warm. “Very well, your duties will begin tomorrow. For now allow me to provide you with an escort to your current accommodations. You will remain here temporarily until proper living arrangements can be made.” 

        Another servant, this time a woman, approached you and your family. She introduced herself and escorted the three of you out of the throne room. Once you were gone, the king asked his servant, who was still holding the now living dog, what other duties were on his schedule for the day. After receiving an answer, he stood from his throne and made to leave the room. Every servant and kingsglaive present, save for those guarding the main entrance, accompanied the king. All except for one. This particular guard waited until nobody was looking and slipped away from the entourage. 

        Once he was in a secluded area within the citadel, the illusion rippled before melting away like candle wax, revealing a wild mane of auburn hair, keen golden eyes, and a deep scowl. Something told Ardyn to visit the royal Lucian court today, and fortunately for the immortal he never challenged his intuition. 

        So was this the gods’ master plan? Foil Ardyn’s plans by bestowing Noctis with an ally that could revive him? The man gritted his teeth. They even had the audacity to make you look like his Aera, sound like her, laugh like her, your personality was even identical to hers. Was all of this meant to make Ardyn hesitate to kill you? He shook his head in disgust. Ardyn watched you even more closely for the past two years since discovering your strange visions, and to think they all led to this revelation.

       But something still didn’t feel quite right. Why give you visions at all if your purpose is to act as a failsafe for the chosen king? Ardyn chalked it up to the gods wanting to raddle him, further ensuring that he wouldn’t slay you. Unfortunately for them, Ardyn is anything but predictable. Obstacles are meant to be cut down and you are no exception. It was truly a pity. He had grown fond of you over the past five years but all good things must come to an end. You will not live to see the next sunrise. 

[kingkirby134]

Name: Norah Valkyrie Izunia (Aka Norah Lucis Caelum)

Song that matches her: Nature vs Nuture by Chase Petra

Now I have perspective and can see you

I don’t have to hide from myself

From the parts that resemble you

Age: 20 before T.S 30 after

Looks: (By Hunblooms)

She’s a clone of Ardyn, a lot of things were changed so she could be her own person. Thanks to Verstael Besithia.

Besithia practically raised her, Ardyn is a bad dad honestly, however the Besithia did constant experiments on her but like he fed her goldfish to keep her entertained since most of them were boring. Not even painful just boring. Its hard to keep a 3 year old sitting still. (She thrives off of goldfish crackers thanks to him and berry fruit punch only kind she’ll drink)

She was a very rebellious child/teenager which made Besithia’s original plan of turning her into a super soldier fail extremely bad. But it’s fine in the end, he was just happy to see her thrive in her own way even if he didn’t get to see her grow older due to what happens in Episode Prompto

Dad!Besithia is best Besithia, yes she had told Ardyn to his face that Besithia is a better dad than him

Shes very loyal to Noctis and his friends even tho she’s well supposed to be their enemy.

She hates daemonifing people it actually makes her physically sick either way

She can also heal people of the starscourge? Yeah if it sounds fucked up it is, she can’t control it

She really hates Bahamut. She spends her dreams when she sees him trying to piss him off.

If she could she really could daemonify the people she hated to get rid of them but for reason’s above she hasn’t (Looking at Caligo -_-)

She enjoys talking to Aera in her dreams she has accidentally called her mom before. Oops.

She and Somnus are on ok terms and I do really mean ok, she isn’t as angry at her Uncle like she used to be but she is scared of getting close to him.

She hates the fact she has powers like Ardyn but as she gets older she learns to accept them and realize she’s nothing like him, just because shes his clone doesn’t mean she is him. She’s her own being with her own feelings.

Speaking of feelings she uses violence typically not toward other people. Nope towards objects

Don’t get in her way tho she has daemonified people that way by accident because of her anger, Ardyn encourages her to use her power as well which never helps.

She once looked up to Drautos. Yeah no never again.

She used to be a workaholic until Insomnia fell now being able to rest she typically stays awake at night and sleeps during the day (daemon part of her) but the sun doesn’t harm her she does enjoy tanning from the sun surprisingly enough

She can’t go near havens tho…awkward explanation to the Chocobro’s before they found out who she was. (She slept in the regalia claiming the tent was too crowded more often than not either Noct or Prompto joined her in the car)

That’s probably it for now lol

[a-world-in-grey]

Sunshine Never Stops au hcs - part 4

part 1 part 2 part 3

In which things start to speed up.

-Around the same time Cor gets his present - and heart attack - Alata and her group visit one of the Kingsglaive bases in Duscae. It’s near enough to Costlemark Tower that the group hopes to leave the truck at the base and travel on foot.

