#absolutely feel free to choose which ardyn to go with

[betrayingcrown]

starter for @ardynzunia

--- A squint. Somnus intently observed a particular person with a rather familiar face. Was this really Ardyn? Was the really his brother? For now the man chose to observe and see how things will go.

[ifritini]

So the prompt was from a conversation that basically went “wait video games are real in FFXV that means I can play my favourite games haha nice” which devolved “haha the lads reacting to you falling for vidy game characters” and going with it. Basically I took a shitpost prompt and ran with it. 

Noctis Lucis Caelum

He is OFFENDED the moment you either say it casually or let it slip. After all he's the one who suggested playing the game together to spend time together, only for you to proclaim your love for one of the characters. To think you'd fall for someone that's not him and admit to it just like that? Preposterous. 

In his mind he knows it's all fictional and you truly love him. His heart however? It knows a thing or two about jealousy from even one offhand comment about your new fave video game spouse. There are of course doubts here and there over just how much you truly love him but he tries to ignore them. Success varies depending on his current peace of mind. As best as he tries to keep this jealousy up under wraps, it's hard for Noctis to not subconsciously pout over it. 

He knows you love him more than that person on the television screen but sometimes knowing for himself isn't enough and you telling him that your love for him is far greater if not entirely incomparable to that of a fictional character. He knows it's petty and childish, but he will be smug about it. Perhaps even a "Take that!" directed at them. 

Takes up to teasing you over it. "Oh look, there's your Prince not as charming as me." whenever they appear on screen. No, the pillow to the face won't shut him up no matter how many times you throw it at him. 

Prompto Argentum

He is distraught. Shaken. His own chocobae betraying him like this, in his own home no less. He is quickly reduced into a mess faster than you can add onto your passing comment; "Man I think I'm falling for this character.". He believes his entire love life career has ended then and there. Prompto has been trying to play the game of love and he just got a fatality. 

He's known jealousy towards characters before, wishing he was as cool or as smart as them in the past but now he's found a new type: your affection for them. He puffs out his chest and attempts to be ten times cooler ten times braver and ten times more badass than his newfound rival and it's hard for him to be subtle about it. 

Prompto does need to be told that it's only a passing fictional crush and your love for him outshines the crush for this character, and always will. Sure they're neat but he's the whole cake with a cherry on top.

Apologises weeks later for his crisis because he progressed further in the game and fell in love with a separate character and understands precisely how you feel. You two bond over your fictional crushes and holding their hands while lounging on Prompto's couch holding each other's hands. 

Gladiolus Amicitia

He is indifferent. Partially indifferent. The other part is mildly offended he now has competition he can't square up with face to face. Can this character hold you in their arms? Give you kisses? Take you on long hikes? No? Then what's the point of loving them when he's right there ready to do all that and more. 

He can't say much though. He plays a ton of fighting games (and mostly got good at them to wipe the floor with Noctis whenever they played against each other) and Astrals know how many times he's felt a little swoon over either lady or man who could snap his spine in half with no effort. Not to count the same crushes with the same standards from the plethora of books he's read. To protest your crush would make him a hypocrite and Gladiolus most certainly isn't one. 

Not to say he doesn't slip in "Bet they can't love you as much as I do." and bringing you closer without a warning and smothering you with all the love only he can give. Nope, not jealousy. Not one bit. "You realise I love you more right?" you ask and he just beams like he heard it for the first time again. 

Much like Noctis he will relentlessly tease you over this. No you can't shut him up. No he won't stop. No shoving a pillow in his face won't work like with Noctis and he'll dodge it. But Astrals forbid you find out about his own pile of fictional crushes because it works wonders as a counterattack. 

Ignis Scientia 

Mostly confused over literal pixels managing to get your affection. Not that he blames you considering his schedule offers little free time but he can't help but find himself… Thinking. The day he admits this "thinking" is his cover up for sulking is the day he will die. A small, horrible little thought wonders if you're finally falling out of love with him. Again, he won't blame you due to his work. 

As silly as it is Ignis admits he feels jealousy. To himself only of course. He would rather die than let anyone else know that some fictional person has his heart in a twist over you. Him being so in control over his emotions is his triumph, but after it's been eating away at him after a while it becomes his downfall. 

"Did you really think I'd legitimately choose anyone over you?" comes your response after he finally decides to open up what's causing his most recent fowl mood. He knows it's silly. He assumes you know he knows it's silly. Yet hearing those words has him beaming. Hiding the self assured smug smile becomes harder with each passing second. 

Won't tease you as bad as Noctis and Gladio, but does make a passing comment every now and then. Though instead of teasing you over your crush, it's more in the ilk of "A shame they're not there to hold you like I am." 

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret 

She is FLOORED. What do you mean you love them? And what is she? A worm to you? She will be pouting about this and she will be miffed you can't take her seriously when she looks cute doing anything, including pouting. A shame she is very much so guilty of the same thing. You distinctly remember her talking about some muscle bound sword wielding girl in a television show a day before and how dreamy she was, and a week before about some ditzy male character in a book she found cute. She won't win this. 

Jealous? Absolutely. Does she try to hide it? Yes and the keyword is try. You easily tell what's up when she's frowning at the television and that character appears. She'll have her few attempts at denying anything but finally caves in and admits that she does in fact envy your feelings for a bunch of pixels no matter how small the affection. 

Knows she shouldn't need reassuring that you love her most but that doesn't stop her from revelling it when you confess your undying love. You can tell by the slight puffing up of her chest that she feels a GREAT sense of victory over this. 

It's just back and forth teasing and both your fictional crushes turn into a battlefield. It's all a game who can get the other flustered worse and sadly there are no winners when you both end up a mess. It's all good, and the scores are always settled by cuddles right after the battle is fought. 

Ravus Nox Fleuret 

Frankly he is offended. Granted you cannot tell by his disgruntled look that seems to be ever prevalent no matter his current internal turmoil. He is right there in the flesh and you're fawning over pixels? He just doesn't get it and refuses to. Immediately takes the leap to conclusions and assumes you truly don't love this mess of a man anymore. Laments over his continuous loss and begins coming to terms with his fate of being unloved. 

Tries not to be passive aggressive over it but it turns out it’s something easier said than done. Somehow he manages to perfectly convey it without any words - just glaring an impressive amount of daggers at the television screen. Hasn’t felt this jealous since that time before he could even muster up the courage to confess to you and he found out some random Niflheim soldier was chatting you up. At least then his competition was tangible. How was he to prove himself over some funky colours on the screen? 

The cat’s finally out of the bag and your suspicions are confirmed when he makes his first ever direct remark: “What’s so great about them anyways.”. His tone absolutely takes you aback; he sounds like a sibling who received a second less worth of attention from a parent. Ravus has to get affirmation that you do in fact love him a whole lot more. Ravus will revel in this little fun fact - or would smug be a better word? 

Cannot tease you without feeling jealousy creeping up and he absolutely hates himself for it. And so instead you get little offhand comments such as “Let them best me in a duel and we will see who wins your hand in marriage.” No varying levels of exasperation in your sigh will deter him, he will refuse to relent. 

Ardyn Lucis Caelum

For the most part he is confused. Didn’t really think someone could catch a bad case of the feelings for a fictional character but sometimes it’s best some questions go unanswered. Jealousy? In my Ardyn? It’s… less likely than you think. He knows for a FACT whoever this person is on the screen cannot even begin to compare to what he has. Perhaps their one redeeming factor is not being a walking talking daemon parade and being able to not sting in sunlight but that’s not enough to outshine this package. 

Doesn’t stop him from making a big show out of it all. He sees the chance to dramatically drape himself over your lap, lamenting how his one love has been snatched away by this stranger. The antics cannot and will not end. 

Doesn’t really need confirmation that you do in fact love him more, but appreciates it when you say it nonetheless. That’s simply proving him right and the only thing he loves more than being right is you. The second bonus is more smugness to throw around. “Oh I pity that poor soul, never knowing what true love feels like. Unlike me, of course.”. 

And a pity for you, because he’s found a new weaponised way to tease you with. A whole ten miles farther than Noctis or Gladio could ever wish for, you’d swear he’s writing you some sort of self insert fanfiction on the spot. The pros? He seems to be putting quite a lot of effort into it. The cons? He’s doing it specifically just to fluster you, alongside the things he decides to come up with to achieve that goal. 

Aranea Highwind 

Her confidence has not wavered since she found out. Or rather, it hasn’t wavered that much. Psh, of course you still love her. Right?  Right? Good thing that inner turmoil is kept under wraps. She’d much rather an Astral strike her down where she stands rather than have to admit she has beef with a fictional character you just so happened to take a liking to. 

Gets all in a little jealous twist wondering exactly what she’s missing. What does that pixelated rando have that she doesn’t? A physical body for one and that leaves her ever so slightly questioning her lover capabilities. Has she failed? Is this how it ends? You somehow ride off into the sunset with this character somehow materialised? What a life to live and this shall be her legacy. 

Her act gets thrown off and while normally concerning, this time you’re grateful so you can pinpoint just what’s on her mind. She may huff all she wants but there’s not much one can do caught red handed. Logically she knows she doesn’t need that affirmation but emotionally? By the Astrals does she wanna hear it. “You do realise… I love you more right…?” Damn right you do. Her confidence has reached astronomical new levels. 

There is no grandiose teasing but there is a few smug comments. Her goto is looking at the screen and tutting; “A shame they’ll never be me, huh babe?”. Absolutely takes is as a competition and knows she can win every battle by simply stating that she can do it ten times better, and will do it now given the chance. 

[a-world-in-grey]

Copying down all of the wonderful stuff in the replies of my language hcs post so I can reply to everything in one post now that I’ve FINALLY got the time for it:

@kristen-chin​

This is a very interesting group of HCs...the implications of a world-wide King’s Speech are bleak indeed...though the English-Welsh comparisons have conjured up further tangents about Galadhian initiatives to get people to speak it again or more often (especially after the Burning) with something like the Free Galadhian Radio or Lucian roadsigns vandalised with Galadhian add-on terms like they did in Wales. Mostly in areas with lots of Galadhians, though I’ll bet the radio is popular with Kingsglaive

I do wonder if rather than full-on eradication of languages...there is the still shitty but maybe less bleak case where King’s Speech becomes the lingua franca (in part due to the shitty colonising tendencies of the Conqueror) like English but more people keep their languages outside of the spots where Lucian imperial activity went really bad.

