#for making noctis the most freaking powerful person in the room okay?

[secret-engima]

Title thingy if ur still doing that, my friend. Not Everyday Is A Good Day (Live Anyway)

Ohhhhh. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

So many things I could DO with this title. *squints*.

Did I ... ever do that ffxv naruto crossover I came up with at like 3AM?

Let’s assume I didn’t and roll with that.

It ends with dying.

It starts with waking up after dying, and finding a world gone bloody and primitive and strange.

It starts with a little boy from a village no one knows opening his eyes one day and ... remembering. Feeling the burning Light under his skin that tangles with the energy in the world around him and realizing he is alive once more ... and the world is completely different from what he remembers.

It is not a good beginning. Because the world has more than fallen apart since he was last awake, and people are superstitious and afraid of odd things.

And there are few things more odd than a little boy with too old eyes and a too sharp mind. A little child with no fear of death, with a birthmark on his front and back that looks like a blade went right through his heart, who dances in the storms with the rain beating his skin and a grin that is two shades too wild to be human.

It is not a good beginning, and there are a very many days that are even worse.

He lives anyway. He lives and he learns. Of ninja and clans, of a world where all have a fragment of magic, a tamer version of the Thing in his veins. Where the powerful wage war and technology is long, long lost (stolen, he thinks, by the paranoid, or perhaps forbidden by them out of fear of another Niflheim).

He lives, and when he is only eleven, he takes what few things he has to call his own and he leaves the village behind. No one misses him.

He walks and walks and walks, deeper and deeper into the wilds. At one point, he meets a giant orange fox who burns with old anger and simmering indifference. Their eyes meet, an old King and a newborn Astral, and the fox dips his head in silent, surprised acknowledgment of the truth men have forgotten. He keeps walking. Living off the wilds like he has done a thousand times in memories not his own, unafraid of the beasts, for they are not daemons, and nothing is scary after facing down daemons.

He finds a nice little nook in an unassuming wood, and there he builds himself a home. There is a village a few days walk away, and after growing bored with making too many potions to place even in his massive armiger, he goes to the village and sells them as herbal remedies. They taste terrible to drink instead of crush against skin, but they work just as well when swallowed.

The people of this village are superstitious too, but they do not know him as a boy turned suddenly too old, only as a mysterious wood hermit who looks too young for his eyes and sells miracle medicine for a pittance, who will save lives from incurable fates with a touch of green hands and a flicker of burning feathers and ask nothing in return.

It takes him a long time to realize the little house they’ve built him for when he comes to visit is actually a shrine.

Yoru, they call him. Night. For his hair and his quiet, for the shadows that walk in his steps. He thinks it’s funny, that even now, in another life, he still ends up with a name that means Night.

And it is a very lonely life, to be held as a friendly, if strange spirit of the woods by other humans, to be alone in his memories and his ghosts in a world that remembers his sacrifice when the humans there do not. The Astrals he has always known are deep in slumber, and for all he is lonely he is reluctant to wake them. Not everyday is a good day.

He lives anyway.

He is thirteen, he thinks, maybe fourteen, when she finds him. She is only his age, and she is so very, very pretty. A rarity with hair the color of pale gold and eyes as blue as the sky.

Funny how they look the same as they did in their last life.

She is a noble’s daughter, and she is too young to be out of her family’s care, but she is not the daughter of the nobleman’s wife, and the son who IS is deathly ill.

Heal my son, says her father with desperate eyes, and I will give you my daughter.

He is angry at the thought of it. At seeing her, who has saved the world and holds his heart even now, being used as a bargaining chip with what these people think is a wayward forest spirit. He could do anything to her in their minds.

And they do not care.

The son matters more.

He accepts and he heals the son they have brought of his illness (something simple, something the non-magical medicine of his era could have healed).

The nobleman, his son, and his escort depart. They leave her behind.

She takes his hands in hers and whispers that she is glad, they touch lips, brief and chaste, and she laughs when he names her Tsuki. His Moon.

Maybe it is a good day after all.

The locals acclimate to her quickly, whisper over the powers they think she has gained by becoming his bride. He does not care, he has his Moon and his little forest home. If his brothers find him ... then life would be perfect, but until then, he is content.

And then a ninja sets his house on fire.

Well, the village shrine really, but it’s the same thing now after Luna talked him into moving in permanently so as to better treat the villagers.

There are five of them, three with black hair and fire licking their bones and two with brown hair and magic like water or earth. They are fighting, and while one of the black hairs sets the shrine on fire, it is one with brown hair that knocks down the lovely Tori gate he’d grown rather fond of.

His magic unfurls, heavy and displeased, and all five drop to their knees with gasps of shock and fear. Two struggle to their feet, collapse again when he presses downward with his magic. They have more magic than the villagers, but compared to him and his Moon, they are raindrops in an ocean.

“Leave this place,” he snarls, his voice layered with a hundred others, and the ninja blanch as they flee.

Except one. The brown haired one who knocked over his Tori gate and is apparently bleeding very badly from his torso, struggles to stand and then collapses.

The other brunette leaves him behind.

He sighs as his magic curls inward and it’s the work of a moment to drag the man inside the crispy house and see what’s wrong. A few potions set the man to rights, and when he wakes up hours later, stupefied and wary, his Moon laughs as he sends the ninja on his way with a scowl.

Three days later, two ninja arrive in the village. All the villagers glare, they are still trying to figure out how to fix the gate on such short notice, but the ninja make no trouble as they approach the shrine home.

“I am Hashirama, leader of the Senju Clan,” the elder says with a low bow, so low his long brown hair touches the ground, “and I came to offer thanks and apologies for my clansmen.”

The white haired one just scowls, skeptical as he stares at the shrine and its inhabitants.

“I am Yoru,” he answers, all of maybe seventeen now, “and this is Tsuki. Your ninja knocked my gate down. And three more set my house on fire.”

Hashirama winces, “I am sorry for the gate, I can fix it if you like.” Yoru tilts his head and Hashirama takes it as an agreement.

Tsuki makes a noise of surprised delight when a new gate grows up from the ground, living wood in the desired shape. Yoru makes a pleased noise, his magic couldn’t do that. He looks back down at the Senju in interest, “I’ve never seen a ninja do that before,” he muses, and the man laughs a touch nervously.

They have come to make amends, but as far as Yoru is concerned, the gate has paid their tab. Even so, he asks questions and when he learns of the Senju’s war with the Uchiha, he frowns.

“Leave my village and my forest alone,” he says, “So long as you are within twelve miles of the village, you are not to fight.” The white-haired one protests, but Yoru will not budge.

It doesn’t take long for him to have to enforce that rule.

He hears the burning of wood and the feels the flare of magic and sighs as he warps over there. A glance proves it’s the brunettes and the black hairs again.

He lets his magic surge out and flatten them in their surprise, snuffs the flames with an ice spell, and glares, “I said,” he intones darkly, “no fighting near my home.”

“You dare-!” snarls the leader of the black haired ones, only to falter when Yoru turns his gaze on him. Speechless under the weight of the gaze.

Most people are when facing eyes the color of age and blood.

“I don’t know what war you fight,” he says slowly, “but you will not fight it here. If you do this again, there will be consequences.”

He looks over at the Senju, silent warning that his message applies to them too. Then he sighs and folds his arms over his chest, “Are you even fighting for a cause? Why are you so determined to kill each other?”

Both sides break out in shouting, accusations of death and vengeance that makes him feel weary. Tsuki touches his shoulder from where she has caught up, her eyes solemn, and Yoru scoffs, “What a pointless reason to fight.”

“And what would you know?” Snarls one of the Uchiha as he stalks forward, moving under the weight of Yoru’s magic only because Yoru is not projecting it all. The sword lashes out for Yoru’s neck, and his armiger flairs to life, blocking the blade and pointing four more at the man’s throat.

The leader of the Uchiha hisses a name, it sounds like “Izuna”.

Yoru looks into red eyes with black marks and crushes the attempt at an illusion (so pathetic compared to Ardyn’s a lifetime ago) with barely a thought, “What would I know?” he muses softly. “What. Would I. Know?”

His magic begins to rise, shifting into visible spectrum, crystalline shares and licking blue fire, an armiger of dancing blades risking in ghostly white. He can feel his skin cracking open and gleaming, mortal skin fracturing under the pressure of angry magic, he lets it form, lets his skin turn grey and terrible, lets his magic coat the summer field with ice and his shoulders with ghostly blue fire.

He watches as the Uchiha who lashed out at him pales, eyes flickering frantically, trying to see through a trick that does not exist.

“Do not presume to know me,” Yoru growls, “do not presume to know my heart or my ways. I have seen what vengeance wreaks. I have walked through its graveyards, I have stood beneath its blackened skies and tasted its ash as the world rots beneath the endless night. Vengeance will eat you alive and hunger for more, it will demand more blood than the world contains and at the end of the day, the dead you claim to be avenging Will. Not. Care. Vengeance is not a reason to fight. It is a reason to die. And if it is death you want, then I will give it to you. I will burn your home to as he and stand upon the bones, and when I am done and the world goes quiet, there will be none who look upon them and will be able to tell your bones from those of the Senju you despise. Is that what you want, little ninja? To paint the world brown with your dried blood? To rouse what lies sleeping and destroy what yet breathes?” All the ninja have gone dead white and Yoru snarls, old, tired fury in his blood, memories of Conqueror-Fierce-Warrior-Mystic stirring him toward violence, “Well? SPEAK and it will be so. Speak and I will SHOW YOU what vengeance is-.”