-Unfortunately for Selena, her brother is stationed at that base. Nyx is not pleased to learn that Selena is taking daemon Hunts. While those two argue - loudly - and Loqi and Ravus staying to make sure that Selena doesn’t try to sock Nyx one and that Abyssus doesn’t get up to mischief, Alata asks Titus for a private word.

-Once assured of privacy and security, Alata proceeds to reveal that she’s aware of Titus being Glauca (hello miasma beacon), asks why no one’s treated him for Miasma Poisoning, and then straight up offers to heal him. Titus is justifiably paranoid until Alata informs him that she’s Alata Mederi, the Chancellor’s niece, and she’s not going to blow a deep cover operation. But he’s got Miasma Poisoning, and that will compromise both his mental and physical faculties long before it kills him. Titus schedules an appointment with Alata after they return from their Hunt.

-Alata grabs her group, but is convinced to take along a group of Kingsglaive when the glaives learn what they’re going after. They take Luche, Tredd, and Axis, because Titus puts his foot down on Nyx going.

-They kill the overpowered Jormungand, Alata demonstrates Ifrit’s Blessing for Solheim tech and fire immunity, and somewhere between Alata losing her favorite leather jacket and returning to base, Tredd and Alata have become snark-buddies. Loqi Despairs. He’s witnessed three bondings already, so he clearly sees the snap-bond happening right in front of him.

-The group returns, and Alata - who might be suffering the effects of a not-quite healed concussion - finally gets a good look at Libertus and has an ‘oh no he’s hot’ moment. Alata cures Titus with the Holy Fire the next day, which is more than a bit hard on everyone’s nerves.

-Alata and co head off to Lestallum leaving a Cleansed Titus - who is experiencing first hand exactly what Alata meant by ‘compromised mental faculties’ because he can think for the first time in over five years - and a murderously angry Tredd (and Kingsglaive) because people saw the scar over Alata’s heart and spine. Alata got to tell them that her grandfather caused it and her uncle saved her life - all true, just not the whole truth - and more than one Galahdian is maybe pissed that Alata’s grandfather is already dead and they can’t kill him again.

-Two days after Alata and co leave the base, Cor drops by, and Nyx learns that a magical giant snake is not the worst thing his little sister has recently killed. Of course, the glaives collectively bluescreen when they learn exactly who Nyx’s little sister has been Hunting with, and Cor has three consecutive heart attacks when he learns that Sola’s been hunting the Menaces, has Ifrit’s Blessing, and died because apparently Mors put a sword through her chest!

-(It wasn’t Mors, but Cor hears grandfather and thinks the worst, not knowing that Sola was referring to Somnus instead.)

-In Lestallum, the group’s plan to pick up a couple Hunts are dashed when Loqi gets a splitting migraine, because apparently now that they’re close to the Disk of Cauthess Titan’s decided to poke his nose into things.

-Alata does not appreciate the assault on her Shield’s mind. She’s still protective from the Tempering Grounds, so the group beelines for the Disk - passing the smoldering remains of Ullder’s former command - comes face to face with Titan, and proceed to kick Titan’s stony naked butt because apparently the guy has absolutely zero social skills.

-And somewhere during that, Alata’s far too stubborn Shield loses possession of the Braincell, decides to nail Titan in the face with one of the Ifrit Special ammunition Alata made for him, and winds up gaining Titan’s Blessing.

-Alata is going to sit on her Shield. After they hightail it out of the area before people come investigating because like Pyre that was quiet.

-And in Niflheim, Ardyn receives a personal invitation to visit Queen Sylva and discuss ‘his niece’s accomplishments with interested parties.’

[houdinicorbini]

Insecure reader being jealous of a women working at the empire with Ardyn ? (If you don’t mind) :^

I don’t mind at all! And I apologize in advance for the angst

Tw: hints of reader being in a bad relationship in the past/ angst with a happy ending

When it comes to jealousy, you were rather good at being very understanding and never letting things like that control you. Yes, there were times when you were insecure, but you had your reasons as to why.

Both you and your significant other were very respectful on the fact that you two had lives outside of your shared home.

But there is this one coworker Ardyn has that makes you very uncomfortable. One of the reasons being is that she openly flirts whilst already knowing that the man she is trying to seduce is already taken.

Ardyn has made it clear to you many times that she could never take him away from you, and you have complete trust in him, but you can't deny the fact that you're scared.

You know he'd never leave, but your insecurities are screaming at you, telling you otherwise, but it's not your fault that you think this way. Someone sadly conditioned you to be afraid.

Now Ardyn knew about your past and the repercussions it had on you, but you failed to let him know how bad it was and the impact it had on you. It was out of fear, because you were worried that you would become a burden.

