#this is what happens when my mom watches ffxv

[zeroth-writes]

Junior Monster Hunter -Noctis Lucis Caelum-

masterlist | request

Prompt: Can I get ffxv noctis x reader where the reader asks him to look after their little cousin around the age of 7 for the day, the kid is very rambunctious and likes to blow things up for science and also to fight demons. Can I get noct’s interaction with them. Since he’s not that good with social skills and with small kids in general and has to balance that with fighting monsters?

Pairing: Noctis Lucis Caelum / Reader

Summary:

Word Count: 1.0k

Noctis is someone who is naturally awkward around people in general, that is especially true for children.

So when you asked him to watch your cousin for the day, The prince instantly wanted to say no. However when he saw the sweet hopeful look on your face, he couldn’t say disagree.

Once the nod brought his head up and down, your arms around their way around his neck to bring him into a warm hug.

As your whispers of gratitude filled his ears, his mind and heart battled. His mind wanted to come up with a quick lie about his father needing him, or already made plans with Prompto for that day.

While his heart only heard your excited, joyous words thanking him for agreeing.

His arms made their way around your waist, pulling you closer to his cheat. A smile rested on his face at the soft contract. For a moment the prince forgot what he agreed to, until you pulled away and started speaking.

“So my cousin is about 7. They have a lot of energy so you can’t just sit around all day, and please don’t take them fishing. They’ll just get bored and scare all the fish off. Oh and they’ll be here around 11.”

Noctis watched in shock as you maneuvered around the room talking while gathering all your belongings. The words quickly falling from your lips, go in one ear and directly out the other. Before he could ask you to repeat yourself, you’re already halfway out the door wishing him a good day.

♡♡♡♡♡

Noctis spent the next few hours pacing. For every activity he thought of a downside would cross his mind.

He thought about just staying inside and watching television all day, but they could have just done that at home. Maybe he could show them around Insomnia. Let them see places they normally would never see, but who wants to spend the day walking around.

Before the prince could think of a solid idea a knock came on his door. A timid voice called out his name, a voice he quickly recognized as your relative.

As soon as he opened the door, his mouth open along with it to ask questions. But he was stopped when a young kid was pushed passed him and he read your family members rushed words.

“Thank you for watching them on short notice. I’m running last already sorry.”

Once again Noctis stood stoned as the door slammed. He processed the encounter until an unknown voice spoke up “So, what are we doing today?” They spoke so fast Noctis had to repeat the sentence several times just to understand them.

“Uhhh. I didn’t really have anything planed. “ Noctis scratched the back of this head and glanced around the room, hoping an activity would pop into his head.

Sadly that didn’t happen. Instead the prince stood awkwardly inside his own home while a kid he’s never meet waited for Noctis to entertain them.

“What do you like to do for fun?” Noctis asked. The young kid thought for a moment before starting to spew out different things he liked to do. Most were normal thing he could do at any point. However one thing stood out to the young man.

“I like fighting monsters and deamons.” The kids response was timid but still caught Noctis’ attention. “My mom doesn’t like when I do it since it’s dangerous.”

Noctis thought for a moment before holding out his hand to summon his sword. The moment the bright blue light began to swirl around the royal’s hang, the young kid face lights up. A loud gasp filled their ears as the Engine Blade appears.

“Well, your mom isn’t here now. So you wanna go kill some?”

Your cousin couldn’t contain their excitement as they rush over to the door and swung it open. Noctis let out a deep chuckle before following after.

♡♡♡♡♡

Once the pair made it outside the monster free confines of the city, the sun has begun to set. For a moment Noctis considered turning around and heading back towards safety. Yet as he look sideways towards kid and saw the amount of joy they had, it made him drive even faster.

“Look!” Your cousin suddenly shouted.

Noctis slammed on the brakes and looked over towards a shadowy green field with several Goblin and a few Imp messing around in the grass. 

Noctis putt over to the side turned the car off. Before they could jump out, Noctis grabbed the kids out.

“I know your excited but right now it’s too dangerous. I’m going to go in and narrow them down a bit. Okay?” The young kid scoffed and began to argue, but stopped when they saw the serious look on the prince’s face.

Noctis offered a small smile before hopping out of the car.

Within a few minutes the once large group has been dwindled down to only a few weaker deamons. With a hang movement, Noctis motioned the kid to join the fight.

Your cousin ran in with a scream and started slashing the enemies. Noctis stood back and watched carefully, ready to jump in at the first sight of danger. Once all the enemies were eliminated the young one stood up straight and turned to the older man with a shy smile on his face.

“Not Bad” Noctis spoke before turning to walk back towards the car

♡♡♡♡♡

For the next few hours the pair drove around, defeating deamons whenever they could. Slowly Noctis to see the once energetic kid slow down to the point they were falling asleep in the passenger seat.

This made Noctis himself begin to feel his own tiredness slowly take over.

Not long after Noctis placed your sleeping relative on the couch, you walked through the door.

At first sight of the sleeping child, you instantly quiet your actions. Carefully you walk back to the bedroom and change into different clothes.

“Did you have fun?” You asked once back with the sleepy pair.

Noctis glanced down at the child sleeping on the couch before looking back up at you, and when a soft smile on his face, nodded.

“Yeah I did. I’m glad you asked me to do this.”

taglist: @asilverraven

#Final Fantasy #final fantasy imagine #final fantasy imagines #final fantasy x reader #final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv imagine #final fantasy xv imagines #final fantasy xv x reader #Noctis Lucis Caelum #noctis lucis caelum imagine #noctis lucis caelum imagines #noctis lucis caelum x reader #requested

[avarii]

Aera Nox Fleuret: The Crystal has deemed Ardyn as the Chosen King of Lucis.

Somnus:

The Crystal: Oh shit, nevermind.

#the darksaber #this is what happens when my mom watches ffxv #somnus lucis caelum #ffxv #episode Ardyn #ardyn izunia #my edits #the mandalorian spoilers

[masteraqua]

so on a happier note, does anyone remember where they were and what they were doing when kh3 was announced?

#bc boy howdy i sure do #it was in the evening and i was watching a movie with my mom #but we had to pause it in the middle for a while so during the break i checked fb #and saw that the re-reveal of ffxv had JUST dropped #like seconds ago #so i hurried over to the e3 livestream to see if i could catch any of it #unfortunately by the time the page loaded they had moved on #but it just so happened that it was at the beginning part of a kh trailer #and at first i just assumed it was for 1.5 #but then it kept going and it obviously wasn't that so i was confused #and then #it transitioned to a shot of destiny islands #and i remember staring at it and systematically checking it against every shot of di i could think of #at which point i finally realized......this was new #and then as it showed sora picking up master eraqus' keyblade i held my breath #and silently swore vengeance on nomura if this turned out to not be what i thought it was #but then the title appeared and i proceeded to scream for the next 5 years #fate smiled on me that night and allowed me to witness history in the making #and that's really special to me #if we hadn't had to pause the movie when we did i wouldn't have known about kh3 until after the fact #it's such a wonderful memory i love e3 and kh so much

[iaintyourbro]

The Unknown Journey Continues

Part 1

I know it's been a while... but I've been going down a rabbit hole with @starlight-samurai regarding time loops, Jenova, Minerva, and more fun. So I figured I'd try to put it into one post to get the insanity out of my head. Everything in here is based on things we've found by either going through more obscure Ultimanias, learning more about Dirge of Cerberus and trying to decipher what the hell Jenova is by putting together various sources - including other Square Enix games - and how they handled freakishly similar scenarios.

Did you know there is a companion mobile game for it that was out on the good old flip phones? Did you know there was an online mode in Dirge of Cerberus only available in Japan, but had story elements that were not in the main game?

The sad part is, there's still so much to go through...

(I've also had various discussions with @ourfinalheaven, Manu, who doesn't have Tumblr, so here is her Twitter. and Somebody's Nightmare (here is her Twitter). So I wanted to tag them here, as it's much more fun to discuss these ideas as a group, since it'll only help you build on and strengthen your own ideas.)

Please be aware, there will be Spoilers for FFVII - Almost all Compilation titles, Xenogears, and NieR Automata throughout this.

So let's go on a journey where we explore what actually already exists in the compilation - including the idea of the whispers and timeloops - how Minerva may play into everything, and what exactly Jenova is capable of doing.

I asked Sesi if he'd ever played any of the NieR games, because he'd said something that made me wonder if they were going to take a similar approach. As a very, very quick high level summary: NieR Automata deals with a time loop type of idea. The androids will be rebooted and repeat the same things over and over again. This is broken when 2B is killed by A2 because she becomes infected with a virus. That being said, you have the option after Ending E to either erase all of your data and end the cycle OR you can try again. The Pods have a discussion, and one asks, "But won't they just do the same thing again?" and the other replies with "Maybe. But it could also be different this time."

Here's Sesi's message back to me when I asked him about this (cleaned up a bit since we were having a casual conversation over Discord):

Maybe I could just guess based comparatively on the Dirge storyline, because that was sort of SE's first flirtation with “robots and androids” since they’re all programmed and locked behind like task managers and shit that can shut them down. The story of the online mode for DoC that came out in Japan, we never got to see it, you’re basically an Android OC and you have to get to “the end of the level” and then essentially die, and a new one takes its place. This keeps happening until Weiss is essentially freed from being able to be task managed by the guys who are suppose to be able to control them and I know from tons of years with Square games that they’re verrrrry bad at differentiating their narratives they tend to just keep “ripping themselves off” so is it anything close to that?

Cuz if so I think I kinda know what you’re saying and yeah, I agree, I think with CC bringing in its poetic symbolism and LOVELESS, and DoC bringing back the cyclic nature of the lore, whispers, premonitions and future visions, proto-Materia and the perversion of this next cycle since the planet can no longer cleanse and protect itself and its will is weakening lesser and lesser to the point where it’s fate is “in a true sense of jeopardy This time essentially it’s all tied in together and sort of played as though it's a fated track; a cycle of events and something has hitched it, thus the whispers manifesting and Sephiroth's higher implied control over his destiny. Of course, even all that is just their new red herring game, but it’s definitely a part of the lore they want to play with, in order to go back and reMAKE the OG with the comp inserted from inception. Also gut punch a lot.

Time Loops

I was somewhat surprised to find out that this concept is NOT new to FFVII's universe. It's discussed in Dirge of Cerberus... probably one of the least played and least understood of the compilation. (Trying to sell a third person shooter with terrible controls to a market of mostly people used to turn-based combat wasn't going to go well.)

On top of it, we didn't even get all of it, since online mode was never released outside of Japan, and the Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode was on Amp'd Mobile and Verizon flip phones back in 2006. Were you around for the cell phones in 2006? I had the ones on the list, and how somebody could play a game on those blows my mind.

Square has a tendency to reuse themes from their other titles. Probably one of the most blatant is the similarities between Xenogears and Final Fantasy VII. They were both being developed at the same time and a lot of ideas that didn't make it into FFVII ended up in Xenogears.

NieR

So how does this work? In NieR (both Replicant and Automata), you play the same path multiple times. Each time, it's slightly different depending on what side quests you did your first and second playthrough, but there's also other subtle differences throughout the story. In Automata, you get to play as 2B your first playthrough and 9S for your second. They follow the same path, but you get it from his perspective the second time and it reveals a bit more of what is going on. However, even with some slight differences, the main plot points stay the same and the ending result it also the same.

Then on your third playthrough, you wake up in the Bunker, and you're getting ready to go on a new mission. This time, though, 2B is killed and shit hits the fan. Things get crazy, you play as a new character: A2. In the end, pretty much everyone "dies", but you can choose to "reboot" and try again. You also can say you are done and let them all rest and delete your save data (the game gives you the option for both Automata and Replicant, and with Replicant, it actually leads to a new ending).

The striking thing for me is... There are certain events that will always happen, no matter what.

Fixed Points in Time

It's been years since I've watched Doctor Who, but there was something that stuck with me, and that was the fixed points in time. You can read about all of them here, but here's the basics:

Now, of course Doctor Who goes into this with much more detail and it's a recurring theme. However, as you read through that page, you'll probably find many aspects that have been used in various JRPGs that you've played. And Doctor Who most likely pulled some of the idea from classic Science Fiction novels. Each story puts its own spin on it.

How does this relate to FFVII Remake? Well, when they say that the major plot points will stay the same, it reminds me of this. No matter what, Cloud must fall into the Sector 5 Church, the Sector 7 Plate must be dropped, Aerith and Zack both must die, and Meteor has to be summoned, to name a few. So, with a time loop, those things would still have to take place in order to prevent a complete collapse of reality (at least in how Doctor Who uses it).

Therefore, the Whispers are ensuring that the Will of the Planet is followed.

One of the major themes in FFVII is that of loss. People die and they do not come back. Yes, other FF games do allow this to happen (FFX, FFXIII, FFXV), but VII is not those games. It was written with that idea in mind, that once a person dies, they, just like in real life, are dead and cannot be brought back.

I've previously written that I think they'll make us believe we are able to change fate, but we will eventually be slammed with the reality that we can't. That is because the planet has determined that certain events are fixed points.

Xenogears

Xenogears takes a bit of a different approach to the loop idea. Instead of repeating the same time period over and over, it has the characters reincarnated, and the same outcome happens each time: Elly dies. However, each time it's different. After all, they're in various time periods, in some cases thousands of years apart.

In all of the lives of Fei (who will have a different name in each time period) and Elly (who is always Elly/Elhaym), Elly will end up dying trying to protect Fei and the others. In one life, she is a religious figure at a totally not Catholic church, in another she's the wife of a scientist who was working to create children from nanomachines due to mass infertility issues. But she is ALWAYS with Fei, even if his name changes.

In her Mother Elhaym time, this is when Lacan (Fei) finally snaps. Though he's not fully aware of his past lives, he becomes aware, the anger consumes him, and he becomes Grahf. Fei is then reborn into the time period you play the game in.

There's a lot to unpack with this, so I won't go into it. Grahf wants to destroy God (Deus) because he thinks if he does, then it'll stop the suffering (his suffering).

If you do want to read more about Grahf, you can do so here, but it probably won't make much sense unless you've played Xenogears up to that point... Since it's much later in the game that this is all explained.

Lacan's desire was to stop the cycle of Elly always sacrificing herself for his sake. Though Grahf is not a perfect existence - he's not fully "The Contact", he sacrifices himself in order to let Fei move forward, and hopefully stop the cycle, by destroying the Deus system. (Elly also tries to sacrifice herself here, but Fei goes after her and stops her.)

Now, some people may think I'm saying that Cloud or somebody is going to do this in order to save Aerith or Zack (or his village or mom), but in FFVII if they do the loop method, I don't think Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and the others are aware of it. Most likely, it's only 'Sephiroth' and Aerith who are aware of it.

How this Could Be used for Final Fantasy VII

I'm stressing could because there's so many different possibilities on how they use this (if they are using this), so please, don't take this as fact. This is based on speculation based on what we know.

A time loop is a great way to explain away the differences in the story that we've seen: Biggs being alive, Wedge living for longer than he should have, etc. Since these are not major plot changes, they can simply say that this time it'll be slightly different... but your fixed points (major plot points) will remain the same.

It's a way to pull in some of the more obscure themes from Dirge of Cerberus and also play with the LOVELESS lore.

It could all simply be a big red herring and it's really just a remake of OG, but with the compilation tied together nicely... since it works much better when it's combined and not in 50 different games, books, movies, etc.

I don't think it's a "sequel" per say, not in the way I generally perceive a sequel. It's more of a loop of the same thing. The question is, when is the loop started and what will cause it to end? When will the planet (if it even is the planet) determine that it's good enough to begin moving forward?

JENOVA, Sephiroth, Genesis, and Minerva - Oh My!

Let's be real... Genesis isn't exactly the most popular character in the FFVII Compilation... but what if they make him one of the most important to the story? //Ducks as various fruits and vegetable are thrown in my direction//

I think what Genesis is probably most known for is his love of LOVELESS. He has the entire thing memorized and randomly says lines from it throughout Crisis Core. LOVELESS lore is still something I'm trying to grasp, so I am not going to comment much on it. Once I understand it more, I'll update this.

...And then this happens. The secret ending for Dirge of Cerberus, where Genesis picks up Weiss. Weiss, who has now been introduced along with Nero in FFVII INTERmission and is an optional ridiculously hard boss in the Shinra battle simulator in chapter 17 of the main story. There is some lore associated with the battle sim - so if you don't plan on beating it or you just can't, you can look up the pre-battle and post-battle cut scenes on YouTube. They're very short, but interesting. (I beat this asshole last night - it's a hell of a fight.)

....To Be Continued because apparently Tumblr won't allow more than 10 images per post now.... Next will be more on JENOVA and Sephiroth along with Minerva.

#ffvii #ffvii genesis #ff7 genesis #ff7 intergrade #ff7 intermission spoilers #FFVII intermission spoilers #FFVII Intermission #Final Fantasy VII #Dirge of Cerberus #FFVII Weiss #Xenogears #nier automata #final fantasy vii #ff7r #final fantasy 7 #timey wimey

[secret-engima]

Tomorrow is looking up to be - absolutely terrible. Can I beg you for some RWBY or FFXV snippets, please?

Of course! I know it is the "tomorrow" you speak of but lemme see what I can dig up-

Team Gremlin:

There was silence for a long, long time. Nothing but Ruby’s sobbing and Yang’s pounding heart and the fear that pressed down on them from all around. Formless, but not nameless. Then she heard the stairs creak and for one moment Yang was sure that “Salem” was coming upstairs to get Ruby.

But then the door opened and Yang saw Dad’s boots, “Girls? It’s okay. Come on out.” Yang didn’t move, Ruby just sobbed a little louder and clung tighter to her. Dad sighed and bent down to peer at them, “You heard all that didn’t you.” He looked … not mad, but stressed. Maybe scared, and that made the fear worse for Yang. Yang clung to Ruby, her precious baby sister with silver eyes that no monster should be able to get to, and nodded. Dad’s face pinched, then he gave a smile that even she could tell was fake, “Come on out, girls. It’s okay. I promise. That was all just- that was adult talk okay? You don’t need to worry about that until you’re older-.”

“Ruby’s eyes,” Yang bit out, “R-ruby has Mom’s e-eyes.”

“It’s okay, Yang, Ruby, I promise. We’ll take care of it-.”

A creak of wood behind Dad and he frowned before straightening up and turning to face whoever was there, “I’ll be down in a minute, just let me-.”

“Taiyang,” Professor Ozpin sounded weirdly calm, more calm than Dad did, “may I speak to them?”

“…I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

A sigh, “I am well aware of your opinion on this matter, Taiyang, and I respect it. But they have already heard enough to be terrified. Telling them to forget it now is not only impossible but potentially worse than talking to them. You made your stance on this matter very clear, but that does not apply to your children if it will put them in danger.” Professor Ozpin’s voice softened, “Either I speak with them or Qrow does, but please. Let one of us help.”

Dad didn’t move for a long time, then his boots made for the door, “Fine. But don’t drag them into this more than you have to.” A deep breath, “Girls? I’m going downstairs to check on your mother, if you need anything, just shout, okay? Professor Ozpin is going to talk to you for a little bit. He’ll be very nice.” The last bit was said in the same voice he used when warning Zwei not to dig holes in the yard.