Tsuki’s- Luna’s- arms rest on his bicep, unflinching from the heat, and she whispers, “Peace, my love.”

His anger cools. His skin heals over. His armiger fades.

Yoru steps back from the white-faced ninja, those who have heard of the supposed healer guardian of the forest but not believed it until this moment, and he warns with dark exhaustion, “Leave. Leave and think about what it is you really want. For your world to burn? Or for your children to be able to grow old rather than lie forgotten in shallow graves and crows’ bellies. Fight here again, fight anywhere with in fifty miles of my home, and I will end your blood feud for you, and neither side will celebrate my intervention.” Yoru turns away, ignoring the wide-eyed Hashirama, the spinning red eyes of the Uchiha, “go away and cease playing at war.”

Tsuki leads him home and he lies on the floor for a long time. Letting the cool of the wood leach into his bones, letting his magic curl lazy patterns in the air as his Moon and his Love curls patiently against his chest, waiting for him to rise out of the memories howling in his head.

Today is not a good day.

Tomorrow might be better, when it comes, but even if it isn’t ... well.

Not every day is a good day.

He lives anyway.

And he will never forget what a blessing that is.

[echoes-of-the-clockwork]

Book Two: Sapphire (Ignis x Reader) Chapter V

While exploring Keycatrich Trench, (Y/n) kept her lips sealed as she listened to the boy's banter back and forth. She walked a little ahead of the group, curious to learn the layout of the area and locate the royal tomb as quick as possible.

After having located a generator and activating it, the guardian overheard Ignis scold Prompto. "Tis impertinent to ogle, Prompto."

The younger boy blinked, not realizing he'd been staring at (Y/n). "I-I, uh...was staring?"

"Quite intently," the advisor said.

"Can't blame the kid for staring," Gladio said, meeting Ignis' gaze. "It's your fault, Iggy."

"Do pray tell."

"For hiding (Y/n)."

Said girl rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I'm standing right here." She placed a hand on her hip. "And nothing's Iggy's fault. He wasn't hiding me from anyone. He was simply respecting my wishes. I'm...very shy and get embarrassed rather easily."

"We can tell," the shield chuckled. "Your cheeks are turning red."

She quickly turned away, scrunching up her shoulders. She nibbles on her bottom lip, wondering how to retort. However, she didn't need to say anything because Prompto came to her rescue. "H-Hey, that's okay! There's nothing wrong with being shy! I mean, even I'm shy from time to time."

(Y/n) pushed past her shyness and smiled kindly at the marksman. She was thankful for his intervention. "I appreciate your kindness, Prompto."

His own cheeks turned red. "Y-Yeah, of course."

Continuing through the tunnels, they tried different branching paths. Many of the metal doors were locked and resulted in them to travel deeper. Exploring one of the main tunnels, Prompto suddenly shouted in fright when the faint echo of 'clinking' could be heard. His eyes bounced around in desperation, trying to locate the source of the sound. "What was that?!"

"My bad. Kicked a can," Gladio explained with a faint smirk.

Prompto glared at him. "You are killing me here, big guy! Are you trying to give me a heart attack here or somethin'?!"

"It is rather dark in these tunnels even with the generator on," (Y/n) commented.

"Think there's something in here with us?" Noctis asked her.

"It's a dark, musty system of tunnels. Of course there's something in here with us."

"Can you two please stop?" Prompto whined.

The prince shrugged his shoulders. "Not like you haven't fought daemons before."

"No, but I don't wanna think about what's in here with us! My imagination will go wild and freak me out even more!"

Noctis continued to lead them through Keycatrich Trench. (Y/n) walked behind the prince with Ignis beside her. The two could feel Prompto and Gladio staring at them, but they ignored the eyes boring into their backs. The guardian was tempted to transform after becoming uncomfortable because of the boys' staring and scrunched up the hem of her dress in her fists.

Ignis noticed this when she unconsciously took a step towards him. One of her shy habits is to walk closer to him when she felt uneasy. He adjusted his glasses and peered over his shoulder at the two boys walking behind him. "Is something the matter, gentlemen?"

"Oh, I've got tons of questions," Gladio remarked. "And none of them are for you, Iggy."

"Same here," Prompto muttered.

"I'm positive (Y/n) will answer any and all questions you so desire to ask," Ignis replied. "Gawking will get you no answers."

The sapphire-eyed girl glanced over her shoulder at Prompto and Gladio. "Yes, ask me anything. But do cease staring. It's making me uncomfortable."

"Sorry," the shield apologized. "Still in shock at seeing what you really look like after all these years. I'm not used to seeing a woman hanging around Iggy, only a white fluff ball. Now I understand why he refused to let me set him up with any woman. He had you all to himself."

(Y/n) pauses her stride and turned to face the brute. "Iggy and I aren't an item. Perhaps your taste in women is why he refused to let you set him up on a date."

"So you'd be okay with him being with another woman?" Gladio came to a stop directly in front of her. He couldn't read her stoic expression and was trying to figure out if what he detected between the two was indeed unspoken feelings.

She lowered her head with a sigh. "If he's happy, I don't care who he's with. If he ever needs me, I'll be there. And if I prove to be a hindrance for him and prevent him from doing what he wants, I will leave so he can be happy."

All four boys stopped at her declaration. Ignis and Prompto were wide-eyed while Gladio and Noctis only blinked in surprise. The marksman stepped forward and nearly stumbled over his own feet. "B-But what about your own happiness, (Y/n)? I know you're Iggy's guardian and all, but don't you deserve to be happy too?"

"A guardian's duty is to protect the soul that which gave them life and ensure their happiness. If Ignis can only achieve happiness when I'm gone, then so be it. There's no room for my own happiness." She hung her head, hiding her face with her (h/c) locks. "May we drop this subject? I don't want to talk about it anymore." Walking ahead, she left the boys behind.

Prompto stared sorrowfully at her back as she disappeared deeper into the tunnels. He then looked over at Ignis. "You wouldn't ask her to leave, would you, Iggy?"

"Not even for a moment," the advisor declared strongly, eyes focused on her retreating figure.

Gladio folded his arms across his chest with a smirk. "I'm sensing something between you two. If it's what I think it is, you better get your ass movin', Iggy."

The tactician sighed. He wanted to drop the subject and leave the turmoils of his own heart for another time. His duty was to Noctis and that was all that mattered at the moment. "We've idled too long. Let's proceed forth."

"Right..." Noctis muttered. He glanced at Ignis and saw his cool composure was still intact as always. There wasn't even a crack. The prince knew his advisor all too well and how he never broadcasted his feelings. He was too occupied with his own duty to him and wouldn't allow his emotions to come into play. Noctis was grateful for what Ignis' has done for him over the years, but he wished he wasn't a robot programmed with one function-to watch over him. Even a straight-laced guy like Ignis deserved his own happiness and Noctis didn't want him to dedicate his entire life to him. One day he will find someone who truly makes him happy and Noctis would be more than overjoyed for him.

The prince wondered if (Y/n) was that special person and all Ignis needed was a push. Maybe this journey wasn't just for him, but for the strategist to finally stop acting like an emotionless robot and see there's more to life than being a royal advisor. From that moment, Noctis decided he would help both Ignis and (Y/n).

Unbeknownst to the prince, Prompto was thinking the same thing. He could see how much Ignis and (Y/n) cared for each other just by watching them together. Even when the guardian wasn't in her human form, he could tell how the two really cared about each other. Alongside his best friend, he would help them find happiness in each other.

Pushing their thoughts aside, Noctis and Prompto went after (Y/n) with Gladio and Ignis close behind. They followed the tunnel until they entered a room with a metal door. Looking around, they didn't find the girl anywhere. Prompto approaches the metal door to open it, but he screamed and retracted his hand when something beats on the other side of the door and leaves a large dent.

"What is it?" Ignis asked.

Prompto shook his head with a shaky voice. "I-I don't know. Maybe it was (Y/n)."

"Doubtful," Gladio scoffed.

"You never know!"

"What would be the point in her trying to scare us?"

"Maybe you pissed her off."

"(Y/n) would never pull such a petty stunt if she were angered," Ignis stated.

Gladio chortled. "Sounds like you've experienced her anger first-hand."

"On a few occasions I have witnessed her fury."

"Oh, yeah? What's she like?" Noctis pried.

"A frigid, silent anger that strikes fear in your being with a single glance from her. It's as if she freezes your blood from inside your body."

"Damn..." Gladio mumbled. "Now I wanna see her pissed off."

"She did frighten one of the parliament members quite terribly to the point of him retracting his proposal and resigning from his position," Ignis said.