Your brain wasn't being kind to you today, which has caused your mood to drastically lower, so you ended up hiding yourself away in bed until everything seemed to be fine again.

After noticing that you had not really left the bedroom in a while, Ardyn had grown slightly concerned. Today one of his coworkers decided to throw a party, and to keep up work relations and throw off whatever suspicions were on him, he decided to go.

He really wanted to bring you along, sometimes it can be days or the longest is weeks at a time where you two aren't allowed to see each other. This gives him the opportunity to spend time with you.

Hearing a knock on the door, you completely went under the blanket, like it would actually hide you from your lover. Though he might've gone along with it if he wasn't worried.

It was muffled since you were under a thick blanket, but you heard him call out your name while the footsteps also grew closer. Once the footsteps stopped was when you felt the bed sink in slightly.

Ardyn called out your name once more to which you gave a small little "yes" in response. You hoped that your mood would lift once it was time for the party.

"My rose, are you alright?" It wasn't hard to notice the concern within his voice. Ardyn didn't like seeing you upset or hurt because a part of him feels helpless, he'd give you the world if it was possible.

"I'm fine." You proceeded to lie, but it was once again muffled because of the blanket that was currently shielding your form.

Ardyn didn't want to push the matter, but he wasn't blind. He obviously knew you were lying to him, just didn't want to make things worse by forcing you to talk.

This isn't the first time you hide yourself away like this, so he knew to just let you come to him when you were ready.

"Do know that I am always available for when you need to talk, dear." Ardyn wanted to remind you that will always be free when you need him the most.

You uncovered your head just enough that he could see your eyes. "Thank you." You were trying to keep your responses short and simple, talking was not something you really wanted right now.

Ardyn got the message and got up, but before he left, he placed a short but sweet kiss upon your forehead.

You retreated back under the blanket once you heard the door close. It was just a waiting game until the party now. Not a game you particularly cared for.

Once it was nearing time to leave was when you decided to finally get out of bed, but Ardyn did come in here and there to give you food, which only made him worry even more.

Luckily, you were actually starting to feel better as you got ready, so you wanted to put in some effort to your outfit, which you nailed it on. While you were still somewhat struggling, you looked hot.

And the look Ardyn gave when you stepped out of the bedroom was enough to confirm it. His expression caused the heat to rise to your cheeks and a soft chuckle to escape your lips.

He looked rather nice himself. His hair was slicked back, he was wearing a rather expensive looking black suit and because of how far away you were from him, you could smell the cologne.

"My my, I just about want to keep you here to myself~" Ardyn complimented as he drew closer to you. Even though you two have been in a relationship for a long time now, whenever he made compliments like that, it felt like butterflies were in your stomach.

When he got close enough, Ardyn reached out to rest his hand on your cheek. "Darling, we can stay home if you're not feeling well, I don't want to forc-"

"I'm actually feeling better right now but thank you for worrying about me." You gave him a sincere smile that calmed his nerves down. You extended your arm out to him, "Shall we?" Your smile turned into a goofy one as you waited for his response.

The laugh that left him only filled you with more confidence and your smile grow even wider. "We shall." Ardyn intertwined his arm with yours and led you out of the house and to the car.

The car ride over was rather peaceful and your mood continued to improve. It helped that you and Ardyn were talking about the past and making jokes here and there.

It was enough to make you forget what had you so upset in the first place,,, until you got to the party and saw the person who made you feel so bitter today.

You just continued to stay close to Ardyn as the host greeted the two of you. Maybe if that woman sees you glued to the man that is clearly with you, she'll back off.

Or maybe you'd get lucky, and she just wouldn't notice that Ardyn was there, that would definitely make things so much easier on you if she'd just leave him alone.

Would definitely help your mental health.

While you were walking with Ardyn, he could feel how you were becoming tense, you were kind of stuck to him so that's how he noticed.

He opened up his mouth to ask what was wrong, but was interrupted before he could, and it wasn't by you.

"Ardyn! You made it!" The high pitch voice came from behind. You and Ardyn turned around to see the same woman you were trying to avoid like the plague.

A woman with long, curly black hair, forest green eyes and full lips, a dark blue dress that showed off some her features and just barely went down to her thighs, the same shade of dark blue high heels that looked like they'd break anyone's ankles. Not to mention make up that would make just about anyone jealous.

"Ah, Gloria!" Ardyn had to fake the enthusiasm in his voice when he greeted her. "I didn't realize that you would be here, I heard that you had other matters that you needed to attend to."

"I was able to get all that done this morning, so it seems luck is on my side!" She said in a rather high pitch tone that made you want to wince. It was like a whistle to dogs.

It sounded like Ardyn had to force out a chuckle. He really did not want to be anywhere near her, he just wanted to spend this night out with the one he loves.

