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thisisthedungeonthatneverends · 5 years

Text

Safe Room

Ships: familial Regis and Noctis, platonic ignoct, regclar if you squint

Rating: M

Words; 7272

Regis drops his cane and puts up a magic barrier a split second before two assailants armed with automatic handguns round the corner. They fire repeatedly at the barrier, but the bullets simply ricochet off. Behind the transparent blue wall, the King and Prince both hold their swords at the ready.

If you are going to RB anything that I have tagged TWs on, you MUST tag your reblog with those TWs. I will check.

"And that's checkmate," Noctis says with a smug grin as he moves his knight in place to block his opponents kings only means of escape. His opponent, who just so happens to be the King. The King, who folds his hands on the ornate dark oak desk and smiles. "Well done, my son," Regis congratulates Noctis. The smugness fades from the Princes face leaving a small but sincere smile. "I learned from the best." Regis chuckles. "Oh, I'm am by far not the best. In all my years, I have yet to defeat Clarus." He reaches to retrieve his cane, but is interrupted by a buzzing from his desk drawer. He opens it to find his cell phone face up with a message from the aforementioned Shield. He swipes the screen and reads: Clarus: Get yourself and Noctis to the safe room NOW, no time to explain. I'll come to you as soon as I am able "What's wrong, Dad?" Noctis asked, noticing the way his fathers eyes light up in alarm. Regis re-trains his expression to show full composure. "Apparently there has been some sort of security breach. I haven't the details, but we must go to the safe room at Clarus' behest, surely just as a precautionary measure." He then stands more quickly than his ailing knee is happy with and he represses a wince of pain. Noctis stands quickly as well, otherwise doing well to mask his mild panic. In his pocket his own phone chimes. He pulls it out to read: <Gladio: Get 2 thsafe room Don worry about anyone else and don't as questions I'll get 2uwhen I cam> Noctis' concern mounts upon reading his Shields message. Gladio, having an immense respect for the written word, does not often send such jumbles messes and never types in short hand. "I just got a typo ridden text from Gladio saying the same thing Clarus did." "We mustn't take their warnings lightly then. Let's hurry." "Yeah." Noctis grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and, not taking the time to put it on, slings it over his shoulder. Noctis is the first out the door of the Kings personal study. He holds the door for his father and, wasting no time, they run. Noctis makes sure not to get too far ahead of his father who moves much slower relying on a cane. "You go on ahead, Noctis. This old man will catch up." "Not a chance." Just then they hear running footsteps coming down the hall towards them. In two identical flashes of blue light, they both draw their swords, preparing for a fight but hoping against one. They are relieved to see a young Crownsguard, newly enlisted judging by his insignia, running towards them. Their relief gives way to horror when they notice he is spattered with blood. "What has happened, young soldier?" Regis asks in alarm. "There's been an attack, Your Majesty," the recruit answers, out of breath. "Gladiolus Amicitia sent me to make sure you and His Highness make it to the safe room." "Where is my Shield!" Noctis demands. "He's-" Gunfire erupts in the hall, and the recruit falls to the ground; a pool of blood forms around his body.

“If neither Clarus nor Gladiolus can make it to us,” Regis says, voice strained, “Then we will have to fight.”

Noctis nods. He watches one gunman load a new magazine into his gun before continuing to fire. “Next time one of them has to reload, let down the wall just enough to let a warp strike through. I can get them both if I’m quick.”

“Well then be quick, Son. Here comes your chance.”

An empty magazine clatters to the floor. Regis relaxes his hold on the magic protecting them and the light from it dims and flickers but does not go out entirely. Noctis quickly raises his sword and thrown it like a javelin. Noctis and the sword seem to disintegrate into a shower of white-blue sparks, only to reappear in a cracking flash across the hall as the spectral weapon pierces the gunman’s chest. The second enemy turns on his heals and takes aim at the Prince. His shot goes past Noctis’ head, and in one swift motion Noctis pulls his sword from the dead enemy and slashes at the second enemy, cutting him deep across the chest. In a matter of seconds both assailants are down and Noctis stands there in the center of a sort of triangle formation of three bodies in shock. The only dead body the sixteen year old Prince had ever seen was at the funeral of Lilly Amicitia, wife of Clarus Amicitia, who had lost a battle with postpartum depression after Iris was born and taken her own life. He had only been four years old at the time. Now he had witnessed a murder and taken two lives.

“Noctis...” Noctis turns to his father, who stands stiller than a statue staring straight ahead, not directly at Noctis. “Well done.”

Noctis nods, unable to speak...until he sees it. A growing patch or red on his fathers lower abdomen. “DAD!” he screams and runs to him just as the King collapses onto the ground. Noctis drops to his knees and presses on hand to the wound and supporting his fathers head with the other. “Come on, Dad. Stay with me, the safe room’s not much farther.”

“No, Son,” Regis’ voice trembles and cracks. “Go. Get yourself to safety.”

Noctis shakes his head. “What did I tell you before? Not a chance. I’ll drag you if I have to, come on!” He places one of his fathers hands on the wound. “Keep pressure on it. There’s a store of potions in the safe room, you can make it ‘till then.” He hooks one of his arms around the older mans waist and hooks his fathers arm around his neck. It is a struggle, but he manages to haul them both to their feet.

The two limp their way to the throne room, and Noctis grunts as he shoulders open the heavy doors. “Not much farther,” he assures Regis, “Just hang on.” He almost looses his grip on his father as he carries half of his weight on one side to the North wall, but miraculously he reaches the place where a hidden piece of panel serves as the entrance to a room encased in concrete and a mytheral-steel alloy that it is said nothing can penetrate. Knowing he will need both hands free to open the panel, he gently sets his father down and props him up against the wall.

“End of the line.”

Noctis hears the unfamiliar voice spins around to see a woman step out from behind a support pillar. She is bleeding from a deep gash on her upper left thigh, and she limps as she steps. She also has a gun pointed at them. Noctis freezes.

“River?!” Regis gasps.

“Oh, so you remember me? Good. Then I you already know why I’m about to shoot your baby boy in the head and smile while you cry and bleed to death.”

“I don’t,” Noctis says, surprising even himself.

River cocks her head and takes a few steps closer to them. “You don’t what?”

“I don’t know why you’re about to shoot me in the head.” Noctis silently hopes that, in coaxing River into some sort of clichéd villain monologue he can buy time either to figure out how to take her down, or for one of their Shields to find and rescue them.

River shrugs, the malicious smile never leaving her face. “I suppose there’s enough time to fill you in. My buddies should have taken care of your and Daddy Dearests Shields and I shot that cocksure Martial myself, so it’s not like there’s anyone coming to rescue you.”

Noctis focuses on keeping his expression impassive. He thinks back to Gladio’s erratic text from earlier and hopes with a churning deep in his gut that those were not his Shield and dear friend’s last words.

“My parents brought me to Insomnia when I was just a little girl,” River begins. “My family was from a little town on the coast and were afraid the war would reach there. I grew up idolizing the Kingsglaive, wanting to be one of them. When I turned eighteen, I tried out and made the cut.”

“So you served my father as one of his Glaive and now you want to kill him?” Noctis interrupts. “Why?”

River huffs and rolls her angry eyes. “I’m getting there. Damn, you stuck-up royals don’t know how to listen. Just like your Daddy never listened to the pleas from my hometown, begging him to send them defenses, to protect them from the Empires onslaught. But what did he do? What did he give us!?” River steps closer and shakes the gun at Noctis. “NOTHING!!! He did NOTHING!! He sat here in his cozy palace while my home was annihilated! There were NO survivors! After I knelt before him and swore fealty to him, swore my LIFE to his service, he let my home burn.”

“What happened to your home was indeed a tragedy,” Regis said, struggling for breath. “But taking your anger out on my son will do nothing for you.”

“It’ll damn sure make me feel better,” River argues.

Noctis does not even realized there are tears welling up in his eyes until he feels one trickle down his cheek. “I...I’m sorry.”

River’s eyes widen in shock and disbelief. “Say what, now?”

Noctis takes a shaky breath and lets another tear fall. “I’m sorry,” he repeats. “I can’t even begin to imagine how hurt and betrayed you must feel.”

“Don’t patronize me, Prince. It won’t save your life.”