Dad’s boots disappeared and fancy black shoes came closer. There was a pause, then, “Would you prefer to stay under the bed?” Ruby whined and Yang glared without a word. She didn’t know what was going on, but Dad seemed mad at Professor Ozpin and everything was scary and so yes, she wanted to stay under the bed. The tip of his fancy cane tapped the floorboards a few times, then there was a hiss and a whirr of gears like from her parents’ gear and the tip disappeared. With a grunt, he knelt down and then lay down on his stomach like even Mom rarely did. He pillowed his chin on his crossed arms and it was so strange seeing a fancy, famous person lying on his belly on the floor of Ruby’s room that Yang snorted despite herself.

Professor Ozpin’s face crinkled into a faint smile and it looked real and warm, “Hello there. You must be Yang and Ruby. I am Professor Ozpin, I’m a friend of your uncle and your mother. Can I safely assume you heard the most important parts of that conversation? The Grimm and the silver eyes and,” the briefest hesitation, “Salem?”

Ruby finally pulled her face away from Yang’s shoulder to whimper, “I-is she gonna take Mom away and m-make her a Grimm? Is she gonna t-take me?”

“Ah. You have silver eyes,” Professor Ozpin murmured, then his face fell back into that faint, warm smile, “Your mother is alright now, and now that we know what is going on, we will be much more careful. I promise, I will do everything in my power to keep your mother and you safe. But to do that … I would like to tell you a story, and you must both promise me to never tell it to anyone. For the safety of you and your mother.” They nodded, hesitantly, even though Yang certainly didn’t want to hear anymore scary things today. But if it would help keep Ruby and Mom safe-.

Professor Ozpin’s smile faded, but his eyes were still warm, “Once upon a time,” he began, and they listened intently as the man with white hair slowly outlined a story that sounded right out of a fairy tail.

...

Always I Dreamed verse:

Summer had no idea what Professor Ozpin had been thinking, making her the leader of Team STRQ. Then again, the only other real option would have been Taiyang, and as much as she enjoyed his company and was coming to think of him as a good friend and teammate, he wouldn’t have been able to handle the Branwen twins.

Not that Summer was much better at handling the Branwen twins.

They hadn’t done anything to get the team in trouble, but she didn’t know how to deal with them. Taiyang made sense, even if he had a few oddly adorable hangups on things like “modesty” —they were two guys and two girls living in the same room, she didn’t really see what modesty had to do with anything when they weren’t out in public—. Taiyang understood her when she tried to … bond with the team, tried to get them to be more than just four strangers living under the same roof and tackling the same assignments in class. Raven and Qrow on the other hand…

Every time she suggested a group activity, they watched her like she was going to bite. Like they couldn’t fathom the point of learning more about or bonding with anyone outside themselves. Taiyang had suggested it was an out of kingdom thing, but Summer had lived outside the kingdoms until five years ago, and she had never acted like that. Her family hadn’t either. That feral behavior, wary distrust and eerie staring in the middle of the night like even the room wasn’t safe to sleep in without a watch wasn’t anything like what Summer and her family or neighbors had grown up with. The only ones who had acted even similar had been-.

Oh.

Now that’s an idea.

...

Blood of My Blood verse:

The next one was a whole month after Grandma Crepera had first appeared and only a week after the scary man with the mace, but three times was enough for Dionysus to be able to immediately tell what was happening when he blinked his way to awareness in a dream. He looked around uneasily, afraid of being yelled at by someone again, but … there was no one scary nearby. He was in a small little building inside a big, unfamiliar garden. The building was just a roof and little pillars holding it up and a stone floor to stand on with a little table inside and-.

A woman.

She was sitting at the table, working on something, but instead of it being paperwork like Grandpa or taking care of a sword like Uncle Cor, she was … spinning mud? She was making mud spin and pulling at it with her hands, changing its shape with her fingers, and Dionysus hadn’t realized he’d drifted into the gazebo to watch her in awe until she glanced up from her work and smiled at him. She went back to watching her mud, and when she spoke, her voice wasn’t echoing and scary, “Hello. Would you like to join me? I have enough for both of us to use if you like.”

Dionysus watched the spinning-spinning-spinning in awe, but shook his head and tucked his hands behind his back, “Iggy says I can’t play in the mud cause I’ll get dirty an’ it’s unb- unbe- bad for a prince.” He blinked up at her, “How come you’re playing in the mud? Iggy says old people don’ like mud.”

The spinning slowed to a stop as she stared at him and he wondered if she was going to get mad. But then she started laughing, an old, deep sound that felt nice, all the way to his bones, “This is not mud, Cheeky Prince, this is clay. People use it to make things like mugs and teapots and vases. Come, come sit and I will show you how.” She waved her muddy hand and set down a chair next to hers in a flash of magical rosy-blue sparks. So she was family, just like the last ones had been. Dionysus hadn’t known he had so much family before. Then again, he was pretty sure they were all dead, and that’s why they were talking to him in dreams rather than when he was awake —and a part of him wondered if that should scare him, but it didn’t, so as long as they didn’t act scary, he didn’t bother trying—.

Dionysus climbed onto the chair and watched her in curiosity. It still looked a lot like mud to him, but it was a different color from mud, so he supposed it could be something else. The woman was spinning her clay again, fingers deftly shaping and pinching and rubbing, “My name is Nyssia, though some once called me the Just.”

Dionysus thought of the Hall of Arts and all the pictures and statues in it, including some of Grandma Crepera, and wondered if she was one of the pictures in the Hall, “Just like Grandma Crepera?”

An amused twitch of her lips, “Yes, I am like Crepera. We are both related to you, but we are older than King Regis.”

He tilted his head, partially mesmerized by what she was doing with the spinning clay, but curious despite himself about other things. She was like Grandma Crepera and the others, but she hadn’t used a scary voice at all, “How come?”

She hummed without looking away from her work, “How come what, Cheeky Prince? I cannot read your mind.”

Dionysus pouted at her, because wasn’t it obvious what he was asking? But then he said, “You don’ have a scary voice like they do.”

Now she did glance up at him with a look like Grandpa had when he said something silly, “Oh, don’t I?” Dionysus jolted in his seat, startled, but not … scared. Her voice had echoed just now, deep and layered like when Grandma Crepera or Leon had spoken, but it didn’t make him feel like he needed to go hide. It reminded him oddly of the big, booming bells that hung from old church in his favorite movie, loud but mellow. He kind of liked it, but he was still glad when her voice went back to normal as she shrugged, “I merely thought you would not like it if I used that voice. So I did not.”

#SE asks #hamelin born asks #Secret Engima Rambles #Melodies and Manuscripts #Team Gremlin verse #Always I Dreamed verse #Child of My Blood verse #Blood of My Blood (That Was Shed On the Throne) verse

[bgn846]

The Science Experiment ffxv fluff cats

Noct tried not to panic as he re-read his text message. He was in a meeting and unable to do much of anything besides fidget uselessly in his seat. This of course attracted the attention of Ignis who simply scowled at him with a disapproving look. Figures Prompto would text him with something urgent when he was busy!

Waiting for the meeting to end was pure torture. Not that he knew what real torture felt like but Noct was sure it had to be close. He wasn’t even out of high school yet and he still had to sit through boring council meetings. Finally, when the meeting adjourned he quickly sent a message back to Prompto right before Ignis’ full focus was directed towards him.

“Highness, might I suggest you not play with your phone during council sessions, it does make you look rather distracted.”

“I wasn’t playing!” Noct spit back under his breath.

“Well, whatever it was you were doing shouldn’t be conducted during the meeting.”

“Yeah, yeah, gotcha, can we go home now?”

Ignis merely sighed and nodded towards the exit. The drive back home was mostly quiet. Ignis probably thought he was stewing over being reprimanded for his phone use, but Noct was really texting Prompto. He still had to figure out what to do.  Ignis needed to drop him off and go home so Noct could call Prompto.

Getting Ignis to actually go home, took forever. First, he had to convince his advisor and friend that he should take the night off. Only after he agreed to eat some leftovers with actual nutritional content did Ignis agree to this idea. Noct kept saying he was only tired and didn’t want to be a bore if Ignis stuck around. The lie was weak and Noct assumed Ignis was only agreeing to keep him happy.

Nearly twenty minutes later when Ignis had gone back down to his car and the door was locked and bolted did Noct call Prompto. His friend picked up on the first ring.

“Dude! Where have you been?” Prompto wailed.

“In a meeting, I just got rid of Ignis, what’s going on? Is she alright?”

“I dunno, she’s um acting weird. I’m starting to get worried.”

“Shit, I knew you should have taken her to the vet yesterday, now what do we do? Nothing will be open now except in emergency places.   Ignis will definitely know something is up if that shows up on the credit card.”

“Oh, oh, I need to bring her over, I don’t know what else to do,” Prompto replied in a rush. “I have just enough money for a cab, I’ll be there soon.”

“Wait! Prompto!” It was too late the line had disconnected. Noct considered calling back but he knew his friend was coming over no matter what he said. Nervously pacing his living room Noct couldn’t get time to go any faster. It felt like an eternity before someone called from downstairs alerting him to Prompto’s arrival.

Running to the door he waited in the hallway until Prompto’s figure appeared around the corner. He was carrying a large box and practically sprinting down the hall. “I don’t know what to do buddy, she’s not okay.”

Noct ushered Prompto inside and quickly shut the door. “Come on let’s take her into the bathroom and see, the light is better in there and it’s got all the first aid stuff too.”

Nearly two hours later Noct wasn’t sure he could unsee what he’d witnessed. Blinking slowly he took in the scene that had unfolded on his pristine white tiled bathroom floor. “How the hell am I going to explain this to Ignis? He doesn’t like animals.”

“We can clean up the mess for sure, but, um, I don’t know what to do with all the new ones,” Prompto replied gesturing towards the pile of squirming fur near the bathtub.

“How did we not know she was pregnant? Shouldn’t that be like, obvious?”

“I’ve never seen a pregnant cat before how the heck would I have known that?”

Noct hummed in acknowledgment but didn’t bother to comment further. They’d both missed this very important fact regarding their newly rescued furry friend. “We couldn’t have left her right? I mean, we did the right thing yeah?” Noct checked, suddenly worried that they’d somehow ruined this cat’s life by taking her in right before she gave birth. Finding a cute cat behind the arcade had been fun but then it had followed them, and pretty soon Prompto had picked it up and the rest is history.

“Nah, dude, she needed a nice place to rest for something like this,” Prompto defended.

“Okay, but now what? They can’t stay here.”

“What do you mean? They can’t stay here, I can’t keep them,” said Prompto with a serious expression. “I work after school, remember? I won’t be able to watch them properly.”

“What about your parents can’t they help?”

“No! Dad is working out of town this week and mom is allergic. I did well to hide momma cat from her this long.”

“Ignis will skin me alive if he finds out I’m keeping a cat in here. I can’t keep them!”

“Buddy, you have to, we don’t have a choice. Don’t you have that extra room no one uses? Can’t we set them up in there and just keep Ignis out?”

“You make it sound so easy, Ignis will find them.”

“Oh! Tell him you are doing a science project and you need a controlled environment or something and that he needs to not open the door for the next week.”

“Prompto, that is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard of, that will never work,” Noct huffed.

--

“Yeah, so it’s for a science project and like I need a controlled environment otherwise it’ll fail and I’ll have to um, you know, start over,” Noct rambled as Ignis stood in the hallway holding a bundle of folded clothes the next evening.

“Highness you are aware that I use the closet in that room for storing some of your extra clothing, it would have been helpful to have alerted me to this development before you started your experiment.”

“Uh, sorry about not telling you but it’s super important that you just don’t go in there. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

Ignis raised an eyebrow in judgment and watched as Noct withered under the gaze.  Unwilling to fight Noct on what he was actually hiding in the room Ignis sighed and shook his head. Without uttering anything else he turned and walked away. The evening was going to be an interesting one.

It became clear that Noct wanted him to leave sooner rather than later, so Ignis decided to play along. Being an integral part of the prince's life meant he would see Noct again, whether he wanted it or not. Seeing Noct struggle to ignore the spare room was comical. Homework was even brought out as what Ignis could only guess was some form of distraction.

Noct only stared at the paper but didn’t write anything. When dinner was served he ate so fast Ignis was sure he’d make himself sick. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Once all the dishes were clean Ignis gathered his things and bid Noct a good night.

No sooner had he shut the door behind him did he hear Noct run away from the door, he was up to something. Debating about calling Gladio to ask if he knew, Ignis decided things might be more adventurous if he let it play out naturally.

Approximately twenty-six hours later when Ignis came over to fix dinner he had his first clue. Noct’s apartment smelled fruity. The prince normally didn’t like fake scents but he’d obviously bought something. Sniffing around Ignis found the source, plugged into the wall just down the hall from the supposed science experiment room. As he was walking over to investigate further Noct came bustling down the hall and blocked the door with his body.

“When did you get here?! I told you already you can’t go in there!”

“I wasn’t going to go in, I was merely trying to figure out why you bought that,” Ignis commented as he pointed to the small device emitting the not-so-great scent. “And I’m here to fix dinner highness like I always am at this time.”

“Ah, oh, um, right, dinner.”

“So the experiment you’re conducting stinks?” Ignis asked hoping to glean more information.

“No, well not exactly, but yeah,” Noct scrambled. “Does it really matter, this is my house. If I want a smelly plug thing for the wall then I should have one right?”

Ignis raised his hands in defeat and turned away. “I’ll go start dinner then since there is nothing to see here.”

The moment he’d made it to the kitchen Ignis was sure he’d heard the door to the spare room open and quickly close. Noct came to join him about five minutes later and couldn’t focus to save his life. The boy was constantly looking towards the spare room and was unable to make conversation that consisted of anything more than three words. Giving up Ignis finished up dinner and excused himself early for the night.

One day down, Ignis wondered how long  Noct would make it before he slipped up and revealed the secrets of the spare room.

--

It had been three weeks and Ignis was still playing Noct’s game of ‘stay out of the spare room’. Though, he had a pretty good idea of what was going on. He’d just not seen physical evidence yet. Ignis had also discovered that Prompto was part of this ruse as well. The two teenagers were constantly hanging out, more than normal, and working to keep the spare room from being noticed. The idea that making distractions around the rest of the apartment would keep their secret safe was funny to Ignis.

Having had ample time to do research on a few things Ignis was sure that life was about to get a lot trickery for Noct and Prompto. By now Gladio had been alerted and told to stay quiet. Ignis was actually having fun and looking forward to the big, or rather small reveal.

Granted he could have intruded and taken a peek in the room already, but Ignis stood by his morals, this was Noct’s home and he’d been asked to stay out of that room. The trust he and Noct shared was not something he was keen to throw away over a cat.

Settling in at the dining table that evening Ignis sat with his back to the hallway, Noct’s new seat of choice was one facing the spare room. It was just the two of them tonight; Prompto had to go home early to see his parents. Halfway through the meal, Ignis heard a faint scratching noise. “Do you hear that?” he asked pausing and tilting his head.

“Hear what? I don’t hear anything!”

“Hmm I’m sure I heard something, does your science experiment have to do with anything that moves?”

“Something moving?! Six no, its not alive. Nothing in that room is alive,” Noct answered as his face turned a rather interesting shade of red.

“I see, well then I must have heard something else.”

Noct didn’t say anything more; instead it seemed his focus had become how loudly he could eat the rest of his dinner. The idea that clinking his fork into the dishware and slamming his water glass down would do anything to mask the sounds coming from down the hall was amusing. Working hard to keep from smiling Ignis finished eating and hurried to clean and put away the dishes.

“Don’t forget we need to review the council meeting minute’s tomorrow evening after dinner.”

“Can’t we just like wait until the meeting and then I’ll take a look, I don’t really need to be that prepared. They never ask me anything anyway.”

“You will not get out of this highness, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Noct groaned in frustration but nodded as Ignis gathered his things and made to leave. Deciding to push a little Ignis paused near the door. “When will your science experiment be over?”

“Not sure, it’s sorta um an organic timed kinda thing. Ya know?”

“No not really, why don’t you explain it to me?”

Noct’s nervous laughter filled the space as he began gesticulating with his hands and trying to say something coherent. “Well, like, um, it’s science and stuff and sometimes I don’t even understand it, but there are instructions and its going well I think.”

“I see,” Ignis hummed. “I’d best be off then, good night Noct.” With nothing more than a smile, Ignis donned his shoes and left.

--

The next evening when Ignis approached Noct’s apartment door he could hear a commotion inside. A faint yelp indicated that Prompto was there as well. Knocking loudly Ignis took his time unlocking the door and letting himself in. He could at least give them a head start.

Once inside Ignis could tell that things had escalated. The living room was a mess and the sound of hushed voices and frantic steps could be heard down the hall. Both young men were in the spare room. The cat must have escaped the room or maybe it was trying to escape. One couldn’t keep a cat caged for too long it’d get curious and want to explore.

Deciding to start dinner Ignis busied himself in the kitchen. Looking around in an upper cabinet for a dish Ignis was startled when a door slammed. Spinning around Ignis was about to check on Noct and Prompto when something caught his eye. There on the floor was a tiny little ball of fluff. It had cute little ears and was wobbling around headed straight for him.

They were hiding a kitten, not a cat! No wonder Noct was being so protective. Slowly walking towards the little kitten, Ignis was surprised when another nearly identical kitten appeared from around the corner. Dear six, there was more than one. The first kitten had nearly made to his feet when Ignis heard footsteps approaching. Without thinking he leaned over and scooped up the little animal and promptly shoved it in the still open cabinet. Swiftly closing the door he stayed facing the wall pretending to prepare things while he waited. The footsteps became very quiet, almost like the owner was trying to hide. Ignis knew they were trying to catch the little escapee. When the door down the hall opened and closed Ignis checked to make sure he was alone before he opened the cabinet door.

A petit mew was the greeting he received from the occupant. Reaching in Ignis gave the little fuzzball a pat. “I believe they are still looking for you little one,” he whispered with a smirk. “Your sibling didn’t make it as far as you.”

Again, the door opened down the hall and Ignis quickly and carefully shut the cabinet to hide its secret. Spinning around Ignis found Noct wandering around the living room, hunched over clearly looking for the missing kitten. “Did you lose something?”

Noct straightened up and shook his head, “Nah I was um just stretching my legs.”

Before Ignis could think of what to say Prompto came running into the room without noticing him. “Did you find it?!”

“Be sure to say hi to Ignis first!” Noct exclaimed.

“Shit! Oh uh I mean hi, how’s it going?” Prompto managed as he turned to face him.

“So you were looking for something?”

“Prompto’s phone, that’s what I was looking for, it’s not here. I think we need to check the other room again.” Noct walked away and dragged a very flustered Prompto with him.

Ignis heard Noct berate Prompto for not knowing he was there. The last bit of conversation he could make out was regarding the blond having not heard the knock on the door. Remembering his own secret Ignis rushed back and opened the cabinet. Another mew sounded and this time the kitten stumbled right out and nearly hit the counter. Thinking fast Ignis caught the little thing and cradled it to his chest. “Little trouble maker you,” he cooed. “Come now, let’s have some fun.”  

Dinner was truly entertaining. Ignis managed to hide the little kitten that he‘d already named Darvis in the laundry room. The basket full of clean towels was most intriguing and worked as a wonderful place for a small nap. However, the real show was getting to watch Prompto and Noct attempt to remain sane while they ate. Neither of them would maintain eye contact for more than a few seconds. They’d always break away to scan the floor around the apartment.

When dinner was over Ignis stood and stretched. “I think you two should clean the dishes while I get some paperwork ready for Noct to review.” Both boys were up in a flash and clearing away the dishes. Ignis had never seen them move so fast.