@secret-engima​

They might have! I also thought that while there were ... bleak aspects to the globalization, a lot of places picked it up because it was USEFUL. It was the new trade language. Like ... idk Greek in the Roman Empire. Yes there are bad connotations to that too, but I remember someone telling me that Greek was used a LOT in the Roman Empire by all sorts of places that still had their own language because Greek was "universal" in the known world. Or something

@kristen-chin

yeah I totally agree with the usage being based on it being useful or more commonly spoken...an interesting add-on to that is that currently there are complaints in scholarship of people having to write articles in the lingua franca even when discussing subjects from their own cultures because it gets more attention that way. Which leads into hypothetical situations where there is just an intensely miffed young Verstael being torn between nationalistic boosting of the Niflheim [language] by writing all his stuff in it or translating his non-redacted research so it gets published in Accordan and Tenebraen science journals to flex on his competition

I mean the guy ends up researching a revisionist view of Lucian early history and runs a reasonably successful archaeology dig to prove his theories...I feel like he might want to show it off at the Lucians (cause controversy with heresy!!) even if he doesn’t mention Ardyn for secrecy’s sake.

Really, the implications behind world-wide King’s Speech are only as bleak as my hcs make them out to be because I’ve taken it to the far end of ‘there’s only King’s Speech in Eos with few exceptions.’ It grows less bleak if, like kristen-chin and SE discussed, it’s assumed that King’s Speech is merely the lingua franca of Eos that everyone grows up learning alongside their native tongue.

For my fic, history is not so kind, and that is definitely part of Lucian history that Lucis doesn’t like to talk about in the modern day.

Little Galahd is absolutely chock-full of the Galahdian language! Less like Welsh in the sense that Galahd never really lost their language even with the Burning (though if the refugees had a gil for every time some Insomnian asshole told them to ‘use the King’s Speech’ they’d be filthy rich) but the further into Little Galahd you go the less King’s Speech you see/hear.

There is a Free Galahdian Radio, and yes it is very popular with the Kingsglaive. Pretty much all the non-Galahdian glaives end up learning Galahdian simply because that’s the only radio station that ever gets played during downtime, and they pick it up over the course of a couple years. (Also, cursing out uppity Crownsguards in Galahdian is one of the major bonding activities in the Glaive.)

In my fic, the only places to pick up King’s Speech as a lingua franca instead of from forced assimilation are Accordo and Galahd. Galahd because they successfully told the Lucian invasions to fuck off until the Clever bribed them into joining the Empire, and Accordo because they’d picked up quite a bit of Lucian before seeing the writing on the wall and allying with Lucis before Lucis decided to conquer them too. 

Also, kristen-chin, your comment about Verstael being torn between national linguistic pride and wanting to one-up the Lucians still has me giggling. (Just, imagine the anticipatory glee over the metaphorical explosions his research will cause, and then the realization that he has to choose. The sheer affront on his face.)

[autumnstwilight]

Dawn of the Future summary-Noctis (Part 1 of 2)

time to see what our boy has apparently been up to in the crystal

-The section opens with Noctis fighting shadows outside the Citadel building, feeling there is something strange. He’s alone, and the scenery is colorless. Ghostly figures in golden armor appear and begin shooting at him, they don’t resemble Niflheim soldiers. He suddenly realizes that Ignis, Gladio and Prompto should be there but aren’t. -He enters the Citadel, but feels that it isn’t the Citadel he knows. The throne is illuminated in blue and he sits. He hears a voice saying This isn’t mine, yet it belongs to no one else, and senses an inhuman presence. Noctis realizes he is dreaming, and Bahamut speaks. “You are within the Crystal, where the soul of the Star dwells. A place for you to gain your power to become the True King. Receive the memories engraved in the Crystal, and fulfill your calling” -Noctis recalls the events in Gralea and Zegnautus Keep, leaving his friends behind to run for the Crystal, being sucked in, and Ardyn introducing himself. He sees a vision of the Crystal being brought to Eos and the skies becoming blue and the land turning green. A hall being built to hold the Crystal, and the population increasing. Ardyn and Somnus’ parents giving them the paired Rakshasa and Yaksha blades in the hope that they would rule together, then the brother’s conflict after their parents death… all of the memories in the Crystal from the beginning. -He sees the memories of Ardyn with Aera, and feels some sympathy, but also that Ardyn’s murder of Luna, for the sake of hurting him, is still unforgivable no matter what good things he did in the past. He then wonders if he is also unforgivable, as forming covenants with the Gods for his sake would have killed her shortly anyway, and sacrificing people for the sake of the kingdom is Somnus’ way of thinking. -He sees Ardyn’s imprisonment, and also Somnus’ establishment of the kingdom and the many kings who came after him, some even crueler, and some too kind. He also sees the establishment of Tenebrae, Niflheim and Accordo, and realizes people are all the same. Ardyn is released by Niflheim, Regis is chosen as one of the Kings of Yore and receives the prophecy, holding a young Noctis in his arms. -Noctis thinks that if Ardyn had not been released around that time, he would have been just another in the line of Lucis. He wouldn’t have been attacked by a daemon, or gone to Tenebrae and met Luna. His relationship with Gladio and Ignis would have been different. Verstael wouldn’t have succeeded with the MTs and thus Prompto wouldn’t exist. Fenestala Manor wouldn’t have been attacked, and Luna and Ravus would have remained there with their mother. And yet, fate is decided by the Gods and there is no other path. -He sees Ignis and Ravus arriving at the altar, Ravus saying that the Oracle’s duty continues after death, and her body vanishing as it does in Episode Ignis. He also sees the memory of Luna forming her first covenant with Shiva, and her escape from Insomnia with the Ring. -He realizes what Luna was going through while he was traveling with his friends enjoying the outside world for the first time - “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t know…” He understands Ravus’ anger now, and feels he was immature and ignorant, not even paying attention to the people who were reaching out to him and supporting him, self-pitying. He recalls Cor and Gladio when they told him to shape up. -He sees Ignis’ sacrifice in Altissia, and realizes Ignis never told him to avoid causing him more pain. He realizes to what extent he was a child, kept safe by everyone, and wonders if he can ever pay it back. -He sees his own future battle with Ardyn, his sacrifice on the throne and his passage into the Beyond, where he disappears. The reality that he must die to save the planet from being consumed by darkness. He grapples with his fate, knowing that it is inescapable, yet being frightened of it, not wanting to lose everything, whether to darkness or to death, wanting to live. -He looks up and sees his father, realizing that his father raised him while knowing his fate, and thus tried to let him live happily, thus sent him off with a smile, and apologizes. Regis says that parents should worry about their children, but children should not have to worry about their parents. “That said, you are not a child anymore…” “A king cannot lead by standing still. A king pushes forward, always, accepting the consequences and never looking back.” -He hands Noctis his sword, saying it is to protect the people and things that he loves, then vanishes when Noctis accepts. -Noctis thinks of the people and things he loves, the people and places he encountered during his journey. More than anything, he doesn’t want to waste Luna’s sacrifice. He wanted to save her more than anything, but if that isn’t possible, he at least wants to preserve proof that she lived. He sits down on the throne, and tells himself to think and choose. He then awakens in Ardyn’s cell in Angelgard. -He meets with Umbra and receives the notebook in which Luna wrote, “I’m safe”, followed by her diary of her travels. He realizes that ten years have passed, and that the Crystal only showed him its memories of up until the day he entered the Crystal. He vows not to lose anyone again like he lost Luna, and tells Umbra that he’ll return the notebook to Luna himself. Her last message says “I’ll wait for you in the Citadel.” -He takes the boat to Galdin, where he meets Sol, who has been checking the area a few times a day for his return. He already knows about her from Luna’s notebook, and says he trusts her. Umbra vanishes, as Sol is there to lead him. Sol receives a call, tells the person she’s with the King, and asks if they want to talk to him, then sighs and hangs up. -The caller was Gladio, who can’t talk because he has a guest [Wait what why did he call then???] But he said to meet in Hammerhead. Noctis asks if the three of them are okay, particularly worried about Ignis, who is still blind, and Prompto, who might have difficulty fighting and aiming in such darkness. Sol tells him that Prompto helps Cindy transport goods, and Ignis says that no one can see much in the dark anyway. Sol says that everyone will be happy to see him. -Sol talks a bit about meeting Luna and how she threw the supplies out of the sidecar of the motorcycle when they first met. She says Luna is bad at card games but incredibly good at five finger fillet (the stab-between-your-own-fingers knife game). Noctis recalls that he used to practice it while Ignis made very unimpressed faces at him. Also Noct started because he saw Ravus doing it. -[they’re all idiots oh my god] -Anyway then Sol says the thing that surprised her most about Luna was her “calling” to fight Ardyn and Noctis is like “WAIT WHAT” -Luna mentioned in the notebook that she was going to the Citadel to talk to Ardyn (which is indeed her current plan), but she never told Noctis that Bahamut had asked her to kill Ardyn. Noctis wonders why Bahamut would have given her such a mission when he has the Ring, which is supposedly the only way to kill Ardyn. He asks Sol, and learns that Luna’s new power is absorbing daemons. Given what he knows about Ardyn’s past, this is concerning. -Sol admits that Luna has become a daemon, and that it’s her fault for asking her to save Aranea. Noctis reassures her that Luna would have helped because it’s the kind of person she is. Noctis tells her to contact Gladio and tell him that he’s going directly to the Citadel to try and save Luna. He realizes that the Gods never grant enough power to save everyone, and if he wants to do that, he’ll have to do it himself. -Meanwhile Luna is not having much success convincing Ardyn to cooperate, he mocks her for thinking he’d work with a puppet of the gods who is supposed to kill him. She says that Bahamut is planning to destroy everything on Eos, and Ardyn says that sounds good to him. He then asks her to leave, since he’s waiting on a different guest. Luna says that Aera Mirus Fleuret asked her to save him, at which Ardyn angrily tells her to shut up. When she pushes the matter, he summons Ifrit. -Noctis drops Sol off at Hammerhead and heads straight for the Citadel [SERIOUSLY? He was right there and didn’t grab the bros first???] He encounters a daemonified King of Yore, who he fights alone, feeling painfully the absence of his friends [who he couldn’t wait two seconds at Hammerhead for, apparently]. He cracks the King’s mask and finds Somnus underneath. -Noctis notices his resemblance to Somnus and how that must make Ardyn feel. Somnus expresses sorrow for his brother, and asks Noctis to save him. Noctis agrees and Somnus thanks him. Noctis questions why the Gods never gave powers like Ardyn’s to Somnus, or anyone else, for that matter. And also why they gave those powers to Luna now. -Meanwhile, Luna is attempting to absorb the Starscourge out of Ifrit, while still arguing with Ardyn. Ardyn maintains that he’s absolutely fine with the world being destroyed, though it would be “perfect” if he could kill Bahamut too. Luna tries to convince him that Bahamut cannot be killed as long as he still exists in the Beyond, and they need to work together, but she is overcome by the pain of fighting Ifrit. -However, she succeeds in freeing the god from the Starscourge and Ifrit turns to attack Ardyn. Luna doesn’t want that fight to happen, so she quickly asks Ifrit to form a covenant with her. At length, Ifrit agrees. -Ardyn claps and says that was an entertaining show. Luna loses consciousness. -Noctis arrives in the Citadel and Ardyn says, “I’m afraid you’re out of luck. You were just a little too late.” Luna has fully transformed into a monster. Noctis demands to know what Ardyn did to her, but Ardyn says that she decided to remove the Infernian’s Starscourge of her own free will. Luna attacks Noctis with her spear while Noctis begs her to recognize him. -A giant sword falls from the sky, and Bahamut voice says that the King’s role has ended. Bahamut granted humans powers to end the Scourge, but they repeated foolish acts and thus he will no longer protect them. Instead, he intends to end life on Eos. That is the new fate that must be accepted. He commands Luna to release her power as queen of the daemons. Luna ascends into mid-air, and releases a blast of energy, destroying the throne room. -Ardyn awakens from being knocked out to see Luna surrounded by what appear to be smaller copies of Bahamut. He realizes Bahamut is readying Teraflare, and also that his existence in both Eos and the Beyond means that he can’t be killed or inflicted with Starscourge. However, if he uses Teraflare and fails, he might be forced back into hibernation (the same way the Gods had to rest after the Great Astral War). -Bahamut raises the Citadel building into the air so that humans can’t reach the Crystal. Ardyn warps up to it, knowing Noctis will also head toward Luna.