"Wait, are you talking about Councilman Tenmus?" The prince asked.

"One and the same."

"I hated that guy..."

"Who didn't?" Gladio asked. "(Y/n) did all of us a favor. She must've been really pissed if she showed herself to him."

Ignis smirked at the memory. "She was quite livid with the man for his taxation statement. His sudden resignation was a welcomed surprise."

Noctis' chuckles. "I'll say. We better find her. We might need to scare off even more people..."

Eventually, the boys stumbled across a collapsed tunnel. They crouch to proceed through the small opening from the partially collapsed tunnel off to one side of the main tunnel. "First time through here, right?" Prompto asked.

"Looks it," Gladio responded. He followed behind the blonde and felt something cold on the wall. Looking towards the spot, he saw a patch of ice. "Seems munchkin came this way too."

"Think she handled the daemons already?" Prompto asked.

"She can kick ass without us. I wouldn't be surprised if she's already wiped out most of the daemons in these tunnels."

Exiting the small opening, the boys turn right at the next tunnel and follow it to the end. Ignis looked around with a huff. "A dead end."

"I could've sworn this was it..." Prompto mumbled.

Suddenly, the lights powered by the generator go out. Gladio looked around in confusion. "The hell?"

"Somebody...turn on a light!"

The four turn on their flashlights to find themselves under attack by goblins. The small daemons launches themselves at the boys, but each one screamed out in pain as a barrage of icicles pierced their bodies and killed them instantly. They each fell to the ground before their bodies vanished into nothingness. From behind the dead daemons, a figure emerged from the darkness. "The generator ran out of gas," (Y/n) stated. "Looks like we're stuck with only flashlights."

"Where'd you run off to?" Noctis inquired.

"We are here for a royal tomb, are we not?" She remarked. "I was looking for it."

"So you really weren't trying to scare us earlier?" Prompto asked.

She arched a brow. "Scare you? Why would I do that?"

"N-No reason!"

She eyed him curiously before shaking her head. "Anyway, I think I found another path. Follow me."

The boys followed the guardian down the opposite end of the tunnel. There, they pass through a narrow opening between two nearly closed blast doors into another tunnel. With a new path revealed, they located another generator. Noctis started it and deactivated his flashlight when he saw the lights in the tunnel flicker on. More goblins manifest and attack, but they were weak and stood no chance against the group.

Proceeding forth, the group comes across a pair of unlocked metal doors at the other end of this tunnel and heard a sound like a faucet turning as they walk through. Prompto looked around at his friends. "Wait. Hear that?"

"I didn't hear anything," Noctis replied.

"I heard it," (Y/n) said. "Are we going to check it out?"

"I think you two are just hearing things."

"Dude, we're not paranoid," Prompto remarked.

Walking through a door on the other side of the room, they find what appears to be a locker room with showers, but there's no one else in the room. "Nothing," Prompto muttered.

"That's weird," Gladio commented.

"I do believe we are being toyed with," Ignis said.

"You sayin' daemons are messing with us?"

"Smaller daemons, especially goblins and imps, have a somewhat playful mannerism and tend to toy with their prey before attacking," (Y/n) said.

"Well, that explains why we're hearing all these weird noises..." Prompto murmured.

Returning to the previous room, Noctis and the others are ambushed by a group of tarantula daemons. Prompto summoned his pistol and shot at the adversaries. "These are not the type of bad guys I like to fight."

Gladio swung his greatsword while asking, "What type do you like to fight?"

"None, now that you mention it."

(Y/n) killed the last tarantula daemon with a minuscule ice spell, pinning its body to the wall with an icicle. Gladio, who was standing beside her, grinned. "You trying to redecorate the place?"

"With daemon corpses? They don't last very long," she replied. "Besides, this place is gonna need a little more than redecorating to get rid of this dreary atmosphere. Maybe some ice could help."

The brute huffed out a chuckle at her playful banter. He was glad she was working past her shyness and joining in his playfulness. He dispelled his greatsword as he and the others approach another pair of metal doors in the room. Prompto eyes the doors with a slightly giddy grin. "Ooh, this looks promising."

"In an ominous sort of way," Gladio said.

"Stay sharp," Ignis advised.

After passing through the doors, then a short tunnel, and then yet another pair of metal doors, they enter what appears to be a wide, open storage room. As they step across the middle of the room, an arachne daemon descends from above and attacks.

"No way we're taking that thing on!" Prompto wailed.

"No turning back," Gladio said.

Noctis summoned his sword. "Nope."

The arachne daemon proved to be no obstacle. The group easily slew it and continued through Keycatrich Trench. They locate another small passage that requires them to crouch. After crouching, moving through the small passage into the next tunnel, and making their way to the next intersection, Gladio takes notice of something down the path to the left. "Huh? The hell?"

(Y/n) looked toward what had the shield's attention and spotted the doors to the next royal tomb they'd been searching for. Noctis also saw the royal tomb and makes his way over. He unlocks the doors to the Tomb of the Conqueror and they slide open. Stepping inside, the prince claims the Axe of the Conqueror. When he stepped out of the royal tomb with his newly claimed ancestral arm in his arsenal, Prompto asked, "So, Noct borrows the old kings' powers?"

"More or less," Ignis replied. "At this rate, he'll soon rival his father's legacy."

""The Copycat King"," Gladio mocked.

Noctis glared weakly at the brute. "Out of line."

"Well? What's it like?" The sharpshooter questioned.

"Hmm..." The prince glanced down at his hands and flexed his fingers. "Like I've got some tricks up my sleeve."

Gladio stuck his hands up in the air. "No need to put on a magic show for us."

"But it never hurt to practice," Ignis added.

"Guess not." Noctis tugged on the fringe of his hair. "Any idea on this conduit we're supposed to find?"

All eyes fell on (Y/n). She bashfully blinked and looked around at the boys. "Wh-Why're you all looking at me?"

"You're the guardian here and Cor said the conduit was one of your people."

"Th-That doesn't mean I know who or what this conduit is capable of..." She cleared her throat. "But I will do my best as a guardian to help you find the conduit. It's easier to speak to my people if I'm with you. The only humans spirits trust are their masters. Luckily, my people are easy to pick out in a crowd. Let's just hope the empire hasn't gotten to the conduit yet."

"Wait, if the empire doesn't know who the conduit is, won't they come after you, (Y/n)?" Prompto asked.

She nodded calmly. "Most likely."

"Eh, she's got nothing to worry about," Noctis said.

The marksman nodded with a wide smile. "That's right! You've got us, (Y/n)!"

"Pretty sure the lady can handle herself in a skirmish, Casanova," Gladio stated.

"I know, but we'll be there for her too!"

(Y/n)'s eyes widen in shock. She glanced around at the boys and saw them all smiling at her. She didn't expect to fit into their merry band this quick, but she was happy to already being closer to Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio. She was already tied to Ignis with the red string of fate and was looking forward to growing closer with the other boys after knowing them for years now. Smiling back, she giggled. "And I'll be here for each and every one of you."

With that, the group left Keycatrich Trench. Back at the entrance to the tunnel system, Noctis' cell phone rings and he promptly answers. "Yeah?"

"Finally picked up. Thought I'd lost another king," Cor responded on the other end.

"Just busy building my arsenal."

"Good to hear. I have a task for you. The empire's begun construction of a new base, along the road west to Duscae. I need you to put it out of commission. If left unchecked, it will cost us access to the west-and all the royal tombs that lie beyond. I believe you've met Monica. She can fill you in on the details. Go see her."

Noctis hung up, putting his phone back into his pocket. Prompto glanced over at him, wondering who called. "What's up?"

"People to see, bases to burn. Let's go see Monica at the outpost," Noctis replied.

"Come to think of it, we did spy a large structure," Ignis said.

"Yeah, hard to miss an ominous thing like that."

"Ain't gonna be easy takin' down a whole stronghold," Gladio claimed.

Prompto fiddled with his gloves. "Can we really do this?"

"The marshal believes we can, or he wouldn't have asked us. But first things first," the advisor started.

Noctis nodded. "Right. Let's head back to the outpost."

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[scottymcgeesterwrites]

Final Fantasy XV Review

Year: 2016

Original Platform: PlayStation 4

Also available on: PC (Steam), XBox One

Version I Played: PlayStation 4

Here we go. The final Final Fantasy review of the main single-player games. I just want to say, first off, we’ve been waiting for this game since 2006. It took them ten damn years to finally release this game. I clearly remember the teaser trailer they released when it was called Final Fantasy XIII Versus, and my next-door neighbor and I were so hyped for this game when we were freaking teenagers. After years of delays, Square Enix revamped it into Final Fantasy XV.

Did it live up to the wait? Well, read and find out.

Synopsis:

Noctis Lucis Caelum is the heir to the throne of the kingdom of Lucis. On his birthday, he sets off with his three best friends and bodyguards (Ignis, Prompto, Gladio) to marry his betrothed, Lunafreya. The marriage is supposed to be a political one, though Noct and Lunafreya had grown up together and become fond of each other. But peace turns to war as the empire of Niflheim betrays Insomnia and invades. Noct, now on the run, has to reclaim his right to the throne by collecting the necessary family heirlooms which will banish the darkness.  