"Why don't we head out later and grab a couple of drinks, I've been wanting to get to know you more~" She was really trying to flirt while you were standing next to Ardyn.

"I believe I will have to pass since I would like to spend the night with my partner." Even Ardyn was getting tired of her at this point. He sadly has to put up with her constantly.

"Partner?" Gloria seemed to be processing the information that was just given to her even though it was already given to her before. "I thought the two of you were just friends, or that a stranger was just standing way too close."

You didn't like how Gloria was taking this. She seemed to be upset upon hearing the Ardyn was taken, though was told before.

'This is my first time hearing about thi-"

That's where you snapped and didn't even let her finish.

"He is CONSTANTLY telling you that he's taken, it's not his fault that you just refuse to retain such simple information. Now I'd really appreciate if you'd stop hitting on him now that you REALLY know that it will never happen!" You weren't even controlling the volume of your voice at this point.

It wasn't until people started looking staring that all the adrenaline and confidence that was possessing you suddenly vanished. You looked up at Ardyn to see if you had crossed any lines, but you only saw concern in his eyes, no anger, just worry for you.

"Now that my darling has said everything that needed to be said, I think we should be taking our leave." He did a slight bow and grabbed ahold of you hand to lead you outside.

He had a feeling that you may need a moment of fresh air after that, he really thought that once he saw your expression. You looked like you were on the verge of tears.

"My rose, please tell me what's wrong."

That's when you finally broke down, you finally confessed why you didn't leave bed all day and why you had been clinging to him at the party.

"I was taught in the past that I can just be replaced so I was so scared that you would throw me away!" You were sobbing into his chest. He had his arms protectively wrapped around your frame.

"I never told you how badly I was hurt out of fear you'd abandon me, but I know those were just my own thoughts attacking me and you'd never leave like that." You continued to sob away as you explained yourself.

Ardyn began rubbing soothing circles into the center of your back while letting you get everything out. It hurt him so much to see everything that you had been keeping in.

You lifted up your head so you could like him in his eyes. Those eyes that you know would never hurt you, that would always hear you out without jumping to conclusions.

"I tried to not let it get to me when you first told me about Gloria. I knew you could handle it on your own, but then my head began to fill with thoughts that you'd see she was better and lea-" You were cut off when Ardyn gently placed his hand on your cheek.

"Now I believe I would have lost my mind if I left someone as incredible as you behind for someone like,,, that." The way he phrased it caused a soft chuckle to escape you.

"My dove, I'd never leave you, especially for someone who doesn't respect others like that. I have found the one for me and I will make sure that everyone around us is aware of that."

Ardyn's words just made you want to cry even more, and at this point you weren't sure if they were happy tears or not.

"I'm sorry for keeping this in for so long, I should have let you know sooner instead of letting this bubble up until I couldn't contain it." You felt bad for all of this, you felt as if you had ruined the night.

"Now there is nothing to apologize for, you had a hard past and I can see that it is still affecting you, I want to help you to the best of my abilities." He used his thumb to get rid of any falling tears.

"You're not mad at my outburst or the fact that I ruined your night or the fact-"

"Darling, shh" Ardyn was trying to get you to calm down before you gave yourself a panic attack, he was sure you were already close to one.

"You didn't "ruin" anything, I'm just thankful to see you open up to me, if only it wasn't under these conditions." He removed his hand from your face so he could grab your own hand.

Ardyn leaned down to kiss away any of the remaining tears, which you gladly welcomed. You even found yourself leaning into each kiss he gave your cheeks.

He leaned away just enough so that his face was directly in front of yours. You were either blushing from crying, or because of how close he was. Maybe both at this point.

"Since we are still out, I think we should go somewhere else and treat ourselves to some dinner, I'm sure I can find us a place better than what they have inside, what do you say?"

"Dinner does sound nice after all of that." You smiled slightly, starting to feel a little drained already.

"Excellent! Now, come along!" Ardyn's lightly squeezed your hand as he led you back to the car, he was going to make sure that this night ended in a good one. He knew your pain in his own way, so he just wanted to make you smile.

And he was not going to fail.

[sparklecryptid]

Cor/Ardyn meet-cute?

Ardyn had a sense of shame once.

It died a long time ago. He can't pinpoint when it died but it was probably around the time when Verstael stared too long at his naked body. Doctors are weird, Ardyn thinks as he lounges on the chaise lounge in a bookstore that he bought in Insomnia for fun. He is never going to see one again.

The chaise lounge is green velvet set in a dark mahogany and it likely cost more than some peoples rent but Ardyn has filled his coffers with the lost wealth of Lucian Royalty.