Taking advantage of the distraction Ignis calmly went to retrieve little Darvis. It was far too easy to sneak back into the living room and sit on the sofa with his back to Noct and Prompto. The kitten was enjoying the attention and clambered around on his lap until it found a nice little spot between Ignis’ leg and the sofa cushion. Getting comfortable Ignis began arranging paperwork for Noct to look at. Darvis had his eyes closed and was happily napping again. Soon enough Noct shuffled into view, still looking everywhere but Ignis. Prompto followed him and was also scanning the area.  

“Sit down this won’t take long. Feel free to stick around Prompto, we’ll be done soon and then I’ll take my leave for the night.”

“Huh? Oh sure, um what do you need me to review?” Noct replied absentmindedly, his attention clearly on something else.

Ignis smiled and handed over the paperwork, Noct almost dropped the folder because he wasn’t looking. Finally, the prince sat down and made a half-assed attempt at looking through the files. Prompto continued to search the fringes of the room by idly wandering around.

Several minutes passed before Prompto froze and let his mouth fall open. He was looking right at Darvis. Noct was still distracted enough that Ignis was able to put a finger to his lips to silence Prompto. The blond kept moving his mouth akin to a fish out of water but he remained quiet.

“Ignis, um, can I look at these later I’m really not able to focus right now.” Noct lamented as he put the folder down on the coffee table.

“Certainly highness, I’ll be happy to go over it again tomorrow with you.”

“Thanks, sorry, I’m not being very helpful.”

“I understand,” Ignis supplied looking straight at Noct and waiting for him to see what was in plain sight.

Prompto had even begun to stare at his friend in disbelief. Finally, Noct’s eyes grew wide as he noticed the little ball of fluff nestled next to Ignis. “How --how long have you known?” Noct managed in a strangled voice.

“Since the scent plug-in appeared.”

Noct groaned and flopped sideways on the sofa, though he quickly perked back up and pointed an accusing finger at him, “I get to keep one, you clearly already picked one.”

“Yes, Darvis is mine and will be coming to live with me once he’s been properly nursed by his mother.”

“I thought you didn’t like cats!” Prompto exclaimed.

“I don’t, Darvis is the exception,” Ignis answered coolly.

“What about the other two, and the momma?” Prompto asked with worry. “I can’t take any of them, my mom is allergic.”

Ignis wasn’t surprised to hear there were more, but he knew what to do. “I’ll put a notice up in the office; we’ll be able to find suitable homes for all of them in no time.”

“I can’t believe you let me suffer through that terrible science experiment lie for three whole weeks!” Noct lamented.

“How did you even come up with that farce?”

Noct immediately looked at Prompto and threw his hand out, “he suggested it!”

“Next time I might suggest you fess up before making your life harder. I may not like most cats but I wouldn’t have made you put it out on the street.  Though,” Ignis paused and stared at Noct intensely, “that doesn’t mean you can bring every pregnant stray you find here. Am I understood?”

“I promise never to do it again, so long as I get to keep one.”

“Can he keep another one for me too?” Prompto tried hopefully.

“Don’t push your luck young man, I think one cat between the two of you will be purrfectly fine.”

“Oh, you did not just do that!” Noct groused. “Prompto we need to get him away from the cats now, he’s only gonna get worse!”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32461276

#ffxv #fanfic #ignis #noctis #prompto

[serenedash]

I started rambling about my experience with kh and then it turned into khux and then it just turned into me rambling about Ryou and my art journey????? enjoy I guess,

it’s very long but there’s art in there :)

It’s funny to think about my kh journey as a whole tbh, I grew up watching my mom play video games, which included kh1 and 2. I wasn’t allowed to play the playstation2 we owned BUT I did have a gameboy so the first game I played was CoM (after my mom finished it ofc,) so I guess you could say I’ve always been passionate about kh “””side games””” lmao but I did fall off of kh very quickly bc again, I wasn’t allowed to play our PS2 and also I Am A Terrible Gamer I’ve Never Finished CoM I’m sorry you all had to find out like this, but then 358/2 came out when I was in middle school and!!! I didn’t care and I didn’t play idk why lol

Anyway, fast forward to high school I’m like 15 and my older sister, who HAS been keeping up with kh, has a wallpaper on her phone of roxas and ventus. And bc I haven’t kept up I say “nice roxas wallpaper” and she says “thanks but it’s roxas and ventus” and I proceeded to get so mad that I was determined to prove to her that her wallpaper was just roxas twice and then I fell down the BBS rabbit hole and suddenly I was reading about vanitas and then I’m reading the fan translations of the BBS novel and I’m crying??? I am sobbing???? and that’s how I actually got into kh for real lol we are vanitas stans before we are people,

It’s so funny how I thought I was some kh super fan, knowing all this stuff that I spent so long reading and rewatching cutscene movies, but I never once, SOMEHOW NEVER ever came across khx. It’s so absurd and bizarre I seriously have no idea how I never once encountered khx prior to khux. I suppose that has to do with the fact I wasn’t involved in the fandom? In early high school I had stepped away from fandoms as a whole and I didn’t have any interest in really posting content or interacting with fans anymore bc of how burnt out I was from a previous fandom,

but khux released! and I was so hype and excited for it! on launch day I was a senior in high school, I had ran around to every “nerd” and weeb I could find in school to ask them to join my party and fun fact about me is I have crippling social anxiety I literally refuse to start conversations irl so holy shit I was OUT HERE doing the MOST

My player just originally had my name (Matt) but everyone in my party had fun names so Ryou was born! High school was one big yugioh phase for me and ryou bakura is one of my favorite characters ever so it was just the logical name choice lol I quickly started creating Ryou, the character, as well. I was also leaving my homestuck phase and that + vanitas obsession made This character design (art circa 2016)

If y’all are familiar with my kh oc’s you might notice that keyblade now belongs to my kid Monty LOL

Anyway that got scrapped quickly for the chip and dale outfit (which is where Ryou’s trademark goggles are from <3) Goggles have been a staple of my character designs for a LONG TIME so like, it had to be done, (that’s a separate ramble about a separate oc tho)

OG Ryou was an interesting guy; he was a young party leader with this overwhelming responsibility on his shoulders bc of his status as a party leader. In his original story, he also struggled heavily with darkness, much like Terra but for Ryou it was more that the darkness was controlling him and not like a source of power like it was for Terra

A big part of early Ryou I kept, however, was the crushing awareness of loss. One of my party members (the strongest one at the time,) had left without saying a word and I was very confused and hurt. This was around the time the ephemera plot was happening so I decided to incorporate it into Ryou’s story; having him experience losing a friend to darkness since it’s so normal for wielders in Daybreak Town to just disappear, and this would unintentionally become a theme for both me and Ryou as khux friends would just randomly disappear.

I was desperate for khux at this point and I decided to watch the fan translations for khx and GOD, god, was I obsessed. I couldn’t stop thinking about the foretellers. And I’m not going off about that here bc I already did that, but I actually started entering fandom again! I did it slowly, I started on tumblr before this blog was made altho it was me sending anons to the few khux related blogs I could have lol a friend convinced me to get twitter where I got involved with the ffxv fandom, which led me to the kh fandom and eventually the khux fandom there which is what REALLY got me going on khux.

I joined discord servers, most of the servers I’m in are khux related, and from there I joined the khux oc rp (shout out to anyone there who might be reading this lol here’s some art from the beginning of the rp,)

It’s SO FUNNY how the RP influenced me so heavily. I hadn’t RP’d in YEARS, I used to have a strict no oc rp policy, but here I was? And the funny part is, I had barely developed Ryou. I had scrapped his original story and all I had was POST WAR Ryou so I literally had to reverse write him; I had only ever written him as a depressed, guilt ridden adult, but it was a fucking blast and I have such fond memories of this rp when it was active,

But anyway, this encouraged me to get more serious about art! I started drawing, writing, cosplaying, and roleplaying when I hadn’t done any of that stuff in a very long time. The first time I ever drew a background was for a deviant art khux competition actually LOL

also! I always think extremely fondly of the drawing I did of Aced in the keyblade war. It was also one of the first backgrounds I ever drew and it felt like my real starting point in the khux fandom. It got a ton of notes on here and someone wrote a tiny fic in a reblog which just made me SO HAPPY like it really felt like people were noticing me :) I was going to draw a matching Ira but!! I just never did!! One day tho, it’s on my art bucket list to redraw this along with Ira,

Aside from my personal growth, khux was great for my social life ngl, I made SO MANY friends online and got to meet a ton of people irl over the years! It’s crazy to think about all the people I now know and talk to? It honestly makes me really emotional. I’ll never forget taking the train into NYC and meeting up with discord friends. Going to conventions and talking with people about the latest khux update? Absolutely insane and those were some GOOD TIMES, if I thanked every khux friend or even just person who made an impact on me then we’d be here for a LONG TIME,

Fun fact, for my Lauriam cosplay all I needed to buy was the wig I just owned his outfit LOL also? Probably retiring that cosplay ngl people treated me like absolute garbage when I wore him and it led to a lot of confidence issues for awhile ngl. That’s probably one of the only memorable negative experiences I have with khux; it was great when khux people recognized me but for kh fans that weren’t in khux? They were FUCKING MEAN??? fuck kh fandom at large, I only care about khux fandom,

This leads me to another huge part of my experience in khux fandom: THEORIES!! I used to write SO MANY and oh my god my brain was so full all the time. It was a huge appeal for me in the fandom; I had been previously writing theory posts in the RWBY fandom and it just migrated over to khux for me lol I had done a ton of theorizing around Lauriam tbh, it was really the only reason I liked his character at all bc initially I did not care about the dandelions, anyone who wasn’t Skuld I was like “please leave Now thanks”

A funny part of khux fandom I never intended to be apart of is the MEMES, I really only started doing memes as stress relief bc college had me so busy all I had time/energy for was these quick little shit post drawings.

The first meme I made, file name “invi despair” LOL we need to get her a girlfriend smh anyway, I think in my senior year of college I did a bunch of rapid fire memes all in one month bc the stress of finals was getting so bad afdgfhdgf as far as I know my impact on this fandom will be my memes bc all I do now is enter a kh/khux server and introduce myself and I go “yeah I draw art. here’s a meme” and everyone goes OH YOU, honestly I am nothing if not a clown

I’ve talked so much idk where I’m going with this. Khux is just a good game even if the gameplay actually kind of really sucks yknow lol but it was the first game I played where I like, REALLY got into the meta and the mechanics. I used to read so much on the mechanics and watch youtube videos on which medals were worth pulling for. I was never a whale or a top player exactly, but I could rank well if I tried lol I’ve made it to the top 100 for solo rankings, my party has made it to top 10, and in pvp I’ve made top 300. I’m not the highest level in my party but FUCK do I know how to manipulate this game LOL

And with all that hard work, the strategies, the theorizing, the content I’ve made-- it’s been my life for 5 years. I’ve logged into khux almost every single day. At the end, I have logged 1820 days in khux out of 1910 days. Kinda crazy. Crazier I’ve never spent money on khux either lol the only “money” gone into it was one time my mom gave me a google play store gift card and I used it on my birthday for a VIP xemnas medal which eventually made it to regular pulls anyway but it was nice and a little treat :)

I’m not a gacha fan, I don’t care for it, so I don’t think I’ll be touching another gacha again. But for kh? This was pretty fucking awesome, even if it sucked a lot sometimes LOL It was worth it for the people I’ve met most of all I think. I would honestly be a completely different person without khux and that’s REALLY insane to think about.

#the khux hyperfixation is REAL #but yall knew this about me #there's so much more I could say but it's 2am and this is long enough already #im rambling

[amarabliss]

Oaths and Hearts - 18 (Ignis Scientia/Reader)

So this is a crossover between FFXV and Dragon Age Inquisition.

You fell through a rift into the fade fighting the demons you swore to protect your world from. When you popped out you were no longer in the lands of Ferelden instead trapped in Insomnia. The gracious king allowed you to say recognizing power when he saw it. One thing led to another and now you were part of the procession of the prince to his wedding years later. Before the final battle, after years of fighting, losses, and love…your friend…your king…Noctis has asked you to change it all…

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11  Part 12  Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16  Part 17

Ignis yawned as he walked onto the site of construction. He took in a deep breath before raising his coffee up for a drink. His peace was broken by Gladio giving his two cents, “Duel wielding is illegal in some countries.”

Ignis turned giving him an exasperated look, “I know for a fact that duel wielding is completely legal in Insomnia, but I suppose you’re referring to my coffee and thermos.”

“Rough night still?” Gladio looked at him with concern.

“Her contractions are getting more frequent.” Ignis brought the cup up again, “She nearly said it was time last night.”

“She did?” Gladio’s eyes widened before he smiled, “Wow…It’s hard to believe you’re going to be a dad soon.”

“Did it happen? Are we uncles!?” Prompto ran up to him.

“Do you really think he’d be here if Y/N had the baby?” Noctis walked over wearing a safety hat on smirking, “Better get used to sleepless nights buddy.”

“So, I have been reminded daily.” Ignis sighed before setting his thermos on a bench, “Enough about me, where are we in the project?”

“Iggy…” Noct stepped close to him, “we do have a handle on this. You can go and get some rest.”

Ignis smiled at him, “I appreciate the concern, but I am getting enough rest. Y/N assures me we still have a couple of weeks…”

He looked at them all staring at him. Gladio was the first to speak, “Did you…read that in a book?”

“I…no…she just…I trust her.” Ignis set his empty cup down, “She is a woman after all…”

“Ignis, babies aren’t like calendars…” Gladio sighed shaking his head, “I can’t even remember the amount of false alarms my mom and dad had with Iris…and she was early…like three weeks early.”

Ignis stared at him a moment before shaking his head a little, “This is different.”

“You’re delusional!” Prompto rolled his eyes before smiling, “Regardless…I have the camera close by so we can get all the pictures we need when our little man arrives.”

“Our?” Ignis watched him and Gladio walking toward the contractor.

“Yeah…” Noctis smiled at him, “You’re the first of us to have a kid. We’re excited and knowing your baby is a little man…expect many gifts and a spoiled rotten kid. At least for a little while…”

Ignis looked at him, “You are Luna have talked then…”

“More then that.” Noct blushed a little, “She has her duties and I have mine, but…we can’t help wanting more then just our kingdoms and responsibilities.”

“Well…in time, you’ll get your wish.” Ignis put a hand on his shoulder, “You’re both young yet…”

“You say that as if you’re so much older then I am.” Noct laughed as they both walked to catch up with the others.

“In terms of maturity, until recently…” Ignis smirked chuckling as Noct glared at him a little.

The work was hard and honest. Rebuilding took manpower they didn’t have and everyone had begun to wear thin. But hope was in the future.

Luna had convinced Altissia to send aid sooner than later. The boys capture of the crystal had made a significant impact in how the world viewed Insomnia's young king. Not to mention the flocks of Insomnian citizens returning home. Everyone wanted to help.

It was the beginning of a new world view. Status barely mattered, just assisting your fellow man was enough.

Ignis looked up at the bright blue sky wiping is brow. Noctis had decided that rebuilding the hospital and other public venues needed to be priority one. The people rallied behind and progress was good despite the lack of supplies and people.

“Ignis!” The alarmed cry from below Drew is attention away from a flock of flying birds. It was Libertus and Tor running up to the work crews.

“Right here…what’s wrong?” He pushed through the crowd to get to them.

“Its time.” The both told him breathless, “She…Y/N…she’s…”

“What?” Ignis felt his hair practically stand on end as he shook his head, “No…no we’re supposed to have more time…we…”

“Iggy…” He looked at Gladio who stepped up next to him with Prompto, “it’s time…”

“But…nothing’s ready. I was supposed…I…we don’t even have a crib…” Ignis frowned putting a hand to his forehead.

“Hey hey!” Prompto waved his hands at him, “You only have one thing to worry about right now and that’s getting to Y/N and helping her. That’s your job right now.”

Ignis looked at him finding a strange comfort from his words before he nodded, “Right…yes, of course.”

“So, let’s get you there as fast as we can.” Noctis stepped up next to him putting his arm around Ignis’ shoulders, “Hold on.”

Ignis had warped before in short spurts when he and Noct performed maneuvers in battle. Galdio and Prompto both said that it made them sick afterwards. Ignis didn’t find he had that problem until now as his nerves fell into overdrive.

“Breathe Specs.” Noct reminded him as they landed already halfway to their destination.

Ignis looked at him seeing sweat drip down his friend’s face, “Noct, I can manage the rest.”

“Nonsense…” Noct shook his head warping to the next spot taking in a deep breath, “I can get you a bit closer.”

“Noct…” Ignis gently pushed him away toward a bench, “Sit…call Gladio and Prompto to come pick you up…”

As he turned away he heard Noct speak, “You’re gonna be great…just…breathe.”

Ignis looked back at him giving him a sturdy nod before turning back and taking off in a run. Every single step felt like fire began coursing through him. He didn’t know how to be a father…his was taken from him when he was young.

Not that his father hadn’t done well…but he remembered Roderick. His father was kind and gentle, but always seeking the truth and never giving up to find it. Brief images of riding his shoulders through their home, a proud smile, dancing in the kitchen…

He burst into the Citadel rushing to the stairs feeling his legs beginning to burn. As he pushed the door open, he heard a loud wail and he felt his stomach drop. He walked forward pushing through people standing in the hall. Nurses, doctors, patients…

“Y/N…” He heard Dr. Reed speaking, “Y/N you have to calm down…”

“What’s going on?” Ignis pushed forward and a nurse intercepted him as Dr. Reed turned around, “Dr. Reed…”

“Mr. Scientia…” Dr. Reed stepped close to him, “There’s been a…complication…”

“Complication…” Ignis eyes jumped to the open door as something crashed inside and you let out another groan, “Y/N!?”

Dr. Reed put his hands on Ignis’ chest with the nurse, “I can’t let you in there.”

“Ignis…” Your voice sounded weak and scared.

“Get out the way.” Ignis began pushing through them but was held back, “Move!”

“It’s too dangerous!” Dr. Reed raised his voice, “If I let you in there, there is a chance you will not walk out.”

“I don’t care, my wife needs me. Now move.” Ignis voice was low as he glared at the doctor feeling their hands move off him. He adjusted his shirt before stepping into the room.

His eyes widened as the scorch marks on the walls and floor. All the medical equipment was strewn about away from you. You were standing gripping onto the bed railing shaking.

“Y/N…” He began to step forward, but you raised you hand toward him.

“Stay back…” You turned shaking your hair from your sweating face, “…you…you have to leave.”

He stood still staring at you, “Y/N…I will not leave you. Not now…not ever…”

“I-I can’t control it…” You cringed putting you hand to your stomach letting out a painful groan. He took your distracted state to his advantage stepping right over to you. Your eyes opened and you started shaking your head, “No…No Ignis…”

“Shh…” He took your hand tightly in his as his other reached up pushing your hair away from your eyes, “We knew this might happen…”

Your face contorted as tears slipped down your face, “It’s so much worse…it’s so…”

“Shh…” He kissed your forehead, “We’re going to do this together…people with magic have been having babies for thousands of years from your land, you said so yourself.”

You let out another loud guttural groan as contractions came upon you, with it came an uncontrolled spell of chained lighting. It erupted through the floor around them. It was as he expected, his proximity to you protected him from the spell.