Gameplay:

Open-world Final Fantasy.

That is the big selling point for this game. 

A MASSIVE step up from Final Fantasy XIII’s gameplay, Final Fantasy XV has you roaming around and attacking enemies on the field in real time. The battle system returns to something slightly more conventional by having you cast spells and use items. It seems like this is what Square really intended to do after Final Fantasy XII. Looking back, Final Fantasy XIII feels like some prototype before Final Fantasy XII, so it really becomes apparent that Final Fantasy XIII’s gameplay comes off as a huge mistake.

This game’s major’s strength comes from the player engaging with a massive world. You camp. You take on hunts. You take on a bajillion sidequests. You run across the world. You drive across the world. You can ride a chocobo across the world.

However, the dip in the gameplay comes from how easily accessible these sidequests are. The map tells you exactly where you go 24/7. I started to have an existential crisis around my 50th sidequest in a row. Why am I doing this? What’s the point? I go here to kill a thing, or go there to help someone by giving a potion or taking a picture. You start to realize that a good bulk of sidequests are either hunting daemons or fetching an item. You start to deconstruct the meaning of playing a video game as you think to yourself, “Why do I play video games?” while also thinking “But wait, one more and then I swear I’m done.”.

I get it, not everyone has the time nowadays to figure out a huge game like this. I get it, video games are now marketed to everyone for ease. At the same time, I personally love a good challenge. I mean, I’m the guy who has Dark Souls as one of his favorite video games of all time, so my opinion on the matter might definitely be skewered compared to most. I generally want to feel like I actually figured something out by myself rather than following a tracker on the screen and walking from task to task and then saying, “Okay done. Next.”.

Too much of that and playing a video game starts to feel like a 9 to 5 job to me. This game is great to play during quarantine, but at one point I saw playing this game as feeling like an actual job. Wake up, eat breakfast, time to hunt some daemons.

This is the growing conflict some people have with story-driven games versus open-world games. I see the argument focused too much on words like “linear”, but in reality we should be talking about “automation”. If a video game is too automated, then did you really play a video game? Or did you watch a movie that allows you to control the camera angle? At first, the idea of driving around an open-world Final Fantasy game sounds amazing. Isn’t that what fans always dreamed of? In reality, you don’t really drive around at your leisure. Even when you have the car set to “manual”, you can’t speed up, drive off-road, or pull off a sick drift like in The Fast and the Furious. Your car still automatically stays on the road wherever you’re going. It’s not so much “manual” as it is “I can control where and when to stop and which road to take”. Riding chocobos at your leisure is much more fun, but becomes increasingly impractical as you can just fast-travel to necessary locations in your car.

The sights and sounds of the fictional world of Eos are enough to gloss over these shortcomings though. It IS still fun to roam around and fight monsters and save the day. My bottom line is, “You don’t think about just how mindless the tasks are unless you keep playing for many days straight.”. And I poured hours into this game day after day because of the 2020 pandemic quarantine.

Graphics:

Obviously the best thus far. However, in-game facial expressions on the NPCs are still quite stilted and awkward. This game made me realize that we’ve yet to jump a hurdle when it comes to in-game graphics. The game is so polished but there are still limitations when it comes to giving the characters natural movements, both in body and lips. So an NPC could be shouting “WOW THAT’S AMAZING!” but have a straight face jumping up and down, despite the fact that the character model is the most realistic we’ve created so far in a video game. I was looking back at in-game cutscenes of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, and found it ironic that they can portray body movements so much better, but that’s the trade-off. Less graphics power to portray realistic bodies, but the graphics power can then be allocated to focus on natural movements. Nowadays, all the graphics power is focused on making things look good, but that hardly leaves room for making things move naturally.

Story:

After the overly-complicated plotline of Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XV feels like a breath of fresh air. On the surface, it’s a straightforward tale of a boy seeking to become a king after his father is brutally murdered by enemy forces. The bromance between the young king and his bodyguards is endearing. Each character feels distinct and genuinely makes you laugh. The setup sounds like prime real estate for an emotionally charged storyline.

Unfortunately, it falls apart somewhere around the last quarter. What should have been a strong and straightforward story turned into a rushed, hasty mess by the final act.

The story started SO strong, they practically had it in the bag, but then it became apparent that many important elements were glossed over - especially when it came to the main villain. I realized that some things required me to read between the lines, or even were only explained in character dossiers in the archive section of the menu. Supposedly, the movie Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV explains more, but do you really expect me to have to watch a separate movie to understand the actual game? The final quarter of the story feels like someone was trying to finish NaNoWriMo, realized they were running out of time, and quickly jumped from scene to scene to reach that 50k word goal. The ten-year time-skip is a joke. The final chapter is sorely disappointing.

The ending was appropriate though, and even beautiful. However, the overall story didn’t have the necessary emotional weight to really make me feel anything. I thought to myself, “I feel like I should be tearing up but instead I feel nothing.”. Even Final Fantasy XII, which lacked a romance, had me swelling up at the end. Final Fantasy XV didn’t make me swell up until literally the last few seconds of the post-credits scene.

People complained about the advertising (Coleman, Cup Noodles) but that didn’t bother me.

What does bother me is the lack of variety in the main cast, and in numerous ways. There were so many interesting side characters that didn’t receive much screen time, or use at all in the story. The strong focus on only the four male leads made it a sausagefest. I was craving more out of Aranea Highwind and Iris Amicitia. They are important but don’t get any screen time at all in the final chapter, nor do we ever hear from them ever again after the time-skip. Aranea Highwind was such a cool character, but once again ends up being wasted potential.

The main cast lacked distinctive styles. When I first saw the main cast, I had a hard time telling them apart. They looked like a k-pop band. Compare the main cast of Final Fantasy XV to literally any other Final Fantasy main cast and you can immediately spot the difference.

The four main leads do have distinct personalities, and I quite loved hearing their comments and banter. It felt realistic, but at times it became ridiculous. I rolled my eyes when Prompto would say things like, “Hashtag sorry not sorry.” That was a bit too on the nose, and came off as Square trying to pander to the current generation.

But what really rubbed me the wrong way is the incredible lack of non-white characters in the entire game. Lestallum feels so wrong to me as a Hispanic. Lestallum is supposed to be modeled after Havana, Cuba.

Its music, its buildings, its activities. It has a tropical climate, and yet every single denizen is pale white. Every. Single. One. I am not exaggerating. It feels so absolutely wrong walking around that city and not seeing anyone with the slightest shade of brown. This isn’t some uncalled-for SJW rant, it’s a simple fact. Tropical climates breed tanner skins. My brain naturally did a double-take when seeing the all-white population, saying, “Hmmm, something’s wrong here.”. For God’s sake, Final Fantasy XII, made over a decade earlier, did a better job at displaying the various nuances in skin tones, and that was on the PlayStation 2! Final Fantasy X, even older, seemed to properly portray tropical beach populations, inspired by the Philippines, with the character Wakka.

I noticed that they really took the time to incorporate elements from virtually every single Final Fantasy game. Aside from the crystals, the modern settings, and other obvious elements, four male leads are reminiscent of Final Fantasy III, the sinister chancellor hearkens back to Kefka from Final Fantasy VI, the enemy Yojimbo resembles Final Fantasy X’s version of Yojimbo, a certain boss battle reminded me of Cid Raines from Final Fantasy XIII.

Also, there’s Dino. Quite possibly the most annoying Final Fantasy NPC ever.

The overly obnoxious Italian stereotype made me want to punch his face, and also took me out of the experience of the fictional world. Every time you spoke with him he's all like "HEY HOW YOU DOIN WELCOME TO OLIVE GARDEN YOU TALKIN TO ME BADA BING BADA BOOM SPICY PIECE OF MEATBALL CAPISCE? AMIRITE??"

Square seemed to treat this game as a milestone in the series, alluding to everything the series ever did. It’s a shame that the story itself wasn’t quite up to snuff to be held in such regard.

Music:           

The game’s major lyrical song is copyrighted, which is a first for a Final Fantasy game. It makes sense why they chose the song “Stand by Me”, both in literal and figurative terms of the story.             

The score to this game is quite fantastic. The series has its first female composer, Yoko Shimomura. I have absolutely no complaints about the music. Nobuo Uematsu didn’t even pop into my head during the entire game. It’s the first time since Uematsu’s departure that I felt immersed in the score. The motifs are distinct and strong. The battle music is vibrant and an orchestral orgasm to listen to.    

Notable Theme:            

“Somnus”  

The main theme of the game. It plays right away in the main menu. I love how it is incorporated into the rest of the score, and my brain kept wanting to hear it to its completion.   

Direct Sequel?           

Nope. However, there is downloadable content that fills in the gap of events within the game. Supposedly, Final Fantasy XV is loosely connected to Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Type-O, all sharing common themes and possibly set in the same universe. You can also watch the prequel movie, Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV.

Did it Live up to the Hype?           

Eh.           

Yes, and no.            

