#and also with Luna he talked in defense of Astral

[astralhope]

Yuma's unshakable trust in Astral makes me cry every time

[calling4glaives]

Eve of the Signing Party

The next place we see Nyx on guard duty is at the party before the treaty signing. Thankfully this one is a little less confusing. We’ll look a little bit at the setting and the people there as well.

Thank you again to @starjunco for the screenshots. IDs are ALT.

As background information, the wiki has information on the previous iterations of this location in the XIII Verses trailers, concept art and various demos. It talks about how the aquarium and dome have disappeared and reappeared, the area itself has changed, and that even the music (“Somnus”) played during this scene is a reference to the trailers. It also tells us there are posters for the Royal Aquarium that is located in the building, and that the picture in the large water display Nyx and Luna talk in front of depicts Etro, who was quite important in earlier versions of the game but has almost no mention in the FFXV or Kingsglaive we got.

Now on to information we can see in this scene itself!

As stated above, the party takes place on the roof of the Caelum Via (which might translate to “Heaven is the Way”; if it were the more obvious “Way of Heaven/Sky” it would be Caeli Via or Via Caeli, though leaving it in the Nominative could just be a nod to the Royal Family) Hotel & Resorts Insomnia. The name itself implies other locations, though we don’t see them explicitly in the game.

Later in the movie (see the white and gold ad on the left behind Glauca), there is an Altissia location advertised, which says interesting things about trade and connections for sure! Wonder which one came first...

Also on the Insomnian building are the same number/coordinate system we puzzled over on the bridge at the Nyx’s Neighborhood deep dive. There, the bridge had the coordinates N35-41-39, W13-19-36, here the hotel has N35-41-39, W13-21-28, which seem to be rather close indeed.

There is a helipad here (with some sort of crest on it), which raises interesting questions about the state of Lucian air travel. It would seem odd that this exists solely for the possibility of Niflheim visitors, but other than the modified Regalia we don’t otherwise see Lucian aircraft.

There are three tiers of seating at various levels of proximity to Aldercapt and Regis. Nyx (and possibly Drautos) seems to be the only visible guard on duty across all three levels. Even if he takes the posting very seriously (using it to dodge Luna’s attempts to talk, and as a distraction during the talk itself) that does seem to imply he is either the very last line of defense for Luna and/or Regis or just there to look pretty.

Perhaps they negotiated down the number of guards they could each bring, but it does raise the question of where Clarus is...

The water motif continues with this small waterfall and river. It could be a sign of the connection to Altissia (perhaps the chain started there), perhaps a sign that nature or the imitation of it a luxurious novelty in the midst of the very tight urban area, a boast of wealth to pump the water that high and maintain the cleanliness, or perhaps merely a cover to mute the noise of the city and conversation. (though the fireworks likely do an excellent job of that tonight, as well!)

The area is otherwise decorated with the ubiquitous gothic arches of Lucis and geometric patterns, and solely uses a dark blue, maroon, black, gold, and hints of white. Which, appropriately enough, will be the strict colors used in the guests’ dress.

A better view of the middle tier, showing bamboo-like greenery areas and a survey of our crowd. The central gate on this level, through which the water appears to originate, is topped by a six-pointed star or flower, likely a reference to the astrals, which is a nice detail.

The lamps have an art deco feel, perhaps indicating either the age of the hotel or the age it wants to appear, or just a general Lucian aesthetic. I do wonder if the low lighting is less comfortable for the guests from beyond the Wall, who might prefer brighter illumination at night.

You can also barely make out Nyx next to the Aquarium, Regis on the balcony, and Aldercapt and two other important figures from Niflheim making their way up the stairs. Perhaps they were dropped off on the helipad or came through the tiled walkways into the hotel itself.

A close-up of Aldercapt’s robe and the back of the truly bizarre helmet we’ll see a better view of later as the people toast to the Emperor.

And Nyx shows up! Notice how he is very definitely not looking at the Emperor or the commotion.

If we pull our eyes away from our main character, we can see a very interesting statue of a woman in draped clothing with wide sleeves holding a sword above a very colorful collection of bottles. There is a matching statue on the other side. Who or what does she represent?

Beyond her is a/the wall, topped by what seem to be glowing tanks of some kind. These could either be illuminated water towers beyond the (Citadel) Wall, or some sort of light/magical storage atop the wall that helps keep it running, perhaps to replace the ones Ardyn destroyed on the Founder’s Day Attack.

If we pull our attention back to the foreground, between Nyx and the Emperor is a nice grouping of the eight NPC models (four appear male and four female) used in this scene. Keep an eye out for them elsewhere. From left to right: Gray Suit/Gray Hair, Dress with Cap Sleeves/Short Dark Hair, Dark Suit/Medium Hair, Dark Suit/Dark Hair, Blue Asymmetrical Dress/Shoulder-length Light Hair, Maroon Ruffles/Bun, Suit Dress/Short Light Hair, Gray Suit/Dark Hair.

This fountain combines many of the elements of this design - light, water, and statues. And look! Fireworks in other colors! They do exist! It’s also fun to see the light/dark contrast between the two sovereigns.

Another view of the scene, showing the lovely delicate railing of gold and glass. Lurking behind the main figures are Drautos in the background as well as the priest-looking Niflheim Dignitary, similar to the figure who said “Release the Daemon” in the opening battle.

A nice shot of Aldercapt’s robes from the front, showcasing many interesting symbols. The dragon in particular is very neat. Though the cut of his shirt and the harness-like straps across his coat are a bit odd, they are clearly very well made. Nyx is also lurking in this shot. Hi, Nyx!

Here also is the promised front view of the ridiculous helmet. Presumably there are some sort of screens inside, scanning the area and at least allowing him to walk, though the skullcap and the rest of the helmet are also just odd. The collars are very reminiscent of Ravus’s outfits even in Tenebrae before his mother’s death, showing the cultural crossover and similarities. 

The crowd shot of the middle tier shows some very familiar faces, and some oddities. The statues from the bars are also found on this level, and if the central part truly is water-filled as it appeared earlier, those poor guests on the rear squares had quite the journey to get to their spots, not to mention the servers!

Aside from a nice view of Aldercapt's bracers and Regis's cane and brace, we can see the priest-like figure again, and Ardyn! Everyone is still toasting obediently.

And released! The guests can finally sit down. And Luna makes her appearance. How long has she been here? Have fun counting the doppelgangers in this scene as well.

There are tropical fish and sharks in the aquarium, as well as the mini-leviathans. Perhaps another nod to an Accordo origin? Or perhaps the Lucinia Sound and other waters around Cavaugh are warmer than expected.

The wings on the sculpture surrounding the painting is somewhat reminiscent of the armor of the Lucii.

Look at how massive and ornate this whole setup is. The entire area below this upper tier must be support for the aquarium. Fish, a painting, the massive gold and black thing inside, the mirrors in the supports… this is a major display of wealth and technology. It’s no wonder the party was set here. Not to mention it is slightly more neutral ground, for both parties’ peace of mind. Also, note the violin and piano players. They are working hard!

In addition to being nice shots of Luna and Drautos (and the Kingsglaive cuff), these images show off the painting of Etro fairly well. Is she being supported or bound by the organic pillar-like things on either side of her? Her legs are bare, but she is wearing an ornate collar and shirt. What is the lore, Square?!

It’s also very interesting that Drautos and Nyx are set up in corresponding places. What is Nyx’s position that he and the Captain are the only visible guards here? And yet Nyx is not wearing a dress uniform of any kind even here, just the standard uniform with his silver trim and double chain.

Notice how closely Drautos watches Nyx and Luna's conversation, though, and his odd expression as he looks up. Is he smug things are proceeding as he planned, or something else?

Thank you for sticking with us through another deep dive. We hope this was able to help your creative works (especially for Nyx Week!) and maybe even start some discussions. We’d love to hear your thoughts, disagreements, and little things you might have noticed!

Good luck!

[royalarms]

➤ MISCELLANEOUS INFO .

i thought i had typed some of these up on my other blog , but i can't find them anywhere , so i figure i may have scrapped it or forgot ? that being said ! here is a compilation of little headcanons , and if you've seen them before ... i'm sorry .

noctis does take advice , but it doesn't hit immediately . he's definitely the type of person who , when listening , will become defensive and reject unwelcome criticism of his actions , but after a few hours , usually when he lays down to rest at night , he will dwell on what people have said to him , constantly thinking of what is better , and what will work for him . i see this especially in his relationships with his father , gladiolus , and ignis . he heeds their words , but more in his silent alone time . whereas in the midst of a heated discussion , he would argue back or shut down entirely .

his right leg is the one that was injured , but due to over extended use during the healing process , his left leg has a slight limp . he deals with chronic pain ( particularly in his lower back and legs ) and headaches ( which are chronic but like. y'know , astral talk doesn't help ) , and struggles greatly with insomnia . it's part of the reason he's so sleepy during the day and prefers to sleep in . because he didn't get much sleep in the first place .

he gets oversensitive and emotionally overwhelmed relatively frequently and it comes across in his shortness toward other people . his emotional overwhelm is hard to keep maintained and he either enters a state of shutting down or becomes prone to emotional outbursts . most times it's a mix of the two simultaneously . this is absolutely the result of childhood trauma that i will eventually write its own post about .

his relationship with regis is ultimately loving , but also strained . he resents his father at times for not being there enough for him as a child and is part of the reason he rejects wanting to be king so wholeheartedly . if being king means neglecting those you love , he doesn't want any part of it . of course , his feelings on regis and the subject of his destiny change as time progresses , but during his teenage years and early game content , i stand by that thought .

he's all talk . he'll hype himself up hard to do something ( usually in regard to some social situation ) until faced with the actual real life situation , then he becomes awkward and closes in on himself .

i have so many thoughts on the decade in the crystal , and i will be writing its own post on that as well , but tl;dr noctis was able to mature greatly through feeling the feelings and seeing glimpses of the memories of every person who has sacrificed a piece of their life for him . bahamut humbled him completely and when he emerged in angelgard , it doesn't click with him that he's different until he meets up with his retainers . after meeting with them again , he decides to model himself as king and uses his late father as his role model . he acts in front of others as they might his father to . eventually , he'll find his own way in his kingship , but for now , he's truly winging it .

on a lighter note , when driving , he has a lead foot and always ends up speeding even if he doesn't mean to ( though sometimes he does ) and he takes the wildest u - turns known to mankind and freaks everyone out .

i have verses without all the boys/luna in them and they made me realize how much noctis relies on gladio , ignis , prompto , and the idea of luna ( another hc post for another day ) . without them , he's such a lonely soul , and i think he depends so so much on other people to take care of him , and without them , he can learn to be independent , but it does not come naturally to him . especially considering the way he was raised .

i will have more food eventually . i'm just so lazy .

[secret-engima]

Some Ardyn DLC and Plot Thoughts

Okay randomest thing but have I ever talked about how the Ardyn DLC heavily implies that Ardyn is not in control of his own actions?

Maybe this is a me thing, or alternatively a thing Everyone Has Already Talked About but like- think about it. A plea for insanity could already be made and won because he was strung up by meathooks for 2k years in total isolation with only the plague known to turn humans into screaming mindless monsters i his head for company. But when we first see him post being broken out of Angelgard, when he’s talking to Besithia and stuff, the revenge plot is ALL Besithia’s idea. It’s clear Ardyn is bitter, but he’s not- vengeful. He’s quiet, disinterested, very clearly depressed (and for good reason) and frankly gets ANNOYED by Besithia’s constant hamfisted “Oh you must want revenge on the people who hurt you, you just MUST want to kill those people who are conveniently my country’s worst enemies DON’T YOU.” Every time Besithia says/implies that sort of thing Ardyn either reacts in annoyance or says something to try to make Besithia drop it.