“Dr. Reed…” Ignis looked over at the door, “Be ready with everything you need for the baby…we’re doing this alone until we need you…assist with advisements only, do not enter unless I tell you.”

Dr. Reed confirmed as Ignis began turning you toward him have you hold onto his shoulders for support. You hands dug into his shoulders painfully, “I shouldn’t have….done this…mages shouldn’t…there’s too much chaos…I could hurt someone…you…our baby…”

“None of that…you are exactly as you should be…now look at me…” He brushed your hair away from your face, “You’re strong…”

“No…” You shut your eyes hanging your head again.

He lifted your chin looking into your eyes, “Yes. The strongest person I know. You fell through worlds, lost everyone and everything you ever knew, adjusted to an insane new lifestyle…with insane new people.”

“Y/N…you don’t remember but you traveled in time itself to save your family…the one we’re starting here and now…” He pressed his forehead against yours and smiled, “For a daughter we will one day have…so believe me when I say, you can do this.”

“Ignis…ooo….” You balled up his shirt in your hands as another contraction overtook you.

“It’s time.” Dr. Reed spoke from the doorway, “You’re going to have to push…I…I suggest laying down…”

“No…” You shook your head, “No…I…”

“It’s alright…we can stand…” He looked around the room before helping you toward a chair, “Brace yourself on this…I’ll need to be below to catch him.”

You nodded as you took in a deep shuddered breath grabbing onto the chair with one hand, “If…”

“I won’t let it come to that.” He took your other hand pressing it to his lips shutting his eyes. You wanted him to put you under if it came to it. You had researched c-sections, and even Dr. Reed had considered it but felt your concerns weren’t merited.

He could see Dr. Reed was reconsidering his position as he looked back as he reached for some gloves, “Doctor?”

“Ignis, you’ll need to reach up and check her cervix…based on her contractions…I’m positive she’s ready, but to be sure… insert two fingers…” He walked Ignis through what he was and wasn’t supposed to feel. Based on what was described back to him Dr. Reed confirmed full dilation, “The next time you feel a contraction you need to bear down…deep breath…and push…Ignis you’re going to see the head first…and gravity will probably work quickly.”

Ignis looked up at you as begin letting out quick short breaths trying you best to remain in control, “Darling…we do it now…just let go and think of Ulric.”

You nodded as you adjusted as the contraction wracked your body. He saw the immense strain you began to put on yourself as you pushed letting out a warrior’s scream. He could indeed see you taking down hordes of demons and dragons for those you loved in that moment. The moment you were becoming a mother, the joining a league of strongest forces the universe could create. His focus shifted quickly from your face to the small life beginning to join them in this world.

The process repeated. He hardly acknowledged the lights shattering above them as the storm you let loose raged everywhere around them. His heartbeat was so loud as he couldn’t hear his voice as he instructed you for one final push.

Then everything happened so fast…he was holding his crying son in his hands. Tears flooded into his eyes as he spoke, “He’s here…he’s here…”

“He…Ig…Ignis…” You looked back at them both.

Ignis saw your small smile before your legs started to give out. With precision reflexes he was up catching you with his one arm, “Y/N…”

“Go, go!” He heard behind him as he set your tired form into the chair. Nurses and Dr. Reed rushed into the room around them.

One nurse made eye contact with him taking his son from him to be examined. His eyes went back to you as they carefully lifted you to the bed. Dr. Reed confirmed everything had gone well as you began to come back eyes cracking back open when Ulric began to cry.

“…mm…my baby…” You reached up weakly and Ignis took your hand.

“He’s right here…just one more moment.” He whispered moving in to kiss your forehead, “You did so well my love.”

“Here we go…” A smiling nurse came back holding Ulric in a clean blanket as he cried, “meet your momma…”

Tears flooded his Ignis’ eyes again as you were handed him. Instantly his son’s cries disappeared as you pressed your cheek against his head, and the most miraculous sight occurred. A spell he’d only ever seen you use once to save everyone in battle rushed over everyone in the room.

Every nerve that had been set afire calmed in his body as tingling warmth replaced it. He felt energy being restored, as did everyone else who had their anxiety shooting through the roof. A knight’s resurgence…a revival.

You looked up at him as the calm feeling fell over everyone in the room, “Ignis…he’s wonderful…”

“He is…” A nurse handed him some towels to clean up before he leaned back to his family touching and kissing them both, “You both are…”

After sometime everyone shuffled around before taking Ulric back to be put in the nursery to give you time to be tended to. Before you were wheeled away you grabbed his arm, “Don’t leave him…”

There was such fear in your eyes, he could not refuse you. He followed the nurse down the hall looking in the bassinet at his perfect creation. Having no traditional facilities yet, they had converted a small office into the nursery.

“Would you like to hold him again, dad?” The nurse smiled at Ignis as she finished reswaddling him.

“I…” He wasn’t really given the option as she placed the boy back in his arms. He choked up looking at him, “I love you…I love you so much.”

Ulric fussed a little as he brought him up kissing his little hands. Staring at him made all time seem to stop that he didn’t notice three onlookers standing in the doorway until he heard the sound of a shutter. He looked up seeing Prompto snapping photos grinning just as big as the other two.

“How long have you been there?” Ignis walked over to them.

Noctis beamed up at him, “Oh…just fifteen minutes or so…”

“You should have said something.” Ignis bobbed his arms up and down as Ulric began to move a little, “But that’s beside the point…everyone…meet Ulric.”

“Wow…” Gladio whispered reaching over touching Ignis’ arm gently, “You did good.”

“I’ll say…hey little dude!” Prompto whispered, “I’m your Uncle Prompto…and I’m gonna be your favorite!”

“Nah…his uncle the king will be.” Noct nudged the blonde a little getting everyone to chuckle.

“We got him something.” Gladio stepped out into the hall before coming back inside holding a bag.

Ignis watched as the boys smirked at him before pulling out a book, “Oh…well it’s a little early…”

“Well in time he’s gonna want to know about everything…this is just a fun way to do it.” Gladio stepped in opening the book to show Ignis, “It’s yours and Y/N’s story minus some parts, plus others…see…”

Ignis looked at a beautifully illustrated child’s book showing how you met them all including Nyx, but everyone was drawn in a cartoonish way. Gladio flipped through it and it showed you both going on a date in Altissia, then fighting side by side to save Noct all the way leading up to being brought home.

“It’s wonderful…thank you…” He looked at them all before turning to Noctis who had nonstop been staring at the small child in his arms since he walked over, “Would you like to hold him?”

“Oh I…” Noct began to shake his head.

“There is no one I would trust more with son.” Ignis told him gently handing him over, “Support his head…”

Noct looked at Ulric and smiled before looking at Ignis, “So how’s it feel? We heard it was a special type of delivery.”

Ignis sat down looking up at them, “I never anticipated delivering him myself…but I can’t imagine doing it any other way…When I held him…it was…it was like everything inside me began to reset and reform…there’s really no words…except that I love him. I love him and I would do anything for him.”

He lifted his glasses off his face wiping the sudden tears away as the boys crowded around him in support. Everything was finally right in the world. Everything was just as it should be…

#oaths and hearts #ffxv ignis #ignis scientia #ignis scientia reader #Ignis scientia/reader #ignis scientia imagine #gladiolus amiticia #Noctis Lucis Caelum #noctis #noct #prompto #final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv imagine #ffxv/dragon age crossover #ffxv #ffxv imagine #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dragon age crossover #final fantasy xv dragon age crossover #cor leonis #nyx ulric #kingsglaive

[devil-kindred]

Get to Know Me - raisinghellinotherworlds

Saw @pd3 do this and though I’d give it a go!

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1. Name : Siren (it’s a pseudonym!)

2. Nationality: American

3. Age: 27

4. Birthday: January 29th

5. Zodiac sign (or your primal zodiac sign): Aquarius

6. Gender: Female

7. Sexuality: Heterosexual

More below the cut

[[MORE]]

8. Your looks (add a picture or describe yourself)

For the record this is the only recent picture of myself I like and this is about as much of my face as you’ll ever see bc I know my angles.

9. What do you/did you study?: I went to school for a Bachelors in Arts with and emphasis on Sciences but never finished it bc 1) college is expensive and 2) I don’t know what I want to do career-wise so there’s not a point in going back anymore.

10. What’s your current job like?/What job would you like to have?: I’m a service desk associate at a department store. Something where I could deal with less people bc boy does this job push my patience sometimes.

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11. What is your birth order?: Firstborn/Oldest.

12. How many siblings do you have?: Technically four, but only two living.

13. Do you have good relations with your family?: My immediate family. My siblings are closer to each other (but they’re only two years apart) but we get along. I also have a good relationship with my parents though I’m not as close to my mom as I could be it’s hard to forget the not nice things your parent say to you as a kid.

14. How many friends do you have?: Lots though only a few I see/talk to on a regular basis.

15. Your relationship status: Single.

16. What do you look for in a SO?: Intelligent, kind, has a sense of humor.

17. Do you have a crush?: I guess.

18. When was your first kiss?: WHY *sighs* I was... 25.

19. Do you prefer serious and meaningful relationships or casual dating/one night stands?: I’ve... never been in an actual relationship? I’d like to say serious.

20. What are your deal breakers? Being rude, cheating, and treating me like a child/you know what’s best for me/someone in need of saving (new flash, i am not your princess peach/some damsel in distress. If you need to rescue someone I am not your girl).

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21. How was your day?: It’s still early into the day and I go to work in about an hour and a half and I get to close so we’ll see!

22. Favourite food & drink: French Fries. Or anything with potatoes. I’m a fiend. And Dr. Pepper or Coffee.

23. What position do you sleep in?: On my side/stomach on the part of the bed that’s against the wall.

24. What was your last dream about?: It was... highly NSFT and no, I will not go into detail.

25. Your fears: I’m not a fan of spiders or bugs of any kind really, I hate clowns, and I don’t like thunderstorms. Or tornados.

26. Your dreams: Move, either out of state or out of the country.

27. Your goals: See above.

28. Any pets?: A bird, Momo.

29. What are your hobbies?: Writing, playing video games, and reading (fanfic or books)

30. Any cool places in your area?: I’m sure there are but I live in a town surrounded by corn and other farmland so... it’s anyone’s best guess.

31. What was your last awkward situation?: The other day when a customer stared at me for a solid three minutes when I explained that due to the pandemic we’re no longer offering one of our services in an effort to reduce contact.

32. What is your last regret?: That I didn’t realize the true nature of some people who I no longer speak to sooner.

33. Language/s you can speak: English, Spanish (I’m so rusty though), a little bit of French, and a teeny tiny bit of Japanese.

34. Do you believe in astrological stuff? (Zodiac, tarot, etc.): I believe in my many things so yes.

35. Have any quirks?: Uh... I mess with my hair when I’m nervous? & the more nervous I get my (already high) voice gets higher and will go up several octaves the more nervous I get?

36. Your pet peeves: People in my apartment building slamming the front door all the damn time.

37. Ideal vacation: Somewhere with nice scenery and where it’s calm.

38. Any scars?: Quite a few small ones on my head from a car accident when I was just a baby (I went through a window- got a few scrapes but other than that was unharmed) and one on my hand (it’s on both sides of my hand too) from when I was toddler and got bit by a dog.

39. What does your last text message say?: “I’ll let you know when I get some gameplay posted!” I have a sideblog for casual TS4 gameplay. Was telling a friend that I was going to post new stuff soon.

40. Last 5 things from your search history: No thanks! It’s all just checking if a word is really a word and spelling anyways.

41. What’s your [Device] background?: Lockscreen is a wallpaper from FFXV ft. The Chocobros; Hope Screen is Sam & Evie.

42. What do you daydream about?: Writing mostly.

43. Describe your dream home: Decent amount of space, a library room to hold all my books... good lighting, comfy.... preferably NOT in the middle of nowhere.

44. What’s your religion/Your thought about religion: I am not a fan. Particularly of Christianity but everyone has their own beliefs and in that regard, to each their own. Just don’t try to convert me bc the answer is f*ck no.

45. Your personality type: INFP.

46. The most dangerous thing you’ve done?: Climbed onto the roof of the shed when I was little because I got something stuck up there.

47. Are you happy with your current life?: For the most part!

48. Some things you’ve tried in your life: Gymnastics, Ballet, etc.

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49. What does your wardrobe consist of?: Lots of t-shirts, jeans, shorts, flats, boots, etc.

50. Favourite colour to wear?: Black or Blue.

51. How would you describe your style?: Extremely casual.

52. Are you happy with your current looks?: Kinda? I really need to cut my hair because it’s gotten so long it’s annoying. But I can put up with it until it’s safe again bc pandemic. My hair is not that important I assure you.

53. If you could change/add something to your appearance - impossible or not - what would it be?: Oh God, could I be taller? Like at least 5’3”? Which is still teeny but better than my 4’9” ass.

Do you have any piercings or tattoos?: I have 3 piercings and three tattoos (two finished, one in progress)

55. Do you get complimented often?: Maybe? I’m oblivious to the point that you could have a flashing neon sign with the compliment written on it and it would probably still go over my head.

56. Favourite aesthetic?: Biker Chic!

57. A popular trend that you dislike: Neon.

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58. Songs you’re currently obsessed with?: Blessed Be - Spiritbox.

59. Song you normally wouldn’t admit you like: If I like a song, I like it. But if I have to pick one, I know everyone hates Despacitio. I know, ok but I really like the original version bc I like the sound. Latin music always has a fun groove to it.

60. Favourite genre?: Rock & Metal.

61. Favourite artist/band/genre?: Type O Negative, Pallbearer, Ice Nine Kills. Give me all the goth rock/metal and just fun metal in general.

62. Hated popular songs/artists?: Oh boy... don’t hate me but I um... don’t care too much for T Swift? And I’m not a fan of country.

63. Put your music on shuffle and list first 5: Devil’s // Door - VCTMS, Karasu - The GazettE, Path - Apocalyptica, I Walk the Line - Halsey, Drumming Song - Florence + the Machine

64. Can you sing or play any instruments?: I can kinda play bass but I’m still learning so it’s just like... the very bare basics.

65. Do you like karaoke?: I’m very self-conscious so no.

66. Own any albums?: Yes, though majority are digital.

67. Do you listen to radio? What stations?: Yes. I have it on for background noise in my room in which case I don’t pay attention to it, but I have XM radio in my car where I listen to Octane/Liquid Metal/Turbo.

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68. Favourite movie/series?: The Dark Knight trilogy or Hellraiser or Nightbreed.

69. Favourite genre of movies/books/etc: Horror, Sci-fi, and fantasy.

70. Your fictional crush/es: Too many. Look at my OCs and their SO’s and you’ll find a bunch of them.

71. Which fictional character is you?: My friends would say Mira Jane from Fairy Tail. My bestie says Mercedes from Fire Emblem Three Houses (minus the devout part bc... I do not have nice feelings re-religion. You do you though!).

72. Are you a shipper? List your otps, if so: Yes, and once again you’ll be reading for eternity. So I’ll sum it up as too many to list.

73. Favourite greek god?: Apollo.

74. A legend from where you live that you like: It’s said that before big disasters happen in the town I live in + the surrounding areas, that you’ll see a panther. Supposedly one has been seen before at least 4 different bad things that have happened over the years. I’m in the midwest though so take that as you will.

75. Do you like art?: I do but I don’t really have a favorite. ... I am kinda partial to Van Gogh though.

76. Can you share your other social media?: I have a Pinterest but since my other social media has my name (which I also share with an OC whoops. That’s what I get for being indecisive and going the first name the name generator gave me) I’d rather not. If you ask and we’re friends I’ll probably give it to you but...

77. Favourite youtubers?: I don’t really watch too many anymore but I’ve been watching a lot of jacksepticeye’s gameplay. Aside that I tend to just watch channels like PlayStation Access or Outsidexbox.

78. Favourite platform?: Instagram

79. How much time do you spend on the internet?: More than I should, I’m sure.

80. What video games have you played? Which one’s your favourite? Uh, if I had to list them all you’d literally be reading this for eternity. To sum it up, I mostly play RPGs/JRPGs, open-world, survival horror (my fave), and a few (emphasis on few) FPS. Favorites are (once again with a limit): Bioshock, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Until Dawn, Silent Hill 2, and Fatal Frame.

81. Your favourite books (manga also counts): do you know how f*cking hard this question is as someone who’s a bookworm? Ok, ok um... Gotta have a limit or I’ll never shut up... um... Three favorites: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Horns by Joe Hill, and American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

82. Do you play board/card games?: On occasion! They’re best with bigger groups but alas, my apartment is rather small and I don’t have a lot of space for multiple people so I don’t play them often.

83. Have you ever been to a night marathon in cinema? No, but it sounds fun.

84. Favourite holiday: Halloween!

85. Are you into dramas?: As in, tv dramas? Kinda? I have a friend on lived in SK for a time and got into K-dramas so I watch them with her from time-to-time when she visits.

Would you use a Death Note if you had one?: No.

87. What changes would you make in the world, no matter how impossible, if you had the power to?: Oh boy... make everyone get along, ensure everyone could live their life to the best possible, etc.

88. Could you survive a zombie apocalypse?: Possibly.

89. If you had to be turned into a paranormal being, what would it be?: I’m going with mythical instead of strictly paranormal but... a vampire!

90. What would you want to happen to you after your death?: As in to my body? Cremate me. To my stuff, give my books to a good home and take care of my bird.

91. If you had to change your name, what would be your pick?: Most people call me by my middle name already since I got tired of people calling me the wrong name (& I like my middle name better) and insisting my first name was actually a nickname (it’s not, it’s the same as the musician I’m named after) so if I were to eventually be bothered enough, I’d have it legally changed to my middle name.

92. Who would you switch your life with for a week?: I don’t know to be honest. I’m fairly happy with my life so I think I’d just not switch.

93. Pick an emoji to be your tattoo: 🌊

94. Write 3 things about yourself - only one of them must be true: I took karate classes for several years, I’ve never dyed my hair, I’ve had two jobs thus far.

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95. Cold or hot?: Cold I guess? If we’re talking in reference to seasons give me cool (aka Fall).

96. Be a hero or be a villain?: Hero because being a villain would mean I’d have to be mean to people and I can’t even pick the mean options in video games without feeling guilty so...

97. Sing everything you want to say or rhyme?: um... no? I’m not quite certain what this means but I’m going to go with no?

98. Shapeshifting or controlling time?: Shapeshifting!

99. Be immortal or be immune to everything aside from natural death?: Immortal.

#get to know me #get to know siren #my face #please DON’T REBLOG #my apologies to anyone on mobile #i put a read more and it shows up if i view my blog in my web browser but isn’t showing when i view it in the app!

[izayoichan]

“Oh... someone's waiting for you.”

Rylan nods, noticing River as well, making him slow down a bit. He clearly hasn’t seen them yet, seemingly occupied with something on his phone. 

“Mind just taking me to my room, I can sleep a bit before we start with the decorations? Seems snowball wars can tire out a dragon, who knew!”

Chuckles lightly, still not regretting the bit off fun they had, even if it means that he has to sleep some now. 

“Yes!”

walks upstairs to Hayden's room and sits him on the bed, smiling widely at him clearly very happy with himself. 

“See. I told you I could carry you!“ “ Good to know, then I can have you carry me so I can leave my brother to do other things.. although I prefer not having to be carried.  You can go out and get some more light if you need, I'll just sleep some.”

Lies back down on the bed, closing his eyes almost instantly falling asleep like he tends to do when he has used all his energy. 