“I’m not!” Noctis protests. He feels genuine sympathy for River, sorrow for her loss, and understanding (though not forgiving) of her wrath. He raises his hands defensively. “I’m not patronizing you, I swear. I may be sheltered, I may be a spoiled royal brat, but believe it or not, I know what grief and anger feel like. The Empire attacked a convoy I was riding in on a trip to Outer Insomnia with my governess. She died, right in front of me. My dad didn’t get there in time to save her, barely got there in time to save me and I spent the next year re-learning how to walk. I screamed for him to go back for Luna and Ravus when Tenebrea was attacked, and he didn’t, he COULDN’T!” Noctis is near yelling now, a steady stream of hot, angry tears flowing down his face. “I was pissed at my own father for not being able to save anyone I cared about, but once I got over that I realized who the enemy REALLY was! My father is not the enemy, River. I’M not your enemy! Nifleheim is OUR enemy! And I can’t bring back your home, but I can promise you right now, I can swear on the lives of everyone you loved who was slaughtered that when I’m King, I’ll be better. I’ll do a better job to protect Lucis. ALL of it, not just Insomnia.” Noctis breaths heavily, and a weighted silence falls on the throne room. “Please, River,” Noctis pleads, near a whisper now, “Please give me that chance.”

It is only now that Noctis notices that River is crying as well. Her eyes are red and her face glistens with sweat and tears. “I can’t-I can’t just let you-” River sobs and her hands waiver. Noctis notices this and taking advantage of River’s distraction, slowly creeps forward and reaches for her hands.

“NO!” she screams and re-levels the gun. Noctis steps back and raises his hands again.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry! Listen, I can get you life in prison instead of the death penalty you’re looking at right now, so you can still make this right. Do right by your people, do right by yourself, River. Put the gun down. Please.”

“I...I failed them...I let my people down!” River walks backward, stumbling from her injured leg. She looks at her gun instead of Noctis now. “Years of dreaming of this day and now...I can’t even shoot a damn royal piss-ant! I...” she looks back to Noctis and raises the gun to her own head.

“River, NO!”

“I can’t...”

A gunshot and the sickening crunch of lead tearing through skull, and River’s body slumps to the throne room floor.

Noctis stands in shock, watching the red pool around Rivers head widen.

“N-Noctis-” Regis strains. Noctis spins around, panic mounting when he notices the unusual pallor of his fathers face. “We don’t know...how many…there are left,” he pants. “We...need to…hurry.”

Noctis swallows hard. With no time to process the situation, he nods. “Right.” With some effort he slides open the panel in the wall revealing a dimly lit hall. It takes more effort than before to lift his Regis back to his feet, and Noctis hates knowing that it is because his father is no longer able to hold his own weight; he has lost too much blood and is lucky to still even be alive, much less conscious. Despite having to nearly drag his father, Noctis moves as fast as he can until he reaches a metal door equipped with a key pad.

“I don’t want to have to put you down again. Can you punch in the code?”

Regis nods weekly and enters an eight digit number, eliciting a beep from the pad and a clang of metal from within the door. The door slowly creaks open and lights begin to turn on inside the safe room. Finally, Noctis pulls Regis into the place where they will finally be safe.

The safe room walls are lined with bunkbeds and cabinets containing food, water, first aid supplies, weapons, bedding, and other assorted necessities for being confined to a room just slightly smaller than the throne room. In the center is a control panel that allowed those within the impenetrable walls to monitor security footage.

Noctis gently lays Regis in one of the lower bunks. Regis wearily points to a nearby cabinet. “First aid...there...”

Noctis rushes to the cabinet and grabs a random black bag and an armful of high potions and elixirs. He drops it all ungracefully as he kneels beside the bed. With shaking hands, Noctis gingerly peels back the blood-soaked fabric from around the bullet wound. He cringes at the sight of bloody, angry red skin and the gaping hole in the left side of his fathers lower abdomen. He has to tear it open further to gain full access. He reaches for a potion, but stops.

“Dad,” he says, terror apparent in his voice, “I can’t close the wound with the bullet still in you, can I?" Noctis immediately thinks of so many movie scenes where a character must extract a bullet without anesthetic, usually resulting in a lot of screaming and even more blood. His stomach lurches.

“I’m not the one to know those kinds of things, I’m afraid.”

“Okay, hold on just a sec...”

Noctis springs to his feet and once again rushes to the cabinet and searches for what he had seen before. He finds it: an emergency first aid manual. He checks the table of contents then flips to the page about bullet wounds. Somewhere in the back of his mind, his Ignis muse is berating him for getting blood stains all over the book. He does not take the time to listen to said muse, and instead reads aloud.

“Um, okay this says, ‘In most cases you do not want to remove an implanted bullet. It is almost impossible to find without ex-ray and it may be preventing massive bleeding by corking up a blood vessel.’” Noctis returns to Regis’ bedside with the book and continues to read. “‘If the wound is open and you can see the intestines, the person needs immediate medical care. If they do not bleed to death, they may die of...’ blah blah blah, okay, potion’s safe.”

Noctis tosses the book aside and takes up a high potion. He holds it over the wound before warning, “I’m pretty sure this is going to sting at first.” He does not waist any more time before breaking the flask over the wound and letting its wave of magic rush over the torn skin. Almost immediately the hole begins to close, causing Regis to groan in pain.

“Sorry,” Noctis mutters and continued to watch the curative do its job. He is not satisfied when the hole does not close completely, so he repeats the process with a second high potion. The wound now closed and the bleeding now stopped (nothing can be known yet of any internal bleeding, but Noctis was counting his blessings) Noctis breaths a sigh of relief. “How do you feel now, Dad?”

Regis does not answer. His breathing is slow and his eyes are closed.

“DAD!”

Regis’ eyes flutter open. “Noctis...Thank you...” Then they flutter closed again.

Noctis watches the steady yet slow rise and fall of his fathers chest and knows his father is alive but resting. Knowing he has done all he can, he rests his head on the edge of the bed and at long last lets himself begin to process everything that had happened in the short span of fifteen minutes. He thinks back to the text message from Gladio. He begins to tremble and fresh tears spring up in his eyes. Is he okay, he wonders. What about Clarus? He knows River shot Cor. Could he be dead? Could they all be dead? What about Ignis, who Noctis knows is somewhere in the citadel, most likely the library. Was he safe? The citadel is most likely on lock-down, but does the public know what has happened yet? Could the media be on the steps, broadcasting the horrors as breaking news? Is Prompto watching in the break room at his part-time diner job sick with worry?

Noctis cries into the bloody sheets. His body shakes and he feels sick and exhausted. He does not know how long it takes, but eventually he cries himself out and numbness settles over him. He does not fall asleep, but he closes his eyes and tries to think of anything but the four bloody deaths he had witnessed, two of which he had caused himself, and the unknown many more outside.

The acoustics in the halls of the citadel are perfect for echos. If such was not the case, Ignis would never have heard the gunfire in time to take cover. As soon as he steppes out of the library, having finished reviewing reports in the peace and quiet there, he heard the reverberation of gunfire and shouting. Immediately he ducks back in and closes the doors as quietly as he can. His first thought, after the initial shock is Noctis. He knows his friend and charge is in His Majesty's personal study for the father and sons weekly bout of chess, which is several floors up. He reaches into his pocket for his phone, but before he can swipe the screen open, it chimes with a text message.

<Gladiolus: stay in tth library. I already text noct to go to the safe room protocol 88d>

Ignis’ eyes widen. Protocol 88-D means that the citadel has been infiltrated and for all personnel not required to fend of the attack to shelter in place if possible. The haphazard style of the message instantly alerted Ignis that Gladio was either in a rush or in distress. Possibly both.

“Bloody Hell,” he swears under his breath. Ignis rarely swears. But he is useless if he dose not remain composed, he tells himself. He begrudgingly reasons that for now he must follow procedure, keep a level head, and hope that His Majesty and His Highness make it to safety unharmed. His phone chimes again, and the message there makes the advisers blood run cold.

<Gladiolus: shit, think Cors dead he was on his way to check on Noct and Regis. No idea where my dad it can u get to the study? Be careful they armed with guns>

Ignis taps out a quick reply.