And then the fight with the Lucians happen. And Ardyn starts hallucinating them as SOMNUS. Somnus who taunts him, Somnus who attacks him. The focal point of his restrained bitterness dragged to life, ripping open the already unhealed mental wound and making it 100 times worse, making him even more mentally vulnerable.

Then, THEN.

Ifrit happens. Ardyn daemonifies Ifrit out of pure defensive desperation and is granted visions and then, THEN he suddenly starts laughing and swearing vengeance on the Lucis Caelum line.

Also in that DLC, a little bit later in fact, we’re told that daemonifying people transfers things to him. Memories. Knowledge. Names.

Is it that far of a jump to assume that it transfers emotions too?

What a coincidence then, that it’s only after Ardyn daemonifies (and thus receives some kind of data transfer from) the Infernian, the immortal Astral who hates humanity enough to kill them all, who hates Bahamut for being the one to strike him down, who has had thousands of years to stew in his hatred and spite toward both, that Ardyn decides to get revenge. Not by just going and killing the Lucis Caelums, which he could totally do considering his powers, oh no. He goes on an elaborate, years long scheme that will not only kill the Lucis Caelums, but will kill the Oracles (who hold Bahamut’s blessing), and kill the Chosen King (who also holds Bahamut’s blessing) before he can fulfill Bahamut’s vaunted Prophecy. A plot that will by extension will kill all humanity.

Humanity, Bahamut’s beloved Prophecy, and both of the lines that hold Bahamut’s blessing. Basically a plan to lash out at both all humanity and Bahamut specifically. You know, the two things Ifrit hates the most.

It’s also spectacularly convenient that Ardyn lashes out against those infiltrating Lucians, but only after they start the fight and after he starts hallucinating Somnus. But you know, it’s not like we have evidence that being infected with Starscourge causes personalized hallucinations tailored toward the infected’s most emotional memory/fixation point. Pshh. That would be like seeing other daemons cling to their strongest emotion and hallucinate their fixation point in place of the actual people in front of them. Like a Naga stealing a random human because she was convinced this was her long lost baby and then going ham on the humans who came to rescue aka “steal” their not-naga-baby buddy.

Oh wait.

There’s also the fact that the flashbacks in the DLC to Somnus are .... weird. Vague. They don’t match UP to the anime special episode (which does not take place from Ardyn’s POV but an outsider’s that bounces from Ardyn to Somnus to Aera btw) that got released about Ardyn. All the other anime episode specials matched mostly to what the game implies (to my knowledge) but in the anime episode the confrontation between Ardyn and Somnus is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. It’s in a throne room rather than a field, in front of a crowd instead of just Aera and Somnus, Gilgamesh is there attacking the Chosen King alongside Somnus (which handily explains why he was cursed to live in the Tempering Grounds or whatever), and Ardyn crawls up to the Crystal and is rejected, at which point he has a sword driven through his heart (“So, that is how you would end it” indeed) and then presumably chained up in Angelgard when it turns out he can’t die.

Like- I GET that the development team was having some ... issues around that time and a lot of plot stuff probably got scrapped after all the other DLC was canceled (just look at Dawn of the Future and how Ardyn’s two dialogue options in the Bahamut convo were CLEARLY supposed to be the lead up to either the canon ending or the alternate ending but go scrapped and instead are just ... the same ending cutscene starting a little differently) and one of their Important People left the FFXV project altogether but like ... really? You couldn’t either put the anime episode in the field in a private betrayal or put the DLC flashbacks in a throne room with Gilgamesh in the corner?

Then there’s the entire Thing where Regis MEETS Ardyn as the Adagium and yet makes no reference or hints or even unease at seeing the immortal daemon that nearly killed him in the Kingsglaive movie that is set years after Ardyn tries to murder Regis’s face.

Basically what I’m going for here is that in the Ardyn DLC, anything post the Ifrit’s daemonification (and possibly before) is not reliable. Ardyn is not a reliable narrator, and he’s VERY LIKELY not nearly as in control of his own actions as he thinks he is.

Does this completely excuse his actions (like murdering Luna, daemonifying Ravus, making us CHASE PROMPTO AND NEARLY STAB OUR OWN BEST FRIEND BEFORE YEETING HIM OFF A TRAIN, etc?) absolutely not. It’s just- it’s just this Thing I noticed the first time I watched the Ardyn DLC and then the anime episode forever ago and that I’m finally sitting down to ramble about. I genuinely don’t think Ardyn is entirely in control of his actions. I think it’s the Scourge that makes hallucinations tailored to fixation points/things with intense emotion tied to it (love for a child, hate for a betrayer sibling, greed for a magic crystal) and the anger of a centuries upon centuries old Astral that never got his revenge finally pushing Ardyn over the edge that he’d been clinging to for centuries. I don’t know how much an insanity plea factors into stuff like blame and penalty so I won’t offer an opinion on that specific spot. These are just ... some thoughts that hit me.

Also there’s the entire implications I first felt were there when playing the original game that it was awfully convenient that the game’s ending and our supposed victory is actually Ardyn’s plan coming to fruition: the death of the entire Lucis Caelum line and the Chosen King (both of them) that conveniently also ends his suffering as an immortal daemon that keeps coming back after gruesome deaths but I think I’ve made enough of a rambling fool of myself on the internet today so thank you and good day.

ALSO ALSO HOW CONVENIENT IS IT THAT THE SCIENTIST WHO DUG HIM UP AND HAD IFRIT THERE TO BE INFECTED ENDS UP BEING DRIVEN MAD BY ARDYN’S LIES AND DIES BECOMING THE SAME THING HE PRAISED ARDYN TO BE: A DAEMONIC MONSTER WITH AT LEAST MOST OF A MAN’S MIND. HOW CONVENIENT. HOW “COINCIDENTAL”.

[blooming-blooming]

Can you explain more about the Eliphas’ rhetoric towards Yuma and the Hellshark was Yoshida hating women? And him hating women in general? Sorry. I'm confused. Sorry if you're mad.

I’m not mad at all, don’t worry! I know Yoshida is... a touchy subject among female YGO fans, to say the least, but I really don’t mind expanding on my thoughts. I was originally going to just put the Eliphas part under a cut for length but... I have a lot of thoughts on this, so I’m going to put most of it under a cut for the sake of peoples’ feeds. As always, people can rb if they want, idc.

This ask is about this vent post, which in turn is me piggybacking off this post I reblogged. The post I reblogged in particular being a very common plight among wlw shounen fans, and is why I overwhelmingly prefer shoujo to the point that YGO is quite literally the only shounen series I like besides one other shounen manga with a near all female cast.

Perhaps (though many will disagree with me) saying Yoshida hates women was a bit harsh. However, he has explicitly said in a blurb at the back of a volume of the Zexal manga that he very rarely, if at all, writes women when left to his own devices - to the point that the artist literally had to convince him to make the manga-only character Luna female because there were no female characters contributing to the story.

So, at the very least, Yoshida is very much not fond of writing women into his stories, whether intentional or not on his part (because what he said very much reads to me like he doesn’t intend to not write women, however: unintentional misogyny is still misogyny, and I think reflects subconscious views he has on women as a result).

As for how this plays into IV and Shark’s relationship and my feelings towards it: I’m gonna be blunt, HellShark is one of my absolute favorite ships in the franchise despite the lack of content I make for it. IV V Nasch in particular is a duel that means a lot to me wrt my own trauma and older unhealthy coping mechanisms as reflected in IV’s character. 

However.

It’s also very, very hard to ignore that a lot of their canonical, on screen interactions are directly at the expense of Rio. The entire foundation for IV and Ryoga’s relationship is that IV set Rio on fire, that Ryoga wants revenge for Rio, and, in II that IV wants to make things up to Ryoga for what he did to Rio.

Yet, Rio Kamishiro herself is never present for any of this. We are never  oncegiven an opinion from Rio about what IV did to her. At best, we have it mentioned in a 3Ds game that isn’t canon that she wants to talk things out with IV, but nothing in the anime itself. This is a very blatant red flag. Rio spends 80 episodes in a coma for this, wakes up from said coma, then is put into another coma before she can sort things out. In general, Rio has very little, if any agency of her own from the time her and Shark start realizing they’re Barians until the Barians start attacking Heartland.

This also plays into my comment about Megumi Han, Rio’s voice actress. The friend of mine who got me to watch Zexal watched it herself as it aired, and mentioned that Han accidentally slipped up/leaked Rio being Merag right before the Barian backstory arc. Because of her then being put into a coma right when things started to involve the Kamishiros and her being shown with IV in the ED, this lead to a rumor coming out that her and IV were supposed to talk things out in canon, but they wrote Rio’s character out as punishment. However, it’s just that: a rumor, and nothing more, so take it with a grain of salt.

As for Eliphas:

Juuuuust so I’m not talking completely out of my ass (as I often do), I’ll be citing this article by Masami Tamagawa, particularly the subsection of it linked therein. 

The rundown is: family structures are a very key cornerstone in Japanese society, with a very distinctive focus on relation to the father. Keeping this structure in tact is very key for career movement; particularly for men, who are traditionally viewed as the breadwinners while the wives stay home. Risking straying from this structure not only puts your family at risk, but yourself as well - leading to many LGBT JP people to stay closeted.

With this in mind, Eliphas is the known creator of Astral, and also explicitly created Barian when he banished all Astral beings who had chaos in them so that Astral World could continue to prosper. This already lays the foundation for an allegory to conservatism down, but in particular the way he, Astral’s patriarch, talks about Yuma’s chaotic (gay) relationship with Astral and how Yuma defends himself goes much further in this.

The foundation for Eliphas’ stance and rhetoric on keeping Astral away from Yuma isn’t the “impurity” of their love, though it is a major component, but rather: their love, and Yuma encouraging Astral to think for himself and find his own purpose detracts him for furthering the prosperity of Astral World. Because of Astral’s relationship, he is denying Eliphas, his family, the opportunities to further society. Afaik, this is a very major point for JP conservatism as a whole - however, my source mostly focuses on the family aspect, so I will refrain from going further on that.

Yuma’s defense to this basically boils down to “we’ve argued, but all I have ever truly done to Astral is love him.”

The article linked also goes into what an extreme generation gap Japan now has with regards to viewing LGBT cultures, and cites the 90s gay boom to exposure in the identities as a reason. Yuma’s final line in this defense reads very strongly as a generational argument/parallel to me:

Eliphas’ rhetoric is furthered when Yuma summons Hope, a direct symbol of Yuma and Astral’s relationship:

He refers to it as an “abnormality born from irregularity”, directly accusing Hope of only existing at all for deviating from the social norms, which is bad. Yuma again refutes that there is nothing wrong with Hope, just as there is nothing wrong with him and Astral being together.

This is all just from the first episode of this duel. I’m sure I could go on, but I’ll be blunt: while I like the themes and allegory of Yuma V Eliphas, I hate the pacing and don’t even want to skim through more. 

However, I do feel based on everything above, combined with the two being canon in the manga also written by Yoshida (with an argument I can very easily make that they’re canon in the finale of the anime as well - but that’s for another post), and again, Alit canonically being in love with Yuma being used as a point of sympathy for him and the Barians’ situation, that Yuma and Astral are a very deliberate and very intentional LGBT narrative. 

As someone whos gay relationship was recently sabotaged by her GF’s parents, all of Yuma’s points hit EXTREMELY close to home for me in particular - and, I’ll be frank: I’m friends with a lot of Zexal fans in gay relationships, and literally all of them have picked up on having the exact same sentiments as Yuma, be it to someone close or society at large - at some point in their lives.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Fic: Nocturne (25/30) - 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)

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

It's not like Noctis is an expert at this whole hero business, except maybe in video games (where he kicks hindquarter like nobody's business), but he's pretty sure accepting the bad guy's invitation to a party is, like, a bad idea? Or something?