As he notices Hayden fell asleep he slowly and carefully walks to him. Takes a bang away from his face and smiles, whispering more to himself than Hayden.

“You're my best friend...”

starts glowing pink.

“my heartlight... I love you... 

Watches Hayden with a smile, happy just being the best friend if this means he gets to be by Hayden's side for the rest of his life. Gently kissing the top off his head, he decided to go downstairs to see if there are some leftover sweets to snack on. 

“Hey. Sorry. I had to run away from my mom.”

Looks at Rylan when he gets closer, putting away the phone, looking at him a little sheepishly, before pulling him close and kissing him.

“I  guessed, your mom asked me what happened.. what did you tell her?” “She caught me saying I nearly electrocuted you and thought I actually did... She's always looking for a reason to ship me to RoM.” “ I told her nothing happened.. she seemed I guess happy enough with the answer. Best not give her a reason to send you there, after all, I'd lose my frog prince and a newly created beastmaster.”

River looks at Rylan and gives him a kiss. Sometimes wondering if it wouldn't be better if he went but with the crime he committed...

“So when do we start Christmas decorating?“ “Hmh.. a couple of hours from now normally, interrupted by dinner, and then more decorating after. So we have some time to kill.“

Ponders on suggesting a movie, but on the other hand, he’s not sure that won’t end up a repeat off last night, something he would like to avoid. 

“So... Tekken? See if your princess can kick your butt?” “Tekken? Really? Oh! We're on princess!”

He takes River's hand and pulls him into the house, waving at his dad as they walk past the kitchen. Surprised to see two people there, or well more one of the two. 

“Just going to smother this frog in Tekken, call me when its time?” “Sure.” “We'll see who gets smothered, Rapunzel!” “We shall see.”

Grins as he enters his bedroom, pulling out the two controllers, finding the tv controller and setting it up, finding Tekken amongst the many games on it, then sitting himself down, handing one controller to River

“So pick favorites or random heroes?” “Can do a test run first?” “Sure”

Pushes to the left on the controller, the window moving from character to character until he stops on Notcis from FFXV. River picking Jin with a grin and waits for the game to start. not mentioning he has actually never played this game before, as he has no console. His only knowledge about it is from the Arcade or laptops, yet he hopes, playing this game will be fun for both, and make Rylan happy. As the game starts he realizes that Rylan has played this game slightly more than him and uses every special trick in the book that his character has, especially the warp strike combos, smiling but mostly seems focused on the game. 

“Wait! I don't know the! how do you do the special?! Does he kick?!” Noo. The frog has fallen!!”

Laughs looking over at Rylan who sit’s there with a big smirk on his face. 

“I thought you had played this? Okay, fine, time for a lesson from your princess then!”

Sits himself a little closer too River, putting the game in training mode, where he can see the combinations and practice them. Letting him test and learn the skills, both the basic ones and some of the best combos and special attacks. 

“Okay. I think I got it. And not really. Only the arcade games. Watched one of the guys I used to hang out with play.”

Steals a kiss from Rylan

“Let's fight, princess!” “Okay so practice round or challenge time? And if a challenge, what's the price to the winner?” “Winner gets to pick what the other does! Challenge time!” “ Oh, hoho, you are on mr frog!“

Goes to the random button so the game chooses random fighters for them both, laughing slightly when he gets Kazumi.

“Heh and now I'll look like a princess too!” “ Oh! You do!”

Burst to laughter as he gets Nina.

“Guess it's a catfight then! We're on!”

After a first few kicks he eases into the character, unleashing the special attacks while trying to dodge the incoming attacks.

“I really don't like miss long legs there!”

Chuckles as he sees his character fly back from a kick from said legs.

“Hey! Them legs powerful! Gotta love powerful legs!” 

Laughing as he tries without success to unleash the special attack. 

“Aaah! Junky controls! Hahaha!”

Achieves to do a special attack.

“Woot!”

Manages to jump back just in time to avoid it.

Llong legs are not everything!” 

Moves carefully, trying to find the right moment to attack, while not getting caught by those long legs. Looking at River who seems to be having fun, even though he is mostly just spamming the same attacks over and over. In the end, though, Rylan wins the fight. The next one, River takes which leaves them with the last round. The last becoming a hard round as well until Rylan manages to get River's character in the air, using Hwoarangs special moves to kill him without him touching the ground. 

“So now that the princess defeated the frog, what price would you like?” “Hmmmh...”

Half wants to tell him to cast a spell on him just to get him to see he can't hurt him but realizes its a pretty shitty idea. 

“Honestly I don't really know...”

chuckles, but gets interrupted by a knock on the door, Chris opening it looking at the two with a smile. 

“We have all the Christmas stuff ready now if you two are ready?” “Sure dad.”

Turns to River.

“Let me think about something and I'll say when I do?” “Okay. Time to go do family stuff you only see on the movies!“

Beginning - Previous - Next

#Rylan Ward #Hayden Ward #Hayle Ward #Christian Ward #River Silversweater #Vy #Yvreon #The sleepy one gets some sleep #but who is Hayle talking with #Since it surprised Rylan #and then there is tekken #my favorite go to game #in many ways #specially when angry or stressed out #beating the shit out of something is just theraputic #silly as it might be.

[milkacchan]

Oops

Request for @moonwaif -

So, if you still wanna write ffxv stuff, how about chocobros and/or any characters of your choosing accidentally spilling their drink on their crush during the first date?

Chocobros + Lunafreya BET

Gladiolus-

He was nervous. He was beyond nervous. So when his brain finally processed that he spilled his cola on you, he was horrified.

"I'm- shit I'm so sorry." He fumbled to get some napkins from the end of the table before stopping when he heard you laugh.

He turned to look at you, cocking an eyebrow.

"Gladi, it's okay." You giggled. "Really."

"But, but your pants and your shirt."

"I can shower when I get home. I also own a washing machine." You picked up a few napkins, and started by wiping the seat around you. Gladiolus, of course, began to help.

"I'll get this. You get your shirt."

You smiled widely at him and started wiping at your shirt.

"Dab, don't wipe."

"What?"

"Dab at your shirt, don't wipe it."

You snorted as you switched techniques and he looked up once more.

"What?"

"Nothing." You teased. "I just didnt know you were a mom."

"I'm the best mom."

And that's how you knew, he was the one.

Prompto-

Baby boy. Precious. Must protect. He almost cried.

It happened as he was talking. When he's passionate about something he tends to swing his arms and talk with his hands and oop, there goes his milkshake.

You jumped slightly and looked down, gasping as the cold drink hit your thighs.

"Oh my gods, oh my gods- uh- um- "

"Ooh, that's cold." You grabbed a bunch of napkins.

"I'm so sorry." He picked up his cup and pushed the napkins towards you. His eyes were watering.

"Prom, it's okay," you smiled. "I swear."

"I'm sorry." He whispered again.

You leaned forward and kissed his cheek. His face flushed a dark red and he attempted to cover his face while you ordered him another shake.

Noctis-

He wans't flailing like Prom. No. He just accidently moved the table and the whole cup of water just fell on your lap.

While he looked on horrified you just giggled, the giggling turned to genuine laughter which lead to snorts.

"Oh my gods- (Y/N) I'm so sorry."

You only waved him off, trying to calm down.

"Why are you laughing."

"Your face when it fell into my lap." You smiled. "You looked horrified."

"Well- wouldn't you?"

"Yes, no doubt. I'd probably cry I'm all honesty but that's beside the point."

"I'm still sorry." He mumbled.

"Oh, don't be. It's just water, it'll dry."

He smiled at you, watching as you pushed your water to him. "Drink up, I'll get another."

Lunafreya-

She thinks you're going to get up and go. She's frozen in place and you wipe at the water on your shirt.

"Oh gods-" She mumbled. "I am so so sorry. I didn't- I didn't mean to, I don't know what happened."

"Princess, it's alright, I assure you." You smiled, taking her hand.

"But your shirt.."

"Will dry, Lunafreya. It's no trouble at all. I promise."

"I'm still sorry,"

You hummed, squeezing her hand. "However, if it won't bother you, may I use your shawl? My shirt is white ."

"Ye-Yes of course."

#prompto x noctis #ignis x noctis #noctis x reader #noctis x gladio #noctis lucis caelum #ignis x prompto #ignis x gladio #ignis x reader #ignis scientia #prompto argentum #prompto x gladio #prompto x reader #prompto x ignis #lunafreya nox fleuret #lady lunafreya #lunafreya x noctis #lunafreya x reader #poly chocobros x reader #chocobros x reader

[talinexa]

I’m REELING! (KH3 Spoilers Big Time)

THEORY: RIKU AND YOZORA ARE THE SAME PERSON! (Yozora is Riku from a few years in the future.)

There is NO WAY you can convince me that Yozora and Riku are not the same person! THEY TOTALLY ARE! THERE ARE TOO MANY SIMILARITIES FOR ME TO DISCOUNT THIS!

So, the obvious eye-catcher is the silver hair in similar cuts and the lighter blue eyes minus the red one than most everyone else in the series. Duh. Whoop-de-do. That’s important, but it’s not the most important. Moving on.

There are quite a lot of memes I’ve seen going around about how Riku looks like Noctis (Night in Latin) from FFXV and I don’t disagree because I wrote a crossover based on those memes, and it’s not like it’s not obvious that Yozora (Night Sky in Japanese) is clearly based on Noctis, especially from his Versus XIII days.

Everybody knows all this stuff by now.

BUT there are way too many design choice similarities between the two characters for their resemblance to be a coincidence.

Allow me to lay forth the evidence for you.

So, here’s Riku:

Just bear this whole look in mind. Which you should do anyway because look at this stud.

So I mentioned to Phoenix (my best friend who I talk about on this blog all the time) that Yozora’s jacket has a stripe on it similar to Riku’s. In placement, not exactly color or style.

And that’s where the idea really started

BUT it launched itself right into the stratosphere when I realized that Yozora and Riku are wearing the exact same gauntlets. (Or, rather, almost the exact same gauntlets.)

I saw this scene:

And look at his gauntlet! Right in the foreground there. Flared wrist, three bands with buttons on the outside, the top band being some sort of different leather---more snakeskin-like.

And now look at Riku’s:

Flared wrist, three bands with buttons on the outside, the top band being different and more snakeskin-like than the leather of the rest. That is WAY too similar to be a simple coincidence (and in this series I don’t believe in coincidences anyway). (His full-body shot at the top also shows the difference in coloring between the top band and the other three bands and clearer shot of the flared wrist.)

Now, are they exactly the same?

No. Yozora’s have holes in the knuckles and some sort of patch on the back of the hand but that doesn’t mean Riku didn’t modify them slightly after spending time wherever he is that looks like Insomnia but we’ll get to that soon.

Also, in the “Yozora is the Master of Masters” theory that I’ve reblogged before, it’s pointed out that Yozora’s jacket sleeve stripe has two crossed Kingdom Keys studded into the bottom of the leathery material:

And I’m adding my own screenshots in case y’all don’t believe me and/or are too lazy to click the link and read the Very Worth The Read theory.

And at first, that was 100% enough evidence to convince me.

Until I looked again and realized that

SORA’S CROWN NECKLACE DESIGN IS ALSO STUDDED INTO THE STRIPE AT THE TOP!

Look at it again, and look at the top instead of the bottom where the Kingdom Key Keyblades are. That is, without a doubt, Sora’s crown design---especially from KH3 with the shorter bottom and more prominent prongs.

Which did even more to convince me that Yozora is Riku.

Especially since that crown appears in the Yozora secret ending again in the bluer-colored world Riku is wandering (as opposed to the redder-colored world Sora appears to be in)

But I’m not done yet! (LOL Infomercial “But wait! There’s more!”)

After I noticed the crown I started watching the Verum Rex trailer much closer. And what did I find?

Yozora’s jacket and trousers have grey-and-white plaid in the same place where Riku has his black-grey-and-white gingham:

Which, IDK, seems important and too similar to dismiss.

Here are better angles:

Note here Yozora’s right boot has a strap just above the ankle similar to where Riku’s boots have a strap as seen in his full-body shot up top and right here below,

IDK it’s worth noting. Leave no stone unturned and all that.

But that’s not all. Look at that wide shot of Yozora on the stairs again. And the one where he’s drifting through pink with White Dress Girl Who Is Totally Not Stella. The full-body shots. Notice the lapels of his jacket. A) They have more plaid, unlike Riku’s, which is interesting. And B) and most importantly There are two buttons on his right lapel (our left) and three on his left (our right).

IDK you can kinda see it better here. The three on his left anyway and the fact that the right lapel flaps directly over the zipper

And that whole design is Just Like Whose?

Riku’s:

Also see his full-body shot up top to see his left side clearer.

Are those enough odd design choice similarities to convince you that none of this is a coincidence or accident?

I sure hope so because this took me ages to put together.

Now, I couldn’t get a good screenshot besides the closeup right above this previous one of Riku and Mickey of Yozora’s shirt, but it IS worth noting that it’s grey/black with a red V-neck collar, similar to how Sora’s shirt is grey with a white V-neck collar. Which I suppose could make the case, coupled with the crown and crossed Kingdom Key studs on the sleeve, that Yozora is actually Sora (I mean, c’mon, name similarity was pointed out in the Toy Story world). Who is dressing like Riku... for reasons. I dunno, to be stronger or something? Sora said in KH2 that he wanted to be like Riku. It could very well be just to fit in wherever it is he’s ended up. Tokyo or Insomnia or Shibuya or wherever I’m not familiar with Japan but I know that building Riku wakes up near looks like the Citadel in Insomnia from FFXV so... for lack of better understanding that’s what I’m rolling with.

BUT, that is kinda flimsy to me and I’m still convinced that Riku is actually Yozora from a year (or a few) into the future who has adapted to being in Totally Not Insomnia.

Also bearing no relevance to this theory, Yozora has pierced ears

while Riku does not, but this actually kinda solidifies for me that it is Riku rather than Sora as piercing his ears to seem edgier or whatever sounds more like something Riku would do especially when in an unfamiliar place.

I also still subscribe to the possible “Riku is the Master of Masters” theory, as well as the “Yozora is the Master of Masters” theory, so having them all be the same person... well, that’s the cherry on top for me. If you believe the MoM is someone else, that’s fine I’m not judging this is just what I think, for now, is making the best case for all three of them being the same person.

So, I know what you’re thinking now: I’ve put together all these similarities between Riku and Yozora’s costume design choices and general aesthetic. Do I have an idea on how Riku grows into Yozora story-wise?

Well, I’m glad you asked!

Yes, I do!

In “Yozora,” the secret ending, we see Riku wandering Totally Not Insomnia with Yozora watching him from the top of Totally Not the Citadel.

Or is he? We can’t see him from Riku’s street-level view since he’s at the top of one of those tall spire/tower things and that’s super high up so I don’t think it’d be easy to see a person up there from the ground anyway.

That being said, it could very well be Riku/Yozora from a year or a few later thinking back on when he first turned up in Not-Insomnia.

BUT, If Yozora IS watching him and IS future!Riku, it could be Yozora making sure Riku ends up going on the right path. (You can see his eyes slightly narrow which could mean he’s either thinking back or watching either way.)

(See? His eyes slightly narrow.)

I think Riku woke up in Not-Insomnia on his search for Sora, who’s still missing, and fell in with Ignis-with-Gladio’s-powers (Aegis?) and Prompto-with-Ardyn’s-Hair-and-Hat (Magia?) Rex calls them that in a demo or something right? and Totally Not Stella who promise to help him find Sora if he helps them with whatever-the-heck their plot is and Riku ends up, more or less, stuck in Not-Insomnia for a good long while. His clothes get a little tattered so he patches them up with different-but-similar materials (to account for the changes) and studs Sora’s Kingdom Key and crown into the sleeve stripes of his jacket to remind him of his goal and what’s up.

So why the one red eye and one blue eye?

Could be a side-effect of Not-Insomnia’s different magic style/the weapons he uses in the Verum Rex trailer are pretty much red in color so they could have an influence on his eye color in order to connect with them. IDK Aegis-not-Ignis’ eyes are green and so are his shield magic things.

OR Riku could also be the MoM and put his other light blue-green eye into the No Name/Gazing Eye Keyblade and replaced it with a red one, who knows yet?

Obviously if Riku is Yozora what happened to his Keyblade? I think Not-Insomnia is in a different universe from the usual KH universe where all the Disney worlds share the same sky and therefore the Keyblade doesn’t work in this other dimension because Not-Insomnia has different rules/magic.

Basic ideas, sure, but for now it’s semi-decent and kinda works and fingers crossed something comes out of it!

#Long post #KH3 Spoilers #Yozora #Riku #KH Riku #Kingdom Hearts #Kingdom Hearts 3 #Kingdom Hearts III #KHIII #KH #KH3 #Phoenix Montgomery #KH Yozora #Verum Rex

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Catwalked into my life

I was trying to figure out what to do a crossover with but I've been reading FFXV fics and decided, well I've made them roommates, why not make them related. I hope you like it. Crossover

Noctis sat in the car Ignis had driven him in, waiting for the familiar blonde head to appear in the stream of people walking into school. Finally, he spotted someone dodging people, his green wristband a beacon.

“Prom’s here. I’ll see you later Iggy.”

“Do remember to share the desserts with Prompto and also remember no running off to the arcade this evening. Your cousin will be here this evening and your having dinner with him.”

“Iggy, you know as well as I do Keith will be completely fine with burgers.”

“Be that as it may, he is a visiting royal so we have rules we must follow. So no running off.”

“Fine.” Noctis exited the car and met up with Prompto. “You’re pretty late.”

“Sorry. My mom called me right when I was leaving.”

“Everything ok?”

Prompto’s parents worked as journalists but their office was based out in Altissia so they lived there while Prompto lived in Insomnia. They paid his bills and sent him a small allowance, since he worked part time. Usually if they called, they’d be on the phone for hours catching up.

“Yeah. My mom was mostly calling to ask if my cousin could stay with me for the weekend.”

“Your cousin?”

“Well, his mom is friends with my mom and they’re really close so he’s kinda like my cousin. Anyway, he’s a part time model and there’s this event happening.”

“The Moonlight Fashion Show?” Noctis interrupted.

“How do you, never mind. He was asked to join the models kinda late so they couldn’t get him a hotel so my mom was asking if he could stay with me.”

“Funny. My cousin is also coming for a visit.”

“What cousin?”

“His mom was my mom’s sister. They were a bit estranged from each other because of some really bad argument but my dad knew my mom still cared so he kept her in the lop. After my mom passed, my aunt didn’t want to lose her connection with me so she talks with us way more. Anyway, she’s coming to visit before going to Lestallum for some sort of union talk, so I’m having dinner with her and my cousin tonight so no arcade.”

“Is he cool or?”

Noctis shrugged. “He’s pretty cool. He’s kinda like me. Knows he’s related to royalty but doesn’t make it a habit of letting people know that. He likes to keep to himself.”

“Sounds exactly like you. I’d like to meet him if I got the chance. Oh by the way. Would Iggy be free to maybe drive me to the airport so I can pick him up? He’s coming in tomorrow afternoon.”

“I guess. I can get you a taxi if you need it.”

“No, that’s fine. You know I don’t like taking your money.”

“Not like I’m using it for much else, but if you really need a ride, I can beg Specs to take you. What’s your cousin’s name anyway?”

“Lance. His name’s Lance.”