<Ignis: I’m on my way to them now. Where are you?>

Ignis does not wait for a reply, desperate to get to Noctis and Regis as soon as possible. He quickly and silently slips out of the library. The quickest way to His Majesty's study is in the direction which he had heard the gunfire. He hears nothing anymore, but deems it best not to risk encountering the enemy. He turns the other way, taking the longer but safer rout. He runs, summoning his favorite lance from the armiger mid stride. In his other hand his phone chimes again. He slows just enough to read Gladios reply.

<Gladiolus: locker room, 2 gunmen shot up th trainin hall. Bullet in my leg. Think they already got taken out but not before killing a bunch of cadets. Teres at least 3 more so watch yourself>

Grateful to at least know the threat at hand, Ignis continues onward. He opts to take the stares rather than the elevator. It would be slower going, but if the enemy managed to interfere with power, or if the facility was placed on full lock-down, he would be trapped and unable to perform his duty.

It takes much more time than Ignis would have preferred, but eventually he makes it to the hallway between the study and the gallery outside the throne room. What he sees there makes him stop in his tracks. He swallows down the rising panic and surveys the sight before him in attempt to re-create in his minds eye the scenario that must have played out. A Cownsguard cadet lays dead, apparent from multiple gunshot wounds to the back. To men in civilian cloths lay dead as well, guns in hand. One was obviously run clean through while the other is cut open diagonally across abdomen up to his chest. Five or so yards away is what truly fills Ignis with dread: His Majesty's cane next to a pool of blood.

Ignis shakes and breathes in deeply.

“One of them, most likely Noctis carried out a warp strike and felled the enemy,” Ignis thinks aloud, “While the other, most likely His Majesty, was...”

Ignis tries to remain calm and rational, but he can not help himself thinking the worst: that the King was dead. He runs faster now. He swings open the door to the throne room and his heart jumps when he sees yet another body. He holds his lance at the ready and surveys the room for any sign of danger. Judging the coast clear, he advances, albeit slowly. Relieved he sees that the body is neither the King nor the Prince and only a fleeting thought is given as to why the woman appears to have shot herself in the head. Relief also comes in seeing the panel open, indicating that at least one Lucis-Caelum is in the safe room. Knowing this, he allows himself a moment to catch his breath. Two gunmen in the hall, and one in the throne room accounts for the three Gladio had mentioned. However, not knowing if their could possibly be more that Gladio was unaware of, Ignis takes his pause for only a few seconds before continuing down the hall, following the trail of blood. Not caring that his gloves will now be soiled with the blood smeared across the keypad, he enters the code and pushes through as soon as the door begins to open.

An enormous weight is lifted from Ignis when he sees the King on one of the many beds, obviously severely injured but alive, and Noctis kneeling beside the bed, the Prince himself barely conscious.

“Noctis?”

Noctis lifts his head and opens his eyes. “IGNIS! Thank the Six!” He jumps to his feet and rushes to his friend and adviser throwing his arms around his shoulders.

“I can say the same for you. When I saw the hallway I was...” Ignis returns his friends embrace, but does not allow himself to say anything resembling “worried sick” or “panicked half to death.” Instead he asks, “Tell me what happened.”

Noctis sniffles and pulls away. “Well, I got the text from Gladio...”

Once Noctis has related the full account, from the text to the potions used on Regis, including River and her suicide, Ignis simply nods at first. He approaches Regis and gently feels the Kings forehead. “He’s feverish. There should be something to remedy that here,” he says and kneels by the bed. He opens the black bag Noctis had left their earlier and produces a syringe. He reads the label and nods. “Here it is.”

Ignis places his hand on the Kings shoulder and nudges just firmly enough to get his attention. “Your Majesty?”

Regis groans but does not open his eyes. “Ignis?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. There’s a syringe of antibiotic here. With your permission, I will administer it to you now to prevent any bacteria that was in the wound before it closed from causing infection. It should bring your fever down as well.”

“Do as you see fit. I trust you.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. Noctis,” Ignis pointed to the bag, “There should be a tourniquet, scissors, and iodine swabs there.”

Noctis nods and searches the bag. Finding the items Ignis requested, he hands them to the adviser.

“Good.” He takes the scissors and cuts the sleeve off of Regis’ shirt and pulls it off of his arm. He then takes the tourniquet and ties it an inch or so above the elbow. He holds out his hand. “Swab.”

“Is this a prime-time medical drama now?” Noctis jokes half-heartedly.

“Ha.” Ignis takes the swab, uncaps it, and cleans a small area on the Kings forearm where he knows from medical records (Ignis knows both the King and Prince’ medical records better than they do) stated was the easiest vein to locate. He uncaps the needle and is careful to clear it of any air bubbles before feeling for a vein. “He’s lost so much blood, I fear this is going to be a bit difficult.”

“He doesn’t need a transfusion, does he?”

Ignis hums thoughtfully. “He would were we in a proper hospital, but unfortunately we haven’t the means here to perform such a procedure. Even if we did, neither of us are a compatible blood type.” If neither of the statements Ignis had made were true, Ignis knows he would drain himself of every last drop of blood for his King, but unfortunately he is unable give him any. Finally he finds a usable vein. He keeps his finger on it and angles the needle just right. “The injection site will burn slightly. If it doesn’t pass in a few seconds, or if the pain is too intense, tell me.” Regis just barely nods and Ignis depresses the plunger on the syringe, noting the Kings grunt of discomfort when the needle pierces his soft skin.

By a strike of luck or divine intervention, the injection goes off with out a hitch despite Ignis having no real first aid experience, his knowledge being purely academic. After removing the needle, Ignis sets is safely aside.

“I...” Noctis’ voice cracks, “I’m sorry, I...I should have thought about the antibiotics I was just-”

“No, Noctis,” Ignis interrupts and pulls him into another hug. “You did splendidly under such chaotic conditions. You kept your wits about you, you used all of your training, and you saved his life.”

“Ignis is right, Noctis.” Regis’ voice is raspy and his eyes remain closed. “You struck down the enemy in both of our defenses, you carried me, you talked River down, you thought logically before treating my injury, even though you were surely distraught. There are no words to express how proud I am of you, Son.”

Noctis takes his fathers hand in his and rests his head on the edge of the bed as he had before.

“Thank you, Dad.”

"Stay by your fathers side, Noct," Ignis says softly. "I'm going to check the cameras and see if I can't get a better overview of the situation."

"Did you here anything about Gladio?" Noctis asks raising his head. "What about Clarus or Cor?"

"Nothing of Clarus. Gladio is injured but it's nothing life-threatening and to my knowledge he's currently safe. As for Cor..." Ignis wonders how much he should tell the already distressed Prince, but settles on honesty as the best policy. "I'm sorry, Noct, but when last I heard from Gladio, he believed the Martial to be dead."

"No..." Noctis shakes his head and burries his face in the bed.

"There's hope yet. Gladio was focused on himself and the cadets, so he may not have seen all that happened. The Martial may still be alive. He's called 'The Immortal' for a reason, after all. Perhaps I can learn more from the surveillance."

When Noctis offers no further reply, Ignis turns his full attention the the multiple screens of the control panel. He first checks on the feed of the training hall where he knows there to have been casualties. He sees what he would expect: people tending to the injured, canvassng the vicinity for more of the enemy, and searching the bodies of the two dead attackers. For obvious reasons there were no cameras in the locker room, so he could not confirm Gladio to still be there. From there he expands his search. In the hall outside, he finds what he had feared: Cor lies motionless on the floor, as does Clarus not far from him. He zooms in on Cor but is unable to asses where all the blood surrounding him is coming from. He shifts his focus to Clarus, who conveniently at this moment raises his hand to a wound the back of his head.

"I see Cor and Clarus," Ignis announces. "I fear Gladio may have been right about the Martial, but Clarus is alive, albeit injured." When he receives no reply, he turns his head and finds that Noctis has fallen asleep, still clutching his fathers hand. Normally Ignis would chastise the young Prince for napping mid-day, but today he more than needs his rest. He considers waking him long enough to move him to a bed least Noctis strain his back is such an awkward position, but doubts he could convince Noctis to leave his fathers side. Ignis considers eight years prior where their positions had been revered. He had not been there when the Marilith sent by the Empire had nearly killed Noctis, but he had geared from those who were that Regis sat up many sleepless nights by his sons bed.