"We've thought of that," Dad tells Noctis when he brings it up. "But we don't see how we can avoid a full-fledged siege of the Rock otherwise – and a siege we will more than likely lose, and lose badly, since Niflheim is both closer and has greater forces than we. So, in lieu of any better options, we go to have fritters, roast meat, and fruitcake with the enemy."

"Fruitcake with a fruitcake," Noctis says.

“Be nice, Noctis,” his mother says, drifting through the room. "Regis, do you think Noctis can wear his traveling clothes, or are those not formal enough? I want something sturdy, in the event of disaster, but good enough to pass as appropriately formal..."

"Perhaps the dark blue travel outfit, instead of the black?" Dad suggests. "It's a little less used, but still thoroughly broken in..."

Noctis throws his hands up into the air. "What do we care? The only person we'll be impressing is Creepy McCreepytaur!"

Noctis' parents look at him with injured "you're not getting it" expressions that quickly shift into "well maybe he’ll understand when he's older" ones that are even more annoying.

Cor, who's sitting on the floor near the fire with Prompto, snorts, though, because he's cool. He gets it.

"Don't worry, Noctis," he says, running a brush through Prompto's silky fur. Prompto likes it when Cor does it for him, rather than just doing it himself; Noctis isn't sure if that's a canidaetaur thing, a laziness thing, or a Prompto thing. Either way, he's totally going to go over to demand some brushing as well, even though he'll probably get bored of it after two minutes. "No matter what you wear, we'll be there to back you up. With an army."

"Quite literally, in fact," Uncle Clarus puts in. "We're fully expecting an ambush, and we're bringing all the forces we can spare from Insomnia's defense. We'll all be there, hanging back in the event you need us."

"Even Gladio and Iggy and Prom, right?" Noctis says eagerly.

That gets frowns from the adults. "Noctis," Dad starts, "I don't think that that's –"

"They helped me with all the other Covenants!" Noctis argues. "Maybe they're necessary!"

"We are fulfilling the Prophecy in a non-traditional manner," Iggy volunteers from where he and Gladio are playing checkers. Luna, Iggy's usual opponent, isn't there, since she's off packing in her quarters (picking her clothing, more likely), so Gladio has volunteered himself and is losing amiably. "Our presence may be necessary. You don’t know for sure, and why take the risk of not bringing us?"

"You're children," Aunt Cyrella points out, but she sounds thoughtful. "And it will undoubtedly be quite dangerous. Though you've been in dangerous situations before..."

That's a good sign!

"I'm fairly sure I don't like the idea of sending children – any children – up against the Accursed," Uncle Clarus says, frowning. "Much less ones he already has reason to know of."

Less good.

"You know, while we're at it, I don't like that we have to kill this Accursed Izunia fellow," Scientia says from where she's nose-deep in some book. "We're a nation of law, by Bahamut's scales; we ought to try him by jury, just like anyone else."

"Oh, come now, Scientia, really," Aunt Cyrella objects. "Please remember that we're talking about a person who is, as far as we can tell, quite literally the incarnation of the Starscourge."

"Doesn't matter," Ms. Scientia says firmly. "The Lucian charter doesn't qualify between individuals, no matter their crimes or, er, composition: all sentient beings get a trial by twelve of their peers. And you can't say he's not sentient, not with all the trouble he's caused."

"But really, under the circumstances, Scientia..."

"Oh, I'm not saying we can do it," she concedes. "Just that it would be nice if we could do it legally."

"I don't know where we could even hold him for long enough for a proper trial," Cor says thoughtfully.

"I've given in already, Leonis; there’s no need to rub it in further."

"Hey, no, I'm agreeing with you," he protests. "It would be preferable if we could, but I don't think we can. Besides, the battlefield has its own laws."

"Hmmm. True enough, I suppose."

"Well, I still think the very idea is absolutely ridiculous," Aunt Cyrella huffs. "The fact that you're both still concerned with the rights of –"

"I think the blue will do quite well," Noctis' mom decides before Cor and Scientia's hackles can go up any further. Her voice is calm and gentle and also somehow manages to interrupt everyone's conversations with no effort whatsoever, pulling everyone's attention to her instead of to their tiff. "What do you think, Noctis?"

Noctis groans.

"I don't think he cares," Gladio translates. "Did we ever make a decision on whether we're coming or not? Because if we're not allowed to come, we're just gonna try to stow away. Cor will help."

"He will not," Dad says, giving Cor a hard look.

Cor shrugs noncommittally.

He totally will.

"Cor!"

"I didn't say anything."

"Oh, yes, but you 'didn't say anything' in a way that speaks volumes. Don't think I don't know -"

"This entire discussion is irrelevant," Mom says with a sigh. "We've seen that the Accursed has his ways to get into the city regardless, and if he launches another attack on Insomnia while we're abroad there won't be anything we can do. So we may as well bring the children – it's the Inferniad holiday, after all, which is meant to be celebrated by bringing families together. Not to mention that we aren't exactly leaving anyone at home to watch them, except perhaps for Cyrella's mother..."

"She's watching Iris," Aunt Cyrella says. "That's all she agreed to do. You try to push three boys on her, she'll lead a palace revolt."

"Successfully, too," Uncle Clarus mutters, his fur going flat. He's always been a bit afraid of his mother-in-law, which has constantly been a source of hilarity to Noctis and Gladio because Grandma Romulea happens to be very sweet and so near-sighted as to be half blind even with her frankly enormous glasses.

"So we're going?" Iggy asks eagerly.

"Not to the party itself," Mom says. "You're not invited."

"But otherwise yes," Scientia says. "Consider it a contract."

Iggy breaks out into a momentary grin, then gets control of himself again. "Thank you for this opportunity," he says politely.

"You may assist by wrestling Noctis into his traveling clothing," Dad says wryly. "He needs to try it on before we go."

"Nooooooo -"

"You have to."

"I can do it myself! Don't sic my friends on me!"

And that, as far as Noctis can tell, is that, and next thing he knows they're on their way to the Rock of Ravatogh for the world's most screwed up Inferniad party ever.

They go in an airship, at least – a small one, with Aranea driving and being more awkward than he might've believed possible after having known her for a few weeks as a Crownsguard. Apparently she has a totally different approach to Noctis' Dad and Luna's Mom than she has to regular people - far, far more respectful and awestricken.

Like, Noctis can't blame her, but it's super annoying.

Luna grabbed Noctis to sit by her, and made sure her other side was right next to the wall, which probably means that she and Ravus still haven't made up. Luna's mom looks all pinched up about it, too.

Ugh, Noctis is glad he doesn't have siblings. They sound like way more trouble than they're worth.

When they get close to the Rock of Ravatogh – bare of snow and unseasonably warm as always, no matter the weather - Noctis looks out the window and abruptly realizes exactly why his parents and all the other adults agreed to this whole ridiculous thing.

There's an army already there.

MTs, all of them, standing in rows and rows, unmoving tin soldiers with glowing red eyes – just deadly.

There's a lot of them.

A lot of them.

Noctis thought the Crownsguard and Kingsglaive force that's following behind them at a far distance was impressive, but it's not anywhere near as impressive as this.

All the MTs are just standing there, out in the open, unmoving, and their army is encircling, as far as Noctis can tell, the only pathway up the mountain. Trying to get past them...

Yeah, okay. That would be impossible.

It'd definitely be impossible to do it before Niflheim called for backup from its massive airship fleet.

Its slightly-smaller-than-previously airship fleet, thanks to Aranea.

Aranea lands their airship without any of the MTs taking a step in their direction, although their heads all creepily rotate to focus on them.

All together, all at once.

Creepy.

"Good luck," Aranea says, and she sounds pretty doubtful about their chances. "I'll wait here until I see you safely up."

"They might fire on you once we disembark," Luna's mom says.

"I have shields for a reason, your Ladyship," Aranea says. "I don't think they'll let me stay more than a few minutes, but those minutes I can, I'll be here."

Luna's mom smiles at her and puts a hand on Aranea's lower back, just lightly. "You're a good one, Commodore," she says, and when she lifts her hand away, it's glowing a little.

Aranea looks dumbfounded for a second, and then extremely honored. "Yes, my Lady," she says, looking even more awestruck than before.

That must be the Oracle's Blessing.

(Big deal. Luna can do it too.)

They get off the ship.

Once the MTs see that all six of them are there – Dad and Mom and Noctis and Luna and Ravus and their mom – they abruptly move, choppy uneven movements like the creepy quasi-robots they are. The ones of them in the front turn to the side in a single uniform movement, opening up a narrow path between them, just large enough for one or two ‘taurs to pass through, just barely, and the back rows march in a turning style to stand side-by-side to continue the walls of that path all the way up the side of the mountain.

Up and up and up the mountain.

It's like watching dominos, except instead of falling they're rearranging themselves into a different pattern with perfect precision.

So, so, so creepy.

"I'm glad I brought my cane," Dad sighs. He has an old wound in one of his forelegs – he has a knee brace that he wears for it, more and more often, and he's been using his cane to get around. It's a nice cane – it goes up to his chest in height so that he can lean against it, like a staff, and it's very pretty – but Noctis worries. He knows that the Ring drains the King's health, but surely it shouldn't be doing it so fast..?

If his Dad's ill health is part of the Prophecy, Noctis is going to be super mad at someone.

Probably Bahamut.

"We'll go slowly," Mom says firmly. "There's nothing wrong with being fashionably late. Sylvia, if you would..?"

Luna's mom takes Dad's arm – her hands glowing again, this time focused more on healing him so as to make the climb easier – and they all start going up the mountain.

Per Mom's instructions, Luna goes next, and then Noctis, and then Ravus, and finally Mom, covering their tails.

It's pretty slow going. Worse, with MTs on both sides watching them go, it's hard to even really enjoy it – they're basically stuck in single file, twisting and twining their way up the mountain path, and they can't even really talk to each other or anything to make it less boring.

Ugh, Noctis really hopes this isn't actually a trap. Or, if it is, that Cor and Uncle Clarus have some really awesome plan to get them all out of it.

The MT path ends up diverging from the actual pathway and going up some sheer rock, forcing them to follow that path instead, and that's even harder on Noctis' dad, making his breath come faster and his limp worse. If Noctis didn't hate this Accursed guy on principle already, he definitely does now.

And then they finally get to a cave, and inside that cave is –

Oooooh shit.

"Is that a Lucian tomb?" Luna's mom murmurs. "It resembles the one in Succarpe."

"It is," Regis confirms. "The Tomb of the Fierce – the last of the Royal Arms that Noctis requires."

"Indeed it is!" an extremely obnoxious voice purrs from the side. There's a leopard 'taur there, half in shadow, half out, his eyes hidden by the shade of his hat but the whiteness of his teeth entirely evident as he smiles. "Please, come inside – I insist! You should feel entirely free to collect your little...trinket."

"Chancellor Izunia," Dad says icily.

"A pleasure," Mom says. "As ever."

She sounds amused and a little fond.

Noctis' Mom has the weirdest sense of humor.

The Chancellor pulls off his hat and holds it to his upper torso, still grinning. "Your Majesties do me great honor in accepting my little invitation. I've set us up a nice picnic further in – please, do follow me."

He waves casually at the MTs, causing them to start marching back down the mountain, and then the Chancellor turns his back on them – he's got to be immortal or something, because literally any of the adults could probably get him right between the shoulder-blades without even trying, and he seems utterly indifferent to the idea – and saunters in.

Literally saunters.

The rest of them all follow slowly, the adults looking suspicious (well, except Mom, who mostly looks interested in the cave walls and not unlike she's on one of her visits to the general populace, calm and collected as always), but nothing happens when they walk in. The Chancellor even walks right by the tomb as if it's unimportant.

Noctis hesitates when they get close, looking up at his parents.

"Go ahead, Noctis," Dad says, his eyes still fixed firmly on the Chancellor.