It was cool to play around, but the rest is a flaccid attempt at being a notable entry in the series “for fans and first-timers”, as the words proudly display every time you load the game. It’s not the worst in the series, but certainly not the best. It’s somewhere in the mid-to-low tier.

[darkspellmaster]

Voltron Theory: Season 7 Trailer Analysis

Wow a lot of thoughts. I’m going to combine two aspects into one, covering the first episode, so Spoilers ahoy further down. I’ll mark where I put the spoilers, so you’ll know if you don’t want info to skip.

So we open with Lance talking about the fact that they’re going home and everyone seems a bit pensive, this is different from what we saw at the end of season 6 where everyone looked very happy and ready for a new adventure going home.

We see in the next shot that Shiro is clearly thinking about the situation back home with a person that’s important to him (again I’m trying to not spoil for those who haven’t seen this, details about said person will be far below in spoiler section).

We get a shot of the person from behind and it’s clear by the guy’s back that he’s tense and not very happy. The body language reads more annoyed or hurt or worried about something.

Allura informs the group that it’s going to be a long and difficult voyage and that it’s the only chance they will have to replace the castle of lions. It’s clear from the look on her face that she’s not thrilled with the idea either but it’s all that they have. We’re still on the planet where they woke Shiro up and the Niffler incident.

We cut to the team coming over a ridge sans Allura. It’s clear that they’re looking at something and there’s smoke behind them. I think this may be a later episode when they get to earth and probably after the moment with the girl in the garrison vehicle.

We see a close up and Lance, Hunk and Pidge are shocked while Shiro and Keith are grim as hell about what they see. This may be connected to the over turned Garrison vehicle and after they land and save someone, which is why I think the others are not there, they’re tending to that person. 

Pretty sure this and the first five pictures are all from episode two, the ones in the middle are flash backs to things we see in episode one. Lance takes off first in his lion, followed by Hunk then Keith, then Allura and Pidge as they head off the planet they landed on during the ending of season 6 and the first episode of season 7.

Pidge, using her real name, Katie sends out a message to the earth but there is no reply.

We get a shot of Lotor and Voltron fighting and Acxa saying that no one has seen Voltron since that fight.

Hunk with Romelle in some sort of room where you can see the cloth in the door way, they’re in a fire light moment, so it’s clear that they’re being taken care of here. Hunk mentions that he thinks people think they’re dead.

Next shot is the Galra coming after them in space with Coran broadcasting about that. I think this may have ties into what’s going on with events later on. It seems like Haggar may have advanced the Galra ships at this point.

Moments later we get a shot of Lance and Keith, and this is not taking place in the same scene as the one with the group flying away, but I think it’s in the same episode. You can see the green light in both their cockpits, and that same green light is seen later both with the monster that we see and a black hole, worm hole, thing that they’re around.

The one thing about the energy tendrils are that they are pink and this is kind of important later. I’m wondering if that may be Acxa and the others that chose not to follow Sendek. Maybe they think that Sendek murdered or forced Lotor into that situation. Although it certainly looks like they’re headed for trouble with this.

Hunk nearing some sort of green black hole structure. In the closer one you can see it’s glowing the same color as the colors in the monster scene and the one with Lance and Keith.

Hunk is surprised by the new weapons that the Galra are using. Which should tell you a lot about how they were achieved thanks to Haggar.

We next see a shot where Keith is pulling up information around our solar system and showing locations that seem to indicate possible Galra forces. Then we get a shot of earth and the Atlantic area, and Keith saying for them to look at that. Something’s going on down there with his readings.

Katie’s parents are sending out a message of help, it keeps getting distorted. I have to wonder if this is what Acxa is showing the group when Hunk is talking about them being dead.

Okay so I grouped these three together because they follow a sequence. We see the monster from the green center. Which connects to the hole with Hunk’s shot and the Lance/Keith split screen moment. It’s clear the Monster sees them and looks hungry, and opens up it’s mouth and the group blast off to get away. What’s weird here is that it’s just the main 5, and no signs of Romelle, Krolia, Coran, Shiro, or the cow anywhere.

We see a shot of a ship shooting out tendrils, thing is unlike the Galra ship we see later, that’s clearly the blue of Lotor. So I think this may be the Generals grabbing hold of the Lions to maybe pull them to safety for some reason, vs. it being an enemy grabbing Hunk.

Which brings me to Yellow getting caught.

Next three shots of Keith throwing his Blade are all connected as he’s attacking a Mercenary that we see later in some sort of cavern that’s being used as a facility. Not sure what the wires are being used for though. This also may be connected to the fist hitting the ground as it’s the same sort of background. 

Okay the next to pics are weird but important. In the first one you can see that it’s (starting on the left) Keith, then Hunk, then Allura, then Lance, then Pidge. Keep this in mind as they are all in a group falling, or floating, in some sort of lighting storm of red space. What happens next is important I think. Hunk has both legs lassoed by the lighting, Lance has the right leg lassoed and Keith has his left leg being pulled.

What’s also interesting is the placement in some weird way. Pidge is between Keith and Lance, while you have Lance next to Allura and Hunk between Keith and Allura. Also another important thing is that none of the other characters (Shiro, Romelle, Coran, Krolia) are here at all. So what is going on. Why is it just the guys being lassoed in the shot? And for what reason are they the ones that the lighting hit?

Okay so we’re getting some back story here it seems. The yellow paladin, yeah I think that’s the first Yellow Paladin and we’re seeing his death. He’s got his gun at the ready. You can tell it’s not Hunk because of the design of the armor and the shape of the body.

So the next two shot is a fist hitting the ground, followed by the ground breaking, a blue energy being released and guys flying all over.  Now that could belong to at least three people. One is Allura as we see in the two shots the person is using the pink energy that she’s used, along with the blue and a blue force field around them. It would be the most logical person as she can hit like a truck (see what Zethrid said when they first fought). Option two is an odd one, in that that could be Shiro activating the powers that he got when Allura brought him back and this is his new attack. Problem is that we don’t know if Shiro is going to get a new arm or not, since they don’t have a lot of supplies. Also the hand is the right, and that’s the one he’s missing. This leaves us with option three which is Keith. As weird as this is going to sound, it makes sense. This could be some latent powers from the Black lion and the blue maybe from his wolf friend creating a field around him. Because we can see this is the same place he’s fighting the mercenary later on in the trailer.

The following shots are weird. I’m still trying to figure out where they are. But it’s clear that Voltron is flying at something very powerful. They manage to form Voltron but it’s clear that the power is way to much for them and it shorts out the lions.

We see a shot of Lance on his own, Pidge with Shiro –which makes sense since he’s still protective of her even if he isn’t a paladin, Hunk on his own, and Coran with Allura. Which makes me think Krolia and Romelle are with Keith…where’s the cow though? Probably in the back of the Red lion with Lance.

So the lions are out of juice…now what? Also I don’t think that the images with them losing power with the floating lions and them still in the ship are part of the same black space images. I think that that may be something to do with the weird attacks from the Galra or something else, since the space with the lions floating is different than the one with Voltron.

We cut back to that fight with Keith and the Merc, and apparently someone at Mir is playing way to much of Final Fantasy XV because Man….is that a freaking reference to Noctis’s warping skills, complete with the little blue crystal after affects going on. Like…wow. I love it but…wow…

Anyway, seems like Wolf can transport Keith around, but…

As we see a moment later, said Merc can do it too. Question is why? Looks like he’s got Galra tech via his sword. Also why are they ganging up on Keith? What is he up to?

Hunk and the others together in season 7 episode 1, which I’ll go into below. Nice to see Romelle joining them on their adventure.

Next three shots I think connect to the earlier one where the team comes over the ridge. We see there’s a garrison vehicle, and given the outfit is very much similar to the one we see the woman in the first episode wearing,

 I’ll be it it’s more a uniform then a space suit, it seems like the Garrison is under attack.  And Lance may have jumped down to protect either an officer or a student that is in that situation, it’s up in the air at this point.

We do not see Allura, Coran, Krolia or Romelle at this point, making me think that the group got split up.

Again we’re back at the weird black space, and there’s a green energy orb in the center of it. Given that we see the team out of the robot at this point, I think that the weird black space with the green energy orb and the following shots are probably connected to the red world sequence. So we have Pidge, Allura, Lance, Keith and Hunk on the outside. They fall, starting with Pidge, and I’m damn sure that the red space stuff is part of this trippy sequence of events.

Sendek giving his order is probably something connected to an earlier episode or at the end of episode two, where we get the whole “we’re seen as dead” idea.

The last shot I think may come from the moment they come back to earth and are dealing with the attack.

Over all, I get the feeling that the first six episodes are going to deal with the trip back to earth, a small time skip due to the dream situation, and then the last six or seven of the 13 are going on earth, building the castle, beating Sendak and possibly getting hints of Lotor coming back and the Alter-teans.

So why is Acxa saying what she’s saying? My guess is that after the situation with Lotor it may have caused some sort of ripple in distortion in time that allowed for Haggar to build things and time moved faster for everyone else while they got stuck frozen for a bit. I’m also curious as to what is going on with Shiro, Romelle, Krolia, Space Wolf, and Coran while the group of five is in that weird black Space.

