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lassieposting · 2 years

Note

I love the fan pack!

I was wondering what head canons you have for each of the Raze siblings?

Okay so, firstly these are shared with @thats-so-craven

The Family In General

Skug's maternal family are incredibly wealthy old money aristocrats. His great-grandfather was the younger son of an Anglo-Norman Duke, who came over with the Norman invasion and was given A Lot of land in what is now County Dublin. He and his siblings all grew up on the ancestral family estate. As prominent nobility, it's impossible to avoid mortals, so they - like a lot of wealthy sorcerer families hiding in plain sight - officially use a false name for the entire household. Skug's family uses the surname Sionnach (Fox).

Ónora - 29th April 1360

She's an Elemental with an inactive ambidexterity gene - she has no second discipline herself, but she can pass ambidexterity on to her children.

She's straight.

Deceased.

Ónora Is Not Quinlan:

She's one of four children - she has two brothers, Alacrity & Thane, and one sister, Estrilda. The other three have a different mother; Ónora is the daughter of her father's second wife. Ónora only becomes heiress to her father's lands and wealth when her brothers are killed in the early years of the war.

She's the absolute biggest Daddy's girl. He cannot say no to her.

She grows up with Corrival! Their family estates neighbour each other's, so they're playmates as children and stay close as they grow up. The oldest five children, especially Carver and Skulduggery, remember Corrival visiting often when they were small as a sort of uncle figure, but over the years Abrogate's jealousy drove a wedge between them and eventually he - Abrogate - put a stop to the friendship. He puts a stop to pretty much all her friendships, really.

Unlike Lardo's Quinlan, Ónora is not some swashbuckling adventurer. She's a noblewoman in 14th century Ireland. She's unusually well educated for her day, and she's quite remarkable in that she's a woman in a position of political power, but she's not a warrior, was never taught to fight, and very much behaves as is proper for a lady of her station to behave in that time period.

Her father establishes diplomatic ties between the reclusive sorcerer Communities in rural Ireland and the outcast/misfit mages living in mortal towns like Dublin. Ónora follows him into that line of work, serving as an ambassador of sorts, but as a woman she has to work a lot harder and do a lot more to be taken seriously as a competent politician. She helps write several important and influential treaties, including one which legalises the practice of necromancy in Ireland and negotiates religious freedoms for followers of obscure magical faiths. She meets Tenebrae during this period, basically doing the same job Solomon Wreath does in the 2000s.

She helps fund the initial Sanctuary effort, and she's later asked to serve as an Elder after one of the Council is killed. This is where she meets Abrogate, who's a sort of. Witcher-type at the time - an itinerant monster hunter for hire.

She has. Kind of a tragic life, really. She marries Abrogate during a period where the English are invading and taking land from Irish nobles, and she badly needs a husband because women are allowed to own land in their own right under Irish law but not under the law of the invaders, so she's facing losing her home. She likes him a lot, and thinks she could love him, but they marry far too quickly and she doesn't really know him that well when they become man and wife. At first, they live quite happily together. But when Carver is born, she has a very traumatic birth experience and suffers from pretty crippling PPD, which goes on to be the case in pretty much every pregnancy she has. Once Abrogate realises that having kids doesn't give him meaning in life, and neither does being married, their relationship very quickly goes downhill as he spirals into madness and violence and she spirals into depression and self-medication. She's a neglectful, kind of toxic mother, but she's very much the product of her circumstances and her suffering, which most of her children realise to varying extents.

Carver - 18th May 1573

He's primarily an Elemental. I haven't chosen his secondary discipline yet.

He's straight.

Alive

Childhood:

"Tadhg Sionnach" - Tadhg means "poet" in Irish; he's named after an ancestor of his mother's.

Heavily parentified from a very young age, he feels responsible for his siblings' care, safety, attitude and behaviour. He can be a bit nitpicky and overbearing, but he means well.

He's his mother's Emotional Support Eldest Son, which messes him up good. Their relationship is rife with covert emotional incest - she's not getting her emotional needs met by Abrogate (love, support, protection etc), so she turns to Carver and dumps those expectations on him instead. He's expected to defend her against his increasingly unstable, aggressive father, be there for her no matter how distant and uncaring she gets, never criticise her, and stay Mama's baby boy forever.

Quiet, people-pleasing, mature-for-his-age nerdy bookworm. Huge advocate of not rocking the boat.

500 Year War:

Officer in the Sanctuary's army - he buys a commission not long after his Surge.

Very by-the-book in his approach to military tactics; he's all about honour, fair-play and chivalry. He's born a bit late to be a knight, but he would've made a good one.

Will probably never forgive himself for leaving early-teens Skug to shoulder the brunt of the abuse to save his own skin

Maintains a relationship with his parents out of obligation for a lot longer than he's comfortable with

Corrival has him posted abroad for a lot of the conflict, which gives him space to actually develop a personality

Post-War:

Honorably discharged from the Sanctuary's forces after the war

Currently teaches History at the University of Roarhaven, the first educational establishment specifically for sorcerers. His courses are about magical history specifically, mostly the 500 Year War.

Has calmed down considerably and prefers to live at a slower pace. He's realised the world isn't going to end because he's five minutes late to a lecture.

Still a bookworm. Gets very enthusiastic about his subject. Generally well-liked by his students.

Used to offer correspondence courses for sorcerers before he was approached to teach on-campus.

2020+ has not been fun for him. He's only just figured out how to work the interactive whiteboard they installed like ten years ago. Zoom makes him want to kermit.

Very polite, very proper, a bit old-fashioned. Little old ladies love him.

Alt!Serpine is in his class. Carver hates him.

Skulduggery - 31 December 1578

Elemental/Necromancer

He's inherited a very watered-down form of Abrogate's Compelling Voice ability, which is why he used to be so good at inspiring his soldiers and why China says that you can't help but like him and want to fight alongside him. He has no idea he has this ability - he thinks he's just charismatic.

He's bi.

Alive...ish.

Childhood:

"Ruadhán Sionnach" - "Ruadhán" means "auburn-haired" or "red-haired". Carver named him, and he took it very seriously, so he got a nicer name than most of his siblings. His given name is basically "Little Red Fox".

He's. Arguably more challenging as a kid than he is as an adult. He's a) highkey love-starved and desperate for attention, b) an unmedicated ADHD nightmare child and c) unable to please his parents no matter what he does, so he's the most prone to acting out, breaking rules and just. Doing his own thing.

Designated family scapegoat from birth; Abrogate has doubts about Skug's paternity, and hardcore resents him for it

Like adult Skug, he's sweet at heart. He tolerates a lot of shit from his siblings without complaint, and he's the one who'll take responsibility for something he didn't do so a younger sib doesn't get caned. He lets Confelicity bully him into letting her dress him up for a lot longer than he's happy about.

500 Year War:

By the time he dies, he's a decorated General

Court-martialled so many times for doing stupid reckless shit oh my god. But the stupid reckless shit tends to work out for him and save lives, so he's never dishonorably discharged. Or shot. Much to Guild's dismay.

He's given his commission as a reward for leading the Forlorn Hope at the battle of Black Rock.

Unusually for an officer at this time, Skug enlists as a regular soldier (with Ghastly and Hopeless), and works his way up through the ranks rather than just buying an officer's commission. He leads from the front, doesn't ask his men to do anything he's not willing to do himself, and treats them like equals rather than inferiors. They're fiercely loyal as a result.

Talented, ruthless tactician & strategist.

Adores his wife. Adored by his wife. He does not know what the fuck he did to deserve her but he is so glad he did it.

Confelicity - 27 February 1582

She's a Sensitive primary, I haven't decided her secondary yet.

She's straight

Deceased

Childhood:

"Banbhán Sionnach" - "Banbhán" is a word for a small pig. ~3yo Skug gets to name her, and, as you can probably tell, he's not very happy about his new sister. Confelicity is a colicky, shrieking baby, and he doesn't like the noise, so she's named for the scream of a piglet.

Highkey spoiled, bratty and demanding. She's very much the Little Princess.

Her tantrums are colossal when she doesn't get her own way. The nursery maids are terrified of her, so they just give her whatever she wants.

She's basically Skug's first bully. Carver is quite a bit older, so when it's just the three of them, she'll scream and stomp her foot and throw things unless he lets her dress him up in pretty gowns and put ribbons in his curls, so they can have a ladies' tea together like Mother does in the parlour. Carver will sometimes intervene on his behalf, but the nursemaids expect him to put up with it to stave off a tantrum.

She's? Fiercely intelligent, and especially good with numbers. Managing household finances is part of her education as a lady, and she excels at math.

She's a daddy's girl - right up until she isn't. She's Abrogate's favourite while she's obeying his every order and parroting his commands at her brothers, but that goes right out of the window when she realises that he's intending to marry her off to someone she's never met in the name of personal social advancement. She elopes as a teenager with the first person who proposes to her, and that's the end of that special relationship.

500 Year War:

Adult Confelicity is a socialite and philanthropist with a string of ex-husbands as long as her arm, each of whom has more money, a better title or more land than the one before. Some of them died and some of them she divorced, so she's got kind of a scandalous reputation as a possible black widow.

Frenemies with China after Skug introduces them after China first leaves the cult. They're pretty catty to each other whenever they're not being catty about other people together, but as soon as ganging up on Skug is an option they're the dearest of companions.

She's put that math expertise to use and become incredibly wealthy; she talks her husbands into investing in this project or that company, and it usually pays off for her. She's a money launderer extraordinaire.

She has a few kids, all daughters. She's...not a great mother. Like, she loves her children, in her own way, and she's a lot better to them than her parents were to her, but she's dealt with her upbringing by becoming cold and distant and emotionally closed off, so she's not the most maternal. Her love is mostly in the form of making sure her daughters get all the opportunities she never did, and that they never need anyone for anything.

Controversially refuses to take sides in the war, and is very public about it. She funnels funds into both sides, keeping herself and her family safe by steadfastly remaining neutral. This pretty much napalms her relationships with most of her siblings, who are firmly Team Sanctuary.

This backfires on her badly in the end. She's discovered using her connections, blackmail she's gained from her lovers and money she's embezzled from the projects she funds to run an operation smuggling the families of high-ranking Sanctuary officials out of occupied territory, so nobody else ends up like Skugwife and Skugbab. Ultimately, she's executed by Mevolent's forces, and subsequently given a bravery honour by the Sanctuary.

Francis - 12 June 1584

He's an Elemental primary, secondary undecided.

He's bi but. Very conflicted about it, thanks to Abrogate

Deceased

Childhood:

His given name is a girl's name. I haven't decided which girl's name, but it's like. Painfully feminine. Think like, Annabelle, Evangeline, Rosalind level girly. Confelicity named him, and she very much wanted a sister, so she was super salty when he was born male. She decides that she's having a sister, whether he likes it or not.

He's sweeter, gentler and more sensitive than Skug and Carver, and Abrogate wastes no time in getting on his back about it. Francis doesn't like fencing lessons. Francis cries if he falls off his pony. Francis hides when his parents fight. He hears every variation of "why can't you be a real man", and he's constantly being compared to his brothers in a negative light. This, obviously, is not good for his emotional growth.

500 Year War:

He didn't ever really want to be a soldier? Adult Francis is a rake; his main interests as an adult are gambling, whoring and drinking. But at this point, he has two brothers in the military and he's under a lot of pressure not to let the side down, so he buys a commission because he feels like he has to.

He's? Kind of a mess, honestly. Skug and Corrival are constantly hauling his ass out of the fire - paying off his gambling debts, talking him out of duels, dragging him out of drinking dens when he's so wasted he can't see straight.

He has a complicated relationship with his brothers - he simultaneously aches to be just like them and make them proud and be praised by them, and resents them for setting a standard he doesn't think he'll ever be able to meet. He's always very sorry for his bad behaviour, but he never manages to stop.

Essentially he's a lost kid who doesn't have the skills he needs to deal with his childhood trauma. He's also funny and theatrical and overly generous. He just can't quite get past his destructive coping mechanisms.

He does okay until Skug dies. And then he's left alone with nobody to wrangle him or intimidate people he's on the wrong side of into backing down. He's killed in a duel in the early 1700s.

Petulance - 14 October 1588

She's an Energy Thrower, secondary undecided. She's very much about anger and explosions and fucking shit up, though.

Deceased - but she lasts longer than most

Childhood:

"Peaches Sionnach" - she's named by baby Francis, and he just? Really loves peaches at the time.

She's Skug's favourite sibling by far, and she idolises him. She's six when he runs away, and she's the only one he leaves a note for.

Very much a 17th century tomboy. She's far too impatient to enjoy needlepoint or taking a turn about the gardens - she always wants to be riding or climbing or running through mud. Her mother absolutely despairs of her, and Confelicity very much sees her as the complete opposite of the sister she always wanted.

She doesn't do anything slowly. She's quick to anger, but quick to forgive. Quick to decide a new hobby is her entire life now, and quick to lose interest in that hobby. Quick to snap when she's in a temper, but quick to apologise once she's calmed down. She's just kind of? A tempest of a person, really.

She runs away from home when she's in her early teens, rides to Dublin alone, and just sort of. Shows up at Skug's barracks announcing that she'll be moving in, he doesn't get a say, she's not going home. She knows he's incapable of saying no to her. They make it work though - like him, she's not afraid to pitch in and get her hands dirty, so she makes herself useful and earns her keep fetching and carrying for the soldiers, helping clean firearms, running messages around.

500 Year War:

She's never officially a soldier, but her magic is combat-based and she's involved in several defensive battles, when Mevolent's forces attack a Sanctuary encampment.

For all that her name is kind of. Edgelordy and gothic, she's actually sort of aggressively positive. Highly practical. She doesn't waste her time with what ifs or could've beens; this is the world she's got, the life she's living, and she'll figure out a way to make the best of it. She's stubborn and bullheaded to a fault, and she is Not going to end up like Francis.