Noctis tries to absorb the Mace as quickly and quietly as possible. Well, as quickly and quietly as is possible when the weapon turns all glowy, rises up into the air, and stabs him in the upper chest.

At least it's not accompanied by an orchestral score or anything. That would be weird.

Even if Noctis has played enough video games that he can very vividly imagine how it would go.

Still, it's kind of a relief to have it. He has all thirteen of them, now – Luna's mom gave him the Trident earlier (he gave the real one back at once, of course), and he's had a copy of Dad's sword since forever. He kind of expected it to be a bit more of a moment, some sort of gold star "here! you've done it! you've got them all!" but honestly that might just be the gamer in him. This is real life, not a game.

He shakes his head and quickly catches up to the others. The Chancellor is leading them deeper inside, to a big cavern where there is, in fact, a series of blankets and picnic baskets laid out in a circular fashion, surrounding the nine-pronged candlabras traditional to the Inferniad.

"How nice it is for us to all be together, on this of all days," the Chancellor says cheerily. His voice feels slimy. "Now, first things first – who among us will light the candles?"

"Chancellor Izunia –" Luna's mom starts, sounding very stiff.

"Please, please! Call me Ardyn," the Chancellor – Ardyn – says. "We're all friends here, are we not?"

"It's very easy to be friends when you have an army outside the door," Mom says, her cheerful and sincere good mood making even Ardyn's intimidating creepiness seem a little less scary. "Wouldn't you say?"

"I do find that it helps," Ardyn agrees, smirking conspiratorially with her. The smirk is noticeably less fake than all the other expressions he's had on so far, less rehearsed and fake, but that's probably because he likes Noctis' Mom. Everyone that Mom likes likes her back, it's like her superpower or something. "But then, that's why I expect that you brought your own, wouldn't you say?"

Dad and Luna's mom stiffen - Noctis is pretty sure Ardyn wasn't supposed to know about their army - but Noctis' mom is entirely unperturbed. "It would be rude not to meet courtesy with courtesy," she says cheerfully. "And we do so try not to be rude. Etiquette is so easily forgotten these days."

"Well said, well said," Ardyn says, looking vastly amused.

"Is there any chance we can get to the point of these discussions?" Ravus growls. He growls very well for an ungulaetaur.

Ardyn tsks.

"So impatient," he says. "The follies of youth! But youth, of course, represents the future. And on that note, why shouldn't we have our dashing prince and lovely princess light the candles, as the youngest of our little company? I believe that's the tradition."

"Very well," Dad says slowly after a few moments. "Luna, Noctis, go ahead."

Noctis looks at Luna. She doesn't look particularly happy about it, but she's straightening her back in a way that suggests that she's going to do it.

And, well, if Luna's going to do it, then obviously Noctis will as well.

So they head into the center of the circle to the candles, while the adults all settle down in a loose semi-circle around them, and they light the candles together, reciting the traditional Inferniad blessings.

"How lovely it is," Ardyn says when they finish. "Ah, youth and beauty – and they make such a lovely couple indeed."

Noctis, who'd taken Luna's hand in his for the candle lighting, immediately drops it. "Couple?!"

Ardyn chuckles. "I see the prince is not yet old enough to properly appreciate the bounty that has been placed before him."

"It's not that," Noctis says, wrinkling his nose at the thought of Luna being called a 'bounty', whatever that meant. He's pretty sure Ardyn doesn't mean like a bounty hunter. "We wouldn't be a couple anyway. Luna likes girls!"

(Pity, too - Noctis would totally have married her and Prompto both if he could.)

Still, Noctis' announcement gets the smug, self-satisfied look off of Ardyn's face, if only for a moment while he blinks at them.

"And has a girlfriend already," Luna adds, her voice a little waspish. She reaches out to take Noctis' hand again in order to guide him over to the blankets to sit down. "Assuming my input is at all relevant here, of course."

"Hardly the fairytale match you thought it would be, Ardyn?" Mom says wryly. "But then – we haven't really done any of this the way you thought it would be, have we?"

"Indeed," Ardyn says, but the smug look is back on his face. "I must say, it's positively heartwarming, really, to see all of you working together on the duties of the Chosen King – the Prophecy of Bahamut is so cruel, wouldn't you say, your Majesty? After all, if it all goes the way the Astrals intend, you'll be giving up both husband and son to their destines as Kings of Lucis."

"We have no intention of giving up anything," Luna's mom says. "There is always light, even in the midst of darkness, and where there is light, there is hope."

"Such charming philosophy," Ardyn says, then settles back, looking them over. "Charming, yes – quite charming. Six of you here, six Astrals above and below, and yet between the two groups, it is we mere mortals who are chosen to pay the price for the Astrals's folly."

"That is still better than encouraging it," Dad says. He inclines his head to the cave entrance. "Or do you deny that you invited the Starscourge to Niflheim, so that it might grow stronger?"

"You misunderstand me entirely," Ardyn says, hand over his upper heart, clearly insincere. "I wish for nothing more than to see your lines united so as to see the Prophecy properly fulfilled – Chosen King and Oracle, come together at last to defeat the darkness!"

"I suppose that would be important to you, wouldn't it?" Mom says musingly. "After all, you yourself sprang from such a union."

Ardyn's face goes utterly flat, all humor disappearing. He clearly wasn't expecting that.

Mom pours herself a cup of tea from a thermos she pulled the picnic basket, all casual and awesome.

"The line of the Oracle and the line of Lucis do not often unite," she says, still causal as if she's commenting on the weather. "And almost never through arranged marriages, the way you implied would be appropriate for Noctis and Lunafreya – almost never, that is, except for once, centuries ago, a handful of generations after the world was turned and the fight against the Starscourge began in earnest. A near cousin of the Oracle was a lion 'taur, through some well-placed marriages, and so able to meet the already established Lucian standard of only marrying lions. And so they married, and had two sons."

She studies a silent Ardyn.

"Isn't that right?" she asks.

"It is," he says. His voice has lost that nauseatingly intimate tone he'd been using up until now; it's very flat. "Tell me, what exactly is it that you think you've found?"

"Izunia," she says instead. "What a strange surname for you to take – that of the younger brother that took the throne of Lucis instead of you."

"The throne of –" Dad says sharply, even as Luna's mom stiffens.

Noctis looks around. He's not sure he understands.

If Ardyn is centuries old, and he was once in line for the throne of Lucis – a line that has been unbroken from the very beginning, when Bahamut blessed them with the Ring and the Crystal – then that means...

"You're a Lucis Caelum," Luna's mother says blankly.

"And a Nox Fleuret," Ardyn says, his eyes glittering. "If one believes my ancestry to be true."

"It is true," Mom says quietly. "Genetic drift was always a possibility, even if no one knew about it back then. Two lions could have a leopard for a son – even an eldest son."

"And yet the throne went to the second son," Ardyn says. "A second son, with a different mother, as leonine as the first, but he was born a lion. And thereafter the line of the Lucii and the Nox Fleurets diverged thereafter forevermore."

"But –" Noctis says, still unsure. "But that means you're..."

"Oh yes, my young Chosen King," Ardyn says, and smiles. It's not a nice smile. "That makes you and I family. But then, isn't the Inferniad traditionally celebrated by families coming together?"

"What happened?" Luna asks, her eyes wide. "If you were Lucis Caelum and Nox Fleuret both...? How did you – why did you..?"

Ardyn laughs. "Let me tell you a story," he says. "It is about a young King-to-be – a young healer, by virtue of his mother's side – who traveled throughout the land to fight the Starscourge, using his abilities to pull the plague from the bodies of his subjects into his own so as to free them from their burden. And yet, when he returned home, his family and his subjects all declared that he was too corrupted to take the throne that was rightfully his – they declared, further, that he had no right to the throne, his true heritage made questionable by simple virtue of the spots on his back – the spots of a leopard, rather than the clean lines of the lion - and because of this, they had him executed. But the Starscourge he had absorbed – the countless daemons he took into himself, rather than let them afflict his land and his people – oh, it would not permit him to die so easily. He did not die. Instead they chased him out, and wiped his name from history."

He turns his eyes to Mom, arching his eyebrows. "Or at least, so I'd thought. It appears a whisper of that story survived, deep within the archives of Lucis."

"The Starscourge corrupts," Luna's mom says with a frown. "To take the daemons into yourself, rather than to purge them – your judgment would have been tainted, your reason unbalanced. That would be why you were denied the throne, not your heritage or your spots."

"They would never have turned on me if not for that," Ardyn hisses, suddenly fierce. "The line of the Lucii, so obsessed with remaining pure – it could not tolerate something different. Anything different!"

"You're mad," Mom observes, her voice neutral – all amusement gone. If anything, she sounds regretful. "Perhaps you were only angry, once, but now you have become consumed – by the Starscourge, and by your hatred."

"Perhaps," he says. "Perhaps. But really, who can blame me?"

He rises to his paws, and so do the rest of them. Noctis doesn't like the way Ardyn's face has gone twisted with anger and the remnants of condescending humor. It makes him seem much more dangerous than the condescending asshole he was just moments before.

He steps back as Ardyn steps forward.

"But now, this time, this time it will be different," Ardyn says, his voice low and his eyes fixed on Noctis. "Now I will face the Chosen King himself – younger than I'd thought, perhaps, but no matter. I will face the Chosen of the Astrals, the Chosen of Prophecy, in the full bloom of his power and might, he who received all the inheritance that should have been mine, and I will show the Astrals who condemned me to my fate the ruinous folly of their ways, of their cruelty –"

There's a muted sound of an explosion, and the room shakes, causing them all to stagger.

"What's happening?" Dad shouts.

Noctis looks at Ardyn, assuming it's his fault, but no – he looks as surprised as any of them.

Another explosion – not in the room, Noctis realizes, but on the mountaintop above them. And then another, and another

"It's a Niflheim bombing run!" Luna's mom exclaims. She’s more familiar with them than most, being from Tenebrae.

"Well, those certainly aren't our people doing it," Mom says, grabbing onto Dad to help him keep his balance as the cavern quakes and ominous cracks begin to run up the walls. "They know we're here - and anyway, we wouldn't use up the bombs like that."

"They've turned on me," Ardyn says poisonously, realizing. "Niflheim – they've turned on me - they're trying to take out two birds with one stone –"

He turns his face back to where Noctis is standing, towards the back of the cavern with Luna.

"It's too soon," Ardyn says, and his voice has gone horribly raspy. "You have not fulfilled your quest yet. You cannot die, Chosen King, not yet, not until your mission is done – I will have my revenge done properly –"

His face is different all of a sudden, his eyes yellow lights in a pit of blackness, with filth the color of tar spilling down his cheeks and out of his mouth, his skin gone grey like a corpse – the corruption inside revealed –

A giant rock falls from the ceiling right next to Luna, making her scream, making Noctis look up and realize just how much the ceiling of the cavern is fragmenting.

"Luna!" Ravus shouts. He charges forward, knocking both Luna and Noctis back just as the ceiling begins to collapse, and the three of them tumble down together, falling backwards – backwards through where the wall of the cavern used to be – backwards and down, going down through some newly-revealed fissure in the wall, tumbling onto some slippery slide where their paws and hooves can get no grip.

Sliding down and down and away, into the center of the volcano.

"Noctis!" someone shouts after them, frantic, and through the echoes Noctis can't tell if it was one of his parents – or if it was Ardyn, seeing his revenge slip away from him.

[fortheloveofeos]

Noctis confesses to reader

This little story was a request by @shadow-hokage ages ago and I feel horrible that it’s taken so long. I hope it’s something like you wanted although I wasn’t able to unclude the smut scene for you. 

Also, Noct isn’t engaged to Luna here. 

Word Count: 1714

XXX

Being asked to company the young prince out of Insomnia for a political meeting was more than a surprise when your orders were handed down to you. Noctis and his retainers were close and they had all been trained in combat together for months. Sure, you were more than capable of taking care of yourself – you were a fully trained member of the Crownsguard, after all – but you also were not battle tested.