Does he feel bad having turned all his family history into money? No. They aren't his family anyway. They're Somnus' family and while Ardyn is no longer a bundle of murderous intent existing solely to destroy Lucis and the descendants of his brother he's still petty enough to take their money and spend it however he wants.

Ardyn should probably be manning the cash register.

He is not. He is engrossed in a rather sub-par romance novel when the bell above the door rings - signalling a customer.

Ardyn looks up, sees the Marshal of the Crownsguard, debates stabbing him and then decides it's not worth it and settles back into the chaise.

He thinks he's annoyed Cor, he hopes he did.

A shadow looms over Ardyn.

Ardyn turns a page.

Cor clears his throat.

Ardyn looks up.

"Can I help you, Sir Marshal?" Ardyn asks, raising an eyebrow at the man's flustered face.

"Is-" Cor's poor face has a darling blush on it and Ardyn finds himself charmed. "-Is the book you're reading any good?"

Ardyn lights up.

"Oh my dear!" Ardyn swings his legs off the side of the chaise and sits up with his elbows on his knees, the book placed delicately beside him and he grins at Cor. "Is the dear Marshal a romantic?"

Cor's face takes on a deeper hue of red and the Marshal sighs as if he's being forced through a great trial.

"It's not for me," Cor tries to explain.

"That's what they all say," Ardyn trills.

"It's for one of my students," Cor tries again, "He has a fondness for romance novels but I- have no experience reading them."

Ardyn makes a disapproving noise.

“Oh what a tragedy,” he says, “We must find you some books immediately.”

“I’m not here for me-”

“A man of your persuasion needs a hobby don’t they? Surely there is no better way to calm down after an intense outing than with a good book.”

“My student-”

“Yes, yes,” Ardyn says, “We will certainly find something for your student as well, now tell me, what do you like?”

Cor lets out the sigh of a defeated man.

Ardyn grins.

(If Cor leaves with Ardyn’s number and more novels than he went in for that’s no one’s business but his own.)

[smorgasbordofobsessions]

liveblog: kingsglaive final fantasy xv

some absolute king put the movie to the internet archive - thank you. of course, i hope i'm watching the right thing haha.

regis honestly just so -chefs kiss-

it's crazy how long the wall around Insomnia was up

love when the niffs fuck up a royal gathering

young ravus! love it

ravus yelling for regis to help them :(

wow this flashback is different than the one in the anime

luna's clothes are different

but the acitons are te same

so not that different

getting some lotr the two towers vibes from this battle scene and i'm here fo it

and i LOVE this dude's invisible power nice

nyx's voice sounds so familiar!

nyx: i'm worth the wait

loving him already

but i'm liking seeing the way all these warriors are interacting with each other. can definitely tell they've spent plenty of time in each other's pockets

oh the cerberus!! i really liked that entrance

oh wait, no, what fun daemon is this?????

in love with the way nyx is using the warp

now i can ask the question: where the fuck are they? clearly not in insomnia, unless this is set during noctis' rest? but it can't be since this is 12 yrs after lunafreya became a prisoner...

hm, it'll get explained to me

nyx is nothing without the king. please remember that nyx

hm, yes, we love king regis

an envoy from niflheim????

oh it's ardyn!!!!!

god, yes, yes, yes, we love ardyn

oh he's delicious i loe his grandstanding

oh he mentioned noctis, that's a no-no

oh??? ardyn proposed noctis and lunafreya to get married??

oh this is so fucking great wow thank you ardyn

hm so this one insomnia soldier doesn't like nyx, how nice

oh shit night life in insomnia??

whatever the music is is banging

i missed his name but the dude makes sense

but where did these kingsglaive soldiers come from if they're outsiders?

i love a strategic meeting

especially because of how you can see regis actually tremble from weakness

also, gotta say, it's amazing that regis has the strength to support the wall and the kingsglaive

hm regis accepted the truce

hm

who the hell is clarus?? i know who he is, but more like where is he, so who is he in regis' little posse

commencing operation: infiltrate tenebrae

lunafreya looks GREAT

oh hello ravus

"whatt you believe does not concern me"

god, knowing what i know about ravus, it must've hurt him hearing his own sister call him a lap dog to the empire

they have cartoons????

going back a bit, wonder what was up with the van that crow saw. bit suspicious

mm what a sexy car

i fucking KNEW it was an audi

"what good will you be without the king's magic?"

oh that IS clarus okay

yo they really just came in and said "we'll take lunafreya thanks"

hm.. i have suspicious feelings about lunafreya

like maybe she's ardyn??