She's a fucking nightmare when Skug meets Wifey. She's that sister who's like, cringily obvious about your crush, smirking and making pointed comments about how maybe you should walk her home, Skulduggery and how you two look perfectly adorable together. She likes Wifey a lot, and she's determined to push them together.

Post-War:

She finally gets married either during or after World War I - technically, sorcerers aren't supposed to get involved in mortal affairs, but she thinks that's bullshit in the case of such massive events, so she signs up as a mechanic with the British Army while all the men are fighting. Her husband is a mortal fighter pilot, and they have a son together.

She's killed in the Blitz of World War II when her son is three, just a year after her husband's plane is shot down in a dogfight.

Uther - 30 November 1595

Disciplines undecided.

He's straight.

Alive.

Childhood:

He's born the year Skug runs away, which is quite a shock to Ónora, and she clings to Uther as a result.

He's in the unfortunate position of being the oldest child still living at home. Carver is stationed abroad, so even letters from him are few and far between. Skug has run away and not spoken to anyone in the family since. Confelicity got married and cut her parents off. Petulance runs away when Uther is fairly young, and Ónora is left with none of her eldest children to serve as her emotional support animal.

Yeah, Uther is the Emotional Support Child v2.0.

His role in the family is the same as Carver's was years ago. Listen to, validate and protect his mother, to his own detriment. Raise his siblings and keep them in line so their behaviour doesn't fray her nerves. Listen to her rants about how badly her older children are treating her. He's all she has, her perfect son, what would she ever do without him?

Like Carver, he takes this duty seriously. Unlike Carver, he likes it. He feels mature and important and loved, and he's incredibly enmeshed with his mother.

To the twins, Apricity and baby Respair, he's sort of. He does love them. He wants them to be happy and safe. But he sees them as his responsibility to raise and discipline, so he tends to be a bit overbearing and controlling and critical. He likes to flex his authority over them.

When Ónora is killed, Uther takes it hardest. He'd already learned to hate his older siblings through years of listening to his mother vent about them abandoning her, but having to go live with Skug really compounds it. He blames Skug for not being there - if the Family Scapegoat had never left home, Abrogate would've had someone to beat up on, and his mother would still be alive. He hates that he's gone from being treated like a miniature adult to being treated like a preteen boy, and that his authority over his siblings is revoked. He hates how Skug grieves, and that Skug doesn't remember their mother with the same adoration that he does, and that this brother who didn't even stay around to meet him as a baby now gets to run his life. They clash hard, and Uther hates Skug from the get-go.

As soon as he's old enough, he leaves home and cuts the rest of the family off. He never meets Skugbab, or any of his other siblings' children.

500 Year War:

I haven't thought too much yet about what he does during the war.

He's a draft-dodger though; there's a phase after Skug and the other generals are killed where the Sanctuary is desperate enough to conscript, and Uther is having none of that. He wants nothing to do with being in the firing line.

Now:

He's a math teacher. In Handbook canon, the kiddie school still exists, but it's not Bargain Bin Hogwarts. It's a regular school, teaching ordinary subjects, with a magical twist. So like, history class includes both mortal and magical history. Basic sigils are offered as an optional language alongside beginner's French, German and Spanish. That kind of thing.

Bayard - 22 August 1597

Honestly I haven't focused much on Bayard yet. His magic is something in the Ergokinesis family - not a traditional Energy Thrower, but something related.

He's straight.

Deceased.

What I Have So Far:

Honestly I haven't focused much on Bayard yet. His magic is something in the Ergokinesis family - not a traditional Energy Thrower, but something related. Maybe a Juggernaut - someone who stores kinetic energy and, rather than throwing it, channels it through an object. In Bayard's case, this would be his beloved warhammer, a two-handed weapon the size of a short adult - even before adding bonus magic damage, if he hits you with that thing, you will feel it.

He's the older twin, and he's very protective of Sophrosyne.

He's? Not easily flustered. Not much really bothers him. He's rarely found a problem he can't solve by hitting it really, really hard.

It's pretty easy to assume Bayard is stupid and honestly, compared to the likes of Sophrosyne and Skug, he'd agree that he is. He's a simple man, he enjoys a simple life, and he's never been one for academics or overthinking things. But he's got A Lot of common sense.

Sophrosyne - 22 August 1597

She's an incredibly powerful multi-branch Sensitive. She doesn't just have very vivid premonitions, she actively has to tune out everyone's thoughts. She hates it.

She's a lesbian.

Deceased.

Life:

She's the younger twin.

Probably the most intellectual sibling. In addition to English and Irish, she speaks Latin, Greek, Spanish and Italian. She styled herself after Sappho, her favourite poet, at the age of...somewhere between 11-13. She plays the harp, the lyre and the harpsichord, creates beautiful embroidery, and writes professionally.

She publishes several books of poetry (under a pseudonym, because she's female in an era when that would affect her readership). A decent chunk of her poetry is somewhat melancholic and tends to focus on like, the fleeting nature of life and dreams and longing. The rest of it is...really, really gay. Meeting China around the time she hits puberty is. Something of a formative experience.

Unfortunately for her, her magic is more of a disability than a gift. She begins having visions from about the age of four, and from that point, she spends the rest of her life in delicate health. The visions she has are vivid, all-consuming and deeply distressing to a gentle soul, and because her magic is so powerful, she's like a dinner bell for malicious entities looking to possess a body, so she has to fight off attempts to take her over. She's often indisposed/bedridden, becomes exhausted easily, frequently faints after a vision and experiences chronic pain left over from previous psychic battles.

When she's feeling well, she likes to get involved with a local charity hospital for mortal peasants.

This is ultimately her downfall. When Mevolent weaponises liquefactive necrosis, mortals start presenting at the hospital with unexplainable plague symptoms. And like, this is only a few hundred years after the Black Death. Sorcerers of Sophrosyne's generation would absolutely have been told stories by their parents, who lived through it. She knows what plague can do to mortals. As a sorcerer, she's supposed to be immune to mortal illnesses, so she volunteers to take care of the infected patients to protect the doctors. But it's not a mortal illness, and when she contracts it, there's still no cure. She dies young.

Apricity - 27 March 1599

She's an Arborkinetic - her magic is all about plants. She talks to her plants, she makes them grow, she can use them defensively if she has to, and she has a few plant-based adaptive abilities.

She also inherited a subconscious ability from Abrogate - hers is...what you might call luck. While she believes life is good and things will work out for the best, they tend to do so - she gently nudges the world in the direction she wants it to go, without even realising she's doing it. But that can backfire.

She's straight.

Deceased.

Childhood:

"Dolly Sionnach" - technically the twins both get to name her, but they're 1, and they also refuse to compromise, so Uther (3) takes over. She's named after a toy baby doll, because that's what he thinks she looks like.

She's basically Wifey's mini-me. She's about seven when she's orphaned and taken to live with Skug, and a few years older when Skug marries Wifey. Once she's got that stability, she thrives. Wifey is very maternal and very much wants to be a mother figure to these poor traumatised children, and Apricity is a child who badly wants a loving mother.

She's a bit eccentric, as a child. Wifey has a lovingly-tended garden, and Apricity will sit out there for hours talking to the rose bushes. She's highly imaginative and prefers playing alone to playing with other children.

Wifey instills a deep love of crafty pursuits in her. They cook together, bake together, repurpose old gowns together, make quilts together, all that sort of thing.

500 Year War:

She has zero interest in ever getting involved in the war in any capacity. Like, absolutely nothing about Apricity is combat-worthy at all, she's a super gentle soul.

She marries, and dedicates herself to growing and selling flowers. She gets lucky; the tulip boom happens while she's still a young adult, and it makes her a very wealthy woman.

She really wants children, but she has a hard time conceiving any. Like most of her siblings, she got the same magical ambidexterity gene combination as Skug, which affects fertility. It's upsetting for her, of course, but she mostly stays upbeat about it - she's young, and she has a very, very long life to become a mother.

But then Wifey and Skugbab are killed, and the brother who raised her is butchered for sport and burned on a spike. She loses a huge chunk of her family in one go, and she sinks into a deep depression which. Pretty much brings her entire life down around her ears. She's not happy-go-lucky anymore. She's not optimistic and she doesn't feel like everything will work out for the best. So. Her luck basically turns on her. Because she thinks everything is going to go to shit, that's the way she nudges the world, and then when bad things happen, they just make her feel worse.

She dies in childbirth in the 1700s.

Respair - 3 July 1602

He's an Elemental.

He inherited a watered-down form of invulnerability from Abrogate. It's a bit harder to injure him, he heals injuries faster, and he can tolerate more pain than most people. He believes this is his second discipline, some form of Vitakinesis - "We're all a bit magically ambidextrous in this family." This is really useful as a soldier. It's less useful in...other situations.

He's heteroflexible.

Alive. Technically.

Childhood:

"Báb Sionnach" - "Báb" means baby. His given name is literally "baby". He's named by three-year-old Apricity, and she is VERY!!! EXCITED!!! ABOUT THE NEW BABY!!!

He barely remembers his real parents. He knows that Skug is biologically his brother, and Wifey his sister-in-law, but they're the only parental figures he's ever known.

Because he was so young when his mother was killed, and he wasn't raised with her dysfunction and Abrogate's abuse, Respair escapes pretty much all the psychological trauma inflicted on his older siblings. He's a healthy, happy, normal kid.

He always aspires to be like Skug, from a very young age. He's an athletic, sporty boy, so he enjoys learning to fight and fence and playing soldiers with the neighbourhood boys.

He grows up into a very good-natured, cheerful, gentlemanly young man. He tends to take things on the chin and just sort of. Make it up as he goes along. He's a lot like Carver personality-wise, but he's more independent and less anxious, a lot more secure in himself.

500 Year War:

He signs up with the Sanctuary as soon as Skug lets him. It's not exactly what he expected - he doesn't get put in Skug's unit, and he's not immediately amazing at all things military - but he does enjoy it and he's generally a promising young soldier.

When Skug and Wifey are captured, the Sanctuary hesitates in its official response, so the people who love them - Carver if he's in the country, Ghastly, Hopeless, Bayard, Respair - mount an unofficial rescue mission. They don't know that Wifey and Skugbab are already dead.

They make it all the way into Serpine's castle, but they trip an alarm sigil and they're forced to flee without Skug. As they're trying to make their escape, Respair falls behind trying to get an opportunity for a killing shot against Serpine, and he's captured.

Serpine is busy with Skug, the object of his obsession, and he doesn't know who Respair is or that they're related. He's just a random young soldier. So he's thrown into the dungeon for now.

Officially, he's Missing Presumed Dead, and Carver never forgives himself for getting their baby brother killed.

Now:

Pretty much everyone thinks Respair is dead - including Serpine, who - when he remembered Respair existed after Skug was burned - found his cell empty, and was told that in the meantime, the boy had died of his injuries and the body had been disposed of.

He's not.

Valkyrie has even seen him. She just didn't realise at the time.

"They were in a warehouse of some sort...Dead people, in various stages of dissection, hung from the walls on hooks and large iron nails. They looked at her as she passed, but made no sound." - Valkyrie, Mortal Coil

"No one will know you never left. I can hide you among the corpses here. You'll never be found. I'll tell the Dullahan, and I'll even tell the banshee if she comes to investigate, that I waved goodbye and watched you leave. Who knows what could have happened to you after that?" - Nye, Mortal Coil

#skulduggery pleasant #the skugfam #sp headcanons #sp handbook #long post #INCREDIBLY long post yall #im sorry this took so long but look how much content there is #the 10 images limit is a PITA #anyway yeah turns out the handbook is actually angstier than canon

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sylleblosscm · 1 year

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Hc. In Tenebrae, multigenerational households are not only ubiquitous, they are the norm. It is not expected (though, it's not forbidden) for children to move out as soon as they are grown. Tenebraean culture has a heavy focus on family and community, so the idea of living alone is actually quite strange. Socially and legally, there is no distinction between biological family, step family and adopted family - except for in regards to the royal family, of course, as the Fleuret bloodline is pretty important to the nation as a whole and thus needs to remain pure. Often, smaller communities will form around a group of households and share responsibilities; for instance, a few people from multiple families will care for all the children, cook for everyone, share the income and advocate for the needs of the group as a whole. The leaders of these communities are usually women since Tenebrae is a matriarchal country, on account of their ruler always being a woman. That said, duties within and outside the home are distributed pretty evenly among men and women, with no type of work being viewed as especially gendered. Mostly the citizens are complacent in their ways, and do not push for change. The downside is that this can lead to antiquated ideas taking longer to be fully eradicated, and individualism is often shunned. Also, Tenebraeans are just big ol' gossips - everyone is in everyone's business all the time. The upside is that Tenebraeans are often welcoming, accepting, willing to help anyone in need, and come together easily in times of crisis.

#⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ where i stand is where i fall / headcanons

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ilikemilkbread · 3 years

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anyways, more nightfall content

#nightfallgame #christian tenebrae #alistair tenebrae #tenebrae household doot doot doot.. dress them up doot doot doot

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brokehorrorfan · 2 years

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Blu-ray Review: Shock

Shock is the final film directed by Mario Bava (Black Sunday, A Bay of Blood), as he passed away in 1980, and in a way, the 1977 effort brought the Italian horror legend's career full circle. Bava is widely regarded for making the first gaillo (pulpy Italian horror-mystery-thriller) with 1963's The Girl Who Knew Too Much, thereby influencing Dario Argento, who further advanced the genre - and eclipsed Bava in popularity in the process - with such films as The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Deep Red, and Tenebrae. Although not a giallo, Shock found Bava drawing inspiration from Argento.

Shock stars Argento's frequent muse and then-wife Daria Nicolodi, who appeared in six Argento films in addition to co-writing Suspiria. The script was co-written by Dardano Sacchetti (The Beyond), who recently had a spat with Argento over their collaboration on their Cat o' Nine Tails script. Moreover, I Libra - a short-lived band featuring former members of Argento's go-to composers Goblin (Dawn of the Dead, Suspiria) - composed the film's prog-rock score.