You had been in one of the training rooms working on your hand-to-hand combat with Gladio when Core Leonis had strolled into the room with his ever-present scowl. He’d given you the rundown quickly and with no preamble. You would leave with them in the morning on a course or Altissa were Noctis would meet with representatives from several other nations to discuss the trade agreement. Regis was not in proper health to travel such a long distance and Noctis, with the help of Ignis, would be capable of resigning the documents. He waited for your agreement before he turned on his heal and strode from the room.

You had known Gladiolus Amicitia perhaps the longest. The two of you were close enough in age that you had faced much of the same training. You had come to know Ignis Scientia as he began his weapons training among the other young Guard members. You had only recently met Prompto Argentum but the moment he had stepped into your training room for assistance with self-defense, the two of you had gotten along perfectly.

Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, on the other hand, was a very different story.

You had grown up in and around the Citadel as your father was a prominent member of the Guard under king Regis. When you began to train, it had quickly been decided that you would serve Noctis as one of his first members of his own Guard. As a result, you spent much of your time when you weren’t training accompanying Noctis as one of the shadows that seemingly never left his side. You had watched him closely, memorized nearly every detail of his Astral-like figure, but you had spoken to him only once. And that was only to introduce yourself on the day you were officially accepted as a member of his Crownsguard.

Being sandwiched between the giant human mountain of a Shield and the sleepy prince in the backseat was absolutely not how you expected your nonexistent relationship with your prince to begin. Having him close enough that you could smell his faintly woody and clean scent was alarming. You knew your cheeks were tinted red and that your entire body was tensed from the proximity. Gladio may have had some idea of what was bothering you as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder. Thankfully, he kept his teasing to a minimum with a waggle of his eyebrows and a knowing smirk.

You found your awkward and clumsy rhythm with the group quickly but did your best to maintain some distance between yourself and Noctis whenever possible. Your banter with the others was natural but your tongue manages to malfunction anytime you attempted to speak to Noctis. Because you were hyperaware of his presence at all times, you could sense that something had been bothering him for a while. Sometimes, he would open his mouth to speak, his midnight blue eyes trained on you before one of the others would cut him off and allow you to escape. You managed to avoid him until arriving in Lestallum.

Happy to have your own room and a chance to sleep in real bed for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, you had starfished onto the mattress and scrolling through your phone when a tentative knock sounded at your door. Ready to find a blushing Prompto ready to convince you to go on another search for something, you gasped softly at the prince.

“Hey,” he mumbled your name beneath his breath with one hand rubbing at the back of his neck. “Can we talk for a minute? If you’re not busy, I mean.”

When you opened your mouth, only a small squeak escaped you before your cheeks burned as bright as a tomato. Snapping your jaw shut with enough force for your teeth to click together, you settled on a nod before moving to the side allowing Noctis to step into your room. Inhaling several slow and steadying breaths, you took your time shutting the door. A small part of you hoped this was all a dream and that when you turned, you would be alone.

“Sorry to just…barge in on you.” He was still there and sporting a blush of his own.

Waving away his apology, you finally managed to speak. “ ‘S fine. Wh-what’s up?” It wasn’t common for Noctis to just show up at your door. Especially when he could be using this time for a nap. Trying to act casual and not like you were about to hyperventilate in front of the most attractive man in the universe who just also happened to technically be your boss, you sat at the edge of the bed and watched as Noctis worried a path in to the carpet with his boots.

Pausing just long enough in his continues strides to flash his eyes up to meet yours, the raven-haired man raked his fingers through his hair and tugged a bit at the roots. “I’ve been trying to get you alone to talk to you for weeks.”

Alone. Noctis Lucis Caleum wanted to speak to you alone.

Noticing your silence, Noctis continued on. “I need to say something and I need you to let me get it out. Before I get too damn distracted during a hunt and end up with a Spiricorn horn through my chest. A gasp left you involuntarily but Noct offered you a small smile. Finally, he stopped in his pacing and instead chose to look out the window at the crowded square beneath the Leville.

His outline was dark against the light flooding in through the window and you took a moment to memorize the shape of his strong and lean form before standing and slowly padding over to him. “What is it?” You couldn’t help asking when he didn’t go on.

With a shake of his head, Noctis turned to you slowly and brushed his stubborn fringe from his eyes. “I know we’re still���getting to know each other,” he started before sucking his bottom lip between his teeth for a moment. He inhaled a shaky breath before closing the distance between the two of you and carefully cupping your face in his hands. You could have sworn your heart had stopped when he lowered his head to get a better view of your face so that he could gauge your reaction. He seemed to be asking permission for something and the small, nearly imperceptible nod you gave him urged him on.

With one step, Noctis backed you against the wall. The cool wood pressed against your back as he pressed his pelvis forward into yours. “Noct,” you breathed as his lips inched nearer to yours.

“Yeah?” The warmth of his breath ghosted over your lips and you shuttered at the sensation. With an understanding glint in his eyes, he pressed his lips to yours deliberately as if his touch could convey his feelings. Neither of you were particularly skilled with words, but actions you could handle.

Immediately, your hands found the messy strands at the back of his head and you tangled your fingers there, tugging slightly. A soft growl spilled into your mouth and your king pulled you from the wall. Your lips parted as he pushed you back onto the bed but as soon as he had ripped his shirt over his head, he was on top of you and kissing you again. His body weight pressed into you – not enough to hurt you or even make you uncomfortable, but enough to make you feel safe and guarded. Like he was going to take everything and make it all okay again, whatever it was.

Letting yourself become lost in his touch, you gently pushed against his chest and mumbled his name against his lips. “What…are you sure?” You finally asked once he pulled back enough for you to breathe.

“I’ve wanted you since I saw you,” he nipped at your ear and you squealed. “With everything going on, I didn’t know if…if I should say anything. If it was right.” He brushed a strand of hair from your eyes carefully as he studied your face. “But Gladio said something to me earlier. Something about living my life for me – at least what parts of it I could. And all I could think about was you.”

The small squeak that left you would have been horrifying if you had been capable of rational thought at that moment. “I’m nothing special,” you spoke quickly so that he couldn’t interrupt you, “and I don’t want to cause you any problems.”

“You don’t want this? Me?” The look on his face broke your heart.

“No!” You pulled him down for another quick kiss. “I want this. More than anything,” you promised him.

Laughing, Noctis kissed you hard enough to take your breath away. “You’re so beautiful,” he smiled.

XXX

“You’re so beautiful.” The blush on your cheeks was perfect with the white lace of your delicate dress. “My beautiful queen.” Noctis stole another chaste kiss from you as he held you in his arms. You distinctly heard the cheers of his three close friends somewhere close behind you but you couldn’t pull your eyes away from your new husband, your king.

The sound of Noctis’ heartbeat thrummed into your ear where it was pressed against his chest. The lights of Galden Quay reflected off the rippling water and you couldn’t help smiling at your reflection on the surface. “I can’t believe this is real. That you’re here with me,” you hummed happily.

Noctis chuckled before dipping you low to the ground and earning a surprised laugh from you. “Luckiest man on Eos, right here,” he kissed you sweetly before righting you again. As the world came back into focus, the small group of friends gathered around clapped wildly.

[creative-frequency]

Ravus x Fem!Reader: Glances Ch. 6

Word count: 3049 Warnings: None Notes: Modern University AU spin off for @lucianhuntress‘s Love Colored Pens.

Previous Chapter | Glances Masterlist

You had been rendered too stunned to act that day or the following one. You had not caught even a glimpse of Ravus, which was actually a relief since you had no idea what to say to him. He had apologized to you with flowers – a huge bouquet of purple hyacinths.

After the courier had left, you had instantly double-checked online the meaning of the flowers:

‘I’m sorry, please forgive me.’

You sighed for the hundredth time ever since receiving the bouquet and threw a glance at the mellow shade of purple. You knew you would eventually have to speak with Ravus. You wanted to tell him that his apology was accepted, but you also felt like you owed him one too.

A sharp knock on the office door made you jolt.

“Come in,” you said startled. A second of panic filled you with the thought of Ravus being the one behind the door.

“Ooh, you got flowers! Nice,” Aranea exclaimed after entering. She wore a knowing smirk.

You let out a huff of relief. Her comment had not been a question and now that you thought about it, it was that obvious from whom the flowers were. You blushed lightly and tried to look away to hide the pink shade from Aranea.

“That’s so cute. Hey, are you done with the presentation for tomorrow? There are some things I’d like to add…”

You gladly took the chance be immersed in work and before you knew it, it was time to go home for the day. Aranea had not inquired about you and Ravus, at least not from you. She had thrown some smug glances at the flowers, but said nothing.

‘The weekend couldn’t be more welcome,’ you thought and stretched a bit. Maybe you would find some resolve to talk things through with Ravus the next time you would see him. Luckily, you were too busy to consciously think about him over the weekend, since you had a lot to do at home. Instead, your subconscious was hard at work and when you laid your head to the pillow and closed your eyes, it felt as if all your problems concerning Ravus had been magically solved – until you woke up in the next morning and came up with a dozen new issues.

You would have to act soon and push those doubts away if you wanted to even try to salvage the situation.

Monday morning greeted Insomnia with the typical autumn weather. It was raining lightly and the people on campus tried to avoid the puddles spotting the walkways. Filled with self-psyched up determination, you made your way to the campus café. Ravus would surely be there as usual, grabbing a cup of some specialty coffee and looking as gorgeous as ever.

As expected, as soon as you entered the café, you saw him standing some distance away from the counter with a cup in his hand.

You stopped on your tracks. Ravus was talking with a woman.

You slightly adjusted your route so that you would walk past them instead. You heart began pounding like a drum. Who was she? She was beautiful. An elegantly dressed blonde with the warmest and sweetest smile directed straight to Ravus. Her hand was laid lightly on his arm as she spoke. Then she moved it on his shoulder and gave him a quick embrace. You could have sworn you saw her placing a light kiss on his cheek.

You averted your gaze and with a hanging head and disappointment welling inside you, you bought a regular coffee to go and left as soon as you could. You felt the pair of pale blue eyes on your back as you hastily retreated. So much for that confidence.

You tried hard to forget what you had seen and focus on work. You even almost brought it up with Aranea. ‘Am I really that desperate?’ You huffed and buried your face in your hands. After having struggled so much to find the courage, you couldn’t believe you would just have to give up because of someone else. Were you truly too late with no one else to blame but yourself?

Later the same day on lunch, you saw Ravus sitting with the blonde again.

‘So he has a girlfriend… Not that it’s any of my business or anything.’ You took another glance at the woman, who was smiling brightly at Ravus.

He seemed to be more relaxed in her presence than you had seen him with anyone else before. ‘And certainly more so than with you,’ your mind shoved into your consciousness. ‘Well good for him.’

You could not help the frown tugging the corners of your mouth downwards. Your heart was stinging and no matter how much you wanted to will the sensation away, it was stubbornly there, reminding you of another failed romantic quest in your life. As if you needed any more in that category.

On your way to the afternoon lecture, you happened to walk past Ravus. The moment you noticed him in the corridor, your whole body tensed and you became very aware of the loudness of your breaths. Maybe he would not see you in the narrow corridor. Maybe you could slip past him by hiding behind the folder in your hand. Maybe he would just ignore you.

Fat chance.

“Y/N, hold on–“ Ravus tried to stop you.

You felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and hurried your steps as if you had not heard him. Unfortunately for you, Ravus came after you.

He called your name loudly in a demanding tone that echoed in the corridor, so you could not help but turn to face him.

“Uh, yes?” you said as indifferently as you could. ‘Oh Astrals above how can a man be so gorgeous–‘

“Do you have a moment?” Ravus asked. His expression was unreadable, but you could distinguish a hint of something resembling desperation in his voice.