[endwalkr]

this is an ask based thingy but im really in the mood to infodump so im just gonna answer them all under the cut !

Favorite video game?

starting off with the absolute hardest question huh? i can’t possibly name ONE favorite game of mine because i adore my favorites for many different reasons. my overall favorite video game is ffxv or botw. ffxv because it has brought me so much joy for such a long time, and because i have such a connection with the characters. botw because i was actually in the fandom when it first got announced in 2016 so i got to be there when the hype was at an all time high– and finally being able to play the game after waiting for so long was an unforgettable experience. i have more favorite games but ill talk more about them in the ‘’special place in ur heart’’ question.

First console you owned?

my first console wasn’t a console. my friend and i used to play on her nintendo dsi all the time and at one point tiny little me reeeally wanted one of my own so i saved up and got one in [redacted] when i was 7. my first actual console was a wii though, we got that around the same time.

A game that holds a special place in your heart?

ffxv and botw mean the absolute world to me, but super mario galaxy and skyward sword are very important to me too. skyward sword is the game that got me into zelda which got me into anime which got me into final fantasy etc etc etc.  super mario galaxy was the first non-mini game collection and more adventure story-ish game i played. i was so proud when i beat it for the first time and mario was my first ever ‘’fandom’’ :’) 

Favorite video game character?

bro. i cant pick just one so i’ll choose one per game : prompto, ryuji and link. they were all my comfort characters at some point and i projected like crazy onto them. this doesnt mean that i wouldnt absolutely die for noct or zelda. 

Least favorite video game character?

i dont think theres anyone i distinctly dislike? i always talk about hating ardyn but that’s because he’s just a salty bitch. as a character i think he’s a great villain and i rly love him. i honestly always end up liking everyone somehow, maybe there is someone i just forgot about but i cant remember at all. 

Favorite genre?

adventure games, or action rpgs. 

Video game character you’ve had a crush on?

every character ever, but i distinctly remember the moment i fell in love with prompto sjghfkshd i was watching a playthrough of xv in december 2016 because i didnt have a ps4, and the guy got to the scene in galdin quay where the bros learn insomnia fell. i had watched about 6 hours of the game by that time and wasn’t particularly interested in the characters but not uninterested enough to drop it. i hadnt even gotten a good look at the characters faces yet, so when the camera zoomed in on prompto when he said ‘’might not be save for us here!’’ i noticed he had freckles. oh god. oh fuck. oh my god hes fucking cute. oh my god better watch 30 hours of this game now

First video game you remember playing?

wayyy before i got my own gaming systems, my then-best friend had a gamecube in her attic. i was around 5 or 6 at the time. whenever i was over at her house and we didnt know what to do, she’d sometimes propose to play ‘’mario kart’’. important is that we are dutch, and i was a literal child. i thought mario KART meant it was a fucking card game, so i always declined whenever she asked. on one fateful day, i finally gave in and was pleasantly surprised it was in fact not a card game, but a viddy game. so we played mario kart double dash. (…i had never played a video game in my life besides browser flash games and was Very Very bad)

Age you started gaming?

so i played my first video game that i didnt own when i was about 5 or 6. then i got my first supply of games at age 7/8, but i dont really consider that time to be when i started ‘’gaming’’. i’d say that was when i started mario galaxy, so i’ve been playing video games for real (ie. story adventure games with boss battles) for about 6 years now.

Hardest video game you’ve played?

this is gonna sound stupid, but the witcher 3. there’s like 7 difficulties and i played on the EASIEST and still had a hard time, i just couldnt get used to the combat. i had the same problem with assassin’s creed syndicate, but after about 10 hours i actually knew what i was doing, and ive played the witcher longer than that and still am clueless. this is kind of an unpopular opinion but i dont particularly like that game

Video game you’ve spent the most time on?

i guess i am what you’d call a casual gamer; i really like video games but during a normal school week i only game for like 2-6 hours. most of the time i dont play for like 2 weeks if im busy. gaming has kind of taken over my life not because i play so much but because i get so emotionally invested lol i’m currently on summer break and even now im not playing a lot because of exhaustion and executive dysfunction. this derailed slightly but the game i’ve played the most despite my casual gamer status is …. … …. ffxv. surprise, right? the runner up is botw, but xv wins by a landslide. 630+ hours. botw is 350. my main save in ffxv is almost 200 hours i think. damn. i really managed to keep myself entertained with that game… (………i was thinking recently, since the loading screens in xv are so long, how much of this total amount was spent watching screens. i imagine it’s several hours, especially if you fast travel a lot.)

Most embarrassing gaming moment?

many moments in my gaming experience are embarrassing, but a more recent one: i was in xv’s postgame, beating some dungeons on my new save file. i had just finished daurell caverns and hadn’t saved in about 2 hours. (uh oh) i was driving around in the regalia type d and got to the big cliff near lestallum, and remembered someone made a gif of jumping in there so i wanted to try it too. i imagined the game would just put me back on the road, like it does when you crash into something. except it didnt. i got a game over. where was my last save? 2 hours back all the way in hammerhead. yippee.

Scariest video game you’ve played?

i never play horror games, cuz for me games are supposed to be relaxing experiences. no hate towards horror games of course, they just stress me out. the only time ive played horror is when friday the 13th was for free on ps+, and my friends really wanted to play it. (theyre kinda addicted to it now. huh) they had already gotten over the initial fear of having jason chase you, but i was still terrified. i can play the game without getting scared now tho. the horror sound effects just rly freaked me out at first jhsdkghsd

Most memorable gaming moment?

playing breath of the wild for the first time, or beating it for the first time. both experiences were filled to the brim with excitement and nostalgia. seeing botw as a blank slate, a world for you to explore, having no idea where you’re going… that was pretty incredible. now i know every nook and cranny of the map, so i wish i could play it for the first time again. i was so incredibly immersed. beating it was insane. i cried for 30 minutes and the end wasnt even sad, i was just so amazed at the fact that i was really here, playing breath of the wild, it was really real. the fucking main theme in the background (which i cannot for the life of me listen to without crying) didnt help with my emotions sgkdjh

Video game character you wish you could meet in real life?

…………..its prompto again. maybe 2017 me …. was .. kind of a kinnie

PC, Xbox, Playstation, or Nintendo?

i dont care about console wars at all, but i think hardware-wise, pc is the best, because if you have a good pc you can basically do anything. i however do not, so i just play on consoles. ive never particularly liked xbox, so i only play ps4 and nintendo. not the switch though. its kinda petty, but my best friend and i really dont like the switch djghks

Gaming company you’re most loyal to?

none. i used to call myself a nintendo nerd (oh my god…. i m. gonna die) in like 2015 but since the switch came out and since i got a ps4 they kinda lost me. i still like their game series of course, but as a company i don’t care for them. the only reason i see square enix as one of ‘’my’’ gaming companies is because ffxv took up like 70% of my gaming experience, but besides final fantasy i don’t really love them too much either.

If you could only play one video game for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

atm i’m really into ffxiv because theres just so much to do, but that’s just a new, possibly temporary interest. if i had to choose, i’d say botw. maybe i’d say ffxv, but i feel like running around doing nothing in that game isnt very fun, because the world is sorta empty after completing every quest and getting to level 120. in botw, just fucking around on your horse is still really relaxing and nice. 

Do you use strategy guides?

yup. in certain games i try to avoid them but i usually end up stuck or in need of advice. i couldn’t have gotten so many p5 trophies if not for the internet lol

How often do you use cheats?

never, simply because the games i play often do not have cheats. unless im playing the sims and are in need of a motherlode, i dont use them.

Competitive or single player?

single player. im bad at video games and like to do stuff at my own pace. online multiplayer can be fun every now and then in games like mario kart 8 or splatoon, and i also like teamwork stuff like ffxiv or comrades. but ultimately, i prefer playing on my own.

Video game character you want to/have cosplayed?

have never cosplayed, dont have plans to either, but it would be fun to cosplay link. omg. i just remembered i have that fucking chocomoogle shirt… sorry link im gonna slap on some sasuke hair, black jeans and ugly sneakers 

Ever go to a video game convention?

i have not, i have however gone to three (3) video game concerts which is basically the same thing. 