Noctis happily sat out of training as he watched Galdio spar with Keith. Even with wooden swords, it was easy to see how well Keith could keep up. Keith technically wasn’t part of the royal line, his mother’s family was added to the royal family tree as dukes and duchess, so he was never expected to learn how to fight. When he first visited though, he had watched Noctis practise with Gladiolus and wanted to try. They had to send a member of the Glaive to help train Keith because he liked it so much. Noctis would still preen at how he would still manage to keep Keith on the ropes.

The young fighter was thrown to his back by Gladio, the wooden sword flying from his grip.

“Good, you’ve gotten better. Still not good as me though.” Gladio joked as he pulled Keith up, ruffling his hair when he was on his feet.

People would think Keith and Noctis were brothers and he could kinda see it. Their hair was on the long side but Keith’s was more of a mullet while Noctis’ looked like he just rolled out of bed. Their eye colour was also different but they other than looks, they both like keeping to themselves and didn’t make friends easily. Noctis was lucky with Prompto but as far as he knew, Keith hadn’t exactly made friends in his school. But Keith’s personality was a bit prickly for those who didn’t know him well.

“I can see that smug smile of yours.” Keith said, tugging his hair tie out of his hair, ruffling it to air it out.

“Just happy to see someone else at the mercy of Gladio.” Noctis joked, dodging the same hair tie.

“Asshole.” Keith collapsed next to his cousin, looking tired now that training was over. “My trainer has to be going easy on me.”

“Well they’re not Gladio so probably. If you’re that tired, maybe we could skip dinner and just get Iggy to grab us burgers.” Noctis suggested, really not in the mood to get dresses up for a dinner with his cousin.

“Tempting, but my mom said at least one or two of the council members would join us so they could talk to her. Speaking of things my mom’s making me do, you know the Moonlight Fashion show?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“My mom is insisting we go.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, so guess who I asked to come with us?”

Guess who he asked? Wait…

“Tell me you didn’t.” Noctis begged.

Keith gave him a deadpan look, “If I have to suffer, so do you. Besides, your dad wasn’t going and you guys had tickets.”

“Why am I the one suffering though?”

“Because I can’t get out of it. Noctis,” Keith went from deadpan to pleading, “I don’t want to go to this by myself. Please come with me?”

It was like Keith knew if he pouted, he’d get his way. The asshole was good at looking like he was a poor boy who only wanted a simple thing and it’s be a crime to say no.

“Uggg, fine. You so owe me for this.” Noctis grumbled. “Oh, wait a second. You remember me telling you about Prompto?”

“Your best friend right?”

“Yeah, I forgot he mentioned that his cousin was supposed to be walking in that show.”

“Does this mean I get to meet the famous Prompto?”

“I’m going with him and Specs to pick up his cousin at the airport tomorrow after school, how about you meet him then.”

“Anything to get me away from having to spend the afternoon drinking tea with high society ladies my mom has to entertain now that’s she’s here.”

Keith wasn’t one to make friends easily but Prompto was pretty good at making him talk. Since they picked him and Noctis up from school, Prompto had asked him tons of questions, all of which Keith answered. He never felt that he was being integrated and he watched just how comfortable his cousin was with the blond. They just easily melded together.

Ignis insisted that he get Prompto’s cousin – friend? – through security like he was a member of the royal family so they didn’t spend all afternoon waiting in arrivals. Prompto tried, hard, to get Ignis to not do that but his pleas were unheard. Keith could tell Prompto was really Noctis’ friend because of actually wanting to be his friend, not the prince factor.

“So this cousin of yours? How’d he manage to walk in one of the biggest fashion shows if he works part time?” Keith asked.

“Oh, check it out.” Prompto pulled his phone out and after a bit of searching, showed Keith the picture on his phone. Lance had been modelling a sweater, the largeness of it sliding off his shoulder, his blue eyes smouldering. It took everything in Keith not to start blushing. Part time or not, Lance was really good looking. “Part time or not, you look like this, you get called. Just, he was part time so he wasn’t first pick but after another model got really sick, first person they called was him. And it’s not photoshop. Check this out.” Prompto swiped to a picture of him and Lance posing on a couch. “That was when I visited my parents earlier this year.”

“He’s really good.” Keith pointed out.

“Right?” Prompto preened. “Just wait till you see him walk the runway.”

“You sound like a proud mother.” Noctis teased.

Prompto stuck his tongue out at Noctis. “Most people tend to look at him and think he can’t do the job.”

“Sounds like someone I know.” Noctis’ own phone buzzed and he pulled it out. “Iggy’s got your cousin. Said he kinda scared him?”

“Lance never believed me when I said I was friends with the prince so he thought he must be in trouble.” Prompto said, not sounding at all sorry.

Soon enough, Ignis came through arrivals, followed by a tan skinned teen, his brown hair mostly hidden by a backwards snapback. Keith noticed he also had blue eyes, but not like Prompto’s. His reminded him more of the sea. He also looked slightly scared, looking relieved when he finally spotted Prompto.

“What the hell you asshole?”

Prompto laughed. “Not my fault you didn’t believe me.”

“I thought I was about to get sent back home.” Lance complained, hitting Prompto on the shoulder, “I can’t believe you didn’t even warn me!”

“You wouldn’t believe me.” Prompto pointed out. “Noctis, this my cousin Lance. Lance, this is his royal highness-”

“Prom.” Noctis complained.

“Ok fine, this nerd is Noctis and this is his cousin Keith. And you’ve met Ignis already.”

Lance bowed his head slightly as he shook Noctis and Keith’s hands. “Nice to meet you. You didn’t have to come all this way to pick me up.”

“No point of Prompto paying for a taxi and having to wait very long for you to come through security. It was no problem.” Ignis said, leading the group to where they left the car. A few Glaives were there for extra security and quickly helped Lance getting his suitcase in the car.

Keith opened the door for Lance. he looked at him and gave him a smile. Wow, and what a smile.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Keith said, watching Lance climb into the car.

“You’re drooling.” Noctis teased as he climbed in after Lance.

“So you didn’t get me a hotel, did you?” Lance asked.

“Please, you’re not that important. You’re roughing it with me.” Prompto said. “Noctis is coming with us because we do need to work on a class assignment together.”

“Hang on, you can’t abandon me now. Tea with society ladies remember.” Keith begged, turning to face his cousin.

“Well, I just need to settle in but if you want, I can hang out with you.” Lance offered.

“Good enough for me. God knows this assignment might just kill us.” Noctis said, answering for Keith.

“Should I be worried?” Ignis asked.

“No need Iggy, I promise he’ll still be alive by the time we’re done.” Prompto promised. “You sure you don’t mind sticking around?” He asked Keith.

“It’s fine.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure I can entertain royalty for a few hours.” Lance said.

Ignis dropped them off at Prompto’s house and Keith took it upon himself to take Lance’s bag inside.

“You’ll be in my parents’ room, it’s all clean.” Prompto directed.

“Try not to need us for a few hours so I can finally die.” Noctis said as he walked to Prompto’s bedroom.

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Come on, I’ll show you the room.”

According to Prompto, his parents lived in Altissia so the fact that the room didn’t look lived in wasn’t surprising. Lance dropped his book bag on the bed and pulled his hat off.

“You can laydown the bag at the end of the bed, I have to unpack everything.”

“Sure.” Keith did just that, unzipping it so Lance could start unpacking and sat at the end of the bed.

“So, I don’t think I’ve actually heard of you in terms of the royal family.” Lance said as he pulled clothes out of his bag.

“Technically speaking, I’m not part of the royal family. We have a title but that’s only because my aunt was Noctis’ mother.”

“That’s right. Normal commoner caught the eye of the king, love at first sight and all that.”

“Basically. Uncle Regis wanted us to be part of the family even though my mom and her sister were arguing at the time. Uncle’s always made sure we’re taken care of.”

“He sounds pretty amazing.” Lance said.

“He is. So, how did you get into modelling?”

Lance looked slightly embarrassed about the attention on him. “Oh, well. Prom loves taking pictures and whenever he was in town, I’d kinda stick to him like glue because I could never make friends easily. He’d take pictures of me and I didn’t want to make his pictures look bad, so I’d try modelling in the mirror. It was actually thanks to Prompto that I got scouted. We were taking pictures on the beach and a scouting agent thought we were actual professionals. Prom wasn’t going to move to Altissia just to work as a photographer but I was offered a contract. My mom agreed as long as it was part time so I could finish school.”

“You a Junior like them?”

Lance nodded. “I like modelling but I don’t know if it’s what I’ll do forever. I like a lot of things. I like going to the aquarium and part of me wants to try to go into marine biology.”

“That’s a big step up from modelling.”

“Not only that, the best program for it was way out of my price range. Maybe I should just stick to modelling. It’d be easier”

“I think you can do it. Just because something is easy doesn’t mean you should just give in. a lot of people think I should go into politics to help my uncle but I want to work as an officer. Because of who my uncle is, politics would be easy but I don’t want easy.”

Lance took Keith in before giving him a thankful smile. “You’ve got a point. And besides, Galding Quay is also a bit of a fashion district as well as where the program is. Modelling does come with a big pay check.”

“Well there you go.”

“You know, I was so sure that there was no way Prom was best friends with a prince because as far as I knew, all members of the royal family had to be stuck up.”

Keith let out a scoff, “Noct and I are the last people to be stuck up. We’re too busy avoiding unwanted talk and boring conversations.”

“So I can tell. Looks like I was wrong about you Keith. I wonder what else I was wrong about.” For some reason, that made Keith feel like blushing.

The day of the Moonlight Fashion show was here. The day after Lance got in, he was busy with rehearsal so Keith only saw him when he came with Noctis to Prompto’s house. They talked, almost falling into it as easily as Noctis and Prompto did with each other. Well except, Keith was pretty sure he gained a crush on Prompto’s cousin. He was good looking and really nice and his laugh was something he could listen to for hours. Wow, Keith was a bit obsessed but he was fine. he never felt that way about anyone, ever, so if that’s how his first crush was going to happen, then so be it.

He tugged at his tie, noticing his cousin wasn’t looking comfortable either. He was also wearing his crown, because it was required for events such as this, and he could tell Noctis wanted to throw it across the room. Prompto was doing a good job of distracting him though, talking up a storm, and showing him the pictures he got. They were able to sit in the front rows next to the catwalk so Prompto was gushing about the perfect picture opportunities.

“Smile.” Prompto said, holding up a much smaller camera to face the small row of them. Keith naturally smiled, feeling Gladio sticking his head into the frame at the last minute. “Dude come on, that motion blur is so not good.”

“Well excuse me.” Gladio said, sinking back into his seat. There was a row of Glaive members sitting next to him in the second row and Keith knew there were more around. Ignis himself was seated next to Prompto, his eyes trained on his tablet, noise cancelling headphones on his ears.

The lights finally dimmed and the noise died down as the main designer for the fashion line came out onto the catwalk.

“Welcome everyone to the Moonlight Fashion show. As you know, I have collaborated with many designers, both amateur and professionals so we can create the designs you see today. I do hope you enjoy our show and I’d also like to extend a kind welcome to the prince of our glorious kingdom, Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum.”

With the painted Prince smile, Noctis stood up and waved at the applauding crowd.

“Now please enjoy our show as we walk through the moonlight.”

With another round of applause, the main designer stepped off the catwalk as the first model walked down the catwalk. A lot of the clothes were black, navy or a deep purple, most having a sparkling effect within its seams. Then Lance came onto the catwalk. His pants were dark blue with crescent moons tastefully sprinkled throughout, his black top having cut outs for his shoulders. Keith definitely noticed the glitter around Lance’s eyes. As he turned to walk back down, he caught Keith’s eyes and winked at him.

“You’re blushing.” Noctis whispered, laughing as Keith threw his elbow into his side.

Lance came back down near the end with a girl on his arm, her one shoulder galactic inspire dress taking most of the attention, even as Lance spun her so she took up the room at the end of the catwalk. But Keith’s eyes were trained on Lance, his blazer looking like the night sky and his suit fit him perfectly. Lance sent him another smile as he took the hand of his partner and walked back up the catwalk. It was a bit hard to pick Lance out when all the models came out so the designers could get their recognition, but he was able to pick him out near the end of the line.

Once the catwalk was once again empty and the lights had risen, Ignis stood up. “We’ve also been invited to the afterparty. It would do good to make an appearance.”

“Lance is supposed to be working that too. Come on, I want to eat overpriced free food.” Prompto said, making sure he had his camera before dragging Noctis to the exit.

The after party was in the room next door and was a bit dark so the motion sensored floor could light up well as people walked around. There were different podiums and soon models from the show came in and stood on them, allowing the audience members could take a closer look at the clothes.

Ignis stopped Noctis from following Prompto to the food table. “We need to go greet the designers.”

“What for?”

“One of them is the niece of the royal seamstress. Besides, it’s the polite thing to do.”

Noctis groaned and Prompto promised to save him a plate as they disappeared into the crowd. Most of the Glaive members disappeared to, no doubt to check out the place and keep an eye on Noctis. He knew a few still had their eye on him, so Keith went around to go look for a particular model. He found Lance surrounded by a few women who seemed more interested in Lance’s body than his clothes. He’d changed back into his first outfit, his face shining from the glitter still on it.

“Excuse me ladies.” Keith interrupted, holding out his hand for Lance, which he took and stepped off the podium. “I’m afraid I need to steal him.”

Keith pushed Lance away from the pouting ladies and lead Lance to a less populated area.

“Thank you. I felt a bit like a slab of meat. Is this how Prince Noctis feels? Is this how you feel?”

“It can be much worse.” Keith admitted. “You looked amazing up there.”

“Oh thank you.” Lance said, a blush easily seen even in the dark light.

“Are you going to be doing the modelling all night? I think Prompto said he wanted to get burgers after.”

“I thought I saw him darting to the food table?”

Keith shrugged. “I mean, free food but I know I could still go for a burger.”

“I’d love to but I’ll be working until the party is over.” Lance said, looking upset. “I would love to spend some more time with you.”

“Well, if you’re free tomorrow, would you like to have breakfast with me? Not at the Citadel or anything, but there is the secret dinner Noct and I like going to.”

With a slightly shy smile on his face, Lance nodded. “I think that’ll perfect. I’d love to. I have maybe 4 minutes before I need to get back on the podium. Want to split a cupcake with me?” Lance asked, pointing to where the food table was.

“It would my honour.”

#klance au month #ffxv crossover #duke keith #model lance #keith is related to noctis #lance is kinda but not really related to prompto

[autumn-maple13]

Lost to Time - Chapter 2

Child of Ardyn FFXV Fanfic

Chapter 2: Visions or Dreams?

Amara gave her mom a disbelieving look as she was led to the couch in their living room. Rosemary took her book bag to sit on the coffee table, sighing at the fading patch that had been sewn onto it so many years ago.

"Amara, when you were a child you had horrible night terrors," she looked at her daughter as she sat beside her. "Sometimes you would scream, sometimes you would cry, but you always managed to get me and Vincent running to check on you."

"Why would that be happening?"

"Well, we don't know. Your entire life up until I found you is a mystery to us, not even you could ever tell us anything. But when you'd have those night terrors, it was like everything you had lived through would rush back and terrify you. You'd scream for your father, and then scream the second Vincent would try to comfort you, then you'd turn around and scream for your mother, then cry and ask her why she was "letting this happen". We figured out pretty early that you were talking about your real parents, but never what was happening to you."

Amara felt a headache coming on and reached up to rub her forehead. "I had no idea."

"We didn't think you'd want us to tell you. When you'd wake up it was like none of it had ever happened. We thought whatever it was you were re-living in your dreams was so scarring your conscious-self had blocked it completely. Around the fourth year after you came to be with us, those night terrors finally stopped, and we thought maybe you'd forgotten for good, or came to terms with your past."

"Four years? You lived with that for four years?"

"We're your parents," Rosemary smiled and placed her hand on top of Amara's other one. "You went without even a single nightmare after that, until… until a few nights ago, when we woke up to you screaming again."

"What?"

"You were crying out for your father again, and screaming for someone to help him. You had never done that before. Then you seemed to calm down for a while, and when we went to check on you again you were crying, asking 'Etro' to stop showing you everything."

"Etro? You mean like that Goddess from way back when?"

"Yes." her mother shrugged and put on a sad smile. "I think someone is reaching out to you in your dreams, I've always believed that, to be honest, but I think someone or something is trying to really reach out to you now. Maybe even that father you seem to miss so much."

Amara shook her head. "This is crazy."

"Yeah, but so is half of this world."

Amara knew she was speaking the truth, after all - the magic possessed by the royal family and their chosen few, as well as the very thing protecting the city, a crystal of all things, were far stranger to her.

"What would it mean if someone were trying to reach me? I mean, stuff like that is only supposed to happen to the Oracle."

"Not necessarily, but you should ask your father about it."

"Huh?" she gave her mother a confused look as she stood, but the woman only had a smile on her face. Without trying to clarify anything, she walked off to get dinner ready, and with his usual perfect timing, her father walked in only moments later. Amara turned her confused look on him, making him stall halfway in the door.

"Uh-oh, I know that look. Honey?"

"Your turn!"

"Oh no, what did I do?" The man slowly closed the door before going to sit with his daughter, still clearly trying to figure out if he had fucked recently or not.

"We were talking about the nightmares I used to have."

"Oh, those? What about them?"

"Well, mom suggested that something might be trying to reach me, and when I asked if that was only supposed to happen to the Oracle, she told me to ask you." Amara was getting more confused by the second, and watching the color drain from her father's face didn't help. "Dad?"

"Oh Six… Well, uhm, you see…" he sighed as if he was admitting defeat. "I thought the same thing, and actually brought it up to the King. He… asked for me to bring you to him."

"What? I don't remember that."

"You wouldn't. Shortly after we arrived at the palace, you had a panic attack and passed out." the man rubbed his neck. "King Regis looked over you anyway and told me to bring you back to him when you were ready, whatever that means. He wouldn't tell me why, just to be patient and wait for you to bring it up yourself."

"So, what does that mean for me?"

"It means, you need to go see the King." and just like that, she realized why he had turned so pale. As he dug a piece of paper out of his bag, a form to appeal for an audience with the king. Amara looked at the paper with a tinge of fear, looking at her father with her concern clear on her face. "Don't give me that look Amara, it's going to be pretty necessary if you're intending to find out the truth. If it's not you, we'll never know."

The girl nodded, looking over the paper once more before reaching into her backpack for a pen. "If I fill this out, how long will it be before I'm summoned?"

"I don't know. His Majesty has been so busy with the war, it could be a little bit."

"Alright." as her father got up to go join her mother in the kitchen, Amara began to carefully fill out the form, checking and double checking everything she put down so she didn't start off on the wrong foot. Sure, she had spoken to the king before, but this wasn't going to be a brief 'bow and get out the way' kind of thing, this was going to be a formal appearance, possibly with the council in tow. This was a meeting the King himself had asked to be allowed when the time came, it wasn't something she could mess up unless she was okay with possibly ruining the one chance she had of finding out the truth of those nightmares she had once suffered. As she reached the bottom of the paper, the place she would have to write her intentions for the appearance, she paused. Unsure of what to put down she felt herself begin worrying her lip, a habit she been fighting to kick, and made herself pause for a moment before an idea came to her.

Looking at the paper once more, she held her pen to it.

Follow up appearance - possibility of calling from beyond our world.

She looked over her work before her growling stomach and the smells from the kitchen made her leave it beside her bag to join her parents. Rosemary smiled from the stove, already beginning to plate their dinner. Her father had already seated himself at the table and gave her a nod as she joined him.