Shock was originally released in the U.S. under the title Beyond the Door II despite being entirely unrelated to the 1974 Exorcist knock-off. While the productions shared a cast member in David Colin Jr., Shock has more in common with The Amityville Horror. Written by Sacchetti, Lamberto Bava (Demons), Gianfranco Barberi (A Bay of Blood), and Alessandro Parenzo (Rabid Dogs), Shock is considerably stronger than its pseudo-predecessor by every conceivable metric.

The film follows Dora (Nicolodi) as she moves back into her family home with her young son Marco (Colin Jr.) and second husband Bruno (John Steiner, Tenebrae). It's not long before strange occurrences begin, including Dora being haunted by nightmarish visions, household objects that seemingly have minds of their own, and Oedipal subtext. Dora starts to believe that Marco is possessed by his deceased father, but psychologist Aldo Spidini (Italian horror regular Ivan Rassimov, Planet of the Vampires) isn't convinced it's anything more than past trauma triggering her paranoia.

Shock comes to a head with a frenzied finale that owes a small debt to Edgar Allan Poe. It features a truly ingenious jump scare that has been imitated in the likes of Annabelle and The Prodigy. There are several other creepy sequences beyond that, including clever in-camera visual effect trickery. A particularly effective scene finds a bed-bound Nicolodi's hair defying gravity as it's purportedly moved by supernatural means. Nicolodi utilizes her real-life vulnerability to tap into the character’s fragile psyche for one of the strongest performances of her career.

Bava is the only credited director, but Lamberto - who served as assistant director - helmed, by his own estimation, 25% of the picture. It's not the most elegant film of Bava's career; it lacks the colorful flourishes as part of an effort to make a more contemporary picture, but it's still aesthetically pleasing. An accomplished director of photography prior to becoming a director, Bava shot most of his movies himself, but he handed the reins to Alberto Spagnoli (The Last Shark) this time around. Spagnoli never fails to discover interesting angles in the often-prowling cinematography.

Shock has received a crisp 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative via Arrow Video. Both the Italian and English versions are included; there's no difference in the cuts other than the credit sequences and the language spoken. Restored lossless mono Italian (with newly-translated English subtitles) and English audio options are included. It features reversible artwork with a new piece by Christopher Shy and the original poster. The first pressing includes a booklet written by film historian Troy Howarth, author of The Haunted World of Mario Bava.

In a new interview, Lamberto discusses everything fans could ever want to know about the film over the course of 30 minutes: his involvement with the direction, working with Nicolodi and her recent passing, Argento visiting the set and their subsequent friendship, how the visual effects were pulled off, his brief cameo in the movie, and more. Sacchetti also gives a lengthy, informative interview in which he discusses his "fond memories" and "deep regrets" regarding the production. He details his original plot (which later became a TV movie titled Until Death, incidentally directed by Lamberto Bava) and delves into the cynicism of Italian cinema and the lack of respect given to Bava.

Film historian Tim Lucas - no stranger to the material, having authored Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark - dives deep into the material with an informative audio commentary. Three other critics are involved in the special features: "The Devil Pulls the Strings" is a video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas that analyzes the film's mise en scene; "Shock! Horror!: The Stylistic Diversity of Mario Bava" is a lengthy piece in which Stephen Thrower explores nearly every major beat; and a brief recollection from Alberto Farina about a drawing that Bava made for Nicolodi which she shared with him during an interview. The Italian theatrical trailer, five Beyond the Door II TV spots, and three galleries (posters, Italian lobby cards, and Japanese souvenir program) round out the extras.

Shock is available now on Blu-ray via Arrow Video.

#shock #mario bava #lamberto bava #daria nicolodi #horror #70s horror #1970s horror #italian horror #arrow video #dvd #gift #review #article #christopher shy #beyond the door

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noirbriar · 2 years

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Family CorNyx: Tea

Caffeine is a staple in the Leonis-Ulric household. Although surprisingly, its not coffee, but tins of tea that occupy their kitchen cabinet. With only certain exceptional occasions, would a dusty pack of rich black Ebony coffee grinds be pulled out. If not its usually tea.

Cor appreciates the deep flavour of matcha. His mother taking care to impart the art to her son when he was younger as his father had enjoyed the serenity of preparing it. Which was a luxury for the hunter who always travelled out of Insomnia and to Meldacio. The discipline later gets picked up by Prompto, who makes the usucha, or thin tea, in the mornings for his dad if time allows it.

On his days off, the ritual of preparing rich koicha, thick tea, acts as a meditative session for Cor to relax and destress. If there are days marked with endless meetings, Cor would then dig out the coffee grinds and filter. Just for a quick strong hit of caffeine to let him last through like a decent human, at least the first half of the day.

Nyx strangely enough, hates coffee. Which he only came to know about after moving into Insomnia. He will only drink strong black tea, with lots of honey. Very important. It is familiar and a comfort. He never liked his tea sweet but it was Selena who did. This is the one thing that he will not budge on, despite his known adventurous streak.

On festive days, he will make spiced tea in a pot with his son, filling the kitchen with rich smells of home. He then bottles the brew and keeps them to indulge together with his family in the evenings or gifts them to Libs and the other glaives. Try and feed him coffee and he promises you, he can and will be a daemon for the rest of the day. Tredd Furia tried swapping his water canteen once with pure, unadulterated Ebony. Nyx is not sorry for what happened afterwards to this very day. Number 3 Glaives training hall will attest to that. If desperate, the Galahadian just stick to good old plain water.

Prompto is probably the only neutral individual in the household, preferring fruit juices instead. However, he is partial towards herbal tea during bad days when he is stressed. Be it from anxiety or nightmares when he was a kid, or school and exams. Later on, from the intense training by his fathers.

He likes boba tea too if Noctis or Iris is with him and wants to share different flavours. Coffee is fine, but he prefers if there is lots of milk, which Ignis obliges. Gladio likes to get him a bottle of the fancy cold pressed juices whenever he passes by the Altissian cafe down the Citadel corner. During his time with Luna in Tenebrae, he tries sylleblossom infused tea but… he stops just after one cup. The aromatic floral brew is warm and gentle at first sip. Yet all the Farseer can taste of, is melancholy.

#ffxv #ffxv au #final fantasy xv #cor leonis #nyx ulric #prompto argentum #the lion the coeurl and the cub #cornyx #domestic family things #i feel so bad flooding the tags with fluff and happy fics but im just soft for happy things TwT #etro!prompto

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followthestars · 3 years

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Niflheim Headcanons

Niflheim can be ruthless and cruel to their enemies, but the empire takes care of it’s citizens

While Prisoners of War get no choice when it comes to consenting to experiments, Niflheim citizens that vounteer are made completely aware if an experiment they are signing up for can kill them before they are allowed to sign the paperwork to take part in it.

Families of those that die are guaranteed to be given comfortable lives if the volunteer was the sole breadwinner of the household.

Niflheim is also extremely accepting of their lgbt community. They have cloning technology, if a same sex couple wants a baby, they can save up to have a clone made from their mixed dna to raise.

Accordo and Tenebrae do have extensive laws to keep discrimination of their citizens down, and the same opportunities are extended to the people of Tenebrae.

Accordo was allowed to govern itself because they weren’t going to be a threat to the empire and it makes it easier for the laws to be enforced of the territory is governing itself.

Protections for minorities were a requirement among other things for the chance to govern itself though.

Luna didn’t go out to speak much to the people in Niflheim outside of her duties as Oracle, so she was not completely aware of the fact that the citizens were well cared for.

Lucian prisoners aren’t treated the same as citizens at all, they have no rights within the prisons and are used for any experiments that are too dangerous for citizens. As in extremely low survival chances.

Ardyn actually got grounded for trying to infect Niflheim citizens with Starscourge in secret.

He was very confused.

#ffxv #final fantasy xv #ff xv #final fantasy 15 #niflheim #worldbuilding #headcanons #starry thoughts #Niflheim is very power hungry #But the emperor and nobility know that happy citizens are VERY loyal citizens

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ezra-blue · 4 years

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FFXV FANFICTION: CINIS

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21688492 Chapter 1/4 (Updates every Friday in December) Rating: T Warnings: Canon-typical Violence Summary: Ignis Scientia was meant to serve the Prince of Lucis, as his family has done for generations, but the Imperial invasion dashed his destiny. For eleven years after the fall of Tenebrae and the death of his family, Ignis has served in the household of Ravus Nox Fleuret, High Commander of the conquering Niflheim army. However, Ignis' fate turns when Ravus is invited to the ball celebrating the coronation of Imperial Prince Prompto Aldercapt, and he finds himself drawn into a conflict the likes of which he couldn't imagine. Art by @scararts

#final fantasy xv #ffxv #promnis #fanfiction #my writing

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nightfallgame · 2 months

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SHORT — Alistair Tenebrae (01)

Originally Written: 07-26-20

Prompt: Alistair sneaking into his S/O's bed for the first time after having a nightmare?

Staying the night at someone's house is... weird. Alistair has only been out of his parents' home for five days— ever. He's still not used to waking up to a room that's not his own.

The guest room you've given him is smaller than his bedroom back at the mansion. The bed is smaller too. Alistair is used to being a very small body in the middle of a very big bed with a dark, swooping canopy overhead. Now, his back is up against the wall and the bed is only about twice as wide as he is.

You tell him it'll quit feeling strange soon enough.

In a way, Alistair likes sleeping on his own. He's not in his parents' house. There's no one to tell him what he can do and where he's allowed to go.

But there's also a very distinct hole missing.

One in the shape of his brother.

Trouble sleeping is a concept that Alistair is well used to. He's had nightmares since he was a small child— awful, noisy things that have him waking up either screaming or in tears. The kind where he's never able to go back to sleep on his own.

Thirty minutes ago, Alistair woke up after a— thankfully— minor one. He's laid in bed from that point on, not sleeping a bit. He's crying, but just the quiet sniffles and streaking tears that are easy to hide. It's the first nightmare he's had since he's been staying with you. But... up until tonight, he'd been passing out, exhausted, after staying up much too late doing all kinds of fun things with you.

Normally, this would be the point where Alistair grabs his pillow, sneaks out of his room, and slips into Christian's. This would be when he curls up next to the small, warm body of his older brother and sleeps without so much as a flicker of another bad dream.

There's no Christian here.

It's sinking in that Alistair is alone.

He rolls over a couple of times, thinking with increasing anxiety on the thought that there's nowhere for him to go.

Your room is just down the hall, of course, but you don't know about the stupid nightmares yet— and Alistair doesn't really want to change that. He's old enough that he shouldn't have to go crawling into his partner's bed just because he got scared.

Even as sheltered as his life has been, Alistair knows enough to understand that he should be ashamed of wanting that.

But sleep isn't coming back, and Alistair is quickly coming to the unpleasant conclusion that he doesn't have much of a choice. His heartbeat won't settle down. The tears won't stop. He has that awful, miserable feeling of dread that sinks into him after a bad dream and doesn't leave him alone. No matter how much he hates it, he's scared.

Alistair looks at the clock. 3:28 AM. Too late and too early at the same time.

After a few more minutes of trying to force himself to quit crying, Alistair lets out a little growl, rolls over, and slides to his feet.

Like he's used to, he grabs his pillow and slinks out into the hall. His bare feet are on cheap carpet instead of unyielding hardwood, though, and there are city lights outside the windows instead of blackness. There are no servants here. There's no one in the whole house but you and himself.

Somehow, it's lonely.

Alistair slips into your room just as quietly as he's always done at home. Your sleeping form is curled up under the blankets, utterly peaceful.

Unwillingly, he lets out a little hiccup of a sob. You're not his brother. You might laugh at him. You might shove him away and tell him to sleep on his own. There are a thousand things that could go wrong, and suddenly, Alistair is conscious of all of them.

He's never thought like this before. With everyone else, he takes what he wants and does the same. Alistair has never once cared what another person thought of him, and yet—

With you, he cares more than he wants to admit.

With hesitation and a deep swallow, Alistair pulls back the corner of your blankets. He sets his pillow down beside you and slithers inside. You're bigger than Christian is, and warm. As soon as he's under the blankets, he can feel it. The spot next to you is way too comfortable when he settles into it.

As soon as he sinks into that heat, Alistair feels himself relax. He's not alone anymore, he thinks as a wave of sleepiness hits him. He's not in some strange, unfamiliar room where he's at the mercy of whatever demons his dreams can summon. He's right beside the person who's showing him the world. Alistair sighs, snuggling closer to your back on reflex. Having you pressed up next to him makes everything feel better.

"Ali..?" your sleepy voice mumbles.

Instead of snapping out some snarky retort or trying to defend himself, Alistair gives a little whine and cuddles even closer.

You roll over.

"What's wrong?" you ask. He doesn't answer. "Was it a nightmare or something?"

Alistair feels himself tense up.

"Wanna sleep..." he mumbles back at you. This is a conversation that can be held in the morning— when he can act like his usual self and not feel quite so vulnerable.

"Mmm... okay. C'mere, brat."

With that affectionate nickname, you wrap one arm around Alistair's shoulders, bringing his face to your chest. It's warmer like that, and this close, he can even hear the subtle sound of your heartbeat. Christian used to cuddle him too, of course... but this feels different. You're holding him like you want to keep him safe from everything, like he's all yours.

Alistair lets out a soft sigh. He feels his body go lax. Lying so close to you is sending him right to sleep. He knows that the nightmares will leave him alone this time.

He can trust you just as much as he could ever trust Christian to look out for him.

#Alistair Tenebrae #Tenebrae Household #Short #Reader

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platonicone · 4 years

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Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 27 - When need becomes want

What is a cure for longing? I wonder…

The Sun was beating down brightly, peeking through the curtains. All the birds, who wakes people up with their melodies, had retreated to their nest. Aranea impatiently knocked at the door to Squall’s room.