Hardest boss fight you’ve been in?

the hardest bosses for me are usually the ones with a gimmick. you have to use a certain item or tactic to beat them or something. other hard fights for me are when you fight someone with a similar skill set. (in ffxv, this happens twice, once with the iggy-noct sparring match and once against ardyn. somehow, the final boss was easier than getting the prince to eat vegetables.) i don’t know an actual example of THE hardest boss fight ive been in though. at the time, the first bowser battle in mario galaxy was the hardest thing in the universe and i got stuck for like a month. currently, i’m having trouble with the riku-ansem fight in kh1. 

Video game you wish you could burn from your memory?

the zelda cdi games? no, i dont really know. i dont hate a game so much that i’d want to forget about it altogether, but i dont exactly love ocarina of time that much. it hasnt aged well and playing it on the gamecube for the first time in 2015 wasnt a good idea. im sure it was revolutionary at the time, but i cant handle the outdated controls gsdgksjs 

Favorite gaming series?

see, i love ffxv itself more than the entirety of the zelda series, but i dont love ff as a SERIES more than the zelda games. so if were talking series, zelda for sure. i fucking love those games and they mean a lot to me. 

Do you skip tutorials, or find them useful?

i often skip them because i cant pay attention, but then find that i need them anyway. so i usually do skim through them. 

Best online gaming experience?

one really good one happened a few days ago in ffxiv, some guy and i exchanged emotes for like 30 minutes and it ended with us becoming friends on psn :’) ppl dont usually emote back at me in that game so this was really wholesome and nice gjshksdj 

Worst online gaming experience?

i dont really have a worst? theyre more annoying. think try harders in gta online killing you 15 times in a row because they want to show you how good they are or something. magically, online gaming hasnt been too hard on me (mainly because i dont game online that much)

Why do you game?

it brings me joy. it’s a fun way of relaxing, while being stimulated at the same time. games have meant a great deal to me the past 6 years and i wouldnt want to lose them for the world.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Fic: Nocturne (30/30) - Ao3 Link

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Pairings: Mostly Gen

Summary: In which Cor Leonis loses his temper, accidentally acquires a kid, and tries to single-handedly dismantle the Lucian immigration system – and that’s before he and his lawyers find out about this Prophecy business. If the Astrals think Cor’s going to let his kid’s best friend die without a fight, they’ve gotten the wrong cheetah ‘taur.

(a young adult novel set in @kickingshoes’ ‘taur AU)

—————————————————————————————— ——————————————————————————————

“You know, maybe I ought to be the one in charge,” Aulea says, reclining on the bed to stretch out her hindlegs and forelegs, smirking at Regis as she does. “If we’re putting a regency in place anyhow…”

“My love,” Regis says, lifting her hand and kissing it. “You’re already in charge.”

She laughs. “Maybe I want formal control,” she says mischievously. “You can be my Prince Consort, how do you like that?”

“Does that mean you can take afternoon court and I can – oh, wait, you attend afternoon court with me as it is,” Regis sighs dramatically as Aulea snorts. “For shame. And here I’d been imagining a life of leisure.”

“Fat chance,” she giggles. “But look on the bright side: I could shake all the hands and sign all the formal documents, while you could be in charge of hosting all the parties.”

“I’ve seen your parties,” Regis says dryly. “I’ll take the shaking and the signing.”

Aulea hums in agreement. “It’ll only be worse now that we’re making peace with Niflheim, you know. There’ll be food requests. Weird new customs to adjust to. Seating charts.”

“You’re not making this whole Prince Consort business sound very appealing, you know,” Regis tells her. “What must a ‘taur do to get a nice, stress-free position in this government?”

“Not be in government,” Aulea laughs. “For a start.”

“Think we can get Clarus to do it?”

“Regis!” Aulea smacks him lightly with a pillow.

“We are discussing a regency!” he laughs. “We could put anyone there – after all, I’ve abdicated! I’m an ex-king!”

“You know, I think you’ve already found what may be the one government position in which you don’t have to do anything. And yet here you are, giving it up.”

“I’ve clearly gone mad,” Regis says.

“Clearly,” Aulea agrees. “Which means, of course, that it’s only right for me to take the throne.”

“I’m sorry, my dear,” he says, catching her around the waist and pulling her closer. “I’m going to coup you and seize power from under your fingertips in order to put myself in as regent.”

“You monster!” she mock-gasps. “Stealing the power away from your only son!”

“Mmm,” he says, nuzzling her cheek. “You know, ever since the Ring was destroyed in that final confrontation with Ardyn, I’ve been feeling positively peppy – we could always see about fixing that ‘only’ business –”

“Why, Regis, you old tomcat–”

“I think that’ll do it,” Clarus says, putting his pen down and looking at the newest version of the peace treaty that he’s marked up with satisfaction. “We’re getting close to something that may even be sustainable.”

Cyrella snorts, flicking her tail in his direction. “Really, Clarus? Optimism?”

He shrugs. “It’s a new age. I don’t see why not.” He grins. “Besides, if they disagree, our armies are in a far more equitable posture at the moment, and with Tenebrae demanding actual independence in exchange for refereeing this agreement, even if they do pull a draft, we’ll have early notice of it.”

“There is that,” she says, smiling. “But a preliminary question: do you think they’ll sign it?”

“That may take a bit more doing,” he concedes.

“Well, if they don’t, I’ll hit them with the Sword of the Tall until they agree,” Cyrella says, sounding very pleased with the idea.

“Not very diplomatic of you,” Clarus says. “Also, shouldn’t you give that back at some point?”

“I don’t see why.”

“Cyrella.”

“Don’t you ‘Cyrella’ me,” she says, pointing at him. “I just helped save the world. The least I deserve for my active participation is a sword as long as I am tall that is absolutely badass.”

“You’re absolutely badass enough on your own, you know.”

“Thank you. Still not giving it back.”

Thinking to himself that it would be wiser to withdraw from this field of battle, at least for now, Clarus decides a change in subject is called for. “You know, when this is done and Regis is re-installed as monarch – or, at least, as regent until Noctis is appropriately of age –”

“Which, if we leave the choice up to Noctis, won’t happen until he’s at least forty,” Cyrella opines.

“…you’re not wrong. But as I was saying, when this is done, Reggie is going to be reigning over a peacetime kingdom for the first time in his life.”

“So?”

“So, my dear, that means he doesn’t exactly have much immediate use for his War Minister, does he?” Clarus asks, arching his eyebrows at her. “Or, for that matter, his Shield.”

“Clarus Amicitia,” she says. “Are you suggesting that we might take a vacation?”

“I am indeed,” he says.

“And what exactly did you have in mind?”

“Well,” he says, smirking. “You did seem like you liked the way I described Galahd…”

Her tail flicks again, this time with interest. “I did,” she says. “Gladio sounded like he liked it, too.”

Clarus arches his eyebrows at her. “Are we lacking for babysitters now? I was thinking we’d leave him here.”

“With who? Regis and Aulea are going to be thinking the same thing, you know; you so much as as hint at a vacation and they’ll sign up right alongside.”

“Yes, they will,” Clarus says patiently. “But you know who isn’t?”

“…Cor.”

“Cor,” he agrees.

“He’s going to kill you,” she predicts.

“Well,” Clarus says. “Luckily for me, my wife’s just come in to ownership of this sword – long as she is tall, I’ve heard it said – ‘absolutely badass,’ even –”

Cyrella laughs.

“I cannot believe you!” Libertus bellows. He’s gotten pretty good at it. “You were supposed to be at training! You were supposed to be leading training!”

“I’m sorry!” Nyx yelps. “I didn’t – I was just –”

“In the storage shed?!”

“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing!”

“With Aranea Highwind?!”

“Hey, I’m a member of the Crownsguard Aerial Corps,” Aranea says, flicking her tail smugly. “You have no authority over me.”

“And yet, oddly enough, you’re on the Kingsglaive training field right now,” Libertus says. “Besides, weren’t you going out on a date with his sister the other day?”

“…maybe.”

Libertus crosses his arms. “Stop screwing my lieutenants. Or else.”

Aranea crosses her arms. “Or else what?”

“Or he’ll hand you over to me,” Cor says mildly from behind her, causing both her and Nyx to jump into the air. “Or would you say I also don’t have authority over you, Crownsguard?”

“Um,” Aranea says.

“I have more pamphlets,” Cor adds cheerfully.

She turns pale.

“You seem to have gotten the idea behind the whole asexuality thing,” Cor muses. “But maybe a few on healthy sexual practices –”

“I’ve changed my mind,” Aranea says hastily. “Libertus, I accept whatever punishment you choose to bestow.”

“I thought I ‘had no authority’ over you?”

“I’m willing to put that aside!”

“Oh, one thing,” Cor says. “Before you impose punishment, Captain –”

Libertus winces.

Cor smirks.

“– I think you should consider expanding that punishment to three.” He reaches down with one forepaw and stamps on the ground.

There’s a yowl and Hemera leaps into the air, clutching her tail.

“You too?” Libertus howls.

“I wasn’t doing anything!” she signs quickly. “I came to argue with Nyx!”

“Over?”

“Well, see, I thought it was my turn, and he thought –”

“You’re all on punishment duty! Now!”

Luna’s having a pretty good day so far.

School’s let out early, she’s going to meet her girlfriend for a nice lunch, and – she’s never going to get over this – they’re not at war.

She has a delightful spring in her step as a result, kicking up her heels cheerfully as she trots along, turning the corner to go around the Kingsglaive training grounds – she likes taking that route, even if it is a bit longer, because it provides such delightful eye candy.

(Yes, she’s dating Cindy, but Cindy of all people understands the importance of some good eye candy.)

“Hey! Luna!”

Luna blinks and looks around when a new Kingsglaive trainee appears in front of her in a burst of warping.

Dark hair, dark eyes –

“Crowe? What’re you doing here?”

“They opened a junior wing for the Kingsglaive, since it’s still building up,” Crowe says, beaming at her. “We come here for the last few years of school and part-time with the Kingsglaive, getting us ready to join on the officer track. They’re hoping to expand.”

“That’s – great,” Luna croaks.

She hasn’t seen her in years.

Crowe’s grown.

She’s lean and dark and her eyes are flashing and her cheeks are flushed and her maned fox hindquarters are lean and sharp and –

Oh dear.

She’s very attractive.

Luna, you have a girlfriend, Luna reminds herself desperately. And Crowe is dating – uh –

“How’s your girlfriend?” Luna blurts out. “Back in Galahd?”

“No idea. We grew apart and ended up breaking up,” Crowe says cheerfully, totally unphased. “It happens. How about you? You seeing anyone?”