“No!” you rejected hastily.

Ravus raised his brows momentarily before a frown settled on his face.

“I mean, um, I’m super busy right now. Sorry!” You took a sheepish glance at him and left.

Behind you in the corridor, Ravus let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.

After the painfully slow lecture, you buried yourself in Professor Highwind’s teaching materials inside your office. It was exceedingly difficult to keep your mind straight and not let your focus wander. It was really amazing how your brains had the ability to conjure up the image of Ravus when you tried to read about marketing planning.

Market research… you had already done your “research” with Ravus in the store room and the thought had your cheeks burning. You flipped a page. Competition… who was the blonde? What was her business with Ravus? Wait, why did you even care? Marketing plan strategies… oh, you really would need a strategy now if you wanted to get him. Budget… maybe you had something Ravus liked since he had kissed you. He wouldn’t have done that if you didn’t, right?

Marketing goals… this was not helpful at all. You could not focus one bit. Of course you wanted Ravus. You wanted him so bad that your hormones had ended their hiatus to skydive back from being AWOL.

You thumped the book shut and got up to return it to Aranea. You could hear speech from her office to the corridor.

“Did you talk with her?” you overheard Aranea asking.

‘Maybe I should return later if she has a meeting–‘

“Not yet,” Ravus replied. His voice made you halt. You fist hovered in the air, unsure whether to knock and interrupt or to just leave.

“Well you should. You’re getting nowhere like that.” Aranea was amused and the tone incited an irritated scoff from Ravus.

‘Ah, this is probably about the blonde… I should leave.’ But you could not move your legs since Ravus’s next words glued your feet onto the linoleum floor.

“I know. She is avoiding me,” Ravus continued. You could clearly hear the words and still weren’t sure had you heard right.

‘Are they talking… about me?’ You were dumbfound and trying to think of a reason for the odd topic.

“Oh, yeah? Can’t imagine why,” Aranea quipped.

“Shut up. Ah, it’s almost four… I need to go. I’m going out for dinner with Luna.”

“Wait a moment, I’ll find that paper for you–“

You stopped listening. ‘Luna? Is she the blonde?’ You exhaled slowly and inch by inch dragged your feet back to your office, straining your hearing to catch another word in case they reverted back to talking about you.

You closed the door and sat down, deep in thought. ‘Why would Ravus be concerned that I’m avoiding him?’

Later that week you were copying handouts for students, leaning against the table next to the copy machine and deep in your Ravus-filled thoughts. Overhearing him and Aranea talking about you had not helped your feelings to calm down. You still had not had the chance to actually speak with Ravus properly. You were not entirely sure you would even have the courage to anymore.

You heaved a sigh and collected the freshly printed, warm stack of handouts from the tray.

“Excuse me?” a soft voice called next to you.

You flinched a bit from the startle. You had not noticed anyone entering. “Yes?” You raised your head to look at the speaker.

It was Luna – all smiles and white cotton dress shining under the fluorescent lights of the copy room.

You could barely hold back the frown as your stomach dropped. ‘Out of all people…’

“I was wondering could you help me take copies of these?” she asked and lifted the two papers in her hand. They seemed to be some sort of advertisements for a student gathering. Her gaze was wary, but curious as it scanned over you.

You just stared back at her, utterly dumbfound about how to react to her friendly approach. ‘What is she doing here? Does she work at the university? Is she a student?’ You inhaled to speak, but couldn’t form anything sensible to say.

“If it’s not too much trouble…” Luna’s smile wavered a bit.

“Uh, of course,” you finally uttered, but folded your arms defensively on your chest. The woman’s presence before you was not least a bit threatening or challenging, but instinctively you were suspicious of her.

Luna huffed in relief. “Thank you. I have no idea how to use the machine,” she said and her posture relaxed.

“Uh-huh,” you mumbled and nodded. You still had a few papers to copy before the handouts were ready.

“So… you’re Professor Highwind’s intern?” Luna inquired.

You were taken by surprise because of the question. Was it something people around the campus commonly knew? You didn’t think so. And why did she have to attempt small talk with you?

“H-how did you know?”

Luna smiled brightly and stepped closer to you. “I’ve seen you with her.”

“Oh.” That was of course the obvious explanation, but it sounded like there was something else behind the notion too.

“I’m Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. I'm an exchange student here,” Luna said and offered her hand to shake yours.

‘…Nox Fleuret?’ Wild thoughts went rampant through you, freezing your insides momentarily before disbelief took root. You could not voice them even in your mind before Luna spoke again.

“Y/N, right?” she asked since you were incapable of introducing yourself in your shock. Sharing her last name with Ravus could only mean one of two things…

“Yes,” you said hastily and switched a new paper into copy in the machine. So she had already known your name and your position. What else did she know about you? This blonde woman was a total stranger, yet her demeanor with you felt like she considered you as a friend. It was both unsettling and heartwarming.

“How many copies do you need?” you asked to change the subject.

“Fifteen or so each,” Luna replied and came to stand right next to you, so she could see how the copy machine worked. She leaned down to look at how the apparatus spat out the freshly printed copies.

You stared at Luna when she was looking away. She had kind, blue eyes and her mouth seemed to inhabit a permanent upward curve. Actually, now that you were able to take a closer look, her face did have some familiar features.

‘No freaking way…’

“I’ll show you how this thing works when I have to switch the paper,” you said and thanked the Astrals, since you had succeeded in talking in a normal tone.

“Thank you,” Luna said.

The awkward silence, that you had been dreading, fell. Luna was still eyeing interestedly the copy machine, as if she had never seen one before. Which she probably had not. She was calm and showed no signs of being bothered by the silence in the room.

You obsessively arranged the handouts into neat stacks on the table, just to have something to direct your attention to, and then slid them inside a folder.

“So are you dating my brother?” Luna asked suddenly and turned to look at you. Her tone was somewhat amused and her eyes were glinting.

You winced and the folder slipped from your fingers. You had to make a quick move to slam it against the table side, so it wouldn’t fall on the floor and scatter the papers.

“E-excuse me?” the words stumbled from your mouth before you could think.

“My brother Ravus. Are you going out?” Luna specified. She studied your expression closely.

You gaped back at her. “Haha, I wouldn’t put it like that,” you said laughing nervously, but you were relieved at the confirmed fact that she was only Ravus’s younger sister and nothing else.

“Oh? I’m sorry. It’s not my business anyway, but I was just curious,” Luna said happily.

“It’s okay… I didn’t know he has a sister,” you said sheepishly. It was not like you had been engaged in many meaningful conversations with Ravus.

“Really? It seems I have made a mistake then,” Luna said with an apologetic smile. The machine spat out the last handout and stopped humming. You still had one paper left to copy.

You collected the courage you had been mustering to speak with Ravus, and opened your mouth:

“Has he talked about me?”

Luna let out a light giggle. “Not really. My brother is not exactly the talkative type. But I’ve seen the looks he throws at you. That’s why I thought you were together.”

Your face flushed. “Well, I wish…” you said quietly.

“Ohhh!” Luna’s face brightened up. “Is there any way I could help you?”

“What?!” you yelped louder than was appropriate. “Uh, sorry–“

“Ravus is actually a really kind person, but he has difficulties expressing himself, so don’t mind if he says something mean. He doesn’t mean to upset you,” Luna said almost hastily, interrupting your apology.

‘That would explain a few things… ’you thought and sighed. The situation would have been comical if you had not still been so taken aback by the mere presence of Ravus’s sister.

“Do you like him?” Luna asked a bit smugly. As if the answer wasn’t written all over your face already.

“Uh, I guess I do,” you said since there was no point in trying to hide it.

“That’s great! You should ask him out since he won’t do it, unless you’d have him at gunpoint.” Luna’s voice was ridiculously excited.

“Thanks, but I should probably just talk with him,” you said noncommittally.

“I can come with you, if you want.” Luna smiled happily.

You mentally squinted to see if there was a hidden slight in the words, but they had sounded sincere. Did she really wish for you to get together with Ravus? Did she have a hidden agenda? And most importantly, why did she think you and Ravus would be good for each other?

“Thanks, but that’s a bit – well, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” you said slowly. What would it be like to barge into Ravus’s office with his little sister and confess your feelings to him, while she cheered in the background? You didn’t even want to let the mental image gain foothold in your mind.

“Hehe, sorry I got a bit excited there,” Luna admitted.

“How about we copy those papers of yours now?” you proposed, nodding towards the posters in her hand.

“Yes, please.”

Luna offered the first paper for you and you began explaining how the copy machine worked.

You had never had felt so conflicted as when you excused yourself from the copy room. You thought back to your behavior on the last few days, ever since you had made out with Ravus in the store room. Could you possibly have misinterpreted him so badly?

After talking with Luna, you were ninety-nine percent sure that he had wanted to apologize and talk properly about what had happened. Nevertheless, you had mucked up your chances and hurt him in your hurry to avoid discomfort – to avoid him. There was no other way to explain it, or at least you hoped there wasn’t. You had jumped into conclusions way too early considering you really didn’t know Ravus at all.

And the flowers. Oh boy. You really did owe him an apology and a good explanation. No matter was he romantically interested in you anymore or not. The faint glimmer of hope was impossibly indistinguishable, but you held on to it like it was a life buoy.

After your own stupid behavior, what annoyed you the most in the situation was the way Aranea and Luna had reacted. You kept repeating to yourself that they knew Ravus better than you did and you should take their word for it, when they said his behavior was unusual.

‘Who the hell shows their affection by staring at you for weeks, followed by a surprise make out session and then sends flowers to apologize? Urgh. I need something else to think about.’

Luckily for you, the perfect subject for distraction was to arrive in the following week in the form of visitors from the University of Gralea.

Next Chapter

[nyxiesilverfire]

If Everyone Survived

My Happily Ever After head canons where Voldemort basically didn't ever exist

FIRST OF ALL NO ONE FUCKING DIES!!!!!!!!

Harry would be the oldest of four children. In age order it would go Harry James Potter (July 31 1980), Bailee Lily Potter (June 22 1981), Angel Stella Potter (January 9 1983), and Erin Lunas Potter (October 31 1984).

James tries to talk Lily out of making Severus Erin's godfather (suggesting Frank Longbottom as godfather instead) but Lily refuses. She explains that James' friends get to be a godfather to one of their children and she wants her childhood friend to be a godfather to one of their children.

Sirius would be Harry's godfather. Remus would be Bailee's godfather. Peter would be Angel's godfather. Severus would be Erin's godfather.

Bailee would've been in Ginny's year. Angel would've been two years behind her older sister. Erin would've been two years behind Angel.

They first meet the Weasleys on Platform Nine and Three Quarters when taking Harry to the Hogwarts Express. Harry needs a little bit of encouragement from Lily to introduce himself but after that it's pretty much all in his hands.

Severus is Potions Master at Hogwarts and is nicer to his students, though he does still play favorites with Slytherins. He's not as bitter but I like James and Lily as a couple so...he still lost Lily. So he’s still a kinda bitter.

Harry isn't famous. He isn't in mortal danger. There's no prophecy. Harry gets a normal childhood.

Lily and Petunia eventually reconcile, though never to the point of being overly friendly towards each other. Just to the point that they are willing to visit one another occasionally (like once a year on Christmas maybe).

Lily and Hermione get along quite well. Lily also gets along well with Hermione's parents.

Fred and George get to meet and learn from the Marauders. And they get to share the story of how they managed to get the map back from Filch. They even get expressed permission from the Map's creators to keep it for their school years (as long as they promise to pass it on to Harry before they leave Hogwarts). Fred and George still pass it on to Harry in Harry's third year because they have the map memorized.

Lily joins Mrs. Weasley in making sweaters for her family and her family's friends.