Also Matt and the Coalition, I think they are still fighting.  I feel like they are still working on things, but without the Voltron it was easier for Sendak to scare the planets into submission.

(Skip to the end if you don’t want to hear about anything from Episode 1)

So Spoilers now.

Episode One “A tiny Adventure” pulls in a lot of backstory and, finally, gives us more regarding Keith and Shiro and their relationship. I would have thought this would have been in the story, you know, earlier, but okay then. So we learn from Shiro’s point of view about Keith. How he stood out to him and, I should note, that Keith certainly didn’t change that much visually as he got older.

During the school situation we see that he, Keith, is kind of looked down on by some of his classmates and certainly the principle. What’s interesting is that he already knows how to drive a car, and steals Shiro’s. We also get to meet Adam…Shiro’s ex-fiancé.

There’s a lot to say about that scene, namely that it was both good and bad that it felt so stereotypical. We learn that Adam isn’t keen on Shiro going into space again due to what probably is MS and he’s worried that he won’t be able to handle it. Now while I disagree with Adam on this, I understand his reasoning. He’s scared that Shiro may die and, as others have said, this is not easy for him. However, what makes me sort of annoyed with his behavior is that he too is a pilot, formerly Shiro’s partner there as well.

So I would think that he would understand the reasons for Shiro to want to go out into space. This is the same argument I tend to level at writers who have people that are together and have the same risky jobs, where the one partner tells the other that they don’t want them risking their lives, when they do the same damn thing in their own line of work. It’s weird, and a bit hypocritical of him, but it’s understandable.

The thing that struck me about Adam though, and also in a moment we will hit the others, is that he looks a hell of a lot like a character named Shannon from Vehicle Voltron. Shannon was a member of the Sea team, and also one of the hot heads who hated the villains of the series due to his sister being missing or killed due to their actions. So if Adam happens to have Shannon as his last name…well….

Other things to note about the flashbacks, was that we now get why Lance thinks Keith is his rival, because Keith bumped him. Yeah….

Also, about James Griffin, and the other members of the flying team. 

A lot of them look like the characters from Vehicle Voltron (maybe hints of the next cast coming down the line if they do a second series?). What isn’t so surprising is that we finally know who pushed Keith as in regard to the whole discipline issue, that being James, and probably he would be more of a rival than Lance.

Other things that we learned, was that Romelle is Usagi Tsukino from Sailor moon. She even have the run down! It’s clear from her issue with Adventure’s not being fun, that she’s supposed to be a mix of Sailor Moon (if the drawing for SDCC wasn’t enough to show it) and some of the other girls including Sailor Mars, and Jupiter, with the possibility of seeing some of Mercury and Venus in the mix later.

Her interactions with Hunk were amazing, and on point for someone who has been pretty sheltered their whole life. This means that during these next two seasons (and maybe if we get a new series into that one) we’ll see her grow past her own fears and become, maybe not as “Whoo hoo” about going out there, but more willing to do so. Though I get the feeling that she and Shiro are going to be the two going “Are you guys seriously going to do down that waterslide head first?” with Hunk pointing out he was just thinking that.

The balance between the dramatic and the funny in this episode was a good thing as it gave a breather and allowed for an interesting dynamic to be fully fleshed out. Now the question is how are the other dynamics going to change and adapt for the last two seasons.

Over all the fun of them being chased by a Niffler, and seeing Romelle be corrected by Pidge and the others (I think poking some light fun at people who think they know a language from watching shows and then trying to sound like they speak it) showing how the language has changed over the years. And seeing them dealing with the issue of being small, and how they course corrected the whole thing. I love the fact that they were all happy to see Shiro awake, including Romelle, because while she doesn’t know him, she clearly can tell he’s important to the others that she’s going to make friends with.

I loved the fact that Coran managed to yet again prove to have a great deal of knowlege, but also is on top of the silly actions department, even after a very serious situation. Also loved the interactions between Pidge and Lance. 

(End of Spoilers)

I think this season is shaping up to be a strong one. I really hope that by the time 8 finishes, we’ll be able to be happy with the conclusion of the series.

[chocobroing]