“Uh – yes – there’s this girl –”

“Heya, bambi girl!” a familiar voice trills out. “You ready for lunch?”

“Cindy!” Luna exclaims, relieved. Show, not tell; that will surely make this conversation easier.

Right?

Cindy hops over. “You were running late,” she says with a grin. “Oh – and who’s this?”

“Crowe Altius,” Crowe says, sticking out her hand, her eyes going a bit round in appreciation, which is pretty much everyone’s usual response to Cindy. “Nice to meet you.”

“Cindy Aurum,” Cindy purrs. She’s got a surprisingly good purr for a jackrabbit. “And darling, trust me, the pleasure’s all mine.”

Luna’s in trouble.

Good trouble, bad trouble, she’s not sure yet – but definitely trouble.

“You’re – you’re serious?” Ravus says, staring at his mother over the dining room table.

“That the ruler of Tenebrae has always been the Oracle is more tradition than any legal requirement,” Sylvia says, smiling at her son.

“Trust me, I’ve checked,” Scientia interjects. “At length. With some difficulty, because your libraries are still being reconstructed.”

“It’s unseemly to brag about doing your job,” Sylvia jibs back, rolling her eyes.

Scientia sniffs. “I didn’t have to take the job.”

“Why are you even here?” Sylvia complains. “I know we agreed to have joint family dinners, but Luna’s off on date night and the younger children are all sleeping over somewhere –”

“I always could go, you know,” Scientia says. “I’ll just be taking the food I brought with me.”

“You can stay,” Ravus says quickly.

“Ravus!”

“Sorry, Mom. But the food is really good.” He shrugs when she glares at him. “It is!”

“Well, yes, it is,” Sylvia concedes. “But we’re getting away from the point.”

“That you still owe me one?” Scientia coughs into her hand.

“One day you two will have to explain that,” Ravus says. “But first – you actually want – you want me to inherit the throne of Tenebrae?”

“You’re my eldest son,” Sylvia says. “And you love the blue hills of Tenebrae as much as I do. Luna – well, Luna’s young. She may yet grow into the role, but I don’t think so. Right now, she wants to explore, to travel – she wants to be a healer, not a queen, and she’d never have the patience for all of hard work of ruling a country. You do.”

“And you don’t – what I did –”

“You need to learn to forgive yourself,” Scientia says crisply. “Accept your failures, understand them, decide not to do them again, and move on.”

“Are you the one with experience ruling a country here or am I?” Sylvia asks acidly.

“Were you going to give him any other advice?”

“That isn’t the point –”

“What would I have to do?” Ravus interrupts, looking at his mother with wide eyes. “Going forward?”

“Not much different than what you do now,” Sylvia says. “You stand by my side, you watch and you learn – Tenebrae’s going to be independent now, and that’ll be a learning experience for both of us. You’ll have a lot more classes in a hundred different subjects – but you’ll have me to guide you through it. Is that something you want?”

“Yes,” Ravus says, smiling so hard it looks like it hurts. “Yes. I do.”

“All right, you’ve got the set up down, right?” Noctis says into his headset microphone, looking around him to confirm that everyone else on his side is set up, too.

Prompto gives him a thumbs-up and Gladio grins.

Ignis just stares at his screen, but that’s okay; he always does that right before they go in. Prompto likes to joke that he’s calibrating.

Noctis doesn’t really care, since whatever it is, it seems to work. Ignis is deadly.

“Yeah, we’re good, assuming your pathetic connections can keep up with ours,” the voice says over the headset, snotty and arrogant as always.

Ugh, Noctis can’t believe they’re friends with this jerk.

“I wouldn’t worry about that, Loqi,” Gladio replies. “We’re gonna kick you and your friends’ hindquarters even with you Niffs tearing down all our towers to get yourself a leg up.”

“Yeah, right,” Loqi snorts. “You just want an excuse to explain how bad you’re going to lose.”

“You wish.”

“Enough chatter on the lines,” Ignis says, his voice dark and somehow incredibly intimidating. “Let’s get started.”

“What Iggy said,” Noctis adds, to help fill the cowed silence in the wake of Ignis’ declaration. “Let’s get this show on the road!”

“I’m just happy that they finally expanded this MMORPG to be cross-border,” Prompto says happily. His tail is wagging like mad, but then, he’s always been remarkably unaffected by Ignis’ unparalleled skill at trash talk. “It was getting boring just fighting Lucian teams all the time.”

“No kidding,” one of Loqi’s friends – Noctis doesn’t know her name, just her user handle – says. “The league in Niflheim has been dull as dust ever since Gralea basically dropped off the usenet for a while there.”

“Consider less censorship,” Gladio recommends.

“Says the people who weren’t allowed on the network at all for how long?”

“We were on a different network, moron.”

“I still think we should be allowed to bring in an electronic avatar version of the Kaiser Behemoth,” one of the other Niff kids says.

“You’re not allowed to,” Prompto says. “You just be glad we let you keep the Kaiser Behemoth. The real one, I mean.”

“The Kaiser Behemoth’s pretty awesome,” the Niff – presumably from Gralea – concedes.

Noctis decides to ignore them all and click on the loading screen. Everyone quiets down as soon as they see it, mentally planning their first moves once their avatars all get dropped into the same landscape – chosen at random, as is only fair.

The best part of this, he thinks happily, is that he can even tell his parents that he was ‘fostering a further relationship with peers in Niflheim’ or whatever they’re calling it nowadays.

The screen finishes loading.

“Glory to the empire!” Loqi shouts gleefully, his character leaping forward.

“Long live Lucis!” Gladio shoots back, his own character jumping up to intercept.

"Long live Eos!" Noctis laughs.

And the game begins.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: And that's all she wrote, folks! (Literally.) I hope you enjoyed the story!

[moonraccoon-exe]

Ignis Scientia, originally from Tenebrae, raised alongside Ravus and Luna as brother and friend, the future advisor to Prince Ravus, forever loyal and loving. How would their relationship have changed Ravus from what we know of today? How would it have changed history? Noctis never having Ignis in his life, along with Gladio and Prompto never knowing Ignis Scientia? Like, how would have things been different? Hell, maybe the story would've gone on the way it did. Hmmm...I wonder, though.

((It’s not exactly that, but your entry reminded me a bit of The Princes of Lucis, this fic where no journey or Empire invasion happened and everyone’s happy and there’s Ravnis vs. Gladnis ahahaha.))

Dude, YES!!!

Tenebraean Ignis has something hnnfg. I really like what you’re suggesting here. Can you imagine?

I think that, to start off, Ravus would have been a tad bit happier. Sure, they still take Lunafreya from him, he has to watch her wither with every Astrals she awakens, and etc. But at least he’s not entirely, completely alone; he has his loyal adviser, his loyal friend, his loyal brother next to him.

The Ravus + Ignis relationship would be very, very strong. They would understand each other greatly, they would be each other’s complement. They’re both wise each otheir own way; Ignis could be the sense when Ravus lacks of it,and Ravus can be the confidence when Ignis lacks of it. 

But it’s also about the Niflheim invasion on Tenebrae.

This scenario has Ignis in it, on the Tenebraean side. There where Queen Sylva is murdered in front of not only Ravus, but also Ignis, who could have, as young, stood in the way between the queen and the prince. Where Regis ran away with Noctis in arms, and where Lunafreya stays behind when she turns and sees the queen dead and Ravus and Ignis curled up together, and she chooses to stay with them.

This would mean that Niflheim would take Ignis as part of them like they did to Ravus!

I guess Lunafreya was more or less ‘free’ after Niflheim took over Tenebrae because she’s the Oracle and etc., but I’ve always understood and seen it as Ravus being taken from throne rights to become a Nif soldier; no queen, Ravus should be king, but instead of that he focuses on working as Niflheim’s Commander, so I do think he was taken from throne rights. 

...which means so was Ignis. Not from throne rights, but he turns from the prince’s adviser to another soldier. Who knows, maybe Niflheim takes him as strategist as well. 

In any case, Ignis and Ravus would still stick together. And that’s part of why their bond would be so, so big and unbreakable; not only they grow up together as brothers, they also stay together after they’re taken from everyone else. So, in a way, each is the only thing the other has. Of course all the love (in whatever way) focuses in each other, and with the rough, very awful, terrible times they must have gone through, it would only grow stronger, as they go through them together.

High Commander Ravus and Imperial Strategist Ignis.

somebodypleasedrawthat*cough*

I think that while Ignis could have gone serious and cold like Ravus did, it would no be as intense, and Ravus wouldn’t be so cruel either. It would be like they both become colder, but not as much as they’d do had they been alone. 

I think Ravus wouldn’t be as dead inside as he is. He’d have had company, a wise and loyal friend always by his side, to keep his human side alive, his goodness reigning over the bad, the light to win against the dark. Maybe none is necessarily happy, but at least they don’t go full evil mode. 

The change in Ravus’ personality and feelings sounds good!

...but I want you to think about Imperial Strategist Ignis Scientia.

Hngnfdgnfdngd

Lucis is fucked.

Who knows, maybe it’s Ignis who gets them a much earlier victory. Maybe they don’t even need to do the fake treaty thing, Ignis would find ways to do that more subtly and win with a less cruel but more crude way.

And that’s the end? Commander Ravus + Imperial strategist Ignis = Lucis loses fast, clean and quick. That’s...even more frightening than the huge attack on the capital. Brr.

Ravus, not too blinded by the dark and a better person, would probably never put the ring on, either! Maybe he tries, but as he’s always in company of Ignis, Ignis stops him. 

Noct never having Ignis in his life sounds like troubles, hahaha. But seriously, it does. Ignis basically dedicates his life to Noctis’, he’s the reason the prince is alive and functioning. I think Noct would have much more struggles,way, far, amazingly huge more struggles with no Iggy. I think Noct has some certain degree of medical depression, so not having Ignis as an emotional support but also as the support who helps him clean his place and do his homework and cook for him, Noct’s depression could probably would be much worse.

Not because it would make him sadder to be alone or to have someone else, but because the little things that Ignis does are great help for someone with depression; keeping a house clean, motivating (even if its via insisting stubbornly) the person to do their homework and papers, and making sure they eat, it sounds logical and tiny and unimportant but honestly they can do wonders to someone’s depression,if not by making them happier, it’s so they won’t become sadder and so they stay healthy. I betcha Noct can cook something for himself, but it’s different to have the skill than the motivation or intention. Noct would probably have many troubles, you feel me?