"my duty is my destiny, your majesty. i'm prepared to accept whatever my come to pass"

goddamn

oh so crow's defintiely dead

i keep missing his name, but this dude is so torn up over crow's death he ripped off the kingsglaive insignia

hm, so the dude is going rougue, and wow, that was overheard by three other glaives

eve of the signing ceremony...

doesn't that mean that noctis and co have left already, actually?

yes, it must, because regis wanted freya to meet noctis

so, yes, the freya in insomnia is absolutely... not ardyn

hm

crutch dude has now joined a rebel group - i just hope he did some vetting and isn't about to talk to niffs

who is that general in the armor?? hm, interesting

oof nyx with that round bubble butt

lunafreya is missing, how nice and convenient when the treaty signing is about the happen

regis ordered the kingsglaive to go save lunafreya, nice

god, one of regis's last acts as king :(

"for hearth" "and home"

that's actually a nice call and response

god, i'd love to be a legilimens so i could read regis' thoughts. he must know what this is probably gonna be his last day on eos

the hoods are very asassin's creed and i like that inspiration

hm what fun whisper was that to the niff ambassador

oh wait that dude is the niff emperor my bad

hm, yes, we love double talk

mm sexy kills yes

god, yes, the game's afoot!

octopus in teh airship? kinky

we love traitors

oh wow the crystal has been deactivated :(

honestly though, humungous props to niflheim for diong this. like this is a BRILLIANT politcal move, it really is

yes we fucking love regis and clarus fighting together!!

"then let us once more into the fray, old friend"

WE ARE HERE FOR THAT!!!

so sad the outcome though :(

ouch, clarus!!

"we have broken the wall. all that remains is the break the city"

100% correct emperor

nyx is so exasperated by lunafreya

yeah this dude in the vest - like he thought he was gonna somehow be great under niff rule??

oh hello there ravus

ravus put on the ring and, hm, he wasn't found worhty

nyx is fighting the super souped up general

and it JUST occured to me that the reason why nyx sparks when he uses magic is because it's not his

so this is how luna got the ring okay

we love parallels

regis's last stand :(

:'(

oh so the crutch dude didn't do any vetting at all because he only found out that the other refugees were working with niflheim

slacking bro

but, now yo can do what you want and bring refugees into the city

idk why any one would that that niff would keep its word, but that's besides the point

hm, no airbags?

"true power is not something that is found by those who seek it. it is something that is found by those who deserve it."

crutch dude being called 'hero' = irony

haha this traitor put the ring on, idiot.

though lunafreya baited him a bit but i support that

wow this ring got passed around like a hot potato

I WANT TO KNOW THE CONVERSATINO IGNIS HAD WITH THE LUCII KINGS!!!!!!!

nyx has been found wothy - until dawn

crutch dude's name is libertus

libertus threw away the pills, good job!

oh ehll yea the statues are moving!! i iked seeing that in thhe game

caught way caught up in watching the movvie

i absolutely loved the fighting. all the moving parts were done amazingly well and the effects and graphics were stunning

honestly a great fight. truly enjoyed that.

though, both libertus and luna know what nys is definitely come with morning's light, it's nice of them to be optimistic

luna doesn't fit in with the other people but separate paths yes

okay nyx was aaron paul, regis was sean bean

i knew nyx's voice was familiar

what a good movie! i really enjoyed that

love that it helps flesh out what happened prior to signing day, and also showed us how good the kingsglaives are in combat

i liked that everything was so tense and there weren't too many motivations for why people turned traitor or fighting - everything came down to fighting for home (minus niff as a whole but that's an empire so given)

also, liked seeing how the ring got passed around,and seeing ravus try it on, though it was told to us in game he had

overall, good! the backstory provided was great and really does help develop the game more

[goddessofroyalty]

In that one too, in the same way Noctis can summon the astrals, sometimes if something's going bad enough Prompto just.... 'summons' his crazy ass brothers and mom. (More like sos text, lmao.)

Do you think he'd find it out before or after the train? If before, imagine him just playing along with what he was being told, like 'oh no, I totally believe I'm a clone and not some interdimensional baby who was thrown into your lab. Oh no....' He already knows his story, and has an actually done DNA test to prove it.

And yes, anyone that comes from them, if introduced, Cloud thinks of them as his. It's definitely more complicated feelings then 'yep, I'm their mom ' but they're definitely considered part of his family. Even just Prompto's friend's probably are.

So I'm torn between knowing just how ridiculously overpowered that would make Prompto (Ravus would be fucking fucked) and like... the pure entertainment value of it (like imagine fighting the prince's commoner twink friend and then another, even more OP twink shows up with three silver-haired guys and just curve-stomps you).