A New World Chapter 5~Gladio/OFC, Ignis/OFC SFW

Chapter 5: A Christmas Surprise Tagging: @ridingchocobros, @rubyphilomela, @dirtyffxvconfession, @louisvuittontrashbags, @lady-asuka, @themissimmortal, @ignis-scientia-estrogen-brigade, @itshaejinju, @diabolik-trash-heap, @hypaalicious, @cupnoodle-queen, @blindbae, @nifwrites Christmas was in a few days and Gladio was freaking out. In a box that was wrapped under a tree, was an engagement ring that he intended to give to Ella. He knew how she felt about marriage and that it scared her but he was ready to take that next step in their relationship. Maybe that was why he was having a hard time sleeping those past few days. He was so worried on how Ella would respond. Would she say no? Would she turn away from him? He didn’t know how she would react and it scared the hell out of him. He finally got some sleep on Christmas Eve, ironically. Most people were too excited to sleep on Christmas Eve because they couldn’t wait to see what gifts they got. He slept so soundly in those warm sheets with Ella tangled up in him. They were both naked from having Christmas Eve sex and they both felt warm and comfortable. Everyone was sleeping in heavenly peace, until it was six o’clock in the morning. Gladio and Ella were shaken awake by a certain excitable blond guy. Ella hung on to Gladio, groaning and making whining noises as she snuggled into him. Gladio wrapped his arms around her and tried to fall back asleep, but there was no chance they were getting sleep. “Come on!” yelled Prompto, his mouth right next to Gladio’s ear. “Wake up! Wake up! It’s Christmas!” “Come back in the spring,” mumbled Ella, hiding her face in a pillow. Prompto unceremoniously threw the covers back and got an eyeful of something he never wanted to see. He’d seen Gladio in the nude before back when they were traveling and never thought about it, but right now, he was seeing his good buddy and his girl naked from a night of sex. The mere thought of Gladio and Ella having sex made him want to heave. “Ew!” cried Prompto immaturely, covering them back up. “Why aren’t you wearing jammies?” Gladio opened his eyes to glare at the blond man. “Gee, I don’t know, Prompto,” he replied mockingly, very close to snapping and beating the hell out of the blonde annoyance. “Maybe because we get tired after sex and have no energy to put our pajamas on. Ever think of that?” Normally, any person would run from the look Gladio was giving but Prompto was used to his aura. “Well, whatever,” he said, brushing it off. “Hurry up and get dressed. Ignis is making breakfast.” “You probably woke that poor bastard up too,” guessed Gladio, arching an eyebrow. “Yup.” Prompto looked proud of himself. “But Freya threatened to grab that shotgun that was in the closet and shoot me.” “Not that I blame her,” snorted Gladio, shaking his head. “Prompto, just give us a few minutes. We’ll be out in a sec.” “Okay,” he replied, sounding very enthusiastic and full of energy. Gladio envied that boundless energy Prompto seemed to have. He could use half of it right now. “I’m gonna go wake up Noct and Luna. See you two later.” With that, Prompto was out the door, leaving the couple be. Ella was still half-asleep when she sat up and mumbled incoherent things under her breath. When Gladio looked at her, he took in her beauty. Even though her hair was tangled like crazy and her skin was sticky with sweat, he still thought she was beautiful. He was just captivated by her. In that cute, half-asleep state, Gladio wanted to take her and give her a nice wake up call, but he knew Prompto wasn’t patient. Speaking of which, Gladio wondered how Prompto was doing in waking up Noctis, the heaviest sleeper out of everyone. The poor king was probably even more tired because Luna had pregnancy cravings that interfered with Noct’s sleep. Gladio smiled and got up, putting on a pair of fuzzy sleep pants and a loose short-sleeved shirt. When he looked over, he noticed that Ella had fallen back asleep. She looked so adorable all bundled up in the covers. She looked like a butterfly in its cocoon. However, he knew that she had to get up or Prompto would drag her out of bed. Bending down, Gladio placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and shook her slightly. “Ella,” he said softly, smiling at her. “It’s time to get up.” “I don’t hafta work today,” she mumbled, her brain still not awake. “My store’s closed on holidays.” It took all of Gladio’s will power to not laugh at her. “It’s Christmas, Ella,” he told her, barely able to keep the laughter out of his tone. Ella let out a long, drawn-out groan and her eyes opened slightly. She looked around, as if remembering where she was, and slowly started to wake up. She blinked a few times and opened her eyes fully. She gazed at Gladio, who gave her a soft smile, and mumbled things under her breath. He seemed highly amused at how cranky Ella seemed. She was usually okay with waking up early but right now, all she wanted to do was sleep. “Baby,” purred Gladio, knowing that there was one way to get her up. “If you get up, I’ll take a bath with you and then we can have some fun in bed.” “I’m up,” she said, perking up. “Let’s just unwrap the presents and get this over with. I wanna get in the tub with you.” Gladio took her hand and helped her up, getting her out of bed. Ella pulled on a pair of panties, a nightgown, and a robe to keep her warm. She brushed her tangled hair with her fingers and stumbled out of the room with Gladio, feeling the soreness from the exertion last night. He took her so many times that she lost count how many times they did it. “You okay?” he asked quietly so no one could hear him. “You look a little sore.” Ella let out a growling moan. “Damn you and your marathon penis with its superhuman capabilities,” she whimpered, subtly touching her crotch, feeling it scream in protest every time she walked. “Sorry,” said Gladio, not looking sorry one bit. “You seemed to enjoy it last night. You kept screaming and crying for more. I’m sorry that I hurt you.” “Whatever,” she groused, walking down the hall with him. “You’re not sorry. Don’t even say it.” Gladio smirked and looked a little too proud of himself, wrapping his arm around Ella’s waist. They both walked into the family room where the green fir tree was and sat in front of it, where the presents were. Noct and Luna were sitting on the couch and the king was still half-asleep with Luna resting her head on his shoulder, her hand in front of her growing stomach. Prompto was bouncing like a Golden Retriever puppy and Cindy was resting in his arms wearing a sexy slip of a robe. Freya was still half-asleep on Ignis and the bespectacled man looked a little weary from being disturbed from his rest. “Before we start anything,” said Luna, placing a hand on her large belly, “there is something I need to do for Ignis, something I wasn’t sure I could do in this world until now.” “What’s that, Your Highness?” asked Ignis, moving his head in her direction. With a gentle smile, Luna placed both her hands on either side of Ignis’s face and rested her forehead against his. “I can’t heal the one eye because it was surgically removed, but I may be able to help with the other one.” “Lady Lunafreya…” Ignis trailed off, unable to say any more. Suddenly, Luna’s forehead and hands lit up with an ethereal glow and she began speaking words that sounded memorized. “Blessed Stars of life and light, deliver us from darkness’ blight.” When she spoke again, these words sounded more natural. “Please, give my friend back his sight, so he may see the blessed daylight.” The light traveled to Ignis and he let out a sound of pain, grimacing slightly. Freya looked like she wanted to speak but Noctis interrupted her. “Luna is a healer,” he explained kindly, placing a gentle hand on Freya’s to calm her. “She was the Oracle of our world and when she passed, the darkness grew unabated. Had she lived when Ignis went blind, he would have been healed by her.” “I wasn’t aware I still had my powers until my baby entered the eighth month,” elaborated Luna, removing her hands from Ignis’s face and backed off from him. “In the third trimester, I noticed that I was able to do little things like cuts and burns, but in the past few months, my powers have gotten stronger.” Ignis’s closed eye opened and he was immediately assaulted by colors and people. The very little vision he had in that eye was restored. He could see everything—his friends, Ella, his beloved Freya—and the emotion that overcame him was immense. He looked over his shoulder and saw a redheaded angel with concerned brown eyes staring at him. He could see the emotions on her delicate face. She was more beautiful than any woman he ever laid eyes on. “Freya,” he spoke to her, and her face lit up with joy and recognition. “Yes,” she said in a trembling voice, and she took his hand and placed it on her cheek. “It’s me.” “My beautiful woman,” he murmured, pulling her in to press a kiss to her lips. Freya wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, tears running down her cheeks. Ignis held her in his arms and ran his hands up and down her back, feeling her shudder under his touch. She was more beautiful than Ella described and he never wanted to let her go. When Ignis loathingly pulled back, he was attacked by hugs from everyone. He could barely breathe when he was squeezed by Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio. All the women were crying happy tears and ambushed Ignis in hugs too. As Luna wiped her eyes, she spoke in a shaky tone. “I know that it’s a bit disorienting, Ignis, but in a few days, it will feel natural again.” “Thank you…” The words were simple but laced with so much emotion and genuineness. Luna gave him a nod and bowed slightly, straining with her big belly. “You are very welcome, Ignis,” she said kindly. Everyone hugged Ignis and he looked at all of his friends, noting that while they looked different, they hadn’t changed a bit. Noctis was still a sleepyhead but he looked more regal even with his weariness, Prompto was still his bouncing sunshine, and Gladio was still the devoted Shield that loved every one of his friends. It was about thirty minutes before everyone situated on the couch again and waited for presents to be passed around. “Let’s open presents,” said Prompto, glowing, now very enthusiastic. “Gladio has one for Ella. Give it to her, Gladio!” Gladio knew what he was referring to and he scrambled to shut Prompto up. “Shut up, blondie!” he hissed, clapping a hand over Prompto’s mouth. “What present?” asked Ella, looking a bit confused. “Gladio, I don’t need any presents from you. You being with me is enough. I know work has been hard on you, so you don’t need to get me anything.” In this small town, Gladio was a police officer. With his past training and experience, he was offered the job on the spot. It made Ella proud that her lover was doing something he genuinely enjoyed. Prompto was working at tech store that had the newest phones and computers and he was enthusiastic in helping others, especially the elderly. Cindy, of course, was working in the garage. Luna was a volunteer nurse at the hospital. She loved doing volunteer work, whether it was the hospital or the church. Ignis was a cook at a fancy restaurant and he loved that job. Noctis was working with Freya, who was now a vet, at the pet clinic because he loved working with animals. Gladio sighed in exasperation and shook his head. “Well, secret’s out,” he grumbled. “I was hoping to do this a little more romantic, but here it is.” He reached under the tree and pulled out a small box wrapped in dark red paper. Ella’s face was priceless. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped in an almost comical way. Prompto pulled his camera out and took a picture of her shocked face. With shaking fingers, Ella unwrapped the gift and saw the box was made of rosewood. She opened it up and saw a sparkling engagement ring with a beautiful diamond in the middle. “Oh, my God,” she gasped, clapping a hand to her mouth. “Gladiolus, is this what I think it is?” She only said his full name when she was serious or mad. “Yeah,” he replied, nodding. “It is. Eleanor Stevens, you are my light. You are the one that makes everything better and I love you with all that I am and all that I will ever be. You are the one that keeps me going. My heart, body, and soul are yours. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with them. I know how you feel about marriages and serious commitments, but I’m ready for this. I won’t hurt you. I would never break your heart. I will love you even when we have arguments and even when we hate each other.” He smiled at her with tears in his amber eyes. “Ella, will you marry me?” Tears poured down Ella’s cheeks and her face fell into her hands. Everyone looked alarmed, especially Gladio, who looked ready to shit bricks. He wrapped his arms around Ella’s trembling body and kissed her head. He whispered soothing words into her ear and rocked her like a baby. She was so small that it was like he was holding a child. “I’m sorry, baby,” he said gently, feeling absolutely awful. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” “No,” wept Ella, shaking her head. “No. Gladio…” She looked up at him and smiled shakily. “I would love to marry you. I love you, Gladio.” She squeezed him in a tight hug, weeping into his shirtfront. Gladio smiled widely and tightened his embrace around her, kissing her hair and face. He could taste the salt of her tears and could feel wetness on his own cheeks. He wiped his face and realized he was also crying. The last time he cried this hard was when Noctis announced that he was going to sacrifice himself to save Eos. Of course, these were happy tears and Gladio couldn’t hold the joy back. He had never been so happy before in his life. The woman he loved more than air said yes! Eleanor Amicitia had a good ring to it. “I love you, baby,” he told her in a voice choked with emotion. “I love you too,” she replied in a voice equally emotional, burying her face into his shoulder. Everyone smiled and whooped in joy, celebrating that Gladio and Ella were going to be wed. This was what everyone waited for. Noctis was smiling ear to ear, ecstatic that his friend was going to be married. Gladio had always wanted a wife and family and now he was doing it. Prompto pulled out his camera and took many shots of the couple embracing and kissing. This was going into a memory book. Ignis smiled and tears came from his one healthy eye. Freya wiped a tear from her cheek and her smile was wavering. “It truly is a Christmas miracle,” said Freya, snuggling up against Ignis. “What is, dearest?” asked Ignis, gazing down at her lovingly. “You can see again and Ella is finally an engaged woman,” she replied, her smile now content. “I love you, Ignis. Blind or not, you are my one true love.” Ignis caressed her face with a gentle hand and kissed her softly. “I love you too,” he said in a loving tone. “My Freya…” He bent and tenderly kissed her again. “My Ignis,” she sighed into the kiss, holding him tightly. Everyone was truly happy and it seemed that this wasn’t a happy ending, but a joyful beginning. This was the start of something new and wondrous and they couldn’t wait to be a part of it. Gifts were opened and everyone was smiling and joyful. Ignis got some more cookbooks; Gladio got some new books; Noctis got a new pillow that would guarantee a good night’s sleep and he got some baby books that would help him cope when the baby came; Luna got some baby clothes and new lingerie for after the baby was born; Prompto got a new camera; and Cindy got a new tool kit. This Christmas was the most memorable one they would have and they would never forget it. This truly was the Christmas they would never forget. It was one of love, peace, and joy, just as the season intended.