Wow, now that was unnecessarily too deep into the psychology of the characters ahahahaha. Sorry.

Going back to the empire’s invasion and how it’d have been much easier with Ignis serving on their side, let’s assume things go the same. Maybe, as neither Ravus or Ignis lose their human/good side to Niflheim as they kept each other’s human/good side alive, they don’t agree with it, and Ignis pretends he doesn’t have an idea of how to invade Insomnia. But the Empire figures it out. 

So if they can’t stop the invasion, they’ll cause the less harm possible.

Maybe they even dare save the ring! Imagine they are present during the invasion, but they switch to the Lucian side. Hndhgnfdngjnfdg.

Or imagine maybe Niflheim does manage to take the bad side of them out and they do have all the intention of destroying Insomnia. How could would it be in that first encounter with Ravus to have been approached by two figures?

“Who were those?” Prompto asks after the Chancellor made the men that attacked Gladio go away.

“Imperial Strategist Ignis Scientia” Cor, the fourth party member, explains. “The man that planned Insomnia’s invasion. And Ravus Nox Fleuret, commander of the Imperial army, and brother of Lady Lunafreya.”

Okay, but if companion-to-Ravus Ignis happens, you know what would have probably been canon?

That Daemon!Ravus kills him.

It’s not even on screen because for some reason Squeenix would make it that way (though we may see it in an optional verse 2 of chapter 13 lol). There’s Ravus, trying to hand the sword to Noctis, who slashes his arm off, and walks away (we know this is Ardyn, though). And then Ignis chimes in; he had been aiding Noctis through Zegnautus, made it possible for the prince to make it through it alive, but now he finds Ravus dead and thrown there.

So last we see is Ignis mourning him, before a black-goo arm suddenly grabs him by the throat.

And that’s how the Boss Battle starts; the main party is reunited, and suddenly there’s this loud scream that could give anyone a heart attack out of mere fear, a second of silence, Ravus Aeterna starts playing, and BAM! Daemon!Ravus comes in, with Ignis’ corpse in a hand.

Maybe he can even whisper “Ignis...” among his agony during the fight, like he calls for Lunafreya (I think?). Hnfgnndfgf. Mustn’t have been eays, murdering who was basically his brother, having killed it without having meant it.

can everyone live, pls.

Maybe Episode Ignis is the moment when they finally switch sides as in properly, and that’s why they go around Altissia together; they already knew each other, they just got separated for a tiny moment, but they’ve always been together throughout the entire story.

Hnnndngf.

I don’t know, man. This is FULL of possibilities. So, so, so full of possibilities, MY BRAIN IS FULL! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!

This scenario would be ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL! What do you think would happen?

If anyone wants to share any ideas, you bring them on! I LOVE this scenario and would happily  hear more of it haosdojsdfkjfsgsdj

Thanks for the idea! :O

[cookignis]

Shitty Discourse Salt Mine

0.                                                         Let A Bitch Live

I’d like to start this piece off by quoting a wonderful friend of mine:

“How ‘bout you let a bitch live….”

Don’t like something on the Internet? Don’t read it. No one forces you to read/watch or fap off to anything on the web during your free time. As such, just because you dislike something doesn’t mean you get to make other people feel like shit for liking it. Oh, you don’t like the pot roast tonight? That doesn’t mean you can climb up onto the table and shit all over it, ruining it for everyone else.

Stay in your lane and just keep liking what you like without being a dick.

Now that we have that cleared, I’d like to say a few things on some arguments that I’ve seen. I’ll be covering a few topics in this piece.

First and foremost, we cannot look at the game’s history and events through the lens of only today’s worldview if we wish to remain objective. A lot of FFXV’s familial lore (the Caelums and Nox Fleurets in particular) is based off of medieval families despite the ‘modern’ or ‘futuristic’ setting of Insomnia and Eos as a whole. If we examine decisions of royal families within the context of their time and culture, there are many decisions that would be controversial today that have been chosen with the best intentions or what was considered the norm during previous eras.

I.                                                               Child Rearing

We’ve all seen this before: Regis is a bad dad who neglects his son and distanced himself. Once we’ve demonized certain aspect of a person, we oftentimes forget to see deeper into them; whether it’s their motivations or culture.

In medieval times, entrusting babies to wet nurses in country estates distant from the royal court was considered a necessary safeguard for a child’s health even though this practice might separate the child from his or her parents for months at a time. In most cases, even if the child was on the premises, they would still be taken care of by the wet nurses as this is the culture that has been present for centuries. Parenting skills weren’t exactly passed on and most would treat their children as their parents did them; sound familiar? It still occurs today, we learn from our parents and raise our children in a similar fashion. 

In terms of the personal feelings of royal parents toward their children, there were a variety of different kinds of relationships in both medieval and modern times. Such items are subjective and depends on the person at the end of the day. There are royal parents who took a close personal interest in the daily care of their children. Most often, royal parents took an interest in their children’s health and education but entrusted their daily care to others.

If we look at Regis, prior to Bahamut coming to fuck things up and tell him that Noctis is the chosen king, he spent a fair amount of time with his son (as much as a busy king could). We are able to tell that Regis did indeed care about and loved Noctis as he held him close and cried upon finding out the fate of his son. After that, he began distancing himself from Noctis in order to prepare for the coming days and deal with the ongoing Niflheim attacks. Was this also a badly handled defense mechanism to cope with having to send his son off to his death and possibly kill him? We say yes because again, we are going off of our perceived notions of what parental love should be by today’s standards. 

Could Regis have done better and done more? Of course. His decision for Noctis to try and ‘live a normal life’ was made with Noctis’ best interest in mind. We think it’s not enough because our judgment has already been made. 

Was Regis a shitty father who didn’t spend enough time with his kid? By today’s parenting standards, yes. But did he love Noctis? In his own way, yes. 

II.                              Royal intermarriages, Alliances and Estate Gain

Royal intermarriage is the practice of members of ruling dynasties marrying into other families of the same status. It was more commonly done in the past as part of strategic diplomacy for national interest. It’s a practice that has been done worldwide, from Europe to Asia. Marriage between families act to initiate, reinforce or guarantee peace between countries.

As the lines continued on, over time, because of the relatively limited number of potential partners, the gene pool of many ruling families grew progressively smaller, until all European royalty were eventually related. As such, most royals could potentially be descended from one person through many generations. A prime example would be the British royals and nobility, many of whom are descendants of Queen Victoria of the UK or King Christian IX of Denmark. 

Though in other cultures, many a times, inbreeding was done in order to keep the royal line ‘pure’ and strengthen the line of succession. In the Ptolemaic dynasty, all rulers were married to their brothers or sisters. 

Hey, they even did it in Game of Thrones. 

III.                                                         Gene Pooling

Let’s sit down for a moment and pretend we’re back in secondary school listening to our biology professor drone on about Punnett squares and fruit fly generations, shall we? 

I’ve been seeing some discontent with ships here and there but let’s remove the ‘abuse’ and ‘manipulation’ for a moment and focus on another point of contention: incest. 

A focal point disagreement for most people on Ardyn and Noctis as a ship is that they’re related. They have between them, two thousand years (or more depending on which Ardyn RPer you talk to) and possibly up to a hundred generations. Remember as I stated previously, much of FFXV’s lore is based off of medieval lines, so if we assume that all the members married relatively young and bore offsprings at a young age, more or less a hundred generations would be about right. At least they aren’t fruit flies, right? 

What’s more interesting to bring to light is the alliance between the Nox Fleuret and Caelum lines. As mentioned above (Note: See point II), intermarriages are not uncommon among close royal and noble families and even more so with the whole oracle/king dynamic. It would be more surprising to learn if they had never crossed lines between them before. I would assume that it might have happened more than a few times considering the friendly relations and as a guarantee of peace between the two dynasties. 

So, guess what? Luna and Noctis could very well be related as well. I would think that due to the amount of intermarriages that could happen, the similarities in their genetic pool is probably a lot closer than Ardyn to Noctis.

Let’s take a gander at this table. A person shares 25% of genetics as their grandparents. And if we think about how with each generation, genetic coding changes. Even with inbreeding, the code is not even quite the same due to a mutation in the coding. 

With so many generations between them, we’re looking at bare minimal in terms of shared genetic coding here. 

Conclusion? They share the same name but they can hardly be considered relatives. Luna and Noctis also could possibly share DNA, so by these standards of those against Ardyn and Noctis shipping, that’s incest too. 

IV.                                                       Mun =/= Muse

I’ve seen this in the Tumblr RP community since I first started roughly three years ago. This incessant belief that if one writes something, one must absolutely condone it. Your muse is a jerk to mine? Clearly, that’s a personal attack. It isn’t, stop. Get over yourselves. 

If this argument was actually valid then we can say that Stephen King absolutely condones murderous demonic clowns dismembering children. Or George R.R Martin is all about incest and rape in addition to brutal execution methods. 

If someone chooses to write a darker theme because they feel that they are able to explore an aspect of their muse and have development from it? Great for them. Hell, if they want to do it for fun, that’s their business too. No one should be policing what anyone else does. No one is better than anyone else here. We’re all fucking nerds living vicariously through fictional characters for shits and giggles. 

Something about that blog bothers you? Don’t read it. Unfollow. Block. Go bleach your brain with cute cat videos or dumb memes, I don’t care. Just don’t be a dick and put someone else down for liking something you don’t like. You’re free to salt with your friends in a private setting where no one gets hurt. Hell, I do it all the time. 

No one holds a gun to your head and tells you to read what makes you uncomfortable. You make that conscious choice to follow this person despite the fact that they produce content that ‘triggers’ you. Want to know what that’s called? Winning the Darwin Award. It’s very much akin to being squeamish about gore and going to watch a Saw movie. Does that make sense to you? Don’t do this to yourself. 

Let and let live. At the end of the day, this is a hobby where people come to enjoy themselves and escape reality for a short while so don’t ruin a fun thing for others. Respect each other enough to just click the block button, walk away from it and let a bitch live. 

Thank you. 

[ever-at-your-side-15]

FFXV Favorite Meme

tagged by @katkitoshi  (I’m usually so indecisive about picking favorites for anything, so its going to be interesting to see how this turns out. xD)

Instructions:

To celebrate a year of FFXV and the end of the first year of updates, let’s spread the FFXV love! I haven’t seen a tag meme like this for FFXV yet, so I decided to make one. If you see this and want to, copy/paste this list and share what your favorite things about FFXV are.