A relentless banging on the door finally woke up Squall from his slumber.

He groggily got up and made his way towards the door to stop the annoying banging. He opened the door, still half asleep.

“Come on, wake up sleepyhead. It’s way past noon,” she announced, irritated.

“Already?” he whined, rubbing his eyes.

“You know, it's not nice to keep a lady waiting. We had a date this morning,” Aranea teased, leaning against the door.

“Sorry, I overslept,” he confessed, sheepishly.

“It’s alright. I have an errand to run, but I’ll be back in a couple of hours. We can go sightseeing then,” she suggested.

“No. He does not step outside of this manor until our medics have checked him,” Luna contested, approaching from behind. “Squall, are you sure you are okay? It is unlike you to sleep so much.”

“I am fine,” he reassured.

“I am worried about you. I know what kind of toll it takes to heal someone,” she raised her concern.

“How did you know?”

“I can sense when Oracle’s powers are used,” she lied, and he bought it. “I’ll have our best medics check on you immediately,” she spoke with urgency, still not making eye contact with Squall.

“I am okay,” he tried to reassure. “I was just tired, that’s all.”

“And you were unconscious for a long time before that. You are getting checked by our medics and that’s final. No more argument.” Her authoritative voice which left no room for disagreement.

“You are not even married and she scolds you like a wife,” Aranea added in a mischievous voice.

“Whatever,” Squall remarked, getting annoyed.

“Squall, you should go freshen up. I’ll have Maria set up the lunch and our medics will come to check on you after that,” Luna proposed.

“Fine,” he resigned.

“I guess we’ll take our tour in the evening,” Aranea said with a shrug.

Squall nodded and retreated to his room.

After getting ready, he went straight to the dining room and found Luna waiting on the table. He looked at the huge standing clock in the room it showed 2 p.m.

“You should have eaten already. It’s 2 p.m., you didn’t have to wait,” he noted, sitting down on the chair.

“I was busy, I just got free,” she spoke, staring at her empty dish.

The retainer quickly brought out food and served them. Maria brought out a special soup for Squall and served him.

After taking just one spoon of it, Squall immediately recognized that taste. He asked, “Did you make it?”

Even though Luna was not looking at Squall, she knew this question was intended for her. Luna glared at Maria, and she responded, “I-I m-made it, Master Squall. Is it not to your liking?”

“It is perfect,” he admitted.

The the corners of her eyes crinkled, and a tiny smile of satisfaction formed on Luna’s lips, which she tried to conceal quickly. Noticing that, Squall said, looking at Luna, “Thank you, Maria.”

“Y-You are most welcome master Squall,” Maria replied nervously.

The rest of the lunch was quiet and uneventful. As soon as the lunch was over, Luna quickly left, giving no chance to Squall to strike any conversation.

Squall retreated to his room where medics were waiting for him.

His medical checkup lasted a lot longer than he would have liked. By the time they were finished, Aranea was already waiting for him.

“Ready to go scar-face?”

“Yeah, can’t get out of this manor soon enough,” he complained.

“Lucky for you, Aranea is here for your rescue,” she declared, giving a thumbs up. “We really need to get you some new clothes. You’ve been wearing that ever since Fociaugh Hollow and it’s starting to stink.” She said jokingly, pinching her nose.

“Whatever,” he shook his head, brushing off her criticism.

Together they made their way out of the manor and into the streets. Upon closer inspection, he found that what appeared to be a floating island were mostly supporting by a column of naturally formed rocks. This whole structure seemed to defy gravity as the top of the column was wide enough to support an entire town, and it got narrower as it reached the ground. This oddity alone made for a spectacular view. The entire town was connected via bridges.

The town looked even more beautiful than what he saw from the balcony of his room. The streets were full of street vendors selling a variety of products such as household items, food, clothes, and herbal medicines. Like rivers merge into the sea, all the bridges converged at the center square.

It was a huge open area with a gigantic fountain in the center and lush green grass surrounding it. The kids played around the fountain, splashing each other with water. The teenager played various games in whatever open space they found. Youth can be seen strolled around with hand in hand. Families huddled together in a picnic. The spectrum of whole life was visible in this area.

There was one bridge to the north which leads to a temple. Hymns from there could be heard in the center square, in spite of all the ambient noise. All these elements combined to create a serene environment.

“To think that war could destroy all this peace,” he commented with a heavy heart.

“A few people’s lust for power can destroy so many lives. War promises the everlasting peace for the victor, but in reality, the only thing war leaves behind is chaos.”

“How ironic that we destroy peace with the promise to create more peace in the future,” he summed up his thoughts, as they moved through the crowd.

He noticed an elevated platform at the far end of the fountain, which he figured must be used to address the congruent mass.

As they moved through the town, Squall couldn’t help but notice the intimidating presence of the Empire soldiers on every juncture.

“Do you normally have so many Neiflhem troops here?”

“Tenebrae is a sacred ground where pilgrims from all over the world get together. The Empire had agreed to have minimum surveillance and occupation here. However, under the pretense of protecting the Oracle due to recent events, the Empire has deployed a whole regiment here. As long as they can keep the Oracle confined to Tenebrae, she is not a threat to them.”

“But Luna’s next covenant is in Altissia. If they block off all the points of exit, that might be a problem.”

“Yes, we are aware of it and we are trying to find a solution for it,” she revealed, getting in a line at one of the food stalls.

Squall gave her a quizzical look.

“This right here is the best street food in Tenebrae.”

They grabbed a bite and then proceeded to an apparel store to get a new wardrobe for Squall.

After sightseeing the town, they finally returned to the manor.

“So....should we?” she asked with a playful wink.

“W-What?”

“You know. I picked you up from your home. I took you on this wonderful date. And now that we are back, do I get a kiss? Or do we go straight to your room? I am sure Luna won’t mind,” she teased.

Squall was shell-shocked to hear that. His face turned beet red in an instant. Looking at his reaction, Aranea broke into a burst of uncontrollable laughter.

“Oh God! You should have seen your face,” she managed to say that between her laughs. “If I knew that’s all it takes to embarrass you, I would have done it sooner.”

Squall was enraged, but he masked his emotions. He stepped forward and took both of her hands in his hand gently. He looked straight into her eyes and said, “Aranea, I have a confession to make.”

Aranea’s laughter disappeared in an instance.

“Ever since I saw the first time, I knew you were special.”

“Oh no,” she mumbled, as dread filled her eyes, but Squall was reluctant to let go of her hands.

“The way you look, the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you smile, and your sense of humor, it all,” he paused for dramatic effect as he saw the color drain from Aranea’s face. “It all makes my blood boil and I hate you so much.”

“Oh, thank God!” she exhaled loudly. “Hate is good. For a while, I thought you were going to say something stupid. It scared the crap out of me.”

“Revenge is a dish best served cold,” he replied with a smirk.

“You son of a--,” instead of finishing her sentence, she kicked him hard in his shins.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“I don’t know, but it felt like you deserved it.”

“What kind of logic is that?” he complained, hobbling on one leg.

“Whatever!”

“Hey, that’s my line,” he protested.

“Whatever,” she repeated slowly.

Once Squall and Aranea parted ways, he went inside the castle. He took a peek at the chamber room and Luna was busy dealing with various delegates. She looked tired. Their eyes briefly meet and she smiled before quickly attending the guests.

He got changed into new cloth, which for the most part was very similar to what he already had. There was still some time till dinner, so Squall decided to explore the manor.

He could oversee a huge garden in the back of the manor, but the door leading to it was locked. That garden looked very familiar to him.

He ventured further into the manor and eventually discovered the royal library. He decided to take a look inside. From the looks of it, half of the library seems to be renovated, perhaps from the fire 12 years ago, he thought. The royal library seemed to contain every book imaginable. Perhaps the only book Squall could use right now was ‘how to understand women.’ Even since waking up on the train, Luna had been avoiding him, and he did not have the slightest idea why. He spends the rest of his evening browsing through various books.

One of the retainers came looking for him when it was time for dinner. Upon entering the dining room, he saw that there were many people already sitting at the table.

‘Great, another awkward dinner.’ He thought.

As expected, the dinner was rather dull with the royals talking among themselves about topics he was least interested in. Without Luna to talk to, he was starting to feel like an outsider. 'No wonder Aranea never stays here.'

As soon as he finished the meal, the medic from earlier came over and gave him two pills. Not wanting to make a scene, he took the medicine and quickly exited the room.

He stood on the balcony of his room, looking around absentmindedly. In matter of a few days he went from being an integral part of Luna's life to an observer. He felt that Luna needed him before, but now he was not sure if she even want him around. They were drifting apart and he wanted to know why. He needed to know why she was distancing herself from him. His mind was confused and his heart was in pain.

The surrounding temperature dropped suddenly as Gentiana walked from behind him and joined him in the stargazing.

“What are you doing here?” Squall asked, surprised to see her.

“I felt your loneliness, so I came to be with you.”

“How did you know?”

“Squall, I am always with you,” she chuckled. “Since I am still junctioned to you, a form of me lives in your mind. I feel all your pain, joy, sadness, and love. I experience it all with you.”

“When you say it like that it sounds very creepy,” he remarked.

“Such is the nature of junctioning. We get to experience what it is like to be human and in return, you get to use our powers,” she spoke with her eyes closed.

“Hmm.”

There was silence once again.

“Squall, I was worried about you.”

“Why?”

“After a very long time, I experienced what fear felt like. When you were suffering at the hands of Ramuh, I was afraid that you might die. I felt your pain and anguish. I wanted to help, I did. But I couldn’t. My duty is to observe and guide humanity and not to interfere with it directly,” she confessed, her internal turmoil was evident in her voice.

“Unable to act on your feelings because you are bound by your duty, I think I can relate to that.”

“How do you find courage when facing your own mortality? You knew that you could have died, so why go through it? Are you not afraid of death?”

“I am afraid of death, just like everyone else. But sometimes you have to ask yourself, is my cause worth dying for?” He stated.

“I do not understand.”

“The thing with mortality is that there is no escaping it. You know someday you are going to die, but you try to make the best out of the limited time you have. You try to give some meaning to your life. Some people find meaning in wealth, accomplishments, friends and family, spirituality, or helping others. At that moment I just had to find my own calling.”

“And what was yours?”

“We all live for ourselves but to live for the betterment of others is a noble cause. One small sacrifice to the betterment of the world. That was my calling.”

“For you, it was more than just that, was it not?” she probed.

“When you care for someone deeply, you find the courage to overcome your fears.”

“You have changed, Squall. You have changed so much. Last time you said, ‘the hell with the world. If she is not with me then what does the world mean to me?’ And now you are willing to sacrifice yourself for the same world. That is admirable.”

“Speaking of that, what exactly happened 'last time’? Why do Astrals want me dead? Who is Arydran, and why does he think we fought together? Why did Ramuh say that I escaped from Bahamut’s exile? What is going on here?” He had asked all these questions before, but Gentiana had avoided answering them every time. He was hoping it would be different this time.

“What is with humans and their fascination with the past?” she wondered.

“I don’t know much about humanity, but if someone is out there to kill me, I'd like to know why.”

“The ‘last time’ as you call it, we refer to it as the Omen,” Gentiana revealed. “Omen was a failed timeline where the prophecy failed and the world was plunged into the darkness.”

“And the Astrals thinks that the prophecy failed because of me?” he questioned.

“You played a key role, one could say.”

“The hell with the world. If she is not with me then what does the world mean to me?” he repeated her line from earlier. “Who is she?”

“She is someone with whom your destiny has been intertwined for eons.”

“That still does not answer who is it?”

“That is for you to figure out,” she replied with slight hostility in her voice. Her tone took Squall by surprised, and he decided not to push this topic any further.

“From what I can gather, Astrals assigned me a mission, and I failed, which plunged the world into the darkness. So now they want revenge. That much makes sense. But you are an Astral too, how come you don’t want to hurt me?”

“Because I,” she seemed to at a loss of words. “Because I am different,” she said, looking at him.

“How? Why?”

“Why the sudden interest in me? I thought we were talking about you?” she tactfully dodged the question.

They must have chatted for at least half an hour before Squall said, “Hey, thanks for coming. It felt great to just let it all out.”

“Anything to put your heart at ease,” she replied with a smile.

“We should do this often,” he proposed.

“I've waited millennia to hear that,” she replied joyfully.

“You are very cryptic and strange sometimes,” he noted, shaking his head.

She smiled and disappeared, leaving behind spectral ice particles suspended in the air.

Squall went back inside the room and lay flat on his bed. “Why can’t anything ever be simple in my life,” he thought as he stared at the ceiling. He fell asleep shortly after.

The next day, he met up with Aranea at their designated training ground. He was still recovering from Ramuh’s attack, but he figured the best way to get back in shape would be by training.

“Don’t expect me to go easy on you,” Aranea warned as she readied her spear.

“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” he replied, drawing out his gunblade.

She embodies the classic Dragoon class, able to fight airborne, uses jump attacks, wears black armor and wields a lance.

As their duel began, he quickly realized that she was very agile and powerful. Her signature attack is Highwind.

“Did you know that your girlfriend is setting up a healing camp?” she informed him during sparring.

“No way, she is not fit enough for that,” he remarked, as their weapons clashed.

“Tell that to her. We all tried, but she wouldn’t listen. She gave us the same long speech about looking to ease the suffering of others rather than protecting ourselves,” she spoke, deflecting Squall’s attack.

“She can be so unreasonable sometimes,” he stated, blocking her attack.

“You should talk to her,” she suggested.

“I would if she let me. She would do anything to avoid me, it seems,” he revealed.

“What did you do?” she asked, as their weapons clashed again.

“I wish I knew,” he admitted. “I saved her life, and now she is mad at me. I don’t understand women.”

“Ha ha ha,” she laughed mockingly before launching another volley of attacks.