As satisfiedvas he can be with the states of the King and Prince, Ignis turns his attention back to the camera feeds, watching as the events he laments he can not control unfold.

Clarus can barely see more than spots of light when he slowly blinks his eyes open. The last thing he remembers is the gunfire coming from the training room where he had gone to wait for Gladio in hoped of having lunch with him later, texting Regis, trying to get to him, and then... Then a shot and not much else. He groans and raises a hand to the back of his head, wincing when he feels the wound there. He looks at his hand to see his fingers covered in sticky, half dried blood.When his vision clears he sees Cor prone on one side in the middle of the hall, blood pooled around him.

"Cor!" he shouts to his friend, who does not respond. Not trusting his legs just yet, Clarus crawls across the marble floor to Cors side and turns him on his back. He gasps when he sees it: the gunshot wound low in his abdomen. "Cor!" he repeats louder, shaking his shoulder gently. "COR!" He touches blood-soaked fingers to the Martials neck. Panic strikes when he feels the weak pulse beat once, twice, and stop. The Shield reaches out to the armiger and summons the one thing he knows can bring his comrade back from the brink of death. Praying to every Astral that it works, he wraps Cors hand around the soft glowing phoenix down. He releases a breath he had not realized he had been holding when ethereal fire spreads over the near-deadly wound, the feather dissipates, and Cor begins to rouse.

"You can't scare me like that, old friend," Clarus says when Cor slowly opens his eyes.

Cor does not acknowledge Clarus' concern. "That woman," he groans, "She's headed for the King and Prince. She means to kill them both."

"I alerted Regis to get himself and Noctis to safety. Hopefully they made it. Come with me to see to them? Are you well enough? You're wounds are healed but you have still lost a lot of blood."

Cor notices the blood from Clarus' head wound trickling down the side of his face. "I could ask the same of you. Perhaps two injured old men can make it to them together.

Using each other for support, Clarus and Cor manage to find their footing. Clarus summons two swords, one for himself and one for Cor, as well as a potion for his own wound. "In case we run into trouble."

"Good idea."

Ignis watches the screens with relief as Clarus and Cor make their way through the empty halls. Upon checking other cameras, he finds no sign of more intruders. He wishes the walls of the bunker did not block cellphone signal so that he could contact someone who would have more information. Perhaps Captain Drautos or Cors second in command Monica.

He returns to Noct's side and combs his fingers through disheveled black hair. "Noct," he says gently.

Noctis opens his eyes slowly, a good sign to Ignis that Noctis was at least getting some much needed sleep. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. As a matter of fact, I woke you to tell you that I've seen Clarus and Cor on the cameras. They’re both alive and on their way to us as we speak.

"That's great! Did you hear that, Dad?" Panic strikes when Regis does not respond or even move. "Dad?"

Ignis checks the Kings pulse from his wrist. "He appears to be stable for now," Ignis assures Noctis. "He's a heavy sleeper. Must run in the family." Noctis chuckles in spite of himself and Ignis allows himself a smile as well. "That, among other things," Ignis added with a distinct note of pride.

"Ignis are we..." Noctis hesitated. "We're going to be okay, right?"

"Of course, Noct. Everything will be alright."

For the first time sense this entire nightmare began, they both actually believe that.

Noctis startles awake. He had dozed off in his waiting room chair again. He looks down at the phone in his lap.

<Prompto: U sure you’re ok tho? I’ve read stuff about ppl being injured and not even knowing bc adrenaline and stuff>

It hadn’t taken long after the first shot had been fired for the media to catch wind of the attack, and not much longer after that for Prompto to bombard Noctis’ phone with massages. So after being extracted and escorted by Cor and Clarus, hearing Captain Drautos confirm that the citadel was clear, seeing that Gladio and his father were both in surgery, Noctis made quick work of consoling his terrified friend friend and assuring Prompto that he was, in fact, alive.

<Noctis: The doctors checked me, Prom. Twice. I’m ok>

<Prompto: So ur dads in surgery, right? What about everyone else? Gladio? Iggy? Promise not to leak anything, lol>

<Noctis: lol, its cool. Gladio got shot in the leg but it missed the big artery so he’ll be ok. Just gotta patch him up. Cor almost died but thank the Astrals for magic feathers yk>

<Prompto: Hu?>

<Noctis: Lol, nm. Anyway Iggy didnt get hurt at all and Gladio’s dad got lucky, bullet grazed the back of his head>

<Prompto: STFU! Dude, I thought that shit only happened in bad action flicks!>

Noctis spared a chuckle for that comment. He was about to reply when a nurse caught his attention.

“Your Highness?” she says with a subtle bow.

Noctis stands and slips his phone into his pocket. “Is my dad okay?” he asks, forgoing formalities.

The nurse smiles, setting Noctis’ mind at ease. “His Majesty has been released from surgery. It looks like he’ll make a full recovery.”

Noctis feels a rush of relief. “Thank you.”

“Of course, Your Highness. His Majesty is still resting, but you can go in if you’d like. I believe his Shield is with him already.”

When Noctis arrives in Regis’ hospital room (which is guarded by two Kingsglaive) Clarus is in face there sitting on the edge of the bed, the king’s right hand held gently between his own. He smiled and nods to Noctis but does not move from his place; he knows Noctis does not expect him to bow.

“He’ll be like this for a few hours at least,” Clarus says. “You should find somewhere comfortable to rest in the mean time. You must be exhausted.”

Noctis shrugs. “I’m always tiered, but I can sleep pretty much anywhere. Just ask Ignis.”

Clarus laughs. “I suppose that chair in the corner would suit you then.”

Noctis sits in said chair and pulls his phone from his pocket. “Not to bad for hospital furniture. It’ll do.” He taps out a quick message to Prompto before closing his eyes and dosing off again.

<Noctis: Dad’s out, gonna be ok gtg talk later>

“… assures Noctis and me that all of the intruders were eliminated. They are not believed to be part of a larger terrorist organization at this time, but a full investigation is underway.”

Noctis wakes up to the sound of Ignis apparently debriefing his father on the attack. Now awake, Regis nods slowly. “Thank you Ignis.”

“Hey, Iggy,” Noctis greets groggily and leans forward to stretch his back, cramped from being seated in an awkward position.

“Sorry to wake you, Noct. I’d meant to let you rest.”

“’s okay. Have you gotten any sleep yet?”

“No, I haven’t. Keeping up with the conditions of His Majesty, Gladio, Martial Liones...”

“...is not your job,” Noctis interrupts. “Will you please rest? You need to take care of yourself, too.”

Ignis, who is visibly exhausted with dark circles under his eyes, disheveled hair and a disconcerting pallor to his face, sighs. “I suppose you’re right. It has been a trying day.” Ignis bowed to the King. “Good evening, Your Majesty. As you can see I’ve been instructed to take my leave.

Regis nods with a small half-smile. “Rest, Ignis. And again, thank you for everything.”

Once Noctis is alone with his father, he moves from his seat in the corner to the edge of the bed and sits where Clarus had been a few hours earlier.

“So how are you feeling?” Noctis asks.

“Groggy and sore, but alive thanks to you and Ignis.”

For reasons he can not understand, Noctis is unable to look at his father and instead chooses a spot on the tile floor to fix his eyes on. “I… I didn’t really...” He sighs heavily. The days stress and trauma wells up in him all at once, and tears sting his eyes. “I killed three people, and then you got hurt and I couldn’t save River and I… I was so scared I just...” A single tear destroys the floodgates and Noctis sobs out loud. It is embarrassing, weeping freely on his fathers hospital bed but he was to emotionally exhausted to contain what had been building and welling up just beneath the surface of his composure for nearly seven hours.

“Noctis,” Regis says softly, “it’s alright that you were afraid. I was afraid, too. When River had that gun pointed at you I felt terror you cannot imagine. I’ve felt that fear before and I never want to feel it again. You are my child, Noctis. I feared for you, for Gladiolus, for Ignis, Clarus, Cor. So please, my son. Don’t feel ashamed that you were afraid and don’t feel ashamed of your tears. Cry them privately and be stronger for them.”