Favorite Chocobro: Prompto!! (Shocker, I know… xD)

Favorite Guest Party Member (including Ravus and Libertus from DLC): Hmmm… this is a bit of a tricky one. I liked a lot of the guest party members, but I have to say that Cor was pretty fun, because he just kept complementing Prom on his fighting skills. It was frankly, super adorable.

Favorite Minor Character(s): I would have loved to see a lot more of Regis in the game tbh. The whole game is basically based around the idea of the endless love that Regis has for his son, and the fact that he was essentially willing to sacrifice his kingdom just to keep Noctis safe (despite you know the whole stupid prophecy bs... *sigh*) So yeah, I’d probably have to go with Regis, even though he’s only in the game for all of like five minutes.

Favorite Villain: Although I felt like there were some pretty good villains, no-one quite sticks out in my mind like our favorite trash jesus, Ardyn. xD Honestly though, he’s just such a compelling and interesting villain. The lengths of which he goes to in order to carry out his plans, and the fact that he is able to manipulate each situation to perfectly suit his needs without fail, and without those closest to him becoming suspicious of his true intentions… its impressive as hell.

Favorite Kingsglaive Character: Definitely going to have to go with Nyx on this one. I was still pretty new to the fandom when I first saw Kingsglaive, so I feel like I wasn’t able to really appreciate the awesomeness that is Nyx at first; but I steadily have actually become quite the Nyx fan recently. Nyx deserved so much better...! T.T

Favorite Astral/Divine Being: Hmmm… yeah, all of the Astrals are pretty much dicks, but the fights against Leviathan and Ifrit were super fun, so one of them I guess?

Favorite Character Overall: To absolutely no-one’s surprise… Prompto!!! :D I could literally go on and on about all the reasons I adore the precious choco-boy, but I would have to say that one of the reasons that I like him so much is because I relate to him so well. I know what its like to be ‘that weird kid’ and while a lot of times I’m super peppy and happy around my friends, there is definitely a big part of me that feels like I’m not good enough in a lot of respects. But on a happier note, I also love how fiercely loyal Prompto is and the fact that he will do just about anything to protect the people that are important to him. Prompto doesn’t give up, even when things are falling apart around him, and I really admire that.

Favorite Weapon: Can’t say that I pay allllll that much attention to specific weapons, but I can say that I have gotten very accustomed to using daggers a lot. Most often I prefer to use the daggers that you get at the end of the legendary weapon quests, which boost damage at full health… Zwill Crossblades, I believe? Those are fun as hell to use.

Favorite location: Insomnia. I loved being able to run around in the WoR and just explore everywhere I possibly could. There are just so many possibilities, and even though we only get to explore a small section of the city, I just find it fascinating. I mean the entire game is basically leading you towards returning and reclaiming Insomnia, so who wouldn’t want to actually get the chance to explore all around the fabled Crown City?? I would ESPECIALLY love to have been able to explore Insomnia before it fell to Niflheim.

Favorite Quest/Questline/Hunt: The tours. I remember starting a tour completely unaware that they were even a thing and got so excited. They were like short little minigame quest-like events where you get to just chill and bond with your bros. One of my favorite parts of the game in general was being able to witness the relationships between the bros continue to grow stronger despite everything going to shit around him, so the tours were so satisfying in that respect. I particularly enjoyed Prompto almost getting Noct killed by a catoblepas, and taking super dorky pictures off the coast of Caem.

Favorite Boss: My favorite boss fight would definitely have to be the Leviathan fight. The fight itself just felt so freaking epic. Between all the action that led up to it (and after!) and the fact that you get to pretty much go god-mode with Noct, and not to mention the completely awesome and bad-ass music that plays when you’re fighting… it was just so freaking fun. So much happened, and I just couldn’t stop playing, I was so ridiculously hyped.  

Favorite Monster/Monster Family/etc: Cactuar, I guess? They’re pretty adorable, though that thousand-needle attack gets real old real quick. xD

Favorite Song: Aaahhhhghghgh. Now this is a TOUGH one. There are so many tracks from the game that I just LOVE listening to. I listen to the OST so often… in fact, I’m actually listening to it right now as I’m writing out this post… xD Honestly though, I think I’m going to have to break the rule on this one and list a couple, because I just don’t think that I could possibly choose JUST ONE. My top favorites would have to be: Careening Into Danger, Wanderlust, Overworld themes and Orbital Insanity from Ep. Prompto, Battle theme from Episode Ignis & Stand By Me.

Favorite Boss Theme: Apocalypsis Noctis. This song is just SO EPIC. It pumps me up literally anytime I listen to it. <33

Favorite Non-Episode DLC/Update/Event: Assassin’s Festival DLC! Four words: Promptis cosplay date simulator. This update was SO CRAZY FUN. There were so many small things that just came together so nicely and keep me constantly entertained. I really enjoyed the story, even if it was a bit short. Though, I spent a good few hours just randomly running around the festival doing side quests and what not while in the midst of the story missions, so it definitely didn’t really seem short to me.

Favorite Episode DLC: Episode Prompto! I’ll freely admit that it was a startlingly close race between Episode Prompto and Ignis, but I think I’m going to have to give the slight edge to Episode Prompto. I LOVED the story and really enjoyed the game play. The cutscenes were super exciting, while also effectively destroying my heart with feels, but it was all just REALLY satisfying. I also loved being able to get more concrete information about Prom’s backstory. Probably the only gripe that I have with Ep. Prompto is that it literally does nothing to explain how Ardyn re-captures Prompto and how the bab ends up in Zegnautus, or what happens while he’s being held there before the bros show up to rescue him… >.>

Other Favorites of Note:

The motel scene between Noct and Prompto was no joke, probably my favorite part of the entire open-world section of the game. I also have to say that I particularly enjoyed running around Zegnautus Keep like a madman trying to rescue Prompto, and of course I was over the moon relieved/excited when I FINALLY found him. Damn you square though for not having Noct hug Prom when they found him…! The boys definitely needed to hug it out. :P I really loved how natural and real the bros acted with each other in general too. Their banter continues to give me life whenever I’m playing the game, and of course, I especially love all the random soft moments between Noct and Prompto because, well, I’m very happy down here in Promptis hell. xD

Now for the tagging...! haha. Hopefully, they haven’t already been tagged... feel free to do or not. ^^ @chikelo @elillierose @thenameisfame @bagpipes5k @yallneedtrashjesus

[jade-bellatricus84]

About me!

Okay! Let's do is thing! I was tagged by the wonderful and amazing and hilarious @atarostarling for this beautiful questionaire! So, let's get started, shall we?

Name/Nickname: my given name is Kara and there two nicknames that have stuck Karabear (I was obsessed with the Care Bears as a kid) and Riceball (due to my obsession with Fruits Basket and my apparently stellar Tohru rp abilities)

Gender: Female

Star sign: Virgo

Height: 5 foot nothin' I am quite smol.

Hogwarts house: Slytherin and proud of it~ ;3

Favorite animal: Um...the one that is cute and cuddly? Lol this is tough because I love animals. Though I REEEEEEEAAAAAAALLY like foxes! So I guess we can go with Foxes as my final answer, Alex. (Don't cross the streams, loser.)

Hours of sleep: In my fantasies or in reality? In my fantasies its like...ALWAYS sleeping...iiiiiin reality I get like 2-5 hours per night until the lack of sleep catches up with me and then I crash for like 14 hours. Lol

Dogs or cats: YES! Lol, again, I love animals. I currently have a dog. My beautiful baby Loqi. (For those of you who read my mini fic. Zeus was modeled after my furbaby Loqi.)

Number of blankets: Depends...like where am I sleeping? When I lived in Indiana it was 2 or 3 now that I'm here in South Carolina it's usually 1...and barely that, as in just covering my arms and shoulders.

Dream trip: Oh wow. I would love to just...travel the world! Though the top of my list are the places where Shakespeare grew up, got married, etc. And Japan.

Dream job: Author/Novelist. I LOVE to write. I love books. I love to read. I was the kid who got in trouble in her English/Literature class for reading in class.

Time: 10:56 pm (I think that's EST?)

Birthday: September 17th~

Favorite bands: Panic! At The Disco, Paramore, Black Veil Brides, Evanescense, Baby Metal, Super Junior, SHINee, Boyz II Men, Journey (and a few more but we could be here all night if I listed them all, lol)

Favorite solo artist: Halsey, Adele, Matsushita Yuya, Taeyang, Jay Park, Luke Bryan, Shakira, Selena (Quintanilla), Diego Bonita

Song stuck in my head: Ummmm...I couldn't tell you the name cause it's slipping my mind but it's the opening theme from Black Butler II by GAZETTe

Last movie I watched: Um...I think it was The Dark Tower? With my hubby?

Last show I watched: Black Butler: Book of Circus (it's the third season which I've owned for well over a year and yet has still not seen anything past the 1st disk. Lol)

When did I create my blog: Um...August or September 2017...? I don't remember exactly. Just a few months ago. A good friend of mine sent me a post through fb messenger and I really liked all the content I saw on @inconsistencys page so I made an account to follow and continue reading their posts!

What do I post/reblog: Lol, anything that catches my eye. A lot to do with the FFXV universe...mainly the chocobros. All the ships. A lot of cats. Cute critters. Written a few posts nobody needs. XD

Last thing I googled: Ummm..."song that goes when we touch i can feel we've got a chemistry and when we rock feels just like the devil is riding me" lol I had a song stuck in my head and couldn't remember the artist's name in order to YouTube it so it would evacuate my brain. (It was Under My Skin by Sarah Connor, just in case anyone was wondering. Lol)

Other blogs: Yeah, I apparently have another Tumblr from a few years back but I don't remember the tagg or anything sooooo...xD does that still count? Other than that I have none. ****EDIT**** http://roserozahathaway.tumblr.com IS MY OTHER TUMBLR

Do I get Asks: I have gotten 2. XD I wasn't aware that they were disabled until recently when @atarostarling mentioned it, so now that they are open, please, send me some! Get me involved, please! Lol

Why did I choose my URL: Lol, Jade Bellatricus is actually the name of an original character of mine for an rp I have going with the loverly @silverdriftdragon in Discord. She's a reeeeeeeaaaaal piece of work. Lol, but I love my smol brainchild.

Following: 392 as of now. Lol I'm sure that number with grow to astronomical numbers.