Once his training was done, he returned to the castle around noon. Their meals were quickly becoming a public affair as dignitaries from many provinces joined them frequently. Luna seemed preoccupied with arranging everything for the healing camp.

Squall was once again alone in his room. With nothing to do and no one to hang out with, he was bored out of his mind. Luckily, the atmosphere suddenly got cold around him.

“Gentiana,” he uttered. “I was starting to think that you would not come.”

“I did not know you were waiting for me,” she remarked as a small smile played on her lips.

“Do you want to go for a walk? I feel like a prisoner in this castle,” he proposed.

“Sure, anything to ease your heart.”

Their walk was a perfect calibration of silently accompanying someone and infrequent chat. Even though they did not speak much, they both seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

The next day was the start of a week-long healing camp. He’d hoped that he could talk some sense into her as blessings can take a severe toll on her health, but she had avoided him successfully.

Pilgrims from all over the world flocked to get her blessings. Her day started early with a healing session followed by rest to recover her strength. She would have her lunch at the campsite, and it was followed by another healing session and rest. Their dinner was followed by the same pattern. She only came back to the castle to sleep at night.

At least he used to see Luna at their meals, but even that had stopped now. Even since he woke up, not once did he have a proper conversation with Luna. He needed to know why she was avoiding him, but he would have to wait for the right moment as they were constantly surrounded by people.

Since Luna was always busy, Leon’s day was divided into two halves. Training with Aranea in morning and evening strolls with Gentiana.

His conversation with Gentiana was often very philosophical in nature. Gentiana would often talk about topics such as immortality, karma, spirituality, morality, the meaning of life, etc. While Squall would often talk about duty, dedication, seeking happiness, processing emotions, etc.

One day while returning from their evening stroll, Gentiana suddenly said, “Thank you, for being such a great teacher.”

“What did I teach you?” he asked confused.

“I find it very difficult to understand human emotions. When I try to follow other humans, I get overwhelmed by their emotions. With you, it’s easier to follow since you suppress your emotions so much. It’s like you only process one emotion at a time, which makes it easier for me to learn.”

“Hey! I am more complicated than that,” he protested.

“I believe an appropriate response to that is,” she paused. “Whatever,” she said, imitating Squall.

Squall gave out a sigh, “Looks like I did teach you something after all.”

Gentiana couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction. This was the first time he had heard her laugh. Her divine laugh was nothing short of a melody.

He just shook his head, and they continued their evening stroll.

It was morning. The Sun peeked through the sky provided gentle warmth. The sky was different shades of orange. The birds were singing their melodies. A distant hymn echoed through Tenebrae. It was a serene morning, but it was ruined by the frequent clanging of metal.

Squall and Aranea were sparring as per their morning routine.

Aranea had knocked down Squall, which infuriated him. He launched a volley of relentless attacks, forcing Aranea to go on defense.

“Good. Looks like you are recovering your strength,” she praised, blocking his attack.

“Still a long way to go,” he admitted, thrusting his gunblade forward.

“There are still two more days left for the healing camp. How about we take a field trip tomorrow,” she asked, deflecting his attack.

His eyes lit up upon hearing that.

“I am rather bored here, let’s do it,” he affirmed, as their weapons clashed again. “Where are we going?”

“We’ll go treasure hunting for Frozen Tear of Shiva. Tomorrow at 7 a.m.,” she stated, pushing him back.

“Can’t wait.”

During his evening stroll with Genitana he asked her about something Aranea had mentioned in the morning. “Gentiana, what is Frozen tear?”

“Where did you hear that?” she asked, with her eyes closed.

“Aranea told me about it.”

She chuckled in response. “When Shiva’s heart was filled with pain, she cried. Human calls her tears Frozen tear.”

“I did not know that Astrals cried,” he stated bluntly.

“Although we don’t experience the range of emotions that humans do, we do feel some basic emotions like love, hate, anger and kindness to name a few.”

“Why would you cry? You are an Astral,” he asked, still not grasping the concept of mighty Astrals crying like humans.

“Just as humans, when the pain becomes unbearable, tears escape from my eyes,” she said looking at him.

“When were you in such pain?”

“First was when I saw Hyne die in front of my eyes. Next, was when Niflheim attacked me.”

“I wonder how does it—” he was about to say something when Gentiana raised her hand, indicating him to stop.

“We are being watched,” she proclaimed. Her eyes were scanning their surroundings.

“We are in the center square, surrounded by hundreds of pilgrims. Of course, we are being watched,” Squall dismissed her caution.

“No, its him. He is here, I can sense him.”

“Who?”

“The Usurper is watching us.”

Author's notes:

So, what do you think about this chapter? Let me know in your comments below. If you don't have much to say then at least say 'Hi' so I know someone is reading this. It would really brighten my day. Thanks :)

PS: I was wondering if someone can make me an image of Squall x Luna for this story. I would be very grateful for that. Thanks in advance.

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lassieposting · 3 years

Text

bad guy brigade backstory headcanons

dead men version here. this is just mevolent and vile because it got Long so serpine and vengeous will have to be in another post

MEVOLENT

- Mevolent was originally born into a wealthy sorcerer family in the Middle Ages, somewhere around 1000AD. His grandparents met a few hundred years earlier, around the time the Vikings came to Ireland, so he's got some Norwegian in him through his grandfather, who converted to the Church of the Faceless to be able to marry his grandmother.

- His parents were both ardent Faceless Ones worshippers, so young Mevolent's early years were very strict and revolved around religion - his parents' duties to the church, his own religious education, attending prayers, etc. He didn't have many friends and was quite a lonely child.

- As a little boy, he wanted to be a knight, and his parents had the sway and the money to make that happen, so he was sent away at age 7 to be a page for Arthur Dagan's grandfather, which was a very high-status apprenticeship indeed. During this time he went to live in Grandpa Dagan's castle at the other end of the country, with instructions to make the gods and the family proud.

- He spent a few years as a page, which is where the Unnamed spotted him. The Unnamed was an acquaintance/ally of Grandpa Dagan's, and a regular visitor to the castle.

- Mevolent's parents died in a "tragic accident" shortly before Mevolent's 10th birthday. For a long time he believed the story he was told - that their carriage had been run off the road and attacked by bandits - but as he got older he started to suspect that actually, the whole thing was arranged by the Unnamed.

- With both his parents dead and no relatives left to take care of him, babby Mevolent stayed Grandpa Dagan's ward for a time, but losing the gold Mevolent's parents had been paying for his upkeep significantly decreased the old man's willingness to house, feed, clothe and train him. The Unnamed stepped in and offered to take Mevolent in as part of his own household, and Grandpa Dagan was happy to wash his hands of a loose end. So Mevolent became the Unnamed's ward instead.

- The Unnamed kept multiple residences all across the world, but Mevolent spent the majority of his youth at his new master's court in France, which had a lasting impact on him. He was exposed to a freer, less restrictive form of religion, new kinds of magic, new people - ambitious social climbers with aspirations to grandeur, mostly. He developed aspirations of his own. He developed a love of art and music and culture and the opulence that was the norm at the French court at the time. During the war, he targets the Marseilles Sanctuary first because he's intending to establish his base of operations there; he wants to go home.

- Also in language shenanigans, Mev's first language is Middle Irish, which died out around 1200AD. He doesn't speak Gaeilge - modern Irish - very well, so his "first language" that's still in use is French. He has a faint accent on some words in English, and the reason he speaks the way he does - slow and flat - is because he's a third-language or fourth-language or whatever speaker, so he has to think through what he says very carefully before he says it. He's a lot more animated in a language he's more comfortable with.

VILE

- Vile is, essentially, a very early neoteric.

- So during Skulduggery's parents' lifetimes, the Necromancer Order started to isolate itself even more from the outside world and brought in the practice of taking young Necromancers from their families to raise them in-house and limiting their contact with the outside world, to maximise loyalty to the Order; this netted them a reputation for snatching and brainwashing kids.

- Some parents would be ashamed of having a child with a talent for Necromancy, but the majority would go to great lengths to hide their kid from the Order. Skug's parents hired a ridiculously expensive Elemental tutor, punished him for using Necromancy around others, taught him to never mention his talent to anyone. As a result, Skug only ever used Necromancy when he was alone, which meant he never received any formal training in Temple methods and his Necromancy wove in and around his instincts, attached itself to his emotions.

- So by the time Vile joins the Necromancer Temple, he's already inclined to be a problem. Young Necromancers are taught the basic tenets of their faith from a young age. They're taught Temple hierarchy, they're taught basic rules of Necromancy. They're taught these things so young that it never occurs to them to do it differently. But Vile was never taught any of those things.

- So there's Tenebrae, teaching, and he says that Necromancy must be used through a channelling object. In fact, it's possible to use death magic without a channelling object, but it's dangerous - so dangerous the Order banned the practice, so it's what's considered "illegal Necromancy". The other students accept this as something they've been taught since childhood. But Vile doesn't. He thinks for himself, doesn't accept the standard way of doing things without a damn good reason. He corrects or disproves teachings in class, he takes "we can't do X" as a challenge, he's disrespectful of authority. He sows disobedience and controversy and is generally a pain in the Order's ass.

(Some of them listen to him, though. Solomon Wreath owes a lot of his cavalier attitude towards Temple rules to watching Vile buck the system and not getting any major consequences from it.)

- So? He knows they're not telling him the whole truth from the start, and he doesn't like it. Then they tell him he's their Death Bringer, but they won't tell him what that means or what they want him to do, and Vile is an ornery bastard by nature so every refusal to enlighten him just makes him more stubborn. He gets harder to control. Starts developing his own magic his own way, ignoring what Tenebrae's teaching him. He learns the death bubble, and starts using it on other students to give himself a high. Tenebrae is shitting himself by this point, basically, because he's being pressured to Deal With their out-of-control Death Bringer and sooner or later, he's going to have to challenge Vile, and he knows he won't win.

- And then he disappears. Just up and vanishes in the middle of the night. And Tenebrae isn't sure whether he's disappointed or relieved.

- So Vile goes off to join Mevolent. And he's not subtle about it. He shows up in the middle of a battle, and he has no idea which side is which or what either side's plan is, so he just starts indiscriminately killing anyone he can get his shadows on. He catches the attention of Mevolent's officers. And when it's all done, they take him to their leader because they're not sure what the hell this asshole's game is or what side he's on. Vile tosses the decapitated head of the enemy general at Mevolent's feet and essentially asks so do you want me on your side or theirs?

- Mevolent is, reluctantly, impressed by both the "gift" and the sheer fucking nerve of this kid. And he's old enough and smart enough by this point to know a good thing when he sees it. Serpine is creative and wily, but he's useless in a fight. Vengeous is a great soldier, but he's really only good at doing what he's told. Vile is terrifying on the battlefield and capable of coming up with and executing his own plans. Mev could use someone like that.

#skulduggery pleasant #sp headcanons #the bad boy brigade #mevolent #lord vile

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sylleblosscm · 2 years

Text

⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ – v: au: can i dream for a few months more? / insomnia

An AU in which, after the invasion of Tenebrae, Lunafreya is brought back to Insomnia and grows up in the Amicitia household.

(Many of the details of this verse are flexible for the sake of different threads; ie, the age Luna is when she is rescued, who she ends up with in the end, whether Ravus is taken too, and whether Regis also survives the raid on the citadel. However, what follows is the broad strokes of the story that will usually be referred back to by default. I’ve aged Luna down to 8 at the time of the invasion by default because I want classmate shenanigans, and who’s gonna stop me? And of course, this entire verse wouldn’t exist without @oldamicitia being a terrible influence on me, so. Thank you 🤍)

During the Empire’s attack on Tenebrae meant to target the visiting Lucian royalty, King Regis manages to keep a hold of Lunafreya’s hand. With no other choice left to them, she is whisked away from the chaos to Insomnia, where she lives out the rest of her childhood.

For some time, Luna’s future remains up in the air. There is no safe passage by which she might return, no way to send her home. While the matter of who should bear the responsibility for her upbringing remains unclear, Luna is sent to stay in the Amicitia household temporarily - the rationale being that Clarus’ time in Tenebrae has given him a rapport with the Princess, and surely there is no safer place for her to be within Insomnia’s walls, aside from the Citadel itself.

Beyond her flourishing friendship with Noctis and her instant adoration for Clarus’ then-three-year-old daughter Iris, Luna remains deeply affected and withdrawn, keeping mostly to herself at first. Slowly, over time, she begins to warm up to Clarus as they bond over their mutual love of tea and general sleeplessness. By the time the selection process has narrowed down for Luna’s long-term accommodations, she is as settled as one can possibly be. So upon hearing that there is indeed still such a process, she becomes incredibly distressed and asks to remain where she is. It is around this time that she begins referring to Clarus as Papa.

At this point, the only Amicitia Luna has yet to bond with is Gladiolus, who she has given a wide berth. It is no comment on him (in fact, she is certain that she would like him very much given the chance); rather, it is an expression of her own guilt about leaving Ravus behind. Eventually, however, she begins making small efforts with him, too.

During her years growing up in Insomnia, Luna becomes stronger, more outspoken and more confident than her canon counterpart. What she lacks in her Oracle training, she makes up for with various other skills. She is an exemplary student and active within the community, earning herself a somewhat darling reputation in the public eye. Those who know her well are familiar with her passion and tenacity, and her boundless determination to make life better for those around her. Her childhood from then on is mostly a happy one.

Eventually Luna is given special leave to return to Tenebrae to begin her training proper. Once she is of age, she returns to her homeland wherein she throws herself into learning as quickly as possible, what she otherwise might have had years to study.

Soon enough, the peace treaty between Lucis and Nifleheim is brokered, and Luna’s hand is promised to her own highschool sweetheart. Suspicious of the suddenness of it all, rather than head directly to Altissia as ordered, Luna instead travels back to Insomnia, arriving the very eve of the signing ceremony.