They meet Nymphadora through Sirius when Sirius invites Andromeda to bring her family to one of their gatherings with the Weasleys.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione alternate between their three houses throughout their summers. While they're with Hermione's parents Harry and Ron get to experience all the cool muggle stuff. And while they're at Ron's they get to hang out with all the Weasleys. And while they're with Harry they get to hang out with Harry's family.

Harry is an amazing older brother. The perfect combination of shitty teasing and supportive awesomeness.

Umbridge is still appointed as a teacher in fifth year once the Ministry decides that Remus is a “danger to his students and fellow staff.” The Marauders and Lily and everybody are ready to make an absolute stink at the Ministry on his behalf but he talks them out of it. The students (especially Fred and George and the Potter kids and Ron and Hermione) manage to get Umbridge kicked out of the school by the end of the year and then quickly drive out the sixth year replacements until Remus is reinstated as the DADA teacher. Then everyone suddenly calms down. The students also expose Umbridge for being an absolute bitch, especially to muggle-born students. Umbridge gets in trouble. This is mostly just because I am very attached to the Weasley twins crashing the OWLs with their fireworks.

James ships his kids (and his kids' friends and pretty much all the kids he spends extended time with) and it's really fucking cute because the kids don't actually know. It's a popular topic of conversation between the adults though. James and Sirius have been known to fight. They all end up making bets on who is going to end up with who.

The group reconciles with Severus, though for a while he and Sirius especially are still at odds, glaring at each other every time Lily isn't looking. Though in saying that it takes James and Peter a while to adjust to Severus being a part of the group too. Lily however is very firm in her insistence that there is nothing wrong with Severus and there's no reason to be mean to him.

Being the “best godfather” becomes a competition between the group. Especially Sirius and Severus since Sirius believes it's his job to be fun and spoil the kid while Severus believes he is a secondary source of guidance and has to be as good a role model as he can. Remus and Peter land somewhere closer to the middle of the two extreme views.

Sirius and Regulus reconcile as well (partially thanks to Severus oddly enough). Sirius remains quietly protective of his brother and the two don't ever quite interact but they become quite peaceful in each other's presences. And Sirius stops blaming Regulus for believing their parents' pure-blood supremacy shit.

Nymphadora loves entertaining everyone with her ability. Andromeda also has plenty of stories about the trouble Nymphadora's abilities have caused over the years.

Peter helps Lily cook dinner. And Peter is an amazing baker and makes boss ass sweets. He also makes the kids' birthday cakes every year. He can always be counted to have snacks and to be more than happy to share.

Remus is Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher at Hogwarts and stays there. Severus never leaks his secret and makes wolfsbane for him every month, even if he isn't at Hogwarts. (Severus and Remus become friends the fastest out of the Marauders).

Alice and Frank Longbottom visit pretty much every summer too. Harry and Neville were basically raised as cousins and are already friends when the two of them get to Hogwarts. Neville also has a little brother named Augustus Longbottom.

Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Lucius aren't nearly as extreme (though they still view Andromeda, Sirius, and eventually Regulus as well as blood traitors). That means that Draco isn't nearly as extreme. They all still hold their pure-blood supremacy views though. Draco's views start to change when “Uncle Regulus” is labeled a blood traitor out of next to nowhere (at least in his view). He also witnesses first hand the shit muggle-borns go through, and sees, and is forced to participate in, what amounts to torturing them. And it makes him sick to his stomach (that isn't until he's older though probably 16).

Lily is basically super mom. Four kids, a childish husband, her childish husband's childish friends, and Severus, as well as her kids' friends. SHE IS SUPER MOM. And she gets along really well with Mrs. Weasley and Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

Whenever Fred and George manage to piss off Hermione they run away screaming “Granger Danger! Granger Danger!”

Harry and Dudley are on speaking terms even though they aren't particularly close at all.

Nymphadora and Remus survive. Teddy has his parents and gets to grow up with them around. As well as his dad's friends. And his mom's friends.

Charlie and Nymphadora are inseparable besties and she visits him often to “check up on my nieces and nephews” aka the dragons Charlie looks after.

Charlie brings some of the nicer baby dragons home to the Burrow a couple of times. He tells Mrs. Weasley, “Hey, Ma. I just brought a couple of the kids. I hope that's alright.” Mrs. Weasley is like “Of course. Of course.” Charlie nods and walks away and then Mrs. Weasley is like, “Charlie! You don't have children!” And Charlie runs away, snickering. There are two dragons that he always brings (at least until they're too big to be able to come and then he drags his four siblings out to visit the two dragons) that are very fond of Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny. He also brings other dragons. There are a couple times where Mrs. Weasley is like “You didn't bring the dragons again, did you Charlie?” And he's like, “No of course not, Ma.” And then they hear something that sounds vaguely like an explosion and Charlie goes all pale and is like, “I'm, uh, I'm gonna go check that.” He hurries away before Mrs. Weasley can rant at him. He always gets lectured for bringing dragons home but Mrs. Weasley never makes him take the dragons back before he is leaving to return to Romania.

Ginny, Bailee, and Luna become very close while at school. Bailee is more than aware of Ginny's crush on Harry.

James, Sirius, Lily, and Peter start trying to set Remus up with Nymphadora in both very discreet ways and obnoxiously obvious ways.

Marlene is basically the Potter kids' aunt. She comes over a lot and is always down to have some fun.

Fabian and Gideon Prewett are very involved in the Weasley family. Fabian is closer to the younger kids (Fred, George, Ron and Ginny) while Gideon is closer to the older ones (Bill, Percy, and Charlie). They're not visiting often but they write almost weekly and they do visit when they can.

Charlie manages to find a dragon that likes Percy and that Percy likes. He then lets Percy name the dragon. The dragon is named Lux. When Lux gets too big to bring with him to the Burrow he has Percy come and visit.

Dumbledore probably still dies but much more peacefully, simply from being an old ass fucker.

Lily Luna, James Sirius, and Albus Severus get to know their grandparents.

Lily wins the most from their betting on the kids' futures with Remus coming in second (James and Sirius were pretty fucking wrong and never hear the end of it).

Bailee ends up with Seamus and has two kids named Aliyah Astral Finnigan and Raine Ever Finnigan. Dean is basically their uncle and lives with the family (OT3 here. Bailee, Dean, and Seamus. It's cute).

Angel is pretty fucking gay and lives happily with her classmate/wife Mary Thompson. They have an adopted son named Brandon Sun Potter-Thompson.

Erin ends up with a classmate called Samantha Jordan and has three kids named Matthew Cloud Potter, Sarah Snow Potter, and Erica Thunder Potter.

[wrathoscribbles]

But also consider:

Nyx having absolutely no fucks to give when it comes to Regis’s “Council”, and no chill.

“Here’s the deal.  None of you know how to fight in a goddamn war.  You literally bring knives to gunfights and think magic will solve everything.  While taking advice from the god of war.  100 dumbass points to each of you.  Also, Your Majesty, we’re not doing this prophecy thing.  Your son isn’t dying like some sacrificial lamb.  I’ve had a word with some Astrals, we held a meeting, it’s on the table.”

None of them have a clue how to respond to him, nor get a word in edgewise.

Cue a couple of confused murmurs - what’s this about the prophecy and Noctis dying?

Nyx will let Regis catch them up on that part.

Some thoughts that he might be insane when he starts talking to no-one in particular.

“No, sorry, I don’t speak executioner.  Not happening.  I don’t care if your word is law - a lie by the way - I’m not doing what you say.  Well come down here pint-sized and say that, you flea-ridden sack of rancid dicks.”

Regis eventually realises the Oracle is arguing with Bahamut when he catches wind of the Astral’s voice, a low and agitated rumble flowing through the walls of the Citadel.  If they were standing in the vault with the Crystal, they’d probably all be deafened by him.

How does Nyx intend to oppose Bahamut?  Simple, really.  He’s on the Infernian’s good side, and Ifrit is more than a match for the overgrown lizard (and also has the ice fairies on his side so good luck Bahamut lol)

Umbra and Pryna are not dogs, because Nyx isn’t content to just sit on the sidelines and heal people.  He’ll throw himself into the midst of battle and while their original duties were simply to act as messengers, well.  Nyx has thrown many spanners in the works since the fall of Tenebrae.  They’re tasked with guarding him now, alongside Libertus and Crowe.  So they need to be bigger, stronger, meaner.

They’re like the coeurls native to Galahd.  Umbra’s colouration is pretty much the same as his canon dog form - or maybe the exact negative of a standard coeurl.  He’s got plenty more scars than just the one over his nose, and one whisker is shorter than the other after a particularly vicious fight with a couple of daemons.  He’s built for power, and he can easily carry a full grown human on his back (see: Nyx, when the idiot needs dragged out of danger).  Pryna looks much like a typical coeurl, a bit on the slighter side when compared to Umbra, but she’s faster and buzzing with magic.  One bite from her is usually enough to knock anyone on their ass, or short-circuit MT suits, or... perhaps even... electrocute a certain... double-crossing someone.

Much like Noctis does with his friends, Nyx shares his magic with Libertus and Crowe.

While the Oracle’s magic is defensive based, Nyx isn’t without his offensive power.  He’s favoured by Ramuh, and travels around with two messengers who’ve adopted “lightning cat” bodies, it’s safe to say that he has some shocking prowess in battle.

And an end note:

he has about 0.3 seconds to brace himself when he hears The Squeal before Selena warps into him at speed and sends them both tumbling down a flight of stairs, babbling on a mile a minute because she hasn’t seen her brother in years.  She’s crying, he’s crying, Crowe’s not crying she just has something in her eye, and when Luna brings Mama Ulric to the scene they start crying.  

Oracle!Nyx/Kingsglaive!Luna ideas

The Oracle hailing from Galahd rather than Tenebrae, he and a select few others being rushed into mainland Lucis ahead of Niflheim’s invasion.

Would Nyx still lose his sister?  Would that play a part in the shaping of his magic and his loyalty to the Astrals?

Does he use the Oracle’s Trident or is it some other type of weapon?  Can he fight with other weapons?  Is he still the scrappy, reckless hero as he is in canon?

If he’s captured by Niflheim, how much havoc does he wreck getting himself back out?

If Selena survives is she taken by Niflheim as a bargaining chip against Nyx?

Would he greet the King of Lucis with warmth or ice to rival Shiva’s touch?

Does he know who the Prince is?  Have they had previous communication (via phone rather than notebook)?

Has Prompto saved Pryna?

Are Pryna and Umbra even dogs???

Does he favour one over the other?

Are they more involved, rather than playing messenger or space-time hopper?

What does Luna specialise in?  Long range weapons?  Lances?  Does her strength lie in elemental casting?

What part does Ravus play?  Is he a member of the Glaive, too?

Where is Drautos in all of this?

Tagging @archistratego for spawning this in the first place

[chocobostrinket]

I think it's also time for a scenario! So what about one with a s/o who is a really close childhood friend to Noctis. They fell for him years ago but never told him because they heared that he will marry Luna. After the fall of Insomnia they met again in Altissia. The both of them talk a little about what's going on and somehow Noctis starts to talk about Luna and that brings the feeling back. They can hold it anymore and confess to him and probably tell them to have eyes for them.~

Alrighty! :D

They all inherit their positions around the royal family. His S/O was no different. But their line was rendered useless the day the queen died. Their family, while unwaveringly loyal to the king, had always served the queens/princesses of the land. So being without a queen to serve under, they were stuck in a sort of stasis.

Though that didn’t mean they were allowed to slack off on their duties. They were always in training for any potential new queens, taking special care of the queens private chambers. They learned everything they were supposed to, but since there was no queen for their parent to serve, they could live as normal citizens. And when a new queen would be crowned, their parent would step down and they would take their place as the queen’s companion.

Noctis didn’t know who they were when they met in elementary school. He didn’t realize they were of a noble house, much like the Amicitia and Scientia. Not that it mattered, they became the closest of friends anyways. 

(I headcanon that the king has his shield and adviser, and the queen has a sword and companion.)