Noctis sniffles and wipes his face with the backs of his hands. “I don’t want to lose you, dad. I know I act like I’m mad at you all the time, but that’s just because It makes me sad and it makes me scared to see you. I know what the ring and the wall are doing to you! I know guarding Insomnia is literally killing you and I hate it! I hate that I can’t help you. But today I thought I could. Today I thought I could keep you safe, but I...”

They stay in heavy silence for a few minutes. “Son. I understand. You have a kind and gentle heart, and I believe that is one of the reasons the Crystal chose you. You can’t bare to see those you love suffer. But the burden of the wall is the burden of a King. It is a burden I accept. And it is a burden that someday...” Regis took Noctis’ hand and their eyes met. “… you will lift. Because you are the True King, Noctis. And if what I saw today is any indication, the future of Insomnia, Lucis, and all of Eos, will be very bright. For everything you are, and everything you are meant to be, I am proud of you, my son. And I love you.”

Mindful of Regis’s wound, Noctis leans down to embrace his father, who offers a week embrace in return with the arm not connected to IV chords. Fresh tears escape his eyes and soak the shoulder of Regis’ hospital gown. It may be at an awkward angle and in the aftermath of a tragedy, but it it the warmest and safest Noctis has ever felt.

“I love you too, Dad.”

#dungeon's writing #ffxv #fanfic #gen fic #tw: gun violence #mass shooting #gunshot wound #tw: suidice #now that my mandatory tags are done #let me gush over this fic #and tell a bit of its story #of all my fics this one is the one I'm most proud of #I love this fic #but it almost didn't get finished #it was on hiatus for a while due to my busy life at the time #I started working on it again and finished the last two chapters #but before I could post it there was the big florida school shooting that got mass news coverage #I couldn't update directly after something like that so I held onto the chapters for about a month #the message I was trying to send with the fic was hope in the midst of tragedy #I feel like the conclusion of this fic actually came at the perfect time #because in the midst of irl tragedy #we all need a reminder #even if it's a small one #that there is always hope #I will not discuss my stance on guns or gun control

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groundramon · 6 years

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Homph I finished tri and I wrote down my thoughts as I was watching because I had too many funny shitposts and nobody to share them with bc charlie hasn’t watched tri yet

PS i wont be reblogging tri spoilers (besides MINOR stuff like, digivolutions of already confirmed digivolution lines or non-spoilery shitposts, but I’ll try to tag shitposts as #tri spoilers anyways [digivolutions specific to tri ill tag as well but not ones that were already basically confirmed]) for a while so ur safe here! I’m just gonna like everything/most things because then I can rb em to hisyaryumon lmao (also u should check out hisyaryumon....its me n charlie’s digimon blog)

EP 1:

- ok. alright. ok. good. they’re dealing with kari’s emotions now instead of just. nothing. ok. alright. cool. Still dont like how obscure/”artsy” they’re being with it, this is digimon not kagerou project, but ok.

- Also. I stand by tk and kari being one of the few good straight ships in digimon. just saying.

- kari: this is my fault... me: god damn it shut up you little brat also me: god relatable ALSO me: ill take whatever display of emotions i can get

- I love how nobody believes tai is dead like. They’re upset and worried but they’re also like “nah. he cant be. that fucking asshole just left us in our time of need” (actually only matt is the last one)

- Gabumon i would die for you also im crying and I think that’s the first time tri managed to make me fucking CRY

EP 2:

- I had thoughts but then the 02 kids happened and I entered another plane of reality. I don’t feel real right now

- the only one I can remember is evil!gennai being a dumbass and being like “SUFFER AND SQUIRM YOU PATHETIC HUMANS AS YOU FIGHT OVER THE LAST SEAT” 1. humans are KNOWN for their ability to care for others you dumb obvious fuck and 2. is. is the entire tube going? because that tube can fit too people if they squish. This isn’t a joke I’m serious it can.

- oh yeah also when i saw whomstever the fuck his name is (adult guy who i love but fuck names) and he was all bloodied i was like “its a cold day in hell when i see blood in digimon” (I think there was blood in an earlier ep but shh idc)

EP 3:

- didn’t nishijima start off as a fucking life coach to these kids. What the fuck he was supposed to help them find a career not emotionally scar them by bloodily dying in front of one of them

- im realizing that the reason hackmon was always in his cloak, in the shadows, standing still is that they cannot animate him in any normal position for the life of him. I drew him with better anatomy when i was 14 and didn’t have a tablet. No seriously, look:

I didn’t say it wasn’t bad, you guys are just underestimating how bad the anatomy on this poor creature is. Why cant ppl draw dracomon or hackmon correctly imma cry

- ordinemon has the best reaction faces

the best part about these two screenshots is that they literally cut one to the other, first the first one to the second one and then it cuts back to the first one. They were really proud of these stupid ass expressions.

- I started overcoming my dissociation shock from the second episode and my hypercritical mind was analyzing the shit out of everything that happened (it is Not happy) but then evil!gennai called kari and evil goddess and idk if he’s exaggerating to make her feel bad or if she’s literally a fucking god of chaos and destruction and either way im like

she did kinda like. Watch wizardmon die, watch tai die, watch gatomon get absorbed. The dark ocean is just a metaphor for depression and honestly if 02 wasn’t all over the fucking place I think Kari would’ve had some pretty decent development in it. Actually you know what, I’m using that as an angle to approach Tri at now, wish me luck bc i might actually give it more leeway now

EP 4:

- I’m not dissociating but I forgot to say anything again and I already forgot what happened

- Cant believe mei is fucking dead

EP 5:

- I like to imagine that Tai got there like a few minutes ago, but he was like “well damn guess yall figured it out without me. alright ill just. see if I need to do anything” and then meicoomon was Still Bad so he waited for when she struck just to make the most badass entrance possible. Fucking extra ass bitch

- I forgot to write anything again but uhhh I wasn’t satisfied so anyways lets just get into the Juicy Details

Originally I was actually planning to be kinder to Tri than I expected. Was very invested during it. ‘Round the end of the last ep I realized hmmm no this isn’t working out. Where are the 02 kids. You should’ve brought them in to save the day. That would’ve been SO cool and SO fun. Fucking cowards.

god I’m kinda tired so I’m going to address a couple things I still had problems with, note that this isn’t everything it’s just everything I felt comfortable yelling about without rewatching past eps. Like I forgot nishijima was all bloodied and presumably died in the last part until they brought it up and I was like “????” ALSO DID THE LADY WHO WAS HIS PARTNER OR W/E KILL HERSELF WITH THE GUN SHE FOUND, I JUST REALIZED LITERALLY AS I WAS TYPING THIS THAT SHE FOUND A GUN AND THEN I THINK IT CUT TO BLACK AND I’M

DID SHE FUCKING KILL HERSELF WHAT THE FUCK

anyways my problems:

1. They did joe. really dirty. I’ll write a more proper rant on this sometime later (mostly bc charlie is MUCH better at talking about joe than I am) but basically I can tell you that his character development in the movies squandered his OG character development. He’s basically an entirely different person. Like Tri joe isn’t bad, besides being largely neglected (yes he has a whole half a movie to himself, no that doesn’t make up for it all), its just...not OG joe. He’s a fine character just not the same character, and its NOT fine when you put the two together.

2. THEY DID THE 02 KIDS EVEN DIRTIER IM SO BITTER sorry you nostalgia-blind, money-hungry fucks at bandai, but the 02 cast is PART OF THE ADVENTURES UNIVERSE. The only people who hate 02 are ones who like the characters but hate the mess of the storyline at the end, or are completely irrational and elitist about their love of the digimon series and would greatly re-evaluate their opinions if they watched the original series and 02 back to back. They couldn’t even show them in some kind of group montage at the end??? Standing in the background when they call Mei??? Why couldn’t they call mei from a home phone also, but that’s a less important problem idc that much. It was a cute scene besides the lack of 02 characters. Whatever. AND THE PROBLEM IS LIKE kari and tk? This entire time??? Were like “oh they disappeared. oops” instead of being frantically searching for their lost friends??? Like i get tk and kari probably have fucking ptsd and can’t express any emotions because they watched important people die in front of their eyes at an incredibly young age but also 1. they didn’t address the ramifications of ptsd, so fuck that theory/excuse and 2. THAT??? WOULD ONLY MAKE THEM LOOK HARDER??? and put on a brave face as they look, but inside they’re so scared and so worried. Not just “oh sweet, they were found/saved, theyre in the hospital but that’s fine” like WHAT theyre fucking assholes if that’s what they’d canonically do lmao. God I am SO bitter over the ENTIRE thing with the 02 kids, it would’ve been BETTER if they were deleted from the fucking canon entirely. Would I have still been bitter? Yes. But at least I wouldn’t be madder at TK and Kari too.