Before she can so much as greet her adoptive father all hell breaks loose, and he is killed in service to his King. A grief-stricken Luna dons the Ring of the Lucii and finds herself with a mysterious power no Oracle before her has seen. She rushes to her father’s body and in her desperate pleading for him to wake, inadvertently brings him back from the dead - at a cost. She falls into a coma and does not wake for some months, only learning once she does just how close she’d come to losing her life. At Clarus’ behest she promises to never again utilize such a dangerous power.

From there, she is free to pursue her duty, making at once for Altissia to reunite with Noctis and return the Ring to him. Once Noctis is pulled within the Crystal, Luna spends most of the Long Night shepherding refugees to Lestallum and preparing for the arrival of the Chosen King.

Noctis is forced to give his life to dispel the darkness, and Luna - who had known nothing of the cost demanded of him before this - breaks her ten-year promise by putting on the Ring and, in an act of direct defiance towards Bahamut himself who orders her to desist, attempts to resurrect her beloved. She is successful, but as punishment, her gift of healing is renounced and the future of the Oracle line is thrown into question.

#( this post already existed #but it needed some rewriting and refreshing #maybe i'll refine this one further down the line who knows #now i just gotta get around to doing this for the rest of my verses and we'll be set )#⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ – v: au: can i dream for a few months more? / insomnia #info;

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jazzraft · 5 years

Note

Ravus with how did you get sauce on the ceiling? Any pairing fine or no pairing is okay too. I'll leave it in your hand.

I decided to go with a sibling shenanigans genfic for this, I hope that’s okay! please enjoy~

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“How did you get sauce on the ceiling?”

It was the first thing that Ravus noticed upon stepping into the kitchen. For a single, alarming second, he almost thought that the bright red splatter was blood, and that his sister’s uncharacteristic swearing was indicative of pain to coincide with it. A quick rake through his mental catalogue of war wounds and household accidents alike assured him that in no way was it possible for the trajectory of blood loss to reach such an exaggerated height. And judging by the overall smell sweetening the room, there was a much more innocent victim to blame for the stain.

“Ah, Ravus! You’re back earlier than expected,” Luna greeted him over her shoulder, pointedly avoiding the question.

She pressed her arms down on the lid of a blender full of the red, syrupy mixture and turned it on, committing all of her weight into keeping the appliance secure. It didn’t take the head of Imperial Sciences to piece together the mystery of the mile-high stain after that.

It did not, however, solve the conundrum of why his sister, the faultless figurehead of House Fleuret, esteemed Princess of Tenebrae, and beloved Oracle, favored by the very Astrals themselves, was currently combating the banalities of kitchen grievances as if she didn’t have a whole household of professional chefs hired to do it for her.

“Lunafreya,” Ravus said between the raucous pulses of the blender. “What are you doing, wasting your time with a task better suited to a servant than a sovereign?”

“It’s not time wasted if I take pleasure in the task,” she said, her back drawn in a stubborn line against his criticism. “Besides, we both know that sovereignty is not in my future, no matter if I desired it or not.”

Ravus pressed his lips into a hard line, trapping his outrages against her denied right to rule Tenebrae inside his chest, where no Imperial flies on the wall could hear them. Though Fenestala Manor was supposed to be their one refuge from the brunt of Imperial influence, Ravus found it hard to trust that every word he said wouldn’t somehow still worm its way back to the Emperor’s ear. Half of the staff was hired from Niflheim, after all.

Perhaps he wasn’t alone in his distrust. Perhaps that explained part of the reason Luna took it upon herself to cook. She was polite and pliant to the Emperor’s strict regulations, but she was not naïve. Not that they were ever at risk of being poisoned, lest fingers first point at the most obvious suspect, but it couldn’t hurt to trust one’s own hands to thread through a nest of vipers every once in a while.

But maybe that was just how Ravus saw it, paranoid as he was. Maybe his sister’s motives for making a meal were far simpler than that.

Daring to step closer to the reddish war zone of the kitchen counters, Ravus recognized the components of the recipe she was attempting to emulate. The thin pancakes had been a staple of their childhood, wrapped around a delicate, sweet cheese filling and drizzled in berry syrup. The compote always depended on the season, ranging from spiceberries to lingonberries to Ulwaat berries and more. Luna’s favorite flavor had always been blueberry; Ravus’s had been raspberry.

He’d recognized the scents as soon as he’d walked in: the sugar baked into the crepe batter, the lemon perfuming the filling, and the butter browning the airy confection wrapped around the fluffy white cheese on a plate as it waited for a drizzle of color from the raspberry syrup. It seemed to be the one ingredient that had caught his sister by surprise, the countertops otherwise immaculate beneath the ricochet of raspberry sauce.

“Underestimated the power of the high setting, did you?” he asked, in an effort to lighten the tension from his initial entrance.

“I’m certain you’d find it to be just as adversarial if you were to try it,” Luna countered, though there was no bite to it, the corner of her lip creasing into a smile.

“What prompted this ill-fated duel in the first place?”

“Oh, boredom,” she sighed. “A fit of nostalgia, a wanton craving for whimsy, a fancy of frivolity… What else do you usually call it?”

Ravus turned away, walking back through his past sleights of condescension and cringing at every one. He was often harsher with Luna than he intended to be, his worry for her well-being manifesting in whiplash remarks that he couldn’t snap at the true arbiters of his ire without suffering the irreversible consequences. But with Luna, he was always forgiven for every curt phrase, even though he didn’t deserve it.

“What do you call it?” he asked, slowly, taking a deep breath of raspberry syrup to recall a time when his words didn’t struggle to come out kinder.

“I don’t call it anything,” Luna said, spooning the syrup that was spared from splattering the ceiling over the blintzes. “I just felt like it.”

She picked up a plate and presented it to Ravus. A peace offering, for all those years where he’d forgotten how to be her brother in his desperation to keep her safe as High Commander. Ravus took it, waiting for her to claim her own plate and fork before tasting her creation. The synchronicity of their cutting into the blintzes and scooping up a forkful seemed to delight her more than the familiar consistency of the cheese mixture. That they could still share in this old confection as if they were still children, meant more to the both of them than how much it tasted like home.

“I doubt that hack from Niflheim could have done it justice,” Ravus offered, daring to insult the head chef usually in charge of these kitchens. He cut another bite out of the blintz, swirling it generously through the pool of raspberry syrup.

“Never,” Luna agreed. “Though I’ll happily let him figure out how to clean that.”

She pointed her fork at the ceiling. Ravus smiled at the tortured expression he imagined on the man’s face as he teetered on a latter, attempting to scrub out the stain. Perhaps he and Luna still had more in common than he thought, to delight in the misery of the Niflheim rats plaguing their manor.

“Best not carry out any evidence that it was you,” he said, indicating a pink strand of syrup that had dripped down into her hair.

She blinked at him, uncomprehending, raking a hand through her bangs in search of it. Ravus rolled his eyes and batted her fingers away, carefully picking out the strand and attempting to comb out the sugar.

“Ow, don’t yank on it!”

“It won’t come out without a little bit of force.”

“It’s hair, Ravus, not an enemy battalion.”

“I assure you that this is war, Lunafreya.”

“Do settle it peacefully then, won’t you?”

They bickered over the blintzes and battled with the berry sauce for the rest of the evening. And for once, Ravus didn’t have a single, bitter thing to say about it.

#lunafreya nox fleuret #ravus nox fleuret #ffxv #final fantasy xv #myfic

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autumn-maple13 · 5 years

Text

Lost to Time - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Rescue

It stormed for a while, with the rain creating a kind of music for them as they continued to play match after match, only pausing to eat dinner when Ravus came to fetch them for it. They played long into the night, neither becoming the slightest bit tired, until just before dawn when a commotion was heard outside, including several loud explosions and what seemed to her to be extremely close lightning strikes in rapid succession. Ardyn left her then, and after finally having a moment to look outside she was surprised to find that her little room was on a base, and even more shocked to see that it appeared to be under attack.

Grabbing a bag that had been so conveniently left in the room the woman threw her things (and the bottle of wine and poetry books) into it, throwing it over her shoulder and took off with her kukris in hand. Knowing it had to be Lucians throwing the Imperials into such a panic, she didn't hesitate to slice the throats of any MT or human troop that crossed her path, grabbing a gun from one of them before she got outside the little compound. A woman in strange clothing was the first thing she saw when she burst out though, and something about the stranger made Amara freeze in her tracks.

"Daughter of Adagium, the Oracle sends you her blessing. She asks for you to continue to serve the Chosen King and awaits you now across the sea. A message will come to you then, should the twelve Arms of Lucis be found in time."

"You… A messenger?"

"Go forth, your power will come to aid the Chosen when he needs it most." Amara blinked, and the strange woman was gone – leaving only a chill to the still damp air in her wake. More confused than she had been in a while, Amara took a moment to look around for anything else strange, only to spot a piece of strangely shaped glass that seemed to have an electric current to it. She reached out to it tentatively, and though shocked when the current absorbed into her and joined her magic, the sight of the glass disappearing in a pile of sand worried her a bit more.

The Stormsender seeks to aid all helpers of the Chosen who can bear his burden. Daughter of Adagium, his blessing to you has been received – use it well.

"Stormsender?"

But the sound of metal striking metal nearby distracted her and sent her running towards it. Slipping between rubble from the explosion and the remainder of the Magiteknology on the base, she soon ran through a gate and spotted Ravus standing before her friends – with Noct having summoned the Royal Arms.

"Should the Chosen fall, that too is fate," she heard Ravus speak just before she warped in between the two nobles, shocking her friends and making Ravus scoff. But she didn't have time to say anything before she heard a sound off to the side – looking over to see Ardyn had joined them. Noctis dissipated the Arms, glaring at the man.

"I'd say that's far enough." The Chancellor smirked at his daughter, strutting over as Ravus turned his back on him. "A hand, highness?"

"Not from you."

Amara let Ignis and Prompto get in front of her, turning her attention to Gladio who was clearly in pain (though the slight dent in the side of the Regalia behind him also caught her attention).

"Oh, but I'm here to help."

"And how is that?" Ignis snarled, standing ready to attack at any moment.

"By taking the army away."

"You expect us to believe that?" Gladio was on his feet again now, and clearly looking for a fight.

"When next we meet, it'll be across the seas." The redhead chuckled. "Just so happens we have business of our own with the tutelary deity. Don't we?"

Ravus turned slightly as he was spoken too, catching Amara's eye for a moment, but saying nothing.

"Fare thee well, your Majesty, and safe travels."

As the Imperial duo left, Prompto looked between his friends before his gaze finally landed on Noct. "You guys, know that guy?"

Ignis muttered for a moment before nodding. "Ravus Nox Fleuret, first son of Tenebrae… and older brother to Lady Lunafreya."

Noctis growled in displeasure for a moment, but Amara was already climbing in the car – effectively reminding them of why they were there in the first place. With Noctis jumping behind the wheel and the guys climbing in after him, they were soon pulling out onto the road outside the base, though only once they were well down the road did anyone speak again.

"Did anything happen to you while you were there, Amara?"

"Other than whatever made your hair grow like that."

"What did make your hair grow so fast? I mean, it's only been a couple days!"

The woman smiled for a moment, looking around at them. "I missed you guys."

"We missed you too Ams, though I think Specs missed you the most."

The Advisor scoffed, lifting some of his friend's hair from her shoulder. "So?"

"Apparently I was in really bad shape after fighting the MTs at the Disc. They had to use so many potions and stuff on me, it made my body regenerate like crazy, which made my hair grow super-fast. My nails did too, but I guess they decided to keep those trimmed so I wouldn't claw their eyes out or something."

"Other than that, though?"

"I was out for a couple of days, and Ravus was the one who got stuck watching me. Once I woke up, I spent most of my time with Ardyn playing chess." She shrugged. "I did learn something about him though – he really sees no need to keep pawns for long. If he issues any kind of commands in the same way he plays, I think we're going to start running into a bit more trouble from the Niffs."

"What? We were stuck running around Duscae, and you were sitting comfortably playing chess the whole time?!"

"I was a captive of the fucking Empire. Ardyn wanted to play chess, I sat my ass in a seat and played chess. I already knew I was still in Lucis and I found out the Regalia was on the base, the only thing I didn't know was if I could get to it and get the hell out to find you guys on my own."

That seemed to sate them for the moment, and she was able to lean against Ignis to enjoy the ride back to Lestallum to meet Iris (and get her motorcycle). Only once they were back in the city limits did anyone speak again, though only to ask about the sudden surplus of Imperial flags donning the city. Amara shook her head, taking a moment to swap her stolen bag for her other one, and quickly checking her bike so she and the guys could head for the Leville. Strangely enough, there wasn't but a few people on the streets – making them pick up the pace to hurry to the hotel. Iris met them in the lobby, tearing up the second she saw her brother.

"Oh, Gladdy."

"What's wrong?"

"I let you down. I never made it to Caem. The empire came while you were gone." Iris choked on a sob, turning to lead everyone upstairs to a room so they could talk privately. Deciding it may be best for her to leave them too it, the older woman hugged Iris's shoulders on the way up the stairs but excused herself to the next room once they reached the top. She ducked into the bathroom, dropping her bag beside her, and began washing her face furiously, then scrubbing her teeth as soon as she had dug out her toothbrush. When it proved to not be quite enough – she threw herself in the shower and ran a soapy rag over herself until she was sure she'd damage her skin if she continued. So she got out, and dried herself to throw on her green pajamas, hesitating when she remembered her father had bought them for her.

The thought made others begin to race through her head as she dressed, with none of the dead nobles giving her a word of advice as they had before. Further clarity concerning her lineage was doing nothing to clear up her forgotten history: to be honest all it was really doing was confusing her – making her feel more guilty.

The product of a union between members of the two most powerful magic-retaining families… she didn't feel like she had what it took to bare the fact proudly just yet.