It wasn’t until high school his S/O realized that they had romantic feelings for the prince, but quickly crushed those feelings. They could not allow them to come to light, since they were meant to serve the royal family, and distanced themself from him as a result. Eventually, this distance caused their friendship to become strained and then dissolved.

A few years after they both graduated, it was announced that there would soon be a new queen to serve. Lunafreya Nox Fleuret was to be married to their prince. This was when they were rushed to the palace to start preparation for her arrival. 

They run into Noctis, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto, greeting them briefly and allowing themselves a small time to catch up a little. And much to their horror, they discovered the feelings had not faded. 

He’d be surprised to see them there, and as soon as they left he’d ask Ignis about their presence. Imagine his shock when he discovers they basically are meant to be to the queen as Ignis is to him. 

The four depart and they are left in the citadel. And they get to briefly meet Luna, along side the person who would become Luna’s sword, and are genuinely looking forward to working for her.

(Luna doesn’t comment on it, but she can feel that both already loved her unconditionally. Which does surprise her.)

But then...Insomnia is plunged into chaos. And falls. They manage to be a part of the escape. But their parents are dead. The sword’s line has ended in defense of the woman would would have been queen. And they are left adrift.

Luna takes them with her, and she does serve as her companion alongside Gentiana. Since it was the last thing they were ordered to do in the name of their family, they weren’t going to let Luna out of their sight. 

In Altissia, they wait beside her for Noctis’ arrival. They are fully aware of what will happen to Luna, and have helped her through some of the fatigue she feels from the damage her body is taking to wake the Astrals. 

And when Luna requires something be brought to her, they go to get it from the market. Imagine their surprise when they recognize the four boys waving from a gondola.

They wave back and meet them where they gondola docks. They request to meet Luna immediately. But they can’t allow that to happen yet. Per Luna’s request they cannot meet yet. Though they reassure Noctis that Luna does want to see him. It’s just that she needs time to rest before contacting Leviathan. 

Gentiana appears before them and relays a message from Luna to them, telling them to guide the boys around Altissia. Gentiana from there takes the items Luna requested and leave them to it.

They spend the whole day together, allowing the boys to relax and enjoy the day. They also catch up and find out Noctis’ thoughts on the marriage to Luna and how he’s content with the match.

Slow dancing at the Maagho to music was one of the highlights of the night. They dance with all of them at least once. 

The day allows them to come to terms with their feelings, and this night allows them to say goodbye. Because Luna and Noctis were to be married and honestly, how could they come between them?

They take them to the Leville Hotel to check in and have a moment alone with Noctis on a balcony. 

There they say they have something to tell him. They let it all out. They tell him they’ve loved him for a long time, but will never acted on their feelings, and never will now. They can’t look him in the eye as they speak. But they smile as they speak, and stare into the distance.

“Just thought you should know.” They then turn to leave, and are at peace with their choice to let him go. But when he pulls them back and pressed a kiss to their mouth, they feel the world fall away.

He explains as he holds them close, that he had liked them for almost as along, and though he loves Luna, it’s not the same love he feels for them. 

They have each other for the night, and if the others see anything, they don’t comment on it. They’ve known that the two cared for each other. Which is why they had been constantly checking with Noctis about the marriage. If he had ever show signs of not wanting it, they would have encouraged him to not go through with it. 

They tell him, they’ll love him always, but this night was the only one they could have together. Considering Luna and his impending marriage. they depart reluctantly, but both understand their places.

And then Altissia is evacuated and destroyed when Leviathan is awakened. Luna dies. And they are one of the people listed as missing. 

As it turns out, Gentiana has passed the trident onto them to pass on from Luna, and reveals herself as Shiva. They serve under her for a while, fulfilling Luna’s wishes. 

They appear on the train with Gentiana, no longer missing, bid her goodbye, and from there on serve as a support to Ignis. 

They do not pursue the prince’s affections after he had lost Luna, but they do wait for him. They recognize that he did love Luna, even if it was on strange deeper level than just romance. And eventually, Noctis does reach out for them. 

[dozingcarbs]

FFXV-2 “??? Eos” Ending Part 2

↼ Read “??? Eos” Ending - Final Quest Part 1

"??? Eos" Ending - Final Quest Part 2

This segment will be told by both Gentiana and Noctis. It will start with Noctis.

Noctis

The scene shows what happened when Noctis opened his eyes during his reflection while charging the Ring with the Crystal's Light. Time stood still and everything darkened. Noctis has initiated an audience with the Old Kings within the Ring of Lucii.

The Old Kings are not in a good mood, for Noctis is interrupting the Ring and the Crystal. Noctis has a request for the Kings of Old. Noctis will purge the star of the scourge under one condition. And that is to purge all six Astrals along with it. But why would Noctis commit to such blasphemous act?

Because the Gods haven't done anything helpful. They have left others to fix the mistake they made. The Gods found a solution and that solution was humans. They went to sleep and just kept watch for an eternity. And all they have brought are disasters in their wake.

Round Table

In this section, you discuss and provide arguments for the Old Kings. Noctis convinces them and he also gets to talk to his dad a little bit.

Noctis retaliating against the Gods is inspired by how this story has played out. Leviathan had begun the "Feeding" as said in her cutscene (and in XV) since Noctis did not prove himself worthy at the time. Altissia was completely annihilated. Ravus' last words telling Noctis to go beyond his duty did affect his mindset. Lunafreya awakened the Gods and kept the scourge at bay the best she could at the cost of her own life. And yet, no Divine being stepped in to save her. Her calling was fulfilled and that’s all they needed of her. 

Noct has personally witnessed the pieces of the ancient Solheim civilisation and their extraordinary technology. They thrived before the Six came in.

Persuading the Old Kings won't be easy. A few of them are extremely religious and devoted to the Gods as implied by their Royal Arm descriptions. They will use statements such as the power of Kings and Oracle existing because of them. The world wouldn't have known magic if it weren't for that. They created the Ring of Light and gifted humanity with the Crystal produced by the planet.

And yet, Solheim clearly have had discovered a form of magic of their own. And it is still active to this day. 

Steyliff auto repairing stone bridges, infinite energy in Costlemark, and Pitioss weird stuff. A means of neutralising or weakening magic temporarily.

Noctis is the Crystal's chosen who can draw out all of its power. The Crystal was not created by the Gods, but much like Gods, was manifested by the stars. The Ring was created to channel the Crystal's light.

I believe the Crystal only existed because of the Starscourge. It’s as if the planet's "immune system" or defense mechanism produced something that could fight the plague.The Ultimania doesn't state when the Crystal existed but it does say the Gods brought it along with the Ring they created for the chosen king at the time. And this was after the scourge dropped the population strongly already.

What will happen after the scourge has been purged? Will the Gods select new Kings and Oracle once more so they can offer praise and if not, leave great devastations as trials to test their faith? 

Based on the Cosmogony and Luna talking to Leviathan.

Noctis will convince the Old Kings successfully. He held onto his convictions and proved himself like a true king would.

Read “??? Eos” Ending - Final Quest Part 3 ⇀

[novadragon53]

Fan Fict ( Final Fantasy XV ) - The Lucian Heirs

Chapter 11: Destiny Lunafreya Nox Fleuret a member of House Fleuret was the blood of the Oracle. The calmer of gods and preventing the plague Starscourge from advancing useing her powers. The plague lengthens the nights and Luna is preventing the world of Eos from plunging into darkness. She also can talk to the gods , the Astrals. Serah Lucis Caelum a member of House Caelum , the royal family of Lucis , is the summoner. In the case the Oracle is no more she will be the last line of defense against the Starscourge being able to summon spirits and send souls back to Eos as well as gods and fuse with them. She can keep the moon shining. Not able to summon his weapons Noctis runs up a nearby stairwell and takes shelter inside the building , stopping there to catch his breath. He looks behind him knowing he can expect no help form his friends or sister , he reaches into his side pocket and pulls out a ring , the Ring of Lucii. With trembling hands he puts it on. A blast of icy energy surged into his hand and raced up his arm , burning in his veins like liquid fire. He fell back with a wild cry. An iron clang filled his ears , and he herd a soundless scream of rage. Every part of his body seared in pain. He struggled to move , but was unable to. After what seemed like hours warmth seeped back into his limbs , leaving them tingling. Shivering uncontrollably he pushed himself upright. His hand was numb , his fingers paralyzed. Alarmed , he looked at the ring and watched as the ring emits a pale blue glow as if it accepts him as its master. " The time has come " he said to himself. Daemons then enter the room and Noctis uses the magic sealed inside the ring. It seems as if it draws the lifeforce right out of the Daemons and heals the user , though it costs some of the users energy as well. Noctis continues to press on alone with one thing on his mind rescue Serah and Prompto as well as recover the crystal in hopes that it has the power to purge the Daemons. Inside the imperial city was as dark as night with no one in sight and everything looks rundown. The some of the walls are also destroyed the only light available was the flashlight carried by Noctis and the moon in the sky that still shines brightly , but for how much longer. The moon's light then begins to weaken. " There is not much time left " Noctis thought and he quickens his pace. Hoping this is not an omen and it can still be reversed if he finds his captured allies. Taking brief breaks in safe areas to regain his focus and energy. Prompto continues to talk to Serah though locked away in separated rooms across from each other. Both of them are starved and beaten as well as bound by their arms and legs , if Ardyn can break their spirit he will be successful. " Serah , Serah can you hear me ? " Serah continues to look down at her feet too weak to respond. " I know they will come for us , you have to pull through this for me and for him , you are what's keeping Noct going. " Serah still gives no response to Prompto tired and exhausted at she ordeal she had to face. All of which is a game according to Ardyn. In which Ardyn continues to torment and torcher Noctis in hopes of breaking him. Noctis reclaims the Sword of the Father. A blade belonging to Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII. His father's sword found near the body of Ravus Nox Fleuret , convinced by Lunafreya to join Nocis' cause. Ravus pledged to return Regis's sword to him. In Gralea , Ravus resists arrest and is then killed. Noctis pulls the sword out of the ground and as he did the sword turns into crystal energy. The blade then vanishes and Noctis thinks " Well dad , lets see what your sword can do. " He then tests it against some Daemons that appeared around him quickly killing each one that appears. Noctis continues to fight his way through hordes of Daemons on the way to the keep's upper levels. Falling into a trap Noctis curses his luck but is even more determined to put a stop to everything. The noise created by Noctis' struggles alert and draw Ignis and Gladiolus to his location. Noctis then asks how they found him. " We had some help but at least we are together now except two of us. " Reunited with his two friends Noctis proceeds to the holding area where the imperials hold prisoners and there he finds Prompto and Serah. " You get Prompto and I get my sister " he tells his two friends. " Got it " They then releases the binds that bound them. Ignis and Gladiolus then checks on Prompto as he falls to the ground " Hey , are you alright ? " " Are you hurt , do you need help ? " Prompto looks up to his two friends " I am fine , but Serah... Serah is not doing too well she is injured and weak. " They then check on Noctis who just manages to get Serah out of the bindings and lowers her to the ground unresponsive. Noctis then calls his friend " Ignis lend me a hand " " we are just going to have to make use of what we have there is not much we can do here. " Ignis responds using a potion and bandages where needed. Noctis then turns to Gladiolus " can I turn to you to take care of her ? " " Yes if that is your wish " They then carry Serah out of the holding area. After the group finds the device sealing Noctis powers Serah also awakens but still weakened. Gladiolus can feel the person he is carrying on his back stir. " Ngggh " Gladiolus then calls out Noctis and lowers her to the ground. " Hey how you feeling ? " " Brother , is that you ? " " Yes " Serah and Noctis reach out to each other , in which the two rings glows Carbuncle is then summoned again healing Serah. Noctis then pulls her up and they embrace. Now the group is back together there is only one final thing left to do seek out the crystal taken by Nifleheim.