"I'll turn it in first thing tomorrow, but for now how about we move on to more pleasant things."

"How was your first day of high school?" her mother set a plate in front of her. "Was it any different than before?"

"Not really." she poked at the roasted chicken on her plate. "Had to be rescued by prince charming though."

"Prince Noctis?"

"Apparently one of my teachers is a real hard-case about facts. Caught me after school to question me about something I said in class. Noctis interrupted." the girl shrugged. "Not like I didn't have everyone's attention anyway. My hair doesn't exactly let me blend in, especially with this war."

"Have you thought about dying it? I mean all those comments about Chancellor Izunia aren't helping…" Vincent shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Even at work…"

"I did for a while, even bought a box of dye." Amara looked a little downcast for a moment. "But for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to do it. It… made me so sad."

Her parents exchanged a look that went unnoticed by her, but she did catch the hint of concern their features still held when she looked up from stabbing at the small salad on her plate. She shrugged it off, putting on a smile before eating what had accumulated on her fork. Her parents followed suit if only to try and get the tense atmosphere to disperse. Making a bit more idle conversation managed to get dinner to pass with a bit more ease, though they were concerned that one of her teachers seemed to have his sights on her now.

"Remind me to look into this guy, for some reason his name sounds familiar." her father tapped the end of his fork idly on the table. "For now, I guess just do whatever. I mean, it's not really like you can disappear into the background now that you've made yourself stand out so much."

"Talking to Prince Noctis so casually first thing and last thing definitely didn't help either," she confirmed. "I may just have to say I'm in training to join Crownsguard to get some people off my back."

"The Marshall may not appreciate that."

"It's not like it's a lie though." her mother piped up, sipping on her drink. "Technically she is on the Crownsguard's trainee list, you've said so yourself. Marshall Leonis may just take it as confirmation of her intentions and have her come in for a fitting."

"Or see it as a sign of ignorance when it comes to rules and drop her completely."

"I don't think he can really judge someone because of that." her reply was dry, hinting at something that her daughter didn't get. "For now, I think Amara's real focus should be her homework, and not how to backup whatever excuses she uses to stay out of trouble."

"Oh right that reminds me, I need one of you to sign the paperwork I got today. All fifty pages." Amara watched the color drain from both parents, glaring at each other until her father caved and raised a hand. "I'll get the folder from my bag."

"I kinda wish I had taken that overtime today."

The girl laughed, shaking her head at her father's faux misery while she went to retrieve the papers. Sure it wasn't actually fifty pages, but if she had to panic over filling out a paper for the king, he could sweat a little over her school papers.

#ardyn izunia #ardyn lucis caelum #ardyn ffxv #noctis lucis caelum #ffxv kingsglaive #ffxv fanfiction #ffxv #ffxv fic #prompto argentum #ffxv prompto #gladiolus amicitia #ffxv gladio #ffxv ignis #ignis scientia #ffxv oc #king regis lucis caelum #regis lucis caelum #king regis #somnus lucis caelum #crownsguard #amara solis #lost to time

[stompsite]

So I Played FFXV

In most of my articles, I start out by presenting a problem. Maybe a lot of gamers hate zombies, and I want to write about a zombie game I love, so I present the problem of the zombie game, explaining in detail why I’m sympathetic to the concerns of people who hate zombie games, before explaining how the zombie game I love gets around that problem.

I do this because we’re rarely wrong about our feelings, but we’re often wrong about why. If I wrote “here’s a good zombie game,” no one would want to read that if they don’t like zombie games. By writing “this is why zombie games bore you and here’s how zombie games can excite you,” I appeal to a broader audience.

This brings me to Final Fantasy XV, a game one of my backers asked me to cover.

Good games writing often happens when an expert explains the ins and outs of a genre they know well to an audience they assume are quite intelligent but aren’t as familiar with the subject as they are. When I wrote about walking sims last year, I sat down and I went “okay, a lot of you are bored with walking sims. Why is that?” My editor’s boss didn’t seem to like it that much, insisting that the walking sim didn’t need any defending (even though The Chinese Room, developers of walking sims, had just shut down, and Tacoma, a walking sim with magazine covers, had sold a mere 10,000 copies). But I think people have strong feelings about things and they want to understand those feelings, so having an expert help them out without talking down to them is wonderful.

A little bit of history.

I may be an expert on video games, but I am most assuredly not an expert on JRPGs.

Unlike most people, I didn’t grow up with video game consoles. I saw a meme posted the other day saying “you can’t argue with me about games unless your first console was a Genesis or NES.” Mine was an Xbox 360, but I’ve been playing computer games for a great deal longer. Since Japan didn’t make many computer games (oh, sure, Final Fantasy VII was developed for Windows 95, but I don’t recall seeing it amidst the Diablo 2, Planescape Torment, and Half-Life boxes at CompUSA back in the day), JRPGs were never really a part of my gaming diet.

It’s not to say that JRPGs weren’t appealing. When my wisdom teeth were pulled, my mom brought our little 13” portable TV into my room and let me watch movies. I stumbled upon UHF channel 53, which broadcast a pirated version of TechTV, which was, at the time, airing Anime Unleashed, a block of awesome anime shows like Last Exile and Crest of the Stars. Most anime I’d seen up to that point was the stuff we got on kid’s shows, like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon. Digimon aside, most of it was garbage. Watching Boogiepop Phantom or Serial Experiments Lain during late nights on this stupid little black and white TV was something else entirely.

Since then, I’ve loved good anime aesthetics, so you’d think that JRPGs would be my jam. I thought so too, which is why I started talking to friends about them, but every time I did, my friends would talk about what confusing bullshit they were--especially, at the time, Final Fantasy X. “...but Final Fantasy VIII is better!” they’d tell me, and of course I’d ask them about that, and they’d tell me even more confusing bullshit. Plus, the whole turn-based gameplay thing was a huge turnoff. I got into other games, like Age of Empires and Unreal Tournament. They were more interesting. Games like Max Payne had way better stories than Final Fantasy VIII, that’s for sure.

Once, someone got me into Earthbound on an emulator, and I fell in love with it, until someone kidnapped zippy--I think she has a ‘real’ canon name but I don’t know what it is and I don’t want to know--and I couldn’t beat any of the fights because I didn’t understand the concept of grinding. Over the years, I tried other JRPGs, because the premise and the art sounded cool, but I bounced off the gameplay or the presentation time and time again. The closest I got to loving a JRPG was Dragon’s Dogma, and that was more of an open world sandbox game than any kind of RPG.

This brings me to another point.

JRPGs aren’t RPGs.

People usually protest when I make this point. Either I’m wrong or it doesn’t matter, they say, but I think it does matter because I’m a game designer, and understanding the specifics of genre is a really useful skill for a game designer to have. When I look at the JRPG, I see a lot of very specific elements that make them stand apart. If I say “I want to make an RPG,” chances are, I will not make something like a JRPG. If I say “I want to make a JRPG,” I will. The mechanics are distinct and interesting and worth examining on their own; no JRPG in existence could ever stand up to even a half-decent RPG if we judged it by RPG terms. The roleplaying just isn’t there.

Judging JRPGs by their own standards lets us see these wonderful games for what they really are. JRPGs are not RPGs from Japan. They’re not even RPGs. Once, when I made this argument, a guy fought back by arguing that a game wasn’t an RPG unless it had a party (Witcher 3 doesn’t), a bestiary (pretty sure New Vegas hasn’t got one), was turn-based (quick, someone tell Dragon Age!), and had a linear narrative (hahahahahahaha!).

“But you’re playing a role!”

Playing a role means following a script, which is what you do in any game without choice and consequence. Roleplay is a specific kind of improvisational acting that’s about creating and defining your relationship with the world around you. Dragon Age: Origins is a roleplaying game: you can be a dwarf commoner or a human noble or whatever, and your various choices will have major impacts on your relationships. You can define the person that you are. They are tabula rasa.

In every JRPG I’ve ever seen, you are a specific character with a specific personality, and while you may have some choices--Noctis in FFXV can choose to let the crew pull over and take a group photo whenever Prompto asks him too--those choices have little impact on the overall narrative or Noctis’ relationships with the characters around him. Lunafreya will always love him, Gladiolus will always get mad at him when Ignis loses his vision, etc.

Different kinds of games.

Pillars of Eternity, which isn’t a great game, but one I enjoyed well enough, let me set my character’s stats prior to playing the game. I defined my character as a rogue with great mechanical skills and dexterity. In Final Fantasy XV, when you level up… you can’t really control how your character’s stats changed.

None of this is bad! It’s just different, like the difference between a third person shooter and a first person shooter. First person shooting lets you focus on the environment and your interactions with it, but third person shooters tend to focus on your character. They have their own unique strengths. You can’t judge a first person shooter by third person standards and vice versa. The same is true with JRPGs and RPGs. They are different games. And that’s good.

The Game:

When it comes to Final Fantasy XV, this is the foundation I have. I’m vaguely turned off by all the stories I’ve heard, I love the aesthetics of most of them, and the gameplay is something I feel is wholly distinct from other games.

Final Fantasy XV appealed to me because it had real-time action combat instead of being a heavily menu-focused turn-based affair.

So, here’s the deal: you’re Prompto, a prince, who is on his way to meet the object--and really, she is treated like an object in this game--of his arranged marriage, Lunafreya, who’s the princess of a rival kingdom, I guess? Except the wiki says she’s a captive of Niflheim, but she seems to get along well with her brother, who is in charge of the armies of Niflheim, so… like… yeah, I don’t really know what’s going on there.

The wiki also says she’s the “main heroine” of the game, even though she barely has any screen time at all. She has magical powers that cures people of some weird plague that’s making nights last longer, except that the nights are still getting longer and more people are succumbing to the plague, so she’s really bad at her job.

Honestly, she’s just there to look pretty and say things like “Noct, please hurry.” Then she dies. Then one time her ghost shows up and uses force powers to save the crew by removing plot armor that was only put there so she could show up to remove it.

She is not emotionally important to you.

This isn’t like Alan Wake, a game that reveals over time the complex nature of Alan’s relationship and just how wonderful of a person Alice Wake is. In that game, Alan was motivated by guilt, and you, as a player, could connect to him because you got to see all of this unfold. You wanted to help Alan find Alice not because “Alice is Alan’s wife,” but because you saw that these two wonderful, flawed people loved and cared for each other and deserved happiness.

Lunafreya is a pantomime of a love interest, but there’s never any real love there, so there’s no urgency to actually chase her down, no sense of loss when she dies. It’s not all her fault though (I mean, duh, it’s Square’s fault). Noct is equally culpable. He’s just… kinda empty. He’s a shell who occasionally feels things when the script calls for it (ur dad died, be sad, ur gf died, be sad), but who doesn’t feel like a real person. I don’t really care about anything Noct wants. I just kind of do the objectives because they’re what’s next.

I spent my whole life being told that JRPG stories were the best that video games had to offer, and… look, being completely honest here, Final Fantasy XV is the JRPG plot as described to me--incomprehensible, pointless, and horribly paced, doing grandiose things because the developers want to do grandiose things, never earning a second of the awe it expects you to have.

“Yup,” I found myself thinking when I finished it, “this is exactly like every JRPG that has ever been described to me except Earthbound.”

Earthbound is great.

Final Fantasy XV makes the mistake of assuming that because it looks epic, it is epic, but since it earns nothing, it isn’t epic at all. It’s a hodgepodge of ideas. Maybe other JRPGs do a better job, but based on every other JRPG I’ve played, like Xenoblade Chronicles and Suikoden, it’s just not a very compelling game.

So it may surprise you to know that I liked it a great deal.

Brotherhood.

In my film education, we talked a great deal about the idea of the “male as default.” A lot of this is rooted in idiotic Freudian psychology (especially all the Lacan stuff), so it’s as bunk as astrology, even when it sounds good, but let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater here: all media has a perspective, and most media’s perspective assumes the male perspective as the neutral one.

American film does this too: it assumes everything is seen through American eyes. Most Hollywood movies are very, very American-as-default things, but that doesn’t mean they’re American movies. I’m not just talking geography, I’m talking assumptions about customs, camera angles, lighting, and so on. Russian film (European films too, but especially Russian film) tends to focus on specific body parts, using juxtaposition in editing to create specific senses about things. American films tend to favor wider shots, creating those same moods through things like motion and staging.

A film from another country can feel like it came from a different mind than the Hollywood monolith…

...and yet…

...there are very few genuinely American films out there. This is partly because most American films are built for export to other countries, so rather than focusing on specifically American subject matter, they focus on more universal things like drama and romance. Since America is so good at exporting American film, and many other cultures imitate the stylings of American films (because learning from successful things is how you succeed, after all), we end up with a very dominant American culture that has very little to actually say about America. In fact, lots of what America is tends to get lost in the shuffle.

If you’re lucky, you get filmmakers like Terrence Malick, who make films that are really about America and being American, but the significance of this is lost because people look at it and go “why do you make American films? All films are American!” But there is something specific there. Something interesting.

Maleness is the same way. It’s the assumed default in a lot of narratives, but because of this, very little attention is given to it. I once walked into the USAF museum while the XB-70 Valkyrie was in one of the hangars and didn’t see it because it was so big I thought it was the ceiling. Maleness in fiction is like that; it’s rarely examined closely because it’s too busy being big.

Here are two men. They are friends. The end.

We rarely look at how men bond, how they perceive each other, how they fight, how they talk and think because we’re too busy writing stories about the basic, empty characters who travel from point A to point B and the adventures they have along the way.

Oh, sure, sometimes you have people interrogating maleness, but they’re really only doing it to say “look what’s bad about being a man,” because they assume that male-as-default means we already see male-as-good, when really, male-as-default is male-as-nonspecifity. The beauty of maleness is rarely ever explored.

Somehow, despite all its narrative shortcomings, Final Fantasy XV excels at its understanding of maleness.

I think a big part of this is the road trip nature of the game. Sure, they’re ostensibly on the run and simultaneously on their way to a wedding, but that doesn’t prevent The Boys from having a good time. Each boy has a specific personality that is brought out in interesting ways; Ignis cares a stickler for safety and rules, Prompto is energetic and mischievous, Gladiolus is strong and confident and protective of those who are not. Noctis is basically an empty shell, but when he’s interacting with The Boys, there are still good moments to be found.

As you drive through the world, fighting monsters and helping friends, you learn more about these boys and the things they care about. Gladiolus is self-conscious about seeming too caring, but he cares so deeply, especially about his little sister Iris. He recognizes her crush on Noctis and even tricks Noctis into giving her flowers, knowing it would make Iris’ day. Prompto’s lower-class upbringing means he’s tremendously insecure about his relationship with the other boys. They’re not aware of how awkward he feels in the presence of people much wealthier and more important than he is, and when he makes it known, they do everything they can to assure him that he’s their brother and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

There’s something else that I’ve never been able to put into words. It’s a feeling I have occasionally, and one I cherish. When interacting with most men, there’s a degree of camaraderie, like, hey, we’re all on the same team, we’re cheering alongside each other, that kind of thing. There’s a whole second language that men are only capable of employing with other men that’s completely nonverbal, but not all men are comfortable using it with each other right away.

There comes a point in a male relationship where everything just sort of clicks. That guy over there is just a man you know, but that guy over there, you and him are mates and you’d fuckin die for each other if you had to. When you do things together, there’s a sense of rightness and appropriateness to it all. If your best friend asks you to help him carry some groceries in from the car, it’s different than if you help your next door neighbor who you don’t really know all that well.

I’m sure other, better writers have written about this sense of brotherhood. When I’m playing Destiny with a matchmade team and we roll an enemy squad into a mercy rule defeat, it feels good. When my friends and I trigger the mercy rule against the same thing, it’s like, heck yeah, these are the men who mean the most to me in this fuckin world and I am so lucky to have them with me.

Final Fantasy XV does its darndest to put this in the mechanics. The boys res each other during battle. They all have unique combo moves that play off each other. The battle barks are all designed to make you feel like… hell yeah, these are my bros, we kick ass together.

How many games just have two dudes talkin about dude things together? How many games are like “yeah, bro, let’s go running in the sand and whoever outruns the other is the winner!” How many games get that great banter is affectionate? How many games are willing to have a bunch of dudes who love each other and will die for each other whose relationships deteriorate over time but they come back from them stronger than ever?

There are a lot of stories about men in games, but very few stories about being a man.

Final Fantasy XV might be the best of ‘em.

And it’s still… dumb and flawed at times. I think I would’ve liked a more interesting protagonist and central conflict. I think the game is at its best when you’re cruising around a big, open world, humming about chocobos. I think Square had the opportunity to make a huge, incredible game about an adventure and they wasted it on a game that gets progressively linear (in a bad way) over time. I mentally checked out by the end of the game. I didn’t care that some random giant dude showed up, I beat the shit out of him, and then I had to fight a couple more dudes just like him, and then after beating them into submission too… we, uh, killed the guy who was stalking us the whole game? Why would I connect with random giant ghost kings when I spent the entire game playing alongside my brothers? Instead they get knocked out and fall asleep on the floor and I have the ending I was always destined to have.

Man, fuck destiny.

The game is great when it’s being personal, but it sucks when it’s trying to do all this other stuff. There are no affectionate moments between Noctis and Lunafreya. Mister Badguy, whose name I forgot and don’t feel like looking up because fuck that guy, he was boring, has to exposit his backstory (i was gonna be king but then i didn’t get to be king so i decided to have my revenge in like 2000 years’ time! mwahahaha!!! here is my entire personal history!) instead of just being interesting on a dramatic level.

It’s bad when it’s trying to be a grandiose RPG. It’s great when it’s doing something I can’t think of any other game doing before. I think you should play the first 8 or 9 chapters of the game. I think everyone should. That’s where the fun lies.

What about the gameplay?

The gameplay is kind of neat. Some stuff doesn’t feel nearly as good as other modern open-world games (like, uh, driving, which is kinda terrible and inconsistent about when it lets you drive, and interrupts your drive in really annoying ways at night, but the attention given to things like “needing to fill up with gas” is really cool).

Other stuff is clearly channeling How JRPGs Work, which is cool. The way the game gives you XP or deals with magic and abilities feels Very Classically JRPG. But it’s all wrapped up in a real-time action game that’s nowhere near as satisfying as Dragon’s Dogma or Ninja Gaiden or something. I’m not saying it has to be, but holding down a button and watching your character autoattack isn’t very fun. Zipping around with your teleport power is totally awesome though.

Magic is super strong and I probably should’ve used it more, but I was never really in love with crafting it. The leveling grid is kinda cool, but I have no idea how, when I did nearly every quest in the game, someone is supposed to unlock some of those skills. It just doesn’t seem possible considering the game’s content.

Quest design isn’t great; most of it’s just random fetch quests. The open world itself is nice most of the time, especially when you have a chocobo, but because the game’s so invested in making you feel like you’re on a road trip, you end up doing a lot of driving which a more generous fast travel system would have avoided, which means you end up seeing a lot of the same places over and over again, which kinda kills the whole road trip vibe.

And So it Ends.

There’s DLC. I never did that. I kinda soured on the whole epic journey by the end because of how boring the solo stuff was, and the DLC appears to be all solo stuff. Sorry, but the overall narrative and the gameplay just isn’t there. That’s not what makes FFXV good. The camaraderie is. The vibes are. Listening to the sizzle of ignis’ cooking or watching a huge monster fly in from above. There are so many incredible moments in this game. It’s too bad the narrative and the combat couldn’t keep up.