She was staring at her reflection, the bags under her eyes and the long, untamed mess that was now her hair when a knock brought her from her thoughts. The bathroom door slowly opened, and she was met with Ignis standing there, suddenly looking a lot more tired than she remembered as he peeled off his shirt.

"We're going to Caem."

"When?"

"Tomorrow. We need to see what preparations need to be taken care of so we can head for Altissia as soon as we finish gathering the arms… We should probably look over that map of yours before we set off tomorrow." He looked at her, the bags under his eyes looking even darker with the shadows falling across his face the way they did, as he face his already bare fingers through his hair to make it fall. "A lot happened while we were gone…"

"Some bad things, judging by Iris's crying," she nodded, and looked over at her friend again. "I didn't see Jared or Talcott around."

"It was Jared."

Amara sighed, shaking her head. Although she had met the man several times before and grown fairly fond of him after visiting the Amicitia household as many times as she had, she couldn't make herself feel too upset about it when she thought about how hard Talcott and the siblings would be taking it. "What happened?"

"A Niflheim officer struck him down on the street."

"I see."

The woman let him slip behind her in the bathroom, setting his glasses aside to wash his face while she took a moment to look at him.

"You know, I don't think I've seen you shirtless before Iggy. Didn't you say something before about appealing changes?"

"I didn't think you'd have it in you to joke around after news like that." He was patting his face dry, but still managed to give her a glance out of the corner of his eye.

"Being in the Glaive so long, jokes are the way I deal with bad news now. Sorry." Amara sighed, picking up a brush to try and get the still damp knots out of her hair. Her companion was quick to take it from her, making quick work of the tangles as he watched her reflection in the mirror. He ran his fingers through it as he watched her eyes follow the motions.

"It does look good long, but don't you think it may get in the way in a fight?"

"You think it looks good?"

"Ah… you don't?"

The woman smiled slightly, waiting until he put the brush down to look at him directly. "I do."

"So, we'll have to figure out something to do with it."

"I already have some ideas, but for now I'll just tie it back for bed." She let Ignis watch as she retrieved her ribbon from her bag, and after carefully pulling her hair up back used it to tie it in place, though she let her bangs stay free and frame her face. The man seemed to fight himself for a moment, then reached out to brush a few strands behind her ear. His eyes searched her face for a moment, looking at every scar from the magic ones to the one from Insomnia – which his fingertip traced softly.

"Are you certain nothing happened while you were with them, Amara?"

"No," she admitted, closing her eyes to focus on the warmth from his hand as she tried to figure out what to tell him.

"What?"

"Ignis," the Glaive couldn't meet his eye for a moment, but when she did, she met a gaze full of concern. It was almost overwhelming, and not from guilt this time. "I'm sorry."

"For what? What could you have to apologize for? I don't think anything could top being able to communicate with the old kings."

"Even if it turned out that the reason I can do that is because there's a chance Bahamut has marked me for something? A chance I only ended up in Insomnia on that street for Rosemary Solis to find me because my abilities with the crystal's magic was too important for Bahamut's plan for me to wind up dying alone somewhere?"

"Well it certainly would explain a bit, though not why one of the kings tried to kill you."

"About that… when I got down to the Arm at the Disc, the king – Somnus – actually appeared to me. He was the one I thought tried to kill me, but he wasn't actually trying to. King Somnus was trying to trigger some latent ability to awaken fully, but to do that he had to try and get rid of an issue that one of my parents had passed on to me when I was conceived." She paused, reaching up to wrap her hand around his and pull it from her face. "Every time I speak to one of them and they give me their knowledge and the 'Arm', the power of the Arms hurts me because it's burning away a bit more of it since he couldn't that first day."

"An issue you say?"

"It's not something too bad, it's just really badly affected by light magic like Arms, and Noct's Armiger."

"So, the more Arms he gathers, the more this issue is fixed?"

"Yes, it's just so much more painful because my body is being tricked by the problem into trying to defend it. You know, like when you're really sick and your body tries to reject medicine?"

Ignis nodded slowly, taking a moment to take in the new information. He finally sighed after a few seconds and looked at her again, turning his hand to squeeze her slightly. "I think we should get some rest before you make any more revelations."

"Yeah," she giggled softly, making him smile for a second before she slipped past him and headed for the bed. Peeling back the covers to climb in, Amara watched him turn off the light and join her, though not before ditching his slacks and going to firmly shut the traitorous blinds that were allowing the light of the rising sun to fill the room. The woman allowed herself to press into his side as she had the first night in the caravan, relaxing when she felt his arm wrap around her. But she surprised him when she pulled herself down from the pillows so she could rest her head on his chest properly.

"Are you cold, Amara?"

"I can't be cold around a space heater like you, Ignis," she joked, feeling her face heat up. "I just wanted to be a bit more comfortable."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd almost say you had a fever from as warm as your face feels."

"Shut up, this is not the time for that kind of talk."

Ignis shifted, forcing her back against the mattress as he held her down gently by her shoulders, hovering over her as he sat up. "Then when is the time?"

"Ignis-"

"Amara, you were missing for days," the man looked down on her with a look she had only seen once before when they were still kids - after Noctis had returned from Tenebrae. "Every time we have another success with Noctis you end up getting hurt in one way or another, Chancellor Izunia clearly has something in store for you that I don't even want to try and imagine, and now the Empire has begun to show it clearly could not care less about its image in Lucis which means at any given time we could become a target for their attempts to get to Noct… or die for getting in their way."

"That's exactly why, Ignis. We need to focus on Noctis, and making sure he gets the Arms, and now the covenants. We can't afford these kinds of distractions."

"What if… What if I told you it would be less of a distraction?"

The woman could help but smile again, reaching up to brush her finger tips against his cheek. "Ignis, you're the Hand of the King now. He has to be your first and only priority."

The man frowned, but nodded, though he still didn't release her. Turning his face into her palm, he fixed her in a strangely intense look instead. "Then let me be selfish, just for tonight."

"It won't be just tonight, you know that. Besides, there's a chance I won't want to give you back."

"Then I guess it's a good thing it's not even noon yet." He smirked against her fingertips, ducking his head so her palm came to rest against his hair. Amara gazed up at him, allowing herself to be lost in his gaze before she shut her eyes and leaned up to meet him.

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noirbriar · 2 years

Text

FFXV AU: Loyalty and Devotion

Probably OOC, but I don’t think a father would be pleased if his son would choose danger when they made an effort to keep them safe.

There is an whole argument when Prompto was younger but the Leonis/Ulric household eventually works it out.

A short after the Altissia incident and Prom gets captured during the The Lion, the Coeurl and the Cub AU. (Slight warning for violence and a slimy scientist being slimy)

-----

I’m sorry. Forgive me, Noct.

Noctis Lucis Caelum snaps awake as his vision slowly becomes clearer.He has no idea where he is, until his memories return and he remembers. Leviathan. The trial. Luna. Niflheim. He hears Luna screaming from outside and jumps out of the bed and runs out to where she is.

“We need to find him, please, Ravus!”

There in the receiving room, Lunafreya is visibly distraught as Gladio and Ignis are trying to hold her back.Whereas Ravus Nox Fleuret looks conflicted. Something is not right. Someone is missing.

“Where’s Prom?” Noctis chokes out.His voice hoarse and strained.

Ignis and Gladio share a look while Luna is too stressed and quietly collapses on the nearest seat. The Lucian prince does not like where this is going. To make matters worse, the double doors slam open and the King strides in along with the Old Shield, followed by two other men flanking close behind. Two men that neither member of the prince’s group really wants to see right now.

There was a brief silence until Cor snaps towards Noctis and his retainers with narrowed eyes.

“Where’s Prompto?”

Ravus, surprisingly, is the first one that breaks the tension in the room by kicking the nearest footrest in frustration.

——

Turns out that Prompto had tried to defend the weakened Oracle from Ardyn. Yet Prompto is unable to fend Ardyn off, his bullets hitting each time but they do not hinder the daemonic man’s advance. In the middle of the fight, Luna swears, the last she remembers was Prompto shoving her away from Ardyn, and into the crashing waves with an approaching Leviathan. His eyes burning of light like the sun. The oracle sees his lips moving, but only hears it in her mind as the water embraces her.

Obey and serve! O’Daughter of the Tides!

Then. Darkness. Yet Death does not take her, but holds her gently in safety and protection.

——

With Ravus officially defected from the Imperial army with his stunt in Altissia, his intel was that Niflheim has taken full offence at the Nox Fleurets defiance and will fully invade and destroy their country. While Prompto was last seen taken by Niflheim forces.

“What?!” Noctis grabs the Tenebraen Prince by the collar,” Where did they take Prom?!”

“Your Highness!” Ignis and Gladio pull Noctis off Ravus.The last thing they need now is more internal conflict.

Nyx is mad and it was obvious because the Galahdian was deathly silent. Cor is breathing heavily, clutching his katana in a death grip. If only they were faster in breaking down the enemy forces between them and Accordo. If only they pushed more, Prompto would not have been captured.

Noctis demands that they push into Niflheim and rescue Prompto but Regis is against it. As a father and a friend, he wants to save him but as a King, he could not. The enemy numbers are overwhelming and there is an issue with Tenebrae’s impending attack as well.

“Marshal!” Dustin enters the room, completely ignoring the tension and shoves a tablet into his hands. There are few things in this world that will faze the Immortal Shogun. However the image before him only serves to fuel his anger before he snarls at the person on the other side of the video.

“Verstael Besithia.”

Regis and Clarus immediately crowds in beside Cor and Nyx’s eyes widen at the sight before him in fury. There was Prompto, wounded and beaten down, shirtless and covered in scars, bound to a metal cross. Although he is awake and trying his best to hold on visibly.

“I was wondering when I will get to speak to you, thief.” the psychopathic scientist laughs,”yet what has been lost will always come back.”

Dustin quickly shuffles aside, allowing the Prince and his retainers to watch the video feed.Noctis finally gets around and clench his fists as he sees the injuries and bruises on Prompto’s torso and every inch of visible skin.That is his friend.His beloved and precious friend yet he’s now suffering and what the fuck is he even doing here-

“What do you want with one of ours, Besithia?” Regis coldly begins.

“Yours?YOURS?” The scientist laughs like the madman he is.” He was never yours, King Regis! Your soldier had stolen what was mine and yet, I ought to thank you.” Verstael puts a slimy hand on Prompto’s cheek in a creepy caress, which the blond tries to pull away from,”you have helped further my research. I see now that my prodigal son who has returned is a much more exquisite sample than his brothers! Even the starscourge has failed to leave a mark, how peculiar!”

“Get your fucking filthy hands off MY son!” Cor spats,”and he isn’t yours you sick fuck. Prompto is a son of Lucis and I swear, once I have my hands on you Besithia, I will fucking do what I should have done 20 years ago!”

“Ahhhh.Would you now? Shame, but I have better things to deal with than you, Marshal.” The madman smirks at Prompto who glares at him with all the hate Noctis has never seen him with at all in their years of friendship.

”Besides, you have a welcoming committee in Tenebrae, no?Courtesy of us Niflheim of course.” Verstael rubs Prompto’s cheek and Prom struggles, his hands flexing in futile attempt to get away.”I just thought it be nice for you to say goodbye first in case you both can’t see each other again.Afterall you did care for my boy all these years-“

“Don’t fucking touch him-!” Noctis hisses, barely reining in his magic.

“Oh don’t worry Your Highness.We’ll have a splendid time reuniting.Till next time.Or not.”

The video feed cuts. Dustin wisely pulls the device away from the Marshal before he loses it to violence. He has worked with the man too long and knows his habits by now. However something seems unusual…

Cor and Nyx are calm.Too calm.

“Time.” Cor starts softly and Nyx checks his phone.

“1545 hours.” Nyx replies systematically.”90?”

“No, 72. Factor that he’s already in some time.”

“Alright.” Nyx then taps the device on his ear and belts out a series of codes and orders.

“What are you even doing-We need to get Prompto! He’s not safe-“ Noctis looks at Regis and Clarus, who remain stoically silent.

“No.”

“W-Excuse me?” Even the prince’s advisor is taken aback by the sudden order from Cor.

“Marshal, what-?” Gladio is unable to process this.Its not like Cor at all.

“What do you mean no? W-THATS PROMPTO OUT THERE, YOUR SON-“

“Do NOT insinuate I will leave my own boy out there to die your Highness or so help me-“ Cor snaps at Noctis, his patience gone entirely.However he stops and inhales sharply, taking a second before he tosses his katana towards Clarus who grabs it effortlessly.

”What I am about to say will be considered treason to the crown, your Majesty. I call upon you to lay judgement as you deem fit.”

Regis is expressionless as he looks at Clarus.Then he looks at Cor again silently.There was nothing from his liege for a long while. Regis barely even casts a glance at Cor’s blade and chooses to stride past his Marshal, laying a hand on his shoulder before moving forward and taking a seat on the couch. His eyes closed. The King has made his judgement.

Cor takes a deep breath before he lays it on the younger crew before him.

“I rescued Prompto as a baby from a literal hell.I kept Prompto safe for 20 whole years.I will be damned if you think I enjoy the fact that my son is putting himself in danger. With his past and me being so close to the Crown, I deliberately made sure he could live a normal life safely. Away from all the dangers he could have gotten simply by association! Yet, his entire life not once did he asked us for anything. Did you know what was the first damn thing he had sincerely asked for,your Highness?”

Noctis eyes the Marshal silently.Defiant.

“To be your friend.”

Ignis looks up at the decorated ceiling, breathing in time as if he is trying to hold on to whatever strength left in him. Luna trying to keep her composure but holding onto every word from her friend’s father.

“After that incident when you both were 15, he made his second wish.” Cor steps closer towards Noctis, putting his point across as he approached.”Do you want to hear what it was?”

“To be able to protect you by your side. So that your friendship will not be a weakness for you.”