I feel like with how FFXV's plot is spaced out it'd have to be before the train, because after is... a bit too close to the end of the plot (and like we have to give Noctis a chance to process and become okay with and joke about this - and 'find Prompto, find out Prompto's real-real parentage, oh look I'm in a crystal now' doesn't work well for that). So the whole time with Ardyn is just Prompto trying not to spill that he knows this isn't the truth about him while... okay still being horrified at the everything else about the situation and how messed up Niflheim's scientists are generally.

It's probably weird because Roxas at least is probably more quickly assumed to be Cloud's kid than the remnants. But Cloud's feelings towards him are... not entirely parental. He probably feels to them the way he feels to Yuffie - kind of big-brother, kind of mentor, kind of parental, but not really fitting neatly into one of those categories.

[secret-engima]

*kicks down door* WHO WANTS TO READ ME RAMBLE/RANT ABOUT THE GRALEA LEVEL IN FFXV AND WHY IT ACTUALLY WAS A GOOD LEVEL AND EVERYONE SHOULD PLAY THE NOCTIS ROUTE AT LEAST ONCE RATHER THAN THE GLADIO ROUTE EVEN THOUGH IT’S TERRIFYING AND FRUSTRATING.

No one?

WELL TOO BAD.

(Unless you haven’t played or watched the game yet and don’t want spoilers in which case TURN AWAY NOW).

...Ahem. *deep breath* Okay so I will forever stand by my opinion that chapter 13 of the game (the one that takes place on the train and then in Gralea) is Good™ and does exactly what it's supposed to in the narrative. That is not to say I don't hate it with a passion and didn't cheer when they added the Gladiolus route for those of us (like me) who didn't want to replay the Noctis route again, but I will stubbornly insist to anyone that wants to listen that the chapter's difficulty and wildly different tone and pacing was THE POINT of the darn thing and deserves some respect for it.

See, the game up to that point is, if not always lighthearted (because it's not), has still been something of an Adventure Story™. Yes there's horrible tragic things like Insomnia falling and Regis dying, but for the most part the gameplay is exploration and cool combat mechanics and the relationship between the four brothers. It's ... happy for a good chunk of it. There's this light at the end of the tunnel, this comfy assurance that there can be a happy ending, that this can all be fixed and tied up in a neat little bow somehow.

Then Altissia happens. Luna dies, Ignis is blinded, and the game puts you on literal rails, forcing you to go hurtling toward A Different Tone. Everyone is stressed, everyone is scared or angry. You’d THINK that this is the lowest point of the story and that surely there’s going to be an emotional reconciliation between Noctis and Gladio and then we’ll get back to exploring and saving the world and all that jazz.

Except we don’t.

The train scene with Ardyn and Shiva happens, and the entire heartbreak with Prompto happens, and that’s when things start to seriously crack. You lose all access to your magic while stuck in this narrow train, then you lose the Regalia, your symbol of freedom, your main way to travel through the game (even when you fast travel, the animation of arrival shows you getting out of the Regalia). You are now trapped in Gralea. In dark, hostile territory with one of your party missing, one of them blind, the other angry at you, and still no magic. Then a few minutes later you are forcibly separated from the rest of your party, the characters you’ve spent all game getting attached to, and leaning on, and laughing with. They are your last anchor points to the brother dynamic that has kept the whole game on a lighter note and now they are GONE. You have none of your weapons or skills, you have no idea where the others are (first time playing the game without spoilers anyway), you have NOTHING. No hope. No backup. No distractions from the fact that, oh yeah, this is a story where the Bad. Guys. Win. Are winning, have won, and all Noctis (all you) can do is take out the Ring that slowly killed Regis, that Luna died for, the thing that represents everything going wrong and all NOCTIS must do to fix it even when he is painfully, woefully unprepared ... and finally put it on. 

Noctis (and by extension you, the player) MUST shoulder the responsibility of being the king of a lost kingdom, of acknowledging that he IS the king, his dad was MURDERED, and Luna was killed for the thing you are now wearing and everything it means. It’s your only option until you eventually find the dead Ravus and take back Regis’s sword toward the middle/end of the level, which you can’t use recklessly because every swing drains your very life-force, forcing the Ring to still be your “best” option in many cases.

Most of that level is spent running, and hiding, and praying that the MT Units on the floor don’t leap up and try to murder you, or that the daemons don’t notice you, or that the teleporting daemon doesn’t find you, or that Ardyn will just SHUT UP because his taunts are really unhelpful right now.

The only hope you have left in this level is to grit your teeth and get through it with the Ring until you can reunite with your brothers and get magic back and go get the Crystal, the mcguffin of this whole game, and put the game back on the normal track of brotherly dynamics and fun quests. Just get to the Crystal, and everything will somehow start going back to normal.

And then that turns out to be a trap too.