3. I stand 100% by the notion that Digimon is not and will never be cut out to be an adults’ franchise. It wasn’t designed for adults, and it can’t be skewered towards adults. These particular characters were designed for kids to relate to and find entertaining. They do not work when placed into an adult setting. Like, can you imagine a character like Ed from FMA going to the Digimon world? I guess in a way that’s just Marcus but like. Just imagine the FMA cast in Digimon Adventure. It doesn’t work. Digimon Tri is basically that except real. Also Data Squad was darker than Adventure so my joke doesn’t even work.

I guess my primary point is that Tri isn’t mature enough of a setup for an adult audience. It puts a focus on being “complex” and “philosophical” instead of working within Digimon’s constraints and making something good and adult out of that. Like! Digimon is a fucking TOY COMMERCIAL. Don’t give me messages about the futility of human life. I want bad puns and emotional characters. That’s what Digimon has ALWAYS been, and ideally always will be. Tri could’ve made itself more mature by dealing with the ramifications of the Digital World’s events, how it affected the kids psychologically and dealing with healing old scars. It would’ve been a more mature take on a story we loved and would use things we loved about the story already - the fact that it took so much time exploring characters’ emotions and was surprisingly mature for the time - to make itself better. You need to take the aspects that drew adults to the show and amplify them, not just slap on a complex story and unfunny dialogue and be like “oh this is fine, right?”

It’s not that Digimon can’t exist as an adult property, its just that if it repeats what Tri did, it’s got no merit and in my eyes the franchise is dead. If it survives I guess I’ll be happy that people can still enjoy it but I find it unsustainable and unsatisfying to fans of the older series. Tri is just a fuckfest of highly specific nostalgia that tries too hard to appeal to old fans without capturing what made the original series so magical, and in part thats because the original series WASN’T FOR ADULTS. I don’t know about the Digimon Story games, bc they’re T-rated so perhaps they’re a better take on an adult Digimon story than Tri? But you either need to make your own characters and lore specifically for an adult-oriented Digimon season, or perish. Also, please make it a series and not a group of movies. Getting four eps every 6-9 months was hell.

I stand by saying Appmon is a more faithful Digimon season than Tri to Digimon’s original spirit. I believe it holds more potential for success than Tri and better embodies the spirit of the older Digimon seasons. It’s dumb, its corny, it has horrible puns, but I LOVE it because it also has a deep dark story and emotional moments. If you dislike Tri and you agree with things I said that make it unlikeable, I highly recommend giving Appmon a chance - if you watch a few episodes and think “oh yeah, I guess this is decent” you’re going to like it. It’s everything Digimon has always been and hopefully always will be, just with a different concept. And hopefully the end of the series doesn’t leave a sour taste in my mouth and I have to redact this statement haha since I’m not done with it yet, but I’ve heard good things about it so I’m hoping not so.

Overall, if you watch Tri, don’t get your hopes up. It resolves everything okay-ish but it’s a pretty forgettable anime on its own and simply doesn’t work as part of the Digimon franchise.

I am, however, pretty interested in what evil!gennai said at the end about Diaboromon and Daemon. It raises interesting questions about the timeline too. We know Daemon is in the dark ocean, so perhaps that’s a hint at a future project? (They did confirm a future project btw, in conjunction with tri being over) But what about Diaboromon? I dont believe that Our War Game (I think thats what its called?) took place after Tri, based on the outfits and ages and stuff, but I also don’t remember the movies that well. Could Diaboromon still be out there too? It’s interesting.

However, because of the lackluster performance of Tri, I don’t have my hopes up and I really hope that this “next project” goes in a different direction. Although I guess if they include the 02 kids, I’ll be somewhat less salty...

Side note, did they ever explain why the gennais went evil? Like ? That’s a pretty important thing. The gennais helped SAVE the human world in 02. And I get that apparently Tri is ignoring 02′s ending but still. It’s shitty, because Gennai was still a good guy in the original too (and also they cant just keep is younger look and act like 02 never happened) MAYBE its something I missed but I dont think so. God there’s just. So much wrong with Tri. I’m very displeased and very bitter and I wanna get back to Appmon asap.

It’s got good moments, its got bad moments, I dont know, I don’t care. There’s nothing wrong with you if you like it, there’s nothing wrong with you if you don’t, and there’s nothing wrong with you if you flip flop and are split like me. I just wish Tri fulfilled its potential instead of becoming a boring mess.

#stormy speaks #digimon

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junker-town · 5 years

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The NFL’s top trade candidates, broken down into 4 groups

Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

It could be a busy trade market ahead of the Oct. 29 deadline and we’ve got a list of players who could be on the move.

Not all trades are the same.

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey was traded to the Rams because he was fed up with playing for the Jaguars. Emmanuel Sanders was sent to the 49ers because the Broncos knew the 32-year-old receiver was going to leave in free agency anyway. The Falcons shipped receiver Mohamed Sanu to the Patriots so they could start to dig their way out of a tricky salary cap situation.

With the trade deadline coming on Oct. 29, more deals are undoubtedly on the way.

Some teams need to get younger, others need to save money, and there are a few that just want value for players who won’t be on the team much longer.

Here are a couple dozen players who could be on a different roster when November begins:

Players headed for free agency

The trade deadline comes right around the midway point of the NFL season. For players on the final year of their contract, that leaves them less than 10 games away from becoming a free agent.

For some, it’s inevitable. Last year, Golden Tate was on the final season of his contract with the Lions and an extension looked unlikely. His 31st birthday was on the horizon and the younger duo of Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay was filling the rest of the depth chart. It made sense for Detroit to send Tate to the Eagles for a third-round pick rather than wait for him to leave in the offseason.

Here’s a list of players set to hit free agency in March, who might not be in the long-term plans of their current team:

Robby Anderson, WR, Jets

New York’s inconsistent deep threat has been tough to figure out so far in his career. Now, he’s averaging just 2.8 receptions per game in 2019. That lack of production may push the Jets to move on from Anderson. The booming market for receivers makes now a good time to do it.

Vic Beasley, DE, Falcons

In 2016, Beasley was an All-Pro with 15.5 sacks. In the 37 games since, he has 11.5 sacks. He’s set to hit free agency in the offseason, but the Falcons are mostly trying to trade Beasley because he just hasn’t been very good. Perhaps another team can convince itself that the 2016 version of Beasley can return.

Kenyan Drake, RB, Dolphins

Miami is ditching players left and right, so it wouldn’t be surprising if it decided to do the same with Drake. He’ll be a free agent in 2020, and hasn’t scored a single touchdown in 2019. He finished 2018 with 1,012 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns. If the Dolphins don’t plan on re-signing him, he should be another tank casualty.

Melvin Gordon, RB, Chargers

A long holdout that began in the summer didn’t end until Gordon reported to the team in the last week of September. Prior to that, Gordon was allowed to pursue a trade, but couldn’t find a viable option. Now that he’s averaging 2.3 yards per carry, the Chargers may be more willing to play ball with a team interested in acquiring the two-time Pro Bowl running back.

Chris Harris, CB, Broncos

Harris could fit in a few different categories here, but the No. 1 reason the Broncos should part with the 30-year-old cornerback is that he’s probably leaving after the 2019 season anyway. Harris even seemed to say as much to reporters earlier this year. A lot of teams could use secondary help, and the Broncos aren’t contending for a Super Bowl this year anyway.

Yannick Ngakoue, DE, Jaguars

Joey Bosa and Ngakoue are the only two players from the 2016 draft class with more than 30 career sacks. Ngakoue held out for a contract extension in the offseason and didn’t get one. He later told reporters “[the Jaguars] had a chance to sign me for a long-term deal but it didn’t get done.” With his contract expiring in March, Jacksonville could add even more draft capital by trading the 24-year-old pass rusher for a king’s ransom.