Gladio turns around and hisses a curse.The younger Shield cannot process this mess and emotions in him all at once.

”As the Marshal, I do not hold any opinions, but as a father-” his knuckles cracked and Cor trails off, chewing his inner cheek.”I can only respect his wishes.”The Marshal of the Crownsguard then turns around, grabbing his katana from Clarus’ outstretch arm and saluting to his superiors, before sharply leaving the room.

Noctis hands are shaking. Not from anger. The feeling completely overtaken by a cold fear.

Its his fault.Its all his fault-

“Get ready, we are leaving for Tenebrae.” Nyx’s voice cuts through the fog in the Prince’s mind.”Now.”

“But, Prom-“ Luna starts but Regis interrupts at long last.

“Princess Lunafreya. We must not delay any longer.Tenebrae must be secured first.”He looks towards Ravus,” It is time for the land of the Oracles to be liberated.”

“I do not understand your majesty-“ Ignis tries to reason but he gets cut off by his King.

“All you need to know is that we have a battle to fight.” Regis replies, looking towards Noctis pointedly.”And you have your duty to the people as Crown Prince above everything else.”

With that he leaves, inviting Ravus to walk with him.Clarus following closely behind.

“Have faith in him.” Clarus tells them over his shoulder before he too steps out of the room.

The younger crew mulls in silence.Helpless.

——

The Niflheim army clashed with the joined forces of Lucis, Tenebrae. The waves of MT are relentless but as soon as it started, the numbers dwindled. With the support of Arenea’s faction after some bargaining on Ravus’ side, they manage to secure Fenestala Manor and half of the Tenebraen borders. Loqi and his men suddenly retreated mid-way through the battle, leaving behind forces of automated MTs that were quickly decimated. Whereas Ravus and Luna managed to capture Caligo Ulldor and is sentenced to death by the newly re-instated rulers of Tenebrae.

“Report.” Cor barks out as Nyx arrives into the safe room in Fenestala Manor with Noctis, Ignis and Gladio behind.

“Tummelt bloody fucking got away.” Nyx growls in annoyance, while Crowe rolls her eyes and slaps a potion behind her Captain.He glares at her, which was as useful as glaring at a moggle. Useless.

“MTs numbers have dropped too, but they are still significant.” Monica adds, fiddling with her coms and devices as Regis takes all the information in.”We still have the North and Western areas unsecured.”

“Time?” Nyx asks Cor softly as he throws his ruined coat aside. While Ignis gets his prince and shield some curatives while Luna arrives in with her ladies in waiting with more resources.

“2 more hou-“

“Zero. Zero hours.”

Noctis looks up. As does the other two beside him. Luna freezes completely.

“Prom?”

“M-MARSHAL!” Monica shouts at Cor who all but pushes Monica away with Nyx,who snatches the receiver mic and demands.

“Where was the first place we met?”

“Really, out of all the questions? Baba? I was like 4?”

“Answer it.”

“Outside the Citadel Square, the corner behind the Queen’s Fountain.” Nyx lets out a loud sigh of relief and a couple of words in Galah similar to a prayer.While the tension on Cor’s shoulder finally goes slack as Clarus slaps a comforting hand on his brother’s shoulder.

Noctis throws down the warm towel and nearly warps in front of the coms along with the rest. There, battered, exhausted but alive was Prompto, dressed warmly and armed, nursing a can of ebony.

“PROM!”

“Hey Noct, you doing okay?How are you, Luna?Guys?” Prompto perks up brightly, seeing his friends.Trust him to ask about them first when the person who was captured was him.

“Don’t hey me you-”Noctis wants to shake the blond so badly,”what-“

“Report, Crownsguard Leonis.” Cor cuts in, watching Prompto keenly, observing. Prompto pauses, chewing his lip before taking a deep breath.

“Verstael is dead.”Prompto pauses for a moment,” I killed him.”

There was silence.

“You did good.”Cor replies calmly.”Are you in a secure area?”

“Yeah,I mean.Yes.Theres no more MT troops left here.No civilians sighted so far either- G-give me something secure, I’ll send some data over.”Prompto gets to work, clacking away at the system before him.

“Monica.”

“Roger.On it.”

“I’m sorry I took so long.”Prompto adds slowly,”I-I had to find a working facility with transmission.Theres literally nothing where they kept me.I-I’m sending over the remaining MT locations and outposts.Theres a few jammers here too, you can’t use magic in those areas.They also added anti aircraft walls once they confirmed defectors from the Empire. The whole Nifelheim is abandoned,I think they brought all the civilians into Gralea but I’m not sure, still too far out to tell.They-He…He daemonified everyone.He destroyed every living breathing thing he could find and-”Prompto trails off, clearly unsure how to go on.

“Breathe, Prompto. Where did they kept you in?” Cor asks.

“First Magitek Production Facility.”

The Marshal hisses.He remembers that accursed place.While the data ping-ed and Clarus helps Monica to break down and passes on the info to Regis.Who then barks out orders to his Glaives and the joined armies.

“I,I heard you guys are in Tenebrae, how is it?”

“Hanging in there.”Nyx supplies softly,”How are you kiddo?Do we need to extract you?”

“Just.Tired but-” Prompto looks at Cor carefully,”if it helps, I think want to keep on going here. I mean, there’s still a number of the MT production lines. Just need to blow them up once I slip in. I can find an easier way for Lucis to enter Niflheim from my end too.”

“Prom, no, its not safe, we can get you-” Gladio adds before he can stop himself and casts a glance at his father.

Prompto chews his lip wearily as he fiddles his Ebony can.

“Its not necessary.But- You think you can do that?Are you confident, Prompto?”The elder Leonis pushes on, keeping an eye on Prompto’s behaviour while skimming through the data. There’s so much.

“…Yes.Just…I-I need to do this.”

“Okay.” Cor relents,”I hear you. Keep your check ins.” There’s a cough at the back that sounded like Regis but the Marshal ignores it.”Do not overestimate yourself. Remember what we taught you. Your safety is first and that’s an order, am I clear? Prompto Leonis.”

“Yes sir.”

“I’ll see you soon, son.”

“Thanks dad. Noct?” Prompto smiles at his friend who shuffles nearer to the screen,”I’ll see you soon! Luna! Make sure you guys win back Tenebrae!”

“Prom..?”Luna doesn’t know where to start, still guilty that in saving her, her friend was caught by the enemy for her sake.

“It, it’ll be all okay,Lu!” Prompto beams at the Princess,”See you guys soon, okay? Take care, Noct.”

The video cuts and the Prince looks towards his father and his retinue, the younger crew demanding answers quietly.

“What the fuck?” Noctis starts, breaking the silence.Regis sighs wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose in effort to hold off an incoming headache.

“You need to tell them,Cor. Prompto is officially his retainer after all.”

Cor and Nyx share a look, before the Marshal addresses the Prince’s question.

“Did you honestly think I would have sent my son out of Insomnia with you defenceless?”Cor dryly asks the boys.

That hits Ignis immediately.The young advisor casts a glance at the Marshal, then to the Captain, across to the King and Shield.

“He trained and passed his Crownsguard exam.”Ignis starts to ponder aloud,”In a very short time.Before we left Insomnia.”

“Prompto already covered the basics since he was 16.”Nyx smirks,”though I’m sure you all thought otherwise. His exam was something else.”

A memory hits Noctis, back in their high school days, his exhausted friend, the need to keep up with part time work, school and exams… Yet his friend never failed to keep him company. Always there by his side with a smile and his favourite camera.

“Well he don’t fight as a trained Crownsguard that’s for sure.” Gladio points out and that earns him a laugh from the Captain.

“Then it means his training paid off! And all this?”Nyx points to the new maps of enemy territory and numbers,”is proof that his hardwork was worth it.This is not basic crownsguard work, Amicitia, this is more of Glaives work.”

Now Noctis is just pain confused,” what do you mean? Prompto trained as a Kingsglaive but took the Crownsguard test? That still explains nothing.”

“We don’t have the time to train him everything either. Do you see who willingly joined your ranks simply because of his devotion to you, your Highness?”Nyx brandishes the information in his hand proudly,” Prom grew up in Little Galahd, a bloody dense maze in itself. You can’t catch him if he doesn’t want you to. He can adapt to unfamiliar territory with his speed and stealth.That on top of his endurance and tenacity?” The captain of the Kingsglaive simply grins.

“His gentle personality as a whole will get the enemy to underestimate him. We all know that your bond with him can, and will be used against you as Crown Prince. Prompto simply removed that from the equation for you.” Cor adds calmly.”And if necessary, became a weapon instead.”

“A spy?” Ignis breathes out incredulously, finally linking the dots. Prompto fights less than average simply because they have been always engaging enemies in large numbers and in wide areas. Or against the wildlife. The blond was not trained to fight like them. Their sunshine was meant for the silence and shadows.

“No. But very close.” Clarus finally can’t stand the roundabout talks any longer.”You already have an advisor and a guard in your retinue. He is much more suitable in a different role, one that requires secrecy and mental fortitude. Or in worse case scenario, if you are all in the enemy’s hands. These two gremlins here literally gave you an assassin.”

That earned him a dark chuckle from the King’s Sword himself, who is glowing with pride,”Like I said.I won’t send my son out defenceless. I have never denied Prompto anything in his life. So when he made his request, you damn well bet that I made sure he makes it.”

“And yet he works better as a Glaive, riiiiight?” Nyx gives Cor a wide grin and nudges his husband incessantly.”Come ooon,say it.”

“Fine. He works better as a Kingsglaive.”Cor side eyes his husband.”Happy?”

“Very.”Nyx laughs,”But his style is all yours.” That sufficiently pleases the older Leonis.

Noctis is still reeling in from the shock.His best friend? Trained as an assassin? The boy won’t even hurt a Chocobo, yet, Cor and Nyx’s words haunt him. Prompto had chosen this because of him-

“Prompto had chosen you. Just as you had chosen him. His loyalty and devotion is not to the crown.Its to you and only you.Your Highness.” Cor pauses for a moments if sensing the young Prince’s dilemma, “he made it so that you didn’t have to choose between him or your duty.So, win this Battle for Tenebrae. My son is still waiting for us in Niflheim.”

Noctis knows. Now determined more than ever to push on.

——

With Prompto’s infiltration into enemy territories and constant intel, the Lucian army quickly recovers Tenebrae and presses on into Niflheim’s domain. Apart from a giant dead magitek worm and various dead magitek beasts, the Kingsglaive quickly occupies all the outposts and overtakes the strongholds where Prompto has destroyed the magic jammers.

“Theres soooo many Ebony machines, how does Niflehiem not get caffeine poisoning?�� Prompto whines over the feed while sending another batch of data.

They are getting closer to meeting up now that Noct has taken a detour to make a covenant with Garuda, a lost Messenger that Prompto stumbled upon. Cor and Nyx allowing the boys to talk while they sort out reports with Regis and Clarus. Whereas the rest of the glaives and guards with them are taking a breather.Cor, however, looking worse for wear with the recent troubled sleep, forcing him to let Nyx handle a bulk of the work. Noctis overhears the couple talking something like ‘dreams’ or ‘premonitions’ and ‘hurry’ but the prince quickly ducks out before he finds himself at the ire of the Immortal Shogun and the Hero of the Kingsglaives. He still likes living, thanks.

“I’m sure you can’t die of a little coffee, darling.”Ignis muses.

“Prrrroooom.”The prince huffs, trying to get his attention as childish as it seems but he misses his best friend.

“Noccccct!” Prompto pouts along,”I miss you guys!”

“Miss you too sunshine. We’ll be catching up with you soon, then we’ll enter the Gralea borders together.Just hang tight till then. Prince Charmless has been extra annoying without you.” Gladio grins at his youngest friend, glad to see him well.

“OI.”

“I want curry Iggy! I’m sick of cold steaks.Theres literally nothing he-”Prompto stops halfway and swerves around instantly with his gun already in hand. Before a shadow slams his lithe frame onto the console causing distortion on the feed.

“PROMPTO!?” the crew yells, helpless, while Cor and Nyx rushes over and takes the comms from the boys.

There, before their eyes was Ardyn Izunia, with a dark inky claw digging into Prompto’s neck in a chokehold.His eyes dripping with darkness.

“Well,well, looks like I found a wild lil chocobo out of his cage~”

“F-fuuuck eu-” Prompto struggles to claw free while getting his spare gun but the daemonic man is faster and slams the blonde onto the console with an inhumane amount of force.Dark liquid drips.There was blood on the screen.

“ARDYN! Get the fuck away from Prompto I swea-“

“Now now your royal highness, don’t need to panic. He’s still breathing. Barely. But still,I digress.” Ardyn smiles menacingly,”Come to Gralea if you wish to have your lil friend back.He’ll be there, along with your precious Crystal. Don’t worry, I won’t kill him just yet.”

“IZUNIA!”Nyx snarls but the feed gets disconnected just as Prompto’s painful cries begin.Cor ignores everything else, shoving the comms aside and summons his katanas, roaring at the men to get moving. Regis and Clarus already on their feet as Nyx barks out orders for his glaives while Dustin and Libertus relays info to the rest of their forces. Noctis summons his sword while Gladio and Ignis follow quickly. Their friend is in danger.

They have gotten too complacent.

——

The Empire soon kneels before King Regis and his men in the bowels of a ruined capital amongst the dead daemons. Loqi Tummelt and his tiny charge with a handful of civilians surrender as Lucis tears Gralea apart. All of the Kingsglaive and Crownsguard carrying out a simple order on top of their main objective.

Find Crownsguard Prompto Leonis. At all costs.

——

When they finally reunite with their lost friend. In the depths of a cold abyss where the Crystal sits with an unconscious chancellor of Niflheim laying the the ground as the light of death fades from his now mortal form. While someone else that is clearly not Prompto, challenges the Astral within the Crystal, bearing eyes brimming full with power.

It was a God.

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