I think FFXV benefits and suffers from being a big 3D real-time game. A lot of classic JRPGs are 2D affairs where you have to communicate everything purely through text boxes. FFXV has the benefit of voice and physical performance, adding a huge layer of nuance and personality to its characters, their wants, and needs. But because it’s a big, bombastic 3D game, it can’t help itself, and wastes time with boring, endless set pieces that look cool but do little else.

Could I recommend it? I dunno.

But it kinda makes me want to try other JRPGs, even though there’s really nothing else like it out there.

[bgn846]

Worthy Chapter 7: Hired Guns FFXV A/B/O Promnis

<Previous Chapter 6 

“Can’t it wait until tomorrow morning?” Prompto questioned desperately.      

 “Dearest, I know you have been acting strange ever since the engagement announcement, but you will have to accept it at some point.   Hiding in your room won’t solve anything.”

 “I know, but I really don’t want to go outside right now.  Tomorrow morning when it’s light out would be so much better.”

 “Prompto Argentum, don’t make me ask you a second time.  Please take out the trash,” Soliamare requested in a somber tone.

 Wincing, Prompto sighed and furrowed his brow. He couldn’t fight with his mother right now.  It was the last thing he needed to deal with. “Okay, okay. Can you watch me through the window?” he tried.

 “Prompto! I’m not kidding. Get your butt moving this instant,” she huffed, walking away.

 For a moment, he considered telling her what Lady Saeva had done to him so she’d understand why he didn’t want to go outside.  However, he was still worried she wouldn’t believe him. Instead, taking his fate in his own hands, he quietly grabbed the trash bag and opened the back door.

 He could do this.

 All he had to do was run to the bin, chuck the bag in, and run back.  Shouldn’t they have people to do this for them? His mom was a queen, for crying out loud!  

 If only life had worked out that way.  No sooner had he begun the run to the bin when movement in the bushes caught his attention.   The one rational thought that crossed his mind indicated that it probably wasn’t Lady Saeva hiding in the dirt.  However, something was there, and that something was now running at him.

 His throat only allowed a small strangled noise to escape as he dropped the trash bag and stumbled backwards.  It was a person coming at him - no, it was a woman. Astrals, maybe it really was Saeva!

 Then a second figure appeared and tackled the mystery woman to the ground.  They didn’t stay down; the newcomer was gracelessly tossed aside, and the lady continued on toward him.   Prompto had never seen anyone throw a body so easily. His own limbs weren’t cooperating as he tried to get away.   The fear was overwhelming.

 Unable to catch himself, Prompto tripped and tumbled down onto the ground.  He had to try and fight back, but his mind was too muddled to function. Managing to scramble backwards, Prompto looked for anything he could use for defense.  Bloody groundskeepers hadn’t even left him an errant twig lying around.

 A hand grasped his ankle a second later, and his brain went back into full panic mode.  The scary woman had caught up and was dragging Prompto’s body across the dirt. This time a flash of blue light accompanied the second attack.  The figure who’d been trying to stop the fight had used magic! Did that mean they were from Lucis?

 The woman grunted when she was tackled a second time.  “Get off me!” she hissed as they both fell over.

 “Run Prompto!” the man exclaimed from where he’d landed, and he was trying not to get a fist to the face.

 Wait, this guy knew his name, but who would know him?  It had to be the soldier that was stationed nearby, Nyx.   Prompto didn’t say a word but somehow was able to stand again and run for the back door.     Focusing on running up the few steps to the door, he missed a small but important detail. His mother was watching through the door and had decided to come outside.  Gods, no, this was so bad.

 Soliamare shoved the door open wide and was running to him, Prompto wasn’t sure what she was hoping to accomplish.  Bad things were clearly happening outside of their house.

 “Mum, no!  Go back inside!” he tried.  Of course, like any parent, she ignored him and pulled Prompto close into a hug.

 “What on Eos is going on out here?” She asked nervously.

 The attacker was still struggling with Nyx, and when Soliamare made an appearance, it proved enough of a distraction for the woman to shove Nyx away.  Prompto watched in horror as she rushed them again, this time with a dagger drawn. This wasn’t happening; he wasn’t going to let this happen.

 Without thinking, Prompto twisted his mum out of the way and took her place in front of the incoming blade.  Then there was nothing but silence. Things weren’t in slow motion like in the movies. They had ceased to exist.  He’d apparently closed his eyes during what he thought was his last moment alive. However, he was still breathing and uninjured.  

 Nyx’s voice cut through the haze a moment later. “Why?  He’s a harmless omega,” he asked with a strained voice.

 The blond willed his eyes to open, and he was greeted with quite a sight.  This woman who was trying to kill him had her dagger inches from his throat.  Nyx also had his weapon out and had it under the woman’s chin. They were at a stalemate.

 “If he’s so harmless, then why the hit?” the woman pondered coolly.

 “You seriously trust the crazy bitch that gave you that order?” Nyx sputtered.

 “Of course not!” she spat.  “She’s a troublemaker, clear as day.”

 “Then why are you doing what she wants?”

 The attacker paused and looked directly at Prompto.  He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck raising. His mum was shaking behind him. She had clutched his arm like a vice, and he suspected if she let go, she might fall over.

 “I suppose if someone is willing to take a hit for their mother, they can’t be that bad,” she mused a moment later, slowly lowering the blade.  “So keep talking, glaive.”

 Nyx went to respond, but a noise from nearby caught his attention.  “Inside now!” he huffed. With his knife still at the attackers throat, they all managed to stumble inside.

 Soliamare was the first to crack. She started crying rather loudly and drug Prompto into the corner of the kitchen.  “Leave us alone. We didn’t do anything wrong,” she wailed desperately.      

 “I’m afraid I can’t do that, majesty,” Nyx replied.  “We need to get answers from our mystery woman first.”

 “You can lower your weapon, glaive; I’m not in the mood to play with you anymore,” she replied dryly. “Besides, blue eyes over there is seriously stressed out right now,” she added, sniffing the air lightly. “Can’t you tell?”

 Nyx furrowed his brow and kept staring at her.  “Obviously, he’s stressed; you just tried to kill him.”

 “I wasn’t going to kill him,” she defended.  “I was trying to see what he’d do.”

 “By holding a knife to my throat?!” Prompto exclaimed.  “How does that help you make a decision about someone?”

 “You’re an omega, and even given that fact, you still went to save your mother.   It’s a sign of good character. Besides, if you have a glaive looking after you, then I suspect the report I was given is incorrect.”

 “What report?” Nyx pressured.

 The woman rolled her eyes ,and then in a flash, she ducked down and away from Nyx’s weapon.  With one swift kick she sent Nyx toppling backwards and across the kitchen floor. “I’m tired of talking with that thing at my neck.  Shall we be civilized and sit at the damn table?” she queried.

 “Hey!” Prompto cut in.  “My mum is having a mental breakdown over here, and I’m barely keeping it together.  Are you gonna try and kill me again?”

 “Huh?”  The woman seemed a little stunned by his outburst.   “Kid, I’m not going to try and kill you. Like I said, I hadn’t made up my mind about that, anyway.”

 “Then can you leave us alone?” he asked, hopeful.

 “Sorry, cupcake. If our lady friend finds out I bailed, she’ll just hire someone else.”

 Nyx had picked himself up off the floor and was stomping back over to where the stranger had taken a seat at the table. “Name?” he growled.

 “Oh – that’s why you can’t smell him as well as me. You’re a beta,” she mused with wide eyes.  “You’re not bad of a fighter, considering.”

 Nyx frowned but opted to stand between the stranger and Prompto.

 A shaky voice spoke up next.  “What lady friend are you talking about?” Soliamare asked with teary eyes.

 “Lady Saeva,” the stranger announced.

 “Wha—no, you must be mistaken!” she lamented.  “She’s to marry Prompto’s eldest brother!”

 “Step-brother!” Prompto and Nyx interjected at the same time.

 Soliamare seemed stunned and started to waver where she stood.   Nyx noticed right away and rushed over to help her sit down. “Majesty, you need to take it easy.” He turned his attention back to the stranger.  “Now, will you please tell us your name?” He asked

 “You could pass for an alpha with some more training.  You’re so good at it,” she enthused with a small smile, completely ignoring his question.  

 “I’m gonna start calling you nasty names if you don’t provide one!”

 The mystery woman laughed and leaned back in the kitchen chair.  “You can call me Aranea. So what’s your name      beta    ?” she asked, using her full alpha influence.

 Prompto could tell Nyx was struggling with this encounter.  The scent this woman, Aranea, had started to produce was intoxicating.  It wasn’t calming, but it wasn’t threatening either.

 “Ulric,” he finally managed through gritted teeth.

 “The famous glaive, Nyx Ulric. This is exciting.”

 “What are we going to do?” Prompto asked weakly as he slowly sank to the floor.

 “Hey now, kid, don’t sit on the floor,” Aranea cooed as she stood up.

 “Don’t hurt me!” the blond whimpered as he backed away further into the corner.

 Nyx was about to abandon his post next to Soliamare when Aranea stopped and held up a placating hand.  “I’m not going to harm anyone. Promise.”

 “How can we trust you?” Nyx asked seriously.

 “You’ll just have to use your gut instinct,      beta    .”

 “You – you have to do better with your scent,” Prompto offered.  “I’m not feeling so great right now.”

 Aranea looked a little dumbstruck by the statement.  “My scent? Oh! You mean you want me to change it?”

 Prompto nodded his head furiously.  “Ignis can do one that’s really calming; I thought all alpha’s could.”

 “Ignis, as in the prince of Lucis’ advisor, Ignis Scientia?”

 “Uh-huh.”

 “How do you know Scientia?” Nyx asked worriedly.

 “I know of him. I don’t know him personally.  Besides, if Scientia likes you, I���m not touching you with a ten-foot pole, kid.  You should warn a lady first.” Aranea huffed. “Playing with fire has its dangers.  His mom must have known what he’d grow up to be to give him a name like Ignis.”

 “What are you thinking he’s responsible for ,anyway?” Nyx asked perplexed.

 “He’s a mastermind.  He plans and calculates and does things that no one else thinks of.  You’re probably here because he sent you.”

 Nyx pursed his lips but stayed silent.  

 “Well that answers that. So this scent thing. . . you say you want calming, huh?”  Aranea wrinkled her nose as she worked to adjust her pheromones.

 Prompto could tell instantly that she’d changed something.   Instead of the previously charged atmosphere, his heart rate was finally able to slow down.  He didn’t even notice she’d approached until he felt his foot move. She’d nudged his shoe with her boot.

 “Better?”

 He nodded and closed his eyes.

 “Hey kid!  Sit at the table with us!” she tried.

 Popping his eyes open once more. He accepted Aranea’s hand, and she tugged him upright.  Once he’d sat down, his mum forcefully drug his chair closer to hers. “Is that why you were so upset at the party the other night?  Did she do something to you?” Soliamare asked with a pained expression.

 “She threatened him with a knife and was trying to bite him I think,” Nyx cut in.

 “You were there!” Prompto shouted.  “Titan’s ass, it was you that slammed the door!”

 “Language, Prompto!” Soliamare reprimanded.

 “Sorry, mum. I didn’t know it was Nyx who saved me.  She was going to stab me or claim me, I couldn’t tell.”

 “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

 “You wouldn’t have believed me,” the blond lamented.

 Soliamare went to answer but closed her mouth a moment later.   “I’m so sorry, dear heart. I didn’t realize what her true character was.  Do you forgive me?”

 “Mum!” he cried. “Of course. Will you please let us leave now, though?  I don’t want to live here anymore. I want to go to Lucis. Noct wants to have us, and Ignis is helping him figure out how.”

 “You can add me to the list, too,” Aranea added with a grin.

 “What makes you think I trust you?!” exclaimed Nyx.

 “You will,      beta    . Don’t you want to keep an eye on me?” she asked innocently.

 Nyx shuddered and shook his head.  “Will you stop using alpha-influenced speech. it’s really hard to have a conversation with you.”

 “I know,” she offered, still smiling.  “      Beta    .”

 Nyx made a high pitched noise and clenched his fists on the table.  “Why me?” he huffed under his breath.

 “Why not you?” she asked.

 “Astrals save me.  Prompto, do you trust her?”

 “Can we ask Ignis?” he ventured.

 “Yeessss, let’s ask Scientia. I want to hear his voice.”

 “We can’t exactly call him; I can send a text, though.”

 Aranea frowned but still seemed excited by this development. “How exciting, coded messages.”

 Nyx sighed as he dug out his phone.  He typed for a few minutes and then put the phone down.

 “What did you say?” Soliamare asked.

 “If I told you, it wouldn’t make any sense.” Nyx lamented.

 Prompto assumed, since Nyx was calming down, that Aranea would probably stay with them unless Ignis texted him back something to the contrary.  Now they had to figure out how to get out of Niflheim and back to Lucis where it was safe. If Lady Saeva had hired someone to try and kill him, then she was serious about getting rid of him.  That thought was a little disheartening, but he was glad he had help to fight back. He wasn’t going to let Lady Saeva ruin his life.

       Ignis stared at his phone.  Oh dear, this was a very disturbing development.

 Nyx Ulric 10:48pm      :          New co-worker started today from rival company.  Not sure if they are on the up and up. Showing them the ropes now but things may change. The new girl’s a sharp cookie.  

 He had to act fast. Things were spiraling out of control, and he was getting very worried for Prompto’s safety.   The advisor grabbed his coat and ran out of his apartment. It didn’t take long before Ignis tracked down Ardyn. He was lounging in the gardens in the dark.  The man saw him coming and gave Ignis a puzzled look as he briskly strode over.

 “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” asked Ardyn from the shadows.

 “That vile woman has hired an assassin to go after Prompto,” Ignis hissed quietly.

 “Oh, that does move your timetable forward slightly.  I take it we are to be leaving within the hour?”

 “Yes. I must tell Noct and Gladio, and then we can go.”

 “Oh! I want to watch. I love it when our young prince gets riled up,” Ardyn exclaimed as he stood up and smoothed out his coat.

 “You enjoy it because he accidentally sets things on fire.” Ignis sighed.

 “It’s a Lucis Caelum thing, Ignis. You wouldn’t understand.”

 Rolling his eyes, they both started walking towards Noct’s suite.  Ignis had already texted Gladio with instructions to meet them there.  He could only hope that the prince would follow his directions.

 Noct, to his credit, didn’t set anything on fire.  Ignis could tell that Ardyn was terribly disappointed, but they didn’t have time to waste with such matters.   The dark-haired youth did try to weasel his way into coming, but his shield put a stop to that plan.

 Gladio was not going to let Noct leave Lucis - not with assassins running around.   Noct finally backed off and made them both promise to send him constant updates.  

 “Do you think he was able to convince his mom to leave?” Noct asked worriedly.  “He said he wasn’t going without her.”

 “I am not leaving Prompto in that situation.  I will strive to educate his mother on the reasons for leaving, but if she won’t come, then I can’t force her.”

 Noct looked confused for a moment.  “Um --.”

 “Save it princess, he basically just said he’s coming back with Prompto whether his mom likes it or not.” Gladio huffed.  “You both better get going. I don’t think snaky would cheap out on hired help for a job like that. You don’t have much time.”

 “Snaky is far too kind of a name for that harlot,” Ignis growled.  “We must go.” On that final note, he turned and left the suite. He hoped he wasn’t too late.  Nyx appeared to be handling what he could, but if Saeva got King Alban on her side, things would definitely take a turn for the worse.

 “My dear boy, I’ve not seen you so animated in quite some time,” Ardyn proffered as they walked towards the car waiting to take them to the airfield. “I do believe Sana’s assessment of imprinting is correct.”

 Ignis stalled briefly in the corridor.  “You talked to Sana?” he ventured.

 “When she visits I do, of course, but I’ve gathered this information from Gladio.”

 Picking up his pace again, Ignis wondered when that talk had occurred. “Do you and Gladio discuss things frequently?”

 “We had our reasons; we were concerned about you.”

 Ignis stopped for a second time. “Concerned? What on Eos would you both be worried about?”

 “Ignis, I know you can walk and talk. Shall we?” Ardyn gestured with his hand.

 “Did you consider it might be you who can’t walk and talk?” Ignis grumbled as he continued on.

 Arydn’s laugher broke the tension.  “I can do a great many things at the same time.”

 “Hmmm.  So why were you discussing me?” the advisor tried again.

 “Gladio correctly guessed that I’d met other imprinted mates, so he wanted my insight.  We have both noticed your change in behavior around Prompto.”

 “Though I desire to know more, I must be blunt due to our current situation.  Should I be worried about anything?” Ignis asked with furrowed brow.

 Ardyn smiled.  “No.”

 “That’s it? You have some possible life-altering talk about me, and I’ve nothing to worry about?” Ignis asked in disbelief.

 “You decided to rescue the lad, so you did the right thing.  No intervention needed.”

 Ignis opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words.

 “Imprinted mates don’t fare well if they don’t get together, Ignis.  Gladio simply wants you to be happy, which is why he sought my advice.”

 Taking a deep breath, Ignis hurried his pace as they raced to get to Niflheim.  It was astonishing that someone could hold such power over him after they’d only been in each other’s company for a day at most. Prompto might not even feel the same way.  He could travel there and be rebuffed. That would be a rather disappointing let down.

 It was pushing midnight when they finally boarded the dropship. Ardyn plunked down in a seat and promptly fell asleep. Ignis envied his ability to tune out the world when need be.  His mind was far too consumed with possible issues and problems that would await them when they landed.

 Suddenly overcome with an odd feeling of guilt, he pulled out his phone to text Gladio.

Ignis Scientia 12:05am: I’m doing the right thing, aren’t I?

 Breathing deeply, he waited to see if the shield would respond.  Thankfully, the man answered him within minutes.

Gladio Amicitia 12:08am: Of course you are the kid needs help.

Ignis Scientia 12:10am: You don’t think Noct is cross with me for ignoring him, do you?  I’ve been so focused on Prompto. I fear I’ve not been doing enough for his highness.

 His phone pinged nearly immediately after that.

Gladio Amicitia 12:11am: NO! and NO!

 Ignis looked down at his phone with wide eyes.  He assumed Gladio was typing more and waited for a follow up message.

Gladio Amicitia 12:14am: Noct would be sneaking out right now if I wasn’t here to prevent it.  He’s ecstatic that you’re taking action. Plus you do too much for princess as it is, he’ll survive.   Go get your omega!

 The last message helped dispel Ignis’ worried thoughts.  Even if Prompto turned him down, he would still help him escape Niflheim and start a new life elsewhere. Opening a text to Nyx, he alerted the glaive to their arrival.

Ignis Scientia 12:20am: I wish to interview your new coworker before the shift starts.  Will your office work?  

 They’d already arranged code words for meeting places in case this very scenario happened.  He could only hope Nyx would get his message in time.

 The glaive texted him back within minutes.

Nyx Ulric 12:25am: Please tell me the head of HR is coming too?

 Oh dear. This was very bad indeed.  If Nyx was already requesting backup, things were getting dangerous.

Ignis Scientia 12:27am: Even better, the VP.

Nyx Ulric 12:29am: Thank the six.

 The messages stopped after that, and Ignis could only prepare for the unknown.  His first order of business once they landed was to locate Prompto and Nyx and get the hell out.

>Next Chapter 8

#ffxv #fanfic #promnis #Ignis #Prompto