Leonard Williams, DE, Jets

Quinnen Williams is the future of the Jets defensive line and that makes a big extension for Leonard Williams unlikely — especially when he has zero sacks through six games. The 1-5 Jets could look to get what they can get for the former top-10 draft pick.

Players who are too expensive

It’s always smart to see the big picture. Spending to acquire or keep talented players is usually a good idea, but eventually the money runs out. Even if a team isn’t near the salary cap limit, it still makes sense to cut down on expenses whenever possible.

For teams that are especially strapped for cash — or maybe just ones that are thinking about the long haul — the trade deadline can be a good way to get rid of their most cumbersome contracts.

Geno Atkins, DT, Bengals

Atkins has been to the Pro Bowl seven out of the last eight years, so the Bengals probably don’t want to see him leave Cincinnati. But the defensive tackle will also be 32 in March and he’s due to count $14.2 million, $14.8 million, and $16.05 million against the salary cap in the next three seasons. A rebuild is on the way for the Bengals and getting value for a great player while ditching his contract could be a starting point.

Le’Veon Bell, RB, Jets

New Jets general manager Joe Douglas wasn’t the one who thought a four-year, $52.5 million deal for Bell was a good idea. That was Mike Maccagnan, who was fired as GM in May. Jets coach Adam Gase reportedly didn’t like the price tag of Bell. That’s why it wouldn’t be that weird if the Jets shipped away their prized free agent after only a handful of games.

Jamison Crowder, WR, Jets

Crowder was another Maccagnan acquisition earlier in 2019 on a three-year, $28.5 million deal. That’s a lot for a receiver with a career-worst 9.3 yards per reception and still no touchdown receptions. Considering the return Emmanuel Sanders and Mohamed Sanu got on the trade market, the Jets could be better off sending Crowder’s contract somewhere else.

Devonta Freeman, RB, Falcons

Only four running backs have a higher average salary than Freeman, he’s not playing up to that price tag. Freeman’s averaging 3.5 yards per carry and hasn’t had a 1,000-yard rushing season since 2016. With salary cap hell coming soon for the Falcons, it’d be a win for the team if it could find a team willing to take a chance on Freeman.

Von Miller, LB, Broncos

Denver would be wise to burn things down and start over. It already traded Sanders, but the real swing for the fences would be dealing away Miller. He’s due to count more than $25 million against the cap next season and $22.125 million in 2021. Miller turns 31 in March and only has 2.5 sacks so far in 2019. If a team comes with a lofty offer for the Super Bowl 50 MVP, the Broncos could really kick start their rebuild.

Trumaine Johnson, CB, Jets

The third Jets player in this section is the hardest to trade. Johnson got a five-year, $72.5 million deal fr in 2018, but now he has a tenuous grasp on a starting role in New York. If the Jets can convince a team to take on Johnson’s salary, they’d likely take peanuts in return just to ditch the contract.

Josh Norman, CB, Washington

The days when Norman was considered one of the premier shutdown cornerbacks in the NFL are long gone. Now he struggles to stop anyone and is costing Washington points. He’s due to count $15.5 million against the team’s cap in 2020, but will likely be cut before he ever sees that salary. Washington would love if it could get another team to take on that problem instead.

Desmond Trufant, CB, Falcons

Another solution to the Falcons’ aforementioned upcoming salary cap disaster would be to trade Trufant. Unlike Freeman, the veteran cornerback is still playing pretty well. He’s just not playing well enough to warrant eating cap hits between $14.15 million and $16.15 million in the next three seasons. Plenty of other teams would be capable and willing to pay that price, though.

Players who are too old

It always feels awkward calling someone old when they’re only around 30, but the sports world is a weird place.

You: "I'm only 35, I have my whole life ahead of me." Sports Broadcaster: "Here comes the oldest player in the league. He's 32. A miracle."

— Troy Johnson (@_troyjohnson) December 6, 2016

For many teams — especially ones that know they have rebuilding to do — the trade deadline can be the right time to offload aging veterans and see what their young replacements can do.

Carlos Dunlap, DE, Bengals

Spoiler alert: Here’s the first of three consecutive Bengals on this list. The team’s Super Bowl window is 100 percent closed, and there are a few older players on the roster who could fetch value on the trade market. Dunlap, who turns 31 in February, is one of those players after six straight seasons with at least 7.5 sacks. He’s not going to make the Bengals a contender, but a team already set up for a playoff run could use his help.

Tyler Eifert, TE, Bengals

While he’s only 29, the 2015 Pro Bowler is about 38 in football years. Eifert missed 15 games in 2014 due to an elbow dislocation, six games in 2016 with an ankle injury, four more games in 2016 due to back injuries, 14 games due to another back surgery in 2017, and 12 games in 2018 with an ankle fracture. He’s been healthy in 2019, but not very productive. The Bengals would be fine moving on with C.J. Uzomah and Drew Sample at tight end.

A.J. Green, WR, Bengals

The last of the Bengals trio is the one they insist isn’t for sale. Green doesn’t quite have Eifert’s injury history, but he’s now missed 20 games (and counting) since the beginning of the 2016 season. Green turned 31 in July and is probably the most valuable asset on the Bengals roster. If Cincinnati decides it’s rebuild time, trading Green makes sense.

Reshad Jones, S, Dolphins

The only other player on the Dolphins roster with at least 10 seasons under his belt is Ryan Fitzpatrick. Miami is tanking and there’s not much logic in keeping around aging veterans. There aren’t many tradable players left for the Dolphins, but Jones is one. Dumping his $15.63 million and $14.55 million cap hits in the next two seasons is just a bonus.

Patrick Peterson, CB, Cardinals

Around this time last year, Peterson requested a trade out of Arizona. He has since apologized and the Cardinals have turned away callers interested in trading for the eight-time Pro Bowler. Calling him old is a stretch, considering he’s 29 and has never missed a game due to injury, but getting younger would be the only reason for the Cardinals to move on from Peterson. He’s still a great player and a relatively affordable one too.

Players who just don’t fit

Sometimes a player just doesn’t work on a certain roster. A scheme change could make someone a square peg trying to fit in a round hole, and a crowded depth chart could force a player out of town.

The Patriots didn’t really want to trade Jimmy Garoppolo in 2017, but Tom Brady wasn’t going anywhere, so eventually their hands were tied.

Here are a few players who just don’t fit into the plans of their current team and would be better off somewhere else:

O.J. Howard, TE, Buccaneers

The 2017 first-round pick looks like the odd man out of the Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich offense in Tampa Bay. After scoring 11 touchdowns in his first two seasons and recording 56.5 yards per game in 2018, Howard’s numbers have tanked in 2019. He’s only averaging 29.3 yards this season and hasn’t caught a single touchdown. The Buccaneers would benefit from sending Howard to an offense that actually uses tight ends.

Josh Rosen, QB, Dolphins

Miami gave up a second-round pick during the 2019 NFL Draft to see if Rosen could develop into its quarterback of the future. It’s hard to imagine the Dolphins still think that’s a possibility. They’re careening toward the top pick of the 2020 NFL Draft (or at very least, close to the top) and will probably take a quarterback there. While Rosen’s value is hurt by his 52.0 passer rating in 2019, there are certainly teams that wouldn’t mind seeing what they can get out of a top 10 pick who’s still just 22.

Solomon Thomas, DE, 49ers

The San Francisco defensive line is really freakin’ good and it’s not because of Thomas. The No. 3 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft is just a rotational player with DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, and Ronald Blair all outplaying him. Thomas is expendable and could have a bigger role in a defense that isn’t so stacked up front.

Trent Williams, OT, Washington

Washington doesn’t really want to trade Williams, but it doesn’t have much of a choice. The left tackle appears content to sit out for as long as it takes for the team to send him elsewhere. Washington isn’t in a rush to get a deal done, but sooner is better than later.

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yahoo-roto-arcade-blog · 6 years

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Fantasy Football Booms/Busts 2018: The Atlanta Falcons

Hitting the pylon was a very rare sight for Julio Jones owners last year. How many TDs should investors expect this time around? (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

As the mercury rises and we inch closer to the open of training camps, our resident fantasy football sickos, Brad Evans and Liz Loza, will profile their favorite booms/busts of every NFL team. Today’s topic: The Dirty Birds. Julio Jones found the end-zone a measly three times last year. OVER or UNDER 8.5 touchdowns this season?