Followers: 22 a significanlt smaller number and, honestly, I was SHOCKED to see it was that large! Thank you to ALLLLL of my followers! You all are amazing, wonderful, LOVELY people and you rock my socks right off!

Lucky number: 4...or 8...or 16...yeah...that one...

Favorite instrument: Wow, um, I really love piano and violin...god help me if they're being played together cause...I'd probably die of blissful peace...I also happen to like flutes, I used to play flute back in the day (lol, you're not old enough to say that, weirdo, stop it! Back in the day is like...10 or 11 years ago) I also love ocarinas, which are technically just ceramic flutes. I'm a total nerd and have a replica of the Ocarina of Time (from The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time in case anyone is unfamiliar.) that I do know how to play, albeit not very well. XD

What am I wearing: lol, that could get extra risqué extra quick. However, I'm wearing an oversized t-shirt (a.k.a. my husband's t-shirt) as my jammies.

Favorite food: xD I'm a foodie, dude, all the food is my favorite. No, seriously though, um, probably my little taco meat and rice concoction. It's literally just taco seasoned meat mixed with rice...sometimes I'll mix in some bacon bits, crushed doritos, and of course shredded cheesies. (It's like the only thing I can cook. Lol)

Nationality: Mutt? No, like, American? But the family has Native American (Cherokee I believe), French, German and Irish in our blood sooo...Yeah, I'm a mutt~ x3 *woof*

Favorite song: Oh, geez, I always hate this question...mainly because I don't have an absolute favorite song? Like, my favorite song changes so many times, based off of how bad or good I'm handling my depression and anxiety...for instance, on my really good days I'd probably say I'm Alive! By BECCA but on not so good days (like today) I'd probably say My Immortal by Evanescense or Broken by Seether feat. Amy Lee.

Last book I read: Oh! It was this lovely autobiography called Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick! I absolutely love it! It's so down to earth and real and my god is it funny! She has a rather dry and somewhat twisted sense of humour, much like my husband and I, so I find it to be pretty funny! It's a great read, seriously, you guys should check it out!

Top three fictional universes I'd like to join: Hmmmm...Definitely FFXV, I would LOVE to chill with the bros. Probably Black Butler, Sebastian Michaelis is a beautiful specimen and I would love to be of use to him in some way, shape, or form *wink, wink* and finally...um...Pretty Little Liars! The Liars are such a close knit group of girls and I really missed out on having close friends like that, so I'd love to hang out with them and just be a normal high school girl for once (lol they don't live normal h.s. lives, goobernuts)

Wow! That was so much fun! Thanks for the tag, @atarostarling, its been a blast! So, now, onto my tags!

@silverdriftdragon @moonraccoon-exe @ardyns-jabberwocky @asuuna @chocoblondie @chocobard @ebony-and-chocobos @flourish-of-steel @icallshotgunn @kaciart and anyone else who wants to join in feel free to tag me as though I tagged you!

[cosmiciaria]

Episode Prompto FFXV Review! (Spoiler free)

Alright, so my idea *was not* to write a review of FFXV's DLC episodes, because… well… they're DLC, they're like optional, not included in the main game. I actually didn't do one for Episode Gladiolus. But…

I love Prompto so much!

Just let me tell you my story before I start with the review (hey, you can skip this paragraph if you want). I started FFXV thinking that I'd fall for Ignis, because he's the one wearing glasses (mmmMMmmM), he's the one with a British voice actor and he's the one WHO F*CKING COOKS. But, as the story progressed, I slowly began to think that Prompto was a better character, with his dialogues and his motel rooftop scene. And after that confession in the godforsaken Chapter 13, I convinced myself that this poor sweet sunny boy was the best of the four. (Hey, I still think Ignis is husband material but, let's face it, you want to hug Prompto and tell him everything will be ok, yes, it will).

So Episode Prompto was everything I was expecting!

Really. I didn't have high hopes for Square Enix after the seemingly badly chosen mistakes they've made, and that's the reason why I haven't bought the season pass, but I believed they did great with this piece of DLC. They had everything at their disposal: they had a really good character, with a very sad past, and they had all the tools to make a decent character development for him, and they took advantage of all that. And I'm happy they did!

Before you play this episode, I recommend you watch Chapter 2 of Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV, 'Dogged Runner'. It tells part of the tragic backstory of our sweet beloved child, and it will definitely help you understand better what's he's going through in his episode. But, if you haven't, the game recaps almost everything you need to know about him, so don't despair. It's just… that you won't jump of joy when you see certain dog in the DLC if you haven't watched that anime.

The gameplay feels closer to what FFXV actually is than Gladiolus's episode. You have the same kind of menu to choose weapons for Prompto as you have for Noctis (but in this case, they're just a handgun, a blade for melee attacks, some grenades that work like spells and a slot for an exchangeable weapon that you'll be using a lot). Prompto resembles the gunner job from older Final Fantasies, so obviously this was going to be almost a shooter. And I say 'almost' because it's not as polished as a real shooter is (c'mon, I always confused the buttons I had to press, and that's from someone who had just finished playing Uncharted 4, so the shooting part was the hardest for me). I'm not gonna lie, it feels like a redefined version of Dirge of Cerberus (wait, what? What are you talking about? That game everyone wants to forget?), kinda clunky in some parts, but, what can I say, you're playing as Prompto, that's all I need to know! And if you don't dig the whole shooting thing, you still have a blade to annihilate the lesser soldiers and some small animals and demons you'll come across. But, for the biggest targets, you'll be needing that bazooka, that sniper rifle and that AK16 kind of gun.

But, wait! You're telling me I have to fight everything alone? Even Gladdy Daddy had some company with Cor Leonis! Well, lo and behold, because Aranea Highwind will be joining the fray with you. And she's even more gorgeus than before! If you glitched the main game into having her forever in your party, it won't be as amazing as it was for me. She never appears for me at night when fighting demons (and now my team is so overleveled that the fiends don't last much and so I never give her enough time to spawn) and I really don't want to glitch the game, so having her in this DLC made everything easier and not so lonely. She was no doubt one of the huge highlights of the gameplay. She adds so much to the battles, and it's her confidence and her inspirational speech what wakes up Prompto from his depressive slumber. She kinda is the voice of conscience of our main sweet summer child. What I liked the most about her appearance here, was that Square Enix never pushed anything between Prompto and her (you know, it was implied that he had a crush on her and on Cindy – please, dear, leave something for the rest of the world you know. You can't blame him, though). They're just brother and sister in arms, brought together by maybe more than just fate. And they make a really great team!

There is some grim stuff in the DLC as well. I was expecting some tragedy, of course, we're dealing with this character after all, but I never thought I'd see something like having to choose whether to burn Prom's barcode or give it up. Verstael's plans go beyond what we thought we'll see, and there are parts in which you can somehow sympathize with his evil plans – after all, it was a man defending his nation, and you can't say he was doing a bad job.

The voice actor for Prompto (Robbie Daymond – I love him) delivered a splendid performance, and made me feel what my sunny boy was feeling. You know how you're used to all of Prompto's jokes and whines, and his Final Fantasy victory fanfare? Well, forget about them, because in this episode our character will be gloomy, sad, crying, making jokes of himself, and even yelling and screaming and saying bad words like 'shit'! Really, I almost lost it when he said 'shit'. It fits Gladiolus, but not him. Like, is this still a Final Fantasy game? Where's Vivi? Where's my chocobo?!

There are some sidequests! Yes, this is new for a DLC. Gladiolus didn't have these apart from Score Attack, which you had access in the main menu once you finished the episode. Here’s different: in some parts of the game, you can actually do sidequests, which involve killing enemies basically an work like the timed quests we now have in the main game. The thing is that they change depending of the time of the day, and in some hours you can face of some MT troopers, some demons, a Necromancer, a Behemoth Kaiser and even Angelus is here to light up your day, yay! This missions give some perks, like items and CPU points, which serve to upgrade your snowmobile. Wait, yes, there's a snowmobile! It pretty much works like the new Type-D Regalia they gave us on the same day.

After you finish the episode, you'll have some new trials to challenge yourself. The 'Time Trials' is all about snowmobile races and collecting items, not my kind of thing at all because I get really nervous when controlling that thing against a clock. You also have 'Intensive Training', in which, yes, you'll be facing off our main girl Aranea. Not as a tough fight as it was with Cor, but still pretty interesting.

The music was a bit controversial for me. I really, really love his main theme, 'Home Sweet Home', just the title is an irony in itself. But the rest of the songs were a bit of a let down for me: too much dubstep and some electro which is not my type at all. But that's just my taste! The composer is the same as in Final Fantasy XIII-2, which has one of my favorite soundtracks from all of the franchise, so while the main theme was on the background, it felt like going back to that game.

The credits and the post credit scene made my day. I wasn't expecting to see more after it ended. It just made me realize how much Prompto loves his best buddy, Noctis. He's honored to be his friend. AND HE DESERVES SO MUCH LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP AND WARMTH AND HUGS AND AND AND

I really think it should've been longer. I mean, it's between two hours and two hours and a half long, and almost four hours if you do all of the sidequests, and even more if you do all the Time Trials, but still. It's like now I want to explore the whole Eos with Prompto, not just this snowy open space. I wanted more of him. This is what happens when you have a crush on a fictional character, ladies and gentlemen.

There's some replayability if you will. Once you start a new game again, you unlock all of the attires for him if you haven't already, and you get the chance to take special photos called 'hightlights', whose spots are pretty tough to find if you don't look them up on the Internet. And as you get some optional stuff on your first playthrough, it's always fun to see what happens if you choose the other option.

So, there you go! Enjoy, play, cry and replay! And cry again! And… suffer with him… and his past… and… cry… and…

My whole life, all I ever wanted was friends… but no one ever wanted me back. So when I finally found people who did want me, I did everything I could to make them stay. And ever since then, I’ve lived my life in fear: that one day, they’d find out who I really was, and they wouldn’t want me anymore.

We did absolutely NOTHING to deserve Prompto Argentum.

I really wish Tabata gives us the option to change playable characters in the main game once Episode Ignis is released. I want to do Pittioss Dungeon with Prompto now.

Can't wait to see what Iggy has in store for us.

Oh, and F*CK ARDYN. HE’S ALWAYS THERE. ALWAYS. HE’S THE REASON BEHIND EVERYTHING. HE MAKES THE GLOBAL WARMING ISSUE SEEM MINOR IN COMPARISON TO HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH EVERYTHING. What a great villain, my goodness. We need Episode Ardyn. ASAP.