Welcome to the final act of a tragedy, and your character is the one living through it. There will be no restoration of the norm until you’ve seen this to its final conclusion. There will be no light save for the one Noctis dies for.

Even when I first played that level (vanilla, not even a day one patch version btw because I was an idiot like that) and hated it because it was terrifying, I never thought it didn't belong in the story like ... quite a few comments I saw on the internet later insisted it didn’t. This is Noctis's story. This is Noctis's tragedy. THIS is the level that strips every last distraction and security blanket and shelter away from him and makes him put on the Ring and thus shoulder everything it represents. There is- terror here, there is trauma, there is GRIEF. This is practically Noctis's headspace without his brothers, because let's not forget that while we the players are having fun fishing and catching frogs for a silly scientist lady, Noctis is a refugee from an empire that MURDERED HIS FATHER and the FATHER OF HIS SHIELD-BROTHER, destroyed his HOME and then, right before Gralea, murdered Luna, the girl who he's known and talked to and confided in via letter for twelve years. This is a world falling into literal darkness (and if the player hadn’t noticed how the daytime cycle in the game kept getting shorter and shorter before this point YOU CERTAINLY NOTICE NOW) and it's up to Noctis- JUST Noctis, ONLY NOCTIS thanks to a Prophecy made long before he was ever born, to somehow Fix It™.

One person. Just one.

And he has to fix ... all of this.

How?

He doesn’t know. During the Gralea level he DOESN’T KNOW. All he (all we) know is that the Crystal is the key, but since the Crystal only answers to Lucis Caelums, that means Noctis is the key, and Noctis (and you the player) is painfully aware of how Not Ready he is.

And the weight of that is enough to render you helpless in the face of it. The fear of that is a maze. The terror of it is a monster following you down the halls that you cannot escape from and cannot kill while it laughs at your misery.

All of that is GRALEA. The capital city of the people who overthrew his home, killed his father, killed his fiancé, and isolated him from the last safety nets he had.

The entirety of chapter 13 isn’t meant to be enjoyed. It’s meant to make you scared. It’s meant to frustrate you and make you feel helpless. It’s meant to make you feel sick when you learn what the daemons and MTs you’ve been killing really are. It’s meant to make you RAGE against Ardyn, and the Empire, and this entire situation because you’re one person and you’re not prepared for this and it’s NOT FAIR and you just want things to go BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS AND ALL OF THIS SUCKS.

Yeah. It does.

And who else do you think feels like that?

Noctis.

Chapter 13 isn’t meant to be fun. It’s meant to make you feel like Noctis does.

And what emotions would you expect from someone who has just lost everything and is expected to fix everything for everyone else, and now has no distractions or shields between him and his grief?

I remember reading an article about “why this chapter failed” and it was basically to the order of “this game is about a fun road trip with your bros and reuniting with your fiancé and chapter 13 breaks away from that too hard” and I respectfully have to disagree.

This story isn’t about a “fun road trip” and it isn’t just about “reuniting with your fiancé”. From the very first cutscene we are told that it’s not in Regis’s desperate (and soon revealed as last) words to his son about setting forth on a journey and not being able to go back. We are told it’s not in the first hour or so when Insomnia burns and Noctis cries and Cor tells us that “in his last moments together he didn’t want to be your king, he wanted to be your father”. How is that a “fun story about a road trip?”. Yes the road trip IS fun for us, and it IS about the brother relationship, but in a large, LARGE part-

Final Fantasy XV is about a young man setting out into the world and facing the hardships of it. It’s about loss. It’s about regrets. It’s about how no matter how much you want them to, some things can never go back to the way they were yet you must keep going anyway. It’s about how the darkness of the world will just keep taking-taking-taking until someone is willing to pay the price to make it stop, and that sometimes a happy ending for the people you love most means giving up your own personal happy ending on their behalf.

Final Fantasy XV never really hid the fact that it was a tragic, bittersweet story.

But it’s in chapter 13 that the story refuses to let you mistake it for anything else any longer.

Could the chapter have been structured a little better so that the gameplay itself wasn’t so frustrating? Probably. I know almost nothing about game design so that’s not really my call. But does the chapter, for all its frustration and anger-inducing inversion of pacing and tone, brutally get the point across?

Maybe it’s just my opinion, but I’d say yes. Yes it does. Because this video game was the one that fully 100% convinced me, in a way that no other video game had before, that the platform could tell heart wrenching stories, could give me characters I would care for, cry over, rage on the behalf of.

And a big part of that clicked for me at the ending, but it likely wouldn’t have if I hadn’t first struggled my way through chapter 13 and all the emotions it causes and represents just like Noctis did.

...

There. I’m done. Thanks for reading my long-suppressed rant on the most hated chapter of FFXV.