Brad – UNDER. Whether it’s attempting to kick rubber balls or scoring touchdowns, Julio is allergic. There isn’t enough Claritin in Georgia to quell his sniffles. Whether it’s absent chemistry with Matt Ryan or plain bad luck, Jones can’t rid himself of the TD ills. Though OC Steve Sarkisian made it a point to force feed his prized receiver near the goal-line, No. 11 walked away with a comical number of touchdowns in 2017. Again, it wasn’t for a lack of attempts. His red-zone target percentage jumped significantly from 2016 (11.8-to-26.4). He also recorded the fifth-highest end-zone target rate (44.1%, 15 targets) among all wide receivers. But scoring connections were few and far between. Ryan posted a ghastly 35.1 QB rating when throwing to Jones inside the red zone.

Though he’s topped the proposed total only once in his seven-year career, Julio’s three goal-line crosses last season was an anomaly. Even with the addition of Calvin Ridley, he should solicit at least 26 percent of the target share, many of those coming within striking distance. Forecasting 6-8 TDs for him this fall, Jones is a strong candidate to finish inside the WR top-five. Recall, thanks to his 88 receptions for 1,444 yards, he was the virtual game’s WR5 in total fantasy points in ’17.

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Liz – UNDER. Not since 2012 has Jones hauled in more than 8 TDs in a season. Under the direction of Kyle Shanahan, Julio averaged .46 scores per game, falling short of the proposed number (14 TDs over 30 regular season games). Last year, under Steve Sarkisian, Julio’s end zone struggles continued. I remember a lot of theoretical pundits ranting about getting Julio more involved in the red area of the field, but when reviewing the data… Sark tried.

Despite drawing 19 red zone targets (an average of 1.2 per game, which was up significantly from .71 per contest in 2016), the 29-year-old wideout managed just three scores. Whether it was a funk brought on by the regime change, or something more complex, the fact still remains that over a seven-year career Jones’ reception and yardage totals have dwarfed his end zone prowess. Expect 6-8 TDs from the Falcons’ stud receiver and consider anything beyond the mark gravy. FF: 85-1,400-7

Briefly, are Devonta Freeman (21.5 ADP, RB14) and Tevin Coleman (64.1 ADP, RB29) OVERVALUED/UNDERVALUED or PROPERLY VALUED at their respective ADPs?

Liz – PROPERLY VALUED. Freeman has never been the biggest or fastest back in the league, but his vision and patience have more than compensated for any physical shortcomings. While he didn’t post top-eight FF numbers in 2017 – a regression from his previous two outings – he still managed low-end RB1 numbers and 13 goal line carries (#3 among RBs). Averaging 4.4 YPC on the season, the 26-year-old remained efficient, managing 4.8 YPC against base fronts. Earning 4 more carries per game than Tevin Coleman, Freeman will continue as the team’s RB1. He’s currently my RB12, though that would obviously change were he to re-tweak his knee.

PROPERLY VALUED. If Freeman goes down (knee), Coleman will feast, as he did in Weeks 10-12 of last year. Averaging over 20 touches per game, 80 yards per contest, and scoring three times, the Indiana product gifted fantasy owners with two top-ten (and one top-twenty) finishes. The only problem is… he’s still Atlanta’s back-up. But with Taylor Gabriel in Chicago, Coleman’s work in the passing game is expected to increase, which certainly adds to his appeal in PPR-friendly formats. A top-twenty FF producer in back-to-back season, Coleman’s upside is healthy enough to warrant a sixth-round investment.

Brad – UNDERVALUED. If Freeman were a TV show he would be “Ozark.” Though it doesn’t generate the publicity blockbusters “Game of Thrones” or “Westworld” do, the Jason Bateman joint is brilliant and consistently enrapturing. Same could be said for the Falcons running back.

Compared to the likes of Kareem Hunt, Leonard Fournette or Melvin Gordon, Freeman doesn’t receive the recognition he deserves. Over the past three seasons no rusher accumulated more fantasy points in .5 or full PPR. Still, somehow, he’s falling into the latter portion of Round 2 in 12-team exercises. Off a 2017 campaign in which he finished top-12 in total breakaway runs (15+ yards), total evaded tackles, yards per carry against base fronts (4.8) and fantasy points per game, he exhibits one of the safest floors. Despite the inexplicable drop-off in receptions (Thanks, Sark) and concussion worries, Freeman remains a sensational value at his current ADP. On roughly 55-60 percent of the opportunity share look for him to again rack around 1,300 combined yards with double-digit scores working behind a top-five run-blocking line.

UNDERVALUED. Coleman remains one of fantasy’s finest RB sidekicks; “The Anvil” to “The Hitman.” His upright running style frightens many, but he’s a lightning bolt in the open field, a sure-handed receiver and robust between the tackles (3.0 YAC/att in ’17). He’s finished RB19 and RB22 in .5 PPR the last two seasons. Sark’s refusal to dial up designed pass plays to RBs has spooked many, but Coleman, like his tag-team partner, is unfairly discounted. His surroundings are quite nurturing. Another RB25 finish or better is likely.

By his perceived value, will Calvin Ridley (140.8 ADP, WR56) BOOM or BUST in his rookie season?

Brad – BUST. Hate to break it to some in attendance, but Ridley probably isn’t this year’s JuJu Smith-Schuster. Full disclosure, he carved up defenses with balletic footwork in a conservative offense last season with Alabama. According to Matt Harmon’s info-rich Reception Perception metrics, the wideout notched an 80 percent or better success rate on nine of 10 tracked routes. He also tallied a 91.1 percent success rate against zone coverage, an astonishing feat.

However, Ridley is far from a sure thing. He owns cartoonish wheels (4.43-40 yard dash), but his lackluster SPARQ score (31st percentile) and svelte build (6-foot-1, 189 pounds) raise questions about how he’ll handle stiff press coverage. Then there’s the opportunity path. Unless Julio Jones or Mohamed Sanu are felled by a substantial injury, he’ll struggle to attract Ryan’s attention. Recall Taylor Gabriel, the role he’s filling, recorded 9.9 percent of the target share in 2017. At the end of the day, a Ridley line in range of 40-475-4 is most likely in Year 1.

Liz – BUST. I fully understand the hype. Ridley, undoubtedly, landed in a plus situation. Not only will he share the field with Julio, but he also has a shot at becoming the team’s No. 2 WR. Mohamed Sanu is entering his age 29 season and has battled a host of nagging injuries (groin, hamstring, knee, etc.) since landing in Atlanta. It’s additionally encouraging that Ridley, who was used primarily in the slot in college, took reps on the outside during OTAs.

Still, he’s a rookie, and evolution takes time. I dig his long-term potential, but this is a guy who disappointed under the bright lights of the Combine. I’m not taking him ahead of proven guys like Michael Crabtree or potential breakouts like Mike Williams. BONUS – Fill in the blank. Matt Ryan throws for ____ yards and ____ TDs finishing ____ among fantasy QBs.

Liz – 4,285 yards and 26 TDs, QB12. Drafting Matt Ryan has always been a floor play. Since gaining Julio as a weapon, Matty Ice has produced QB1 numbers six of the last eight years. 2016 proved to be the only season Ryan finished among the top-five fantasy players at the position. A season removed from a crushing Super Bowl loss, and with another summer adjusting to Sarkisian’s offense, Ryan should improve on his 2017 just enough to finish a low-end QB1.

Brad – 4,276 yards; 24 TDs; QB18. Unless he reclaims the pinpoint accuracy exhibited in 2016, he’s only an occasional plug ‘n play stream option in 12-team, single-QB leagues. Bring the blitz on Twitter. Follow Brad (@YahooNoise) and Liz (@LizLoza_FF).

#_uuid:c88e9b6d-fa98-3115-ba13-e18b44816eb3 #_category:yct:001000854 #_lmsid:a077000000CFoGyAAL #_author:Brad Evans #_revsp:54edcaf7-cdbb-43d7-a41b-bffdcc37fb56

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