[xmydaysinmilanx]

What would the the chocobros romantic ideal date be with their s/o. (I would love to read some sweet fluffy stuff :'))

Headcanon/scenario’s revolving each of the guy’s individual preferencesfor a rare day/night off to spend with their partners.Noctis: Noctis is a lethargic type of person. He has his reasons – the guy is draininga lot of energy to fulfil his Royal duties so he wants a whole day to relax. Hewill invite you to stay over at his private chambers in the Citadel, CrownCity. Following a much needed sleep-in, he will make the effort to get out of bed andmake you a hot drink before proceeding to shower – he wants a fresh scent andis paranoid about his appearance around you. Whilst you’re sipping yourbeverage in bed he will quickly grab some of his hair products from his drawsand rush in the bathroom, frantically looking in one mirror to the next toensure his hair is styled adequately. Post hair woes, Noctis informs you thebathroom is free provided you want to use it so you quickly wash and put casualclothes on – you know you’re not going to be taken anywhere fancy but that’swhat he adores about you. You love him for who he is and not because of hisRoyalty.Noctis decides to surprise you to visit an old play area him and the bros wouldhang out in during their school years. The place holds a lot of sentimentalvalue to him and you’re touched he opened up to you. Noctis takes your hand andleads you to sit on top of a long slide – it’s a little claustrophobic becauseof the lack of room, yet you both feel so cosy and snuggle up to each other. Heplaces his arm around the back of your neck, ensuring his hand is respectfullyaway from your chest area and place on your forearm. Noctis strokes your forearm now and then between sentences to ensure you feelloved and acknowledged. His other arm is awkwardly wrapped around the ladderconnected to the slide. Noctis: ‘Look, I know I’m not the sort ofguy to say everything and anything about how I’m feeling but….I…’ He sighs and continues.‘Those guys are my life and my family and….andI want you to be part of it. You’re my world Y/N – my one constant and damn it,I know, look, I know I don’t show my gratitude enough….’Y/N: ‘It’s okay Noct, please continue.’ –You want to cherish this moment he pours his heart out to you.Noctis: ‘Just promise me one thing. Iswear, I hope it’s not too much. Stay with me, always Y/N.’You simply nodded your head before proceeding to rest it on his shoulder. Hesmiles and you both enjoy absorbing your surroundings.The old run down play area held a greater significance than ever……Gladio: One of the reasons Gladio fell for you is because you’re not afraid to getyour hands dirty for a prize! You worked a busy shift at the power plant andwere surprised to see Gladio sitting outside your car.Y/N: ‘Er Gladi, aren’t you supposed to beescorting Noctis to Altissia’s Fishing Tournament tonight? The paparazzi aregoing to be in full force, he needs you right?’Gladio: ‘Not tonight Princess but don’tworry, I got it covered. Tonight, it’s about me and you.’You kinda despised being called Princess for a nickname but hey, the guytook a night off for you. Since you were off this weekend, you didn’t have toworry about an early start to sleep for so you were motivated to make the mostof your night! Gladio suggested you went on a little hunt, to which youresponded.Y/N: ‘Behemoth time, right Gladio? Whatsay we get some proper meat, OUR way?’Gladio: ‘Oh, I’m on it!’Gladio high fives you and insists on driving your car due to your tiring day atwork. You both arrive in run down deserted plains situated between Goldin Quayand Hammerhead. You both swing out your weapons and temporarily separate toincrease the chances of what becomes a successful pre-emptive strike on a huge20 foot Behemoth with claws so sharp and strong they could break a human’sbones in seconds.You both perform one last strike together, Gladio grabs your hand and swingsyou to the opposite side of the creature, delivering a devastating blow to itsback leg whilst Gladio pierces its chest. You both gather your prize and goback to your apartment, in which he carefully stirs your hard earned meat intoyours and his favourite limited edition sweet and sour chilli Cup Of Noodles you managed to acquirefor free as a thank you for your efforts at work.You both sat on your sofa, watching horror movies accompanied with yourdelicious noodles before he grabs your hips gently, placing you on his lap,massaging your back whilst enjoying your favourite horror movies.Prompto:Prompto’s purchased you both some tickets to the Moogle Chocobo carnival – an annual event you’ve sadly neverattended due to your work commitments as a full time environmentalist,educating citizens across the globe. He’s already liaised with your management,practically begging them to let you have a weekend off to unwind and whatbetter way to let loose than find yourself surrounding by mascots, fun and gameswhilst being surprised to a free fireworks display as a thank you for yourservices to the people of Eos.Prompto has you blindfolded whilst he drives you to your special getaway. Heasked you to pack beforehand so everything was organised and going smoothly!Whilst you wondered what was occurring, you heard unfamiliar noises and thesounds of huge gatherings and popping balloons.Prompto escorted you out of his auto mobile with your luggage, leading you towhat sounded and felt like a hotel suite. He then led you back outdoors againbefore ripping off your blindfold.Prompto: ‘Ta da sweet cheeks! This is foryou. Take a break, relax and enjoy!’Y/N: ‘Oh my, wow this is the……THIS IS THEFREAKING MOOGLE CHOCOBO CARNIVAL ARE YOU SHITTING ME RIGHT NOW?’ You immediately ran over to the coins counter, learning what prizes are to bewon before Prompto grabs your arm, leading you to the chocobo races to whichyou gladly volunteered to participate.Talk about an amazing day. You were both on a sugar high from the MoogleEdition candy floss and choco-banana ice cream consumed. You’d participated in variousactivities, including the findings of moogle models, shooting cactuars,photograph competitions. Prompto had never seen you so happy, even though youbeat him at chocobo racing which would normally frustrate him. You even won aplush chocobo for him at the stall as a way to say thank you which gets him emotional.As the evening would draw closer, he decided to take you out for a meal atAltissia’s finest establishment before inviting you to the special fireworksevent. You both refreshed yourselves at your hotel room before Prompto escortedyou to a small boat, controlled by a member of staff for tour guides and justgenerally enjoy the scenery and see all the sights whilst admiring thebeautiful fireworks!As the sparks would fly, you closed your eyes, taking in the sounds beforegrabbing Prompto’s camera and getting plenty of landscape shots of multi-colouredfireworks – the colours perfectly contrasted the dark night sky.Prompto: ‘That’s my girl.’He watched you with utmost pride and smirked. How did he ever get this lucky?Seeing you smile made him feel warm and fuzzy inside and you’d never forgetthis thoughtful gesture.Ignis: Ignis is the only bro who evidences balance and structure in the event of planning adate. For Ignis, he would need to outline the pros and cons of a particular locationand recipe before inviting his loved one into what could be a night of turmoiland trouble. He hides it well normally but the guy was rather anxious when itcame to pleasing his partner. They’re the sort of couple of love each otherdearly but enjoy pursuing their own interests and investing in their ownindividual time – the pair’s schedules are packed to the brim with Royalduties; Ignis serving Prince Noctis and Y/N attending to the cleanliness of theCitadel quarters. So a date night was a pretty big deal as far as Iggy was concerned.He gave notice to Noctis concerning his ‘night off’ and ensured Y/N followedsuit. So it’s now a Saturday night and Y/N has spent the day sleeping andcatching up on her historical readings leant to her by Ignis himself. Ignis hasbeen preparing the setting for Y/N, hoping the date would prove she is hisnumber one priority, despite his commitments to the Prince. He requested shedresses in ‘comfortable’ and ‘warm’ attire and meet him outside the Citadel.She proceeds and he takes her arm, escorting her to his car, driving with theroof lowered. He then leads her to a quiet area full of grasslands situated onthe outskirts of Insomnia. You’d read about this little known location in oneof your books Iggy leant you. You were most impressed.Ignis: ‘Follow me and please, remainseated. You need not lift a finger for tonight’s activities.’You followed him to a beautiful campsite, clearly set up during the day (goodjob it didn’t rain), the tent was pretty huge and you took a sneak peak – he’dfilled the tent with your favourite blanket you keep in his accommodation topreserve his scent, all accompanied with a thick duvet and cushions. You smeltthe scent of your favourite dish, Spaghetti Bolognese complete with Sea saltbread with a large bottle of balsamic vinegar – your favoured flavour of dip. Y/N: ‘How long have you been out heretoday, cooking this?’Ignis: ‘Ah, the best part of the wholeday, crack of dawn to set up camp, followed by food preparation back home, notto forget the……’Ignis was interrupted by you dramatically running over to him standing at thestove. He paused whilst you hugged him tightly, almost trapping his oxygensupply, thanking him repeatedly.As you eventually dined outside the huge camp/kitchen set up he suggested aspot of stargazing before wrapping up the date. You assisted him in tidying thecrockery and sat a few meters away from the tent on the grassy floor. You feltIgnis wrap his hands around your waist as he placed himself on the floor,carefully seating you on his thighs whilst he stretched out his legs. No words were needed, the ambience of the night and the most wondrous view didall the talking for the pair of you. Eventually you fell asleep, so peacefuland content whilst stargazing. He lifted you in his arms and placed you in thetent, wrapping the blankets around you both.Ignis: ‘Sleep well my beloved Y/N. Sleepwell.’Thank you for your request! I hope this was okay! :DXMyDaysInMilanX